Easter Funday

Mabuhay!

The loveliest day comes when you wake up one morning and discover the truth that love colors our world.

Here's something the Eppersons whipped up for everyone this Easter! We hope that you guys have as much fun making them as we had!

Introducing:

Aryanna as "Head chef"

Me as "Sous chef"

Special participation:

Tom as "Technical support"

Dylan as "Baby"

Easter Rainbow Cupcake

Easter is all about forgiveness

Every year, we go on an Easter egg hunt. Since Dylan is too young to look for eggs, we decided to bake an Easter cake instead.
Aryanna had an interesting recipe for rainbow cake without using eggs, oil, or sugar.
Cool.
Her secret ingredient: 2 cans of Sprite Zero.
What?
Since this was the first time we're baking this recipe, our first attempt was a disaster! See photos below:

 Our rainbow cake turned out to be a psychedelic mess! Haha! 

"Forgive" us for having fun! ;D

Easter is about new life

Take two.
Now, let's do this right!

Watchunid:

1 Betty Crocker Super Moist Yellow Cake Mix
2 cans of Sprite Zero (next time, we'll use 24 oz. of sparkling water instead. Sprite made it too sweet!)
4 to 6 gel food colors (go for neon colors)
Cream cheese frosting
Sprinkles (optional)

IMPORTANT: The 2 Sprite cans will substitute the eggs, water, and oil from the cake mix ingredients.

Easy peasy:

Step 1: Empty the cake mix in a mixing bowl. Add 2 cans of Sprite Zero.
The carbonated drink supposedly makes the cupcake fluffier. We believe it.

Step 2: Mix the batter using an electric mixer. If you don't have one, you can do it manually.
Transfer the batter in a measuring cup to evenly divide the batter in 4 to 6 colors.

Step 3: Add a squirt of gel food color on the batter. One color per bowl.

Tip: Add as little food coloring as possible and mix it. You may add more color if you like.

Step 4: If you're using a muffin pan like we did, drop the batter in layers. We started with green on the bottom, blue, yellow, and topped it with pink.

Tip: If you like evenly layered look of the rainbow cupcake, make sure to drop the batter starting from the edge, working your way towards the center. I used one tablespoon for each color.

Step 5: Bake according to the cake mix directions.

We only had one muffin pan so we had to improvised. We used Aryanna's silicone mini heart mold...

... and popover pans. This was Aryanna's idea. It's brilliant! This is now our favorite mold for this recipe! I'm so baking cupcakes using popover pans! Plus, we have more popover pans than muffin pans anyway.

Plating:

Warning: Kyoot overload!

I bought a rinky dink icing injection from a bazaar and it turned out fab! Check out my professional-looking icing!
Tip: Chill the frosting for a few minutes; it's easier to work with it.

Ooh...

Sprinkles!

Sweet surrender!

This beats any Easter egg, hands down!;D

We ended up baking two dozens of cupcakes! Our household staff and the security guards at our place had a feast!


Shoppingero/shoppingera, from our family to yours, Happy Easter!

Tee Party

Mabuhay!

Thanks to my darling Dylan,  I'm back on the kiddie party circuit!
Dylan, yaya, and I love going to children's birthday parties! It's an opportunity for all of us to hangout with friends, eat sweet spaghetti, hotdogs, pizzas, french fries, and birthday cakes!
Joy!

Dylan is quite the party boy.
Oh, boy.
He loves to "mingle" with the kids and hold hands with girls!
So kyoot!

We've been going to so many kiddie parties that I can't keep up with the outfitey, er, I mean, Dylan's outfitey! Haha!
Thanks to folks at Mother Earthlings, my baby boy's got brand new duds... a tail... and a dorsal fin too!

Check out Dylan's brand new party clothes:

The Mothering Earthlings online shop is a haven of fashion statements for kids. It's where young earthlings make the style rules.

The online shop proudly features Filipino design and "mompreneurs", bringing them to Earthlings all over the world.

 

Thank you, Rone! We love your stuff!

 Shoppingero/shoppingera, shop now at Mother Earthlings for cute and cool clothes!

Meatless Fridays: Century Corned Tuna Open-Face Dimsum

Mabuhay!

I love dimsum! Who doesn't?
So, when I was preparing the recipes for my "Meatless Fridays", I included a dimsum dish.
Cool.

After I prepared the ingredients this morning, I realized that I've never tried homemade pot stickers.
Uhm, I don't know how to fold crescent-shaped dumplings.
Not cool.

I thought: Youtube tutorials!
Yes!

After watching five different videos, I was ready.
Not!

My kitchen is now a mess.
It's official, I can't fold a dimsum.
Sorry Aryanna, mom's not perfect.

When everything else fails [in folding dimsum], here's the solution:

Century Corned Tuna Open-Face Dimsum

Watchunid:

1 can of Century Corned Tuna

1 small bundle of baby bokchoy (you can also use pechay, spinach, or other leafy greens), 1 lemon

Dimsum wrapper

 Easy Peasy:

Step 1: Steam the baby bokchoy.
Step 2: Mince the veggies using a food processor or a sharp knife.

Step 3: Mix all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Season it with salt and pepper.

Step 5: Boil water. Drop the dimsum wrappers and cook them till they become slightly luminous.
Tip: Leave the wrappers on the slotted spoon to avoid sticking on the bottom. You'll thank me for it. I also used two wrappers for each dimsum.

 Plating:

You can't eat just one piece of dimsum so, it's best to serve it with a minimum of four pot stickers.
Tip: Arrange the filling on the plate, then top it with the dimsum wrapper. Put a bit of filling on top of the dimsum for decoration and to show your guest the kind of filling.

Dipping sauce recipe:

EVOO
Tamari sauce
Garlic powder
Cayenne pepper or fresh chili

Whenever I buy takeout dimsum, I usually make my own dipping sauce to avoid the fat and sodium found in the soy sauce, chili, and garlic brew from fast food.

I treat my sauce like a salad dressing. I use good extra virgin olive oil (EVOO is good for you), tamari or low-sodium soy sauce, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. I emulsify the ingredients and use it as my sauce.

Drizzle the emulsion onto the open-faced dimsum.

As indicated on my plate, you can serve this for brunch, snack, or dinner.

You must try this! Yummy!

I have a new found appreciation for dimsum. The next time I pop those yummy morsels, I'll be thinking about the cook who painstakingly folded the dumplings! Haha!


Shoppingero/shoppingera, what's cooking?

Beauty Transformer

Mabuhay!

CHANEL-lo!

This is dedicated to all the beauty bots:



Created by global Creative Director for Make-Up, Peter Philips, this short animated film features products from the new beauty collection

Transform yourself into the most beautiful creature that you can be, inside and out.


Shoppingero/shoppingera, what makes a person "beautiful"?

Possession Obsession

Mabuhay!

The book 'The Secret' states:

"You are in fact a living magnet. This means that what you are focused on, you bring to yourself. Here's how it works. When you are focused on what you want, you are attracting to yourself what you want. When you are focused on what you do not want, you are attracting to yourself what you do not want. We humans are enormously powerful attractors and we can use this wonderful power or law to attract more of what we want in life – simply by paying attention to where we place our thoughts and desires."

So, guess what furniture I'm "Secret-ing"?
No, not the Minotti sectional couch.
Something less grand, but as modern.

I want the Stokke® Tripp Trapp® chair!

It all started when I was looking for pegs for our home and saw this photo. The boy looked so kyoot sitting on the blue Stokke® Tripp Trapp® chair, barefoot, and surrounded by modern furniture. I imagined this boy to be darling Dylan. Imagine my baby propped up in this amazing chair. Heck, imagine me sitting on one! LOL

Tripp Trapp® chair

A modern classic.

The Tripp Trapp® chair, created in 1972 by the designer Peter Opsvik, has never been bettered. In 1972, revolution was a fact. Back then no one had seen anything like the Tripp Trapp®, and almost 40 years later it is still unique: the only child’s chair that can take you from baby to adult, keeping you secure and comfortable all the way.

The Tripp Trapp® designer’s inspiration came from watching his own young son, Tor, struggle to find a comfortable position to sit in at their family table. Having grown out of his old-fashioned high-chair, but still far too small to sit on an adult’s chair, Tor was left dangling his legs and struggling to reach the table.

I love the modern design of this chair!

Stokke@ Tripp Trapp® Cushion
Personalise Tripp Trapp® by adding cushions in different colours and designs

“In 1972 the only sitting devices for children from the age of two onwards were special, low chairs, or ordinary chairs designed and intended for grown-ups. My objective was that one chair should seat persons of all sizes in a natural way at the same table. My hope was that this would make sitting at the table more enjoyable and make activities easier to perform there.” Peter Opsvik, designer.

Ack! Check out the colors! Orange or lime green?

Shoppingero/shoppingera, what are you "Secret-ing" lately?

Abloom

Mabuhay!

It's hot in the city.
I wonder what the weather is like in Provença, France? O, di ba?
Anyway, here's something to keep us all refreshed:

L'Occitane has launched Plum Blossom / Fleurs de Brignoles collection. Vibrant, floral fragrance that combines the delicate powdery scent of white blossoms with the fruity sweetness of plum fruits.

In the Provencal village of Brignoles, the plum blossom season is always a time for celebration. In tribute to the plum trees of Brignoles, L'Occitane combines the delicate powdery scent of the white blossoms with the fruity sweetness of plum fruits, in a luminous floral and rich fragrance. Additional notes include blueberry, pear, sandalwood and musk.

L'Occitane Plum Blossom Skin Moisture Gel and Polishing Shower Gel

I love the embossed floral design of the bottle!

The L'Occitane Plum Blossom Polishing Shower Gel's cap mimics the cap of a light bulb. You twist it open and the center hole dispenses the gel.

Bright ideas!

Ang bango, promise! Try them at the L'Occitane shop. 

L'Occitane Plum Blossom is available in 100 ml Eau de Toilette or 10 ml Intense Eau de Toilette roll-on

L'Occitane is located at Glorietta 4, Ayala Center, Makati City


Shoppingera, when was the last time "you woke up and smelled the flowers?"

Hot in the City

Mabuhay!

Ang jinit.

Pampalamig:

Watch "Rio" it's a super kyoot film!

 
Why, oh why did you have to taste so good?
What about my diet?
What about my bikini body? Haha!
I love the Green Apple and Watermelon Sprite McFloat!
My favorite though is the Mango Crush Sundae.

Excuse me, I need to exercise. Haay!


Shoppingero/shoppingera, who likes soda floats? Raise your legs...

Gagalicious

Mabuhay!

It's time to Glam This Way...

M∙A∙C Cosmetics Viva Glam Gaga 2

Another Possession Obsession:

Very wedding colors ang pegalu! Freshness all the way!

A hot new shade inspired by Lady Gaga and her passions, in both Lipstick and Lipglass.

I was going to buy just the lipstick as I have a lot of nude lip gloss already, but when I tried on the combo, I saw that the two were the perfect match. Why breakup a good blend, right? Hehe

M∙A∙C VIVA GLAM goes toward the M∙A∙C AIDS Fund.

M∙A∙C Cosmetics is located at Glorietta 4, Ayala Center, Makati City


Shoppingera, what lipstick combo works best for you?