A Small Treat For A Big Deed

Before going home last night, I dropped by at Starbucks, Glorietta to grab a quick dinner. They have new additions in their menu - salads and sandwiches! I decided to try their pesto pasta salad with roasted veggies and I definitely liked it! I paired it with my favorite dark mocha frap... yummy!

It's actually a small "treat" for finally taking a big feat! Leaving CSPI {again}, which has been my second home for the longest time, is one of the toughest decisions I had ever made. But things are different now that I'm already a mom. My priorities have shifted. I had to take that opportunity or forever be confined in my comfort zone.

To my friends in CSPI, I guess this is not goodbye... 'til we meet again c",)

On a lighter note, I am looking forward to working at PointWest and taking on a new role that comes with greater and more serious responsibilities. I'm also excited to making new friends. I hope I can also call it "home" c",)

Cookies (Again)

We stayed in Bulacan last weekend which meant I had the opportunity to beat, whip, and bake!

I tried a new recipe which I'd be naming "dark mocha cookies". I liked it but I guess I can make it much better next time -- I'll try to use a different brand of coffee, put lesser baking soda, and make sure not to add salt when using salted butter instead of unsalted one which the recipe calls for, haha!

Meanwhile, I baked "choco-mint cookies" for the second time and I'm loving it! It's definitely one of my favorite home-made cookies :-)

As promised, here's a picture...

Cookies Galore

I baked two flavors of cookies last Sunday: choco-mint cookies and toffee crunch cookies.

Choco-Mint Cookies - though many are not fan of the chocolate & mint combination... I personally like this one better! The original recipe that I got called for peppermint extract and I've been to several supermarkets searching for such but to no avail. Until one day, I came up with the "brilliant" idea to just use Andes Mint Chocolate! I'm glad it turned out great, it was a sure hit with my sis and her officemates, as well as with my choco-mint-addict friends in the office, hehe! I'll certainly be making these cookies again.

Toffee Crunch Cookies - I used Andes Toffee Crunch Chocolate for this one. It was fairly delicious and preferred by those who are not fond of cookies that are too sweet... right, Sai? ;-) I intentionally made this one 'coz I know Sai won't dare try to taste the former (surprisingly, he took a small bite of the choco-mint cookie... only to show his appreciation... or was it plain curiosity? haha!) Sadly, these didn't make it to my office. I brought home (from Bulacan to Lagro) a small bag of these cookies and it sold like hotcakes!

Sorry, I forgot to take pictures... as of this writing, the cookies are all gone! ;-)

Failed Attempt

I made some banana muffins and cookies 'n cream cupcakes for Icon's 3rd month celebration.

The banana muffins tasted great but looked a bit pale. I don't know what I did wrong. Probably the bananas I used were not {over}ripe enough. Or have I used the wrong kind of banana? Perhaps I should have put brown sugar instead of white? Whatever it is, I am bound to find out... I'll surely make these muffins again (and again) until I get it right, hehe!

The cookies 'n cream cupcakes is another story. Actually, it's oreo cheesecake molded like cupcakes! It actually tasted good but to my dismay, it looked awful! Guess I crushed the oreos too hard that it blended well with the cream cheese mixture :-(

My Last Day

My maternity leave is over...
I'll be going back to work tomorrow...
I'll surely MISS my baby!!! :-(

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Made these goodies for my son's 1st month, with the help of my sous chef Gie ;-)

It tastes better than it looks, hehe!

Check out the recipe here.

Baby Shower {Part 2}

February 16, 2010. Another surprise baby shower... this time around it was organized by my friends in the office. It just feels good to have friends who care enough to squeeze into their busy schedule a time for this. I'm sure our baby enjoyed every moment of it ;-)


Our profound and heartfelt thanks to everyone! Cheers!