Good Deal!

I follow Yugadeals.com on Twitter.  I got the update from there.  The site is offering a good deal wherein you can get an Amazon Kindle Fire for P12,499 with free shipping anywhere in the Philippines.   For me this is a good deal! I got to inform my sister in law who is on the lookout for a new gadget.

image from: Yugadeals.com

You can find the specs of Amazon Kindle Fire from the website. Go and subscribe to their updates so that you can be the first to know about their latest deals.  

Garden Updates

A collage of what is happening to my mini-garden.  Things are looking good! =)

Tomatoes, Bell Peppers and Chili Peppers =)

Looking forward to the day we could harvest them. =)

A must-try recipe

Nutella Lava Cake

This is my take on the recipe that I found in Pinterest.  I repinned it to my board so that I could easily go back to it when I finally have the time to make it.  Good thing, I had the time this afternoon as Kid 1 did not have any homework.  Also, I was sort of not feeling good so I was looking for a pick-me-up thing and chocolates always does the trick for me.   This is the original link for the recipe.

I did not change anything from it and followed everything except for the cooking time.  Since Kid 1 asked for a cake, I added an additional 20 seconds to the cooking time stated.  It did come out as a cake with bits of the melted chocolate chips.  But if I was only the one eating it, I'd stick to lesser cooking time to make it more fudgy.  Well, of course, it still depends on the power of your microwave oven.  I can say that this recipe is the best among the microwave cake recipes that I have tried.  Will definitely do this again.


Nutella Lava Mug Cake

Ingredients
Serves 2-3 depending on size of mugs used
Prep 2 min, cooking 2 min

4 tablespoons self rising flour, sifted*
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted 
(I used Hershey’s)
4 tablespoons caster sugar

1 medium egg

3 tablespoons Nutella

3 tablespoons milk

3 tablespoons olive, or vegetable oil (I used vegetable oil)
2-3 teaspoon chocolate chips (I used 60% dark chocolate Felchlin chocolate drops, chopped)

Directions

Combine all ingredients except chocolate chips in a bowl. Beat well with a whisk until smooth and blended. Divide the batter between 3 small microwave safe mugs, or two medium mugs. Important thing is to fill mugs up to just ¾ full(or even 1/2 full), if not the cake will overflow when it rises. Then tip in 1 teaspoon chocolate chips into each cup and push it into the batter until completely covered.

Microwave on high power for anywhere between 30 seconds to 3 minutes.  I cooked mine for about 1 minute and 50 seconds and it came out like a moist chocolate cake.   Please note that cooking time will depend on microwave wattage.  Keep an eye on the bowls while cooking so that you do not overbake it.   The key for the perfect lava cake is not to overcook it. The cake should rise a bit, ideally with a moist, fluffy, gooey texture, and glossy, fudgy top. The longer time you cook it, the drier the cake becomes.  It is best to slightly undercook it to make it all gooey and fudgy.

* If you do not have self-rising flour in your kitchen, just combine 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. 

If you are looking for an instant chocolate fix to pick you up, this is definitely the one.   :)

Bed Weather

It's been rainy/cloudy in the city these past few days. Time to bring out those jackets and wind-breakers.  Hopefully no one in the family gets sick again.  It's really hard when the kids get sick because it means sleepless nights for me too. 

According to PAG-ASA, the cold weather is brought about by the active low pressure area somewhere east of southern Mindanao. According to their latest weather report(as of 11:00am Feb 15, 2011), this will last up until the weekend.  Hopefully the ALPA does not develop into a storm as this will aggravate the current situation in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan. Also, more rains means there is that threat again of the flood coming into the house again just like what happened the last time Balusong River overflowed resulting in a flash flood that caught the citizens of Davao City by surprise.  

from: http://www.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/images/stories/weather/satpic.jpg

Hopefully that does not happen again. 

Our own Fresh Produce

We have been trying to grow our own produce for quite some time now.  Our yaya and I started by planting some hot and sweet peppers.  However, that failed as we picked the wrong place to plant them in.  Most of the plants "drowned" and died.  We were able to save a few and have them transplanted in small pots.  We also tried planting onions and garlic but to no avail.  I think the soil we have does not agree with these plants.  I also have a basil herb that needs to be replanted.

However, we did have some successful endeavors.  Our tomato plant is finally bearing fruit!!!

Organic and Pesticide-free Tomato!!!

That is just one of the several bunches of fruit that we have.  There is really something fulfilling about growing your own produce.  Hopefully, we will be blessed with more!  I am already planning to transform our small garden into a place where we can really plant more vegetables and fruits.  There is still so much to do but I know we will be rewarded =)

Giveaway!

I was browsing my twitter account when I saw the link to the blog giveaway of Chronicles of a Nursing Mom.  I knew that this would be good, so I immediately clicked on the link and was happy to find that the giveaway was food related.  Not only that, the goodies that she was giving away was something that I would be needing in 2 months!  I know its quite early for me to be hoarding this kind of stuff but hey, it pays to be prepared. I can keep them in the freezer for the meantime while waiting for the right time to eat it.  That is if I can stop myself. Hahahaha...

The malunggay cookies look really interesting and good to eat!  I was able to taste some malunggay cookies given by my relatives from Zamboanga but the taste did not appeal to me.  Weird is the only description I have of the its taste plus the fact that it did not look appealing at all! Compared to these cookies, I know that this will be something that I would really appreciate.

Mango-Malunggay Cookies
Photo from http://www.facebook.com/themarshmallowmama 

So, what are you waiting for, go to this link to find out more how you can get these goodies for free! =)