Vanilla Cupcake Bakery

Look what I saw in Glorietta today??!?!?!?!



Vanilla Cupcake Bakery











Jing and I met at the mall today because we had several errands.  She bought a Vanilla Cupcake.  I tasted just the frosting because I could not eat the cupcake.  I liked it because it was not too sweet.

I asked the wait staff who owns the shop, she said the people behind Kamiseta.  I just found the place really cute.



They even have pink-striped straws!!!



But PD has them in all colors, she ordered from her friend, Eega, when she went to the US and she also ordered from a local supplier.

Check out the new place and let me know if their cupcakes taste good!









Hahahaha.... will be living vicariously through all my friends when it comes to pastries because I am not allowed to eat it.

Sili Ice Cream in Legazpi

I am home now! I just came back from a short trip in Legazpi.



My friends asked me if I replaced Boracay and Cebu with Legazpi.  I told them I was just there for business.

The hometown of my Dad is one of my least favorite places in the Philippines only because I easily get bored in Legazpi.  I am not adventurous but there are lots of "Amazing Race" kind of activities.... trekking, zip line, swimming with the whale sharks... and a whole lot more.

For me ... when I say activity ... I mean ... EATING!

As soon as my plane landed, I immediately went to Pacific Mall because that is where you will find 1st Colonial Grill, the ice cream place.  Cousin Pepot picked me up at the airport but I did not know he was there.  He just followed me and went to the mall.

I could not wait to eat my sili and other flavored ice cream



and also the Pinangat na Laing from Camalig.



I ordered the Grilled Liempo with Tinapa rice.



I forgot ... I do not like my grilled food with the sweet sauce.  I just want my grilled food plain salted.

I ordered the Sili, Kalamansi and Tinutong flavored ice cream.



A lot of friends asked me, how did the sili ice cream taste?

Hmmmm .... how do I describe it?

First ... you will feel a little sting on your tongue ..... then the sweetness of the ice cream .... but when it reaches your throat ... there will be a slight burning that will make it itch a little .... then will be soothed again by the cold ice cream.

The Tinutong flavor is made from toasted rice.  I found it a little too sweet.  Maybe they added more sugar since the "tinutong" was a little bitter.

After my late lunch, I surprised Auntie Betty!!!



She is my Dad's sister.  She recently turned 85 and her skin is still beautiful.  She keeps it moisturized day and night.  So.... that's what my Ate and I gave her ..... lots of lotion and moisturizer for the day and night!!!  Imagine at 85, she does not have any maintenance medication???  She practices a healthy lifestyle and very careful with her food intake.

I remember when I was a small girl, my Mom let Auntie Betty take me around Legazpi.  BUT...... we rode the tricycle everywhere!!!  Even up to the boundary of Legazpi and Sorsogon where you can find the family ancestral home and coconut plantation.

I already know my way around Legazpi! I rode the jeepney and tricycle!!!  Hahahaha! When I showed Hermie our picture, she said:  "Ano ba ang sinakyan mo? Ang gulo gulo ng buhok mo!" Well .... I felt as though I was in a cotton candy machine!!!!

But never mind ... I enjoyed my brief visit with my Aunt.

I checked in to my budget hotel, Ellis Ecotel at the Embarcadero.



I already stayed there in my previous visits and it was ok.  Clean and spartan room but I loved the airconditioning!!!

I rode the jeepney to the Albay Pilinut Factory.



Cousin Meanne brought me there because it is owned by her classmate.  I got a 3% discount!!!  :)

My Ate (3) and Kuya (2) asked me to buy Marzapan de Pili for them.



I did not realize it would be so heavy!!!!!!  Albay is a no plastic zone and I had to carry it just using the brown paper bag!

I am not a fan of Pili.  I remember, when we were small, Dad used to bring home sacks and sacks of Pili!

I also visited the Albay Cathedral.



Meanne showed me around the City Hall where she works.



Then, I went back to the city center to meet with my tenant.  We conducted business over the phone and email for years but I have never met him until yesterday. My family owns an old commercial building across the LCC Mall.



I researched the internet because I wanted to eat something I have not tried in my previous visits.  My friend used to give us very delicious fried chicken from Family Kitchenette but it closed down already.  I was reading several blogs and they mentioned the Four Seasons Chinese Restaurant which is almost an icon in the city established a long .... long .... long time ago.



I tried the Fried Chicken with the Special Season's Sauce.





It was not like the one from Family Kitchenette ... it was more like the Sincerity Fried Chicken of Binondo, if I am not mistaken marinated in vinegar and sugar... dredged in cassava flour then deep-fried?  A lot of people like it but it was not what I was looking for.

I went to Hotel St. Ellis, sister hotel of my hotel, together with Hotel Venezia and Misibis  Resort, managed by the Genesis group.  I was dreaming about their Pili Cheesecake!!!

(Photo from my previous Legazpi post.)

But they did not have it!!!!  They even called the supplier if there would be a delivery the next day ... but alas ... no.

I went back to Pacific Mall compound and ate the Halo Halo at DJC.



The halo halo has cheese!!!



I asked them to separate the Ube ice cream



because I wanted to be able to taste the shaved ice, which some say taste like coconut water.

But then eventually, I mixed the Ube ice cream with the rest of ingredients: leche flan, halayang ube, macapuno, minatamis na saging, sago and gulaman.

I liked it because it was not too sweet.  I am also not a fan of halo-halo but they said it is a must-try.  Lana's Halo-halo, according to some, tastes better.  But I was apprehensive to try it because the store is inside the Legazpi City Market.  I saw it on tv the other night while watching the Amazing Race Philippines.

At 8 pm, I was back at the hotel and called it a night.  Almost everything closes in Legazpi at 6 or 7 pm and I did not want to be left all alone in the city center.

I did not have free breakfast!!! My mistake, because I booked through Agoda and did not realize hotel transfer and breakfast were not included.  I only had an apple and 1 boiled egg, my "baon".  Plus .... I did not have time to eat anymore.

I had to attend a court hearing at 8:30 am about one of our properties. Good thing, Cousin Pepot accompanied me. The notice was sent to us just a few days ago and did not have time to confer with our lawyer.  He had a previous engagement and I had to represent myself!  Hearing was postponed to January 11 .... which means .... I have to go back.

I am not happy about it.

I bought the rest of the pasalubong, frozen Spicy (Super Spicy! Kuya and I had to drink water for each forkful of the pinangat.)





and Regular Pinangat na Laing from Camalig at LCC Mall.

And .... the Guinobatan Longanisa.



They are so small! I put a piece of Mentos candy beside the longanisa to show how small the sausages are.



On my way to the airport .... I went again to Pacific Mall to try their Bicol Express.



The pork was grilled first before stewed in coconut milk.  I like the version that Sherman taught me better.

And....... 3 scoops of Sili Ice Cream!!!!!



I did not drink water the whole time I was eating it.  When I finished .... my throat was very, very itchy!!!  But so super worth it.

Whew! Imagine I had to cram all my food adventures in 24 hours?!?!?!

I was very lucky because it did not rain nor was it cloudy.

While waiting for my flight at the Legazpi Airport .... I took several pictures of Mayon Volcano but I love this shot because there was almost no cloud covering the cone of the mountain.

Maybe next time I should bring some friends with me ... or maybe my Ate and her daughter, Gilly.  I do not know if they will enjoy the food because they are not as adventurous as I am but who knows?  

Hahaha! I better call Hotel St. Ellis beforehand and make sure they have the Pili Cheesecake to make it worth their while.

Wriggly.... Up Close and Personal

The Wriggly Chronicles

Wriggly is such a character! I think he is also a foodie.

I was eating my breakfast this morning, my perfectly cooked hard-boiled egg. I saw him sitting politely, just looking up at me. But then when just a little piece of egg was left, he stood up and placed his front paws on my thigh. How did he know that I was about to finish the egg????

His look was really intense. I could see the expression on his face clearly as if to say, "Aren't you going to give me some?"

Saturday Food Experiments

Saturday lunch is reserved for my family.  I was able to experiment with  several new delicious food today.

My first experiment was the Grilled Spareribs I ate at Mayette's house.  She was kind enough to share her recipe with me.  My family loved it!  Thanks, Mayette!

(I do not know how to rotate the pictures when it is already uploaded on my blog.)

Mayette's Grilled Spareribs

1 K. spareribs

3/4 C. brown sugar

1/2 C. UFC banana ketchup

1/2 C. pineapple juice

2 T. Datu Puti soy sauce

1 t. Knorr seasoning

1/2 t. garlic, minced

1 t. pepper

1 t. fine salt, (Mayette said it should be 1 T. but I was afraid it would be too salty.)

water to cover the meat

Mix all the ingredients in a pot.  Let it boil and then lower the heat.  Cook until meat is tender.

Grill the ribs and brush with the sauce.

* Let the sauce reduce in the pan until thick.

Another experiment was the grilled squid I learned in Boracay.  I wanted to get the big squid called lumot but I was not able to find one at the market.

Boracay's Basting Sauce for grilled food

2 T. butter, melted

4 cloves garlic, minced finely

2 T. Knorr Seasoning

3 pcs. calamansi, juice of

1 T. brown sugar

Mix all the ingredients and use it to baste grilled seafood or meat.

I also grilled the Jumbo Longanisa I bought in Boracay.  It was really good, even my brother-in-law, Butch liked it.  The vendor said it is better to grill than pan-fry.

Our dessert was Glazed Sweet Potatoes

1/2 K. sweet potatoes, cubed and boiled

1 C. brown sugar

1/4 C. water

2 T. butter

Boil the brown sugar and water until syrupy.

Grease the bottom of an oven-proof dish.

Dip each sweet potato cube in the syrup.

Pour the rest of the syrup over the sweet potatoes.

Dot with butter.

Bake at 400F for about 10 minutes or until the syrup coats the sweet potatoes.

Hermie cooked the Chicken Sotanghon soup because I was busy grilling outdoors.

Mona and I attended the birthday celebration of Auntie Pat, Mom's best friend since high school.  I had to drive alllllll the way to Loyola Grand Villa.  Good thing the traffic was not bad tonight.

I felt a little nostalgic.  The 2 best friends of my Mom, Auntie Pat and Auntie Alice, are still alive and seemed to be in good health.  

Uncle Bert, husband of Auntie Alice, was still belting out oldies but goodies tunes.

It makes me feel sad sometimes because her friends miss her very much.  In the weeks that followed after my mom passed away, they would call and share their pain and sorrow with me.  I wish my mom lived a little bit longer so she could have enjoyed her twilight years with them.

Even the other guests expressed their longing for my mom.  While we were getting food at the buffet, one of her classmates said, "I miss Lydia!!!!" when she saw the lechon. 

Mom!!!  Do not feel bad!  I was your representative! I asked the waiter who was chopping the Elar's lechon to give me crunchy skin with fat!  He gave me a wide strip!!!!  That made up for everything. :)

Handog Pasasalamat Sa Mga Naglilingkod

Barangay Bel-Air, Bel-Air Village Association, Women of Bel-Air Foundation and Makati Commercial Estate Association held a Thanksgiving dinner entitled, Handog Pasasalamat Sa Mga Naglilingkod,



to express gratitude and appreciation for all the volunteers who worked hard and willingly gave their time to the Bel-Air community.



Tita Linda Floro, a well-known food stylist and owner of Buon Giorno catered the event.  There were 4 buffet set-up.





Menu: (Sorry, bad pictures because it was not too bright at the venue.)

Linguine Pasta with Puttanesca Sauce



Seafood Pinais



Baked 40 Clove Chicken



Herbed Lyonnaise Potatoes and Buttered Vegetables



Salad Bar



Dessert



The organizers also ordered 4 Lechon Baka



Bibingka



and Puto Bungbong.



We were entertained by the band called, Rockin 60's.



We also had the Lighting Ceremony of the giant Bel-Air Christmas tree



which was blessed by our Parish Priest, Monsignor Dennis Odiver.



It was a fun evening because most of the KST facilitators attended the dinner.



Mona and I got used to seeing everybody once a week for 5 months and we actually missed them!!!

One of the reasons why I love the people in my community is because they all love to eat!

P.S.

I just love this shot I took at the park!  I thought I would share it with everybody.