Kneading like there is no tomorrow

The very first time I used my new chef http://intricate-thoughts.blogspot.com/2009/07/my-very-own-personal-chef.html, I made some muffins and Japanese cheesecakes and it was a breeze but I thought, batter mixing is not really the true test of a good mixer. So over the weekend, I decided to see how my chef would do when faced with the laborious task of kneading dough. I opted to make Siopao (since I have been craving it for quite a while now) and pandesal.

Last Sunday, my eyelids were barely opened and the rain clouds were making me want to crawl back in bed, good thing honey was picking up a friend from the airport so I got up the same time that he did. I readied the ingredients and threw on my apron and started baking. I was truly amazed at how easy making bread is now. I was able to make two batches of pandesal in less than an hour sans the backache that normally lingers right after I have done all the kneading. I kneaded bought batches ten minutes each and there were no complains from Kenny (that is what I fondly call my chef now). After stashing the dough inside the oven to proof, I started to ready the ingredients for the siopao ( I only made pork asado though as I’m not really fond of bola bola). Thinking that this is the perfect moment to test Kenny to its limits, I kneaded the siopao dough for ten minutes and my Kenny just kept on mixing, it’s like a walk in the park for him, fantastic.

I was all smiles when I pulled out my Pandesal from the oven and after I have steamed by siopao. As I took a bite of the chewy pandesal, I just had to smile and think of the next kneading journey that Kenny and I are soon to venture on. Cinnamon rolls and ensaymada, your next!

My very own Personal Chef

From the moment I discovered the magic that is baking, I have started drooling over the Kitchen Aid stand mixers. I would imagine how much fluffier my cakes would be, how much faster I can whip up frostings and how easier it would be for me to knead my bread (special my pandesal which our friends here always request for). I have my mind set on having one and I even listed it on my Christmas wish list . However, after checking the prices on line, I was surprised. A kitchen aid model which costs around $250 in the US would be had here in Europe at around €450… what kind of conversion is that?!?

During Christmas season, honey kept on insisting that he’ll just buy me the Kitchen Aid but being the wise shopper that I’d like to think myself of, I told him to hold it off and I’ll do some more researching. After combing the internet far and wide and browsing through reviews upon reviews of stand mixers available in the European market, I have concluded that the better alternative for me is to get a Kenwood mixer. There are reviews that even go as far as saying that KAs available in Europe are not as good as those in the US, this I’m not sure of. I was so surprised when I learned that the specifications of a Kenwood mixer are much better than that of a KA and it’s cheaper. Apart from that, all the reviews for Kenwood have nothing but good things to say about the product, how durable and versatile it is. The only edge KA has over Kenwood is the variety of funky colours. I am more than convinced so I told honey I found the mixer that I really want.



Without much prodding, honey and I ordered the product online and last thursday, honey came home with a huge box in tow. We’ve finally got our very own Kenwood Chef Classic. I immediately popped in the DVD included on the package on the player and honey was amazed by the range of things this chef can do. We can buy additional attachments to even increase the range of what our chef can do in the kitchen, it’s simply amazing.

Of course I donned my apron and baking mittens during the weekend and had a little baking frenzy at my kitchen after all my chef and had some getting-to-know to do… For our first adventure together, we made some blueberry muffins and japanese cheesecake. I must say, I couldn't be any happier with its performance.

Eggplant heaven

(via)

I’m not sure what came over me yesterday but as early as lunch time, I made up my mind to pass by the vegetable market a block away from our place and buy several eggplants. I was really craving for Tortang Talong (eggplant frittata)!

So off I went to the vegetable market and I chose good eggplants. After that I have to head to the supermarket adjacent to our home to buy some tomatoes (you’d think that the vegetable market would sell them, but no they don’t). I was debating with myself weather I should peel and boil the eggplant of broil and peel. I decided to do the latter so on the stove top, I placed a wire rack and allowed the eggplants to broil just until they’re soft enough to be peeled by hand and squished. After I have broiled them, I allowed them to cool for a bit, and then I peeled them off by hand, it’s quite easy to peel them off coz the skin comes off easy if they have been broiled to the right softness.

After peeling, I squished them all flat and set them aside. I took some eggs, beat them well and season them with salt and pepper. I poured some olive oil over a hot skillet, I took the squished eggplants and dipped them well in the eggs and fried them on hot skillet. Depending on the size of the eggplants, but I used an egg for each eggplant. Other people I know add minced meat to this viand, others add onions and tomatoes but I prefer mine simple and satisfying. Oh, I almost forgot, the tomatoes serve as side dish, you have to chop ‘em up real nice and add a spoonful or so of fish sauce or fish paste. Presto, super yummy dinner.

I had to close my eyes each time a take a bite, I’ve missed this comfort food a lot!

Beautiful brown longanisa logs

During weekends, I tend to plan our breakfast more carefully resulting to a more elaborate menu. After a week of plain and sometimes hurried breakfast, I want to pace myself in preparing and savouring the first and most important meal of the day during weekends. This is the case last Saturday, I chanced upon this simple recipe for longanisa, something that honey has been telling me he’s been craving for for a while now but we don’t get longanisa in this part of the globe readily available. The moment I saw this recipe, I knew exactly what we’re having for breakfast.



The recipe is really easy and really yummy, it reminds me of the longanisa I used to have when I eat breakfast at Mcdo, really tasty. I paired these beautiful longanisa logs with some fried rice and fried eggs with a bowl full of tomatoes drizzled with some fish sauce. Voila! The perfect breakfast. The best thing of all is that honey absolutely loved it.

Creamy Heaven

For as long as I could remember, I have been in constant search for the best cheesecake. From the best recipes to the café that serves the most delectable slice of this creamy, sensual treat. My most favourite cheesecake is the kind topped with one of my most favourite fruits, blueberries. My constant search has always been focused with the New York cheesecake kind, however, last Friday, after dropping by one of my most visited blogs, I chanced upon this interesting recipe of a Japanese cheesecake. Having pledged my loyalty to the cheesecake club for as long as I could remember, I am quite surprised that I’ve never tried this kind before.

Last Friday evening, with my apron wrapped around my waist, I wielded my mixer and started trying my hand on this gorgeous treat. The recipe was quite simple, I don’t have an 8 1/2 “ silicone baking pan so I used the one that I have, I think it’s 10” (I’m not sure) and I baked mine using a baine-marie and it turned out beautifully. Honey was out with some old colleagues that night so I decided to unmold the cake for tomorrow’s breakfast.



The next morning, I’m thrilled to sample the cake that was waiting for me inside my oven. I sliced a huge piece, took a forkful of the smooth cake and the minute it touched my tongue, it melted. It was as light as snow. I savoured every mouthful of this sinful and tempting treat. I couldn’t help but close my eyes as allow my tongue to feast on the sweet, tangy and fluffy heaven. Pure bliss!



This is the only cheesecake that I’ve made that honey enjoyed as well (he’s not a cheesecake person). This recipe shoots up to one of my top cheesecake recipe list.

Chocolate and Hazelnut heaven

With my favourite apron in place, I braised myself for another whirlwind misadventure in the kitchen last Friday evening. After having learned how to whip up a sinful, melt in your mouth, sugar high inducing treats, I haven’t looked back. I welcome every opportunity, with open arms, to try another gem of a pastry. I had another excuse last Friday, since we’ve been invited to attend a friend’s daughters birthday party, I knew I couldn’t pass on the opportunity to try another recipe in my must try list.



After careful consideration and after rummaging through my pantry to check for supplies, I’ve decided to try and make my own version of chocolate hazelnut nutcracker cake. I was curios how flavourful the cake would be with the hazelnut and graham crackers incorporated in the cake's batter. It was pretty easy to whip up and in no time, I had my cake base cooling in a wire rack.

The following morning, I made the Crème Chantilly and indeed it was heavenly. Icing the cake was a breeze and it turned out to be simple yet elegant. The end product was very flavourful and the rich frosting complimented the cake very well. My only complain is that the cake was not as fluffy as I’d hope it would be.



The cake was very well deserved at the party though. This recipe may not make it to my top five best cakes but it was definitely worth trying.

Better late than never

The Christmas package that our company gave us last year was quite interesting, my favourite item in the box is the travelling bag which is perfect for carry on luggage. The Christmas box also has a thermos, several food items and a cookbook. I love to cook but I wasn’t at all thrilled with the cookbook in spite of the fact that all the recipes inside look delectable. Reason: it was in Dutch. I was frustrated when I browsed through the book. The pictures in each recipe look so yummy and I can’t even try them. It’s too much of a hassle to translate them.

A couple of days back, I received an email saying that if we want to, we can exchange the cookbook we received in our Christmas box for an English one. I immediately registered.



Today, I finally got my English copy of the cookbook. Yey! I can finally try the recipes, I would’ve wanted to do it for the holidays but hey, it’s better late than never.

Welcome home (mini) cakes

After more than a week of restless nights, quiet evenings and alone dinners, Honey finally came home from a business trip from Seoul, Korea last Saturday afternoon. This is the longest business trip that honey has been to so far (and this includes three out of four weekend days) and I was really not used to not being with him when I come home from work or on weekends. I was so excited that he’s at last gonna be home that I cleaned the entire house very early in the morning, and as early as eleven am, thought of what I would cook for dinner and decided what cake to make.

I’ve been trying to decide it over the entire morning, until I finally gave in and asked my plurk buddies to help me decide whether I should make peanut butter torte or bounchons au chocolat (which is more of a mini cake comparable to Chili’s molten chocolate cake Through plurk’s help, I’ve decided to go with bouchons au chocolat, the recipe that I used actually came from one of my frequented blogs, marketmanila.com. ). It was quite easy to make actually and convenient so coz all the ingredients needed, I already have in my pantry. I just hopped to the grocery to buy some vanilla ice cream to top it with.

When honey and I finally got to eat dinner that night, we had shrimps in coconut milk and rice. Ooohh, I missed rice, since honey left I didn’t had any rice until that night. The sauce was creamy and the shrimps were succulent and were complimented well by the rice. Of course we had to save space for the decadent dessert that awaits and my oh my was it a treat. It was rich and bursting with chocolatey goodness with every teaspoonful. The vanilla ice cream goes so well with the warm cake, it was ecstatic. I couldn’t believe myself how easy it was to make considering how good it turned out to be. I have to emphasize though that the dessert is best enjoyed while it’s still warm, fresh out of the oven.

I had to smile when honey was so amazed and asked, “Where did you learn how to make these?” on his first teaspoonful of the cake. Suffice to say, he liked it a lot which made all my efforts worth the while.

Cholatier!

A couple of weeks ago, I have tried making my very first batch of chocolate chip cookies and I was so encouraged with the results so when I chanced upon this recipe from Market Manila, I gave in and decided to make my own.

I couldn’t find any bread flour so I decided to substitute with ordinary all purpose flour and as for the feves or chocolate discs, I didn’t have them as well so I opted to use the bigger chocolate chips that I bought from Manila. I made my cookie dough Friday evening thinking that by Sunday morning, I would serve Honey these spectacular cookies.



Come Sunday morning, the moment of truth has arrived, I molded the dough in flowers and hearts shape and baked them as per instruction. When I heard the “ding” of the oven to signal that the cookies are ready, I hurriedly went and retrieved the cookies. The cookies didn’t hold the shape I made them into before baking but when I tasted it, it was absolutely fantastic. Much better than the first ones that I have made. Honey enjoyed it a lot and even brought some to the office come Monday.



This recipe is definitely worth making again.

Moral of the Story

It has become a part of our weekends to meet up with our friends from CFC and last week it was our turn to host the dinner for them. The moment I woke up, I thought it was the perfect day to have friends over since we had a great weather. Thinking that I had all the time in the world and not wanting to miss the warm sun, Honey and I spent most of the day shopping and strolling. When we finally went back home, it was already 3pm and we realized we hadn’t eaten lunch yet. So we feasted on a salad with fried chicken strips dressed with balsamic vinegar. It was a refreshing meal for a hot day.

Immediately after lunch, I made my way into the kitchen and started preparing the ingredients for the simple meal I was planning to whip up. I still felt that it was too early so I took my own sweet time. I was quite excited to make the dessert coz I recently bought muffin moulds which were on sale so I started by baking the blueberry muffins and blueberry streusels cake. Initially, I only planned on making muffins but Honey requested for the cake so I obliged. Since I was planning a very simple dinner of chop suey and fried pork slices, after I have thrown the desserts in the oven I took my time in organizing my kitchen first clearing up all the ingredients that I have used, rearranged my plate cabinet and admired the desserts cooking in the oven and since I already seasoned the meat earlier that day, I started boiling some quail eggs, I peeled off some tiger prawns and I started to cut, dice and slice the vegetables and fried them up a bit while frying the pork slices on the side. In the middle of cutting and dicing and slicing, the doorbell rang. I stop midway of throwing another batch of vegetables in the wok to look at the time. OMG! It was already 6:45pm and our friends have started to arrive. I still needed to fry the rest of the meat slices, fry up some veggies, slice the prawns, shell the quail eggs and make the sauce. I started to panic so I paused and inhaled a deep breath. I thought to myself “don’t worry, the guests will not eat immediately, they will chat first and would want some drinks and by that time you’re done cooking.” So I welcomed our guests to our home and Honey entertained them while I try to speedily cook the rest of our meal.

In the end, everything turned out fine, I managed to cook the entire meal right after our guests have finished with their aperitif. It actually turned out perfectly coz the vegetable dish was served straight out of the stove top, it was warm, crisp and cooked just right and the meat dish was also fresh out of the frying pan. All of us enjoyed the meal, our friends particularly liked the dessert.


Moral of the story, learn to look at your watch once in while especially if your hosting dinner.

Sunny-Side Up

We had a glorious weather here in Amsterdam over the weekend, 27 degrees on Saturday and 30 degrees on Sunday, can you believe that. In the past, especially when I was still living in Dubai, I wouldn’t get psyched up about good weather but having lived here in the Netherlands for almost 2 years now, I know that they’re quite rare. So what else do we do on such a wonderful day, we started it off with a very Filipino breakfast to fuel up for the day ahead, dried fishes and fried eggs… yummy!!!

I was so excited to cook the eggs coz I got myself a new toy in the kitchen. I was able to buy this egg form moulds last week and they looked so cute so as early as Friday night, I knew Saturday breakfast would definitely have eggs.

It was one very satisfying breakfast indeed with the eggs and dried fish paired with fried rice and a cup of steaming coffee, although, my moulds didn’t work out as properly as I wanted them to. I think next time I used them I would use a different pan. When I tried to fry the eggs inside the mold, it leaked in some places and the egg didn’t exactly take the form of the mould. Hhhmmmp. Well nevertheless, the eggs were delicious. It was the glue that bound the crispy saltiness of the dried fishes to the aromatic flavor of the fried rice, simple yet satisfying indeed. Just what we needed to start off a perfect day.

Hot Pandesal

We Filipinos love, love, love to eat. I even read one article written by a foreign observer that Filipinos love to eat so much that you cannot walk for 5 minutes on the streets of Manila without seeing another place that sells food (and this encompasses all types of food places from classy restaurants to fish ball vendors). We even have five or six meals in a day, breakfast, mid morning snack, lunch, mid afternoon snack and dinner (for some, even a midnight snack). Needless to say, we Filipinos have had a lingering and sweet love affair with food. Having said all this, it’s a no brainer that one of the things mostly missed by Filipinos who live outside the country is the FOOD, Filipino style. I am in no way a food guru or a trained chef, but from practical experience, I have to say that Filipino food is one of the best and diverse food that I have tried. It is a fusion of foreign and regional influences coupled with very innovative ingredients.

Junfer and I, like most Filipinos, would want to have our daily dose of Filipino food. However, when circumstances doesn’t permit that, we settle in on a once a week all Filipino feast. That is why, when I started to learn how to bake, one of the first things that I really tried to learn how to make was pandesal, you can’t get anymore Filipino than that! Through the months that I have been making pandesal, I kinda got the hung of doing it and my pandesal has improved immensely from the jaw-breaking, tooth-cracking, rock-like bread that I first made. So one week when the CFC Amsterdam had a Filipino mass/General Assembly, one of our friends suggested that I bring some pandesal for the mirienda that we normally have after the mass. I obliged and brought in like 50 pieces of bread. I was actually astonished at how quick the pandesal was gone from the table. I think all the bread was finished in a blink of an eye. While we were on our way out, some of our friends requested that I bring in more pandesal on our Family day that was to be held the following week. What was I to do?

I gave in to our friends’ request. So last Saturday morning, a couple of hours before the Family Day, I labored my way inside the kitchen, kneading and mixing and shaping and molding and proofing the little fluffy flour mixture, turning them into this moist, crisp-on-the-outside, chewy-on-the-inside, melt in your mouth pandesal. Boy, was my arm and back aching after I finished making them breads.




In total I brought in over 80 pieces of warm bread in the park where the event was taking place. I was again amazed by the speed all those breads were consumed. Quite a few people were actually asking if there were more, unfortunately, at the moment that was the maximum capacity my arms and back could produce at the moment. Haha. Maybe with more practice, next time I’ll be able to make more.

Ref Door Project – Magnets, magnets and more magnets

Ever since I was a small kid, I have always fancied having a side-by-side fridge with portable water and ice dispenser which would be great for the hot and humid summer days in the Philippines, apart from the fact that I really thought it looked fancy. That is why, needless to say, one of my most favorite appliances in our kitchen is our LG double-door refrigerator. Honey and I bought the fridge last August 2007 when we moved in to our very own home. We both hesitated to buy such a big ref coz it’s just the two of us and the grocery is literally a stone throw away from our home (about 1 to 2-minute walk) so we wouldn’t need to store a lot of supplies. However, the employee’s discount that Honey would be getting from their company got the better of us and we thought that buying the bigger ref would mean more savings for us. We caved in and finally decided on buying the humongous refrigerator which almost didn’t fit through our doors.

All is well that ends well, we love our fridge. Its spacious, everything fits in it and we always have room to store more. I am not sure how it begun but when we started to travel more often, we got the hang of buying fridge door magnets from each of the places that we visited. So when we noticed that we already had a couple of them magnets, Honey, being the compulsive collector that he is, decided that from then on, we would try to find ref door magnets wherever we go and put it on the fridge so that we could keep track of the places that we have been to. However, when we went on holidays in Manila, Honey’s aunt gave him a ref door magnet from Davao and we have never been to there. So the rule of Honey’s magnet collection changed, he said that all those magnets that were given to us as presents bought from places that we’ve never been to, those magnets would go on the freezer’s side and the magnets from places we’ve already been to would go to the other side. Fancy rule huh. (hehe). Well here it is the picture of our fridge at its current state featuring all the magnets we’ve collected over the months. The magnets are from Amsterdam (of course!), Belgium, France, Spain, Turkey, Hong Kong, Boracay, Palawan and Davao.




This is my contribution to Wifely Steps' Blog Carnival: The Ref Door Project..

Delightful Strawberries

Whenever asked what my favorite fruits are, I would normally say blueberries, cherries and grapes. Sometimes I would include lanzones or mangosteen depending on the season but I never recall mentioning strawberries as one of the fruits that I favor. The main reason why I have never included strawberries in my list of preferred fruits is because when one buys strawberries in Manila, more often than not, it will be too tart for my liking and somewhat tasteless. I even remember a couple of years ago, my sister in law chanced upon these luscious looking, mouth watering-strawberries in SM North Edsa for Pph750 per 500grams (and that was like a gazillion years ago). Upon trying one of the fruits, we found that they were indeed very juicy and flavorful however, still not enough to make me want to gobble loads of them. All of this changed last Saturday.

After a rather late breakfast, Junfer and I strolled along the shopping street that was adjacent to our house when I told him we should go to the fruits and vegetables shop at the far end of the road because I was in the mood for some vegetables for lunch. Upon entering the store, we got some eggplants, a couple of tomatoes and were off to the counter when Junfer saw tubs and tubs of strawberries for sale and knowing Junfer as the fruit addict, he immediately grabbed 3 tubs of strawberries (500grams each). A couple of hours later, while I was preparing for our late lunch, Junfer couldn’t resist and washed the strawberries and immediately offered me a bite of the fruit. I declined and so he ate the fruit that he was offering me. I was watching him and was intrigued by his reaction, after eating the piece of fruit he offered me, he took another one and another one and another one and had this curious expression on his face. So I asked him “Is there anything wrong with the strawberries?” then he told me, “No, I was just trying to see whether I tasted the fruit properly. You have got to try this.” So I tried another fruit that he offered and I was completely hooked. The entire tub was filled with uber sweet, juicy, heavenly-fruits that were no where near the strawberries I have tried in my entire 27 years of existence, seriously. I never thought that strawberries could taste that good. Each and every strawberry in the tub possessed this natural sweetness (and not the cough syrup-like sweetness found in flavored snacks or beverages) and a tartness that was so perfect to the tongue, it was also very smooth and melts in your mouth. Just heavenly. Junfer was laughing when I started gobbling strawberries with him while saying “These have got to be the best strawberries I’ve had in my entire life.” Haha.

What was left for us to do after having consumed so much strawberry? What else, pick up our coats and head back to the vegetables and fruits’ shop and buy more of them.

My very first chocklit chip cookies!

When I was still reviewing for the CPA board exams, my friends and I would normally munch on our favorite snacks, usually Jack n’ Jill’s Tostillas (courtesy of my honey) or Chips Delight (chocolate chip cookies), as we bury ourselves deep into solving a management accounting or financial accounting problem. During those days, I have very little time to do anything else but study and attend classes and study some more (ohhh tough times) and so every instance that we were to open a bag of chocolate chip cookies, I would tell my friends, “One day, after we pass this freakin’ board exams, I will find time and learn how to make my own chocolate chip cookies or any cookie for that matter.”

Seven years later, my friends and I passed the board exams, got ourselves a job, I married my one true love, settled in on a new continent, and finally I have tried making my own chocolate chip cookies last Sunday. I can’t really say that it’s my first time to bake anything and the recipe that I have found from one of the blogs I frequented seemed to be fool proof but there you go my cookies were finally made after seven years in the drawing board. Good thing I was able to buy 2 full bags of chocolate chips on our last vacation in Manila, otherwise, the chocolate chip cookies might have taken another year or two to make since I don’t know where to get the stuff here in Amsterdam.

And the verdict, my honey says they’re really good, I also thought they were really nice especially fresh out of the oven. Lekker!!

28 and Counting

Only after having opened my eyes this morning have I realized how exhausting this past weekend has been. But strangely as it sounds, I woke up with a huge smile on my face albeit every sore muscle in my body. Well it all started with my yearning to make Junfer’s birthday a memorable one – well no extra reason required apart from the fact that I want to celebrate another year of his life that we’ve spent together. I was determined that now more than ever is a great time to invite some new found friends over to our new place and celebrate a year that was and look forward to another year that will be. As always Junfer did’nt want me to go through all the drama of preparation that’s why he objected at first but of course as persuasive as I can be (and as lenient as Junfer is with me at all times), I’ve convinced him otherwise – love you honey!

Dinner was set on Saturday at 6pm (I did’nt want it to end super late so there it was an early dinner). I slaved the entire day in the kitchen – chopping onions here, dicing bell peppers there, mixing sauces, straining broth – name it, I did it. I think I have performed all imaginable maneuvers inside the kitchen that entire day! While preparing for supper, I am convinced that I really am a typical Filipino, every time we play host (or hostess for that matter), we simply could’nt resist the urge to splurge on the menu. By 5pm, I was getting a little panicky coz I was still in the middle of my nth course for the night. Luckily enough, I pulled through without a hitch. If my memory serves me right, I have put together 7 main courses and 2 desserts all for 10 people (8 guests, Junfer and myself). Told you, I just could’nt help it!

It was a pleasurable dinner – very filling (who would’nt be filled with that amount of food) and as one of our guests commented “very cozy”. I really do hope I gave justice to the entrees since we had guests from different countries. It would be nice if they had a good impression of what Filipino cuisine is. It was really very funny coz both Junfer and I are not wine drinkers (actually we rarely drink alcohol) thus no cork screw can be found in our kitchen – this by the way is considered here in Amsterdam as strange similar to a house without say a can opener (sorry if my creativity has abandoned me at this very moment and could’nt dream of a better comparison). We bought a red and white, and when it was time to serve them, that was the only time we realized that there was no cork screw handy. Lucky enough for us we live a minute away from the supermarket. So after a hearty main course come dessert, while serving the traditional turon (well a very small version of turon) coupled with vanilla ice cream, one of our guests was half laughing while he commented, “you don’t have a cork screw but you have an ice cream scooper”. Well of course we do – that’s what you call knowing your priorities J

For the next few hours, our place was filled with chattering guests, laughing friends and that nice warm feeling you sense in a place where everyone is enjoying themselves. What a vision it was.

At the end of the night, there is nothing more rewarding than a peck on the cheek from my honey thanking me for the dinner which he immensely enjoyed. It made everything worthwhile. This is the very same reason why I still have that smile on my face this morning when I woke up.

Let’s talk Bread (or Cake)!

After having moved to our very own new home which is equipped with a fancy stove and oven (in my standards fancy is anything big, shinny and nice to look at haha) built in the kitchen, I have developed a new passion – baking. It all started with the thought of making use of something that was already there and the thought of not wasting a good home appliance. So there I was, having no experience at all of even lighting up an oven let alone setting up the right temperature to bake anything, I found myself vigorously searching the net for recipes which (I think) are simple enough for me to follow. Lucky enough for me, a good friend of mine decided to start a food blog and the recipes that he had in his blog were easy enough for me to do (or otherwise I sometimes abuse our friendship and ask him to explain further the process which are too complicated for my inexperienced baking skills or request him to post a recipe of something that I really want to try).

I remember all too well the very first time I tried to bake I tried to make some cinnamon rolls (taken from Allan’s foodblog www.champoradoblogger.blogspot.com). I have followed each and every instruction from the recipe but I was not satisfied with the outcome. We were able to eat the rolls but they were tougher than how I wanted them to be. Then after asking my friend what went wrong, I realized that I made a mistake in choosing the correct ingredients (it does’nt help that I need to translate the ingredients to Dutch or otherwise find the Dutch counterpart of the said ingredient). From then on, I have researched a little bit more and practiced a bit more and finally I got the cinnamon rolls that I want. Then my ever supportive honey bought me baking tools (tools that I don’t even know how to use or have never even seen before) and so I just had to learn how to use them and find recipes where I would require them. And as they say, all else is a history, I found myself a new passion – something that frees my mind from it all.

I realized that baking is a subtle art that is very addictive – it’s like crack if you’re a junkie (what a comparison!). The thing about baking is that it gives you an elated feeling after having labored your way through a recipe and accomplishing the right (or in this case - yummy) result. I just found myself looking for recipes to bake every single week since I’ve tried to bake. In fact, sometimes, I even manage to whip up a goodie after I come home from the office (I’m even planning to make my very own Spanish bread - which Junfer has been bugging me to make for quite some time now- after I post this J). It always fascinates me how a powdery thingy (flour) – after adding a couple of other ingredients – could become a nice looking piece of bread or cake. And another thing that I love about baking is that I get to make those things that I only buy from bakeshops before from the humble pandesal to the extravagant chocolate cake. Above all, the nicest perk of knowing how to bake is that I can create all those treats that I used to love when I was still living in Manila that are not available here. Of course it always helps that you have a hubby who tells you that the things you made are perfect and very palatable (although I know a lot of them – especially during my first few tries – were nowhere near perfection to say the least).

I am really looking forward to my next big baking challenge, I told Junfer that I will not buy a cake for his upcoming birthday instead I will try to make his favorite chocolate cake for him. I’m really tempted to cheat and buy an extra chocolate cake and put it on the fridge just in case but then again I think not otherwise it will not be as challenging as it’s supposed to be.