Cascaron, deep fried bread dough, is a popular merienda (snack) option in the Philippines. Filipinos love fried food. I love anything fried!

Cascaron or “Bitsu-Bitsu”, deep fried bread dough; crunchy outside; soft and sticky inside. It’s made from mochiko flour, a kind of sweet rice flour. Cascaron is a sweet crunchy snack that should not be confused with the other…

I just love cats! We’ve always had cats in our house. I think the love of cats, and all critters, for that matter must run in our family. We all have at least a pet or two, except in my house we can be a bit extreme. At one point we actually had a dog, a cat, a rabbit, and a horse living with us! Thankfully my husband saw reason and we now only have a cat and dog in…

I love making aviator hats. I just think they’re so cute. They make great photo props for infants, toddlers, older kids, and even adults. I’ve made them for girls and boys. I made a slate colored one for my grandson Jett, and a hot pink one for my friend’s daughter Madeline. They both look adorable.

I decided my one year old grandson, Sadi, would look adorable in an…

Last week I made a Spring Throw Blanket for my daughter Jaime’s new house. She lives in Colorado and can definitely use it. I had found the yarn on sale at my local craft store and fell in love with the colors. I just had to have them even though I had no idea what I would make with them. Then after moving into her new home my daughter bought a new white leather couch and…

Pinoy (Filipino ) Chicken Noodle Soup is a tasty noodle soup dish usually made from bone-in chicken thighs, bacon and chicken liver. It has that good Asian chicken flavor and can help keep you warm during cold season.

I love cooking my own chicken noodle soup at home because aside from having the chance to enhance my cooking skills, I also get the opportunity to make…

As many of you know by now my ongoing project is to re-decorate my guest bathroom. I think this is the third re-do since we bought the house 13 years ago. Not bad really, but each time I’ve redone it I change the color scheme and theme completely. The last theme was I suppose rain forest and featured shades of green, I can’t recall what the previous decor was only that it was…

Whenever we are in LA there’s this place we frequent, Zankou Chicken; although their specialty is the delicious rotisserie chicken they also serve beef and chicken kebobs and shawarma wraps. We love the beef shawarma so much that we buy a dozen or so to take home with us.

Since there are no trips…

Last week I was in a mad frenzy making headbands for my only granddaughter Harper for her to wear for the upcoming planning party. She looks too cute in them! Being our only Princess, Harper is a bit spoiled by us all. We have 4 grandsons including her twin brother Sadi, none of them want or need crochet headbands. But I…

The holidays are here ready for planning party! That means most of us are busy, busy, busy! This time of year planning and preparing daily family meals becomes yet another chore tacked on to our list of daily chores. I try to make my life easier and my family fed by having ready to serve or easy to…

Turrón de Banana or also known as lumpiyang saging or banana lumpia is the next recipe in our Merienda Recipes series and it's good in planning party. It’s a Filipino snack made with thin sliced bananas preferably saba or Cardaba bananas and a slice of jackfruit wrapped in a thin pastry shell. The…

Capri is one of my favorite places in Italy. We try to go there every year when we’re in the country. It’s an easy day trip when you’re on a cruise ship or staying in Rome. Of course you can spend your whole vacation relaxing on this wonderful island off the coast of Naples as well!

But…

Last week I decided to try out my spinach & cheese filling on Jumbo pasta shells. It’s basically the same recipe I use for my Yummy Spinach & Cheese Pasta Rolls, but I used Ricotta Cheese instead of cottage cheese.

The stuffed shells go great with garlic bread or garlic knots.

Ingredients:

10 Jumbo Pasta Shells

10 oz. frozen…

Last month we made breakfast in bed, threw together a brunch buffet, tea party, or luncheon for Moms on Mother’s Day, but what about Dad? What do we do for Dads on Father’s Day Planning Party? I’ve noticed that Dads don’t seem to get the much deserved pampering on…

Lime Cilantro Chicken Bake

Looking for something quick and easy to make for dinner? Here’s a chicken recipe that you can whip up in less than half an hour. It’s not only easy it’s yummy too!

This Lime Cilantro Chicken Bake can be served with…