Frannywanny

I got to admit that one thing that I really missed during the quarantine period is my favorite milk tea. When we first had the lock down, I tried in vain to search for any available milk tea shops that might be open during that period and while there sure were, I never really got around to ordering from them for several reasons. First -- I was scared of their sanitation. I wasn't sure of the measures that they're taking to ensure that my drink will never ever be contaminated. Secondly -- I wasn't sure what's good to order as the ones open were not the ones that I would usually go get milk tea from. So as soon as we went on GCQ, Paul and I took the chance to check if our neighborhood Serenitea shop was open and it was! Yahoo! Not only that, they were even running a Buy One Get One promo to make us even happier. So for a couple of weeks, we happily had random milk tea runs and finally, our milk tea cravings have been fully satisfied. I've been staying home more ...

I just had one of the yummiest breakfasts a few days ago. It was in the form of these interesting looking bread that's generously filled with cream cheese and herbs. What makes it so good is the slightly sweet buttery crust that it has. I discovered Lola Ester's Bread and Pastries  through my friend L who shared with me this family secret of hers. Apparently, Lola Ester has been baking empanadas and breads for years and finally, they're allowing the public to have a taste of her specialties. The delicious bread that I was talking about is Lola Ester's Herb Cream Cheese Pull Apart  (Php. 250 for 2 pieces) which took inspiration from the famous Korean Cream Cheese Garlic Bread  which I've never came across with in our neighborhood Korean bakery. Anyway, I'm glad that Lola Ester introduced me to it as it's soooo good! Even my twins loved it that I literally had to put on my Mama Bear cap and willingly share this with them (even if I know I just want more mo...

Allow me to make yet another fearless forecast -- I smell another food trend coming our way and it's in the form of these nice corrugated boxes that's filled with all sorts of ingredients that's packed and carefully sealed. DIY Kits  are here and it means allowing all of us to take our cooking/baking skills to the next level! Since we all have to stay home and to keep ourselves safe from the virus, why not recreate some of your restaurant favorites and enjoy these with the family. I've actually been cooking and baking more since the start of the quarantine and I have to say that I have became more bold and creative in the kitchen. Back then, I'd stick to the usual baked goodies, easy pasta dishes, stir-fries and steamed dishes. For the past weeks, I've learned to make more seafood dishes, cook steak properly, bake a variety of treats and just tonight, I made Galbi Jjim -- a dish that I've been planning to make for months.  A few weeks ago, I rece...

I got to admit that if you make me choose between sweet or savory, I'd choose savory in a heartbeat. I have a very sensitive taste buds that what could be just a hint of sweet, sour, spicy or salty flavor notes for others, is already incredibly heightened for me. This is also probably because I grew up accustomed to having rather clean tasting or mildly flavored dishes here at home. My Mom, as you may know by now, is very conscious with the food that we eat. She ensures that we stay away from anything too salty, too fatty, too oily, too sweet and more due to genetic and medical reasons. How ironic right that I still end up loving food so much. That said, you can really count with your hands the type of dessert that I personally love in my life. I've always been an ice cream person in particular fruit flavored ice cream. We also love fresh fruits and there has never been a day in my life that we do not end our meal with fresh fruits. My sister and Papa are choco lovers and P...

If there's such thing as "by moms for moms", Matt's Waffles would definitely be "by a kid for more kids"  I first heard about this brand of homemade waffles from my cousin-in-law V. She told me that they have been buying from them and even served this as part of the birthday celebration of my niece L. It was easy to find them on social media and I later found out that Matt's is actually a 10 year old boy who happen to be the talented little chef behind these waffles. I have yet to know the full story how little Matt got into making waffles but my guess is probably because it's one of his favorite snack/breakfast/thing to eat. Anyway, one thing that caught my attention is that it's made with the best ingredients. I'm not talking about truffles and Wagyu beef but it's all about choosing good quality ingredient that ensures us that these waffles are safe for kids to eat -- fresh eggs, fresh milk, butter and olive oil. As a mom, I've...

I finally did it! For years, I've been wanting to make stuffed veggies. When I was growing up, whenever we would visit Hong Kong, we would always make sure to have dimsum for Sunday lunch. Somehow, it's a common practice for locals to go for dimsum brunch where the entire family would feast on baskets after baskets of the best dimsum creations paired with their choice of hot tea. They would eat for hours as this is the time when the family also comes together. There would be a handful of aunties pushing the wooden dimsum steam cart and some would have the deep-fried cart too. As you order, they would put a stamp on a piece of card and that's how they would later tally your total bill. It was definitely one of my best childhood memories and the reason why I love dimsum so much. Anyway, during one of those dimsum brunches, I remembered having Stuffed Bell Peppers with Minced Meat. It was so good. Being a kid then, I was never fond of vegetables but if you stuffed it w...

I'm indeed a very very lucky girl. Why, you may ask? It's because I come from a food loving family and I married into one as well. I've probably mentioned this some time before that Paul's family hails from the foodie capital of Luzon called Pampanga where you can find the most delicious yet heart-stopping delicacies and dishes that has ever graced our tables. From the famous pork sisig, the very umami tamales and bringhe, loads of kakanin variants and a lot more. It's not a big surprise then that Paul and his family are such foodies that our annual family Christmas gathering would start at lunch and could last past afternoon snack with food being served non-stop and we would sometimes even have enough to bring back to Manila. So, when I found out that one of my cousins-in-law is selling her special Baked Macaroni, I quickly dropped her a message to place my order. Of course, primarily, I'm also all for supporting family and secondly, I'm curious to try ...