A Manny Paquiao fight is one of the best excuses for Filipinos to get together, that is, a Pinoy Potluck, specially for Filipinos overseas.  It is more fun to be screaming cheering collectively with friends than sitting by one’s lonesome at home.  Plus, it’s easier on the pocket if the $50 or so pay-per-view charge is divided amongst several families.

We had one such get-together last Saturday at a couple  friend’s house, which unfortunately I wasn’t able to attend because I was “doctor mom” to my daughter that night.  However, my little girl gave her dad the go signal to go ahead and watch the fight…in exchange for what, I still don’t know just yet.  Hee hee.

My family’s contribution to the mad for Manny gathering was a good-sized tray of homemade maki.  It was maki madness!

I made 4 kinds of maki totaling around 70 pieces.  That, I say, is literally rolling with the punches.  Hee hee.  And mind you, those rolls were not microscopic in size. I got the ideas for these maki combinations from my trusty sushi cookbook.

Crab/Mayo Roll – (Imitation) crab meat mixed with a little mayo and salt, then sprinkled with sakura denbu.

Left:  Hawaiian Roll – ham and pineapple; Right: Ham and Cheese Roll

Crab and Cream Cheese Roll

There’s just so many combinations one can come up with.  You will only be limited by your imagination, creativity and available ingredients. I’ve made Filipinized maki and onigiri before, using longganisa for the maki and afritada and adobo for the onigiri.

After all that rolling, my hands would have welcomed some pampering.  Even the heat from hand dryers would have been a nice treat. Nevertheless, I can’t wait to experiment again with more maki combinations soon.  This weekend perhaps?

Have a great week, y’all! Cheers and Mabuhay!

My little girl has been requesting me to make her a burger for lunch, if only because she wants to squeeze some ketchup on the patty in the form of a smiley face.  Ah well, kindergartener.   Two days ago, I finally got around to making her that burger, a quarter-pound turkey burger with pickles…no onions, no cheese. And she loved it!  All she had left over was a two-bite sized piece.  I made burgers for hubby and me as well but ours had the 5-basic food groups well-represented…

This is an ideal lunch for my better half who often finds himself in conference calls during lunch time.  It’s a meal he can just take to his home office and enjoy amongst office furniture.   Hee hee.

We didn’t have any burger buns so I used what we had on hand, whole wheat bread.  I used my stove-top grill to cook the burgers.  I just love, love, love my stove- top grill!

To make sure the burgers were cooked, I even used my never-before-used thermometer!  An internal temperature of 170F means that the burgers are already cooked through.  I got a 172F when I checked.

I used ground turkey patties, by the way.  I just seasoned both sides of the patties with some salt and pepper and a dash of worcestershire sauce.  Then I sprayed the grill pan with cooking spray and proceeded to grill the burgers when the pan was already smokin’ hot.  I added a few more dashes of worcestershire after every flip of the burger.  The result was a tasty, not to mention juicy, burger that was far from bland.

Hubby, the biggest burger fan, loved it.  “Yummy, Munchkin!” he said.  I asked if it were better than In-n-Out’s, to which he unblinkingly replied, “Not quite just yet!”  Hmp! Well, whatever!  We’ll be having this again and again and again, that’s for sure.  The next one’s going to have fried egg.

Happy Hump Day!

I dubbed the following cupcakes as such because I donated these cupcakes – 24 in all – to the Little Munchkin’s school as prizes for a game called “Cupcake Walk” at the school’s recently concluded annual festival.

These are Devil’s Food Cupcakes.  I have to admit, I used a cake mix to make these, BUT, I did a teeny weeny bit of alteration.  I substituted the vegetable oil with butter, and the water, with milk.   Such substitutions does wonders, I tell you!  I may use cake mixes every now and then but I still make my own frosting.

I didn’t know at first what the Cake Walk is, so I asked a friend.  I learned that it’s a game much like “Trip to Jerusalem” and the kids get cupcakes or cookies as prizes.  The kids get to pick which cupcakes or cookies to take home.

Armed with that bit of information, I made sure my cupcakes will look appealing to the kids.  It would have hurt my pride big time if the kids gave my cupcakes the cold shoulder!  Hahaha!

To hook the girls, I used striking colors to frost the cupcakes and topped them with marshmallows and a Whopper malt balls.  I arranged the mini mallows and malt balls such that they look like flowers.

I didn’t forget the boys, of course!  To lure them, I used blue-colored buttercream frosting, then topped the cupcakes with store-bough Transformers decorations.   I also added some candy sprinkles.

I was very pleased with how the cupcakes came out.  Never mind if they weren’t from scratch.

I love piping decorations.  It’s something that, believe it or not, relaxes me after some serious baking.  Sometimes I wish I’ve taken up Culinary or Pastry Arts.  If only these were courses that can be taken via an online university.  For now, short courses are all I can manage…and can afford.  Hee hee.  But who knows?!

oOo

Speaking of on-line universities, I’ve been tasked to do a  review of an online university…the Western Governors Online University.  Allow me to veer away from the topic of food, something which I now very rarely do and try to avoid with all my might.  It’s close to impossible to do a fair review of a product when one hasn’t had the chance to actually try it yet, so I’ll just share my thoughts.

To advance and get ahead in this world, corporate or otherwise, it is a definite plus to have something “extra” to offer beyond one’s bachelor’s degree, like an MBA.  These days, more and more people realize the value of acquiring that master’s degree.  But very few have the luxury, not to mention the energy, to shuttle between work and (a physical) university, so an online mba has become the more convenient and logical option.

Western Governors Online University is one such university that offers the convenience of  online MBA programs.   Not only is it online, it also boasts of being affordable, accelerated and accredited.  Why is accreditation important?  Because it is an indication of an institution’s quality and reputation.

WGU’s online MBA programs include: M.B.A. Information Technoloy Management, M.B.A. Healthcare Management and Masters of Business Adminisitration.

I’m all for continuing one’s education.  I would if I could.   But be sure you’re getting your education from a reputable institution.  Because as far as education is concerned, one shouldn’t compromise quality with affordability.

*Disclosure: This is a sponsored post.*

Happy Monday!  Let me start the week off by announcing the winners of my little Yoplait Prize Pack Giveaway contest.   Only four people joined, which, I hope, isn’t an indication of just how many people really do read this blog.  Hahaha!  Actually, there were 5 participants but the fifth entry was received after the deadline I have set.

Without further ado, here’s the result of the draw…

Congratulations, Shasha and Hazel!  You each won a Yoplait Prize Pack which includes the following: coupon for  Yoplait Kids yogurt, travel cooler, fun spoon that changes colors in warm water, reusable place mat with games to keep the kids happy while snacking, and a fuzzy tangle puzzle.  If you have toddlers, they sure are gonna be happy! I’ll get in touch with you both via email.

Thanks also to Denise, Alet and Vero for joining the contest.  Better luck next time.  Hopefully, we’ll have more of this type of contests in the future. *crosses fingers*

***

More Yoplait Love

Here’s another reason why I love Yoplait…they support a cause that I hold dear…Breast Cancer Awareness.  At the recently concluded Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, held here in Austin last November 1st, Yoplait had a tent where they gave away free samples of their creamy and yummy yogurts.  We got to try out their latest offering, the Yoplait Delights Parfait, which comes in four flavors.  We tasted the Chocolate Raspberry flavor and it was an instant favorite.  It’s chocolate yogurt topped with a layer of raspberry yogurt.

If my daughter’s frowning in the photo, it’s because the sun was in her eyes.   Oh well, she refused to wear safety glasses…sun glasses.

I visited the Yoplait website and discovered that they are giving away 1-dollar off coupons for the Yoplait Delights.  Let me spread the love.  Click HERE and print yourselves some coupons.   A dollar is a dollar, you know!

Ooh, and one more thing, if you’re going to buy other Yoplait yogurt products, please buy the ones with the pink lids.  For every pink lid you send in before December 31st, Yoplait will donate $0.10 to the Susan K. Komen for the Cure.  Click the following link for the mechanics: Save Lids to Save Lives. Check out the school your child goes to.  They might be collecting Yoplait pink lids.

There.  What a fun way to start the week, ei?  Have a great one y’all!  Cheers!

“A Feeble Attempt at a Digimon Birthday Cake” would be a more apt title…

I made this cake for my dearest friend’s son who turned 5 last Monday.  I almost wished I accepted a health insurance quote as I was afraid my friend will break my arm after she sees the cake. Ok, that’s an exaggeration. Hee hee.

The top tier is French Vanilla with buttercream filling and the bottom tier is Devil’s Food Cake with chocolate filling.  I’ve seen a lot of cake photos that were frosted in buttercream but decorated with fondant and gum paste and they looked really great.  So I thought I’d try doing the same thing and hoped that mine would, at the very least, look decent.

The most dominant Digimon colors, I would say, are orange, yellow and blue.  Check, check, check.  The birthday boy’s favorite character is Agumon, the dinosaur looking creature on the top of the cake.  I cut out Agumon’s shape on yellow fondant and then drew and painted the details.

The figure is completely edible as I used markers with edible ink and coloring gel mixed with a bit of vodka (which evaporates so don’t worry!)  for the details.  My original plan was to put a lollipop stick at the back of the figure and make it stand on the cake.  Alas, the fondant still wasn’t hard enough by the time I had to leave the house.  Tsk.  So I cut out a rectangular piece of fondant to serve as a frame of sorts.  I should have, SHOULD HAVE, cut a round piece instead. 

Nevertheless, the birthday boy seemed to like his cake, and so did my friend.  The birthday boy’s twin brothers loved how the cake tasted.  That was the first time I saw them finish a slice of cake…EVER!  I hope to do a better job with the twins’ birthday cakes next month. *crosses fingers*

I’ve always been very mindful of what I pack in my daughter’s lunch bag.  Her two years in pre-school gave me very good practice.  It was very challenging for the most part!  What I appreciated most was the no sweets rule.  Sweets of any kind, even chocolate milk, were not allowed except for the occasional birthday cupcakes.  Juices have to be 100% juice with no sugar added.  But what is a meal without dessert?  In addition to fruits, I almost always send yogurt in my daughter’s lunch bag.  One, she loves it.  Two, it is a very good source of nutrients.  Three, it is almost like ice cream.

That said, when I received an email from MyBlogSpark a few weeks ago for an opportunity to review Yoplait Kids, I accepted it right away.  In the first place, we already are buying Yoplait yogurts!  In a matter of days, I received a package in the mail, the Yoplait Less Sugar, More Fun Prize Pack…

The prize pack included a coupon for a Yoplait Kids yogurt, a travel cooler, a fun spoon that changes colors in warm water, a reusable place mat with games to keep the kids happy while snacking, and a fuzzy tangle puzzle for some after-snack fun.  How cool is that?

I’ve always loved yogurt and I’m happy my daughter got the yogurt-love gene as well.  All of us love Yoplait’s thick and creamy texture.  My little girl’s favorite flavors have always been strawberry, strawberry-vanilla and strawberry-banana.  The most surprising thing is that they’re not messy at all to eat because the yogurt practically coats the spoon and doesn’t drip.  Plus, it is a very good source of vitamins and nutrients including Vitamin D and calcium.  They also have no artificial sweeteners or flavors. Yoplait Kids has 25%  less sugar than the average leading kid’s yogurts.

So, would you like to try out Yoplait Kids and receive a prize pack?  If you answered yes, then you’re in luck!   All you have to do is join  my Yoplait Less Sugar, More Fun Prize Pack Giveaway!  I’m giving away two (2) prize packs, exactly like the one I received (refer to above photo).  To join the contest, just leave a comment answering this question:

How do you keep snack time healthy and fun for your kids?

The contest is open to everyone who has a valid US address (no PO boxes, please!).  I shall use Random.org to pick out the winners, who shall then be contacted by email.  Should the winners not respond within 48 hours, I will pick out new winners.  Fair enough?  The contest ends on Sunday, November 8th at 11:59pm, Pacific time.

Good luck!

This give-away is sponsored by MyBlogSpark and Yoplait Kids.

Store-bought or homemade?….

Truth be told, I haven’t bought a cake since January 3rd 2009.  So this cake is definitely homemade.   I made this cake for a friend’s birthday which was celebrated on Halloween and I’m quite pleased with how the cake turned out.  The frosting, by the way, is whipped cream, that is, Creme Chantilly.  I love that my creme chantilly can sit out of the fridge for several hours and not fall apart.  Sorry, trade secret.

I planned to cover the entire perimeter of the cake with vanilla-filled Oreo sticks.  But as was the case with my daughter’s 5th birthday cake,  I didn’t have enough to cover a 10-inch round, 4-inch high cake. Tsk, tsk.  I didn’t want to use marshmallows to fill in the gaps because I’ve already done that before. So, I went to my bucket of chocolates meant for trick or treaters and dug for possible cake decorations.  You guessed it, my eyes  zeroed in on the Whoppers malted milk balls and voila!

I put some Whoppers on top of the cake as well.  They do make for good accents!  I knew the kids were going to love these little brown balls and I was right.  They were gone as soon as the birthday candle was blown.  Hee hee.

I loved this Whoppers idea so much that I used them again to top cupcakes that I made for my bestie’s son’s birthday on November 2nd (in addition to a birthday cake, of course!)…

These are Devil’s Food Cupcakes frosted with my go-to perfectly chocolate chocolate frosting.  Funny how all this brown color scheme I’ve got going here reminds me of a pair of Dansko. Hee hee.

It was just too bad the French Vanilla cupcakes didn’t come out of the oven as gorgeous looking as the chocolate ones…

They looked more like my sponge cakes.  Hee hee.  These were actually sunken in the middle.  But you wouldn’t have guessed that had I kept my mouth shut,  right?   So don’t fret when your cupcakes come out of the oven looking less than perfect.  If there’s anything I’ve learned in the almost one year I’ve been decorating cakes as a hobby, it’s that all mistakes can be covered.

I hope you had a most wonderful Halloween weekend.  And I hope your week is coming along wonderfully, too!

Cheers!

Puto Pao is steamed rice cake with pork filling.  I’ve made puto pao a couple of times already and believe me, they’ve gotten very good reviews from family and friends. That only goes to show how well loved I truly am!  Hahaha!

The pork filling I use is the same one I use for my barbecued pork siopao (Steamed Pork Bun). I know of at least two friends who are waiting for my puto pao recipe.  In case you’ve been looking for the recipe yourself in a cooking /food web directory, you can take a little break now.   Without further ado, here’s the recipe…

Pork Filling

1/2 T oil
1/4 cup diced onions
1 T hoisin sauce
1 T catsup
3/4 T sugar
1/2 T oyster sauce
1/8 t garlic powder
1/4 c water
1/2 T cornstarch dissolved in 1 T water
3/4 C diced cooked barbecued pork

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a wok/pan, heat the oil then add the onions.  Cook in high head for about half a minute.
2.  Add all the other ingrediencts, except cornstarch and barbecued pork.  Allow to cook for another minute.
3.  Add the cornstarch to thicken the sauce.  Then mix in the diced cooked pork.  Set aside and cool.

Puto Pao

3 C all purpose flour
2 C sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 C milk
1/2 lb butter, melted
2 T baking powder
pork filling

DIRECTIONS:

1. Line the puto molds or individual silicon muffin cups with cupcake liners or cut banana leaves.
2. In a bowl, mix all the ingredients together, except the pork filling, until smooth.
3. Fill 1/4 of the molds/cups with the puto batter. Then carefully put a teaspoon of the pork filling at the center of the batter.
4. Add more puto batter in the molds/cups until it is 3/4 full.
5. Place the puto molds in a steamer. Cover it with a wet towel before putting on the steamer cover.
6. Steam for approximately 10-15 minutes.

For the cooked barbecued pork that is called for in the pork filling, what I do is I marinate the diced pork with Chinese barbecue sauce/marinade and leave it in the fridge for at least an hour.  Then I stir-fry the pork.  I’m lucky I found a Chinese barbecue sauce at the Asian supermarket which leaves the pork tasting like the roast pork from a Chinese restaurant.

Add food color to the puto batter if you want a nice colored puto pao.   Puto pao is white…usually.  The ones in the photos are pink because I served these at a pink food party.

I threw a party last night.  The occasion?  My proposal for the October edition of Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24 got picked!  Foodbuzz, in case you haven’t heard yet, is the third largest on-line food property of which I am one of close to 3000  Featured Publishers. “Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24″ is a monthly event where 24 chosen bloggers from around the world make their proposed meals happen in the course of 24 hours – 24 bloggers, 24 meals in 24 hours.  To say that I am beyond thrilled to have been chosen for this event is an understatement.

Images from the Evite I sent to my friends. I designed the image in the middle.

October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I proposed a “Pink Food” Party, where everything on the menu is pink or accented with pink.   You see, Breast Cancer is a disease that has touched my family and my very own Mom is a survivor.  I also have relatives and friends, not to mention friends of friends, who have been touched by the disease as well.  I thought it was only appropriate to celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness Month…to celebrate life and honor  everyone who has survived, have been diagnosed with and continue to battle breast cancer.  As luck would have it, my Mom is currently with us for a vacation.

The Appetizer Table

As if pink food wasn’t already a challenge in itself, in my proposal, I limited my menu to Asian food items, namely Chinese, Japanese and Filipino.  I came up with 6 appetizers, 1 soup, 3 main dishes and 3 desserts with 2 other bonus items.  I invited 5 other families – my family’s dearest dearest friends – to join my family for this special meal and share the pink calories the food came with.  Hee hee.  The least of my worries were the food photos.  I happen to have friends who are excellent photographers.

Party time was set for 7pm, and while most of the food were ready by the time my guests arrived, I was still very much in the middle of sushi preparation and photos had yet to be taken.  Talk about being late to my own party!  I’m blaming Murphy’s Law. Thank goodness I have very understanding friends! 

Out of the 13 items on my menu, 8 were labor intensive.  You have to understand that I’m neither an Iron Chef nor am I Robert Irvine.  Plus, I had to make the pink happen.  I’ve said enough.

Here’s re-living last night’s party with you all…

APPETIZERS

1. Shrimp Dumplings

Have you ever seen dumplings in pink wrappers?  Because the Asian grocery doesn’t really carry dumpling wrappers in a wide variety of colors, I had to make my own dumpling wrappers from scratch.  I attempted to avoid using food color and tried using beet juice at first.  Guess what, it didn’t work.  So I had to use two drops of food color to make the wrappers.  And they came out great!  I’ve always wanted to make the translucent kind of wrappers and this was the perfect time to do it. It was well worth all the trouble.  Tasted great, too!

These Shrimp Dumplings were the run-away favorite…that or I didn’t make enough.  Click HERE for the recipe.

2. Turkey Shumai/Siomai

I made the shumai wrappers from scratch, too.  Unlike the wrappers I used for the Shrimp Dumplings which were made with wheat starch and tapioca starch, the wrappers for these Turkey Shumai were flour based. This was the second time I made shumai wrappers from scratch.  I have to roll the dough a little thinner next time.

Click HERE for the recipe.

3.  Kani Maki

There’s too little crab and too much rice.  Haha! I should have used two strips of crab sticks for the maki.  Oh well.  Nobody complained. I mixed some Sakura Denbu with the rice to give it a pink tint.  I guess I should have used more.  Hubby was saying I should have just sprinkled them on the rice.  I’ll be sure to keep that in mind next time.

4.  Spam Musubi

Let me tell you a little secret…I didn’t really use Spam.   I used a store-brand luncheon meat so technically, these are Great Value Musubi.  Hee hee.  It’s not that I scrimped on the ingredients.  It’s just that over time, I’ve convinced myself that Walmart’s luncheon meat actually tastes better than Spam.   Now, don’t anyone leave angry comments!

Click HERE for the Spam Musubi how-to.

5.  Puto Pao

Puto Pao is Steamed Rice Cake with (Sweet) Pork Filling.  It is the Filipino version of the Steamed Pork Buns or Siopao as we call it in the Philippines.  This is easier to make than the steamed pork buns and took only about 12-15 minutes of steaming.  Ideally, puto pao is lined with banana leaves.  I had banana leaves but I didn’t know I had to heat them first to make them pliable.  These Hannah Montana cupcake liners saved the day.  They’re pink, too!

Click HERE for the recipe.

6.  Red Cocktail Hotdogs and Marshmallows

The hotdogs aren’t pink, yes, but isn’t pink pale pale pale red?  I rest my case. Red hotdogs are huge in the Philippines.  At parties, the red hotdogs are usually skewered with a bamboo stick with a piece of marshmallow at the pointed end.  Don’t think I forgot the marshmallows because I sure didn’t!…

I didn’t have time to skewer the hotdogs and marshmallows so I served the marshmallows “on the side” in a wine glass.  I think it was a nice touch, if I may say so myself.

SOUP

Sinigang na Hipon sa Bayabas (Shrimp in Sour Broth)

This soup actually doubles as a viand.  Sinigang is a popular soup dish in the Philippines made sour either with the use of tamarind, guava or calamansi (Philippine lime).  These days, it is more common to use a sinigang seasoning mix.  Because I try my darnest best to avoid using ingredients with MSG, I haven’t used a sinigang mix in a long time.  For this soup, I used two cartons of organic pink guava juice plus the juice of a boiled and strained fresh guava. The soup was more sweet than sour but tasted really nice.  If the soup looks a little too murky, it’s because of the vegetables in it (eggplants, green beans and tomatose).  I waited too long before I took a photo.

MAIN DISHES

1. Sweet and Sour Shrimp Balls

We love shrimp balls.  We love sweet and sour “anything”.  That said, I knew Sweet and Sour Shrimp Balls would be a logical choice for a main dish.  I had a feeling that this was going to be a hit amongst my guests.  And I was right! SHOULD’VE.MADE.MORE!  Tsk. Tsk.

Click HERE for the Shrimp Balls recipe, and HERE for the (basic) Sweet and Sour reipce.

2.  Fish Sarciado

Sarciado is a sauce made with sauteed chopped tomatoes, onions and garlic seasoned with salt or fish sauce.  I used tilapia fillets to make these.  Oh, I take that back…it was my sous chef/all-around helper who made the Fish Sarciado (and the Sinigang, too!).  She’s no other than my mom.   Thank God for vacationing mothers!  Hee hee!  It was my mom who taught me how to make this dish.  I thought it was just right that she did the honors of making these for my friends.   Excuses, excuses!

Click HERE for the recipe.

3.  Ginataang Manok (Chicken with Coconut Milk)

In as far as pink/reddish dishes are concerned, it is obvious that I failed miserably in achieving the desired color. What a shame!  I didn’t expect the dish to turn too orange-y.  I know exactly where I went wrong.  I shouldn’t have browned the chicken pieces before adding the coconut milk and the tomato sauce.  Then again, I would have ended up with a less tasty dish in my desired color.  What can I say?  Taste trumps color!

DESSERTS

1.  Ginataang Bilo-Bilo (Rice Balls with Coconut Milk)

I love bilo-bilo or sticky rice balls!  There are different kinds of ginataan or desserts with coconut milk.  There’s  Ginataang Mais (Corn with Coconut Milk) and there’s Ginataang Hal0-halo (Mixture of Fruits with Coconut Milk; halo-halo means mixture)).  Ginataang Bilo-Bilo is my ultimate favorite!  Bilo-Bilo is made by adding water to sweet rice flour – the same flour used for mochi balls – and turning them into balls.  This dessert was made with coconut milk, coconut cream, jack fruit slices, pink tapioca pearls and sugar.

2.  Mamon (Filipino Sponge Cake)

I’ve made sponge cakes so many times, yet, the night before the party, I had to start over three times!  I’m telling you…Murphy’s Law!  Grrrr!  Instead of rolling the buttered sponge cakes in plain sugar, I rolled them in pink and red candy sprinkles.

Click HERE for the recipe.

3.  Fresh Fruit Kebabs

My dear dear friend, Bet, who is an excellent mommy chef, refused to come to my party without bringing anything.  So I relented.  I asked her to bring fruit kebabs, thinking it wasn’t going to be too much of a bother.  Well, look at these kebabs!  I think they’re gorgeous.  And they came with two kinds of dip, yogurt and whipped cream…

Each fruit kebab had the requisite pink/red fruits – watermelon and strawberries – plus banana, pineapple, pound cake and a special treat…a huge white marshmallow! 

4.  Chocolate Kisses

I was looking in the pantry  for treats to add to my dessert table and found these appropriately colored chocolate kisses!  I checked the date and they are still good!  Woot woot!  

5.  Pink Marshmallows

More treats from the pantry!  Pink marshmallows!  This was one of those times that I wished I had a fondue pot.

BEVERAGES

1.  Sagot’s Gulaman (Tapioca Pearls with Jelly)

My friend, Bet, came early for the party, so I bestowed upon her the honor of being Beverage Manager.    I shoved a pack of brown sugar and pack of pink tapioca pearls in her very helpful hands so she could get to work.  Oh, and that was after she made the Fruit Punch!  Hee hee.  Sago’t Gulaman (Tapioca Pearls and Jelly) is a popular thirst quencher in the Philippines.  I love having this in parties I’m hosting.  It’s always nice to have something that takes me home.

Click HERE for the recipe.

2.  Tropical Fruit Punch

This was very simple to make.  Just pour a big can of pineapple juice and a huge container of fruit punch in a punch bowl and voila, you have a kid friendly drink.  If I can help it, I will not serve soda at my house.  I very much succeeded this time.

To prove to you that I did have guests over to enjoy all these pink food goodness, here’s our group pic…

Here’s another one at a different angle (we had 4 cameras take this group pic!)

It was a successful party, notwithstanding the wait time my guests had to endure.  Some of my friends were asking if we could do this on a monthly basis.  Haha!  My husband and wife friends, Andrew and Michele, couldn’t have said it better: “Great company and excellent food.”  *clears throat*

Here’s a parting pic for all of you…

That would be me…happy and visibly tired.  The eyes don’t lie. This was taken after the guests have left a little after midnight.

Thank you, Foodbuzz, for the wonderful opportunity and for making this party happen.  To my family and friends…thank you…you are all super.

PS:  I’ll be linking the recipes to the above dishes in a bit.  In the case of the new dishes, like the Puto Pao and Ginataang Bilo-bilo, I shall post them in the next couple of days.