korean peanut crumble bread and chow mein

I was looking a bunch of korean bread recipe on the internet, and i came across this one. It looks so good and it sounds like it was easy to make too!

Sorry, i forgot to take a photo of the first step since i am the only one in the house when i made this bread.

Anyway, this was the gough after an hour or so of rising, as you can see i already punched the dough.



after punching and shaping the dough and sprinkling it with the peanut butter and flour mixture, much like bread crumbs. I let it rise again for another few minutes



and here is the finished bread!!! It was easy to make and the instructions were very simple. This is my first korean peanut butter crumble bread.



And i also cooked some chow mein, hmnnnnn...it was a prefect treat!



weekend get away

A few weeks ago, My SIL and her family got an invite to a 80th birthday party of one of their relatives down in the L.A. area. We tag along with them as usual, the more the merrier :)

this was taken along the I-5, a few melting snow can be seen from the mountains after last nights storm. Intersate 5 was back open early the next morning.



nice view of the Pyramid Lake along I-5, people would come here in the summer for boating and picnic





So, at the party as you can see here, a very typical Filipino dish and our famous lechon(roast pig)



the kids and teens, were having a great time dancing



while some of the adults were enjoying  some beauty sample from Mary kay cosmetics

Well, fortunately my Sil relatives were not the only ones having a party that day. Our friend phone us and invited us to a small gathering at a friends house. So after the devouring of food and desserts,  we hopped into our van and head straight to the next house, actually not far from where were at.


So, this is the second house that we went to and as you can see there's that poor Lechon on the table.




and more food




and the gang....we went home bellies full and bloated..hahhahah

Hope you all have a good weekend too!!!!

Strawberry Layer Cake recipe

For the CAKE:        BASIC YELLOW CAKE

1 tablespoon solid vegetable shortening
2 1/2 cups(12 1/2 oz) bleached all-purpose flour, plus 2 tablespoons for flouring the pans
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup(2 sticks) unsalted butter,softened but still firm
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs at room temperature
1 cup milk at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Set oven rack in the middle position (if oven is too small to hold both layers, comfortably on a single rack, set racks in upper-middle and lower-middle positions). Heat oven to 350 degress F. Coat bottom and sides of two 9x1 1/2 inch or 2 inch round cake pans with 1/2 tablespoon shortening each. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon flour into each pan; roll pans in all directions to coat. Invert pans and rap sharply to remove excess flour.

2. Sift together remaining flour,baking powder, and salt. Set dry infredients aside.

3. Beat butter in bowl of electric mixer at medium speed until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add sugar and beat, scraping down sides of bowl as needed, until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 munites. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stop mixer and scrape down sides of bowl as needed.

4. combine milk and vanilla. With mixer on low, add some of dry ingredients followed by a little of milk mixture. Continue alternating dry with liquid ingredients, ending with dry ingredients. Scrape down sides of bowl as needed throughout mixing process.

5. Divide batter evenly between two pra[red cake pans; using rubber spatula, spread batter to pan walls and smooth tops. Arrange pans at least 3 inches from oven walls and 3 inches apart. (if oven is too small, place pans on separate racks in staggered fashion to allow for air circulation) Bake until firm in the center when lightly pressed and cake needle or toothpick inserted in center comes out clean or with just a crumb or two adhering, 30 to 35 minutes.

6. Cool cakes in pans set on rack for 5 minutes. loosen from sides of pan with knife, if necessary; invert onto greased cake racks. Reinvert onto additional greased racks. Let cool completely, avout 1 hour.



FOR THE STRAWBERRY LAYER:

1 recipe whipped cream frosting (recipe follows)
1 quart(19 oz) medium sized strawberries lightly rinsed, thoroughly dried and hulled

instructions:

1. Prepare and cool cake layers. prepare frosting.

2. cut three-quarters strawberries in half through stem ends.

3. Place first cake layer on cardboard roud or cake plate. frost top with 1/4 inch thick layer of whipped cream. Lay halved strawberries, cut side down, over whipped cream in single layer. Fill in spaces between berries with a little more whipped cream.

4. Add second cake layer. Press down lightly to secure. frost top and sides of cake. arrange remaining whole strawberries, stem side down, in decorative fashion on top of cake.


WHIPPED CREAM FROSTING

2 1/2 cups heavy cream, chilled
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Beat cream in bowl of electric mixer at medium speed until thick, about 3 minutes.

2. Add sugar and vanilla and beat, scraping down sides of bowl as needed, until stiff, about 1 munite (frosting can be covered and refrigerated for several hours. briefly rewhip if necessary)


                                               HAPPY BAKING !!!!!!!!

asian veggies

Sunday supper was chocfull of healthy ingredients. We happen to stop by at our local asian market to get some tea and mango juice so i grab some of favorite veggies too!

here, i have garlic, onion and tomatoes and we all know the health benefit of these simple ingredients.
Also i have CHAYOTE in the middle, in case you dont know this little green veggie which is related to cucumber has vitamin c, manganese, B6 for the brain, magnesium which helps prevents leg cramps, has zinc an anti acne mineral, vitamin k for strong bones, copper which keeps the thyroid healthy, and folate which is really good for the heart. can you imagine that in just one tiny vegetable you get all these amazing vitamins and minerals. I have been eating chayote for as long as i can remember. I enjoy them either sauteed or put them i chicken soup we call TINOLA.

Then i have SQUASH, i'm sure most of you know the benefit of eating them. I have chinese LONG BEANS loaded with anti oxidant and TARO ROOT which has the same benefit as the potatoes, they help regulate heart rate and blood pressure.



Here, chopped banana heart and flower cooked like adobo. Now i suppose this has the same health benefit as the fruit itself since this banana heart has layers upon layers of flowers which will turn into the sweet banana fruit we all enjoy.




This is what my husband did with all of the asian veggies above. He cooked them with cocnut milk and ginger. Now that is what we call a healthy meal!



holiday sweet bread rolls

My sis-in-law Lilian shared a link with me with this fantastic recipe for sweet bread. I have baked a lot of bread since my husband bought me a bread machine but none of them seems to really get that bread texture that i am looking for in a dinner roll. I was so eager to try the recipe, the bread just looks good and worth trying for so i rush to my pantry to check if i have the ingredients. And luckily, i've got everything so i put out all of my baking gadgets and start the process...and oh mind you i did not use my bread machine or any other appliances at all. I used my bare hands to see how good this bread will turn out :)



this was after an hour of rising, looking good and the dough is moist, soft and elastic



rolling the bread was easy, and they dont stick on the counter, i have a feeling that this bread is going to be a success



according to the ecipe, use a mason jar lid to cut the dough into circles



really easy

dip half of it in melted butter



and fold them close together like so..




and Tadahhhhhh.....after 15 mins in 375 F the bread is nice and golden brown




usually if i bake at 375 F the bread looks burnt under so i have to adjust the heat temp. But this one, it came out perfect




Just look at the textture inside, it does look like the kind of bread you get at the market. The best part of it is the softness and a bit of crunchiness on the outside. This is the perfect bread i have baked so far, without the use of my bread machine.




So later that evening, i preoared some coleslaw and potato salad with baked broccoli and tomato. YUMMMYYYYY!!!!

If you would like to try this recipe go to myfabulousrecipe.com



strawberry layer cake

I got this book maybe 8 or 9 years ago at a SPCA book sale. I have not bake anything from this book yet, so in honor of Easter I decided to bake a strawberry layer cake

here is the finish cake, sorry it was not done perfectly. I was in a hurry to finish the cake before dinner



Whew! glad the family liked it! My daughter says it's her new favorite cake :)
maybe next time i will try to make some pie :)

HAPPY EASTER!



drumline competiton at liberty HS

Finally, after a few weeks of weekend practices, our school compete in their 3rd drumline competition. My husband and I always looks forward to this kind of school event.



this group reminds me of the wiggles





Our drumline kids

  As usual there's the food vendors outside, souvenir shops, novelties and more....

this was my favorite stand, they really used fresh fruits on their smoothies

there's no school event without this kettle corn stand

it was really hot inside the gym, it feels like the heater was on even though it was warm outside.
we bought a strawberry-banana-pineapple smoothie

 

muy caliente!!!




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It was a very entertaining afternoon, watching the kids perform their best. Our school won second place by the way....and we're all excited for the final competition this month.

sweet treats for the sweet tooth

Just a quick post ya'll.....i've got a bag of sweet mangoes the other day. It was really cheap so i bought quite a lot. My daughter and I decided to make some mango float, much like a refrigerator cake, except this one used graham crackers instead of Broas.



mango float
This dessert is really delicious and so easy to prepare.



this one is called Champorado, cooked rice flavored with chocolate and milk

Oh, this one is called calamansi. I just took a picture of it last night. my husband and i got so excited when we saw quite a few fruit ready to be picked. this are like lime but are smaller than key lime and has more citrus scent. good with tea or just plain old calamansi juice, prepared like a lemonade.



If only you can smell this......love the strong citrus smell of it!



sunday supper

Sunday was really gloomy and cold. We're suppose to go biking but the weather was not very much cooperative. We just stayed home cuddling and napping and watching tv. Later in the evening, i made some hot sour soup, we call it SINIGANG.



here is hot and delicious sinigang




also with some eggplant salad with egg




the eggplant was a nice combination with this pan seared tilapia

Ahhhh...the day was not bad at all, when you spend it with your family sharing a nice and warm home cooked meal. YUM! how was your weekend?