How to Bake: Homemade Brownies

Today I'm going to teach you how to bake Homemade Brownies. YUM YUM!! because in the past few days, we're only discussing viands but today I decided to teach you how to bake a simple pastry.

The ingredients needed are the following:

• 1/3 cup shortening
• 2 squares unsweetened chocolate
• 1 cup refined sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts

Procedure:

           Heat oven at 350 Fahrenheit ( moderate ). Grease a square pan. Melt chocolate and shortening over hot water. Beat in sugar and eggs. Blend flour, baking powder and salt, stir in. Mix in nuts. Spread in pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until done. Cool slightly and cut into squares.

           It could make 16 squares.

Surely eating this brownies could make your day. 

Happy Baking :)

How to Cook: Embutido

For today, I'm going to teach you how to cook embutido. 

It requires alot of ingredients but everything is worth it when it's already cooked.

Embutido or Enchido is a type sausage found in Spain, Portugal, Philippines, central and south America. 

Mass-produced sausages of these types are often wrapped in a type of artificial, sometimes edible, skin. Although the Filipino longaniza is roughly equivalent to the traditional embutido. Another Filipino dish that also has the same name, but its described as a kind of steamed meatloaf and lacks a casing.

The ingredients are the following:

• 1/2 kilo ground pork
• 1 big sweet red pepper, chopped
• 1/2 kilo hotdog, chopped
• 1/2 cup grated cheese
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 hard-boiled eggs
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup whole pickles
• 1/2 cup chopped raisins
• 1 piece finely chopped chorizo
• salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
            

                 Mix all  the ingredients together. Season well. Add raw eggs and mix thoroughly. Take a piece of clean cloth and spead the mixture. Arrange pickles, hard-boiled eggs and hotdog on pork mixture. Roll and wrap. Tie both ends and sew up opening. Cover with broth and simmer until done. Cool. Unwrap and slice. Serve with catsup.

                 It could make 6 servings. I hoped you have learned something from my blog today.

Happy Cooking. :)

How to Cook: Beef Cordon Bleu

Today I am going to share to you my readers the procedure on how to cook the beef cordon bleu. Cooking beef cordon bleu is as easy as 1,2,3( raised to x - n ).

Let the cooking begin.

In cooking you must prepare all the necessary ingredients, and materials needed.
And the ingredients in beef cordon bleu are the following:

• 1 kilo beef, cut up for stew
• 2 tbsp. queensland butter
• 2 tbsp. flour
• 2 big tomato, sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 can mushrooms, drained
• 1 tbsp. hunt's tomato paste
• 1-1/2 cup beef broth
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

brown beef in butter, remove from pan. Blend in flour. Stir in tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, and tomato paste. Gradually stir in broth and bay leaf. Bring to boil. Add browned meat. Season well. Simmer until tender adding more liquid if necessary. Serve Hot

And it's done. It could make 6 servings.
I hoped you have learned something on  how to cook the beef cordon bleu.


Happy Cooking. :)

A Collector, Collects....

Why is it that collecting something is a wonderful feeling? Because for me everytime that I collect something, it feels like I'm getting closer to whatever goal I'm trying to achieve.

I don't know, maybe collecting things for some people is a form recreational activity or a stress remover perhaps or it could also be some sort of therapy for something.

As I searched through the internet, I found out the 10 most common things that people collects, and they are the following:

1. Movies - it could be a collection of old movies, award winning movies, or Brad Pitt's movies etc.
2. Coins - it could be coins from different country.
3. CD's - it could be the albums of your favorite band or it could be a collection of songs per generation just like the collection of Edward Cullen of Twilight.
4. Video Games - it could be a collection of the most-awaited games, or the very best in game graphics.
5. Cards - it could be an NBA cards, pokemon cards Etc.
6. Stamps - it could be the stamps from different countries, like stamps of president per country just like what the post office released here in Philippines when Noynoy Aquino became the president.
7. Marbles - it could be a collection of marbles with intricate design, or according to sizes and colors.
8. Stickers - it could be the stickers of your favorite cartoon character, or in my case I collect even the labels of some products.
9. Keychains - It could be the souvenir keychains of countries, even province, or some certain action figure keychains.
10. Dolls - most probably it would be barbie's special edition for the girls and marvel characters for the boys.

In my case I collect mostly keychains of different province here in the Philippines, or keychains of other countries, or some useful keychains like, the one with flashlight or the one with the can opener.  I also collect the paper place mat of some restaurants, because I think it's an example of advertisement, don't you just loved advertisement? And the other thing that I collect is stickers, I said awhile ago that I even collect the labels of some products and its true, seriously true. I even had the stickers of the candidates running for president last campaign period. I collect a lot of things that I couldn't even mention all of them here.

I collect for some reasons like 1st, I love collecting. 2nd, I value almost everything that I have that I even have to collect them because they are irristable. and 3rd, I really love collecting things ( which I had said already ).

I'm proud to say that I am a collector and I collect the most awesome things in world. I actually couldn't imagine my world without my precious collection. I know that they are priceless but I am hoping that someday, even my grand children will take care of it for me.

Remember that your collection doesn't have to be a materialistic one. Your collection maybe your Family and Friends. They are already priceless and can't be bought anywhere else.

Do you agree with the following list?, let me know if you think something is more deserving to be placed in this list.

Happy Collecting :))

Caution: Angry Birds ahead...

If I would asked what game would I wanted to be addicted to, I would simply say the Angry Birds. I know it's the simplest game that anyone can play, even 3yrs old boys. But as I got a chance to play it at my tita's iTouch, I'm hooked not only on the game, but also on it's simple game effects. Even the characters at the game are the cutest.

Angry Birds is a puzzle video game developed by Finland-based Rovio Mobile. The players use a slingshot to launch birds at pigs stationed on various structures, the goal is to destroy all the pigs on the playfield. Inspired by a simple sketch of stylized wingless birds, Angry Birds was first released for Apple's iOS in December 2009. Over 12 million copies of the game have been purchased from Apple's App Store. Which inspired the company to design versions for other touchscreen-based smartphones, including those using the Android and the Symbian 3 operating system.

Give in to the addiction of playing Angry Birds. 

Fried Ice Cream, Watch out it's Hot....

Wierd isn't it? your ice cream being fried? I know what you're thinking. But you know people. They love to try almost everything especially when it comes to foods. 

This type of  ice cream serving will surely make a hot impact on our thirsty stomach. Because of its rare look. I know, you're already curious what's Fried Ice Cream anyway? 

Fried Ice Cream as you all know is a dessert. It has a number of variants, it could be Mexican or Asian. Although some viewed Fried Ice Cream as a Mexican Dessert, but it's not actually a pary of Mexican Cuisine. Rather, it's an American invention.

Fried Ice Cream is commonly made by taking a scoop of ice cream frozen well below the temperature at which ice cream is generally kept, possibly coating it in raw egg, rolling it in cornflakes or cookie crumbs, and briefly deep frying it. The extremely low temperature of the ice cream prevents it from melting while being fried. It may be sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar and a touch of peppermint, though whipped cream or honey may be used as well.  

Now I admit to myself that I want one. And craving to taste it.  

For my readers who are wonderin' where you could buy this little mouth waterin' Fried Ice Cream

They are available at: 

• Jack's Loft ( Eastwood City Cyberpark, E. Rodriguez Jr. Ave., Bagumbayan, Libis
  Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines )
• Congo Grille ( Trinoma Mall Lobby, North Edsa, Quezon City, SM Mall of Asia G/F Main Mall, SM Mall of Asia)
• Misato Japanese resto (Metrowalk,Pasig City, Metro Manila & also at L.Molito Comm'l Complex, Madrigal St. cor. Zapote road, Alabang, Muntinlupa City, NCR, Philippines )
• Panda Ice Cream Parlor (Panda Ice Cream Haus - Ma. Cristina Street, Dumaguete City )

Happy Eating :)

Waiving the White Flag for My Little Challenge.

Although I always ate high in glucose food. I failed to post a blog about it. So I'm sad to say that I have failed this challenge.

The reason why I failed this challenge is because, alot had happened recently. Like I always have exams so generally I am really busy that's why I wasn't able to post anything. Although I said in my past post that it won't happened again. But  I was really busy AND tired. So again my apologies.

Now what vivienblue_06????

as a blogger, I would still continue to explore the world of blogging. Which means...


More posts. More fun....

DAY 3: Nestea Iced Tea

For my third day I enjoyed plunging in Nestea Iced Tea. For some reasons, I was terribly thirsty that even water cannot satisfy the thirst that I have. So Immediately, I asked my mom if we still have some "Litro Pack" of Nestea Iced Tea. And lucky me she said yes.

So as I pour the whole "Litro Pack" at their specialized container. I can really smell the scent of the lemon, and it didn't do any good because I got more thirsty. So after pouring it, I add water, then I closed their specialized container, then start shaking it until the powder dissolves. At my content. I pour it immediately into my huge cup containing many iced cubes then start gulping it. 

It was the only moment where you can say "Aaaaaaaah...." because it really fulfill your thirst. 

Nestea Iced Tea, is like a lemonade in abroad. It's so delicious when its cold, also the sweetness of the drink itself  makes you wanna drink for more and sometimes other people considered it as their substitute for water, But as you know you should never eliminate water to your diet, because water is the most important liquid in our body. It could supply all the nutrients our body needs. And we could survive in weeks just drinking water. Can you just imagine that? ....

Anyway here are some facts about Nestea Iced Tea: 

Nestea is a brand of ice tea manufactured by Nestle and distributed by Nestle company's beverage department in the United States and by Beverage Partners Worlwide (BPW), a joint venture between The Coca-Cola Company and Nestle, in the rest of the world. It competes with Unilever/ Pepsi's Lipton Iced Tea. It provides a variety of "tea products", in regular and diet forms, including liquid and powdered tea concentrates, refrigeratable teas, and ready-to-drink bottles dispensed by vendor or vending machine. 

Some ingredients of Nestea Iced Tea are:

1. Water
2. High fructose Corn Syrup Tea
3. Citric Acid - It is a natural preservative and is also used to add an acidic, or sour taste to foods.
4. Phosphoric Acid
5. Potassium Sorbate - Its primary use is as a food preservative. 
6. Sodium Benzoate - it is a preservativ, prevatively found in acidic food. 
7. EDTA (Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid ) - mitigates formation of benzene.
8. Natural Lemon Flavors

Just a reminder to all my readers, that be sure to have enough water in you body, because Nestea Iced Tea is also just another drink that if abused may result to some illness.

Always drink water daily. 

Happy Eating. 

DAY 2: Orion Choco Pie

My apologies for not posting any blog yesterday. I know this is a challenge so it won't happen again. 

For the second day of my challenge to myself I ate the Orion Choco pie because my Tita bought a dozen of it. So I got easily tempted and ate one of it. I was satisfied when I ate the whole thing. Although it was a bit sweet for me, but all in all it was good. I would consider it as a snack for a little boy, because it really is. 

Not just because of the size of the pie but also the taste itself. Because it's the type of taste and texture that most little kids would really love. 

A Choco Pie is a confectionery treat created and manufactured since 1974 by Orion Confectionery, headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. Similar to Wagon Wheels, a Choco Pie consists of two layers of chocolate-dipped cookies with a marshmallow filling.

The Choco Pie is considered a quintessential Korean treat, similar to the status of the Oreo cookie in American culture. Orion supplies the South Korean military with their Choco Pies, which are given out to soldiers in the Korean military after their first week of basic training in addition to being available in the military store.

The following are the ingredients of the Orion Choco Pie. 

1. wheat flour
2. sugar
3. corn syrup 
4. shortening - Is fat or lard from an animal or vegetable.
5. hydrogenated vegetable oil - They are the predominant fats used in most commercial baked goods.
6. cocoa powder
7. whole milk powder
8. sodium bicarbonate - It has a slightly salty, alkaline taste. 
9. salt
10. calcium phosphate - Is used in baking as a raising agent, it is also used in cheese products. 
11. soy lecithin - It is sometimes used as an emulsifier and to prevent sticking. 
12. vanillin - It is the primary component of the extract of the vanilla bean. It is also found in roasted coffee. 
13. milk protein 

 That's why eating frequently the Orion Choco Pie could really make you a weight conscious. 

Eating one would be nice, but exceeding your limit will make you think twice.

Happy Eating.  

DAY 1: Milky Way Chocolate Bar

DAY 1

As I scanned through the net, I got this following information about the Milky Way Chocolate Bar.

The Milky Way bar was created in 1923 by Frank C. Mars and originally manufactured in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was the first commercially distributed filled chocolate bar. The name and taste was taken from a famed malted milk drink (milkshake) of the day – not the Earth’s galaxy, as many contend. Forrest Mars, son of Frank, claims that he came up with the idea and gave it to his father.

By 1926 it had two flavours, chocolate and vanilla, each for a nickel. In June 1932, the Milky Way bar was sold as a two piece bar, but just four years later, in 1936, the chocolate and vanilla flavors forever parted.

Ingredients:

1. milk chocolate (sugar, cocoa butter, skim milk, chocolate, lactose, milkfat, soy lecithin, artificial flavor) corn syrup 
2. sugar
3. partially hydrogenated soybean oil
4. skim milk 
5. less than 2% milkfat 
6. cocoa powder processed with alkali
7. lactose, malted barley
8. wheat flour
9. salt
10. egg whites 
11. artificial flavor 
12. soy protein

according to:
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_ingredients_in_a_milky_way_bar#ixzz1B1B9UoV5

I got a chance to eat one bar of Milky way chocolate because my little cousin gave me one. He said I could have it. So after dinner I immediately ate it and considered it as my dessert for the night. I would like to say that it's so good to end your day with a bar of chocolate. I enjoyed eating it because it tastes good, the chewy and creamy taste of it makes you wanna grab for more and I love to look at my little cousin when he's jealous on what I am eating. 

I consider Milky Way chocolate bar rich in sugar content because obviously it is made up of  milk chocolate, sugar, cocoa powder etc. 

Eating one is good, but exceeding your own limit may be bad to your health.

Eat wisely. 

15 days to eat different High in Glucose food

Starting this day I would like challenge my very own self to eat different high in glucose food or in other term rich in sugar content foods.

I would like to do this challenge for my readers to know WHAT are the different kinds of food that are rich in glucose. Also as I share with you the foods that I ate, I would also tackle the different ingredients of that certain food so you would know WHY it is considered as a High in glucose food.

Before I start sharing my Foodie Experience to you my readers. 

What is Glucose anyway??

It is our body's primary source of energy. We get most of our glucose from digesting the sugar and starch in carbohydrates. Foods like rice, pasta, grain, potatoes, fruits, a few vegetables, and processed sweets qualify as carbohydrates.

So in some ways Glucose is bad for our body, only when it exceed the normal amount that our body needs.  

Let the challenge begin. 

Craft: Anything You can Do, Everything You can Think of...

Let me see how can I define Craft...

Craft is an art and something you do by hands but off course with the help of some simple machine (e.g scissors, cutter, glue gun, etc.) by using recycled materials as much as possible, because craft is making something old into a new and creatively useful thing.

Craft could be as simple as a carton box with a touch of glittered beads or it could be wrap with a special paper.  

if craft is an art... it follows steps or procedure so you could have a successful project or art. Those steps must be followed correctly, and if some materials needed are not available in your home, you should also learn to be resourceful so you could replace those missing materials. 

Craft can be also anything that you can think of, because crafting always requires the ability of being creative, because being creative means you always think out of the box, out of the ordinary, always ready to try new things.

so yeah I did define the word: C R A F T.... craft.

The sites that I could recommend that shows different handy craft are the following:

• www.allcrafts.net
• www.craftster.org
• www.artcraftmarketing.com
• www.brockscandles.com
• www.thehutchwithmutch.com
• www.theangelsnook.com

Have a Happy Crafting...

50 cars to be Given Away for His 50th Birthday...

The Host of the prime time show Willing Willie on TV 5. Willie Revillame gives 50 cars for his upcoming 50th birthday.

The first lucky winner of this car is from the audience who failed twice to get the right key to start the car, but Willie gave her another chance, and the next thing you know. She already won the new car.

Starting January 3 to January 22 he will give the 50 cars for the lucky audience who would have to pick the right key. This is said to be a part of his birthday celebration.

He also made it public that he will celebrate his birthday at the Quirino Grandstand on January 27, 2011. Quirino Grandstand is known as the place where many Philippine presidents took their inauguration specifically: Quirino, Magsaysay, Garcia, Macapagal, Marcos, Ramos and Aquino III, Estrada and Arroyo.

It is also said that 3 house and lots will be given away on Willie's birthday courtesy of his politician friend Manny Villar. 

That's why it is anticipated that a lot of fans and audience will be there to watch and to celebrate Willie's 50th Birthday.---- itaas ang ating mga kamay!!!..

Wi-Fi Bus: Another Way to Enjoy Traveling...

As technology continuously develops, every places here in the Philippines are now going online. Cafes, Restaurant, Malls, name it and they're could offer online services because almost 99,900,177 Filipinos as of 2010 are getting online. And its getting larger every time Facebook updates its site feature. 


Wi-Fi bus is a good thing for all of you out there who enjoys being online. 


Now technology has taken us to another level as Lucena lines and Jac liner introduces us the first Wi-Fi bus here in the Philippines.

I've seen already a Jac liner bus that really offers Wi-Fi connectivity. And honestly I really wanted to travel riding a bus like that. Because it could connect me with my friends while I travel, I could immediately share the things that I saw online. etc...

Definitely Wi-Fi bus could take us to another level of connectivity.




I just hoped that those buses also has sockets inside
so whenever your laptop or cellular phone is low in battery, you could easily charge them also inside the bus. 

Sexy Feet = Michael Antonio Shoes

The new meaning of having a sexy feet is wearing a pair of Michael Antonio shoe!

Michael Antonio shoes offer an incredible range of colors and styles in women's footwear. From cute flats to dramatic wedges, Michael Antonio provides sandals, dress shoes, and boots for the sophisticated woman. Glamorous touches like brass heels, faux snake skin, and rhinestones accentuate some styles, while other styles offer simple intricacies added to classic styles for the purposes of intrigue.

A broad range of colors are available, from classic black to muted mustard yellow to sparkling metallics. Some of the latest color trends in Micheal Antonio shoes include:

• Satin sandals in brilliant colors like fuchsia, lime, lavender, pink, and gold
• Glamorous bronze, silver, and gold metallics
• Open-toed shoes in rich hues such as purple, brown, deep red
• Dazzling various shades of neutrals
• Wedges in glorious shades such as mango, green, and salmon
• Animal print boots in contrasting colors
• Statement-making dramatic slouch boots in toned-down colors such as pewter, olive, and deep bronze

------- according to http://shoes.lovetoknow.com/Michael_Antonio_Shoes

Even though it's a bit expensive here in the Philippines, But saving all your allowance is so worth it. 

Because, Michael Antonio shoes never fails to satisfy the taste of every women when it comes to women's footwear. 

Michael Antonio shoes differs from other brands of women's footwear because, it never gets scared to try another field of design, it never gets scared to try foreign material when it comes to designing their shoes. 

That's why if your looking for some rare design of shoes, look for Michael Antonio and see for yourself that this shoes really deserves some couple of bucks. 

If you are stressed.... Eat Alfajores A.K.A Alfajor!

I would like to say sorry for not posting any blog this past few days. 
I have my valid reason. First, the internet connection was down, and second I have alot of things to do when it comes to my studies because my major exam are already trying to kill me, silently.


Back to the topic.... 
Let's talk about the best stress remover food. 

The (Mighty) Alfajores/ Alfajor.

I know we all have our own favorite food to eat to relax ourselves. But you know as a friend I will recommend you to taste Alfajores.
What is Alfajores anyway?
              It's principally a sweet sandwich of 2 round cookies with dulce de leche in the middle and sprinkled with powdered sugar or they could be rolled in coconut as well.
--- according to www.sweetsfood.com
      

              It is made of:
                        1. Dough containing flour.
                        2. Butter 
                        3. Eggs 

Alfajores

                        4. Dulce de leche (the filling)
                        5. Sugar
   
---- YUM YUM!
Where did Alfajores originated and its etymology( the origin of the word )?
        
It is found in some region of spain, then later made with some variation from Argentina and Mexico
         The word alfajor stems from the Arabic al-hasú, which means filled or stuffed.
         ---according to www.ehow.com

Why should we eat Alfajores?
        
Because you have to. Because You will miss a quarter cup of your life if you will not eat the best stress remover food. The ( Mighty) Alfajor. 


For those of you Filipinos out there wondering where could we buy a bunch of Alfajores/ Alfajor. Fortunately Mountains Maid Good Shephed has them. I don't know where else you could find them here in the Philippines. But maybe you could also buy them from your local pastry store or maybe in some malls.

Now are you craving for some Alfajores?? .........

Baker King: The New Korean novela in GMA 7

Watching Korean novelas has always been a habit to us Filipinos.
We even cry because we are so carried away by scenes on the movie.
Our blood even boils whenever there is a "kilig scene".
and sometimes we even say foul words whenever we didn't like what happened on the leading actor.
we create this kind of expression because what we watch greatly influences our action, feelings, and expression.

Talking about the new Korean novela aired today on GMA 7.

The Baker King ---- I don't want to spoil my readers, so I will not summarize the series. Because its a nice feeling whenever you are tuned in into something. right?


The Baker King is the #1 Korean novela of 2010 in South Korea with TV ratings hitting 50.8% & averaging 38.6% nationwide. 


The leading characters are Yoon Si Yoon as Kim Tak Gu & Lee Young Ah as Matthew. 

You can watch The Baker King right after Beauty Queen only on GMA Telebabad.

Here's a video, and see if you will like the #1 Korean novela of 2010.....

Enjoy....