The Mommy Book

The Chocolate Chamber has an on-going promo of the Alfajores.  From an original price of PhP525 it is now only PhP450.00 till Nov. 30, 2020. 2 - 3 mins read Cebu City, Philippines          If you've been following my blog, you know I am a huge fan of The Chocolate Chamber and all the products associated with it.  Not the least of them is the Alfajores.          At first glance, these round shaped delights remind me of a childhood favorite - chocolate mallows.  But please, there is no comparison.  These Alfajores by Raquel T. Choa are chewy vanilla cookies filled with creamy caramel and coated with rich chocolate made from tablea.           Tablea, the Philippine version of cacao milk is chocolate in its purest form.  Cacao beans are roasted, shelled, winnowed, ground and molded with no additives to create this pure "food of the gods".          Raquel narrated she was inspired by the classic alfajor, given by her Argentinian friend, Norma.  The alfajor is a traditional Sou

I'm extremely proud of making this Japanese Cheesecake!               I associate Japan with discipline, harmony and completion.  Though I may be criticized for feeling proud of my first Japanese Cheesecake, I feel honored.  The process was smooth.  The cake had a rhythm.  Its elements fell into place as balance was achieved.              This recipe I discovered on Google.  And I simply loved Trang's site.  Her instructions were clear and calmly explained with specificity.                 I didn't follow her recipe to the letter though.  Several modifications had to be made.  I used a 9 x 2 inch round pan.  I used full cream milk.  And the way I lined to pans were not exactly to the letter.  But that's the beauty of baking.  You can adapt!               As a typical Filipina Mom, I have a sweet tooth.  And the final cake tasted a little bit bland.  But I know it is much healthier for most of us.  The adult members of our family loved it as is. Peanut Butter, Guava Jel

Credit goes to the owner of this amazing photo.  More photos can be viewed in Florentino's Facebook Page. 2 - 3 minute read Cebu City, Philippines Written By: April May Ramos This pandemic is an irony of sorts.   It is terrible yes!  And yet wonderful things are sprouting up from it. I for one have discovered my inner plantita , let out the closet baker in me and was blessed by a new and amazing online business with an awesome community of mentors. This family behind the famed Florentino's Eco Park lifted God-given gifts to higher heights. The Leader of the Pack So who's Florentino?  Nope, he's not talking Italian.  He's a true blue Filipino, and a renowned fine art painter at that. I met Jun Impas years ago when I wrote about art in Cebu.  Little did I know then his wife is Nina Wenceslao, my batchmate in UP High.  It just amazes me where fate can lead us. I remember going with a large group of Cebu artists to Luzon, led by artist  exceptionnel  Celso Pepito.  W

Ryan and I created a Chocolate Cheesecake for Emily's birthday. Our Chocolate Creations 2 minute read Cebu City, Philippines          Being friends with the Chocolate Queen Raquel Choa and her Chamber Keepers definitely has its perks.  For one thing, they shower us with their amazing artisanal products.  Our favorites are the Unsweetened Cacao Powder, Melted Chocolate, Tsokolate Bars and Cacao de Bola from The Chocolate Chamber .     We love these because we can create several other yummy treats from them!  So here I share with you some of our Chocolate Creations. Dark Chocolate Cheesecake      Ryan did the thick one, I did the thin one, through thick and thin!     Would you believe Ryan and I got the Chocolate Cheesecake idea from Geronimo Stilton?  So we finally baked, not one but two!  It was Emily's birthday.  The Melted Chocolate we got from Raquel was so rich and dark, very pure!  So we got the darkest chocolate cheesecake ever.     It had an equally dark Oreo Cheesecake

3 min read Cebu City. Philippines                Let me guess.  You’re worried your teenage boys are cooped up in the house playing gadgets, right?  Well honey, you’re not alone!                 In the midst of this madness of COVID 19, a lot of mommies have gotten busy in the kitchen.  I’m not a cook myself.  I have never even baked a cake ever!  So I tried to get my hand on both.  And I dragged my two teenage boys with me.                 Here I share with you 7 simple starter recipes that I used to lure my boys into the kitchen.  Believe me, none of us cook or bake.  But these make you love baking and cooking in no time! Good ol’ Pancakes               So why not start at the simplest recipe?  Pancakes!  We got all our recipes through Google – what can be more simple than that?  We used a Homemade Pancake Mix .                 We added in some chocolate chips and sometimes peanut butter chips.  We used Hershey’s and Reese’s.  And you can vary your pancakes in many wa

3 min. read Cebu City, Philippines                  Dark chocolate has always been my favorite.   Even when choosing chocolate bars, I search for the darker kinds.   I’m a big fan of our local sikwate (Filipino hot chocolate) too.   The thing is, I always thought it was not good for me.   I was always told it raises my blood pressure.                But would you believe the truth is actually the opposite?   Johns Hopkins nutritionist Diane Vizthum, M.S., R.D. i n an article titled “The Benefits of Having a Healthy Relationship with Chocolate” said it lowers blood pressure.                The article stated that dark chocolate contains antioxidants including a flavonol (compounds found in plants) called epicatechin.   Flavonols fight inflammation and protect against cell damage caused by free radicals.                Here are 2 main benefits of dark chocolate: Helps your heart.  It has antioxidants that lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of clotting and incr