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.

Bigby's

I have fond memories of Bigby’s. The first time I dined at this quaint but charming resto was way back my auditing days when a colleague and I flew all the way to Cagayan de Oro for an assignment. After our very long inventory taking was over, we asked around of a restaurant they could recommend and Bigby’s was the unanimous recommendation so off we went and had our very late lunch there. I remember the food being really good and the attendants were very warm. Upon knowing that we were from Manila, they even gave us a complimentary slice of cake with sparklers and all to welcome us. How great is that?

After hearing that Bigby’s has finally hit Manila, I needed no more prodding, I told honey we should dine there once we go on holidays to Manila. True to my word, I hauled honey to the resto and we were both impressed by the ambiance, it was very homey and the couches were very inviting. I completely forgot that they offer very big servings and so when honey and I an appetizer and main course for each of us. I ordered the Tijuana Quesadillas and honey wanted to give their Squiggly Rings a try. For our main course, we both ordered the belly buster. The food is as good as I remembered it to be, the servings were huge and the attendants were as friendly as ever. The ribs in particular were excellent, it was tender and juicy and falls off the bone. The food we ordered was just too much for us he took most of it home with us. I even told him that we have to save room for the midnight dream cake but as it turns out, there was no more room in our tummy. Oh well, we will definitely be back and next time we’ll know better. We’ll bring the entire family along so we can all sample the goodness of this place.

This place is definitely a must try.

Memories Preserved

The moment we’ve learned that we’re having a baby, the ecstasy, excitement and that amazing feeling that borders between nervousness and anticipation are just too much and I wanted to preserve them somehow. So once those wonderful emotions have subsided a bit, I started jotting down ways of how I can create a memorabilia that our growing family can cherish for years to come. It was like a light bulb flashed on top of my head…. What better way of preserving memories than to make a scrap book!

I’ve never really been into arts and crafts and all those cuteness so I cannot tell whether or not I have an apt for it but it’s never too late to try right? With this project in mind, while vacationing in Manila, I scoured bookstores, novelty stores and paper shops for the base scrap book that will hold all my little treasures. After combing the biggest malls, I still couldn’t find the right one. Then while we were in Megamall, I remembered this shop that I adored some years back, Papemelrotti, I checked their store out and found several charming scrapbook, but none of them really grabbed my attention, so I decided to look in some other places and if there is really nothing else out there, I’ll get one from this shop.

Our last few days in Manila came and I’ve decided to just by the scrap book we found in Papemelrotti coz that was the only thing missing, I’ve already bought the all the other paraphernalia I think I’ll be needing (like stickers, buttons and other accessories) to be able to create my very first scrap book. The very same day, I met my sister for dinner and she handed me a gift, guess what it was? It was a scrapbook, none that I’ve ever seen in my previous search for this elusive book. It was cute and brightly coloured and was everything that I was looking for. Apparently, she bought it that afternoon in a small stall while strolling in Robinson’s place. Oh how wonderful, now I have two.

The moment we got back here in Amsterdam, I started creating the scrapbook. Since this is the first time I’m doing this, I decided to just put in anything that I feel I would want to see again that would trigger happy moments. I just try to document, through bits and pieces, the stages of our pregnancy and the important dates and events.

So far there are still a few pages that I’ve filled up but I’m still collecting the rest of the stuff I want to squeeze into this tiny treasure. I’m hoping that I would be able to tap into my creative juices and create a jewel that we could keep.

If you have any tips or suggestions on how I can make this keepsake even prettier, by all means, I’m (wide) open for suggestions.