Lazy Saturday = Lasagna

I was home with the kids today and decided to make some lasagna for them while they were napping.

I started by making a meaty and chunky spaghetti sauce with some Chorizo Bilbao to add more flavor. After that was done, I made a mushroom cream sauce. It's good to have your pasta cooking and grated Mozzarella cheese ready before assembling.

To assemble, I start with a thin layer of the meaty spaghetti sauce then I put the first layer of pasta on top.The next layer would be a generous helping of the mushroom cream sauce topped with grated Mozzarella cheese. 

Another layer of pasta then meat sauce go on top of the white sauce and so on. Finish the last layer with some white sauce, Mozzarella and Quick Melt Cheese. Place in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until the spaghetti sauce is bubbling  and the cheese is nice and gooey. 

Finished making my lasagna just in time ... kids are ready to eat!

FAB Kapitolyo EATS ...

I was passing through Kapitolyo, Pasig so I decided to check out some of the new fab eats in the area and I wasn't disappointed ... 

My first stop was Poco Deli, a neighborhood deli famous for their sausage and cheese platters, meatloaf, slab bacon and Black Out Chocolate Cake. The owner Chef Joy de Leon worked for the late Michael Beck, owner of Mickey's Deli along Jupiter Street. I was happy to find out that she opened her own place that serves our favorite German sausages. I ordered some Kielbasa, Bockwurst, Meatloaf and Nurnberger to go.

I had some brewed coffee and a slice of the much-blogged-about Black Out Chocolate Cake. The cake was moist and had an intense chocolate flavor and coffee custard filling that created a nice balance with the thick chocolate icing. I wasn't too fond of the mini chocolate chips around the cake. 
https://www.facebook.com/PocoDeliOfficial

My 5-year old daughter was with me so we decided to go to Milky and Sunny, a popular all-day breakfast place for some yummy blueberry pancakes. I enjoyed the cool, laid-back vibe and the teal and white interiors. I was going over the menu and they serve bacon and spam pasta, breakfast enchiladas, french toast, cereal by the bowl and unlimited cereal too! I will definitely come back for some Sunday brunch soon.
https://www.facebook.com/milkynsunny

I spotted two other must-try places across the street - Three Sister's Restaurant and Chuck Wagon Roast Beef Sandwiches
http://www.munchpunch.com/three-sisters-restaurant-pasig/menu
https://www.facebook.com/chuckwagonroastbeef

The Classic Roast Beef sandwich was delicious, the meat was tender and the mushroom gravy soaked the soft hamburger bun (P100). The pork bbq was char-grilled and tasted exactly how pork bbq should taste like, just the right balance of savory and sweet (P35/stick). 

A week after, my sister and I decided to try another popular rib place called RUB at East Capitol Drive. We ordered the Super Duo that comes with a rack of baby back ribs and two side dishes - we chose the grilled buttered corn and bacon potato salad. The menu said that the order was good for two but apparently not enough for us so we up-sized to the Family Brunch and added a side of coleslaw.

I enjoyed eating the ribs because of the char-grilled flavor and the tangy hickory barbecue sauce. The bacon potato salad had a distinct mustard flavor that reminded me of American potato salad. We liked the coleslaw - fresh and crunchy!

We were stuffed with the Family Brunch platter but we had to try the Fried Oreos with Vanilla Ice Cream. I was a bit underwhelmed with our dessert because of the oily after taste. Maybe they can improve the batter to make it sweeter, like pancake batter but I love the concept - they can add fried Twinkies too! 
https://www.facebook.com/RUBRibsBBQ

More Balikbayan Box STUFF ...

The Balikbayan Box that we had shipped a month ago just arrived today. It was such a happy surprise to see the box on our front door when I arrived home. 

Here's a peek at some of the stuff we bought ... 

My sister-in-law brought us some Speculoos (Cookie Butter) from Canada and I've been craving for some ever since. Good thing I was able to find some while we were in New York. If you've never tried Speculoos, the consistency is like smooth and creamy peanut butter.  You can spread it on bread, toast and crackers or just eat it straight out of the bottle with a spoon. It tastes like gingerbread with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg. Speculoos is like Christmas in a jar! 

I bought my 5 year old daughter the kiddie version of my favorite childhood game, Operation. The object of the game is to use the tweezer to pick up the different pieces without touching the sides and setting off the buzzer, when you do the patient's nose lights up. We had a blast playing this game.

 http://www.hasbro.com/games/en_US/operation/

Grocery Galore!

What I love more than shopping is GROCERY shopping and there were so many drool-worthy aisles during our trip to New York. Here are some of my faves ...

CHEESE anyone?  

BERRY-licious! 

 Citrus burst ... 

Bell Peppers, Zuccini and Cucumbers ... 

 Pickles and pickled peppers ... 

Coffee lovers dream ...  

 Liquid Coffeemate and 2% milk ...  

 Every kind of JELL-O ... 

Salami, Pepperoni, Prociutto, Ham, Sausages ... 

Snack Attack ...

Sharing some of my favorite snack finds from our US trip. I hope I'll be seeing these handy snack packs in our local grocery stores soon ... 

GO PICNIC is a FUN, all-in-one snack pack that you can take anywhere. In my case, I bought this at the San Francisco Airport for my flight to New York. I enjoyed eating the Wisconsin Salami Slices, Asiago Cheese Spread with Olive Oil and Sea Salt Crackers, Fruit and Nut Trail Mix and a Chocolate Cookie Cluster. 

Now that's what I call gourmet on the go! http://www.gopicnic.com/

The first time I tried Sabra Hummus with Pretzels was at Union Square where they had some people giving out free samples. This hummus really hit the spot with it's smooth and creamy texture and fresh, homemade taste. Wish I could have brought some back to Manila.  http://sabra.com/ 

How can you go wrong with crunchy cookie sticks dipped in Ferrero Nutella Spread? That's what I thought when I saw Nutella and Go at Safeway. This is an awesome, anytime, anywhere chocolate fix! http://www.nutellausa.com/

What's better than candy?

What's better than candy? ... GIANT candies! 

We were walking by the Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan when I spotted the IT'SUGAR Candy Shop. 

What caught my eye were the GIANT NERDS on the display window and when I went inside the shop I was ecstatic to see other super-sized candy treats ... I wanted to buy them all!! http://www.itsugar.com/

My next goal is to find a way to bring IT'SUGAR to MANILA ... 

I was bowled over ...

Breakfast just got better with this fab find from Brookstone. The OBOL bowl is a must have for people like me who prefer cereal to be crunchy and not soggy.  

This fun BPA-free bowl comes in funky colors and has an easy to hold, non-slip grip that lets you enjoy your cereal anywhere around the house. 

http://www.obol.co/

I found myself wandering around FRY'S http://www.frys.com/ while my hubby was drooling over all the gadgets. I was delighted to see the GYRO BOWL and I had to have it.  

Any mom would love this rotating, spill-proof bowl that uses Gyroscopic technology to keep snacks in the bowl and off the floor. 

http://gyro-bowl.com/