Missing my Hubby Yet Again ...

Hubby left again last January 15, but this time, 6mos lang contract nya. He did bargain for this and the office granted a shorter contract for him. Gusto nga sana nya mas maikli pa so he'll try to look for a shorter contract when he come home again this July. He regularly leaves us for work pero I think this is the first time that I saw and felt that he is genuinely sad. Nalulungkot daw kasi sya pag naiisip nya si Marianna. Nitong bakasyon nya kasi, halos araw araw sila magkasama kaya talagang naging close sila mag daddy. Malungkot but sacrifices had to be done. Im very lucky to have a husband like Mark. I admire him for his love and dedication as a husband and daddy and as a son. Take good care of your self sweetie. Marianna and I love you so much. See you July. God bless.

BRAZO DE MERCEDES By The Sweet Life by Ange

Gidget, a  chat friend of mine introduced me to The Sweetlife by Ange. Her knowing my sweet tooth recommended their Brazo de Mercedes to be the best she ever tasted.

Having searched their site :http://www.thesweetlifebyange.com/index.php?page=sweet-surrender , I have also shared this new found information to a fellow sweet tooth friend of mine, Ghelai who graciously brought me some to taste ....

Their brochure 

the brazo de mercedes before opening the package

this one cost less than Php 300.00, just enough for hubby and me

My "tikim" almost took more than 1/4 of the whole piece ...

Layers of soft meringue, custard and french vanilla ice cream on graham craker crust and its a must that it must be frozen or else the ice cream would melt.

My verdict: a nice twist on a classic brazo de mercedes. for a sweet tooth like me, i did enjoyed every bite and finished the whole piece in one sitting (with hubby having to eat 1/4 of it) but i don't think i can finish another piece one after the other. it has some "suya" factor that needs to fade first before you could enjoy another bite after eating a big chunk. but i would definitely come back for more and probably would enjoy other flavors like mango, strawberry and chocolate which you have to order in advance. 

THE SWEET LIFE BY ANGE

Upper Ground Floor, Vernida I Condominium

120 Amorsolo Street, Legaspi Village, Makati

815-01-88*752-86-92*403-97-29 & 0917-8238198

Email: inquiry@thesweetlifebyange.com

Carrot Cupcakes

I love love love carrot cake! Kaya nung nag ka oven at nakapag bake ako, isa sa mga una kong hinanap na recipe is for carrot cupcakes. I have adopted a recipe from Barefoot contessa and twiked it a little.

CARROT CAKE CUPCAKES

Ingredients:

2 cups refined sugar
1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon iodized salt
3 pcs grated medium sized carrots
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven at 200 degrees celcius

Beat sugar,oil and vanilla together in a bowl . Add the eggs, one at a time. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together. Add the grated carrots, raisins and walnuts to the mixture. Mix until just combined

 CARROT CAKE BATTER

Line muffin pans with paper liners. Scoop the batter into 18 muffin cups until each is 3/4 cup full. Bake at 200 degrees C for 10 minutes and reduce oven temperature to 180 degrees C and cook for another 10 mins or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a rack when done.



CARROT CUPCAKES

My mom and officemates absolutely love this. I even add 1/2 cup rolled oats in one of my batches to make it healthier and more filling! Masarap din daw according sa mga naka kain, hehe.

Hello 2011, Good bye and Thank you 2010!

Hello blog! I have missed more than a month updating you. I have been busy with the holidays, baking, doing office work and spending time with hubby and baby. During the holidays, we prepared food for noche buena and media noche (hoping to post about it soon), with  baking, I have been making cookies and cupcakes here and there to give away (recipes to come ...) after work which I would say that Im very lucky that I don't get to do much overtime, I usually come early from work to have some play time and sweet time with my baby and hubby.

Hmmm. What are the things that I won't forget about 2010? In general, it was a good year for us. God is so good to be always there to guide, bless and protect me and my family. It is in 2010 that I got promoted at the office (with matching promotion on work loads as well, hehe) but I was happy to oblige with the challenge and with the help of my bosses, I would say and I do hope that I did met their expectations.

Blessings in different forms came from different places. Some experiences, not so good but still ends up well as I learned more things about life. Lets just live it just the way it is and make the most of what we already have.

Another one that would remain quite a while is when I won the 3rd prize in our christmas party raffle! The prize? $ 300.00 !!! I was even doubting during the party that my raffle ball was missing! he he. I was super blessed I would say. This really came in handy during the holidays.

In 2010, I have gained friends and experiences that I will forever treasure. Thank you 2010. Thank you God.
Hello 2011.