There’s nothing like pan de sal

Of the many breads I have tried, pan de sal still tops my list.  My heart goes for this simple but great tasting Filipino bread maybe because it’s something I grew up with, or maybe I just miss home and having a bite or two satisfies a spot that can only be filled by anything “Filipino”.

In this part of the globe where the word “Asian” means, more or less, “Japanese” and where I have seen only two Filipinos so far (one already went back to the Philippines), there’s practically no choice for a pan de sal lover like me but to make one at home. 

I started taking the pan de sal challenge last week and since then, our mornings have never been the same again.  It has become a breakfast and merienda staple and I think it’s going to be a must-do item to squeeze into my daily routine. 

I found the recipe here and made some changes to suit my taste.  I used whole instead of evaporated milk, doubled the amount of salt, and added more flour.  It’s very easy to make and my pan de sal always comes out soft and fluffy, and the smell is heavenly!

Later, I will experiment on the recipe and perhaps, add a filling.  But as it is, I’m more than satisfied and so are my husband and daughter.

A pocketful of veggies

While I’m writing this, my veggie calzone is baking in the oven and it will be ready in few minutes.  From my tiny desk, I can already smell the magical fusion of aromas from the herbs (basil and oregano) and the dough that envelopes all the ingredients.

I used my pizza dough for this recipe.  For the filling, I tossed some tomate seco (sun-dried tomato infused with oil), thin slices of white onion, olives, fresh basil leaves, and cheese onto the  dough that I slathered with tomato sauce and olive oil.  I sprinkled a little bit of salt before sealing the dough and then put it into the oven.  Muito delicioso!

An eye-opener at the playground

Towards the end of one busy day, I decided to take my daughter to the nearby parquinho.  It came to me as a momentary relief and a chance to, again, experiment on my camera. 

It was, I thought at first, an ordinary afternoon at the playground.  Kids were running and climbing here and there. 

Moms, after every sip or two of their chimarrao, would run after their kids.  As always, I wondered how they manage to run gracefully on the sand in those ultra high Brazilian platform shoes.

I stayed close behind the slide where my little girl chose to play.  Beside me was a small group of women chatting around a little girl who was taking advantage of the moment to enjoy sitting on the sand while biting a chinelo.  

From their facial expressions and body language, I could tell that they were sharing a lovely conversation; too engaging perhaps, that they seem to have forgotten the little girl.

I took the camera out of my bag and started searching for a good subject to shoot.  But before I could point to one, I thought I had to stay closer to my little girl as she struggled her way up to the slide when a couple of little boys came to join her. 

As I moved closer to the slide, I had a good view of that area where I sat just few minutes ago.  I pointed my camera up and down, to the rough bark of an old tree that shelters a huge portion of the playround, and to the century-old buildings around. 

Not satisfied with the shooting angles from my position, I sat and rested the camera on my lap.  Then I noticed a thin and pale little boy, about 5 years old, playing on the sand right beside the space I vacated.  

Mmm…chocolate muffins!

These chocolate muffins came out really good and it satisfied our cravings!  To suit my taste, I made some modifications.  I used sweetened cocoa powder instead of unsweetened, reduced the amount of sugar from 1 1/4 c to 3/4 and the amount of chocolate chips from 1 c to 1/2 chocolate ‘chunks’, and totally omitted the nuts. 

Instead of folding in the chocolate ‘chunks’, I poked them on top of the unbaked muffins.  I filled a little more than 2/3 of each muffin cup with the batter so that they will look more puffed.

Are you craving now? Check out the recipe here.

Recipe for sweet rolls

Here’s a recipe I got from the Recipe Zaar website. I used it the other day to make cinnamon rolls and reserved half of it to make plain rolls.

Top it with margarine, sugar, and grated cheese and turn these plain rolls into ensaymada, a popular sweet bread in the Philippines.

Try it and treat yourself and your family with these soft and yummy delights!

The view from my window

In my moments of silence by the glass window,
this view speaks of a never-ending story
of beauty, calmness, wrath, struggle, and hope.

As the sun’s rays kiss the lush leaves,
The mixing of yellow and deep green
draws a vague outline of the tree
Beauty, radiance, and blooming color shine through…

 

Now, here comes…

Unloading my “excess baggage”

Not so long ago, I gave away the last of my new pearl bracelets to a friend. 

For quite some time, my previous collection lay untouched in a jewelry box, waiting for the right occasion to come. But every now and then, that ”occasion” would always be a meeting with either an old or new friend, young and old. 

Each time, I savor the joy of giving them away.  Giving is always far more satisfying than the joy of having them and watching them pile up in one corner.