Fruity Cream Cake

I made this cake for my baby's 8 month birthday. I first saw this on a TV commercial. I got inspired by that commercial, so here I am, sharing this recipe which is the product of that inspiration.

Making this cake is pretty easy. No cook. No bake. There is no hassle with the dishes and other baking materials. I enjoyed making this cake as well as eating it. Try it for a family member's birthday and share the fun!

Ingredients:
- 200 grams graham crackers
- 2 cups heavy cream, chilled
- 100 ml condensed milk
- 850 grams fruit cocktail, drained

Procedure:
Crush the graham crackers then press 1/3 portion onto the bottom of a round dish. Mix heavy cream and condensed milk. Spread 1/3 portion on top of crushed graham crackers. Arrange 1/3 portion of fruit cocktail over the cream and milk mixture. Repeat the same process. Chill overnight before serving.

* This recipe makes 16 servings.

Photohunt 5: Plastic

The was late because her son had surgery last Thursday. Me? I am late because our internet connection did not work for 3 days. The freakin' Globe Broadband sucks sometimes!

For this week's theme, I have this photo of our dining set with placemats made from plastic. This was taken a year ago when we just moved to our unit. We didn't have a runner or tablecloth back then, so we used plastic placemats for easy cleaning after meal-time.

Spaghetti

Spaghetti is an all-time favorite snack for kids. Most mothers cook spaghetti for birthdays or weekends. In my case, I cook spaghetti almost every other week. I usually cook spaghetti with cherry tomatoes, cheese, and basil for bebeğim.

There are so many ways to cook spaghetti. In fact, I have more than one recipes to share. But for the meantime, here is something which is foreign yet so familiar in taste.

Ingredients:
- 200 grams spaghetti
- 350 grams spaghetti sauce
- 70 grams ground beef
- 4 pcs. chicken sausage, chopped medium-sized onion, minced
- 1 cup grated cheese
- 1/4 cup dried basil
- 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup water
- salt and black pepper to taste
-1/4 cup mushroom slices (optional)

Cooking Direction:
Cook spaghetti noodles according to package instructions.

In a saucepan, heat vegetable oil to sauté the onions. Add ground beef. Stir until brown. Add water, spaghetti sauce, half cup of cheese, and basil. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 10 minutes. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Simmer for another 10 minutes. Add chicken sausages. Continue to simmer for 5 minutes. Serve with the cooked spaghetti noodles. Top with the remaining half cup of grated cheese.

*This recipe is good for 6 people.

Shopping for Baby Clothes

Shopping for my baby is something that I really like doing. I can go round and round in a shopping mall for hours looking for baby things without thinking of buying anything for myself. Really.

Last weekend, we had fun choosing some stuff for our little Aşkım. There were loads of baby clothes to choose from, some even on sale, but I chose to first do some shoe shopping. Getting a new pair of walking shoes was on the top of my list that moment. Here's my best find a pair of white shoes for only $4.

By the toddlers section, daddy got really fascinated with an off-the-shoulder shirt and some walking shorts for Aşkım. However, we had to put them back after trying them on and seeing her looking not comfortable with them. Yeah, I know! Toddlers section, but some of the clothes they have fit our little darling at 7 months. Anyway, we ended buying this pink ruffled skirt and some statement shirts for less than $13 all in all.

Lastly, I choose to buy this cream and ivory dress with a matching baby hat (not in the picture) for only $7. I really fell in love with its style esp. the beaded collar and sequined ribbon. This dress matches my grecian gown a lot. They are under the same color scheme which is perfect for our big day in June!

Photohunt 4: Painted

I did not forget photohunting yesterday. Just got tired shopping, buying grocery, sorting out things at home, cooking, etc. I wasn't able to manage touching the computer until today.



Here is a picture of pink daisies painted in a plain bond paper using only water color pencils. This was the background of a poem I written for my Creative Writing class back in college. That's like over 8 years ago, but I am still keeping my journal where all of my poems, articles, and stories are.

Yeah, aside from writing, I had to be a little creative with the design of the journal. It paid off anyway 'cause I got the highest mark, which was 1, at the end of the semester.

Check more of my entries by clicking the previous themes:
Protection
Walking
In Memory

Peachy Graham Cake

This diet temptation is another favorite of my loved one. I bought a chocolate cake from a local grocery last Sunday, but he complained about it's texture. He is now requesting for me to make another graham cake. He loves the creamy and watery texture of no bake cakes. But I am not cooking the same recipe next time. The next in line is the Fruity Cream Cake. Yeah, the one we always see in a canned mixed fruits commercial!

Ingredients:
- 2 whole peaches, sliced thinly
- 1 cup of condensed milk
- 1 cup of heavy cream, chilled
- 10 pcs chocolate cookies, crushed
- 15 pcs graham crackers, crushed finely
- 1 cup cooked white gelatin*

Cooking procedure:
In a bowl, combine condensed milk and heavy cream. Set aside.
In a square Pyrex baking dish, spread the crushed graham and cookies, then top with slices of peaches. On top of the peaches, pour some cream and milk mixture.
Do the second layer by spreading crushed graham and cookies again, followed by slices of peaches, and topped with cream and milk mixture.
Repeat the same process until there is just enough space for the jelly and the last batch of sliced peaches.
Chill and serve. Makes 6 servings.

* Done according to package direction

Ms. Philippines Earth 2009 Winners

Sandra Seifert the Ms. Philippines- Earth 2009 Winner



Ms. Victorias City and Ms. Province of Negros Occidental



Ms. Province of Negros Occidental while answering her final question



hosts Billyjoe Crawford and Nikki Gil




Hosted by Billyjoe Crawford and Nikki Gil, the top 5 finalists and winners of Ms. Philippines- Earth 2009 were finally announced tonight. They are the following:

1. SANDRA INEZ SEIFERT
- Ms. Province of Negros Occidental
- Ms. Philippines- Earth 2009
2. ADIE ADELANTAR
- Ms. Victorias City
- Ms. Eco-Tourism & PAGCOR
3. PATRICIA MARIE TUMULAK
- Ms. Quezon City
- Ms. Fire
4. MICHELLE MARTHA BRAUN
- Ms. Province of Aklan
- Ms. Air
5. CATHERINE LOYOLA
- Ms. Fil-Sydney
- Ms. Water

NOTE:
The winner of Ms. Philippines Earth 2009, Sandra Inez Seifert, is the candidate number 13 from Bb. Pilipinas 2009. She was disqualified during the last minute of the pageant because of her sexy photos featured in FHM Magazine.

More reading suggestions:
Ms. Earth 2008
Bb. Pilipinas 2008
Paris Hilton in Ms. Turkey 2008 Pageant

Photohunt 3: In Memory

Photohunting is really something that I am looking forward to every weekend. I love being a part of this game. So enjoying! But yesterday, something unexpected happened to . Good thing, she's back, and now, just trying to sort other things out.

Anyway, this is my third entry. This photo was taken like three years ago. I took this picture of bebeğim with the EDSA Shrine in the background. For those who doesn't know EDSA Shrine yet, that is the monument built in memory of the very first EDSA People Power Revolution in 1986.

* Check more of my entries here and here.

Chicken Nuggets

Bebeğim usually suggests cooking something easy whenever I'm a little busy or lack of time. Chicken nuggets is one of them. We used to buy nuggets from a nearby grocery, but the taste isn't really that satisfying. Thanks to Mai-Mai, a fellow GT blogger, 'cause I learned some tips from her. She's cooking nuggets with carrots and breading mix, though. My version is simply with onion and bread crumbs.

The problem is.. I was not able to take a really nice photo of the cooked nuggets, though. Somebody started munching already when I was preparing it. But I guarantee you that this recipe is really good!

Ingredients:
- 1/2 kilo ground chicken
- 1 large onion
- 2 cups fine bread crumbs
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp salt

Procedure:
Mix all these ingredients together except 1 cup of bread crumbs. Shape them into balls then flatten them down before coating with bread crumbs. Deep fry until golden brown.


* This recipe makes 20 pieces of nuggets.
** Also try my holiday chicken roast, fried cheese sticks, and onion rings.

Eight Things

8 Things I'm looking Forward To
- Order a Grecian dress from Salsa Trends by Arleen Sipat soon
- Receive my Google pay for the month of April
- Pay all the existing bills
- Find a nice dwelling place before our current contract expires
- Fulfill one of my fondest dream*
- See my daughter walking
- Be successful in our business
- More confidence in whatever I do

8 Things I did yesterday
- Sent a birthday greeting to my granny in Romblon
- Visited our pedia for my baby's immunization
- Cooked homemade chicken nuggets for lunch
- Enjoyed some siomai again
- Stayed by the lobby to breathe some air
- Watched primetime
- Cooked "giniling" and "daing na bangus" for dinner
- Blogged about shoes

8 Things I Wish I Could Do
- Realize all the things that I'm looking forward to
- Be slimmer by 10 pounds
- Visit some old friends in Parañaque
- Speak Turkish
- Make this blog very popular
- Run my own house of design (This is damn ambitious!)
- Earn money for a beach mansion
- Built that mansion in my own place in the province

8 Shows I Watch
- The Project Runway
- Pocoyo (I think, I don't need to explain this.)
- Hole in the Wall
- Rated K: Handa Na Ba Kayo?
- Kapuso mo, Jessica Soho
- Wowowee (Why not? Coconut?!)
- Only You
- Tayong Dalawa

8 People I Tag
- Sam of Nerd is a Compliment
- Chie of Chuchie's Hideaway
- Shy Kulasa of Shie's Asylum
- Moccalyn of Life Spices
- Soapaholic of Confessions of a Soapaholic
- Janelle of Embracing the Clutter in my Head
- Sweet Seoul of My Lapland
- Jhaney of My So Called Life

---
My BIG thanks to sis Yami of Mom Writes for this tag. Sorry pala sis. I can't join the International Bloggers Community yet. Next time please. Just got excited with this one...^^

Mother's Day 2009

Will all mothers receive hugs this Mother's Day? I just wonder. The second Sunday of May is the day to celebrate motherhood. On that day, we honor our mothers by giving gifts like flowers or cake. This year, the Mother's Day falls on the 10th of May.

Last year, I also posted a tribute to my mother on Mother's Day. You can find it here.

I wrote and I quote, "Before I could get a second honor in our class in grade one, my mom passed away. It was the loneliest day of my young life, I guess. I was too young and no idea how life was going to be at that time."

Copied and edited this part, "Now that I'm 28 and already gave birth to my first baby, I just hope and pray that she'll be able to enjoy all the love and care that I missed when I was young."

Thanks to Miriam for tagging me.

The Rules of this Tag:
- create your own scrapbook
- post it on your blog
- tag all moms that you know
- link the person who tagged you

Now, I should pass this to tag to Ruthi of My Refuge-- the only blogger mom that I know.

Larla Anne of Larla's World, you are an expecting mom, so grab this tag, too!

To all of my girlfriends in the blogoshpere, single or childless, feel free to grab this tag to post and pass to the rest.. ^^

Shoe Shopping

I claimed my Google money from Western Union last Saturday, then took advantage of the SM Megamall 3-Day Sale the next day. Lots of discounted items from 10% to 50% off flooded the shelves, but we went home early 'cause the place was too crowded. I only got a pair of shoes, 3 sandals, some undies for my baby, and a heavy duty pot to be given as gift to an old officemate. All of those didn't finish even 1/3 of my Google pay!



Vivacci Sandals


Parisian Sandals


Xxtra Sandals


Sabato Shoes


Up there is a pair of Vivacci sandals with black and white beads which I bought for my sis-in-law. Her size is 5, so it was easy to find something for her in a very affordable price.

The shimerring cream Parisian sandals is for my dear Aunt Jo in Romblon. We have the same shoe size. I am switching this pair with a gold Vivacci sandals that I also bought for her like two months ago.

The third pair is a black Xxtra sandals with beaded straps for my kayınvalide or mother-in-law in Turkey. I would love to see her wearing this and matching it with a black headscarf. Her shoe size is way bigger than mine, though. It's a 11!

The last item is the sparkling silver 4-inch Sabato Shoes which I bought for my yenge or brother-in-law's wife, also in Turkey. Her size is 10. Hopefully, we'll get to deliver those gifts ourselves on September this year.

The Friendship Award

Just got this award from a fellow GT blogger. When I saw another blogger friend receiving the same award last week, I wished I could be worthy of the same award, too. Now here we are so thanks a lot Shie!

I had to edit the rules of this award 'cause they weren't clear enough. Here they are:
1. Take your award here
2. Put the logo on your post
3. Link the person who awarded you
4. Nominate at least 7 other bloggers
5. Add the links of those bloggers on yours
6. Leave a message for your nominees

People who deserve the same award:
Sam of Nerd is a Compliment
Moccalyn of Life Spices
Sweet Seoul of My Lapland
Rors of On my Left Hand Corner
Jhaney of My So Called Life
Soapaholic of Confessions of a Soapaholic
Janelle of Embracing the Clutter in my Head

Girls, do not keep this award. Give it to 7 deserving bloggers out there :)

Diet Temptations

A fellow Girl Talker posted this message on Weight Watchers forum today: "Hey girls, got an idea. Let's take a pic of our refrigerators/pantry/hidden stash around our homes to see how much temptation we have going around the house!"

Well, I was the one who first responded to her post. But since it's Saturday today, our fridge is almost empty. There's nothing much to see in there. Grocery will come on Tuesday after a visit to the doctor. We only have water, cheese, some leftover food, baby teethers, some vegetables, etc. etc. I didn't bother to take photos anymore 'cause those stuff are too safe for the GT challenge.

However, I remember, we went home yesterday with some sweets after getting my pay from Google. We bought some barquillos (wafer rolls), banana chips, and peanut brittle. All sweets! They are kept in a plastic container on the table just waiting for snack or dessert time. Really nice for a dieting GT like me, huh? Oh, c'mon.. I'm not the only person eating those in this house. There are the four of us. Including our little baby. She munched a stick of barquillo this afternoon while watching TV. Yeah, believe me.

I already lost 7 kilos or over 15 pounds since I gave birth. I'm not yet happy with my post pregnancy weight, so I am continuing my low carb diet. Efff.. those sweets are temptation to me. I admit into eating those, but see, I have an 8-kilo exercise everyday. And that's my baby!

Keyword:
GT-girl talker, a member of Female Network Girl Talk

PhotoHunt 2: Walking

Woh! The photo hunting started 20 minutes earlier today. Good thing that I'm all set. Haha. My excitement got me here early!

Today's theme is walking, so I am posting this picture of two boys walking towards the small seaport in the town of Looc, Romblon. I actually took this picture the same day with my first entry.