What defines a morning person? Are these the people who wake up super early in the morning and already are balls of energy ready to burst? Are these the people who never seem to have any problems waking up at 4AM but are in bed by 9 in the evening? Or perhaps these are the people who somehow automatically wake up bright and early even if they slept late the night before? Despite being neither of those, I still do think I’m a morning person. I don’t wake up obscenely early and begin puttering around the house because I enjoy some extra minutes of sleep. And even though I don’t…
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{Filipino Food-Love} Days of pan de sal lovin’
I have very real love for breakfast. But among all the breakfast foods I enjoy, I have to say there is nothing quite like a hot piece of pan de sal in the morning. A perfect pan de sal is super soft, light, and airy, with a slightly crunchy exterior. It has just a hint of sweetness that will allow you to eat it on its own or as a sandwich bread. I know people who can scarf down a dozen pieces of pan de sal in one sitting armed with just a piping hot mug of coffee. Regretfully I am not one of those people, because my stomach capacity…
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Hi chocolate, it’s nice to matcha!
Did I really just write that title? I’m sorry. So I finally managed to track down some matcha powder some weeks ago, and unfortunately it’s not the sort I’m looking for. It seems like a really mild type of matcha. From what I’ve been seeing in photos, the concentrated one has a greener hue; and from what I’ve been reading, it has a stronger taste. I can barely taste my matcha in this bread. No, scratch that– I can only taste the matcha if I concentrate really really hard. If I close my eyes and really try to unlock my tastebuds, I can taste the wonderful green tea notes with…
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If only life were as easy as braiding lemon breads
How goes the first couple of weeks of the new year for you all? Mine has been one heck of a roller coaster ride. Sometimes when I lay down to sleep at night, I feel shocked at how much has happened in the last 11 days since the year began. Work has been absolutely draining and stressful and overwhelming. Sometimes all I want to do is lie down and stop thinking about everything. The weather has been nice over here too, contributing to my desires to take it slow. Maybe I need a change of careers. Or something. I know I told myself that 2013 is going to be an…
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{Countdown to Christmas} My first panettone
I think one of the best things in life is breakfast. I can’t seem to survive the day without it. Mornings composed of coffee and some form of bread are perfectly blissful in my book. Oh, and silence. I like to take my breakfast with a side of that. When I think about it, my being a morning person has its perks. I get to have mornings to myself. The rest of the day tend to be filled with people and noise, endlessly ringing telephones, paperwork scattered all over the place. The evenings are filled with family stories and laughter, which of course is always a pleasure. Then again, I…
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The awesome pull-apart bread in Herb & Cheese style
Among the homemade yeasted breads I’ve made thus far, I think the pull-apart bread is quickly making its way to the top of my heart. Fortunately, all the recipes I have tried for this particular type of bread have been nothing short of stellar. While my favourite remains to be Flo Braker’s heavenly Lemon-Scented Pull-Apart Coffee Cake, this version is no less scrumptious. This is basically the same bread recipe as Flo Braker’s, but instead of the sweet and tangy lemon filling, we switch it up in favour of the savory. Each bite is a warm explosion of garlic and herbs, intensified by the slight salty punch from the cheese.…