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My husband is on quite a restrictive diet at the moment so we try to avoid big ?food groups such as dairy, wheat, soy, some nuts and anything fermented that may negatively impact his health. So, it has been quite a challenge to cook sometimes. I have to be creative so he can still enjoy his food despite all the restrictions. Thankfully, I can still make for him his ultimate favorite foo
I love make-ahead French Toast Casserole. You can make it in the evening, leave it in the fridge and the next day you can just pop it in the oven and wait for a yummy breakfast treat! I have only tried one French Toast Casserole recipe and that is the one by David Leite of Leite's Culinaria - it is so good that I never bothered to try anything else. Here is the link to the original recipe.
Sundays were very special in our family when I was growing up in our small island called Marinduque in the Philippines. Not only because that's the day that we all dress up and attend church but also because we know that Mom would have something special for us for lunch. It was always a much anticipated meal. And though oftentimes, the weather in the Philippines is hot, still we would
I have mentioned in a previous post that I have been doing a Detox Diet and I have used Dr. Oz. Three-Day Detox Cleanse. I finished the strict 3-Day Detox last week and while it was really tough, am glad I survived. This week I am continuing it but not as strictly as the first time. What I would do is replace 1 or 2 meals with the Smoothie and then continue as usual.I have decided to use the
It's Mother's Day tomorrow and all the Moms need a little indulgence and pampering on this day so I timed this delicious post just for Mother's Day. I haven't heard of any Mom who doesn't like chocolate. So why not make this elegant, easy and truly delectable - 2-Ingredient Chocolate Mousse and make Mom happy! :-) Enjoy! Note: This recipe uses raw eggs, so beware that raw eggs may
It's nearly midnight in Michigan but only quarter to eleven here at Chicago, it being an hour behind. We are here in Chicago to apply for my Schengen visa. Great to be in the city again though we have no time for sight-seeing. This is really more of a business trip rather than for pleasure. I won't write a long article for this post - because as I mentioned it's nearly midnight and
This week I have started a Detox Diet using Dr. Oz' 3 Day Detox Cleanse. It's all liquid for three days and am now surviving :-) my second day. Amazingly, I didn't feel as hungry as I thought I would be though caffeine withdrawal did give me some headache. And I must say it's quite a challenge not to want to chew on food especially when I see a lot of yummy food everywhere! :-) But what I fi
When we went to Africa, it was the first time we have heard of Frikadelles (or meatballs). We were so happy to have been acquainted with such a dish that I truly begged (ok - asked nicely) to get the South African recipe for the delicious meatballs we had. It was simply amazing that we couldn't forget how wonderful these meatballs tasted. We have made it at home many many times an
We love Mexican food! My husband and I love spicy food in general so we are naturally inclined to love Mexican food. When we first came to the US, in particular to Grand Rapids, MI we were worried that we won't get much of our favorite Indian food....spicy curry. As you probably know, in the UK - curry is now the un-official national food! Yes, it's that popular and the world famous Brick
It's been over a month now since my husband has changed his diet - dairy-free, soy-free and gluten-free! I know, sounds like an awful chunk of food group(s) have been removed.... It was overwhelming at first and I didn't think I'd be able to cook anything but with some research and a little creativity - it's not impossible to live this way, actually. In fact, he has lost about 15 pounds
It's been awhile since I posted a Filipino recipe so I thought that I will share one today. This is quite an old recipe which I posted on my old blog and you can see that with the photo - I didn't know anything about photo composition yet - point and shoot is what I did then! However, don't worry it would still look like this when you cook it - though perhaps a newer photo may do ju
Imagine a cold and gloomy morning and you wake up to the delicious aroma of freshly baked muffins that's still warm and waiting just for you! What an ideal way to start the day, right? It's not impossible and I sure have an excellent recipe for you - Fresh Strawberry and White Chocolate Muffins! I am so happy that now that it's spring we are getting more strawberries in the store
We are excited to go to England in a few weeks time! Because of this I thought it's about time I add a British recipe, after all I am married to one! :-) Thankfully, my husband has such an eclectic taste when it comes to food and is always willing to try something new that he's not too bothered that I don't do much British cooking. Actually, in our house there isn't any particular
Strawberries were on sale this week so we bought a lot! I have made my Fresh Strawberry Cake three times just this week but I still had enough berries for a smoothie. Also, I had some Bananas and Oranges that I can use too. Of course, using bananas in a smoothie is a given for me - it lends sweetness and creaminess and when used frozen you actually don't need to add any ice to the smoothie
They say that "necessity is the mother of invention." And while I would never say that I invented Pizza, such an adage applies here. Sometime in the summer of 2012, it was lunch time and I totally didn't know what to make for my family. I had some ingredients in the fridge but can't seem to imagine how to incorporate them all in one dish. We had a visitor too that day which really
I have been making my Blueberry Sour Cream Cake for awhile now which prompted me to try pretty much the same recipe but using fresh strawberries instead! Am I glad I did! Of course, I used the Demarle Non-stick bakeware to make it perfect - particularly the lovely Sunflower Mold. It came out flawless as you can see in the photo. It was moist and truly flavorful. Most of all this cake i
As you can tell, these photos were taken years ago when I didn't know how to take proper photos yet. :-) But since this week I am having an Asparagus Party over at our Manila Spoon Facebook page, I thought it would be a shame not to share such an easy and delicious Asparagus recipe. The pictures may not be perfect, but this dish is perfectly flavored and scrumptious for sure. Whenever we
In 2009, we went back to the Philippines to visit my family for the Holidays. En route we stopped by Tokyo so we can see what it's like in Japan during the Holidays and also to have a much needed break after that long trip from Chicago. Once we landed and after checking-in at our hotel, we immediately went to search for food (airlines don't feed you much nowadays, do they?). Thankf
Before I had my new Kitchen Aid Mixer (Pro 500), I thought I was doing well in making cakes. Then I tried baking this most delicious and amazing Italian Lemon Ricotta Cake and realize that I actually couldn't have done this with my old and cheap mixer that's now been buried 6-feet under (figuratively speaking). My husband who is just the most amazing and supportive husband ever on thi
Ever since I made the Baked Pears in white wine recipe, I have been quite in-love with fruits baked in wine! They are a great way to make fruity desserts that are relatively lower in fat than those which are bathed in cream and sugar. It's truly delicious, too! This time I tried using apples instead of pears and I baked them in a spiced wine sauce - Italian style! The semi-sweet wine (
We went to England in 2010 and stayed with my hubby's very good friend, Robin, while in London. His wife was away visiting her family abroad at that time so he was left in-charge of taking care of us and feeding us. Wow, I was almost afraid for him - not that we are difficult guests (LOL) but just because I didn't want him to make a fuss or to be intimidated with our presence. Little did I
I promised the two tots (William and Sophie) that I will give them a sweet treat for Easter. However, I didn't want to do anything that's going to require too much work for me. It has to be something I can enjoy doing and something I actually would love to eat as well! Thankfully, I found a very easy (no bake) recipe from the Cooking Across America Cookbook from Demarle. It
So I made some Banana Bread today and I was so happy with it and wanted to share it with you all. However, when I was about to take a photo of it - half of the banana bread was gone! Apparently, my husband took it and brought it to William's school so he would have something to eat right after he's been picked up. That was really sweet but I just wished he told me first so that I could
It's Spring! According to the calendar anyway and despite the fact that we still see some snow on the ground. But why let that spoil our fun? Spring means lovely produce, fresh food and so much deliciousness! So to officially welcome Spring here's a favorite Spring dish - Pasta Primavera - loaded with all the lovely vegetables coming our way when true Spring comes into full swing! The ke
If you are a follower of this blog, you probably already know or have heard of Demarle Bakeware. Demarle is the company who invented the Silpat (non-stick Pastry Sheet) and Flexi-pan (non-stick flexible bakeware). If you are a fan of the Food Network and especially of the show "Chopped" then you probably would have seen the Silpat often featured there. These products are well-loved by b
Nowadays, we are trying to eat a little healthier than usual (with occasional sweet treats of course!) and so I have decided to look back on my heritage to try and make more Filipino style dishes that are both nutritionally more beneficial and flavorful, too. In the Tagalog Region, where my little island belong, a lot of our food are soup-based - with veggies and meat added in and lots of
Oh Arroz Caldo...it's been so long since I had a bowl of this thick and delicious Savory Chicken and Rice Porridge that's similar to the Chinese congee. I think we named it Arroz Caldo as a result of our being colonized by Spain (hence the Spanish name) though if it's a meatless or plain savory rice porridge we just call it "lugaw" - a Filipino term. So pretty much it is a thick porridge
Simplicity is beauty as they say and this is exactly how I feel with this 2-ingredient creamy and yummy Kiwi-Banana Smoothie! If you have super-ripe and sweet bananas that are either fresh or frozen and your Kiwis have ripened so that they are quite sweet too, instead of super-tangy, then combine the two together in a blender and voila - this is what you get - a truly healthy sweet beverage
There are definitely days when you simply don't have the time to cook an elaborate meal no matter how much you want to. When this happens I am glad that I have a few recipes that I can easily whip up, which don't take too much time to make and with ingredients that I usually keep in my pantry. This Chicken with Creamed Corn is one of my staples. My mom always made this in the Philippines a
A few years ago I saw this recipe for Black Bottom Cupcakes in a local magazine and tried it. I loved it but found it just a bit salty for my liking. I haven't tried it since then. It's been a few years now. This Saturday, my kids wanted me to bake something for them (usually, when it's not to busy I do some baking with my kids). Naturally, they wanted something sweet and preferably
It's March and all the recipes I see so far on the blogging world are green - could it be be because it's almost spring, or perhaps Lenten season is getting near or it could be the Irish celebration of St. Patrick's Day.... I thought once I see green all over - it's time to experiment and make my Green Tea Cake! This is my first attempt at making a Green Tea Cake. I have a can of Matc
Who doesn't like to wake up in the morning to a breakfast that's all set and ready to go? That would be so ideal, right? Well, it's not impossible anymore when you try this amazing Overnight Steel Cut Oats that cook all night in the slow cooker so when you wake up, it's ready for eating. It doesn't take much effort to prepare it either. It takes less than 5 minutes for prep time and then all
In our family, we try to incorporate a lot of fruits in our diet, after all it's one of the best sources of nutrients particularly the much need anti-oxidants which berries, particularly, blueberries contain! Often, I find that the best way to encourage my kids to have their fruits is through a smoothie so I try whenever fruits are on sale to make a new smoothie once a week. These were the
I love Red Pears and they were on sale the other day so I grabbed a few to snack on. One of the pears I used for making a smoothie while the other one I gave to my son for his school snack. However, he didn't like it for some reason and asked if he can have an apple instead. I obliged but was a little disappointed that he snubbed the pear. So, anyway, I had a few more pear left-overs than I
Just a few weeks ago, we were invited to dinner by some friends from church. We always love gatherings like this for it not only presents a great chance to visit friends but it's a wonderful opportunity to get to know each other better and with great food at that. Needless to say part of our menu was this amazing Chicken Chili dish! Naturally, I asked my friend to give me her recipe
Can anything be better than a ripe Yellow Mango Smoothie or Shake? Yes, a Green Mango Smoothie or Shake! When it comes to tropical fruits - the Mango reigns supreme in the Philippines. I grew up with mango trees in our backyard. I have memories of my grandma smoking the mango tree - I need to explain what this means - to bear more fruits. She would rake the dried leaves and twigs i
Ask any Pinoy what they would like to see served in any fiesta or celebration and for sure, majority will tell you --- LECHON! That's pork roast for you - but it's not just your ordinary pork roast - it's an entire pig roast. It's not so much the meat that everyone goes crazy for, although it's definitely what I love, - it's actually the crispy skin (like a pork crackling) that everyone wan
Having grown up sorrounded by Coconut Trees in our little island, called Marinduque in the Philippines, I love anything with coconut flavors. And we do use coconut (tree and fruit) for everything that you can imagine...I don't know how our country will survive without this towering plant from the Palm family! We use its logs to build houses, leaves for roofing, oil for making
When company's coming and I want an easy but delicious comfort food, I always rely on Baked Bolognese. I didn't think it would work the first time I tried it but people who had them seemed to like them and I always had good feedback. So I thought, it's about time I share this delicious baked pasta to all of you. For the Bolognese Sauce, here's the recipe. It is absolutely indispensable for
If there is one chocolate dessert that my husband truly loves it is Chocolate Marquise - a classic French chocolate dessert that requires no baking (just chilling) but the result is sublime and is the ultimate chocolate lover's dream! I honestly cannot think of any dessert that's more chocolate-y than this - bittersweet chocolate, egg yolks, butter and sugar are beaten together then lightened
I am truly Quinoa's number 1 fan nowadays! I love cooking it and enjoy it as my new found rice replacement. I thought it would be great to make it for the holidays. I experimented cooking it with some spices and see if it would work. I also added dried cranberries and raisins, pomegranate seeds and cilantro to the mix. I was truly happy with the result. The raisins and cranberries
It's Valentine's Day and instead of offering another sweet treat I thought for a change I'll offer you dear readers something savory and simple yet elegant enough for a Valentine's Dinner - Cinnamon and Orange Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Glaze. This is really a simple recipe and yet the meat comes out so flavorful and looks so pretty too! The sweet tangy flavors of the Balsamic Glaze add
I have always been a fan of molten chocolate cake but had always been intimidated to even try making one. However, one day I saw these beautiful heart-shaped molds from one of our thrift stores and that gave me the idea that I should at least give it a try. I immediately purchased these pretty little cups 'cause not only were they so cheap, they were also brand new. I thought to myself,
I love to experiment on making bread and cakes that are low-fat and yet without having to sacrifice on taste. Sometimes, low-fat baked products can be like that - low-fat, yes, but tasteless, too or overly sweet to compensate for the lack of fat. Surely, there must be a way where you can still produce a lighter version of a bread or cake but without having to miss its delicious taste. I
When it's wintry and cold nothing sounds more comforting than a big plateful of pasta! I specially love it when the pasta sauce has some extra kick in it with the addition of some chili peppers...sure to keep you fired up and warmed up. Here's an easy Italian style pasta dish - Spaghetti All'amatriciana (Spaghetti with Bacon and Onion) that's great for these chilly days! Ingredients 1
Before I have ever made my 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies, I never much believed that it was possible to make cookies with such a few ingredients. How could it be? But then I was proven wrong and yes, it was indeed possible to make the loveliest cookies with only a few ingredients. In fact, because there are only very few ingredients - the flavor is more concentrated (pure chocolate
In winter, it can be difficult to eat well. The cold weather almost makes you want to reach out to whatever is nearby and that may not be necessarily a healthy snack but since it's sitting on the counter top or looking at you when you open the fridge, it's so easy to grab them and let go! But since the cold weather brings a lot of sickness and bugs and viruses, it's important to keep yoursel
Winter means soup and I have been trying my hand on a few vegetable soups so we can enjoy a healthier version everytime we want some. After trying out and loving our Brocolli Soup it was time to try a Zucchini version. However, I wanted to add a little extra flavor to the soup and I thought I'd try to add some fennel seeds. I know they have a nice anise flavor and perhaps that will work with
In 2011, my hubby and I had such an amazing trip to Vietnam. First of all it, was a trip that involved only the two of us for eversince the two tots were born we haven't done an overseas trip on our own so this was great as an alone time with my hubby! At that time, I was pregnant with our third child and so was feeling so nauseous all the time. But thanks to Mark, my hero for sure, he tried
I go nuts over nuts! I just love them on everything! They add texture, crunch and a lot more flavor for sure! I have never tried them on pancakes though so one day I thought I'd give it a try. I still had some blueberries so I thought, why not combine them with the pancake batter. The blueberries will add some soft texture and sweetness while the walnuts will provide the crunch and
