Reader's Gallery #15

Thanks to Mercie for sharing a photo of the binangkal that she made.

Mercie was the one who requested that I make the binangkal, so I owe it to her to learn how to make this snack that is popoular in Cebu.

Reader's Gallery #14

This is long overdue!!! Lowiela Ellen sent me these photos of mamon late last year, with the following email.

hello manang,

i tried your special mamon yesterday and tasted so good!!!!though the first batch was just too short in the oven so the 2nd batch i do it bit longer...

tried also the leche flan using whole eggs but was not able to take photo it turned out also perfect with the 2nd batch and so so the first batch but was own mistake and learned from it!!!

thank you manang!!!!

Thanks, Lowiela, and sorry for this delayed posting...

Reader's Gallery # 13

Email by ellen b:

Dear Manang,
i would like to congratulate you for a job very well done when it comes to cooking. most of the food you're making are my favorite so i followed your blog right away. Bravo on the recipes! it is very detailed, with matching pictures and videos pa. every time i make something, like ensaymada for instance i make sure i watch the slide shows too that way when i make it i can picture it on my mind how it's supposed to look like and if it is not similar with your picture i know i did something wrong na or if it is somewhat similar then i can be confident and say that the end product will be good. i was also doubting the comments at first, you know they might not be real or something but when i tried my ensaymada (your supersoft ensaymada recipe) it was really good...

i have been searching on the net for recipes for pan de coco, pan de sal and the like, for a long time na and you are one of the few na ung recipe is very reliable. some sites will give you some of the recipes but not their secret ingredient so everytime i make them it's always not perfect kc me kulang always. i can understand nman why some people don't wanna give their secret ingredient just like that, maybe for business purposes... by the way, i also shared the recipes to my other filipinos friends here, that way they can make filipino foods eventhough they are so far from home (philippines). another thing i like about your site is that you also make an effort to give a different method/instruction on how to make the recipes especially to those people who doesn't have a high tech kitchen equipment such as the bread machine. i am doing all my pastries and breads manually cause i don't have the budget to buy a bread machine and a mixer ang mahal kasi...heehhe... pero ok lang worth it nman kahit manual and pagod masyado kc ang product is excellent!!!

Saludo ako sayo Manang, you are a blessing sa lahat ng mga filipino na nasa ibang bansa tulad ko who craves for filipino food. you make our lives a little bit easier and belly happier...
thanks so much!!! God bless and more cooking pa ha!!!
Aabangan ko yan lagi.

Reader's Gallery # 12

This latest email with photos I received from MPC sounds like a blog post. She definitely has a very engaging style of writing.

To MPC,
Thank you so much for your email and photos (I love your teapot!) and your wonderful feedback!
MK

"Dear Manang,

I never thought I'd say this, but I successfully made Ensaimada and Pandesal this weekend after reading your blog for the first time last Thursday!

For me, home-made Pandesal and Rich Ensaimada was practically an urban legend.
I've always imagined that breadmaking is only limited to bakeries who have access to a Pugon or other Industrial Ovens whose temperature can shoot to a high 500 degrees or at least those who would be lucky enough to possess a terracotta Pizza Stone! (sighs) So I just got to be contended with dabbling on flatbreads and baking cupcakes, brownies and cookies. (I make a mean Chocolate Chip Cookie, learned it from reading the back of labels of Nestle and Hershey products, where else?! heehehe)

Then I chanced upon your blog after searching for a good Ensaimada recipe. Long story short, I got tired of eating Pita Bread, Focaccia, Tortilla, good as they are, but after 3 straight days?! Balik pinoy pa rin ako! hehehe.

So on to search for Pinoy recipes..

Other than the fact that your blog was very user-friendly, the recipes were very easy to understand and the illustrations were a great help.

I successfully made "home-baked Buttery/Supersoft Ensaimada" on my first attempt (a few tweaks like combination of shortening and margarine, less egg yolk, no cheese ... in other words, "kung ano lang available na ingredients ko that night", hehehe) I also made Pandesal almost immediately after baking the Ensaimada (super excited?!). Thus, my back is practically aching right now propably from all the kneading that I did. I don't have a bread machine nor do I have access to Rapid Rise Yeast (only ADY) so everything had to be done manually. Ang yabang ko pa with the "coil" method of Ensaimda since I had a lot of time to spare, but after the 20th piece my fingers were practically twisted!

Ang hirap pala, especially for first timers like me! Kaya pala may "pang tamad" na method, para shortcut! hehehehe.

BUT, after one taste of the Ensaimada and another of the Pandesal... alas! I'M IN BREAD PARADISE.

I ate 5 fairly large ensaimadas right out of the oven, and gave the rest to my family, otherwise, baka atakihin na ko sa puso! (hehehe) Quite a novelty, "Death by Ensaimada?" hhmmm...

Manang, you are truly heaven sent Many thanks for your kindest generosity in sharing
your ideas with the rest of the world. Your recipes are to be treasured and passed on for many generations.

May God continue to bless you and your family.

love,

MPC

P.S. I was able to take a picture of a few pieces of breads before my family wolfed it all down. In a few minutes, ubos na siya! Hence, I'm off to make another batch today "if I I still value my life" (as in kung gusto ko pa mabuhay!) hehehe.

Much love from the Philippines ... MPC

Reader's Gallery # 11

Thanks to Jane for sharing her photos of empanada.

Manang K,
Thanks for the recipe again... this is my second attemp to bake Empanada, my first is when I was pregnant ( last year pa yun) hehehe. My hubby loves it so much and even my baby.=) di ko na napicturan si hubby 3 bite lang yung empanada ubos na yung 1 piraso.
Thanks again Manang, now I can say everyone can bake!!!

Reader's Gallery # 10

Many thanks to Yvette for sharing her photos of spanish bread and ube ice cream, yummily being enjoyed by her son.

To Yvette: Thanks for your email and photos!

hi manang! just want to share you some of my work. thanks for the wonderful recipes! patok sa family ko!

Reader's Photo Gallery #9

This post is long overdue...

Below is Mitzi's email and a slideshow of some photos she sent to me.

Thanks for contributing to the Reader's Photo Gallery, Mitzi!

Hello Manang,

Nagpadala ako ng pictures nung gumawa ako ng cassava suman at pan de sal. Rave reviews ang binigay ng mga boys ko (ha-ha!). Actually, marami-rami na rin akon naluto using your recipes. Most of them, first time kong na-try and almost always I am pleased with the result.

I just want to thank you for putting up your site. Sana noon ko pa na-discover yun. I can tell that you are so sincere in your mission to encourage us kitchen-challenged pinoys and pinays to at least preserve Filipino culture through its cuisine in a very foreign setting.

Best regards.

Mitzi :)

Reader's Photo Gallery #8

Thanks to Jane C for these photos (suki!) of pan de pastel and ube ensaymada.

Reader's Photo Gallery #7

Elena (who shared her yummy recipe for minatamis na saging) made pichi-pichi based on my recipe.

Thanks for sharing your photos, Elena!

Reader's Photo Gallery #6

I am featuring two readers here, with their emails and photos, which are one of the sources of inspiration for me. Thank you for your feedback and wonderful messages!!!

(1) THET
Email sent July 28th

Hello po manang, kamusta po? I tried the pandesal and spanish bread again.. But this time the pandesal has corned beef filling!! Yummy po sobra! Though d ko p rin po gaano magamay ung sizes pero basta masarap at makakain ok n ok po yun!!!

And the spanish bread some of them i put margarine and some are butter... Coz ,first try ko po ng margarine eh nagpanic ako kc tulad ng nasa pic nagmelt ung margarine eh the first one was with the pandesal kaya panic ako n sabi ko "hummm dapat yata hindi margarine nilagay ko dapat butter..." so i just gave the first batch of pandesal with corned beef to my husband to let him taste (pinabaon ko po =D) and then i was the one who taste the spanish bread and dang!!! Ang sarap po! Medyo nanigas ung ilalim nung nagmelt na margarine with sugar kasi lumamig na pero po ang sarap!!! Sisi nga po ako kc dko pinabaon eh sana natikman ng asawa ko.. Hehehe

And the picture shown below medyo i baked it to 375 degrees ksi the first batch was kinda lighter eh.. And it wasn't rise that long (nagmamadali po kc para maibaon) heheheh pero masarap daw po according to my husband and his officemates!!! KAYA PO MANANG, maraming maraming Salamat po sa recipes nio and dun din po sa PM mail natin... Nways bef i forgot i change my flour po pala kaya medyo me lasa at di na katulad ng lasang papel po ung bread na nagawa ko... Kc po i almost send a message again to u coz been wondering why my bread tastes like that eh.. Para pong dry ung bread... Until i tried the japanese flour cencia n po dko mabigay ung brand kc ala po english translation eh... Ayun po naging ok n lasa..

Again po maraming salamat!!! Sa uulitin po...=D God bless

(2) JANE
Email sent July 31st

Manang,
Thanks so much for the recipe! It's another achievement for me because of you.First time try and I have made it perfect and yummy!!! My son loves it so much that he ask for more and more....Hubby's still at work. Let's see whats his comment about it.baka hinde na makarating ng babaunin for tomorrow. hehehe... Thank you again Manang! God bless your talent and for sharing it to us! Cheers! =)

Reader's Photo Gallery #5

Thanks to BabieBoo for this set of photos of supersoft ensaymada that she made.

Reader's Photo Gallery #4

Thanks to Ebie and Z (mother-daughter blogging tandem -- they are so cool!), to Thet and to Emma for the photos they submitted for the gallery!

Reader's Gallery Photo Gallery #3

This set of photos of buttery ensaymada in the making came from OS. Thanks for sharing your photos and tips in the email below that you sent to me!


Hi Manang,

It's me again. This time I'm sharing my experience using your Buttery Ensaymada recipe. I have lots of pix. I divided the dough into 3. The instructions in your buttery e. said to follow the rolling and shaping of the previous (supersoft e.) and so I wasn't sure if I needed to slather the rolled dough with softened butter since this recipe has a generous amount already. I still brushed it with melted butter anyway. Batch 1&2 I sprinkled with sugar in the middle (just wanna try if it will add a little sweet taste in the dough, minus topping). Batch 3, brushed with butter but no sugar. And comparison was...nothing. The taste was just the same. I opted to sprinkle sugar coz when I made the SSE, the dough was not as sweet. But you know what, If I make the buttery again, I will not fill it with sugar anymore, it is just flavorful plus I changed the way I put the topping.

I also tried baking a batch and just made use of a lined baking sheet and see what happens. Uhm, I did not like the result (presentation-wise as seen on the photos). And so 2 batches I made use of the tins. I may get the next bigger size of tins next time coz I wanna see if the dough will super rise since it will have more room to expand. The reason why I said this is when the cut dough that has risen on the baking sheet had 3pled in size and the ones in the tins doubled, but I think it did not rise to the fullest. So the result was it is a bit dense which is not a bad thing coz the dough was still tender to the bite. I meant to ask if yours were not dense (red ribbon and goldies are airy/fluffy) or was it just my way of making them? Any suggestions? I wish I can improve them next time, they're a little bit heavy for me. But no matter what, the husband still loves 'em! (Actually, these Buttery Es are treats for him and a surprise waiting for him on the table when he comes back home tonight here in Southern CA 5.25.09, he flew to Nashville,TN for a few days)
I also used sharp and mild cheddar cheese to compare- I liked the mild one. I also wish to share a couple of things. It may not be new to you or with some of your readers but I would still mention it anyway.

You may notice in the photos that I used a pastry mat for rolling and shaping. The light bulb just went on a few months back, haha! Others might only use it when they make pastries and pies diba? The only main reason was dealing with a sloppy work surface. Atleast with this one, It was so convenient to dust with flour and roll and....most of the time when i roll my dough, naliligaw ng landas kung saan saang direksyon napupunta kaya I just rotate the mat towards me and I conveniently work on it again. And you just pick it up and no sticky mess left on the surface.

And for those, or even you that haven't tried using "I can't believe it's not butter" brand (which I call FAKE butter, ang haba kaya ng name nya) I would say give it a try, it does replicate the taste of regular butters. And it is a little healthier, plus it is way faster when it comes to softening.

Before making your SSE, I searched some ensaymada pictures online and found a local bakery that was featured on flickr (i think) and they had a bowl filled with "buttercream frosting" and the Es were frosted. So I did it the same way instead of separating butter from sugar. I handwhipped it together and it was easy to spread and then dunk it again in plain sugar and pat the cheese that it helped it stick on the top.

Another important thing that is helpful with my cooking is keeping a log/notes of every observations and comparisons that I can possibly put critique on my dish down to my kitchen arsenal. And adding notes to what to try for next time. And it is always cool to ask. In my case, my family. I call them 'my guinea pigs". I always ask for their comments and suggestions to help improve, if not, enhance the flavor and if I should make it again or not. If it's not a hit then why bother? Or if I liked it, I only make it for myself and make some alterations.

I know these are so stereotype, but I just thought I would share anyways. Afterall, cooking is a never-ending learning....and never-ending boo boos (see i have gained so many scars from cuts and burns too, bad trip!) Yeah I cut myself with the tin while washing 'em, no fun! Lalo na when i make "SISIG" non-stop chopping. But it's all worth it!

Manang, gising ka pa ba? Haha! I apologize for this long e-mail. It is just my way of therapy kase.

Reader's Photo Gallery #2

Here are my latest photo submissions. Since they submitted a lot, I decided to make individual slideshows for their creations. I can tell that they have also started to venture more into baking. They have also started to experiment (I know I have a lot other readers who, upon getting their hands on baking for the first time, got encouraged and experimented more, using different doughs, fillings, shapes, glazes, etc.). That is exactly the kind of spirit I wanted to stir in my readers. I was once afraid to bake, too, but after overcoming fear, I now just play with dough. With the many Filipinos who grew up around bakeries in the Philippines, baking skills has become elusive to many households; hence a lot of Pinoys uprooted suddenly find themselves missing pan de sal, monay, and all those wonderful yeast rolls that we tended to take for granted because we had them all the time everyday in a neighborhood bakery while we were in PI. My very own attempts at making them was a means to empower us who are so far removed now from that Pilipino neighborhood bakeries, and I am glad that I have inspired many.

From Ohverly Sweet:

Hi Manang,

Some pictures from my kusina to yours. I thought I lost the photos I took when I made your supersoft ensaymada. With the rest of the dough I made some glazed cinnamon rolls. Also, I made use of the Parker House Rolls recipe which you mentioned on your site. Actually it was the very first recipe that I tried from your recommendations. And I was so happy dahil I thought I accomplished so much kase I've been scared dealing with yeast. And just to see the dough doubled in size, I was amazed coz I wasn't so successful with my baking adventure. The rolls might not look perfect but they were so good, soft and moist. Half of the recipe I made ham and cheese rolls, out of curiosity lang. And so I decided to make your supersoft ensaymada, again I was delighted, even my husband did! I still have to try the other version (buttery and eggyolky) next time.
I also made an inspiraton of your beef pares and used another recipe and fused them together, too bad I did not get to take pictures kahit 2x kona naluto (maybe next time).
Thanks for sharing all these great and useful ideas. I have to always get motivated with baking (tamad kasi ako maghugas at maglinis ng kalat :) ) ikaw na bahala which photos to use.

From Bobong:
(The slideshow includes pineapple upside down cake which I have never baked mainly because my hubby expressed disinterest in it. Maybe Bobong can share his recipe here...)

Hello Manang,

Bobong here., I am sending herewith photos of the bread I got from your blogspot.
Thank you so much for the inspiration and really appreciate for your tireless effort in sharing your recipes.
Apologize, that I have to make my mail short and quick because my family is about to go for a long weekend spree in Vegas..LOL...

Best Regards.

PS. I really don't know how to label my attached photos. But it consists of my Pastel Bread with Yema filling.. Pan de Leche, Monay, Cinnamon Rolls, ensaymada and yours truly. hehe...

Reader's Photo Gallery #1

Here is a compilation of photos submitted/shared in the past up to today by readers of my kusina.

If there will be more photos to add, I will feature them next Sunday. I repeat, you may have come up with your own recipe basing on what I have (usually in trying to use what you have in your pantry, or what is available in your area).

I will also welcome guest bloggers who would like to share their recipes and photos but do not have a blog of their own, especially if you have a recipe which you know might help out someone who has a certain craving somewhere (example: your version of taho in New Zealand or Japan or wherever -- how do you prepare, or where do you get your ingredients?). [Calling maloy who gave me the pannetone recipe. If you have a photo of it, I will gladly upload the photo along with your recipe.]

Thanks for the trust in my recipes, and thanks for believing that you can do it too (well, you can very well see that I am more inclined to address the newbie bakers and cooks who read my blog; a lot of veterans probably will not be thrilled at my recipes here at all, but I am happy enough to be of help to the readers of this foodblog, however little help that may be).