what I wouldn't give for....

the following HEAT BUSTERS!!!
Counter Clockwise from the Top: Halo-Halo, Mango Bing, 4 Treasure Ice, & Scoopery Ice Cream

Pichi Pichi

Pichi-pichi is a Filipino dessert made of coconut and cassava or kamoteng kahoy (Yam), another delicious cake or “puto” enjoyed by many Filipino, especially in parties. This Filipino delicacy was introduced in Quezon province, Philippines.

Thanks to our visit to Sandy's house this past month - we were introduced to the delicious version of made by Arny Dading's (see above photo), already a FAVE dessert of mine - it just became even more so with this version... it is lighter... cheesier... and just the right amount of sweetness.... am pretty sure I ate half of what was there... LOLs!!!

Totally recommended and I cannot wait to get back for more....

Pumpkin Treats

With Halloween just looming around the corner, I have been dropping hints, almost everyday, about what I miss most about this HOLIDAY - more than the costumes, more than the festivities, I miss Just Desserts' Pumpkin Cookies & Cakes.... and probably because he is soooo tired of hearing me go on and on about it, David actually made some PUMKIN treats for everyone... and for two consecutive days, too!!!
Yesterday he made us all Pumpkin Flats (pictured above)... simple and healthy with sprinklings of Cranraisins (who invents these stuff?)... and tonight his variation of the Pumpkin Cookies (Pictured Below)... some topped with white chocolates... some with cherry preserves... so you see, it helps to drop hints... okay, whine about these kind of things...
Okie Dokie... now that I have satisfied my Pumpkin Cookies desires - bring on the REAL HALLOWEEN!!!!

oh what a treat!!!

Last nite, David came home with a wonderful dessert called Canele... I had never heard of it before but am sure I have seen it at one point in bakeries in the US, if not Europe or Asia... but it was never anything I cared to order as it did not even look good -- as you can see in my accompanying photos (or maybe my photos are just bad... lols) -- anyway, it was never one to tempt my sweet tooth.... it looked like a miniature size pound cake that was a bit burnt from over baking....

I cannot even tell you how glad I am that DAVID did bring it home -- it was like biting into a piece of heaven, SWEET HEAVEN!!!! The brownish shade of the outside is due to the caramelization of the crust... But one bite into it and you will surely enjoy the soft and tender, savory taste of the custard center. Like my other favorite dessert, Flan, caneles are made of egg, milk & flour... and rum and vanilla are used to caramelize the outer part.

So this just goes to show me, once again, "I should never, ever "judge a book by it's cover...", this French dessert will surely become one of my all time FAVE!!!!

Something Different: Dairy Queen

Last nite of the Manila Trip in September...we decided to go and check out the progress on the CONDO high rise in Eastwoods City... we were caught in such heavy rain that we decided to weather it out and enjoy some desserts --being that was COLD & WET, we opted for ICE CREAM - naturally!!! Hahahahahaha....

Our choice was Dairy Queen.... something different for the family as they have never had it before.... Haagen Daaz is much more available in Shopping Malls in Manila... though I know of this place growing up in the Bay Area (California, USA), I did not get to have it again till I went to Vancouver to visit David, who was studying at the Culinary School at the time.... his rented home happens to be walking distance to a Dairy Queen.... and no matter where we are headed, we seems to be walking by it... so enticing but alas, always too crowded and busy... We did manage to enjoy it a couple of times though... once while suffering through the long lines... and another time in LANGLEY with Larraine and Jill (With David in photo above)... such a sweet treat and very much lining up for!!!

So during this last trip in Manila, it was such a pleasant surprise finding one at GATEWAY Mall, in the Cubao Area... needless to say, we immediately went up to the counter and ordered a couple of BLIZZARDS -- just as good as we remember it... So I made it a point to take the whole family to try it out.... and it worked out well as the last nite before heading back to Taiwan, after checking up on the progress of the EASTWOODS Condos, I was able to take everyone for Blizzards at the DAIRY QUEEN branch there... so everyone got to try something different and became Dairy Queen converts instantly...

And a bit more INFO according to WIKI:
"Dairy Queen, often abbreviated to DQ, is a international chain of ice cream and fast food restaurants. Its first location was founded in 1938 by John McCullough and since 1940 it has used a franchise system to expand its operations globally. Its largest franchisee is the Texas Dairy Queen Operating Council which runs the majority of DQ locations in the state of Texas.

Dairy Queen International is the parent company of Dairy Queen. In the US it operates under the American Dairy Queen title. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway. At the end of its fiscal year 2006, Dairy Queen reported over 5,600 stores in more than a dozen countries; about 4,600 of its stores (or approximately 85%) were located within the United States."

Kakanin: Filipino Sweet Treats

Some of the things I look forward to when going back to Manila (am sure my family will understand that some things precedes them - hehehehe) are the sweet desserts I remember growing up with.... the KAKANINs (sweets desserts).... I always say - I can forgo the actually meals... just give me cassava cake, bibingka, halo halo, etc.... I can have them every single day am visiting... and will be just fine... well, maybe not the tummy region, as they are all fattening, but I always figure -- I will just BURN all the excess calories later on..... as soon as I get back to my regular life and routine....

Living in Taipei it is a bit harder to find these.... but now and again, when I am able to attend church services at St Christopher's in Chang Chun Rd - I get to treat myself with whatever is available from the local , really small, Filipino community nearby... mostly Ginataan, turon (fried banana) - LOVE IT!, or puto & kutsinta.....

My BEST new FIND or HANG OUT is the mini-bibingka stall at the Shangrila Mall - Edsa.... these sweet piny cakes have always been a favorite of mine... no longer had to wait for XMAS to have them - which is what we did growing up in San Francisco.... but when in Manila, and for only 45pesos - just a tad over US$1, I can have it everyday -- and I DO!!!

am sure all these names are foreign to most of you -- but next time you happen upon a Filipino community, restaurant or grocery store - do check them out... try any of it... you just might find a new favorite dessert.... and believe me - they are all GREAT at all hours of the day!!!