It's time to have that Dewberry Yogurt Cake

Don't want to make you crave at this hour, but I'm here to tell you that a Dewberry Yogurt Cake actually exists!

You loved their fruit jam and cream filled cookie sandwiches, and this time, they're taking it up a notch to make sure you enjoy three things you love, that's fruits, cake and yogurt! I personally love the strawberry variant, but I'm sure a lot of people also love the other blueberry variety.

It's available in supermarkets, groceries, sari-sari stores nationwide and only cost Php 82.10 a pack of 10 bars so really, there's no reason why you shouldn't indulge in one right now.

This product is made by the folks at Universal Robina Corporation (URC), same as Great Taste Coffee, C2 Cool and Clean, Jack n Jill, Piattos, Maxx, Cloud 9 (a personal favorite!), Magic Flakes and more! You may visit urc.com.ph if you want to know more!

How To Make Quaker Oats Cream Pie

It was a long night and I decided to not just stay in my room and be awake til 6am the next day. I started tinkering around the kitchen and I remembered that I have a bunch of Quaker Oats on the cupboard which arrived yesterday. Chef Miko Aspiras and Quaker Oats partnered up to make this recipe called Quaker Oats Cream Pie so I took out the old cookie sheets and steel bowls and started this show.

Recipe calls for:

Cookies

1 and 1/4 cup Unsalted Butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 Large Egg

2 Teaspoons Vanilla

1 Tablespoon Molasses

1 and 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour

1 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

3/4 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1/4 Teaspoon Nutmeg

3 Cups Quaker Rolled Oats

Filling

3/4 Cup Unsalted Butter

3 Tablespoons Heavy Cream

1 and 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla

3 cups Confectioners Sugar

Just combine the dry ingredients, use a bowl and slowly put in the whisked wet ingredients. Fold in the oats then form them into cookie sizes. I used a heart shaped cookie cutter to do that and baked it for around 10 minutes. Make sure you watch it carefully, I left one batch a few minutes late and it got burnt. While that is cooking, combine the wet ingredients for the filling, then whisk in the Confectioners Sugar. I didn't use any mixer and just did it by hand and it turned out okay. My first batch was actually superb! I sandwiched it in two heart shaped cookies and that photo above came out. You would be proud to have that for dessert, snacks or even breakfast!

The batch I made during this time was absolutely loved at home. I stored the rest in the fridge and cooked another batch the day after, unfortunately I made the mistake of wanting it to be super crispy and burned 4 of them haha. Chef messaged me and said, "As long as you had fun doing it, that's okay! That's what is important."

Quaker Oats is a good source of protein and fiber, things that can improve your immunity and make your body strong so you wouldn't get sick. I made use of the Whole Grain Rolled Oats during the baking session because it keeps its shape even when baked and you can feel the chunky bits in it. Aside from that, it actually tastes good too after a few minutes in the oven.

Keep your family safe during these times. You need to make food that nourish available for them at home and oats are made of good stuff. I also love the Honey Banana variety because it only takes a few minutes to prepare. You're getting nutritious food on the table and protecting your family. 

Oats doesn't have to taste like cardboard, you can make it into a good meal. 

That's a good thing!

 

How To Help During the COVID19 Lockdown

How are you? Me, not in the best shape because I flare up so quickly, and I get stressed a lot. I often regret a lot of what I say after a few hours but I'm glad my mum understands no matter what I say or do. I guess it's us coping during this lockdown period, I wish you're all okay though.

Now I've been trying to help in little ways, because I know a lot of people out there are struggling. I've seen former classmates ask for help on Facebook, so I try to give a little more when I can. The Enhanced Community Quarantine is not ending soon and I understand how hard it could be for some people, I have been there. I'm glad PayMaya is still operational until now and the way I send money is thru their "Send Money" option on the PayMaya App. It's instantaneous and people get the money fast, more so if they need it during these days. The app also can send the money via Instapay because the Bank Transfer option on the app works, else, you can do the Smart Padala way so they can get it via Smart Padala agents or Palawan Express. 

Have you heard of the legendary Banana Cookie Lava cookies from Aperitif PH? If not, go ahead and buy a box of 12 from them so that another box of 12 will go to frontliners who need a break. I love what they are doing, it just makes everything so positive amidst the pandemic. It's a nice way to help while you're getting your cookie fix.

Oh and since we can't all go out and pay for our bills, inform your friends and family to do it via PayMaya. Just go to the Pay Bills option on the app and select the merchant, input the accounts and pay for the exact amount on your bill. I made sure to do that because the next thing we wouldn't want to happen is if services like internet and phone connection get cut off while we are all under quarantine. This is a good advice, take my word for it and get extra if you use my code KUMAGCOWPYMY to register. 

Now isn't that nice to know?! Go donate if you can okay? :)

 

It is good... Scout's Honor!

I've had good cookies in my cupboard for years courtesy of people in my family who bake mean stuff in the afternoon, right for a snack. As a boy scout myself, I remember making some over a fire a few decades ago LOL, no joke, and it was good and edible. We've all gotten to see girlscout cookies being sold in movies from the US. We didn't really have that here, but I'm so glad Scout's Honor is near my place. 

It's a full cookie and coffee chain with branches in Ayala Malls Vertis North (so I got mine still warm and fresh from the oven), they also have one in Century City Mall, Uptown Mall in BGC and Santolan Town Plaza. They could welcome you to craft your own cookie, but I had some good ones in a box a few weeks ago.

Rocky Road

They call this 1969

Red Velvet Inception - Cream Cheese and Chocolate on top of a Red Velvet Cookie, how can that not be good?

Cookie Inception is made of dreams!

Macadamia Cashew Dark Chocolate Cookie

This was the one that had Choc-nut on top. Loved every morsel of it.

You can order a box of six, choose the Ultimate Chocolate Chip and the Red Velvet cookies, super good!

If you want it small and in batches, get a load of the 1 Bite 2 Bite Cub scout cookies. They do it good.

They have other things on the menu but the cookies are good reason to go back and take home. This is for the sweet tooth but they also have some that are quite healthy like the Oatmeal, Cranberry and Molasses. They also have other things on the menu including a Cookie Burger which is only availble during this holiday season. They also have some for your 4 legged friend, the Doggie Biscuits! Don't take my word for it, go try it out yourselves!

 

Gary Valenciano Endorses DiabetaMil

Spent the afternoon at luxurious Victorinos in 11th Jamboree in QC. We were there to welcome DiabetaMil's newest brand ambassador Mr. Gary Valenciano. As we all know, if there's someone suffering from this ailment that has survived and enjoyed life throughout the years, Gary is somehow the epitomy of that. He's a great spirited dancer, he sings wonderfully anytime and he had brought diabetes care in the forefront that he always mentions these in interviews. 

"We believe that through the products that we have, we would make Filipino diabetic lives better. People with it can enjoy normal lives and we can have a healthy and beautiful life. We need to ensure diabetamil is available nationwide." 

This advertisement is a little different because we need to show that we can live a normal life. So we got my son to direct it for us, and he's here. 

Gary began telling us his story, he says "I was 14 years old and an athlete at La Salle but I was losing weight even if I ate a lot. I had my sugar level too high and my body was eating fat, my Mom saw that I was not gaining weight. First test I had 312 and had a normal diet. My sugar level went up as high as 722 and I confirmed that I had type 1 diabetes. The lifespan is actually 30 years when you get diagnosed, but I'm way over that. That's how it started. I always had to watch what I eat and put into my body. There are times when I met death a couple of times when my sugar levels go down and nobody could wake me up. It's a serious disease to have, much like cancer and heart attack. I have not endorsed anything that won't be able to use in the long run and Diabetamil is finally something good. Some say they are fat free, sugar free but tastes so bad. They need to have something in their diet with this in the mix, I do a lot of things and it's good that I can take it with any meal. Diabetes regardless of anything that comes with it isn't one thing, you need medication, lifestyle, excercise and diet. Diabetamil contains all the good things. Don't let diabetes control your life, you have to go out there and enjoy it! It's been a challenge these 37 years and I've had ups and downs, but I'm living it and doctors in the US ought to give me an award for living beyond the years that books say."

Diabetamil is okay to take by type 1 and 2 diabetes patients, you may need to consult your doctor for proper meal planning. It costs Php 220 and Php 485 for the bigger one and. It doesn't taste different as the cookie and drink and is available in Vanilla, Chocolate and Mochachino at all leading supermarkets and drugstores nationwide!

KUMAGCOW

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Winter Garden Desserts

Filipinos dream of Winter, an indication of desire. They do it quite often, mostly because of our own hot and humid, mere tropical weather. When a snowflake slowly falls, you look at it with amazement as it slowly trickles down from the sky and think - how can this thing be so beautiful, so perfectly cold and crystal. You just want to snuggle up with a cup of cocoa, sprinkle with a generous amount of marshmallows, add more chocolate to it and bite off a chocolate chip cookie or two. Or if it's hot outside and you just want to chill, wouldn't it be lovely to have your own spot, sit down and with your friends? Wait, that didn't sound right. I know, we don't have Winter here... but don't worry, I think I can help you with that. I just heard Winter Garden Desserts just opened last month in Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City.

Winter Garden Desserts is at the back of ERSAO and in front of the Ateneo Gate 2.5 Overpass. There's a alley on the side and a small signage in the front so won't miss it. (Image from Google Maps and not mine)

Winter Garden serves mighty good liquid nitrogen made desserts. The place lives and breathes cold sweetness, they want to transport you into your own little cove, to ultimately make you happy much like when you see a clear blue sky or just when you get to that point where snowing starts and the snowflakes glisten in the sun. They call this "kazahana" in Japan and the owners would like you to experience that. 

Proud owners/cousins Cecile Perez and Danny Vitan felt it was time to have something special in this area. They are also planning to have more warm food items too in the next few months. Their consumers should be excited about that. As of now, they've got two types of dessert available in this place both of which are still made with liquid nitrogen techniques, a new thing in culinary progression in the Philippines. I saw this in real life in kitchens of CCA and some hotels but never for a dessert establishment, hole in the wall you may think - but this is something new.

Liquid Nitrogen is a cryogenic fluid that can cause rapid freezing. In the store, we saw two huge tanks probably sealed in vacuum where they use and apply it on the cream base so that the mix can become dessert instantly. The process isn't as easy as you think, I personally saw how they made my ice cream because they have an open kitchen. They make it right when you ask for it and it's a spectacle, a show on it's own.