Another Good Find!

I think it's true what they say, you never really know what you're looking for until you find it. And sometimes, you find it in the most unexpected places.

On my way home this evening, I decided to browse some magazines at Book Sale. I think I've professed countless times how much I love that store for its bargain books and magazines. And just when you think you've seen all they have to offer, they surprise you with something totally unexpected.

I noticed this little box because of the familiarity of the title. And I say "little" because as seen on the photo above, it's really very tiny! I got curious how a a large volume of Joy of Cooking could fit in such a tiny box. Only when I got closer did I realize that it was cookie kit. The label at the back indicated that it contains recipes and four miniature cookie cutters. And the best part about it is the price (of course!) -- only Php35 (approximately less than US$1). It couldn't get any cheaper than that! (Have I already mentioned I love bargains?)

Since I've started taking interest in cookie decorating, I've made it my goal to collect as much cookie cutters as I could find (well, most likely, as much cookie cutters as I could afford). I realized that good quality cookie cutters are not as prevalent here than it probably is overseas. You have to look for it in specialty shops because the ones sold inside groceries and supermarkets are usually the plastic ones that look more like toys. And by specialty shops, I mean the high-end stores in the big city, two hours away from where I live. So you could probably imagine my joy when I saw this kit and realized I'll get four cute cookie cutters for such a small price. (Yeah... I'm really easy to please just like that.)

I was so happy, I didn't care if the booklet that came with it was so tiny, I could barely read the recipes. =) Truly, it's another good find!

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Early Christmas Gift

I got an "early" Christmas gift from my sister. She knew I love books. Amazingly, she got this on sale at a local bookstore at 80% off the original price! Can you believe that?! When I browsed the content, I saw that almost all of the cookies are decorated with fondant. I doubt if I could add this on my Christmas baking repertoire since I haven't worked with fondant before... I know it's just a matter of time before I test my hands on fondant, but still... it's sort of too advanced for me. I'd rather start with royal icing. I've been reading a lot about sugar cookies from blogs that I love, like Bake at 350 and Sweetopia, and I wanted to try the techniques I've learned from it. I love the design ideas from this book though, and it's always nice to have a reference instead of using just my imagination.

I'm so happy! Merry Christmas to me!  =)

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Julia for my Birthday!

Guess what I got for my birthday? Lo and behold, it's Julia Child's book "Mastering the Art of French Cooking"! This present was totally unexpected! It wasn't even on my secret wish list. ;o) To get a better grasp, let me share a little history of why this came to be.

My good friend "B" gave me a DVD copy of the movie "Julie and Julia" starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams. It was a movie based on the lives of two different individuals, the legendary Julia Child (need I explain who she was!) and Julie Powell, a government call center employee who loves to cook and "blogged her way through Julia Child's cookbook", Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I loved the movie so much, I watched it again with my beau Richard. In fact we both loved it, we watched it again the third time! I guess I like success stories, of people realizing and living their dream, of having all the odds against you and still coming out a winner! This movie is all about that, and more... It's also about good food, better cooking, and finding comfort in loving what you do and doing what you love!

Long story short, Richard was also inspired by the movie, he decided to give me Julia Child's legendary classic book as a birthday gift! Now I have not read far enough to judge and review it, but I'm sure I will love it! (even if I only bake, and don't really know how to cook!) ;o) I feel so grateful to have such loving and supportive man... (similar to Julia's & Julie's husband in the movie) ;o)

Photo note:

I must say I like the original cover of the book, probably because of the color.. it's just so vibrant, compared to the green jacket.

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Peach Cobbler from The Pastry Queen

I am way up my sleeves for unposted blogs, unread online newsletters, and un-updated subscription! I think with the internet and a whole lot of other media form available, everyone can get almost every other recipe available in the world! With my own collection from online subscriptions, magazines and books, I think the number of recipes I have on hand can outlast the number of days I'll ever live! Well..maybe that's an exaggeration... the number of months possibly. :o) I guess there just isn't enough days (and money!) to make all of them!

I had a chance encounter with a really nice baking book at my favorite bookstore one day. I was just browsing around, looking for new additions that I can include in my "to-buy-someday" list of baking books. Now when I'm browsing books, of course I usually look at the price.. and this one, The Pastry Queen by Rebecca Rather & Alison Oresman, immediately grabbed my attention when I saw that it only costs Php195!!! I mean, it was rather large and thick, and it was hardbound and glossy, and everything that an expensive cookbook usually looked like! I was pretty sure there was some sort of a mistake with the price tag, so I asked assistance from one of the sales lady to confirm if the price was right. :o) I was ready to buy it, alright! I could feel the excitement building up... and after confirming twice with the cashier that there was no mistake with the tagging, I happily conceded and brought it home with a happy heart. (Although I still think there was a mistake...I mean, I love bargain books but this one is too good, it should cost more than that!) ;o)

Rebecca Rather is the owner of Rather Sweet Bakery and Cafe in Fredericksburg, Texas. And in her book, she included snapshots of everyday life in her bakery. I love the scenic views and the mouthwatering photos of the breads and cakes. I so love this book!!! I love the short anecdotes and stories that accompanies each recipe. And I love the method of how she bakes..with ease and informality. Everything about her seems so relaxed and laid back. When I get to own a bakeshop someday, I hope I could at least have the same grace and ease she exudes. ;o)

I made her Hill Country Peach Cobbler, which was so easy and delicious! I didn't have fresh peaches on hand, so I used the canned version in syrup. I guess I should've drained the peaches thoroughly because the cobbler turned out to be too "syrupy" at the bottom. But nevertheless, it still tasted as good as I expected!

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Good Find!

I don't think I can ever say enough that I love bargain books! I love scouting at every Book Sale outlet for back issues of my favorite food/baking magazines like Martha Stewart Living, Better Homes and Gardens, Cooking Light, Food Network Magazine, and Gourmet. Sometimes I even love certain issues of Bon Appetit and Southern Living. But once in a while I stumble upon good baking books on super bargain prices like the Nestle Toll House Cookie Book and the Christmas Cookies with the Whimsical Bakehouse.

Recently, on one of my "browsing sessions" I came upon this book called The Cupcake Deck...and the best thing about it is that it only costs (drum roll please!) P110! I have seen this at major bookstores before so I know how much it really costs! This is really another good find! I can't wait to bake something out of this book!

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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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Mrs. Fields Cookie Book

I always feel nostalgic whenever I buy cookies from Mrs. Fields. The very first cookies I made came from her cookie book which, unfortunately, was destroyed by the flood of typhoon Milenyo. Despite my efforts to save the precious pages, it was totally unusable. I would've wanted to buy another copy but it was already out of print. That book was published eons ago. It actually belonged to my Mom which she borrowed from one of her previous office mates who had already migrated to another country. The reason why I loved the book so much (aside from the fact that I love cookies), is the variation of the recipes and the ease of the process. Mrs. Fields did make the book easy to follow, which was suitable for beginners. That's also where I found the ultimate chocolate chip cookies that I love to bake. She had a secret ingredient that adds a little something to an ordinary chocolate chip cookie recipe. And so whenever I buy her cookies (which aren't inexpensive), and have that same familiar taste in my mouth, I can't help but feel nostalgic (and stingy). Almost always, I say to myself: "I could've made this myself if I hadn't lost the freakin' book!"


Anyways, while I was reading one of the food blogs I adore, I chanced upon a website called OldCookbooks.com. They sell old, out of print cookbooks from all genre, cuisine and baking. Of course they're all second hand books but, according to them, still of good quality. I immediately searched for this book, and surprise of all surprises, I found it! The price was reasonable, $7.75 (roughly P400). But to ship it to the Philippines would cost three times the price of the book itself! I was debating whether to order it or not. As of now, I still haven't decided. Maybe it's time to graduate from easy cookies and learn a different recipe. Maybe it's time I upgrade my baking skills. But then again, who wants to make fancy cookies that'll take forever to make when you just want to satisfy your craving for the good ol' chocolate chip cookies you've always known to love?

Beer Bread

I wanted to make something nice for my Dad on Father's Day. Probably due to lack of decent sleep this past week and my own confused mind, I actually thought it was yesterday! So I went ahead and flipped through my new bread book for something manly and father-like. Beer Bread sounds like it. :) So off to baking I go. Luckily, this bread only calls for the simplest ingredients which I already have on our pantry (except for a bottle of beer that can be conveniently bought from a sari-sari store near our house.)




By far, this is the easiest bread recipe I've made since I've learned how to make bread. I've easily memorized the ingredients & procedure with just one try. It was that easy! I just made a little boo-boo (yet again :p); the recipe called for one 375 ml bottle of beer, what I've bought was San Miguel Beer which, I didn't realize, was only 320 ml. The batter was a little dry and kinda hard to stroke (it actually looked like a dough). But I think it was just okay. After it was done, we immediately devoured it while it was still hot. It was rich and moist with a bitter after-taste of the beer. I was a little bothered by the after-taste but my Mom and Dad didn't seem to mind. After about three helpings, I've realized that it was actually what gives a distinct character to the bread. It is what separates it from the others. It was time for afternoon merienda, I ate mine with a bowl of steaming hot chicken noodles. It was perfect. My Dad asked me to make another one again that he would bring with him to the office on the following working day. Not so bad for a little confusion... Now my only problem is: what would I make for my Dad on the real Father's Day next week? ;o)


Beer Bread

3 cups all purpose flour
3 tbsp firmly packed brown sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 (375ml) bottle beer, unopened
4 tbsp butter, melted, plus extra for greasing

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a large loaf pan with butter.
2. Stir together flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl.
3. Open beer bottle and pour contents on flour mixture all at once. Stir just until combined.
4. Pour batter into the pan and drizzle with the melted butter.
5. Bake for 35 to 40 mins, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

(Source: Williams Sonoma -- Bread, Copyright 2002)

Recipe note: I didn't have a large loaf pan, so I just used a 9 inch cake pan, which is fine. Just reduce baking time to 30-35 minutes.

Bits and Pieces

My recipe books and recipe collection... (so far :))