Ultimate Slow Cooker Chocolate Rice Pudding (Champorado)

Sticky rice cooked in coconut milk and chocolate. This chocolate rice pudding is the ultimate breakfast sweet treat or when served with ice cream - a truly yummy dessert - Champorado!

We had a lot of snow this past week and as I write it's still a few inches on the ground and according to the weather prediction there will be more dumping come Sunday afternoon! I can't really complain because this winter has been particularly mild and hasn't really snowed a lot until a few days ago. However, since the car was left on the driveway in the middle of the snow storm and the fact that our driveway inclines upwards towards the road - that meant we were stuck for the last couple of days at home.

Chewy Chocolate Flapjacks (Oat Bars)

These oat bars are so delicious and more-ish!! These chocolate-covered and honey-sweetened flapjacks are  quick and easy to make, too! Gluten-free.

When we went to England last November, we enjoyed so many yummy food that we don't often get here in the US. That included delicious British sausages, Christmas pudding, clotted cream or simply any food from Marks and Spencers! We enjoyed lots of Victoria sandwich cakes, scones, shortbread and certainly some yummy chewy flapjacks. Thankfully, flapjacks are easy to make and the ingredients are readily available anywhere in the world unless you don't have oats where you are! In the Philippines we can buy oats so I guess, if our little country has it, I can imagine it is pretty easy to find anywhere else.

Dutch Baby Pancake with Spiced Apples and Bananas

Delicious and easy to make Dutch Baby Pancake loaded with cinnamon spiced Apples and Bananas! So yummy and perfect for breakfast or brunch!

I have been desiring to make Dutch Baby Pancakes for the longest time but for whatever reason, I never got to. Sad. However,this day was meant to be the day to do it. Sophie, my little girl, approached me this morning and asked me what was for breakfast. She was usually content with cereals or oatmeal and anything with yogurt but today she requested something different. When I mentioned pancakes, she was immediately delighted. I told her, when the idea of Dutch baby pancake popped into my mind, that she may have to wait a little because this is not the regular pancake and it required some baking. She seemed excited about the idea of a new kind of pancake so didn't mind waiting a little at all.

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!

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.

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!!!

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.

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!

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.

Red, White and Blue Yogurt Parfait

My kids absolutely love yogurt. Whenever I run out of breakfast ideas you can be certain they will suggest, "Can we have something with yogurt, please?"  For them anything with yogurt just tastes better. So we always have some yogurt stashed in the fridge for snacking or breakfast emergencies!

Green Tea Chocolate Muffins

I am swamped with paperwork today. It's not fun. I've done this routine countless times before. But it's never an enjoyable experience; it's always tedious. I am talking about applying for a visa. Since I still have my Filipino passport, even though I am a permanent resident here in the US, whenever we travel abroad I still have to apply for visas (except when I am travelling around South East Asia where there is reciprocity agreement among neighboring countries so no visas are required).

Daing na Bangus (Milkfish marinated in Vinegar and Garlic)

Ok, so I admit I love to eat Fish for breakfast! My husband, and perhaps some of you, may think it's weird to eat fish early in the morning. I must admit it is a matter of taste and culture. In the Philippines and perhaps other parts of Asia, it is pretty common to have fish for breakfast. My parents eat fish for breakfast everyday. It is not only by choice but because they truly love it.

Mango Almond Muffins

Hello everyone! I am back in the US! I had a 2-month long vacation in the Philippines, particularly in Manila, which explains why I haven't posted much on this blog for awhile. I wanted to take some break from blogging and get the chance to truly enjoy my family's company. I had such a lovely time and it felt like time was so short despite being there for several weeks. Indeed, time always flies when you're having fun!

Classic Belgian Waffles

Hubby and I plus our whole family truly fell-in-love with the fantastic waffles we tasted in Belgium when we visited there in the summer of 2013. They were so good that to this day, more than a year later - I can still remember how yummy they tasted and how our noses were tempted and awakened by their sweet aroma. We thought, we better remember these delicious treats as we may not be able to find something similar when we go back to the US. So, we truly indulged while we were there and savored these fantastic Belgian delicacy.

Chocolate Brownie Waffles

Hubby was very kind to give me a waffle maker as gift for Mother's Day. Actually, I have always wanted one so when he asked me what I wanted, I didn't hesitate to say - waffle maker. We are somewhat practical that way, we ask each other what we need and then when we get it, we are actually happy because we know it's something that we need and there's no need to go back to the store because we didn't like what we got. Of course, birthdays are another story, this is when we surprise each other and not let each other know what we are actually getting. That way, we get the best of both world. But it helps that hubby and I know each other fully well after 11 years of marriage so we usually end up with gifts that we truly love and not anything weird. That's a blessing....but I divert.

Fruit and Chocolate Oat Bars

I love to give my kids snacks that I make at home and from scratch. That way, I can ensure I know what they are eating and don't need to worry much that they are taking in too much processed food. Of course, like any other kids, they love to snack on something sweet and fruity. My solution is to make them some wholesome granola bars that not only will they enjoy (something that satisfies their sweet cravings), but something that I won't feel so guilty giving to them as I know they are quite nutritious, too. Using good quality ingredients (organic, if possible) is always my aim whenever I cook or bake and that ensures a truly wonderful result every time.

Bagel and Creamy Egg Breakfast Sandwich

We have a bagel shop that does a Baker's dozen (13 pieces instead of 12) every Wednesday, so often we wait until Wednesday to buy our Bagels as they are on sale and so much cheaper. Normally, my kids are happy with just Bagel and Cream Cheese for breakfast, perhaps with a teaspoon or two of jam added for good measure. But sometimes,  I get tired of that same old, same old bagel and cream cheese combo so occasionally I will cook some eggs and have them with bagels instead. When I am feeling indulgent, I spread a little mayo or add a slice of cheese on a toasted and buttered bagel with this creamy egg. A few sprinkles of chopped chives perfectly round-up this delicious and filling breakfast sandwich. Enjoy!

Heart Healthy Yummy Granola

I am not very keen on cold breakfast. If it was possible, I'll always have a hot cooked breakfast. I think it's because this is what I am used to. I grew up having a hot cooked breakfast ready and prepared when I woke up. That's just the way it was. My mom or our help would make it for me and my siblings and we were expected to eat and finish it all. Often it would be rice, naturally, with either eggs and some meat or fish dish. I really loved it and to this day, I wish I can have a daily Filipino breakfast.

However, the story changed after I got married. I don't have my Mom here and I certainly cannot afford a maid so while I often still make a hot breakfast, there are days when I am thankful for a box of cereals or granola that I can quickly grab and prepare instantly. Nonetheless, since I know that many of the store-bought cereals are pumped full of ingredients that are not always wholesome, not to mention sugar-loaded, I have decided to make my own homemade granola mix. With this, even though it's a cold breakfast, I can be assured I know what's in it and can take comfort that it is actually quite healthy and good for the heart because of its naturally nutrient rich ingredients.

This recipe was handed to me by a friend that we visited a few years ago in New Jersey. I am thankful to her for sharing this as my family truly loves this. I only made very minor tweaking to it. For those who have wheat sensitivity, just replace the wheat with ground flax seed. Enjoy.

Ingredients

8 cups old-fashioned rolled Oats
1/4 cup brown Sugar
1 cup shredded Coconut
1 cup Wheat Germ (or ground flax seed)
1 cup chopped Pecans or Walnuts/Almonds (or a mix)
2/3 cup Coconut Oil*
2/3 cup Honey
Dried fruits (optional)

*If you don't have or don't like Coconut Oil, you can replace it with a good quality neutral-tasting vegetable oil.

Procedure

Preheat the oven to 300F.

Mix the oats, sugar, coconut, wheat germ (or flax seed) and nuts. Set aside. Mix the oil and honey. Pour the oil mixture into the dry ingredients. Mix well. Spread the mixture evenly in a lightly greased deep pan (like a 9x13 pan) and bake for 30 minutes.

Stir the mixture after baking and then let cool completely. Add some dried fruits like raisins, cranberries, apricots, etc. if you like. Store in an airtight container and enjoy with some fresh milk.

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Sausage and Egg Fried Rice

If there is one dish that I make a few times a week (yes, a week not a month) it has to be Sinangag or Fried Rice. It should not come as a surprise, after all, I have grown up eating rice 3x a day and my hubby, who prefers a more gluten-free diet, also loves it, too. My kids, naturally, are big rice eaters too so it makes a lot of sense for me to always cook a big batch of rice. Perhaps, I am just too lazy to make a small batch of rice each time (after all, I only need to push the cook button on my rice cooker and it does all the job!). However, the truth is, I make a huge batch of rice each time so I have left-overs which means, extra rice for making fried rice the next day. This time I don't mind the extra effort of cooking it - in fact, we don't have any microwave so everything has to be heated up on the stove top every time, anyway.

Overnight Blueberry French Toast Casserole

Juicy berries, crunchy walnuts plus yummy cream cheese and warmed up maple syrup make this a fantastic breakfast or brunch dish for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day! 

It is an established fact that my family loves French Toast (or eggy bread as my British hubby would say) for breakfast and especially for brunch. I have a few versions of it including 3 in this blog! We surely cannot get enough of it. I have tried many variations of this delicious American-style stuffed French toast but the blueberry version is one of our favorites. It is just so wonderful to bite into this warm overnight-soaked baked bread and then into your mouth suddenly burst delicious juices from the berries! But that's not all - the almost melted cream cheese provides a delightful contrast of texture and flavor which makes your palate truly dance with joy! As if that's not enough, make it even better by drizzling your freshly baked french toast with warmed up pure Maple syrup and then help yourself with a generous dusting of powdered sugar on top to add extra sweetness and love! Aren't you hungry yet?