Chewy Oatmeal Cookies with Hershey's Chunks

It's school time once again here in the Philippines and one of the things I juggle with everyday is coming up with a good, delicious and healthy snack for my boys. Aside from sandwiches, cupcakes, biscuits, children will always look for chewy cookies. My children are very fond of cookies. It's been in our grocery list ever since. But, not just any cookie can be considered. My kids like it soft, chewy, with a lot of chocolate chips and no raisins.

For the first week, I baked some Vanilla Cupcakes and a batch of Chewy Oatmeal Cookies with Hershey's Chunks. Since I don't have a recipe at hand, I went to allrecipes.com/ and as always, I was graced with an easy recipe. (this is not a paid post)

Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies Recipe

The original recipe can yield up to 32 cookies, I adjusted the recipe and came up with 12- 15 palm- sized cookies. The recipe itself was perfect. It didn't require too much. It's the basic baking ingredients put together. But I still made some changes based on how my family likes it. 

• It just so happen that I have Hershey's dark chocolate bars in stock, I chopped it into small chunks and replaced the semi- sweet chocolate chips with it. 
• I eliminated the walnuts because I don't want it to be too chunky. I mean, the oatmeal itself adds enough texture already.
• Since I've run out of greaseproof paper, I buttered my cookie sheet. Butter is way better than any oil.
• Instead of 12mins, I baked my cookies for 15 mins. I wanted it to be golden brown .

I'm happy how the cookies turned out. It's crunchy on the outside, but soft and chewy inside. The Hershey's chunks blended well with the oats. It's not too sweet. The size of the cookie is just right for a kid to finish it. My husband and our 2 boys love it. I even packed some for my dad because he loves oatmeal.

RBy's Steak and Shake

To my fellow foodies out there, here's a grub shack along Maginhawa st. that offers scrumptious steak burgers and shakes.

Every Monday and Tuesday, I regularly go to Sikatuna Village to bring my eldest son to an activity center near Maginhawa st. For the past 4 years, my husband and I have been regulars in some of the restaurants along this "food street" in Quezon City.

I drop off our son to the center, then I go to any of our favorite resto stop in the area for some refreshments while I wait for the time to fetch my son.

Recently, I wanted something new. I drove along Maginhawa st. and found RBy's Steak And Shakes.  I didn't have second thoughts, I went inside as if I've been to the place before. It's cozy interior, comfortable chairs and one of a kind display inspired by Philadelphia's own picturesque city was just inviting.

There's a lot to try when it comes to RBy's house specialties... From steak burgers, their Philly Cheesesteak version, side dishes and milkshakes.  But on my first visit, I went for something familiar to my palate.

In and Out Mushroom Burger 105php 

 (add 65php: for french fries, iced tea or pink lemonade)

It's one of the best mushroom burgers I've ever tasted. Everything was cooked and prepared on the spot. The cheese and mushrooms bits blended well. It wasn't salty. The patty was juicy and tender. Plus, the french fries reminded me of the ones I prepare at home, made of real potatoes. Of course, once I saw that they have pink lemonade on the menu, I just gotta try it. It's one of my favorite refreshments.

 

Philly Pasta 145php  

Pink Lemonade 35php

At first, their Philly Pasta looks like any Carbonara dish. There's an herbal twist to it and there's a lot of bacon and mushrooms to enjoy. I love it!

More food finds from RBy's Steak And Shake soon on this blog.

Location: 152A Maginhawa St. Sikatuna Village, Quezon City

Like: RBy's Steak And Shake on Facebook

Mango Picking at Rosa Farms

Mango picking is nothing new to me. As a child, my father would always take me and my siblings  to nearby provinces like Pangasinan and there, we go to a farm where we go pick fresh vegetables and mangoes of different types. Fruit or vegetable  picking in a farm is one of the things I want my own kids to experience.

We accidentally came across Rosa Farms on our way to Punta De Uian, Zambales 2 weeks ago. We go to Punta De Uian almost every year, but for some reason, this was our first time to notice this mango farm. Anyway, I saw the big sign along the national hi-way, right side, going to San Antonio, Zambales.

The following day, we checked- out from Punta De Uian early so we can bring the kids to Rosa Farms and experience mango picking. From the beach, going to Rosa Farms is a good 15- 20 minutes. Upon our arrival, we were greeted by the nice staff of the farm. Since it's a mango plantation, and it's surrounded by big trees, we were able to park our car in a cool, shady area. We got there around 9:30am, we were the farm's first customers of the day.

In farms such as this, usually, people buy baskets and baskets of fruits and vegetables. Most of the time, they sell it in Manila for a higher price. In our case, I asked the person- in-charge if we can only buy 1 -2 kilos of mangoes just for the experience itself and of course, enough for us to consume when we get home.

We were taken deep in the mango plantation because the day before of our visit, Rosa Farms hosted an event. Guests, tourists raided most of the mango trees near the entrance. We thought that if we're to take a long walk to the available trees way inside the farm, it's going to be more fun. It was nothing for us, because we were able to go around the farm itself.

But, not only they allowed us for a minimum purchase of 2 kilos, they also drove us around the mango farm. I really appreciate their kindness and the value poured towards customer service and satisfaction.

In order to preserve the fruits, the mangoes were individually wrapped with paper bags. Everything was already good for picking.

Most of the mangoes we picked were large in size. Each mango was heavy, the skin of the fruits were smooth, free of spots and it has a sweet- tangy smell.

I kinda promised the people at Rosa Farms that I'm gonna go back and bring my dad. My father is very fond of farms, anything that are freshly picked, organic and over-all, the provincial life. And yes, not only we're going to bring our dad with us, but the rest of the family as well. Since Rosa Farms is near the beach... it's perfect!

To pack our mangoes home, Rosa Farms have eco- friendly bags that are very sturdy. Our visit to Rosa Farms wrapped our summer for 2014. It sure is another extraordinary memory for us.

 *By the way, there's no entrance fee, so please respect the natural environment and be responsible with your trash.