Gingerbread Skeletons and Mummies

When I saw these adorable gingerbread cookies that Rosie of Rosie Bakes a 'Peace' of Cake made, I knew instantly this is what I wanted to bake with my kids for Halloween. I just couldn't resist, they are so cute!

the ghoulish army waiting for their "bones" to dry up

My husband suggested another monster to bake, like mummies. So we played around with royal icing and this is what we came up with. You like the glowing red eyes?My boys liked cutting up these monsters. We all got really involved in the process, I didn't get a chance to take pictures! These cookies were given to their schoolmates and teachers today (and a few munched by us) who all thought they were adorable. They were such a big hit we're planning to make more for Friday.

mummies & deaddies waiting for their "bandages" to dry

Rosie's Halloween Rattlin' Bones Gingerbread recipe

Coconut Sugar Cookie recipe used for the mummies

Fire-Roasted Eggplant Salad (Ensaladang Talong)

This is one of my favorite ways to eat eggplant. Roasting eggplants gives them a smoky flavor (even more so if done over charcoal) and turns the flesh smooth and creamy. You can serve the eggplant on its own or add tomatoes and onions (like red, sweet white or even green scallions, whatever you prefer or have in hand) to extend the dish and have more to pass around the dinner table.

The long and slender Asian-variety eggplant is preferable. Prick them once with a fork (needed for steam to escape as they cook) and place them over the charcoal grill or the flames of your gas stove top. Turn them every couple of minutes or so to cook evenly. Once the skin turns black all around, take away from heat. Place on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and set aside for about 5 minutes to cool down a bit. Keeping the eggplants covered also let them loosen their skin which makes for easier peeling.

Use your fingers to carefully peel skin off. Kitchen tip: Have a small bowl of water to rinse your fingers as you peel; the burnt eggplant skin tends to crumble and get all over. Top with tomatoes and onions and serve.

My parents eat them with a sawsawan (dipping sauce) made of vinegar and bagoong (shrimp paste) on the side. This salad is a great accompaniment to grilled meats or fried fish. But I especially like to serve this with adobo. I found the garlicky, vinegary sauce of the adobo provides a nice contrast to the smoky flavor of the eggplant and sweetness of the tomatoes.

The Cake Slice: Cappuccino Chiffon Cake

I love cakes. And I love baking cakes even more. Imagine how excited I was when I found out that Gigi of Gigi Cakes, along with Katie of Apple & Spice, had started a new baking group: The Cake Slice. The group will be baking once a month from a cookbook for a year.

This year we will be baking from "Sky High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes" by Alisa Huntsman and Peter Wynne which I did not own until a few days ago. (I had been eyeing this book for months!) My husband took the initiative and Amazoned it for me as a surprise when I mentioned that I joined the group -- isn't he sweet? The book has an assortment of cakes that looks really scrumptious. I don't know if I can wait for next month to bake from it.

On to this month's cake: Cappuccino Chiffon Cake. I'm not much of a coffee drinker, I don't get why you would risk scalding your tongue and lose your taste buds just for a caffeine buzz. But I would eat anything else made with coffee: from candy to ice cream. I guess I like my caffeine sweet and creamy so this cake hits the spot.

I also like that this is a chiffon cake, where whipped egg whites are folded in to lighten the batter which results in the cake to have a light and fluffy texture. It's very similar to cakes eaten in Philippines. I followed the recipe as stated except used vanilla sugar. (I had some spent vanilla pods steeping in sugar for a few weeks now so decided to use this for the recipe.) I also had to whip more cream to frost the cake since my kids kept swiping them from the bowl :) I topped the cake with chocolate-covered espresso beans.Everyone loved the cake so I will be baking this again. I think this is a nice start to my new endeavor, don't you think?

Please check out the other Cappuccino Chiffon Cakes by my fellow members at The Cake Slice Bakers.

Look at What My Husband Made!

I'm back! I just spent the last four days chauffering wealthy Brasilians all over LA. I drove them to see Wicked at the Pantages, then after the show, a late dinner at Mr. Chow. The next day, took them shopping at Rodeo Drive and South Coast Plaza and another late dinner at Matsuhisa. I'm so glad somebody's enjoying and spending their money amidst this economic crisis.

And talking about spending money, my husband has been spending a little too much time at e-Bay and got ahold of some vanilla. He argued it was a good investment (which I agree) since I will be benefitting greatly with his little culinary project.
Behold the beginnings of vanilla extract! This mason jar was filled with several pods of organically-grown Bourbon and Tahitian Vanilla that had been split open and submerged in vodka. It's only been steeping a day and it has already turned the liquid a cool amber color. I will have to be patient and wait another 59 days before I can use it. Just in time for Christmas! I have a feeling once I use this, I can never buy a factory-made vanilla extract again.

Lemon Pudding Cakes

Remember eating Lemonhead candies? I used to eat them with my baby brother (who is 8 years younger) and my litle cousin (who is 4 years younger than my lil' bro) when I picked them up from school. I would babysit them in the afternoon up until my aunt picked my cousin up after work and my parents would come home. I was in highschool and only been in US a couple years. Back then, I had trouble finding sampaloc candies (wrapped in yellow cellophane) and found Lemonheads to be a good substitute.

I made Lemon Curd a couple weeks ago and used it to make these yummy treats found in this book.

Lemon Pudding Cakes
makes 8 (4-6 oz ramekins)

1 recipe Lemon Curd (2 cups)
2 Tbsp. AP flour
1/2 cup whole milk
3 egg whites
pinch cream of tartar (1/8 tsp.)
5 Tbsp. sugar

For ramekins:
2 Tbsp. butter, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 325F. Prepare ramekins by brushing insides with butter and coating completely with sugar. Bring a pot of water to boil.

In a large bowl put lemon curd and sift in flour. Then stir in milk and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to whisk until soft peaks. Slowly add the sugar, a tablespoon at a time until stiff peaks appear and becomes glossy.

Fold the egg whites into the lemon curd mixture, one-third at a time until incorporated. Fill ramekins and place in a large baking pan. Fill the baking dish with warm water until it reaches halfway the ramekins. Place in oven and bake 20 minutes or until set and golden brown.

Serve right away inverted onto a plate and served with fresh berries or chocolate sauce. These can be made in advance, covered and kept in the fridge for up to a week and reheated in a 350F oven for 5 minutes. I found they are good cold as well, eaten with a spoon straight out of the ramekin. It's been too hot and didn't want to turn the oven on :)

Cassava (or Kamoteng Kahoy or Mandioca)

In the Philippines, cassava is called kamoteng kahoy which literally means wooden yam. They are usually prepared to make sweets, the most popular I know of is cassava cake. I also remember eating them just boiled and sprinkled with freshly-grated coconut and a little sugar. Mmmm, simply yummy.

In Brazil, cassava is called mandioca. Brazilians eat them in a variety of ways, mostly in savory dishes. Nothing makes my husband more happy than eating them just boiled, slathered with butter and a pinch of salt.

I found a cassava recipe from A Scientist in the Kitchen called Pasingaw (means "to steam", I think) and was intrigued. I don't think I have had this before. So I was off to my favorite market to get cassava but couldn't find any. Luckily, the market carries frozen bags of freshly-grated cassava so picked those up along with frozen freshly-grated coconut as well and I was good to go.

I wanted to make them small enough to be eaten in a couple of bites so I used a mini muffin tin and placed them into my wok to steam. Twenty minuted later, mmmm, simply yummy.
Pasingaw
makes 24 mini muffins

1 bag (16 oz.) frozen grated cassava, defrosted
1 cup grated coconut
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp. butter, softened

Prepare steamer (or wok) by heating water to a simmer. Butter sides and tops of a mini muffin pan with butter.

In a medium bowl, mix cassava, coconut and sugar together until well-combined. Spoon into pan and dab a little more butter on top. Place in steamer for about 20 minutes. Serve with more grated coconut.