A Yummy Toned-Down Dessert!

With this dessert, I got inspiration from Giada De Laurentiis' Toasted Pound Cake with Mascarpone & Amaretto. Of course, with the present world financial crisis, I need to "tone down" with regards to the ingredients used (what-ever, Vic!). I used the more spreadable Kraft whipped cream cheese and I stuck with the apricot preserves. The butter cake loaf I got was from Red Ribbon, which was good and tasty. Besides the mascarpone, I also had to omit the almond flavored liqueur and the almonds ... these are pretty lavish, hahaha!

Just toast the butter cake slices in a 350 degrees Fahrenheit pre-heated oven for about 10 minutes, until they turn golden brown. Then, spread a generous amount of the whipped cream cheese atop the cake slices, then follow with the apricot preserves. Put another cake slice atop the bottom cake. Mmmm! Even without the luxurious components that Giada used in her recipe, I still loved it! :-P

The 3 F's for Jimmy

Jimmy celebrated his birthday last March 5 and during his post-birthday bash at their house in Dasmarinas Village , we just couldn't think of anything to give him but the 3 essential F's we know he'd much appreciate ...

Jimmy has always been an extremely misunderstood person, most especially by people who really don't know him, or more aptly, who judge him without giving him the benefit of the doubt. One thing's for sure, all his friends say NO. Quoting his Facebook profile, Jimmy is a hard nut to crack but one with a gooey center, and I absolutely believe this. He loves his friends so much that he considers them his own family. That's why the gift of true friendship definitely makes his day!

Do I have to explain this? Jimmy bonds with his friends a lot of times and food has always been in the scenario. Doing the potluck thing during this party was a sure hit, with lots of good stuff prepared by the barkada, including Edward's sushi and pork bbq, Rhedd and Mel's chicken-pork adobo, Dave's pasta and my potato salad, among others. We totally filled ourselves to the brim!

Of course, fun has always been one key factor to our long-lasting friendship. And during this celebration, we enjoyed surprising Jimmy with our special gifts ... including a personalized framed artwork (consisting of our 1-word descriptions of him in comic balloons, labeled with our names), and a big, fluffy teddy bear! He always initiates in giving gifts to any birthday celebrant from our barkada so it was our turn to say "Thank you & Happy Birthday!"
This may be a li'l late but to Jimmy, may you have more birthdays to come. I'm wishing you the best of everything life has to offer ... because you deserve it. For the rest of our days ... :-P

A New Entry & A New Toy

I know, I know ... I haven't posted a thing here for more than a week now. Pretty surprising , I suppose. Been busy the past days ... Jimmy celebrated his birthday last March 5 and had his post-birthday bash last Saturday. It's also a critical week for me at work. Haay! But now I have the reason for me to log in to Blogspot and write a new entry ...

The new iPhone syncing with iBook

Jimmy and I got the new Black iPhone 3G 16GB at the Glorietta Globe Hub last Wednesday. I'm so loving it! I've been hooked to the internet for the past 2 nights, enjoying the thrills of having a new toy and facing an enormous amount of free apps in iTunes. Haha!
I hope I can now go back to blogging on a more regular basis. Enough of those excuses ... :-P

Mac&Cheese, Anyone?

Two words: comfort food. Yup, Mac and Cheese has always been in my list. The idea of having two of my favorites, cheese and pasta in one dish is just brilliant! So whoever invented this one, I salute you! Here's my modified version of this classic ...

You might ask "Why Cheez Whiz?". Simply because it's way much cheaper than the other sharp cheeses like Gruyere or Bleu cheese. I added some smoked sausages from Earle's for that meaty flavor. Now for the procedure ...

1. Cook 1/2 kg macaroni according to package directions (should be al dente).
   
2. Saute your sliced sausages in olive oil until brown. Set aside.
3. Heat the evaporated milk (do not boil).
4. Make a roux out of 2 tbsps of butter and 2 tbsps of flour.
   
5. Add the hot milk slowly to the roux and continuously stir the mixture until smooth and thick. Remove from heat.
   
6. Add the grated cheddar cheese.
7. Add the Cheez Whiz. Stir well.
8. Season with salt, white pepper and nutmeg.
9. Add the sauce to the prepared pasta.
10. Add the sausage to the pasta mixture.
11. Blend in some grated mozzarella cheese.
12. Put the pasta in a baking pan.
13. Pop into a 350° oven and bake until the surface turns golden brown.
14. Voila!
15. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese. Best served with Chicken Feuillete from Le Couer de France.
    
16. Let your family and friends enjoy your dish (right, Paupau?!). :-P

Try this recipe! :-P