My Baked Macaroni

Been semi MIA because of Aly's term break because if she's not on the computer, we're busy with her playdates.  Anyhoo, to make up for my lack of posts, I'm going to share a cooking secret with you.  A warning though: it's not really groundbreaking but I've received quite a few requests for my baked mac in the past so I think I'm doing something right and it's worth sharing nevertheless.

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My baked macaroni

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Of course, it goes without saying that you should only use the best ingredients.  My mom would always say, "kung titipirin mo lang din ang ingredients, wag na ka magluto."  But I think what makes my baked mac a cut above the rest (naks!) is the topping.

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Mozzarella cheese...perfectly gratinated.  Ok, is that really a term?  Basta I'm referring to the browned cheese on top.

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I do that in two steps: first, I put my oven on bake setting to melt the cheese.    That's at 350 degrees F for around 15-12 minutes.  Then, once the cheese has melted, I put it on broiler setting.  That's around 10 minutes, but I watch it real closely because I don't want to burn the cheese.  When the cheese starts to brown in all the right places, I turn the oven off.

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So my baked mac has three layers: the pasta + sauce mixture, bechamel sauce and mozzarella cheese.  I have to admit though that I've only "upgraded" to mozzarella cheese in the last two years or so.  But the one thing that's been constant in my baked mac is the bechamel sauce, which is just a simple sauce using butter, flour and milk.  Mozzarella is more expensive than the regular cheese that we use back home, but it makes all the difference!  And for me, it's not as salty as Kraft cheddar or Magnolia quickmelt.  Believe me, once you go mozzarella, you will never go back to regular cheese.  Besides, can regular cheese do this?

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The stringed cheese effect.

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Hope this tip helps.  Happy cooking!

Apple Crumble

This is another great find from allrecipes.  It's so easy to make and I promise you, it's a winner.

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Sorry, but this was the only photo that I took.  Richard and I were too excited to eat it, I didn't have time for arte presentations.

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Ingredients:

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2   Granny Smith apples, cored and diced* 

2   Tbsp, Brown sugar

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

2   Tbsp. Cold butter, cut into cubes**

1/2 cup Quick-cooking oats

1/2 cup Flour

1/8 cup Sugar

1/4 cup Brown sugar

5   Tbsp. Cold butter, cut into cubes

*For this recipe, I used one big Fuji apple and it turned out ok.

**I use 1/2 cup of butter, cut into 3 parts: 1/3 = 2 Tbsp., 2/3 = 5 Tbsp.

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Preheat oven to 350F/175C

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In a bowl, toss together apple, brown sugar and cinnamon until well coated.  Grease an ovenproof dish with butter and transfer the apples.  Dot with 2 Tbsp. butter.  Set aside.

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In another bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients.  Cut the butter into the mixture using a pastry cutter (or two knives) until well blended and the dough starts to form big chunks.  Spread the chunks of the topping mixture over the apples and bake for 35-40 minutes until the apples are done and the crust turns a nice shade of brown.

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Enjoy!

Lemon Yoghurt Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

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I should be on a diet, but my baking urge was too hard to resist! I made this last week and despite the lack of certain ingredients (I haven't baked in a long time so I didn't know I was running low on vanilla and flour), it was still a success! Richard and Aly loved it. He ate it for breakfast almost everyday and Aly who doesn't usually get too excited about my baking, had it for dessert almost everyday too!
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I think they were kinda sad when we were down to the last slice so I promised them that I will make another one soon. Maybe next week when my siblings and cousins come over to visit :)

Brownies

Aly's class went on a field trip last Thursday. They had a picnic at Lumpini Park.
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The kids were told to bring a snack that they can share with their classmates so Aly asked me to bake brownies. To be honest, I wasn't really in the mood to bake because I was tired from doing other household chores, so I asked Aly if we can just buy cookies from 7-11. Ayaw nya! She only wants to bring brownies daw. Heehee! Secretly, I was very happy that my daughter is proud of my baked goodies :)
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Brownies made with love.
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aI added candy sprinkles on top to make it more appealing to the kids.
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aI saved the chewy, crusty edges for myself. Haha!
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Here's the funny ending to my brownie love story: Just to make sure that all my baking effort won't go to waste, I had to make sure that we won't forget the brownies at home when Aly goes to school the next day. So I packed the brownies in a nice container and placed them in the ref. I placed them on top of the coffee canister so Richard will remember the take them out when he brews coffee for breakfast. Then, before leaving for school, I placed it inside Aly's bag.
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When I picked her up in the afternoon, I was looking forward to her kwento about the picnic, the park, how her classmates liked the brownie, etc. So I asked her...and you know what my dear daughter told me? She said she left her bag in the classroom. Huhu! But she immediately followed it up with: "mommy, don't be angry, ok?" Aawww...I said ofcourse I wasn't angry; she can just bring the brownies again and share it with her classmates tomorrow. But she didn't want to bring them anymore kasi wala na daw field trip. Heehee! Mga bata nga naman. Oh well...at least I know that my daughter's proud of my baking skills. And that's all that matters :)

Tita Papot's Birthday

I wanted my beloved tita's birthday to be extra special, but I didn't have enough time and resources to prepare. So I baked her a cake instead.

A lemon chiffon cake made with lots of love :)

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Sugar syrup...

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... + egg whites and cream of tartar...

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... = white icing.

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White icing + lemon chiffon cake = my favorite cake and icing combo.

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Piping orange decor on the cake's edges.

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Look at Alyannah munching away on the cake crumbs! Ganyan din ako when I was her age. I'd watch my mom while she makes her cakes then I'd eat all the scraps. Including the icing!

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Serious naman. I wonder what she's thinking. I hope that she will learn how to bake when she grows up.

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Here's my creation! This was my first time to bake again after ten months so I still needed a lot of practice :)

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With the cake ready, we drove to Lolo Pete's house in Taguig. I was excited to see my tita and my cousins. Aly couldn't wait to see her ate Gabbi too. Kaya lang, when we got there, nag-Christmas shopping sila. Pffft...

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Buti na lang kuya Moe was there. He's such a nice kuya to Alyannah. I remember one time when Yan fell in my mom's garden, he was the first one to help her. When she was crying, he was stroking her back. When he heard me and his mom laugh about the incident (Yan wasn't really hurt, but she cried sooo loud as if she broke her ankle and we found it really funny), he got mad at us and told us not to laugh at Yan. We asked him why he got mad, and he said, "mabait talaga ko sa mga baby". To which, Yan instantly responded, "I'm not a baby anymore. I'm a big girl!" Kuya Moe is always nice to Yan even if she's masungit to him sometimes.

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Finally, dumating na sila. Just in time for dinner. Yey!

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Ate Gabbi had pasalubong for Aly.

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Jofe, gutom ka na?

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Mick: ako, oo.

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Kokoy, san ba kayo nagpunta at ang tagal nyo?

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The Ignacio-Manalo boys.

My cousins Chig and Kokoy, and my brothers Mick and Jofe. We all have the same middle name and surname because our daddies, who are brothers, married our mommies, who are sisters. That's why we're superclose. Isn't that cool?

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The kulits. Aly with her cousins.

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Chowtime!

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The Ignacio Family.

Standing, left to right: Me, Chig, Kokoy, tito Jun, Gab, Jofe, tita Papot, Mick.

Seated, left to right: Aly, mommy, daddy, big Moe.

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Happy birthday, tita Paps! May all your wishes come true! We love you!

Chocolate Chip Cookies and My New Baking Assistant

When I came home, mom told me that there was a bag of Ghirardelli chocolate chips in her ref waiting for me. I love baking in my mom's house because it's super easy! First, she has a KitchenAid Mixer so I can cream, mix, whip anything with zero effort. Ooohh, the KitchenAid Mixer really is my dream gadget. I wish I had a bigger kitchen here so I can buy my own. Anyway, I digress. Second, my mom's helper, ate Gelyn is there to help me clean up. And third, just last December, I had a new assistant. Hehe! My little brother, Jofe, helped me bake cookies.

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Okay, so he's not so little anymore. He's way taller than me. But he's still my favorite 2nd brother. Heehee!

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My assistant has his own assistant -- ay, usisera lang pala!

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Let's see Jofe in action...

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She can't wait to taste the cookies.

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Guarding the cookies closely in case somebody (tito Mick) gets to them first. Haha!

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Sandali na lang...

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...yey! Luto na sa wakas! Wait, what's that thing in the background?

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Ayun...si Aly pala! At naka buena mano na! Teka, parang may mga naka-bantay pa sa likod...

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...aba, may panel of judges pa! Haha! My One and Only and my Favorite 1st Brother look happy. I guess they liked the cookies!

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They look yummy indeed!

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Great job, Jofe! Not bad for a first-time baker :)