Recipe: Halo Halo (A Cold Filipino Dessert)

My recent trip to the Philippines had me craving Halo-halo on a daily basis.  And, not just Halo-halo, but halo-halo from Chow king, a Chinese food chain in the Philippines.  Halo-halo is a combination of jellies, beans, crushed ice then topped with milk and a huge scoop of ube ice cream.  For a Filipino the words alone could have you salivating for a bowl.  But, for a non-filipino the ingredients must sound a bit gross.  Please believe me when I say this dessert is SOOO addictive!!!  I suggest that anyone who is reading this go out to the closet Filipino restaurant or even a simple trip to a Filipino food store and purchase the ingredients below.  I will be your new best friend! 

Halo-Halo Dessert 

• 2 tablespoons kaong or
  2 tablespoons langka (jackfruit)
• 2 tablespoons macapuno (a variety of coconut meat sold in bottles)
• 2 tablespoons sweetened kidney beans
• 2 tablespoons sweetened garbanzos
• 2 tablespoons sweetened ripe plantains
• 2 tablespoons ube or yam
• 2 tablespoons custard or crème caramel (leche flan)
• crushed ice  to fill glass
• 2/3 evaporated milk
• a scoop of magnolia ube macapuno ice cream on top

 Directions:  Put everything in a bowl.  Followed by shaved ice, evaporated milk and scoop of ice cream.  Others chose to top the dessert with just ice, milk and sugar.

Recipe: English Toffee

I made English Toffee last night and they turned out alright.  I was inspired by Paula Deen’s Recipe for Old Fashioned English Toffee.  I didn’t use butter, instead I used margarine.  Let me tell you… it’s not the same!  But still, I did manage to eat half of it in a span of an hour.  I think I’ll make toffee for people this Christmas.  Nothing says, “I’m cheap and broke” like homemade Christmas Gifts.  I’ll even find my stash of recycled Christmas bows and pin them to the plastic wrap.  I’m so clever.  Who needs the stress of Christmas shopping when you have access to the Food Network via the World Wide Web? 

English Toffee – Paula Deen

14 tablespoons (1 stick, plus 6 tablespoons) butter 1 cup sugar 2 tablespoons cold water 1/2 chopped pecans 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Dash salt 1 (6-ounce) bag semisweet chocolate chips or thin chocolate bars Generously butter a cookie sheet. Put butter, sugar, and water in a heavy pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Bring to a bubbling boil, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, about 10 minutes. Remove spoon from pan, and cook to a very brittle stage (300 degrees to 310 degrees F on a candy thermometer). Or, make a cold water test: candy will separate into hard, brittle threads when dropped in cold water. Remove from heat and add nuts to mixture. Add vanilla and salt. Pour onto prepared cookie sheet and spread to 1/4-inch thickness. Cool slightly, top with chocolate chips or chocolate bars, and spread as it melts. Cool completely and break into pieces. Store in an airtight container.

Starbucks says it’s Christmas Time

The red cups are here! The red cups are here! Starbucks has now announced that it is officially Christmas!  Is this our signal to put up our Christmas lights?  Or, in my case… turn them on?!?! (I don’t take them down). Or, maybe a start to our Christmas shopping, something I do on December 24^th.  Most importantly, is it the time for the infamous Eggnog Latte? Ahhh, yes!  I feel fuzzy inside just thinking about it.  Whether you like the Eggnog Latte, Peppermint Mocha or Gingerbread Latte… you must know that feeling I’m talking about.  That feeling of warm goodness going down your throat (let’s not get perverted people).  An Eggnog Latte to me means a long gossip session with my close girlfriends, as we warm up in a busy Starbucks near my house. I need a cigarette, just kidding.

SHUT UP!

How do you react to your child’s agonizing screaming and yelling?  I once promised myself that I wouldn’t be that parent to let my child cry out loud in public.  The moment I heard such screams I would usually say, “When I have kids they’ll never be that way!!!”  Well, the time has come and I am now a mother to a 2 year old hyper-hyper boy.  And, guess what?  He yells in public… surprise-surprise!  And, my reaction you ask?  Well, I used to turn away and ignore him, much like the parents I would roll my eyes at.  I didn’t realize I was doing this until my Dad yelled at me to do something (irony).  Oh right, my son and I aren’t the only two people in the mall.  So, now… I get down on my knees and give my hyper-active son a simple, “Stop it” and guess what? That works for him! Praise the Lord!   I’m just wondering what other parents do to shut up their kids.

Crackbook?!?!

Crackbook, or I mean Facebook… has become such the phenomenon.  To think, you can get the dirt on just about anyone you know, all at the time, and at the comfort of your own home. I’ll admit, I was intrigued by how easily it was to spy on people.  The hidden stalker in all of us bursts out, and we look up random people to know what they’re up to. Whether it was that hot guy from High School or that slutty girl from College, we just have to know their business. I find that every conversation now starts with, “ Did you see (name)’s profile on Facebook?…..”   

My husband deleted his account after coming to the conclusion that Facebook is evil, and is a sick program that allows individuals to give out their personal information.  I still use it.  I actually like collecting info on people.  I’ve actually gave up on emailing and msn-ing for writing on someone’s wall.  As the site grows more and more applications will be made and soon enough the whole world will be connected to one another.  And then, a new networking site comes out that will kick Facebook to the curb. 

 Then we create yet another profile for others to see.

check out this site: http://www.theinternetnowinhandybookform.com/crackbook/

Three Years to 30

I can’t believe my 27^th birthday is coming up.  At least I can say that I’m still in my 20’s… late 20’s.  Three years from now I’ll be taking Kyle to his first day of kindergarten, the Olympics will have already started, and I’m assuming that the majority of my girlfriends will be married.  Turning 30 means buying different face creams and choosing clothes that look “thirty”.  In our twenties we get questions like, “So, what are you doing?” But, at 30 we’ll be getting questions like, “So what have you been up to?”  … along with, “Are you married, have kids, own a home(s), etc?”  Three years ago I would have never guessed that I’d be a mom.  So, who knows what could happen 3 years from now?  I may have 3 more kids!  Ya right!  I guess I’ll just focus on turning 27.