Valentine treats

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I was looking for something fun to make for Valentine's day and found this Valentine lollipop making kit on sale. The kit includes disposable decorating bags, lollipop sticks, lollipop mold with an additional extra heart shaped candy mold and candy melts. I didn't use the candy melts provided coz they looked expired. lol! Though its says 7 months before expiration, I just bought new candy melts.

Valentine candy Lollipops and heart shaped candies

Ykaie and Chellie

Goofing around with their tita Roman

3 minute Chocolate Mug Cake

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I got this recipe in an email forward from a friend last year. I had the chance to try this the other day. This is a good recipe to make an easy and quick chocolate cake. It's a quick treat you can whip up in the microwave in about 3 minutes. It tasted pretty ok. Better eaten warm coz it becomes ultra dense once it cooled off.


Ingredients:
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil ( I used canola oil)
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
a small splash of vanilla extract

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well.

Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.






Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts (high). The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.

It spilled out of the mug first time I tried. It was a mess! lol! I had to watch the second one and stop once the cake rose over the top. I should have used a bigger mug.





I just drizzled some chocolate syrup since I didn't have chocolate chips on hand. I think adding chocolate chips will make it tastier. It’s not the same as real baked cake, but it still makes a chocolate snack of some sort. Maybe if I added baking powder the texture will be more cakey and makes it fluffier. My nieces enjoyed eating them.

Happy New Year!

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Wishing you all a Happy and Prosperous 2010! I'd like to share some photos from our New Year's Eve. The kids played with sparklers and trumphets. We had sizzling steak for our main dish. We also had potato salad, buttered corn, carrots and green peas, ham and cheese, fresh fruit salad with lime ginger syrup, and purple yam ( ube halaya). Late afternoon, my cousin Tess made homemade pizzas.

Noche Buena Feast and Christmas Party

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We had put together a simple menu for our Christmas Eve dinner. Our traditional Christmas midnight meal would not be complete without the homemade ham, Queso de bola and a steamy cup of rich and thick chocolate de batirol. Sis , her hubby and Ykaie were not able to celebrate with us this year coz they celebrated with sis's parents in law.

We had Chicken Lollipops, Bacon wrapped shrimps, Manicotti

Pastrami, Bacon, fried dumplings, ham and cheese

nieces and cousin

my plate and hot chocolate con mani

For our Christmas Party, I baked some cupcakes and made lime gelatin for dessert. I was also in charge of making the salad so I thought of making 7 layer salad.

Santa Cupcakes

Lime gelatin with pineapple chunks and cherries

7 layer salad ( lettuce, hard boiled eggs, cucumber, ham, thousand island dressing cheese, bacon)

We also had stuffed squids, baked orange rosemary chicken, fruit salad, baked Rigatoni, Pork and spareribs barbeque, fish fingers, corn gelatin and lemon-lime pandan juice.

Ykaie

My brother with my nieces and nephews

The kids had fun with the parlor games!

How was your Christmas celebration? I'm looking forward to celebrating New Year's Day!

Homemade Christmas Rocky Road and Assorted Christmas cookies

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I made some Rocky road today and baked an assortment of Christmas cookies last night. I'm going to give these to my friends and cousins. The ones in the snowman bottle goes to sis. I didn't measure everything in making the rocky road. I just alternately layered the melted bittersweet chocolate and the sweet goodies. I was able to make 8 bags of rocky road treats and 6 bags of cookies. The extra goodies were eaten by sis's loyal internet cafe customers.

marshmallows, raisins, walnuts and glazed green cherries

I lined the pan with aluminum foil before pouring the first layer of melted chocolate then topped it with marshmallows, nuts, raisins and cherries.

I added sprinkles on top and drizzled with green candy melts before refrigerating to set.

Cut into pieces and put in Christmas treat bags.

sprinkles, candies and chocolates I used to decorate the cookies

Christmas Cookie platter

Cute Christmas treat bags

I had already distributed some of the treat bags to my friends and cousins.