funny side up

Listen to the thunda rumble when the drum rolls. Our contender for best dessert comes into the ring. 🥊🥊 Clad in golden purple gear, looking crisp and ready. The audience of 5 is ecstatic, excitement is palpable. DING !  Round ⓵ !  And, it's a KnockOut ! 🍇 Ingredients - Crust : 2 cups APF / plain flour 1/4 tsp salt 3/4 tsp baking powder 3/4 cup white sugare (better to err on less ) try lesser next time (maybe 1/3 cup?) 3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 + 1/2 stix) 1.5 tsp vanilla extract 2 LARGE eggs (yolks only: "crumbly"; ALL: "solid" 1 to 2 tsp apple cider vinegar *add 1 TSP water if need more to "clump" 🍇 Steps : mix, clump, put in mold/pan, press to form crust. set in fridge. (don't press too much tho, so it's less dense) 🍇  Ingredients - Fruit mixture : 3 cups fresh berries / stone fruit (peach, etc.) 1 tsp lemon zest 2 tsp fresh lemon juice 1/3 cup white sugar 1 to 4 tsp cornstarch  (the more, the firmer the fruit filling will be) pinch of...

How to beat that summer heat ? If there's yogurt in the chiller, instead of ice cream, my bunch enjoys this yogurt bark . This is surely the easiest dessert to whip up. It's also fun to make as the kids can literally get their hands into this. Whatever fruit or spread is in the pantry can be used, as suits the mood of your tastebuds. As with any chilled treat, give it a wee bit of time to set. Maximize that teaching moment ✌ 🖉  of patience vs instant gratification. It will be totally worth the short wait! 🍦 Steps 2 tubs yogurt 1 tbsp honey toppings of choice, diced or mashed - fresh fruit - berries / banana / kiwi, chocolate, peanut butter, nuts, wafers, endless possibilities. (Tip: if  you are not keen to bite into a chilly fruit, you can opt to mash the fruit first, or use fresh fruit syrup, then drizzle it onto ur yogurt slabs). Mix yogurt and honey in a bowl. In a tray lined with baking paper, with a spoon  slather into slabs or tree bark shape . or feeling artsy or...

Growing up in one of the 7,100 islands of the Philippines, I am very fond of fresh "pinya" or pineapples. Salt it, cake it, salad it, juice it, any which way suits really fine!  My kids, urban citizens that they are, are by no means strangers to this crowned fruit, but they are more familiar with its canned form.🥫🥫🥫  Absolutely one of our favorite things every CNY here in this little red dot is the Pineapple Tart; th is is one of the interesting ways we met this fruit, together.  Shops stock up on this treat as the holiday approaches, culminates on the week itself, and lingers a little more.    Buttery, tangy, sweet.  It's hard to keep these in the jar for long.  Arrrrgh. MUST. PORTION.  🍍 Mix DRY 220 grams  (~1stick) unsalted butter slice to cubes . Keep in fridge. Sift together: flour, baking powder, sugar. 340 grams (3 cups) all purpose flour 1 tsp baking powder 30 grams  (1/4 cup) white/icing sugar 🍍 Mix WET 1 egg slightly beate...

So, I asked,  "Hey, Google what's a pound cake?" and was illumined with: " Pound cake is like the  little black dress of dessert ... traditional pound cake recipes call for equal weights of flour, sugar, eggs, and butter..." Apparently, back in the olden days a pound of each ingredient is required.  Thus, "pound" cake.  Thankfully, it's not quite what I imagined it to be - pounding the w its out of the dough is out of the equation (exit cue:  Thor with his mighty Mjolnir 🔨💨. buhbye). Thus, continuing still with the lemon saga in our casa, we tried the lemon pound cake. 🍋 Ingredients - dry 1 + 2/3  all-purpose flour, sift 1/4 tsp salt 2 tsp baking powder 1 cup (180g) sugar 1 lemon zest 🍋  Ingredients - wet 1/2 cup melted butter (~113g) or vegetable oil) 1/2 cup (120 mL) milk 3 eggs 180 ml yogurt (or 1/2 cup sour cream and 1/3 cup lemon juice) 1/4 tsp vanilla 🍋  Steps - cake 0 - pre-heat the oven to 175C (350F) for 10 mins. 1 -  Whisk dr...

Truth be told i am not so fond of ripe bananas.  I admitted as much to my kids. But i do show them that i eat it, despite. Must walk the talk especially when they are the involuntary audience to my "healthy food" lectures 😅. Banana cake is an exemption though. The mix of all ingredients is just so right it transports this yellow fruit right smack among my favorite fruits list each time i gobble a piece.  The aroma as it bakes brings back fond memories of my mom preparing this treat. If its up in the menu for the day in my parent's luncheonette... well, ... it was the best time to do a taste test to "help out" in the family business 😜 Prep Time: 15mins Cook Time: 45 mins  🍌 Ingredients 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour (APF) (215g) 1 tsp baking powder (6g) 1 tsp baking soda (6g) 1 tsp salt (6g) 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (3g) 3/4 cup Brown sugar (150g) 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature (113g) 2 eggs large 4 bananas Very ripe mashed about (430g) ( large bananas;...

Everyone in the family loves cheesecake. Hands down. ( I'd like to think my Z got it because when I was preggy with her, I craved and indulged on Oh George! New York cheesecake.) So, anyway, one fine grocery day, there was a good promo for cream cheese. Fast-forward to Christmas season, an even finer day it was - we finally got to bake our 1st homemade cheesecake! Steps : Preheat oven at 350F (or 175C). 🥮 Prepare crust :  3 cups (~18 pcs) graham crackers, crushed well 3 tbsp melted butter Pour into mold and press to form crust, start at the center press outward/upward in the edges.  🥮 Prepare filling : 🧀 Whisk together: 1/4 cup all purpose flour 1 cup sour cream     (alternative: 1 cup nestle cream   1 tbsp vinegar) 1 tbsp vanilla 🧀 Fold with spatula: 4 packs cream cheese (8 oz = ~226.79 grams each) 1 + 1.2 cup white sugar 🧀 Add and whisk together: 2/3 cup milk  4 eggs 2 tsp lemon zest 2 tsp orange zest 🧀 Bake for 1 hour at 350F (or 175C). L...

Still, the egg pie love affair continues.  This time, trying out the burnt style egg pie. It seems that the dark brown burn spots beckon louder to our taste buds, to come eat, ora mismo (well, without burning the tongue!) 😅 Prep Time - 15 mins Cook Time - 65 mins Steps: 🥮 Prepare crust  1 + 1/2 cup all purpose flour 1/2 cup (~113g) cold butter cut into cubes 2 tbsp sugar (brown/white) 🥮 Prepare filling 4 large eggs 1 cup evaporated/fresh milk 3/4 cup condensed milk 1 tsp vanilla 1 tbsp sugar (brown/white) 🥮 Egg wash 1 egg 1 tbsp water 🥮 Bake Middle rack Crust:  220C (425F) - 10 mins. (optional) Pie:     175C - 25mins.            then, 160C - 30 mins            last, 220C - 10 mins for those extra yummy dots of super-tan. ❗ Tip: "Tent" the pie after 30mins baking to avoid burning the pie (if the oven is too small/hot). Use aluminum foil and shape it as a pan cover; loosely and partly cover the...

Leche Flan Google tells me that in other regions/countries this is otherwise known as "creme caramel" or "caramel custard". In the Philippines, this is beloved Leche Flan.  Served warm, it pairs nicely with old rice (for real), or sliced ripe mango. Served cold, its very nice with warm coffee. To each family and home there may be different combos.   But I got to say,  in whatever temperature and whatever pairing, it's really good. So this one is for my books -- for my kids, as they have also acquired the sweet tooth for this yummy dessert. Also, with leche flan, I always end up with a good amount of egg whites. So, we make puto (rice cake)! Each time, the day after a leche flan feast in our home, there will always be puto up for grabs :). L eche flan 10 Egg yolks 1 can Condensed milk 1 cup Fresh/evap milk**      **Dissolve 6 tsp coffee granules for a coffee flavored flan. 2 tsp Vanilla a squeeze of Lemon/lime juice (optional) Filter mixture usin...

APPLE FRITTERS 🍏🍎 What rhymes with fritters?  Jitters,  nippers, litters? 😁 Inspired by my Ate J#2 who made a batch recently and made me and my sissies drool via Zoom  over her creation.   ♬🎜 Do you know the way to San Jose? Let's go there for some freshly-made-apple-fritter! ♬🎜  I do wish our huge family just live next door to each other.  So one fine weekend, with a couple apples left in our basket, we tried it too. The kitchen smelled most promisingly heavenly while these were fryin!  Recipe for ~16 fritters:  fruit 3 large apples 1 lemon dry ingredients 1.5 cup flour 3 tbsp   sugar 2.5 tsp  baking powder 1 tsp     salt 1/2 tsp  cinnamon 1 pinch  nutmeg wet ingredients 3 tbsp lemon juice (~from half of a lemon) oil for frying 2/3 cup  milk 2 eggs 2 tsp vanilla 2 tbsp melted butter, room temperature Steps: Peel, core, and slice the apples to about 1/2" thick.  Save the peelings for a v...

🍋  No bakey-bakey Lemon Tart  🍋 Our Z loves the  tangy zesty lemon.  Lemon juice,  lemon cakes, lemon-pepper chicken wings, lemon Himalayas candies... what else is there? If there's a lemon donut, wow, i'm pretty sure it'll be a great combo for her!  Come to think of it, she enjoys "Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events" too..  is it because its lemony? So for my Z who loves lemons, from a tentative idea, i finally decided to at least try making a lemon tart in our lifetime. And if all goes well, we can add it to the annals of our family history LOL. (I say this because I have lots of misadventures in the kitchen. It takes a leap of faith to try out some new dish, really.)  The magic of technology, right up there in my Youtube search hits was  missevabakes lemon tart  video, golden cheerful yellow, no-bake, her recipe beckoned me. Yep, yep! We whispered a prayer, rolled our sleeves, and marched to the kitchen! And here's our fi...

🍨  Easy Peasy Yoghurt Fruit Cups  🍨 1. Strain liquid from yogurt. 2. Transfer to cups. 3. Add favorite toppings -  fresh fruits, nuts, crisps cereal, etc. Source: https://www.google.com.sg/amp/s/www.buzzfeed.com/amphtml/maitlandquitmeyer/greek-yogurt-desserts 🍭 🍭 🍭  Yogu-Lolly  1. Poke a popsicle stick into individual yogurt cups 2. Freeze for at least 3 hours. 3. Remove from the cup.    Enjoy your Yogu-Lolly 😋

Biko is a sweet rice cake in the Philippines. It is made from glutinous rice, brown sugar and coconut milk. To me, when it is topped with latik (coconut caramel), then it is an extra-special kind of biko. 😍 I love it served warm during merienda time, paired with a glass of kalamansi (Philippine lime) juice. It brings to mind happy memories, of simple times with family, when we all have this afternoon delight in my mom's garden, a welcome treat after hours of chores (well, seemed to me like the chores took forever, then 😅).  I have fond memories of my Auntie Meling bringing a platterful of biko whenever she makes one in her home across our own.  In Cebu, it was my first time to have it served together with ripe mango.  Oh, what a heavenly pairing that was! As my experience with biko has always been to eat it, I was so happy that my hubby once tried making this Thai Sticky Rice version, inspired by our favorite Chef John of Food Wishes. I found it reminiscent of biko ...

If I've not mentioned it already, my little family is in love with chicken  🐔  eggs. 😍 We do not have the  e99y as our beloved padre de pamilya for no reason at all.  Omelette, sunny side up, egg sandwich, deviled eggs, scotch eggs, adobo eggs, salted eggs, egg soup, oh the list does go on!  Another of our favorite take is steamed Eggy Pie . Much-loved by my brood, this one is perfect for merienda in school and at work or right in the comfort of home.  Dessert? Easily so! Simple and delicious, this is also a no-bake recipe. Instead of oven, only a steamer  is needed. And THAT makes it an absolute keeper in my recipe list!  😎 Steamed Eggy Pie Serving size: 8-inch pan 1+1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup cold butter 2 tbsp sugar 3 large eggs 1 cup evaporated milk 3/4 cup condensed milk Vanilla essence Prepare the crust: 1. Mash and mix the dry ingredients below.     1 +  1/2 cup all-purpose flour   ...