The Cheesecake Factory

Father's Day 2016 was extra special because my husband celebrated it with us and our dear ones in America. We arrived in Atlanta a day before Father's Day. Even with jet lag and with much excitement, we welcomed this special day with lunch at The Cheesecake Factory.

I've never tried anything from The Cheesecake Factory even though I see some of their pastries in S&R. I've always thought that it was all about cheesecakes and pastries, but I was surprised when I saw the menu. It was the perfect place to celebrate my husband's first Father's Day in America.

The Cheesecake Factory offers a fine dining appeal for customers ordering scrumptious dishes from their menu and they also have a bar for those who just want to have a drink or two. The ambiance of the whole restaurant is family- friendly and caters large groups especially those on tour. We're glad the queue wasn't that long considering that it was a weekend, there's an occasion and it's lunchtime. We were welcomed with a warm greeting and seated in a cozy corner of the restaurant.

Our food went around with orders of Filet Mignon, Grilled Rib- Eye Steak, Fettuccini Alfredo, Spaghetti and Meat Balls and tall glasses of sweet tea (not pictured).

My Shrimp and Chicken Gumbo

Orange Chicken

All served in satisfying big portions.

Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake for dessert.

My main dish (Shrimp and Chicken Gumbo) is a house specialty. It's always best to try house specialties when in a new restaurant. It was also my first time to try Godiva's  Chocolate Cheesecake and so far, the richest I've tasted.

The Keurig Corner

 A coffee machine and a coffee corner are the ones missing in our new home. I've searched for nice, affordable coffee makers but most of the time I end up with nothing because some are too expensive, some are too "complicated" in terms of maintenance, and others may be cheap but the taste and the availability of the capsules are compromised and difficult to find.

With our recent trip to America, one of the travel finds we made was a Keurig coffee machine. It's in every household we've visited. We stayed in the US for months and making coffee with my mom-in-law's Keurig was enough to say that it's worth our humble coffee corner. It didn't end there. Once we've decided that it's the machine we wanted, we needed to look for the right Keurig model with the best deal. From Walmart to Target and even Kroger all 3 had their own offers, but it was Costco that gave us the best option.

For $99 we got the ff: (sale price in Lazada: 17,000php updated 9/2018)

Keurig 2.0 K525C Plus Series

12 K-Cup pods Variety Pack

K- Cup reusable coffee filter (which we intend to use for our Kape Barako)

Water filter

We take that it was meant for us because with the no. of times we've been to Costco, it was only when we were about to leave for Manila that this Keurig model was made available, and without hesitation, we took it.

Finally, a coffee corner.

Coffee Wood Decor (Hobby Lobby)

The K- Cups was in our list of concerns when we got the Keurig. Aside from the reusable coffee filter that came with the machine, we made sure we have enough K- Cups. Aside from that, we discovered stores like S&R sell K- Cups.

I personally found Keurig as the most flexible coffee machine. It's affordable and at the same time, it can make your cuppa moment extraordinary with the wide variety of K-Cups both for coffee and tea. Most of the capsules contain fresh ground coffee. (see: http://coffeegearathome.com/is-keurig-instant-coffee-heres-whats-inside-your-k-cup/ ) I like the breakfast blend (any brand) then I mix it with a little cocoa, sugar and frothed milk. Plus, freshly brewed Tazo Peach Black tea.

I'm not a hardcore coffee drinker, a cup or two makes me happy. For me, having a coffee corner whether you're a coffee lover or not is a must in every household, at least something to serve your guests. Nowadays, coffee plays a big part in ones daily grind. A coffee break with co-workers, a relaxing and cozy afternoon with friends and just for the simple reason it completes us both inside and out.

KitchenAid Heavy Duty Stand Mixer K5SS

When I started baking, I thought that it will just be an additional hobby, a past time. Since I love to cook, baking came with a breeze. I gotta say, quite an achievement for someone who did not study baking at all. But in everything that involves the kitchen, one must have a good equipment to aid you to be more efficient and to be able to get better results. I am already happy with my Homemaker Stand Mixer but at some point, knowing that I bake a lot, I don't want to over use my only and the very first mixer I have. Other than that, my husband offered that he'll help me start up a small business so I can share my creations. 

Share... sharing is a strong word. To be honest, everytime I would bake something, I always make a little more so that my husband can bring some for his co- workers. Not to sell but just to share, since their working hours are intense. In the end, those same people who had a piece of what I make later  encouraged us to sell the pastries so we earn something instead of giving it out.  So eventually I agreed and created a pastry that's not often sold in the market and it became a hit. From then on, and as we reached the Christmas Season, I decided to upgrade to a more suitable mixer in order to meet  demand and also preserve the old one.

 

What else will I get but a KitchenAid Mixer. The choice went around an Artisan and the Heavy Duty Stand Mixer K5SS mixer. I ended up with the Heavy Duty Stand Mixer K5SS mixer (at 33kphp) because of its functions and simply because it is in the Professional Heavy Duty Series, a more powerful batch more than the Artisan and Classic KitchenAid mixers. So if you're in search of a good mixer that's not too expensive yet, powerful, this is the one.

The set includes:
Powerknead™ Spiral Dough Hook, Flat Beater, and
Stainless Steel Wire Whip
5-Qt.

Actually I was torn between the Artisan and the Heavy Duty. I like the Artisan because of its color choices and it comes with a pouring shield. But I don't really need those. It's really all about the bang for the buck thing. As expected a freebie came with my purchase. I guess it was meant to be because I got the best deal. I got a free KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker worth 8Kphp! 

I'll post about it soon!

It's about time that I made this upgrade. Whether my humble business will be a success or not, this mixer will make people happy through my pastries given or bought from us. I don't spend so much on my personal needs, but for every gift I give myself, there will surely be a story behind it and why it's worth it.

MEGA Creations: Spanish Style Sardines

It all started with a simple craving--- again. I went to a nearby convenience store to check if I can find something different to munch on. I have nothing particular by the way, I just suddenly had the urge to eat something that I haven't eaten in the past weeks. Aside from the usual fried- rice toppers and fixed meals there was nothing else, so I went through the pile of canned goods. To my surprise, I found an extraordinary piece of canned product, Spanish- style sardines. Why extraordinary? 

Personally, I am more familiar with those packed in bottles and labeled as "gourmet" Spanish- style sardines. Well, basically those considered "gourmet" are prepared/ cooked/ soaked  in a more natural set of ingredients like olive oil or they make use of a better choice of fish like Bangus (milkfish) belly. These "gourmet" items costs a lot for a small bottle. I must admit, hey, we all take the bait because it's really good. 

Whatever I found that Friday afternoon at a random convenience store was heaven sent. 

1. I now have a more affordable option. 

2. It taste exactly like those "gourmet products". 

3. It's made of simple ingredients like sardines, soya oil, salt, carrot and spices. The sardines are not the tiny ones, they're right for the size. 

4. It's easy to open, and a 155g can at (24php Hi- Top Supermarket price)  contains 6 chunky sardines.

5. I don' t know if this is allowed to bring abroad for your loved ones, but if so, I highly recommend it.

In the container--- equivalent of  (2) 155g can

I have this habit of eating sardines with pandesal (bread) or rice. Transferring the content in a microwavable container makes it easier for me to access and pair it with anything even pasta. For small servings such as mine,  a clean container prevents spoilage (if properly stored), less spills and you can serve it anytime.

Touches of Red

This is now the 2nd phase on enhancing my kitchen. Remember, I shared in an earlier post Glimpse of My Kitchen, it was still empty then. As we move along, I made some additions to make my kitchen look nicer.

Red was not really part of the plan. My husband is not into bold colors too. We even thought that my stand mixer being "red" will not go well with the kitchen that I need to put it back to storage after every use. But... when I started baking again, and just left the mixer on the counter, we both saw the extraordinary taste it can bring. From then on, we decided to accentuate the kitchen with touches of RED.

Before finalizing it, I went online on how both black and red will work for a kitchen. We always see white or brighter colors right? Some considers floral or patterned designs. Pinterest is a good source for ideas when it comes to home improvement. That's when I realize that adding color doesn't have to be  too bold like a whole wall painted red or any preferred color, it doesn't have to be too dull as well. But over-all, as long as your work space or room is not cluttered, anything will work.

The money plant was also experimental since I'm still thinking on how to make kitchen look even better, I just thought of putting the plant at the counter. Apparently, it added color and it's just a small pot. What more if I get maybe 1 or 2 more or something else of the same size. The pot is reddish, it has a red ribbon and the green plant adds a special element.

Still empty compared to the past kitchens I worked on for the past 10 years. All I want is a clutter- free kitchen, where most stuff are hidden but just a grab away if I need any. Accentuating is one way to improve the look of any room. It doesn't have to be all out red or purely one color. Working on a smart looking design and shade as base is a start and I made a good choice with a jet black counter.

A Glimpse of My New Kitchen

Having a new kitchen made was one of the main reasons why I haven't posted anything for the longest time. It was the critical stage during the home- improvement of our new condo. Everything was custom- made. The search for the right materials and expertise made it difficult. Since it's customized, our carpenter had to work hand in hand with another group who installed our counter. 

I chose the granite, "jet black". At first I was hesitant and then, I thought that it's my kitchen and I want something way, way different from what I had for the past 10 years. Jet black made it modern, something that will last through time. But I still asked for our contractor's approval if it will fit the whole design, and it's perfect.

As you can see my cooker's installed already :D This image was actually taken 3 weeks ago. I now have a fully- functional kitchen, but I just decided to post this first because I still need to work on the aesthetics. hehehe!

Right beside the kitchen counter is our new refrigerator, yehey! My husband invested on an LG Top Mount Refrigerator, 11cu.ft, Smart Inverter Compressor. Quite a deal! We got it for 24,000php (I think) but the original price was almost 30,000php. We love LG! Most of our appliances are LG. From our television, washing machine, our new fridge and soon a Smart TV. The long wait to get new appliances was all worth it. I always believe that there's a right timing for everything.

My new kitchen is not as big, but it is truly mine... I chose how I wanted it to be and how it is going to be happy work place. New recipes and food features are going to be posted soon, stay tuned.

An Early Gift For My Kitchen--- ELBA Cookware

I've been using an induction cooker for 3 years now. It just so happen that the unit we are renting while we wait for the other condo to be finished doesn't allow gas ranges or anything that runs on gas. Since it's just temporary, I agreed to use an induction cooker and ditched my old gas range.

Through the years I've seen the miracles an induction cooker can do. The only downfall is in case there's no electricity, it won't run. Which leaves you with nothing if you don't have left- overs or anything cooked ahead if there's a situation that will require to shut down power.  But I'm thankful that for every emergency situation like typhoons, sudden Meralco maintenance and the likes, I'm able to keep up and still serve my family home-cooked food. One will just have to check the news, get updates, be aware of  anything that involves emergency measures.

Over-all with an induction cooker around, our monthly budget increased because we don't buy Gasul anymore, the budget for a gas tank that costs around 800php went back to our savings. At the same time,  there's no big increase with our electric bill even with an additional induction cooker. Also, we've freed ourselves from the threat of a gas leak.

Now, that we're preparing our new home, my new kitchen, I've decided to stick with an induction cooker. But this time, I've upgraded my equipment, an ELBA cookware.

ELBA Cooktop Induction

E 230 - 002 IS

ELBA Range Hood 

706AP Series

Since, we will live in a condo,  I feel that I don't need anything bigger. I've decided to buy a double induction. At the moment, I'm only using single induction, but I can already cook more than 2 viands on special occasions, what more if I have 2 burners. 

With an induction cooker, food cooks faster with the right amount of heat which is supplied evenly throughout the pan being used. The stove top remains cool even when in use--- so safety (check!) and of course, it's easy to clean.

I've also included a range hood that will suck in unwanted smell and oil. This will also protect my kitchen walls and cabinets from stains.

I chose ELBA because of it's durability. My parents' cookware is also ELBA, but theirs is bigger. Most kitchen items nowadays are made in China, but I was able to find something from Italy. It's more expensive but hey, it's okay as long as I know I'm using a reliable cooktop that will make cooking more fun and easy.

We haven't installed the ELBA set yet because we're having our kitchen counters custom- made. I'll post about it as soon as it's installed or I must say, once we've moved- in our new home.

Next on my list are new pots and pans and other kitchen accessories.

LEGO Utensil Holder

I found inspiration to make this through a pin on Pinterest. Check it here.

Since my little boys are LEGO masters and my husband is a collector, I made use of some extra bricks not being used to make my own LEGO utensil holder. Here's what I've accomplished so far.

I want to make it bigger, I'll buy my own LEGO bricks soon so I can make a small LEGO corner in my kitchen.

Inside, I made a divider so that my cooking ladles won't slip and so that it will not get tangled with each other, especially with my spatulas.

The fun part of having little kids around is I get to play myself. I thought they would ask for the bricks back. But when they saw my utensil holder, my eldest son told me to keep it and he likes it a lot and I should make some more. He even gave me his opinion to make it higher. Well, that's my goal so it can hold my kitchen stuff properly.

Jackpot For Microwavable Containers

Only for Php88 

Microwavable containers has always been a must-have in my kitchen. And these containers I just recently bought, were on sale when I accidentally went pass the SM Department store last Monday. I was out  to buy  medicine for my husband. Might as well take advantage while I'm already there right? I went home with shopping bags filled with kitchen towels, table clothes and even a rustic decor for my living room.

But the main highlight of my shopping were the containers. And what a huge sale, the original price of these containers are Php 200+ for the big ones and Php100+ for the small to medium sizes. That night, everything was down to Php88 all sizes. A huge Jackpot for me, because it was timely, I've run out of durable containers. It can be useful as left- over containers, a lunch box for office and school and your food is tightly sealed so don't worry about spills or leaks.