What's in the Name?

Sugarized (adj) - derivative of "sugared"; meaning coated with sugar, or to add sugar to something.

The first time I discovered that I have a sweet tooth was when I was in grade school. My aunt brought home imported Japanese cookies given to her by a friend, and as soon as I sank my teeth on its chewy exterior, and diverse flavors stared playing on my mouth, I knew I was hooked. I could not stop munching. And I had not stopped since.

Little did I know that my penchant for pastries would eventually progress into my passion for baking. I realized that it's not so much as eating sweets that captivated me when I bake (although I would love to eat everything I bake!), but the transition of the flour, sugar and eggs into the finished pastry. Baking is, indeed, an exact science, but for me, it's more of a work of art. Countless times, I keep peeking in my oven to watch my batter rise and transform into something sweet and scrumptious. And usually while browsing, I can't stop ogling at the photos on my recipe books and magazines. I would love to learn more and explore other avenues, like cake decorating, if time, money and opportunity would allow me.

So what's in the name? Just like a plain sugarized doughnut or sugar cookie, "sugarized" is basically how I see my life right now: plain and ordinary, but when coated with sugar (family, friends, and love), it becomes special, and sweet, and definitely worth devouring every minute!

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About a week ago, I decided to dust off my pans once and for all and bake something for my office friends. I was originally planning for cupcakes, but I realized that the frosting may be too tedious for the limited time I had. So I browsed on my ever-reliable recipe books, and I found a simple recipe that I've been wanting to make: banana bars.

It was a little less sweeter than I had wanted, but my friends seemed to like them, so I guess it was okay. I opted to add walnuts even if the recipe doesn't call for them. I just thought walnuts would be a good addition to the bananas and chocolate chips in there. By the way, the recipe was from The Nestle Toll House Best-Loved Cookie book, which I had scouted at Booksale two years ago for only P90!!! Good find!

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