…and I’m crafty too! PART DEUX

Oh hey there, it’s me again…the crafty mom who just has to go all out when it’s birthday time?? Yep, I’m back! So the baby just recently turned 1…I know, ALREADY?! Since I’ve already gone through this twice before, I reminded myself  to NOT overdo it and that the 1st birthday party is ALWAYS for the parents…like a 1 year old really cares about color scheme, theme and cake flavor, right? But every child deserves a kick-ass party whether or not he is old enough to comprehend what is going on!! So in time-honored tradition, I put on my thinking cap, poured myself a glass of wine (or 3) and began brainstorming for another birthday party theme.

It took me a while to figure out Benjamin’s first birthday theme. I asked the older kids for their opinion but even with all of our heads put together, we still couldn’t figure it out. Finally, while giving Ben his usual snack of  Nilla wafers…I realized, “this boy goes NUTS for cookies!” And who gets this crazy for cookies?…None other than Cookie Monster himself!

So since we’re sticking to a Cookie Monster theme, what better treats to serve at the dessert bar but cookies? I made my chocolate chip cookies ~courtesy of  Nestle Tollhouse  (now say it the way Phoebe from Friends says it, hehe).  I also made my Chinese almond cookies, which turns out, my diabetic father-in-law can’t get enough of…oops. And I cannot forget Ben’s favorites, which are Nilla wafers and Oreos!! The iced sugar cookies were added to the table to give it that splash of blue~courtesy of  Vons. I also wanted to add some extra oomph to the decor so I learned how to make pom poms~courtesy of Martha Stewart (curse her crafy awesomeness).

I would like to give props where props are due…the most fabulous birthday cake was made by my longtime friend/sister from another mister, Mary. For all things delectable and for any and all occasions, you may contact her at: marybacosa@gmail.com, a sincere thanks!

My birthday boo was up to his armpits in love and gifts and I of course got “mad props” for my dessert table…until another birthday…I’m spent!

A Tribute To A Classic…Twinkie Cupcakes

I haven’t blogged in a while and I blame a new school year for the kids, a clingy baby and a new addiction to Pinterest! Don’t know what Pinterest is? Look it up, you’ll get just as addicted as I’ve become…you’re welcome!! In whatever free time I stumble upon (which is rare), I’m either in the kitchen or on the computer…so-here-goes…

TWINKIE: a tasty cream-filled pastry made from god-knows-what; known to have a shelf life of forever; if there was a nuclear war the only things to survive would be twinkies and cockroaches…thank you, Urban Dictionary!!

The hubby hasn’t had a Twinkie in years…YEARS, I say, due to the fact that he consumed a great amount of them while a young fobby child. He got tired of them and pretty much couldn’t stand the suckers.  I was aware of this and STILL married him, I know, right?! One day, he asks me to MAKE Twinkies. Shocked as I was, I of course took it to another level…and so, the Twinkie cupcake was born!!

The cake part of the recipe was adapted from Tasty Kitchen. For the cream filling part, I literally conjured this up in my mind as I prepared them! I was going for a light and creamy filling but with a cream cheese taste. (forgive me)

Ingredients for the cake:

1 box yellow or butter cake mix

1 cup milk

½ cup melted butter

¼ cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

⅛ teaspoon baking powder

3 eggs

Ingredients for the cream filling:

1 tub of Cool Whip

1 8oz package of softened cream cheese

1 cup powdered sugar (you can always add more if you want it to be sweeter)

Directions:

Heat oven to 350°. Line each cupcake pan with a paper liner. Combine all cupcake ingredients and mix on low speed until combined. Mix at medium speed for 2 minutes until smooth. Fill cupcake liners half full. Bake for 12-13 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan and allow to cool completely.

Prepare the filling by adding the powdered sugar to the softened cream cheese. Once mixed well, fold the Cool Whip into the cream cheese mix. Fill a decorating bag with the filling. (You can use any size tip, I used the star shape) Insert tip into the center of the cooled cupcake and squeeze bag to fill the cupcake with 1-2 tablespoons of filling. The cupcake will expand just a bit. Remove the tip from the cupcake and top off by swirling some frosting on the top of each cupcake. Repeat until all cupcakes are filled and decorated.

My little ones and the hubby LOVED them and it’s safe to say that it won’t be too long before I make these again! Please enjoy and share with your loved ones!!

It’s Peanut Butter Cookie Time…Where ya at? Where ya at?

So we were craving some sweetness last night and after perusing the pantry, I noticed an overwhelming amount of peanut butter. Being the peanut butter lover that I am, it was a  surprise that a copious amount of such greatness would last this long in my pantry. I immediately decided that cookies would cure our sweet fix. But alas, not enough flour…what’s mama to do? Google a recipe for flour-less peanut butter cookies, of course!

I’ve made peanut butter cookies before, but never without the usual ingredients such as flour and brown sugar, etc. I was skeptical at first but figured, if it sucked, I wouldn’t have wasted much…except for that sweet-sweet peanut buttah!! The cookies came out great. They did crumble easily and were a little too sweet  (even for me) but my daughter LOVED them, and that’s all that matters to me! Enjoy!!

Easy Peanut Butter Cookie recipe adapted from Kraft Foods…

Ingredients:

1 cup peanut butter (chunky or smooth)

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 egg

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Beat egg with mixer until foamy. Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Shape into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Flatten in a crisscross pattern with the tines of a fork. Bake for 10 min. or until lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets  for 1 min. Remove to wire racks; allow cookies to cool completely.

…and I’m crafty too!

*sigh!* My little man turned the BIG 5, and what better way to celebrate a Summer baby than by having a “Dinosaur Pool Party!” He changed his mind a lot about the theme. At first, it was Cars2, then it became Power Rangers, then he finally agreed to those prehistoric favorites. Now, I’m that mom who goes all out when it comes to celebrating their spawn’s day of birth. I’m the one who’s balling as we’re singing “Happy Birthday”, realizing that “my baby is growing up!” *wiping tear* I’m also the procrastinator who waits until the night before the party to get everything done. I decided to create my own decorations, assemble a most fabulous candy/sweets buffet and make the giveaways! Who has the time, you ask? Not me, but I’m gonna sure as hell try!!

Yep, I made that banner! It could have been nicer and a little bigger, but no one even noticed it…the banner, that is! The kids and I cut out the dino pictures, but when it came time to hang everything up, everyone went missing…

I got a few chuckles since the hubby noticed that my “sweets table” looked more like a memorial table…kinda morbid, I know…

By the end of the party, I was indeed pooped, but nonetheless pleased with the turn out. The birthday boy was extremely thankful and I as usual, vowed to NEVER do this again…until the next kids’ party, of course!

Product Review-Bella Cucina Cupcake Maker

Since we’re experiencing a hot summer, I haven’t been using the oven much, but I’m sure no one can blame me. What better way to fulfill your craving for some cupcake awesomeness (without the use of an oven) than by using a mini cupcake maker? Mini cupcakes are cute and in MY opinion: make you feel less guilty for eating one since it’s so small…unless you pop them in your mouth by the dozen (ahem, me). My daughter and I discussed purchasing a cupcake maker and if you know me, then you know I was easy to convince!

The Bella Cucina Cupcake Maker allows you to make 7 cupcakes at a time in just 10 minutes. It’s portable, compact and cleanup is easy. There’s an indicator light to let you know when it’s ready to use and recipes are included. When we first tried it out, it took a few batches for us to figure out what works best. I do want to mention that it get’s very hot, so when making them with your little ones, adult supervision is highly recommended. Paper liners are a must to make each cupcake easier to remove when ready. In addition to easy removal, I used a bamboo skewer to pop out the little suckers. Since they’re so small, frosting was quick and easy. I would recommend this product to anyone who loves sweets, hates the oven and want to include your kids in the fun. It also makes a great gift.  A lot of cupcakes were made our first time and I even lost track, but needless to say…craving fulfilled!

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Sensio Bella Cucina 13465 Cupcake Maker, $19.99 available at Target and Macy’s.

“This @#$% is bananas B-A-N-A-N-A-S”

Turon is a popular snack or dessert, where ripe plantains are sliced and then wrapped in lumpia wrapper (a thin rice paper) and deep-fried. Turon is then finished off with a brown sugar glaze.

Turon

I freakin’ love turon and ALWAYS look for it at family parties unless I bring them myself.  I love the sweetness of that sugar glaze along with the savoriness of the banana. And I don’t really mind the little crumbs that fall into my cleavage after biting into one! When you have free time like myself, your mind wanders about the different variations of turon out there. In this version, I used wonton wrapper  instead of lumpia wrapper, since I was trying to go for a banana wonton-esque crispiness. After slicing the bananas, I coated them in sugar and brown sugar to make it extra-sweet. Lastly, instead of the brown sugar glaze, I topped it off with some powdered sugar. They came out great but needed to be eaten ASAP since wonton wrappers absorb a lot of oil and get soggy quick. They came out pretty small but cute things do come in small packages! Enjoy!!

ingredients

sliced plantains

finished turon

Ingredients:

1 ripe plantain

1 pack of wonton wrappers

1tbsp. sugar

1tbsp. brown sugar

cooking oil for frying

powdered sugar

Directions:

Slice plantains then coat them with sugar and brown sugar evenly. Since the wonton wrappers are small, you can only work with 1 slice at a time. Roll into  little eggrolls and fry in hot oil until golden brown. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and enjoy. Simple and sweet…

“How funky is your chicken?” Chicken Afritada

This is a hearty, tomato-based chicken stew. It’s definitely a favorite among the kids and hubby-so they say. It consists of chicken, fried potatoes and red bell peppers. Frying the potatoes really brings out the savoriness of the dish. This is what I grew up eating and (I know my mom is reading this: my version is NOT as good as hers), it is extremely easy to make. I will admit, I cheat and use the Mama Sita’s afritada mix, but remember: I’m a “working mom” and shelling out $1.09 for the packet is much easier for me.

fried potatoes

Please note, I’m also NOT a professional photographer and I DON’T have a fancy camera, therefore, these pics are the best I can do. And since we’re being honest, I think you should know that I’m typing this with one hand because I’m nursing the baby with the other!

boiling chicken thighs

red bell peppers

Good 'Ole Mama Sita and her mix!

Ingredients:

3 medium-sized russet potatoes

1 large red bell pepper

Chicken (I used 10 bone-in chicken thighs with skin-but you can use whatever you prefer)

1 packet of Mama Sita’s Menudo/Afritada stew mix

1 tbsp. cooking oil for frying

Directions:

Combine the Mama Sita mix with 1/2 a cup of water then set aside. Wash, peel and quarter potatoes then fry them in a skillet containing hot cooking oil. Brown potatoes on both sides and set aside for later. Cut red bell pepper into strips and set aside (feel free to save some of the red bell pepper seeds to make your dish spicy!) In a wok, brown the chicken on both sides, then add  water to make a nice boil. Add the Mama Sita mix to the chicken and let simmer while the chicken cooks through. Finally, add the fried potatoes and red bell pepper to the cooked chicken and you-are-done! Serve hot and of course, with white rice. Pretty easy huh? Enjoy!

“Now here’s a funky introduction of how nice I am”…

Hello fellow bloggers! I’m Loraine and I’m just here to share and learn all that pertains to the culinary world. I’m a mom first,  a cook second, then an avid wine drinker and wannabe fashionista fighting for third! My main concern is to feed my family every night with homemade meals and desserts they can appreciate. My recipes are to be shared with those you love and if you don’t like my recipes, then feel free to stop reading altogether! These dishes are my versions of the ones I grew up eating. They range from Filipino dishes to Italian dishes and everywhere in between. I appreciate any feedback/criticism/love!!