FTF: My First Birthday Cake

This is a long overdue post. The cake on the photo has been consumed on my husband's niece birthday last May 12. This is my very first attempt in making an entire cake with everything on it. I enjoyed creating the cake, and everone enjoyed consuming the cake afterwards. It was a red velvet and chocolate cake covered with strawberry buttercream frosting. I know, I know, it's not perfectly frosted. You may see some bumps here and there, but hey, it's my first attempt in frosting an entire cake. After that day, I made myself the official cake baker of the family. I pledged to create cakes on everyone's special day (and I am hoping I can keep up with the promise!)



So, what do you think about my cake?

Messy Go Round: My Mister Suave

I was browsing through some of my son's old photos and found this one really interesting. It was taken two years ago, the same time when he was going gaga over clay doughs. I don't know what comes up on his mind (must have been the song Mister Suave?). What's more interesting is that he was rolling into laughters right now when the picture was shown to him. Hmm, something to keep for the years ahead. I even told him I will show it to whoever her girlfriend will be.

I am sharing this at Sweet Keanna's Messy Go Round weekly meme.



Now, I am off to visit the other messy entries!

The Making of a Geeky Lad

I have to be really honest now, yes, I am not a geek. I am not the type of person who gets excited when there are new gadgets being released in the market. But things changed recently. I stumbled into this gadget website which showcases the latest news about well what else, but geeky things. You will be fascinated with how geeky stuffs and gizmos have already evolved. Gone are those days that geek is synonymous to boring. Who would get bored in seeing things such as the world's smallest clothes iron or a cupcake that is actually a pillow. Mothers would definitely enjoy seeing these new stuffs right in their own abode. Being a homemaker, they really tickled my imagination but I know that it could drain my money if I buy them right away. Perhaps I will take some time and wait until I see these things being offered with Think Geek coupons. I would have the best office table if I could buy one of those geeky desk organizer with the use of the sites' Office Depot coupon codes. Oh well, I am not a selfish lad, I will tell my colleagues how and where to get the items. Since the site offers discounts and coupons to major online stores, in no time we will be able to build a haven for geeky persons. I could not wait to see our office being transformed to a geeky place yet an enjoyable one.

Food Trip Friday: Adobong Manok sa Gata

I was raised by my mom's side of the family who were true blooded Bicolanos. As a young girl, I grew up on food cooked their way, with lots and lots of gata. Fish, vegetable, meat even desserts all made with their gata. Not that I don't like dishes made with coconut milk or cream, it's just that they would sometimes serve it for 3 consecutive days. When my Mom died, the household rarely gets to eat ginataan dishes. I could cook them, butu it always ended up being compared to the "original". If there is one thing though, that I would say a ginataan dish that I perfected (okay, nearly perfected!) according to my kid, it will be Adobong Manok sa Gata. He loves it so much and would say "Parang luto na ni Mommy, ah!"(It tastes almost like Mommy's version!).




Adobong Manok sa Gata
Ingredients:

half a kilo of chicken, cut into serving pieces
a cup of coconut cream
half a cup of vinegar
a pinch of salt
freshly ground pepper
a cup of green papaya, sliced
finger chilies (cut in half if you want it hot)
some chili leaves
3 cloves garlic, crushed
one onion, sliced
a piece of ginger, julienned
oil for sauteing


Cooking Procedure:

-Saute ginger, garlic and onion.
-Add in the chicken  and sprinkle a pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper.
-Once the chicken are browned ( which will take about 5 minutes on medium heat), add vinegar.  Simmer for about 10 minutes.
-Add in the papaya, followed with the coconut milk.
-Continue to simmer until the papaya are soft but not mushy.
-Add in the finger chili and the chili leaves.  Simmer for 3 more minutes then remove from heat.

Best if served with lots of rice and enjoyed with the whole family.

Dates with the Doctor

Okay, so I know I haven't written anything for the last few weeks. The mother in me just got really busy and could not juggle in any additional things. Well, who would ever be if you have a kid that has fever and a husband that complains about his lower back being painful that how it usually was. So, yes, I am having a lot of dates with the doctors recently. And with the rate things are going we'll be seeing more of the doctor for more tests.

These explains my hiatus for the past few weeks. I really do hope though that I could make up for lost time. I guess, I just have to work on adjusting my blogging time again.

oh, but something also excites me regarding those dates with the doctors. I had my yearly Pap smear and Trans vaginal ultrasound and according to the result of the sonogram, I no longer had Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. It appears based on the result that both ovaries are not fully functioning as they should be. So what does this mean? Well, if things will fall in to place then I could be lucky enough to be pregnant in the next couple of months. Yehey!