Split the cupcake into two layers. Smother the two lower layers with cream (you may opt to whip in sugar), then add a layer of strawberries. Put the middle layer on top of the bottom layer, then place back the cupcake top. To up its pretty quotient, sprinkle confectioner’s sugar (also called powder sugar or icing sugar) over the cupcakes. This is how my sister did it.

I’ve also done this before with mamon (Filipino spongecake). In the absence of chiffon cake, mamon is a quick way to make a delicious strawberry shortcake too! You know what will make that mamon strawberry shortcake even yummier? Freeze it a little bit before eating. It’s sinfully indulgent.

This is a quick way to make plain cupcakes and spongecakes exciting. It’s a great go-to dessert when you have surprise guests over. Instead of serving them the same old cupcakes or the same old mamon, try this instead. Don’t forget the confectioner’s sugar. It makes any dessert look even yummier!

How would you give chocolate cupcakes a second life?

This pack of batuan was being sold at the Negros Trade Fair. After a little Googling, I learned that batuan is a relative of the mangosteen. It is very regional, used mostly in the Visayas region and some parts of Mindanao. Batuan is used in a variety of dishes — kansi, sinigang, paksiw, even chicken inasal. How versatile this little fruit is! Learn more about Batuan from Eli F.J. Tajanlangit’s article “Garcinia binucao”. It’s a good read.

How does one cook Sinigang sa Batuan? It follows the same recipe as any sinigang, except you use the batuan in place of your regular souring agent. In our case, we:

1. (In a pot) Sauteed onions, garlic and tomatoes with a little oil, then sauteed the pork.
2. Added water to the pot to cover all ingredients and brought it to a boil.
3. Added 3 pieces of batuan to the pot, then brought the liquid down to a simmer.
4. Checked the batuan once in awhile to see how tender it was getting. When it was soft enough, we mashed and strained it so more sourness could come out.
5. Added vegetables (kangkong, radish, okra, etc.), continued to simmer. DONE!

Note: In the end we ended up using a total of 5 pieces of batuan. You can add more if you like your dish sourer. Keep tasting the dish! Please note that this was 5 pieces of batuan to a little over 1/4 kilo of pork.

Here’s the finished product:

Sinigang na Baboy sa Batuan

Observations:
1. The broth with batuan has a cloudy white color to it compared to the usual brown tinge it has when cooked with tamarind mix.
2. The sourness was PERFECT for me. It was sour but not aggressive. I felt the sourness was more “round”. I can’t find the words. Malinamnam? Buo? I liked that I could relish the sourness without it overwhelming my tastebuds.

Conclusion? This has got to be my favorite sinigang souring agent. REALLY loved it. We still have a couple more batuan left. Next time we’ll try preparing it with sinigang sa bangus (milkfish). I don’t know if fresh batuan is available in Manila, but I sure will keep my eyes peeled the next time we go to the supermarket.

Marketman blogs that Batuan Puree is available at Tiendesitas, so maybe I’ll try that next. Here are a bunch more blog reads on batuan. I’m making a note of these reads for the next time we prepare another dish with batuan: Sinigang na Bangus using Batuan by Domestic Urbanite, Fresh Batuan, Sinigang na Batuan at Bangus by Marketman

Now I know what to ask for the next time a relative goes to Iloilo. Pabilin ng BATUAN!

We were graded. I got an 18 over 20.

18 over 20. It’s not bad, right? Not bad, not bad. But the perfectionist in me just HAD to ask the teacher why I didn’t get a perfect 20. You know what cost me two points?

She said I forgot to put salt. SALT!

I know that salt is like a given seasoning, but I don’t like salt on my egg. I just don’t. Sure it makes it more flavorful, but I’m happy without salt. Did I tell my teacher that? Oh yes. Did she give me my two points? Of course not.

Even if that incident happened almost twenty years ago (I suddenly feel so old), I still remember it vividly. It’s made such an impact in my life that EVERY TIME I fry an egg that high school moment comes to mind. It’s also the reason why I always ask other people how they like their eggs, if I’m the one cooking. That’s because I want to give you 20/20 eggs, not 18/20!

How do you like your eggs anyway? I like mine a little runny, then over easy, and yes, without salt.

Fried rice is nothing more than leftover white rice and yet it’s one of the best comfort foods ever. Fried rice just doesn’t have the same texture and taste if it’s made with freshly cooked rice.

I enjoy my fried rice with lots of fried garlic, a dash of soy sauce and a sprinkle of salt. This is my ultimate fried rice dish.

What’s great about fried rice though is that it can be a meal in itself. Got some leftover adobo? Shred the meat and stir it into the fried rice while it cooks. Want the kids to eat their vegetables without you having to nag? Mix in peas, carrots and corn into the fried rice. It’s versatile, filling and hits the spot all the time.

Fried Rice Recipe
Cooking fried rice is fairly simple. All you need is a hot pan, your leftover rice, your choice of seasoning/s (soy sauce, salt, pepper, cinnamon, curry powder, etc.), your additional ingredients (shredded chicken, chopped bacon, eggs, whatever’s in the refrigerator that needs to be consumed ASAP).

1. Heat some oil in a pan.
2. Toast the garlic. You can either toast all the garlic till golden brown, take them out then mix them with the fried rice towards the end of the cooking process, or if you’re like me, just toast them till they’re almost golden brown. The less cooking steps there are for me, the better. If you like onions in your fried rice, sauté them till translucent before putting in the garlic.
3. Pour in your leftover white rice. Break down with your spatula so there are no clumps. Sprinkle some water on the rice if they’re too stuck together.
4. Stir in your additional ingredients. If you want egg in your fried rice, you can do it two ways: (a) Fry the egg in the pan. When done, take it out, slice into strips then add to the fried rice later on. (b) Or if you want to wash as less plates as possible, like me, I just create a well at the center of the rice and cook the egg there. When it’s done to my liking, I just shred it with the spatula and mix it in with the rice.
5. Season according to taste.

There you have it – simple Asian food that’s big on comfort and flavor. Partner with your favorite ulam (viand) and get ready to be stuffed, or enjoy a bowl of fried rice with all the trimmings.

Yummy.

In my opinion, mango ice cream complements the bread’s sweet and doughy taste. Chocolate would also work well, but it tends to steal the thunder away from the bread. I prefer the light and simple balance of mango ice cream and pandesal.

Have you tried filling a pandesal with ice cream? It’s so good! It’s especially yummy if it’s the “dirty ice cream” you use, bought directly from the streetside vendor.

As for other breads, I haven’t tried it on whole wheat bread or multi-grain, but it’s an experiment worth trying, right? Ice cream on white bread (aka “Tasty”) is also good. I prefer my pandesal though. When ice cream that’s sandwiched between two slices of white bread melts, it makes one big messy pool.

Have you tried ice cream pandesal? Tell us about it!

Deep Fried Oreos are your Oreos dipped in a pancake batter mix and then, well, deep-fried. I was surprised that they didn’t taste cloyingly sweet, nor were they greasy. It’s a pretty easy recipe. If you don’t have Oreos, any cookie will do. I think this recipe is best for chocolate cookies though.

In a bowl, mix together 1 egg, 1 cup of milk, 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil. When smooth, stir in a cup of pancake mix. Dip cookies one at a time into the batter (watch out for lumps!). Make sure that the coating is thick, then place in hot frying oil. Cook till golden brown. Drain on plate lined with paper towels.

It’s so gooooood. This is best eaten hot. The chocolate just seems to melt in your mouth. It’s like eating a hot sandwich with chocolate spread. Yum!

What you get are crispy little Quezo de Bola snacks. Once you bite into it, the trademark Quezo de Bola cheesy flavor just explodes in your mouth. Gah. It’s DELICIOUS. Thanks to my Tita Frances for introducing us to this tasty delight! She in turn learned this from Chef Waya of Kiss the Cook Cafe.

Good thing we still have a lot of Quezo de Bola left over from the holidays. This has become one of my favorite afternoon snacks!

The video was a bust (wrong settings my foot!) but the wontons were a success. Here’s a picture of the finished product! Salivate, salivate. They were really good. My cousin ate hers with vanilla ice cream, while I ate mine fresh off the fryer. Sinfully divine.

Here’s how she made her Nutella Wontons: Line a piece of molo wrapper with beaten egg. Drop a dollop of Nutella at the center. Fold the wrapper into a triangle. Fry in hot oil till golden brown. Arrange fried goodies on a platter, then sprinkled with powdered sugar. May be served with ice cream.

What we would do next time: I bit into a wonton and slid a small piece of banana inside. Yum! Next time, we’ll place a slice of banana on top of the Nutella dollop before folding the wrapper. We’ll also try crushed nuts or other diced fruits — strawberry perhaps? Then we’d serve it with whipped cream. Gaaah. I can feel my thighs getting bigger just thinking of the next Wonton session.

Melon cubes wrapped in Prosciutto — big flavors in small bites! My sister prepared this last weekend, much to the delight of the family. It was a refreshing and light afternoon snack. It’s quite simple to prepare. Just roll a thin strip of prosciutto around a melon cube, top with another melon cube and pierce with a toothpick. Done!

It’s hard to ignore a screaming sweet tooth after a delightful meal. Dessert doesn’t have to be sinful to be enjoyed! One can still satisfy that sweet craving and still make that angel on his shoulder happy. Here are ideas for a dozen healthy desserts.

1. Fruit Parfait. Layer yogurt and fresh fruits in a glass. Chill and serve. Fruits that work: Berries, bananas, pineapples, kiwi. Throw in some granola in between layers too. Mmm! Or if you’re like me, just throw everything into a glass and drop the layering.
2. Frozen Grapes. Just put a bunch of grapes in a freezer container, stick into the freezer and enjoy when frozen. They’re quite refreshing on a summer day! I also like draining out a can of fruit cocktail (not fond of the sweet syrup!), putting the contents in a freezer container then enjoying it frozen too.
3. Fresh Fruit Bowl. In a bowl, combine sliced bananas, berries, melons and watermelons scooped out with a melon baller, kiwi, pineapples, orange slices. Chill and serve.
4. Fruit Pops. In a blender, puree watermelon and strawberry. Pour liquid in popsicle trays and serve. Other fruit pop combinations that work: mango-orange, mango-melon, berries with other berries, pineapple-raspberry.
5. Soy Ice Cream. It doesn’t have as much calories and cholesterol as regular ice cream, but can be just as delicious!
6. Frozen Yogurt. It has less fat and less calories than ice cream. But if you could opt to just stick a container of your regular yogurt in your freezer, why not? That’s what I do and it’s delicious too! Regular yogurt is much healthier than fro-yo, you know.
7. Dark Chocolate Bar. Break off a piece of that dark choco and indulge. Dark chocolate is said to have antioxidants and is good for the heart. Just enjoy in moderation.
8. Fried Bananas. On a hot pan, lay out sliced bananas and toast till they’re golden on one side. Then flip over. They’re naturally sweet and creamy!
9. Apples and Peanut Butter. Slice apples into wedges. Serve with a small amount of peanut butter. Yum!
10. Dark-chocolate covered fruit. Melt dark chocolate in the microwave or the fondue pot if you’re feeling fancy. Dip fresh fruit in such as strawberries and bananas.
11. Cottage cheese and fruit. If you’re not a fan of yogurt, how about cottage cheese and strawberries instead?
12. Sugar-free cakes and pastries. If you really must have cake, opt for the choice with fewer calories and fat.

Choose fruits first before anything else if you really must have dessert. They have lots of fiber and vitamins. The fresher, the better. Enjoy!

My sister’s cookies are calling out to me again. There’s a bunch of bananas hanging in the kitchen too. I think I know which one to go for now.

I think.

Happy healthy dessert eating! Can you share other healthy dessert ideas?

Image credit: nkzs