Description:
Something round and red for the new year.

While bloghopping one day, I found this recipe for a Pineapple Upside Down Cake in 80 Breakfasts , one of the handful of food blogs that I regularly visit. I've been wanting to try it for the longest time but haven't gotten around to doing it until now.

Ingredients:
For the topping:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
Pineapple slices
Maraschino cherries

For the cake:
2 eggs (separated)
2/3 cups sugar
1/4 cup butter
6 tablespoons juice from the pineapple
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sifted all purpose flour
1/3 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
First, we make the topping. Melt the butter. Pour melted butter on the bottom of a 9 inch pan. Sprinkle with the brown sugar, make sure it’s even. Arrange pineapples slices and cherries in “an attractive pattern” atop the butter-sugar coating.

Then we make the cake. Preheat oven to 350F. Cream butter and sugar together. Gradually beat in the egg yolks. Add the juice from the pineapple and the vanilla and beat, in all at once. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together, and beat in all at once. Do not over mix. Beat egg whites until stiff. Fold egg whites into the batter. Pour the batter into your prepared pan and stick it in the oven. Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick “thrust into the center of the cake” comes out clean. Turn upside down onto a nice serving plate. Don’t remove the pan for a few minutes so all the sugar-y topping runs down over your cake (and does not stay stuck to your pan).

Description:
This is a recipe for Classic Fettuccine Alfredo, without the adornments. I had a pack of spinach fettuccine lying around, courtesy of Micka, so I used it instead of the regular fettuccine. Hence, Spinach Alfredo. For variety, you may add whatever other ingredients you want (bacon, shrimps, tuna, etc.). What's important is that you start with the basics.

Some notes on the ingredients: If you're on a budget, go ahead and substitute some of the ingredients. Of course the end product wouldn't be as rich, but it's guaranteed to taste good anyway. If you're having trouble finding fresh parmesan, use the grated parmesan cheese packaged in canisters. You may also substitute the heavy cream with all-purpose cream and the butter with margarine. We use white pepper in the recipe so as not to have any dark specks in the sauce, but black pepper will do just fine.

Some measurement shortcuts: One pack of butter is equivalent to 1 cup, so for 1/2 cup, just cut the butter in half. Some groceries also carry butter pre-cut, in sticks. One stick is 1/2 cup. For the cream, one small box is roughly equal to 1 cup.

Ingredients:
1 pack fettuccine
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup heavy or whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
generous dash ground white pepper
generous dash ground nutmeg
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
fresh parsley sprig for garnish

Directions:
Cook the fettuccine in a large pot of boiling salted water for about 6 to 8 minutes just until al dente; remove from heat. Drain well; return to dry pot. Tip: Add the salt after the water boils so you won't lower the water's temperature, making it boil faster.

Place butter and cream in large, heavy skillet over medium-low heat. Cook and stir until butter melts and mixture bubbles. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Stir in salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Remove from heat. Gradually stir in cheese until thoroughly blended and smooth. Return briefly to heat to completely blend cheese if necessary. (Do not let sauce bubble or cheese will become lumpy and tough.)

Pour sauce over fettuccine in pot. Stir and toss with 2 forks over low heat 2 to 3 minutes until sauce is thickened and fettuccine is evenly coated. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Garnish, if desired. Serve immediately.

Description:
I wanted to make cupcakes but I was too lazy to go to the store to buy ingredients, so I had to make do with stuff I already have. I did some web-browsing for a recipe and saw one for Nutella Frosted Cupcakes.

Fortunately, we never run out of Nutella in the house. I tweaked the recipe (specifically, I changed the amount of butter) so now it's a slightly modified version of a recipe that I found here, which is a slightly modified version of a recipe originally published in Donna Hay magazine.

Approximately 40 minutes later (including prep time), I had a dozen cupcakes. I made a second batch and, for variety, I added 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder, which gave it a more chocolate-y taste but took away from the visual contrast between the cupcake and the "frosting."

Anyway, to describe this recipe, it's easy, easy, easy.
And yum, yum, yum.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups (200 grams) sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
Nutella, approx. 1/3 cup

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325F. Line 12 muffin tins with paper liners.

Cream together butter and sugar until light, 2 minutes. Add in eggs one at a time, until fully incorporated. Don't worry if the batter doesn't look smooth. Add vanilla. Stir in flour, salt and baking powder until batter is uniform and no flour remains.

Using an ice cream scoop, fill each muffin liner with batter, they should be 3/4 full. If you're not using a scoop, fill each muffin liner with approximately 2 tbsps of batter. Top each cake with 1 1/2 tsp Nutella. Swirl Nutella in with a toothpick, making sure to fold a bit of batter up over the nutella.

Bake for 20 minutes.
Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
Makes 12.

Description:
Recipe modified from Super Cookery's Chocolate & Baking Cookbook, published by Parragon Publishing, Inc.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup soft margarine
4 tbsp light brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup oats

Caramel filling:
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp light brown sugar
7 oz condensed milk

Chocolate Topping:
3 1/2 oz dark chocolate
1 oz white chocolate (optional)

Directions:
1. Beat the margarine and brown sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the flour and the oats. Use your fingertips to bring the mixture together, if necessary.

2. Press the mixture into the base of a shallow 8-inch square cake pan.

3. Bake in a preheated oven at 350^F for about 25 minutes, or until just golden and firm. Coll in the pan.

4. Place the ingredients for the caramel filling in a pan and heat gently, stirring until the sugar has dissolved and the ingredients combine. Bring to a boil over a very lo heat, then boil very gently for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly until thickened.

5. Pour the caramel filling over the cookie base in the pan and let set.

6. Melt the dark chocolate and spread it over the caramel. If using the white chocolate, melt it and pipe lines of white chocolate over the dark chocolate. Using a toothpick, feather the white chocolate into the dark chocolate. Let set completely. Cut into squares to serve.

Description:
Yes, Big Bird of Sesame Street fame. He's been making this bread, with the help of a grownup of course, since I was 5. If you want to see the original recipe, with fun, kid-friendly illustrations and all, look for it in Volume 14 of The Sesame Street Library. I made two batches this weekend, one batch I baked in a bread pan, the other in a muffin pan. Hence, the picture. :)

Ingredients:
3 peeled ripe bananas
3/4 cup honey
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

Directions:
This you need a grownup to do:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a pan (or a microwave).

This you can do yourself :P
1. Put the peeled bananas in a bowl.
2. Mash up the bananas with the back of a fork.
3. Add the melted butter.
4. Add the baking soda, flour, and honey.
6. Stir everything in the bowl with a big spoon until everything is mixed together.
6. Pour the mixture into an oiled bread pan.
7. Bake for one hour.
8. Use the toothpick test to see if the bread is done.
9. Take the bread out of the oven and put it in a wire rack to cool.
10. Cut up the bread and share it with your neighbors.

Description:
This is actually more of a cookie than it is a pretzel. I recommend using the best chocolate you can find, because it will greatly influence the pretzels' taste.

Recipe modified from the Super Cookery Chocolate & Baking Cookbook, published by Parragon Publishing 2000.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
7 tbsp muscovado sugar
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

TO FINISH:
1 tbsp butter
150 g dark chocolate
1/2 tbsp milk
confectioners' sugar, to dust

Directions:
Lightly grease a cookie sheet.

Beat together the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. I used muscovado sugar but you can also use superfine or whatever kind of sugar you prefer.

Beat in the egg. Sift together the flor and unsweetened cocoa and gradually beat in to form a soft dough. Chill for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Break small pieces from the dough and roll them into thin sausage shapes about 4 inches long and 1/4-inch thick. Twist into pretzel shapes by first making a circle and then twisting the ends through each other to form a letter "B."

Place the pretzels on the prepared cookie sheet, slightly spaced apart to allow room for spreading during cooking.

Bake for 8-12 minutes. Allow the pretzels to cool slightly on the cookie sheet, then transfer on a wire rack to cool completely.

Melt the butter, chocolate, and milk in a double boiler, stirring to combine. Try to use the best chocolate you can find, since it will greatly affect the taste of your pretzel.

Dip half of each pretzel into the chocolate and allow the excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl. Place the pretzels on a sheet of baking parchment and allow to set.

When set, dust the non-chocolate coated site of each pretzel with confectioners' sugar before serving.

Description:
Known as Bopis everywhere else in the country, this dish is known locally in the province of Quezon as Kandinga. Because its main ingredients aren't the traditional meat cuts, this dish is not exactly everybody's favorite. However, it is a favorite pulutan among beer-drinkers all over.

Ingredients:
Pig internal organs (heart and lungs)
3-4 large bell peppers
1 large onion
1/2 head garlic
1/2 cup vinegar
1 tbsp cooking oil
Salt
Black pepper
Cayenne pepper (optional)
3-4 pcs siling labuyo (optional)

Directions:
Make sure the main ingredients are clean and fresh. Place them in a pot and add just enough water to cover them. Season with some salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, 15-20 minutes or until the meat is tender. Cool and set aside.

While waiting, prepare the rest of the ingredients. Mince the garlic, onions, and the siling labuyo. Slice the bell peppers thinly. I use three different kinds (red, green, and yellow) just to add more color to the dish.

When the meat has cooled, chop them into very small pieces. I have a meat grinder at home, so that's what I use. However if that's not available, you may chop them the old-fashioned way, using knife and chopping board.

Saute garlic, onion, bell pepper, and siling labuyo in cooking oil. Add the meat. Season with salt, pepper, and vinegar. Simmer for five to ten minutes.

Best served hot, and with a bottle of cold beer ;)

Description:
My mother does not know how to cook. Okay she does, but not really. This is one of the few dishes that she knows how to make. I think it's good. And easy easy easy.

We usually pair this dish with roasted potatoes, quartered or cut into large chunks and prepared the same way as the chicken (with olive oil, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning). You can even put your potatoes in the same dish/roasting pan. If doing so, place the potatoes around the chicken after removing the foil from the pan. The potatoes will cook faster than the chicken so they'll burn if you give them equal cooking times.

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken
1 clove garlic
olive oil
Italian seasoning
salt
pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Wash the chicken and then dry it using paper towels.

Cut the garlic in half and rub the exposed side all over the chicken so that it leaves a not-so-overpowering garlicky taste.

Pour olive oil all over the chicken, including the insides. And then sprinkle it with just a little bit of salt and pepper and a lot of Italian seasoning.

Place the chicken in a roasting pan and cover with aluminum foil.

Bake, covered with the aluminum foil, for about 40 minutes and without the foil for another 20 minutes or just until the skin turns golden brown.