Ginataang Tambakol - Skipjack Tuna in coconut cream

Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what's for lunch. ~ Orson Welles

If you'll ask me what's my favorite food, ginataang tambakol is included on my top 10 list. I remember eating it with banana or mango when I was young. It sounds odd but the combination of hot rice, "gata" (coconut cream) and these fruits are SUPERB! Thanks to my mom, she always put sliced banana or mango on my plate whenever we have our lunch or dinner. I tell you, try this... it's crazy delicious! ;)

So this is our lunch today. Simple, easy to cook, economical, comforting, rich and exquisitely divine!

Halloween party

In the happiest of our childhood memories, our parents were happy, too. 

~ Robert Brault

I'm having second thoughts about this post but I really wanna share with you the halloween party held in our home last week. Yes, I know it's too late for the halloween theme this year but... not too late for next year - *wink! ;) 

Lowell, my eldest, did not stop persuading me to have a party. During breakfasts and even during bedtimes he was talking about the party. So to make him happy, I granted his wish. I wanted it to be as simple as possible that doesn't cost too much money and only requires minimum effort and time! I'm not a creative person but because I super duper love my kids, I became one! From the decors to foods to costumes, I did it all! Lowell was my buddy in doing the decorations, he messed up all the stuff I bought! Hahaha! But he's the one who gave me the idea for the decor's design. 

I baked cakes, cupcakes and made some cake pops. Cake pops are chocolate or candy melt coated cake on a stick. I've never tried making cake pops before and this is the first time I tried doing it. It's a little messy for me and requires patience but when you see the result of your hard work, it's like reaching the summit of your Everest. I mentioned earlier that I'm not a creative person but really... I'm proud of my work. Of course! Yay!

Tiramisu - Pinoy version

                             Sam Baldwin: What is Tiramisu?

                             Jay: You'll find out.

                             Sam Baldwin: Well, what is it?

                             Jay: You'll see.

                             Sam Baldwin: Some woman is gonna want me to 
                             do it to her and I'm not gonna know what it is!
                            
                             ~Sleepless in Seattle

When I was in high school, I thought that Tiramisu was a Japanese word (because of MY-San's commercial "Tiramisu Tira-mo-ko"), little did I know that this is a classic Italian dessert. And just recently I've learned the meaning of "Tiramisu"... Thanks Gordon Ramsay! This is what he just said to one of the contestant: "The whole idea of Tiramisu means pick me up. You just put me down. Great shame!" Ouch!

Linguine Alfredo with Smoked Bacon

"Friends are the bacon bits in the salad bowl of life" ~ Homer Simpson

Good pork + Good fat = Extremely Good for the heart BACON

Whenever I eat bacon, my heart smiles like a young lady who fell in love for the first time... the satisfaction I get when I eat this good stuff is undoubtedly priceless! So when my hubby requested for a pasta dish, I gladly welcome the thought of having bacon in my dish.

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).