Japan #2 - Rice Cooker Bread

"How can a nation be great if its bread tastes like Kleenex?" ~ Julia Child

This is it!!! Finally, I made my dream bread. Seems to be burnt outside, but lo and behold, once you have tasted it, you'll find yourself bouncing in cumulonimbus clouds. Fluffy! Fluffy! Fluffy! The crispiness of the crust brought thunder in my ears and the softness of the bread took me to a new dimension... Oh yes, that's my reaction! If you don't believe me, better try my recipe! Keep on reading... you'll know later why I have an exaggerated reaction.

Looks can be deceiving huh, seems like an ordinary bread but there's something special about this bread... this was cooked on our humble rice cooker! Yes, you read it right! R-i-c-e  C-o-o-k-e-r...

My first attempt - Devil's Food Cake

"Nine out of ten people like chocolate. The tenth person always lies." ~ John Q. Tullius

Never mind the name, this cake is so gooood that I found myself in heaven. When I took a bite of this heavenly goodness, I've heard the angels singing... the ethereal voices filled my soul.. so pure... so melting... and it's so darn good! 

OK, I'm exaggerating, can't help it.. of course, it's my first ever cake! But honestly, I love the way it turned out. This is my first attempt to make cake and it exceeded my expectations! Yay!

Warm and Hearty Almondigas

"Lord, I know that there's a reason for everything, I pray Oh Father that you will hear our prayers to stop the rain and bless us with good weather. Amen."

I barely got any sleep last night, it's raining torrentially! No tropical storm predicted and I couldn't believe that it is only a monsoon rain. I saw the flood reaching our gate and I couldn't do anything but pray. Pray for our safety and for those people who are greatly affected by the heavy rain.

As I watched the news today, my heart grieves for the victims of the flood, I feel sorry for the poor little babies, elderly, pregnant and new moms who are being rescued by our living heroes. I'm in the moment of grief when my little boy asked me for food! Oh my! I'm so busy watching that I forgot to cook for breakfast. Poor Lowell!

Brown Butter Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

"Raisin cookies that look like chocolate chip cookies are the main reason I have trust issues." ~Unknown

Chocolate oatmeal cookie? Ummm... Nah!

Chocolate oatmeal cookie? Hooeee! Yes!

I baked  2  two kinds of oatmeal cookies. One has raisins (personally requested by my husband) and the other has chunks of chocolate (of course, personally requested by the baker). 

Beef Misono with stir-fried vegetables

Good drink... Good meat... Good God... Let's eat! ~Dan Castellaneta (Homer Simpson)

Whenever my husband and I go to Tokyo Tokyo, we never fail to order the legendary Beef Misono. We are addicted to the garlicky and buttery taste of the beef and when it is paired with the stir-fried veggies, oh the taste is divine! 

We didn't have the time to go to the mall and just to satisfy my cravings I decided to cook my own version of Beef Misono with stir-fried vegetables.  

Cheesy Talk - Homemade Ricotta

"Enjoy change! Savor the adventure and enjoy the taste of new cheese!" 

- excerpt from "Who Moved My Cheese"

Since my husband is a big fan of cheese, I always wonder how to make one. But I get discouraged every time I tried doing it. I'm intimidated with the ingredients I haven't heard once! And I'm talking about Rennet and the cultures. Where can I find it? In supermarket, drugstore, meatshop???

Comfort of Rain... Ginataang Halo-halo

"To enjoy the rainbow, first enjoy the rain". - Paolo Coelho

 I love rain! I love the "moment" it gives... I think rain makes you connect with your emotional side. It gives you deeper thoughts on everything. Some people say rain makes them depressed and blue but for me it is the opposite of what they feel. I am happy and alive.

Since it is raining all day long, I am craving for something sweet. I want something that brings back memories. Besides the all time favorite "champorado and tuyo", another comfort food that my mom used to make during the rainy days is the Ginataang halo-halo. Ginataang halo-halo(1) is a very versatile Filipino food. It can be served on breakfast, snack (merienda), or as a dessert.

Alkaline Juice

 

Eating fresh fruits and vegetables is essential for optimum health. It naturally detoxifies and heals the body as it provides nutrients that gives you energy and strengthen your immune system. Not only that, fresh fruits and vegetables contain essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, easily absorbed protein, carbohydrates, fiber, water, enzymes, phytonutrients, and phytochemicals. 

I know all these things but the problem is I can't eat the required amount servings of raw vegetables and fruits in a day, especially R-A-W VEGETABLES. This is always my problem not until my brother-in-law shared his breakfast routine. He said that he's making an alkaline juice every morning (see the recipe below). Wow! I haven't thought of that... Juicing can make it possible to reach the goal of 9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day without requiring a lot of time and munching.

So here is the recipe, this can be taken an hour after taking the Power Juice. This is really a great tasting juice that feeds and cleanses the body.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cucumber (peeled, optional)
1/2 head of lettuce (iceberg)
2 cups of spinach
2 stalks of celery
1 apple (remove the seeds) or carrot for sweetness
1/2 cup water

Yield: 2 glasses, 1-2 servings

DIRECTIONS:
1. Wash the vegetables and fruit thoroughly.
2. Add all the ingredients in a blender along with a small amount of water.
3. Blend it well and serve it immediately or store in a refrigerator to drink throughout the day.

Happy day always,

Rhea