Blackout! Chocolate Blackout!

 

It was, given the fact that I was trying to diet at the time, a bad beginning.  I just had to get tempted by the little boxes stacked at the cashier’s table of the company cafeteria. 

I don’t think I could be blamed for succumbing to such blatant temptation.  Look at what’s written on the label: Petit [sic] Chocolate Blackout Cake – rich and moist chocolate cake blanketed with luscious chocolate fudge.  And if even that doesn’t crank your chain, perhaps this will:

Oh, lordy…  Even the holiest of saints would give in to such decadence!  ‘Maryosep!  And at thirty pesos a pop, too?  Ah, sheer bliss…

Neoguri Soup for the Soul

Whenever I’m down with a bad case of the blues or a serious head cold, I can always rely on soup to make me feel better.  Specifically, instant noodle soup: faux ramen and wanna-be lomi.  However, if I really need some cheering or clearing up, I tend to bring in the really big guns: those noodle packs from China, Japan, and Korea that make enough for one huge bowl.

For My Sister: Omelette? Frittata? QUICHE?!?

 

Isabelle, my little sister who’s now almost as big as I am, is graduating from high school today.  So, as I promised her last night, I made a crustless Quiche Lorraine for her breakfast this morning as a pre-commencement treat.

Going Beyond California Maki

Go to a place like Kitaro  or Tokyo Tokyo and the first thing you’ll hear people order is the California Maki.   For most people, it’s the only kind of sushi (vinegared rice topped with fish or some other delicacy) or makimono (vinegared rice and various ingredients rolled into a sheet of nori) they’re willing to eat.  I guess, despite globalization and cross-cultural interaction, most Pinoys are still squeamish about eating things wrong.  It’s ironic, considering how kinilaw (fish, meat, or veg “cooked” in vinegar; kind of like a South American ceviche) has long been a part of Filipino culinary culture.  But, again, I digress…

Homemade Doughnuts, Anyone?

 

Essentially, I’m not that much of a doughnut person.  Well, at least, I’m not a yeast/raised doughnut person.  I have no use for the overly-sweet yeast doughnuts sold by most commercial purveyors.  (And don’t even get me started on Krispy Kreme.  Please.  Your ears will thank you for it.)

Cake doughnuts, on the other hand, are my thing.  I have been known to make a beeline for Gonuts Donuts and Country Style kiosks whenever I spot freshly made chocolate or vanilla sour-cream doughnuts in the display.  There’s just something about them.  They’re not too sweet, quite satisfying, and have a firm texture that makes biting into them so much of a delight.