Frannywanny

I got to admit, if given the chance to choose between rice, pasta or bread, I would definitely go for pasta any day. This is also the reason why I tend to be extra picky with the type of breads that I eat. I love freshly baked pan de sal paired with a spoonful of peanut butter and a cup of hot cocoa. Soft and fluffy ciabatta bread has been my favorite when I'm making myself a sandwich. As for the type of breads that I avoid, these are ones with raisins, dates or the fruity type. I really do not know why but I always end up plucking each tiny fruit out before biting into the bread. One day, I received a box of freshly baked goodies from Bread Story Philippines . It was after visiting their Facebook page that I found out that the brand actually originates from Malaysia . We had some of their specialty breads for lunch. Among the four breads on the plate, I liked the Flossy Signature which had buttery pork floss on top. The Flossy Hottie , on the other hand, was topped with spicy...

For the past week, my nails have been sporting a new color. PURPLE! No, I'm not attending neither Barney nor Grimace's birthday party. It just came to a point wherein I wanted to deviate from my usual baby pink nail color which I've been sporting every so often for the past decade. CHANGE is good, after all. I've been so happy showing off my deep purple nails most especially as it has a good smooth and shiny finish. Good job Nail Tropics! ♥ A few days ago, my college best friend L celebrated her birthday and Paul and I dropped by our favorite bakeshop to buy her a box of Chocolate Revel Bars before heading to our dinner venue. I first heard about Purple Oven more than 5 years ago when I began obsessing over Starbucks Coffee's  Banoffee Pie . A friend pointed this place out to me and I've been a regular customer ever since. It's also a plus that it's located so close to where I work making it so convenient anytime I have to drop by to buy a cak...

Last Friday, I suddenly had this weird craving for... Putong Ube . Oh how I daydreamed about those tiny, pillow-y, rice cakes cooked with our native ube (yam). Of course, no other store can make it better than Michelle's . I used to visit their store along Gilmore street or Papa would buy a box home for us to enjoy. I searched online to look for a store closest to my office and I was surprised that their main branch was actually just a stone's throw away from where I work!! Thus, on my way home, I asked Paul if we can make a brief stop at Libertad street for me to buy a box of Michelle's Homemade Putong Ube to satisfy my craving. Luckily, he said yes! YAY! The store wasn't hard to find, if you're familiar with California Square Garden and Galileo Enoteca then you'll be able to locate Michelle's Homemade Putong Ube in no time.It's located at the corner of Kanlaon and Domingo M Guevara (formerly known as Libertad) streets. Arriving at the store ...

Exactly a month ago, I suddenly had this weird midnight craving for my childhood favorite bakery called La Chesca . That prompted a shout out over at Facebook and Twitter asking anyone to give me leads if La Chesca still exists today. This led to friends expressing their love for La Chesca 's specialties namely their Sapin Sapin, Maja Ube / Mais, Egg Pies and of course their homemade Chicken Pie. That truly showed me that I am not alone... I share my love for La Chesca with hundreds of people out there. I never gave up, even asking my Facebook friends to help me find the owners of the bakeshop. Until one day... my Auntie H told me that she knows the owner of La Chesca and I can possibly text her to ask if she still accepts orders. My heart skipped a beat. This is it. I am THIS CLOSE to being able to enjoy my La Chesca favorites again. I wasted no time and texted the owner as soon as I got her number from Auntie H. One day has passed and no reply... my heart sank. Either ...

Let me tell you about the day I had the best cake in my LIFE! It as a Saturday and Paul and I took a spur-of-the-moment trip back to his hometown in Pampanga . Yup, my dear husband is a true blue Cabalen (and he's really really proud of it!) . Our plan was simply to go on a fun relaxed ride, have lunch, buy some pasalubong and grab a really good dessert on our way back home. Lunch was at a restaurant that Paul has been bugging me to try as it's known to serve all sorts of exotic dishes such as stir-fried crickets, stuffed frogs and a lot more. I really do not get why on earth Paul would think I'd be brave enough to go on a an exotic food trip. Well, let me tell you more about that on my next entry. For now, I'd like to share with you where we had dessert and the cake that truly made traveling all the way to Pampanga truly worth it. à La crème Cake Shop and Cafe is a local bakeshop that originated in Angeles, Pampanga a decade ago. Today, they have three bran...

I've always called myself Daddy's Little Girl. This is probably because I grew up thinking that Papa has always been on my side while Mommy would always be there to protect my younger sister. Whenever my sister and I would have petty fights on who gets the best part of the chicken, who should have more TV time and a lot more, our parents would play referee and it was Papa who would give in to my whims while Mommy has remained to be my disciplinarian, which in my eyes as a kid equals to a villain in any fairy tale. Papa would shower me with every little thing that I asked for. Be it a weekly supply of my favorite chips and cookies, never-ending purchase of my favorite pocket book, a trip to the amusement center and a lot more. For me, Papa was my knight in a shining armor who showered me with so much love every single day. Back then, Mommy and I never saw each other eye-to-eye. How she limits my fried rice intake made me feel like she was depriving me of my favorite food. ...