White Chocolate Chex Party Mix

So deliciously good and highly addictive!! Chex cereal, chopped pretzels and pistachios smothered in white chocolate and subtly spiced with Nutmeg or Cinnamon - this White Chocolate Chex Party Mix is the ultimate party snack! NO BAKE!

Happy New Year!!! In just a few more hours we will officially welcome 2017!! I don't know about you, but I can honestly say, I can't wait for the new year to come. 2016 has been a really tough year for myself, personally, and for my entire family. We've had many challenges, some illnesses and yes, even the passing of a loved one. The great thing is, through all the trials and difficulties, we have felt God's love and mercy. So, we look forward to 2017 with much hope, knowing that no matter what, the Lord is with us!

Top 16 Recipes of 2016

Only a few more days to go and we shall all welcome the new year! Before the year officially ends, I just want to thank all of our loyal readers and followers for supporting us throughout the year! It has been another wonderful year of blogging - many new and delicious recipes tried and enjoyed, many wonderful bloggers met and certainly many awesome readers and followers we got acquainted with. It is such a blessing to be able do something I really enjoy - cooking - and being able to share them with all of you is a major bonus! Again, thank you very much and wishing you all a 2016 full of blessings and happy memories!

The Essence of Christmas

A very Merry Christmas from our family to yours!!!

I had it all planned out in my mind a few weeks back. We would invite a family from our church and celebrate Christmas lunch with them. It would be a feast with several Asian main courses, some appetizers and for dessert - authentic Christmas Pudding imported from England which we brought back home from our last trip! I was really excited with preparing the menu and activities and was looking forward to having an enjoyable dinner and a great time of fellowship.

Chocolate Cappuccino Cupcakes

A delicious burst of coffee goodness in every bite of these Chocolate Cappuccino Cupcakes with a luscious espresso-flavored buttercream frosting! Perfect pair with your morning coffee! 

Last month we went to England and visited some family and friends. We stayed with my mother-in-law who has a lovely house overlooking the Norfolk Broads. My favorite thing to do when there is simply relax enjoy a cup of tea or coffee and enjoy the lovely scenery by the window. I do have lovely memories of my father-in-law and, recently, my mother-in-law serving us with a delicious homemade espresso-based drink, whether it be a cappuccino or latte, all with a delicious helping of something sweet if we wanted some (there's always a yummy treat in that house!) and we all felt like we were in 5 star accommodation indeed! You see my parents-in-law owned this lovely little machine that allowed them to make espresso at home in a breeze and entertaining became easier for them having that especially when unexpected guests arrive and we had some while we were there. Anyway, since then I have always wanted a little machine like that!

Top 10 Filipino Recipes for Christmas

Celebrate Christmas and the holiday season with these tried and tested, delicious Top 10 Filipino Recipes for Christmas! 

We love Christmas in the Philippines so much that the holiday season actually unofficially begins the 1st day of September! To celebrate our favorite day, every Filipino household will have many of these delicious recipes on their menu. If you are thinking of doing an Asian-themed celebration this year, this collection of our family favorite recipes would surely come handy!

One Bowl Yummy Pumpkin Muffins

Use this as your basic formula for  yummy Pumpkin Muffins! Add your favorite baking chips for extra deliciousness!

One day earlier in the school year my little boy came home very excited and declared he will be doing some baking the next day. I asked him what inspired him to do that? He said their class baked some pumpkin muffins that day and that he enjoyed them so much he wanted to make them again. He was totally motivated to do it that he, in fact, got the recipe and brought it home!

15 Deliciously Creative Left-over Turkey Recipes

15 deliciously creative recipes for Thanksgiving left-over Turkey! A must-try if you want to try new and easy dishes for the family!

Hope you all had a lovely  Thanksgiving!!! Now that this major holiday is over the big question is: what do we do with all these left-over Turkey? Have no fear, we've got you covered. We researched online and found 15 delicious and creative ways to use all that meat! Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie Dessert Bars

With a deliciously spiced pumpkin pie on the bottom and buttery swirled cake topping this super EASY Pumpkin Pie Bars will be your favorite holiday dessert! Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year perfect!

Just before we left for England in early November, I made this Pumpkin Pie Dessert Bars for my family. I was planning to post this earlier but because of the family emergency we had, everything, naturally, had to take the backseat. Nonetheless, at the back of my mind, I haven't forgotten about this truly delightful recipe and made sure to post this at least before Thanksgiving. Besides, who says pumpkin desserts are only for Fall or Thanksgiving? I love pumpkin based desserts so much, I won't even mind having them during the hottest days of summer - so for me, every season is a good season for Pumpkins!!! Agree? :)

Travel Feature: Norwich Castle - Norwich, England

Norwich Castle is a medieval royal fortification built by the Normans about 900 years ago. It was intended to be a palace and was constructed under the orders of William the Conqueror.

As some of you dear readers know, we are currently in the UK. My husband's family live in one of the villages near the city of Norwich in Norfolk, England. Norwich is a lovely city always buzzling with shoppers and passers-by. I love that it blends both the modern and the medieval in one place.
A quick exploration will show you cobbled streets lined with Tudor houses, medieval castle and cathedral all within striking distance of trendy malls and restaurants. For this trip, we decided to visit the Norwich Castle. Photo above shows William and Sophie near the entrance to the castle.

Travel Feature: Uniquely London (Iconic Buildings, Popular Sites and Places)

Panoramic View of the Tower of London

First, my apologies to our readers. I would not be able to post new recipes this month because of our emergency trip to the UK as my father-in-law recently passed away. Perhaps towards the end of the month I may be able to resume normal recipe posting but for now I will focus a little more on travel features as we have been doing a bit of traveling visiting some relatives and friends while we are here in England.

A Tribute to Grandad John

I consider myself very blessed because, in my lifetime, I have met three of the loveliest men I can ever hope to meet and share part of my life with. These are my dad, my hubby Mark, and my father-in-law, John. They all share similar attributes -  they are all very kind, loving and very soft-spoken. I have never ever heard a single cross word from any of them. They all define what a true gentleman is.

Product Review: Silpat and Yummy Chocolate Chip Cookies

These products were given to us as free samples and for the purpose of doing a review. All opinions are our own.

The leaves have started to fall and we all feel a chill in the air. Well. at least if you live in New England and thereabouts, where you see evidence of fall everywhere. I love this time of year - the gorgeous hues of yellows, reds and oranges everywhere replacing the monochromatic color of summer, fashionable sweaters and scarves galore and luxurious autumn food, glorious food! After a few months of not wanting to ever turn on the oven because of the summer heat, I am really excited to be doing more cooking and baking in perfectly agreeable temperature! Hurrah for fall baking season!

Korean Ground Beef over Rice

Sweet, salty, with a little spicy kick, if you like, this quick and easy Korean Ground Beef over Rice will please your taste buds! Done in 20 minutes or less. Can be made Paleo-friendly.

I love ground beef! We buy it bulk during the beginning of each month and then I separate the meat into 1 pound bags and freeze the ones I won't use immediately. That way when I am in a quandary on what to make for dinner, I can simply pick a bag out of the freezer, saute them with some onions and garlic, add soy sauce or whatever seasoning I fancy and then mix them with any veggies available in the fridge. Easy dinner without the fuss that is quite healthy, too.

Product Review: PackIt Freezable Lunch Bags

These products were given to us as free samples and for the purpose of doing a review. All opinions are our own.

As some of you may know, we recently bought a house and moved to another area. It isn't too far from our old residence, really just a mile away, but still it is a new place for us. That means new school for the kids as well. Thankfully, we found one near us, walking distance at that. Perfect! Now that means certain adjustments for the entire family, too. That includes, at least for me, daily preparation for the kids' school lunch as they are required to bring their own food. That is actually great as I prefer making them to ensure they get a balanced and healthy meal.

Jam and Burrata Toasts

Just 3 ingredients and can be customized to your taste, these easy, quick and yummy Jam and Burrata Toasts are the perfect appetizers for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year or any holiday!

When fall season commences, there's a sudden anticipation of the holidays. After all, truly, they're just around the corner. In the Philippines, while we don't really have fall or winter, once the month of September comes - the holiday season begins! I am not kidding.

Overnight Apple Oatmeal with Praline Topping

Cinnamon flavored oatmeal with apples and a buttery, crunchy praline topping is a delicious fall or winter breakfast or brunch dish!

We are back this month with another 30 Day Recipe Challenge for the fall season and our main ingredient for September is the yummy, juicy Apple! For those of you who are new to our blog, in the 30 Day Recipe Challenge, I join with some amazing food bloggers and we create delicious recipes using a chosen main ingredient. We have a month to come up with the most mouth-watering and tasty recipe that would highlight said main ingredient.

Travel Feature: Lesotho - The Mountain Kingdom (Southern Africa)

Lesotho is a small country in Africa located within South Africa. That's amazing, isn't it? 

Chocolate Chip Ricotta Pound Cake

Chocolate Chips and Ricotta Cheese lend a lot of flavor to this moist and delicious pound cake. Perfect with coffee or a cup of tea and certainly as dessert served with  fruit or whipped cream!

I just love it when things turn out well in the end! That is what happened to this yummy pound cake which came together on a whim. We usually have a fellowship meal at our church every 3rd Sunday of the month. Each family are encouraged to bring a main dish and either an appetizer or a dessert to go with it. Guess what combo I would often choose? One with the sweets of course!

Slow Cooker Beef Burgundy (Boeuf Bourguignon)

Beef chunks are simmered in red wine in the slow cooker and results in a melt-in-your-mouth delicious stew. Make this crockpot version of the classic French stew - Beef Burgundy (Boeuf Bourguignon) in the morning and enjoy it for dinner!

I feel the chill in the air! It has started to get cooler the past few days and I have seen leaves fall all over the place already which means Autumn has started. Yay! I do love the fall season with all the gorgeous colors that it brings and also the most wonderful and aromatic dishes we associate with it.

30 Delicious Apple Cakes for Every Occasion

To celebrate Fall and Apple season, here's a delicious collection of 30 DELICIOUS APPLE CAKES!  Look no more!

12 Tried and Tested Savory Slow Cooker Recipes

12 Tried and tested Savory Slow Cooker Recipes - perfect for Fall and Winter!

Over the years our family have enjoyed these tried and tested, easy and delicious slow cooker dishes. We hope you all enjoy them, too!

No Bake White Chocolate Mousse and Raspberry Trifle

I am married to a British guy so we often have desserts in our house! I personally did not grow up having desserts all the time. In fact, it was considered a luxury in our house located at a tiny and somewhat remote island in the Philippines. When I was young, we had it, maybe, once a week usually on a Sunday when my Mom prepared a special lunch for everyone. If we were fortunate, we would have a family size Coke to go with it! And because it's sweet - it may count as dessert....yes, seriously!

Slow Cooker Beef and Beer Belgian Stew

We've been to Brussels a couple of times and in each visit we've always had a wonderful time! One thing we truly enjoyed in Belgium is the food....oh glorious food. Brussels is the city where we enjoyed the best fries, best waffles and naturally, the best chocolate! For a foodie like me, it was culinary heaven, indeed! But there is another food from this lovely place that we have totally loved at home and is often requested by hubby as it has become his favorite (insert drum roll here!) - the classic Belgian Stew or Carbonnades a la Flamande, if you want to sound more posh and sophisticated. :)

Millionaire Pie

In 15 minutes or less you can make this easy and yummy classic summer pie that's creamy, fruity-sweet, light and no bake, too. We served this in a potluck and it was a huge hit!

I love no bake desserts in summer especially this particular summer when we experienced quite a heat wave with temperatures in the upper 90s and heat index of over 100 F. I am from the Philippines so I should be used to this muggy weather, I know, but trust me, even I didn't enjoy it a bit! Thankfully, there are many sweet treats to enjoy this summer and to help us cool down, too. Certainly, this Millionaire Pie is one of them!

Easy Bacon Fried Rice

Left-over rice? No problem! Turn it into delicious fried rice flavored with bacon, garlic and eggs! Easy and delicious instant side dish!

If you are a regular reader of our blog, you probably already know by now how much we love fried rice in our house. In fact, I purposely cook a lot of rice in one go for the simple reason that we want left-overs. You know why? Because left-over chilled cooked rice is the perfect ingredient for a delicious and perfect fried rice!

12 Tried and Tested Zucchini Recipes

12 tried and tested, family-friendly, sweet and savory recipes that use summer's favorite vegetable - Zucchini!

I am a happy Mom when my kids willingly eat their vegetables. One vegetable they don't  snub is Zucchini. Perhaps because I add Courgettes (the british name for Zucchini) in breads and cakes but, certainly, they love them in savory dishes, too! Over the years,  we have enjoyed these sweet and savory recipes that all use Zucchini! We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Sautéed Zucchini with Lemon and Parmesan

A quick, delicious and healthy way to use up all these summer squash is to make Sautéed Zucchini with Lemon and Parmesan!

We are at the peak of Zucchini season and it would certainly be hard to miss these tasty summer squash. They are everywhere from the Farmer's market to your favorite grocery and yes, of course, in your neighbor's vegetable garden! In our house when I have already baked 3 Zucchini breads in a row in less than a week, then you can be sure it truly is zucchini season!

Layered Overnight Oats with Fruits

Make it the night before and wake up with a very tasty breakfast! Overnight flavored oatmeal, sweetened with a little honey and layered with fruits - healthy and delicious!

My family loves breakfast and we consider it as the major meal of the day - the meal that propels us throughout the day. As you can imagine it's not just a piece of bread and coffee. Having grown up in an Asian household, I am used to breakfast with rice, eggs and some meat - yes, quite heavy. While I continue to serve hot and cooked breakfast to my family, I am glad that for busy, crazy days I have a delicious and healthy alternative that requires barely 5 minutes of prep and best of all may be done the night before!!!

12 Easy No Bake Cherry Desserts

To celebrate Cherry season, here's a delicious collection of easy NO BAKE  Cherry desserts! 

When it's Cherry season, you can be certain my family will eat as much cherry as we can! We simply love Cherries! I certainly love to use cherries. whether they're the sweet or sour variety, in desserts. For your benefit and, certainly, ours we have searched around the web for the easiest and yummiest cherry desserts! Hope you try them all!

10 Easy No Bake Peach Desserts

To celebrate peach season, here's a delicious collection of easy NO BAKE Peach desserts! 

Who doesn't love Peach? Plump, perfectly ripe and juicy peaches! Love peach desserts but don't fancy baking in the heat of summer? Fear no more, we have searched all over the web for the most delicious and easy no bake desserts so you can enjoy all the peach yumminess this summer and beyond!

Homemade Cashew Nut Butter

Just 2 ingredients to make your own all-natural, very tasty and super creamy Cashew Butter.  Gluten-free, vegan, low-carb, paleo-friendly and so easy to make! 

Several months ago, Mark, my husband, went to India. When he came back, not only did he bring back my favorite spices, he also surprisingly came with about a kilo (2.2 lbs) of whole cashews!! If you know me and my family, we are such nut lovers and cashews are one of our favorites. You can imagine how happy I was when he handed me a huge bag of cashews! I have already imagined the many dishes I would make with it! :)

Easy Grilled Asparagus with Parmesan

Simple, delicious and healthy, this easy grilled asparagus takes less than 5 minutes to make!

This is such a crazy week for us! We recently bought a home, just last week actually. We've been renting an apartment the past 2 years since we moved to New Haven, Connecticut. We knew it would be a temporary arrangement and the right time has arrived to move to a new place. Are we excited? We certainly are!!!

No Bake Strawberry and White Chocolate Cheesecake Pie

Glazed fresh and juicy strawberries and luscious white chocolate cheesecake make up this ultimate summer pie! NO BAKE, easy and delicious recipe that will make everyone happy!

It's been awhile since I joined up with other amazing bloggers for the 30 Day Challenge where as a group we decide on a particular theme for the month then we come up with a recipe that features that theme.     I am excited to be part of the challenge for the month of July and I especially love our foodie theme --- NO BAKE DESSERTS! What else could you want for summer but desserts that don't require turning on the oven!!! Below you will find the link to recipes from our blogger friends and hope you check them all out. 

Taos Tumble Salad

Crunchy tortillas and cumin-flavored dressing give this southwestern-style salad its delicious flavor! With few ingredients and just 5 minutes to make - it's a winner every time!

My kids have been really feasting on this salad for the last couple of days!! I am so glad I finally found a salad that they truly love and there's no argument to be had when this delicious dish is offered. I call that a big win!

Blueberry Ricotta Pound Cake

Bursting with juicy blueberries, this moist and delicious Blueberry Ricotta Pound Cake is summer's perfect cake!

I love summer season and because I was born in South East Asia where it's pretty much summer the whole year through, that is perfectly understandable. What makes summer special for me and my family is the abundance of delicious fruits that can be enjoyed in their freshest state. Certainly, one of our favorite summer fruits is the Blueberry. I resolve to myself that I will try at least one blueberry recipe once a year and enjoy these fruits while at their peak. For this season, I made some blueberry pound cake enhanced with flavors of ricotta cheese and tangy lemons. The result is indeed delicious and my kids and their friends truly loved it!

Roasted Broccoli with Garlic Butter and Lemon

Garlicky, buttery, lemony and so tasty are these roasted broccoli florets! Quick and easy to make, low-carb and naturally gluten-free!

Back when we were still living in Michigan, a good friend of ours invited us for dinner at their place. I have always enjoyed the food she served as they were simple, totally uncomplicated, yet very tasty. She had to adjust her cooking style and choice of food early on because her kids suffer some allergies and couldn't tolerate certain foods. Since she had to often use very basic ingredients - just pure whole foods - I truly loved the simplicity of her cooking and how she made them quite tasty, too. I especially loved the way she cooked her vegetables.

10 Mouthwatering Gourmet Burgers

Just in time for Father's Day,  here's a delicious collection of the best 10 Mouthwatering Gourmet Burgers you can make for Dad!

What are you waiting for? Dig in! 

Asian Beef Lettuce Wraps

Very tasty, quick and simple to make is this Thai inspired Asian Beef Lettuce Wraps. Perfect as appetizer or as main dish served with Jasmine rice.  Gluten-free and paleo-friendly, too.

Naturally, I love cooking Asian food as that's what I grew up with. I love that any typical Asian dish whether from the Philippines, China, Thailand or any other parts of Asia is not only loaded with tasty seasonings but offers delicious complexity - it can at once be sweet, spicy, tangy and salty. My taste buds are tickled indeed with all these nuanced yet harmonious flavors.

Pineapple Banana Coffee Cake

Bursting with tropical flavors from bananas and pineapples this cake is delicious and super moist! Perfect with your coffee or tea.

Sometimes I buy extra bananas just so I can make Banana cakes. I really love anything with bananas! While oftentimes there aren't enough left-over Bananas to use for baking as the kids would have helped themselves to them, especially my little girl, this week it was a different story. Perhaps because they didn't notice a bunch of bananas sitting on the counter top, which I doubt, or perhaps there was another fruit that captured their attention more. I think it was the latter.

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars

Craving chocolate and cheesecake? These delicious choco chip cheesecake bars are the solution! Easy recipe that you will make again and again.

My family can never get enough of any kind of cheesecake. If you have been following us for quite awhile, you'll no longer be surprised at the amount of cheesecake recipes we have on the blog. In fact, I just counted and this is the 11th cheesecake recipe we have and certainly, there'll be more to come. Oh, too many cheesecake recipes to try and too little time.....but don't worry, I promise to do my best to bring you more! :)

Lemon Cilantro (or Coriander) Chicken

Fresh lemon juice, aromatic spices and herbs add so much flavor to this succulent chicken dish. Easy and delicious option for a weeknight family meal!

What a disaster! No, not this recipe, thankfully, but the fact that I lost the video for this recipe. It is frustrating as I really worked hard to make a video for this and even missed an appointment to finish it on time and then in the twinkle of an eye, it was gone....all gone.

Travel Feature: Savannah, Georgia

When you have a day to spare, here are some lovely places to visit in Savannah, Georgia!

We are on holiday this week so our usual food posts would be replaced by travel posts while we are gone which we occasionally do when we are away. We are sharing some clicks of the places we visited to give our readers some holiday ideas or let all of you travel vicariously with us, too. For this stop we are off to Savannah, Georgia. This is not by any means an exhaustive travel review of the place as our one day stay was short and sweet but just to give you a flavor of the place. Enjoy!

Baked Salmon with Pesto and Pecans

Just 3 ingredients to make this easy, quick and very tasty Baked Salmon with Pesto and Pecans. Even non-Salmon fans will love this! 

As any parent would know, it is always difficult or at least a challenge to make kids eat vegetables. Now, think about making them eat seafood, particularly fish NOT in nuggets form NOR coated in bread crumbs to disguise what it really is. Yeah, it can be tricky.

Roasted (Baked) Tomatoes with Pesto and Feta Cheese

Deliciously good, easy and healthy breakfast or brunch solution - Baked Tomatoes with Pesto and Feta Cheese. Completely gluten-free and low-carb, too!

I am not a breakfast cereal kind of person. Perhaps because I grew up eating rice and meat for my first meal of the day that my body seems to always crave something savory and more substantial. For this reason, I am often on the look-out for new breakfast recipes to try, preferably savory and gluten-free, and low-carb, if possible.

Whole Roast Masala Chicken (Indian-style)

Flavored with aromatic spices, this whole roast Masala Chicken (Indian-style) comes out so yummy! The skin is deliciously crisp and the meat is tender and moist. This roast is very easy and quick to prepare, too.

When I was pregnant for the first time 10 years ago with our eldest son, the main food I craved was roast chicken. I had a really bad "morning" sickness (of course, it could be anytime of the day!) for the first 4 months or so and nothing seemed to calm my stomach and made me happier than roast chicken! I don't know why that was but I guess I should just be happy my cravings were not too "exotic" or hard to find!

Cauliflower Fried Rice

In 15 minutes or less you can make this delicious alternative to fried rice. A versatile recipe, you can add your favorite meat (esp. left-over ones), veggies and adjust the taste to your liking!

One of the loveliest memories we have of Michigan is shopping at Meijer's - a great grocery chain in the Midwest. You're probably asking yourself, "Grocery shopping? How can that be memorable?" You see, shopping in Meijer's was our very first introduction to American culture. The moment we stepped into that huge supermarket, hubby and I were totally astounded with the dizzying variety of what's on offer - seemingly unending aisles of cereals and other breakfast products, endless varieties of ice cream, frozen pizza galore....and what have you. It was quite a sight for us who, back in 2004, were used to smallish to medium size kind of grocery stores and not of the mega-mall variety.  

Crispy Adobo Flakes

Crunchy and flavorful, these crispy adobo flakes are perfect for breakfast, as topping for salad or soup and a delicious accompaniment to your favorite Asian dish. Use left-over pork, chicken or beef adobo to make this so nothing is wasted!

A few days ago, I posted a recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken Adobo which I cooked previously. After the first meal of enjoying this classic Pinoy dish, we had some left-overs as usual (we are a small family after all). Normally, I would simply reheat whatever was left and have it with fried rice for a second meal. But then, I thought that would simply be boring. So, I decided to use the remaining chicken pieces for making crispy Adobo flakes. After all, hubby totally loved the Adobo flakes after having some at a breakfast place in Manila. He couldn't believe how tasty the odd looking shredded meat was and that it was as good as the original dish itself!

Slow Cooker Chicken Adobo

Chicken slowly braised in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic and bay leaves until fall-off-the-bone tender and DELICIOUS. This classic dish can be made a day ahead and tastes even better the next day! 

Life does get in the way sometimes. :) I intended to post this well-clamored for recipe last week but alas my migraine headache for 3 days in a row totally prevented me from doing so. So, I apologize to those who were normally awaiting another recipe last week. Things were certainly beyond my control. I guess, it's better late than never. Anyway, let me assure you dear readers that this recipe is certainly worth the wait!

Italian Bread Dipping (Oil) Sauce

Restaurant-style sauce with olive oil, Italian herbs and balsamic vinegar perfect for dipping your favorite crusty bread. Mix it up with your favorite herbs and add a spicy kick, if you like, to create your own flavor blend.

When I was still living in the Philippines, there was one Italian restaurant that I frequently visited with my family and friends. It's called Italianni's and they now have several branches all over Metro Manila as through the years they have become so popular. Can you guess what made them so well-loved?

10 Fresh and Yummy Strawberry Recipes

We know spring time means strawberry season! If you're looking for new and delicious strawberry recipes to try this Spring, we got you covered! Here are some of our tried and tested recipes featuring fresh and juicy strawberries that your whole family will enjoy.

12 Deliciously Green Vegetable Recipes for Spring

Welcome to Spring time!!! To celebrate the advent of everything fresh and green, we have made a collection of our recipes that have as one of the ingredients your favorite spring vegetables. These are tried and tested, easy recipes that your whole family will enjoy! 

Balsamic Strawberries with Mascarpone

Hello Spring! You know Springtime has arrived when strawberries are already on sale at the grocery. Over a week ago, we bought about 6 pints worth of strawberries because my kids love strawberries and I usually give them fruits for snack in their school. However, we never got the chance to eat all of them because we were away for a few days. This was the time I met my sister who pleasantly surprised me with her presence on my birthday celebration all the way from the Philippines.

Corned Beef Hash (Filipino Style)

Easy 30 minute recipe for left-over corned beef. Great for breakfast, lunch or dinner and certainly have it with rice or bread, if you like.

It's my birthday today!! Hubby just surprised me this afternoon and told me we needed to leave right away for New York City where he arranged a special birthday dinner for me. Wow, I didn't see that coming! I intended to finish this post right away but because of this "surprise" I had to temporarily stop so I could prepare our clothes for the trip.

Special Fried Rice

Easy and yummy way to make your favorite take-away Chinese Special Fried Rice. You can also tweak the flavoring to your taste.

As I have mentioned before in previous posts, we are obsessed with rice in the Philippines. Why do I say so? Well, we just eat rice at least 3 times a day - breakfast, lunch and dinner. I say at least 3 times because more often than not - it may be 5 times. Yes, seriously!

10 Naturally Green Cakes for St. Patrick's Day

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day without fear with these dye-free and naturally green delicious cakes! Perfect desserts to welcome Spring, too!

March is indeed a special month for me. Can you guess why? No, not because of St. Patrick's Day but because it's actually my birthday month. Since my actual birthday falls on the 16th, which is pretty significant in Philippine history as this was the date our beautiful islands were discovered by Ferdinand Magellan, it is also just a day before St. Patrick's Day. This prompted me to make this post as nearly every year since this blog began in 2012 I have made several green colored cakes. I thought it would be just proper to make a collection of these dye-free and naturally green cakes so we can enjoy this day of festivities with all the fun and less the guilt! Enjoy and Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

Prosciutto-Wrapped Mozarella Sticks

No fuss appetizer that requires only 2 ingredients. Prosciutto-Wrapped Mozarella Sticks - you can't get any easier than this! It's also great as a low-carb, protein-rich snack!

Once a month, we have the newly-married couples in our church over for some fun and fellowship. To make it less formal and a relaxed atmosphere we usually have a potluck where everyone who is able may bring either appetizers or side dish to share. So it doesn't get boring, I try to come up with different varieties of dishes to offer. However, there are times when elaborate preparations are impractical as there are always things that come up unexpectedly and so I have to make sure that at the last minute, I have a fall back dish I can easily make when time is running out.

Camaron Rebosado (Citrus Battered Shrimp / Filipino Shrimp Tempura)

Camaron Rebosado is a citrus-marinated battered shrimp served with a sweet sour sauce and is the Filipino version of tempura. Cruncy-licious and flavorful, it's a great appetizer and a sure crowd-pleaser!

About a year ago, I went back to my beloved country to spend the holidays with my family. Whenever I go home I make sure that while there I eat all the food that I am unable to either find here or make here. Thankfully, my mom had always been willing to indulge me on this and I am sure I always come back to the US 10 pounds heavier!!! For me, it's worth every single calorie! :)

Lemon Cardamom Scones

I am excited about this post! I have joined up with 10 other amazing bloggers for a 30 Day Challenge where each month we decide on a particular theme centered on an ingredient then we come up with a recipe featuring that ingredient. For this month, lemon was the unanimous choice.  You will find below the link to recipes from our friends and hope you check them all out.