spiCes

First, let me wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year!!!
As this is the weekend before the holidays officially start and I know each and everyone of us will be all the more busy with various activities such as last minute shopping, gift wrapping, more decorations and most importantly cooking up something for that very special day or baking more goodie give-aways just as I was.
Last night I spent hours in the kitchen until around 1 am to finish up the last batch of my goodies…prepping, pressing, filling up pressed cups, baking up to cooling and then finally gift-boxing and putting labels. [If only I can get out and brave that 1 foot of snow, and still pouring]

PRESSING…was the hardest part of it all, next to mixing the dough with a hand-mixer [d'oh!]. I tell ya, after my said ’session’ with Stel, I have made some walnut cups, chocolate walnut cups and last night i tried incorporating hazelnuts [which turned out the best among the 3] and will be posting ‘em soon. In those 3 instances, I was using my good ‘ol wooden rolling pin and/or pestle to form the dough into little cups and it wasn’t very easy since the diameter of both does not match the muffin pan holes as snug as it should be. Unlike this TART PRESS of Stel, that we used the very first time. I have been scouting around for this, unfortunately I cannot find one yet in stores and online. Don’t get me wrong though, it is still doable and with practice…it felt easier and easier with the ‘improvised gadgets’…
And as mentioned above, another KITCHEN GADGET on my wish list is a KitchenAid Artisan 5-Qt. Stand Mixer. Actually, I don’t need to buy one anymore…I just need to find a way to ship my mom’s from Manila to here!:] and as I told my sister, she can sell everything that mama owns except for this!:] Although it’s in cobalt blue rather than the red that I am drooling over and the perfect color which should be a perfect accent piece in my black and white kitchen…I won’t mind I guess hehe, since it is my mom’s first and foremost and it does cost so much.
So what’s on YOUR KITCHEN WISH LIST? or what KITCHEN GADGET has been on your wish list that you have finally received from santa?
is a weekly PHOTOGRAPHY meme, Pinoy style!
For the next 2 Sundays, I am assuming that everyone will be more caught up in all these holiday brouhahas…so I understand if you won’t get to post…but if you do so…it’s all about CHRISTMAS FOOD and NEW YEAR FOOD respectively.
ENJOY THE HOLIDAYS!!!MWAHHH!