I'm back! and I made some Lengua de Gato.

Mah bad. I have not been taking care of my new blog. tsk tsk. I've done so many things in the past few weeks (job interviews, bazaars, meeting up clients, and all sorts --- yeah im still unemployed. arrghh!) and I was not able to go online most of the time. Anyway, it didn't mean I wasn't able to visit my kitchen to cook up something new. In fact, I was in the kitchen most of the time. I also managed to sell some goodies for my bazaar. Quite a multitasker eh :)

For this post's recipe, I tried Manang's Lengua de Gato recipe... and it was a hit! I got intrigued by Manang's add-on flavors. The Lengua de Gato i knew was made mostly of butter and eggs only. The lemon and almond flavors were unique to my taste, getting more yummier bite after bite after bite....

Lengua de Gato is spanish for "Cat's Tongue". These thin crisp cookies resemble a cat's tongue, that's why they call it such. In my former office (uhm, i recently resigned) I was known to like all sorts of boring food, from patatas, pasensya, saltine crackers, skyflakes, mamon tostado, and all other minimal-flavored biscuits as my staple food in the drawer as compared to my former officemates who had calorie-packed snacks like cake bars, sandwiches, and tons of chocolates. Having this eternal diet principle, I got to discipline myself to eat only boring foods in the office. For my non-Filipino followers, a typical Pinoy office always seem to have a feast inside their four walls. fyi. :)

This Lengua de Gato would definitely be an upgraded line-up to my boring food category. I guess boring food has a new meaning now.

Lengua de Gato
by: Manang
with some few personal tweaks

1 cup butter (salted)
1 1/3 cup sugar
4 eggwhites = 1/2 cup
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp almond extract
1 tsp lemon extract
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups cake flour

Here's how:

1. Cream butter and sugar using an electric mixer. Add the eggwhites gradually, beating well after each addition.
2. Mix in salt, almond, lemon,and vanilla extracts.
3. Add half of the flour and manually mix (I used a spatula). Add the rest of the flour and continue to mix manually until all are incorporated.
4. Beat the batter with the electric mixer until smooth.
5. Place the dough in a pastry bag.
6. Pipe out the batter about 3 inches long and 1/8 inch high onto baking pans with grease-proof paper. Space about 2 1/2 inches apart.
7. Preheat oven 375 deg. Celsius.
8. Bake for about 5-8 mins depending on the thickness of the dough.

Tip: Don't let the baked lenguas get exposed to open air very long, else they will lose its crisp. Store lenguas into sealed containers when they reach room temp.

... will definitely, definitely make lots of lenguas when I get a new job! lol.

Time for Biscotti

When my mom brought home some left over biscotti from her weekly "all-girl group" sessions, I knew I had to get that recipe and make some for our cookie jar:) It was the first biscotti I tasted and it was the almond oomph that made me want more. The almond flavor brought together the taste of nuts and chocolate chips. So delish!

Biscotti is twice-baked to preserve it for a longer period since most of its moisture is removed from the second baking. But storing it for a long time did not apply here at home. When I made biscotti, our cookie jar emptied in just one day! My siblings also got hooked to this delish treat.

For me, biscotti is a perfect coffee match. Just dip the biscotti into your steaming coffee and let your senses savour all the good flavors. Yuummm! It's heavenly...

So, here's my first biscotti recipe (as I will be posting more biscotti varieties):

Choco Chip-Walnut Biscotti

1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 1/2 cups APF
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup semi-sweet choco chips
1 cup chopped walnuts

Here's how:

1. Sift together APF, baking powder, and salt. Set Aside.

2. In a mixer, beat butter and sugar until creamy.

3. At low speed, add eggs one a time. Add the vanilla and almond extracts.

4. Pour in half of the flour and mix. Add the rest of the flour and mix till batter is smooth.

5. With a rubber spatula, fold in choco chips and chopped walnuts.

6. Transfer batter into greased and floured baking pan. Divide batter into two and form two logs. About 12" x 3".

7. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 deg. F.

8. Remove biscotti from oven and let cool for about 10-15 minutes. Slice logs with a serrated knife - about 1/2" thick slices.

9. Return slices to oven and bake each side for about 5-10 minutes.

Dip it with your afternoon coffee and enjoy!

I love OATS

Its common knowledge for those who want to shed a few pounds should consider eating oatmeal for at least one meal a day. Oatmeal's fiber content is very high, making you feel "full" for a longer period than usual. It also has a multitude of health benefits which makes it a no-guilt meal.

Unfortunately for some, they can't bear the taste of oatmeal. For them, its not satisying and they feel kind of sad to eat such a bland meal.

Fortunate for me because i happen to looove oats :) I'd be glad to make it my dinner. I love its texture, its taste, and the fact that it makes me less hungry through the night. Its cheap and its easy to prepare. Oatmeal is my perfect meal during lazy days or lazy nights.

With some milk and sugar, I just pour hot water over my oats and voila! dinner is served :)

You can also mix it with fruits, raisins, nuts of your choice, and even chocolate! (like champorado). You could also mix any flavor of your choice to make it more yummy. But for me, a simple oatmeal is my perfect choice.

Instead of popping other instant foods, why not choose the healthiest intsant meal available? Its easy, its nutritious, and most of all, it helps you shape your body!

Oats are definitely on my top foods list.

My first PANDESAL attempt

I always loved baking. I've been baking since my early college years. I've tried cookies, cakes, and have even perfected (to my own taste) some recipes. I found an easy pandesal recipe on the web and decided to give it a try.

Pandesal ingredients are just very basic and you can find it anytime in your cupboard. Its my first, however, to try with yeast. I got very excited with my first pandesal attempt. I've observed a lot of bread production (I have been previously employed with two commissaries here in our place). So making it would just be easy. Or so I thought.....

My first Pandesal was a succesful failure! lol. My mom and sis-in-law got so excited to eat our first homemade bread that I cut the proofing time. The result: PUTOK PANDESAL.

Putok pandesal (Stone Bread) is a very compact bread. You can be full with just one piece of it. But still we enjoyed our hot and freshly baked pandesal with our favorite jams.

Next time, I will increase its proofing time and add a little more salt and sugar. Perhaps double it since it was a bit bland. I've also already purchased my rolling pin so kneading would be easy. Manually kneading the bread dough was such a workout! lol. It's not easy making bread after all :)

So, here's my first Pandesal Recipe that you can also try. Just remember to wait for the dough to rise sufficiently before baking it.

Pandesal Recipe
1 kilo All Purpose Flour
12 tbsp Sugar
1 tsp Salt
6 tbsp Melted Butter
1/2 cup Milk
1 tbsp Active Dry Yeast
1 cup warm water
2 pcs Eggs
Breadcrumbs

Here's How:

1. Melt the yeast to the 1 cup of warm water. Put a little sugar then set aside. (This is to initially proof the yeast and to check if the yeast is still alive).

2. In another bowl, mix together flour , sugar, and salt. Sift this mixture.

3. When the yeast is already active, if the bubbles already appear, mix in it the eggs, milk, and melted butter.

4. Combine the yeast mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix until all ingredients have incorporated and has already formed a dough.

5. Transfer the dough to board then start kneading. Knead for about 8-10 mins until the dough is fine and elastic.

6. Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover it with a damp cloth. Allow it to rise for several hours until it has doubled in size. (This is the step where I had a flaw). Also, place the dough in a warm place to expedite the proofing time.

7. Cut the dough in to 4 parts lengthwise. Roll each cut piece till it resembles a log. Cut the dough diagonally.

8. Coat the cut pieces with breadcrumbs then place in baking pans lined with parchment paper.

9. Cover the sliced dough again with a damp cloth and allow to rise until it has doubled in size.

10. Preheat oven to 375 deg. Fahrenheit.

11. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until bread has turned golden brown.

Serve with your favorite jam :)

Hello there, World!

So I'm starting a new blog.

It's a food blog... because as what my blog title says... I'm on a (FULL) diet. :)

Its a mix of my attempts to acquire a slimmer body and at the same time discover and savour different foods in this planet. Quite contradicting eh? Well, its something like that.

Here, I will be featuring my own recipes: both cooking and baking, restaurant reviews, newly discovered methods of dieting (the part on how to get slimmer), new found food, and just about everything and anything that's related to food :)

Hope you enjoy my site.

Next Post: My first PANDESAL attempt.