Coconut Cherry and Chocolate Bars

Once a month we have a Fellowship Dinner at our church. That means we are requested to bring a salad or appetizer, a main dish and some dessert. Oftentimes, I focus more on doing the main dish as I often try to make a Filipino dish which depending on the recipe can require some prep time. It is during this time when I wish to make a simple dessert that won't compete for attention with the main dish. So I did some google search and looked for a dessert that uses a cake mix, after all I already had one on hand, it was just a case of what do I do with it.

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Creamy Chicken Sopas (Filipino Chicken Macaroni Soup)

I have so many sweet memories of this Creamy Chicken Sopas that my mom always made, perhaps at least once a week. My siblings and I often requested for this and our mom always readily acceded.  We have eaten this for breakfast, lunch, dinner and yes, even as a snack. There's just something so comforting about a creamy soup. This is even more craved for during the monsoon season when it rains all over the archipelago much like we crave for Champorado when it's cold and gloomy. For flavoring, I add a little patis/fish sauce to the broth. For me that's the one that gives it that special flavor. There are so many versions of chicken macaroni soup but add some patis (fish sauce) and you truly make it extra special!

Kiwi and Walnut Upside Down Cake

I have made my own share of Upside Down Cakes (Cranberry and Mango-Raspberry Cakes) and I love each of them. Moist, buttery and sweet-tangy, these cakes truly posses the kind of flavors I look for in a cake. I thought I'd be happy with these two fruit versions already but then I thought I wonder if I could actually make a version using Kiwi fruits. To be honest, I have never eaten a Kiwi cake before so I wasn't sure if this will work at all. I have often used Kiwi for smoothies and just as a snack - raw - but I have never thought of actually baking with it.

Beef Caldereta (Kaldereta sa Gata) - Beef Chunks Stewed in Coconut Milk

Kaldereta belongs to the category of comfort food in the Philippines. It is a favorite dish that is often served in weddings, birthday parties, certainly Fiestas and other special occasions. Like many other Filipino dishes, it has some Spanish influence particularly in its name which originated from the Spanish word - caldera/caldero - which means "cauldron." It's a tomato-based stew as many other Spanish-influenced dishes in the Philippines are, but the Filipinos gave it a unique twist by adding either liver spread, coconut milk, peanut butter and sometimes cheese for extra flavor. It is traditionally made with goats meat but more often the beef version is the most popular one though depending on one's diet and preference you can also find "kaldereta" made with chicken or pork. Others like it spicy, while others prefer it creamy or just more tomatoey.