Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Eureka! a love for baking

Wish someday I could capture a similar photo with me and my munchkin.
source
Oh how food can be so nostalgic. It takes you to a time and place where your heart is.

My mom cooks the most delectable dishes and bakes the yummiest goodies.  And no; I am not saying it as a patronizing daughter.  You should try any of her signature dishes and you will know what I mean.

Back when I was still a little girl, I remember mama always used to bake those lovely pastries and cakes.  I could still smell the aroma of a freshly baked cake fresh out of the oven.  And those "buko" pie topped with just the right sweetness meringue was my all time favorite.

As a little girl when my height was just barely able to reach our kitchen counter top, I would tiptoe so I can see how mama would beat the eggs and shift the flour. I would appoint myself as her assistant.   The best part was that while the cake is baking or the cookies are cooling on the cooling rack, I would happily lick the the sweet batter or the icing from the mixing bowl.  What an assistant!

Though I certainly have not reach my mother's level of competence in the baking arena,  nor do I have any signature dishes in my belt, I do recently discovered I love to cook and bake.  And like all mom's, I hope that some little part of what I do will be remembered affectionately by my children  son.

Or perhaps a family tradition would be born out of this new found passion.  Baking Sunday or perhaps Saturday brunch cooking with Mom....

Let me share with you what we have whipped up this weekend.  Chewy oatmeal bars...Not quite there yet, but will get there in time :)
oatmeal bars


Baked Oatmeal Bars (Recipe)

Ingredients:
3 Cups rolled oats
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup melted butter
3/4 cup dried cranberries

Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees (175 C degrees)
2. In a large bowl, mix together oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.  Beat eggs, milk and melted butter.  Add vanilla extract.  Stir in dried cranberries.  Spread into 9X13 inch baking dish.
3. Bake in preheated over for 40 min.
4. Cool and sliced into bars.

This is yummy with black coffee or tea perhaps.

Happy baking!!!



Tuesday, October 22, 2013

If ever I could own a house...

I have been in Pinterest for quite some time now, but I have recently discovered the joys of pinning.  Indeed a picture paints a thousand words.  And with that I am inspired to be a home-owner :)  A girl can dream you know.

If I could ever own a house

I will strive to make it our home.

With big closets…

And a lovely kitchen…


A welcoming foyer with a touch of Country Charm…


And a place for everything and everything in it’s a place….


A bath so lovely, taking a bath will always be a spa-like experience….
A his and her bathroom sink will be an added bonus.

And white picket fences would be a lovely addition  J


Ahhhh the joys of dreaming.


What about you, how do you picture a beautiful, relaxing home?



*All pictures taken from www.pinterest.com

Thursday, October 3, 2013

How to consciously live life to the fullest?


Last Tuesday, 1st October, I was about to post in my Facebook status “Zombie mode – wake me up when mid-November comes”.  But I pulled back.  My life mantra is what my blog header says “is on a journey to consciously live life to the fullest.”  And the idea of being in zombie mode definitely goes against the ideals I want to resonate in my life.

Living consciously is about taking control of your life.  Sleepwalking through life is definitely not taking control.  But most of the time, it is easier for us to set our lives in autopilot mode.  Do what we always do because we are used to it. It’s easier that way even if we have difficult chaotic lives.  It’s familiar.  It is never easy to break out of routines.

Yes it easy to cruise through life. But conscious living is living in the now.  It’s about taking time to smell the roses and be aware of your life and things that you are doing.

It gives us an understanding on what’s going around us and paving the way for us to get to where we want to go.  It allows us to expand our horizons.  It gives more passion into our relationships.  It makes our world more vibrant and colorful.  It creates a life that is more fun.  And who would not want that kind of life?

Living consciously is not a change you can do overnight.  It’s a journey with so many roadblocks and you will definitely have setbacks along the way.  I am on that journey and I am having my fair share of roadblocks and setbacks.
 
So how does one live a life of consciously living it to the fullest?  I have no definite answer.  It takes effort, and willful vigilance.  As what my cousin would often quote “let’s grab the bull by the horns”. Not an easy feat I should say, but it will definitely be a life well-lived.  And this is my work in progress.

So instead of sleeping the whole of October and half of November, I'm upping my oomph!  Well, hello there October! :)




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