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Croquembouche

Croquembouche Mountain

“I made it! Did you hear me?  I made it!!!” I shouted out loud.

My husband, who was in the study, came down to see what the commotion was about.

“I made it! I climbed the croquembouche mountain.” I declared.

“The croquem-what?”  He asked.

“The croquembouche mountain!  I finished did my Daring Baker’s challenge. I made my creme patisserie, choux pastry, and caramel glaze all in one day… so tired!” I told him.

“So are you telling me you are the little angel on top of that cake?”  he asked.

I hadn’t quite looked at it that way before… but…

“You betcha!” I told him.

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Pancit Molo

Pancit Molo

The Blog Monster has a collection of recipes which she put together a few years ago. I remember that she asked me to “design” the front cover. After some discussion this is what we came up with.

Daily Menus

7 Week Cycle

With Weekly Market Orders

Proven Effective, even for beginners

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Baked Spaghetti

Baked Spaghetti Royale

I swear, it wasn’t because I was unpopular.   (Or that’s what I would like to think)

One summer, I must have been in the  fifth or sixth grade, I celebrated my birthday with a party.  The downside of having your birthday in the summer months was that it always coincided with school holidays, which usually meant, only a handful of classmates could actually make it.

I never really thought it was a big thing until I was made painfully aware of this fact when, during this party, only three guests showed up.

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Blueberry Cheese Blintz

Blueberry Cheese Blintz

Sometimes I get asked “Don’t you want kids?”

“No.  Not really.” I always reply.

“Well, why not?” They always come back.

Sometimes, I pretend to be vague and say “Well, we weren’t lucky enough” and let them think that we actually tried but for some reason weren’t able to conceive.

Other times, I just make light of it and say “My dogs are my kids!” and leave it at that.

The real reason, if you want to know, is this…

“I’m just too selfish.”

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Chocolate Chip Cookies from Ad Hoc

Chocolate Chip Cookies from Ad Hoc

I’m so excited to let you know that I’m in the process of starting a whole new blog.  Trissalicious has always been and will always be a personal blog but in addition to this, I’ve decided to start another blog called The Cooking Basics.  The blog will focus on the basics of cooking which I think is important for any cook to know – for example, how to make stocks, sauces, types of cooking techniques – think almost everything you wanted to learn in culinary school without taking any exams!  Over the next few weeks I’ll be busy on content and lay-out but I am confident it will happen sooner rather than later.  So check back in a few weeks when I give you the new blog address and the first installment.

But enough about that – let’s move on to these gorgeous cookies…

I like to think, that when it comes to chocolate chip cookies, I am an expert.  After all, I was once a director of  “The Practically Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie Company” – the other directors included my brother and two other sisters.  The PPCCC started when my Dad, a then subscriber to a U.S. based magazine called Consumer Reports, stumbled upon an article featuring chocolate chip cookies.  At the end of the article was their recipe for what they considered to be one that was practically perfect.  We tried the recipe, loved it, and loved the name of the cookie and decided that other people would love it too.  So with the encouragement of our parents, we started selling chocolate chip cookies – first to friends and family, then we sold to classmates and then decided to start selling to schools and offices around Manila.

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Fruit Loops Milk Panna Cotta

New York City is like one great big meal.  A bit extravagant, somewhat pricey, but overall an unforgettable experience.   So what makes New York so special to me?  Like any great meal, each dish has to be well executed, a little bit edgy, sometimes unexpected, each plate should be unique but complementary to the whole experience.

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The New Madrid

Tortilla Espanola from Sergi Arola Gastro

In my previous visits to Madrid, I have always had this impression that this city had such a deep and long-standing history with food.  In fact, many of the well known restaurants in Madrid (such as Lhardy, Casa Botin & La Bola)  have been around for over a hundred years.  It feels like you are stepping back in time when you have a meal as the owners have made every effort to preserve the atmosphere of these restaurants as they were generations ago.  In such a city that is in love with preserving the old, and its traditions, particularly in food – is there a place for the new as well?

One big “Claro que si!” I’d say.

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Missing…

Cheek to cheek

Today I received an email from my Dad, telling me that my two labradors were fine… that is… “fine but undisciplined”.  When I read this I showed the note to my husband and we both agreed my Dad was wrong.  Sure, they have had their share of accidents, but  we firmly believe that they are just adventurous explorers (also known as notorious scavengers)! Continue Reading »

Casa Labra, Madrid

Every year, thousands of  pilgrims head to the town of Santiago de Compostela where it is believed that the body of St. James is buried.  Some people will undertake the pilgrimage as a way of penance, and a way to get closer to God.  The pilgrimage can take as little as five days (I was told) or as long as several months.  A pilgrim can also purchase what is known as the credencial or a pilgrim’s passport which is stamped with the official St. James stamp in each town where the pilgrim has stayed.  At the end of the journey, pilgrims receive a certificate of completion, called the compostela, which means they have walked the last 100 kilometers to get to the destination.

They say, this is a spiritual journey of a lifetime that I one day hope to experience.  But in the meantime, I find myself in Madrid instead, and am about to embark on another type of pilgrimage.  This culinary pilgrimage starts at our hotel and I stop at various restaurants and tapas bars along the way to reach, around  five hours later, my destination.  The final stop is a street called Cava Baja.  At first glance, it looks like an almost impossible feat to eat in this many places in one night, but like any pilgrimage, there are mini and longer breaks.  My mini breaks are the tapas bars where we enjoy one or two little dishes and move on.  The longer breaks find us in restaurants like Casa Botin or Casa Lucio for a proper meal.  At the end of our journey, the certificate of completion I get is not a compostela, but instead, a few extra kilos on my frame!

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The Seventh

Eiffel Tower, 7th arrondisement

Come and take a walk with me, along my favourite arrondisement in Paris.

The 7th… while home to the Eiffel, is so much more than that!

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