Kezia's Mermaid Cake

I was surprised to hear a four-year-old Filipina girl watching a Thai mermaid drama. Kezia raved about it  several times. It was three weeks til her birthday when I asked her what kind of cake would she like on her birthday. A mermaid cake, of course!

As a doting aunt, I fulfilled her wishes and she's in seventh heaven  the moment she set her eyes on her cake.

Oven Baked Salmon, Mashed Potatoes and Salad for Friday Night Dinner

There's a French film called Comme un chef ( The Chef) I have seen recently. I loved the plot, the characters and best of all - the mouth watering food!  Just looking at those beautiful dishes in the movie made me drool. It not only inspired my adventurous spirit for food but also  roused up my  cravings for  fine dining gourmet food. I wished I could  just get dressed and leave  to satisfy my cravings but I couldn't as there was a cake baking in the oven that moment.

Friday night dinner menu  was planned. All I did was give the dishes a little  twist to turn them into  an impressive meal. I served baked salmon, mashed potatoes and salad. My sis and friends were delighted for giving them a break from eating Asian food. When the girls are happy, their personal chef is happy.

Dessert at I Berry - Central World

Lunch at Spaghetti Factory was not even finished yet the girls and I were discussing where to go next for dessert. Moments later, the waitress came with a bill,  I paid and off we went. Normally after meal, we go window shopping/shopping to burn up the sugar we consumed.  But  I was not up for that. Not yet. I had just got out of work an hour ago and was drained of energy. The girls couldn't wait so I agreed to wander around  the mall only if we walk slowly.

Let Us Celebrate!!!

I track my blog's page views. When I saw the number of views at 8,000 and something, I promised my sister and  friends that I'd treat them once Pinay Panadera hits the 10,000th mark. A few weeks later, it did! I was ecstatic. To fulfill my promise I made to the girls, we went to Spaghetti Factory last Sunday. The restaurant is located on the 6th floor of Central World. Pasta dishes are its main menu but they do offer a variety of Italian dishes.

Baguio Pechay Salad

Summer 2008 (July) was the last time I went back to Philippines. It was also during this trip when I learned a new salad recipe  from an aunt. The  new discovery in the salad world was reconstructed only two days ago by my sister. So dinner was rice, fried short mackerel (Pla too) and Baguio pechay salad.  I couldn't ask for more.  The salad complemented the steamed rice and  fried fish. A perfect combination! Plus, it provided us  alkaline our bodies needed.

Marthina's Ballerina Cake

Marthina is into ballet these days.She takes ballet class at school. She still likes Princess stuff but not as much as last year. (Remember the Princess Cake I made for her 4th birthday? )  Her mother, Irene asked me if I could make her a ballerina cake. I said yes. I found a design in the gallery which attracted me the most. It was adapted from Debbie Brown's Sugar Plum Fairy Cake. The challenge was knowing the step-by-step procedure to create the cake. I turned to Youtube for help and I was able to get an idea on how the cake is done.

Hitting the 10,000th Mark

Just to commemorate the ten thousandth view of Pinay Panadera. Woohoo!

To everyone from the four corners of the world who allocate time to read my blog  and those who are just dropping by. You know who you are. Thank YOU from the bottom of my Heart.

This calls for a celebration! Hope to have more visitors soon.

God bless!

Hua Hin Getaway - The Beach and the Train Station

We had finally reached our destination! I had no high expectations due to the fact that it is a touristy area.  Don't get me wrong. I love to be around people but I prefer solitude when I get away from the hustle and bustle of city life ( I live in Bangkok). Something like the places where I lodged in Koh Chang, Koh Samui, Krabi  and Aunty Z's house where I enjoyed the privacy fully. For me, nothing beats a place where I can find time to contemplate, relax and rejuvenate.

The sign at the entrance

Hua Hin Getaway - The Night Market

One day is not enough to check out places in Hua Hin. The girls, Aunty and I were rushing to the sea as it was nearing dusk. Come 7 pm the restaurants along the beach would be closed and we all felt like having dinner by the sea.

Our tour guide Aunty Z  wanted us to see the Night Market so we headed to that direction, making our walking time longer. The shop owners were still in the middle of  arranging their goods when we arrived. Not the right time to shop. As I walked by, I feasted my eyes over the food and snapped pictures of them. I wanted to try the food here and there but we were running out of time.

Smoothie stall

Hua Hin Getaway - Thai-Style Roti Bread

I have not met anyone who likes walking as much as Aunty Z does.  From her house to the viewpoint, myself, the girls and Aunty Z walked  2.5 kilometers and another 2 kilometers to reach Hua Hin beach. It's only 4.5 kilometers I know. Nothing compared to the 22-kilometer trek I did back in winter of  2009 when I backpacked in Western China. I am now a baker/pastry chef.  My work requires hours of standing and walking that long is now a burden to me.

By the time we got to the centre, our legs and feet were aching. We burned off the calories consumed from the 2 meals we had.Just as she was leading us round the bend I spotted a place selling roti.Good timing. We were famished and we could fill up on these flat bread.

We ordered roti banana.

Hua Hin Getaway - Khao Hin Lek Fire Viewpoint

Aunty Z was so excited to show us around. The five of us left the house on foot. We were talking lively as we walked to the Viewpoint not far from her house.

She pointed to this cliff and said "that's where we were going".

Hua Hin Getaway on Mother's Day - Part 1

The long weekend for the Queen of Thailand's birthday celebrations which is also a day when Thais celebrate Mother's Day had given me the chance to go with Aunty Z and the "gang" to Hua Hin. We were accommodated in Aunty Z's humble abode.

It was past ten  when we arrived in Hua Hin. Aunty Z announced she'd cook for us but she needed help in preparations. The girls started to wash, peel, slice the veggies. I left them in the kitchen and walked around. It had been three years since my last visit. The plants had grown. Her caretaker had even started a vegetable  garden in the adjacent plot she and her husband had purchased. So many things had changed.

When I finished my tour, I went back to the kitchen to check on them.  My face turned into a sour expression when I saw the lady of the house slice bitter gourd. I think most people who know me know that I am not a fan of bitter gourd. I hated it when I was young. I eat it once in a while to get its nutritional benefits. That's it. But to savor it like how my sister and mom do, that's a challenge I can not embrace with a happy heart.

Dishes were served. Aunty called everyone to the table. As I saw this bowl of  bitter gourd salad, I thought I lost my appetite. Being a "mom" to us that moment, she insisted everyone get a share. She served us portion of this. She is vegan. She advised us to include raw food in our diet for its health benefits. I ate mine with lots of rice. Everyone had a good laugh when Aunty poured the remaining bitter gourd salad on my plate.

Honey Lemon Salad Dressing - A dressing even the kids enjoy

Part of my healthy food regimen is eat salad on a regular basis. When my two nieces were here with us, I served salad once for lunch. I got "frowny" faces. I'm not a parent but I know that getting the children eat their veggies is a challenge. To make the kids eat salad,  I made a dressing which I thought would suit their palate.Thanks to my long time friend, the internet,  for providing a nice recipe. My decision to make this salad dressing had yielded a nice result. Everyone liked the salad, even the kids said "masarap" (Filipino word for delicious)

This is a simple and healthy salad dressing which adds zest to your greens. All you need is honey, lemon juice and olive oil. Mix them all together, toss your greens with the dressing and enjoy!

Frozen Chocolate Banana

My two nieces were spending the weekend with us. Because of our nannying stint, I thought our usual Friday night dinner would be called off but no one wanted to cancel it. I didn't mind it though as I already had a menu for the night. I made paksiw na isda (fish in vinegar sauce) and frozen chocolate banana for dessert.

These are delicious treat for kids and kids at heart. You can use any fruit you like. I used  bananas because they are aplenty in this tropical country.

Care for Cake Pops?

What are cake pops? They are bite-sized balls of cake and frosting. A great way to use  scraps trimmed off the cake is to make cake pops. It's a waste of money to toss them so I turn them into a delicious sweet treat. I make cake pops once a week. It's always a huge hit among the customers especially the kids.

When the chocolate coating snaps, it reveals a  delicious melt-in-your-mouth treat.

Taste of India on Khao San Road

Our day out continued long into the night. My sis, Aunty Z and I hit Khao San Road. My feet and legs were  sore and exhausted from a long day's work so I went to get a foot massage at Charlie's while sis and Aunty Z walked around. They came back just in time for dinner.

Aunty Z suggested an Indian place called Taste of India. It is situated close to the eastern end of Khao San Road. The restaurant is on the second floor, right above a tailor shop.

Aunty Z ordered vegetarian biryani. The serving was more than enough for us to share. We even took the leftover home.

Lunch Date with Aunty Z at United Nations Headquarters in Bangkok

My sister and I were privileged to have lunch at the United Nations Headquarters in Bangkok with Aunty Z. She works for the South-South Cooperation of United Nations Development Program.

There's an extensive choices of Western and Thai food, from salads to sandwiches, from  noodles to rice. I was absolutely overwhelmed by the amount of food options they had.

Vegetarian samosa