Reminiscing Childhood: Scramble!

Back in grade school, I distanced myself from the wide array of street foods. I went to public school in the province and it's commonplace to see vendors selling all kinds of goodies ranging from banana cue and fritters, camote cue, pork barbecue, green mango (with bagoong or rock salt), semi-ripe papaya (with vinegar and salt), passion fruit (opened on top then you get to sprinkle salt to the seedy mix), cotton candy to... (cue suspense music) scramble! Those were the days. *sigh* Unfortunately, I was deprived of them during those days. My folks would usually warn me about the hepatitis scare. But the little rebel inside me would sometimes sneak away from folks' massive umbrella of concern. Gotcha!

Fast forward to 2010, I am now addicted to scramble goodness! Whoever invented this yummy treat is truly a genius!

 

The preparation of scramble is much, much more hygienic compared to yesteryears.  

Rundown of costs:

Large tub of pink ice shavings with milk powder and choco syrup = Php 17

Toppings/add-ons (mini-marshmallows, rice krispies, chocolate sprinkles, candy sprinkles etc.) = Php 3

Happiness = priceless!

If you read this and don't (1) say "I want that!", (2) mentally include this in your next food trip or (3) go and buy one when you see a scramble stall around the metro, then you should probably take memory enhancers or spiritual guidance (gasp) because you seem to have been deprived of one of the cheapest thrills of childhood. Also, I realize I am late on posting this, but it doesn't matter because scramble is timeless, at least for me. :)

Scramble stalls I've visited:

Buzbox Scrambles

SM Mall of Asia

Icebreaker Scrambles

ShopWise Cubao

Ice Cramble

Blessings & Prosperity Food Court

Ayala Avenue corner Rufino Street

"Tahoooooô!"

This is my tribute to one of my favorite comfort foods. Wikipedia defines taho as a Philippine snack food made of fresh soft/silken tofu, arnibal (brown sugar and vanilla syrup), and pearl sago (similar to pearl tapioca). I couldn't imagine my youngster years without it. Once I heard the taho peddler on the street, I'd immediately fish out some coins (forgetting how much is actually darn good), rush to the kitchen to get my own glass and, moments later, I'd enjoy a glass/cup of taho!

 

The biggest tub of taho I had in years (Php 54 at SM Supermarket Makati)

Easy to eat, pretty cheap and rich in protein.

Pop-Tarts For Dinner, Anyone?

This American pastry captured the tweener in me. Why so? I was in Grade 6 when I knew of Pop-Tarts and I owe it to my addiction to Sweet Valley books - from Kids and  Teens to High and University editions. [N.B. Well, SVU was introduced to me during HS days.] Pop-Tarts were mentioned once in a while in the books and, back then, I did wonder how the same tastes like. I grew up in CDO, so imported goods were somehow far-fetched during my time.

Wikipedia says: Pop-Tarts are a brand of flat, rectangular, pre-baked toaster pastries made by the Kellogg Company. Pop-Tarts have a sugary filling sealed inside two layers of rectangular, thin pastry crust. Some varieties are frosted. Although sold pre-cooked, they are designed to be warmed inside a toaster. They are usually sold in pairs inside foil packages, and do not require refrigeration.

 S'mores Pop-Tarts

My first encounter with Pop-Tarts was during my six-week training in C'ville last year, but I never bothered to buy one in my daily supermarket trip to nearby Kroger. Dang. Maybe I was then overwhelmed with the breakfast buffet at the hotel where we stayed that I forgot about instant foods.

Hence, I didn't hesitate at all when I saw Pop-Tarts in one of my SM Makati Supermarket trips. Imagine my excitement coupled with childhood longing! A cheap thrill, really. 

Proof of excitement? A plate of four S'mores Pop-Tarts pictured above was my dinner two days ago. :) 

Sweet Friday The 13th

Fact: The mere mention of Friday the 13th alarms the scaredy cat in me.

I, however, chose to conquer that gnawing fear by strolling in the mall. Odd, you think? I guess it's my only way to kill boredom on a Friday afternoon sans the BF, who plays a very busy role nowadays in his own niche. Luckily, today was the start of the Glorietta Midnight Madness Sale and that was more than enough to pump up the mall rat in me. Bye scaredy cat, hello mall rat! 

Almost an hour of boutique-hopping and window shopping, I still couldn't find anything worth my hard-earned money. *rolls eyes* So I moved on to search for - what else - food! To be specific, something sweet! 

Frostings cupcakes: dulce de leche (Php 55) and brazo de mercedes (Php 40)

I know, they are almost pretty as Sonja's but Frostings cupcakes are less expensive. 

The kid who loves yellow cupcakes

Bought a mini mix tray from Dulcinea. Mini mix has four mini cream puffs and chocolate eclairs. My verdict? I think Happy Cream Puff still holds the crown for having the most delish cream puff in the metro. My nephew Dave enjoyed it though. Well, anything sweet or chocolatey always makes him conclude it's the best he has ever tasted! I miss the simple tastes of childhood all of a sudden. 

Sweet tooth kiddo

So there, folks! It was indeed a sweet Friday the 13th for me. How about yours? :)

Super Nachos

The heavy rains stopped me from going elsewhere so I came up of making my own nacho platter (or nacho bowl, whatevs) to satisfy my Tex-Mex craving this afternoon. If there's one thing I love about Tex-Mex cuisine, then it's the use of melted cheese and salsa. Cheese tops the list of my favorite food products. Its versatility continues to amaze me each time I eat something cheesy. I learned from Google that Tex-Mex cuisine is characterized by its heavy use of melted cheese, meat (particularly beef), beans, and spices, in addition to Mexican-style tortillas.

Super nachos for ya!

Nachos are a popular corn based food of Mexican origin associated with Tex-Mex cuisine that can be either made fast to serve as a snack or prepared with more ingredients to make a full meal. This time, I intended to make it as a rainy afternoon snack and I marveled at the fact that my nephew Dave is the newest Nacho King in the house. Why? He almost consumed two big bowls of nachos, mind you. 

Nacho madness

It's as simple as ABC, really. First, I chopped three medium sized tomatoes, two big white onions (no tears this time) and one small green bell pepper. Set aside the chopped veggies. Then add 1/4 kilo of ground beef to sautéed onions and garlic and cook until brown. I sprinkled a dash of salt and pepper to taste and a pinch of Maggi Magic Sarap to the beef mixture. Put all the nachos in a bowl, add the beef mixture and the chopped veggies and generous spoonfuls of Tostitos salsa con queso (medium) and that's it! Result: Better than the nacho platters served in fast food chains. BTW, my recipe is good for two boxes of nachos (180 grams each) commonly found in grocery stores.

1st round 

2nd round

Told ya, he's the Nacho King in the house now. Taco Bell, T.O.S.H. and Nacho King, watch out!

Oreo Cookie Nostalgia

So while I was trying to squeeze myself through a packed MRT ride (it's rush hour, dear), my gaze turned to somebody who was texting so seriously as if she had her own e-bubble wrap from the outside world. Mind you, I find it amusing because that unsmiling lady was still texting despite the fact that she barely made it to the automatic closing vis-a-vis the warning sound emitted by the MRT. Tsk. That led me to remember the word "jejemon", although I had no way of finding out if that lady was laughing "jeje" while texting. Fact: I cringe at the mere mention of that word. But then a  mental wordplay ensued. Jejemon. Pokemon. Mon short for monster. Cookie monster. Aha! Cookie! 

So I bought one of my favorite cookies of all time - Oreo cookies! I used to consume a lot of them during my younger years. Lo and behold, the thought made me smile. I'm fully aware that sometimes we just have to pay tribute to our younger days. Since I love to take snapshots of anything that made me happy, I arranged the cookies in a saucer for a quick photo shoot.

 

Oreo cookies in a "floral arrangement"

Clockwise from top: strawberry creme, chocolate creme, classic creme and double delight flavors (peanut butter & chocolate)

Who would have thought that a monster (pun intended) would make me feel nostalgic and happy as well?

Laki Sa Gatas. Bow.

 My fave milk flavors as of press time: BB's green apple, banana boat & beary strawberry

Circa my grade school years, my folks were very particular with downing a glass of milk before bed time. As an obedient kid (Obedience used to be one of my key virtues, just so you know) I followed them. Fast forward to HS days, I grew a tiny devilish tail (cue devil laugh) so I bade au revoir to the habit. Reason? Never did like milk aftertaste. So I tricked my beloved folks that I'm lactose intolerant, which isn't at all true. For quite some time, my folks believed my invented tale. Call it weird but I don't like the clingy effect of milk to my tongue, maybe because I hate seeing my tongue white. I kind of associate it with poor hygiene. So there.

But after my horrible acne stage, I started loving milk. Research has it that milk has calming effects which promote a peaceful sleep. Blah-blah. I want to be more detailed and scientific about this but, heck, what for? I now *cardiovascular organ* milk. That's the point.

So while browsing some grocery shelves, I found Bear Brand's  fruit flavored milk drink. I find it amusing that once upon a time Bear Brand topped my hate list (and Nido too) and now I love the brand. My current fave is the beary strawberry flavor. While I'm making this entry, I can't help but smile. Such shallow shallow topic eh? All for the love of milk.

To quote one of my favorite local artists - Asia's Songbird,  "Ako'y laki sa gatas!"

Nancy Drew: America's Favorite Sleuth & Mine Too!

If there's one thing I'm candidly pleased about my younger years, then it's my being a big Nancy Drew fan. Oh yes, I have read all the 56 volumes of  The Nancy Drew Mysteries Classic Hardcover Series - from The Secret of the Old Clock to The Thirteenth Pearl. I started sometime in Grade 4, patiently asking the school librarian when will the next hardcover be available. I was that persistent to ask and wait back then. When I reached sophomore high, I checked off all the titles in the list! Then the Nancy Drew Case Files paperbacks became more popular.

 As a pre-teen, I looked up to Nancy Drew as my role model. This daring heroine is ever brave in every face of danger and unafraid to be both feminine and smart. And now, I find this very nostalgic to write an entry about my favorite sleuth. When I was looking for some worthy reads in Booksale, I found this book and bought the same off the bat. The illustrations of the book and the sprinkles of  trivia throughout were more than enough to bring me back to the childhood days spent reading Nancy books.

I dreamed about this so many times, knowing in the back of my mind that I would probably never actually make a big deal out of it, because the great value of being a bookworm instilled in me by my mother pulses through me too prominently. With this, I thank Nancy Drew for all the values she had managed to instill in my young mind back then, save for my very own blunders. LOL!

I'm Blogging About: Animal Crackers

Blame this and, yeah, this. I am now fascinated with shapes and any interesting likeness of palate pleasers. And more weirdly though, I think I'm now more inclined to browse supermarket shelves. Why? I think it's part of my life rewind and to pay tribute to the simple little joys that showered my life. So there.

Animal crackers for now. And these ain't Barnum's. I hope to see Barnum's next time, so I'll just settle with  Ginbis Party Animals from Japan, folks.

  

Wikipedia tells us that "Animal crackers are crackers in the shapes of animals, some brands of which are sweetened. These are usually animals one would see at the zoo or circus, including lions, tigers, bears, and elephants. There is debate about whether or not animal crackers are actually crackers or cookies. They resemble crackers due to the way they are made, with layered dough, but the use of sweetened dough gives them the cookie taste and consistency." Wow!

Trivial pursuit: According to the Chinese Zodiac, the Year of 2010 is the Year of a Golden Tiger, which begins on February 14, 2010 and ends on February 2, 2011. 

 

 

I'm gonna shape up for the next batch of shapes! LOL!

I'm Blogging About: Fruit Shaped Jelly Drink!

 Banana, strawberry, orange, grape and mango shaped jelly drinks

One of the best things about blogging is the freedom from any form of constraint. With this blog, I get to ramble anything about my life especially my cheap thrills. It might be something that is only funny or amusing  to me or simply mundane. 

On my way home, I found this Easy Open Fruit Shape Jelly Jelly (yup, this word was repeated!) Drink at a local drugstore slash convenience store. My original plan was to look for the generic-shaped Jellyace but, for some weird reason, they seemed to be elusive nowadays. Was it just me or it's not that popular anymore? Hahaha! Anyway, these cute fruit-shaped jelly drinks really amused my infantile self. 

As always, I'm looking forward to more fruit inspired shapes from Knotsberry Farm.*

* Oh no, not the theme park and the fruit jam maker. Check the spelling.

The Amelioration of Goya Choclits Part 4

And I thought I had enough of this childhood choclits. I was browsing the shelves in Shopwise Cubao when I saw another batch of Goya. Yey Goya!

 

 Goya Pretzel Twists in Cream White Chocolate, Dark Chocolate and Goya Chocolate (the classic Goya taste, that is)

 

Better late than never. This is the Dark Chocolate Nuggets. If you've been paying close attention to my Goya series or you're simply a Goya fan like me, you'd noticed that Goya has always three varieties for each product: cream white chocolate, dark chocolate and the Goya chocolate (classic!).

Suffice it to say that I'm looking forward to more Goya varieties. And I also want to remember that one day, I will look back on these Goya related posts and realize how special they were, and how important. I can't know now why these choclits are important, but one day, if I'm real lucky, I will.

The Amelioration of Goya Choclits Part 3

I discovered more Goya varieties today, so allow me to holler once more: Yey Goya! Upon seeing these choco treats on the shelves of Rustan's Supermarket in Gateway Mall, I could feel myself being transformed to a grade schooler, wide-eyed with happiness. This may be surprising to some people but, right there and then, hoarding of Goya immediately followed.

Here are the Goya varieties I found today:

Goya Fun Factory varieties: Chocolate Coins (milk chocolate), Silver Cup (milk chocolate) and Golden Crown (milk chocolate with rice crispies)

Box types: Orange Peel (dark chocolate with orange peel) and Dark Mint (dark chocolate with mint)

O'Nuts varieties: Almonds & Crispy Wafer in Goya chocolate and Almonds & Crispy Wafer in Goya dark chocolate

Goya Dark on White Almonds (whole almonds covered in white & dark chocolate) and Goya Nuggets (cream white chocolate)

Goya Almonds & Raisins (covered in milk chocolate) and Crispy Chocs Mint (crunchy rice crispies in mint flavored dark chocolate)

And these two really piqued my interest: Goya Seashells with praline filling and Dark Seashells with dark chocolate filling. These seemingly high-end types of Goya are made in Belgium. Truly, this is the amelioration of Goya chocolates!

As always, I look forward to more Goya chocolate varieties. 

The Amelioration of Goya Choclits Part 2

I still can't get enough of Goya chocolates. This chocoholic entry came to light from reminiscing my childhood. Yes, the rewind button's still switched on.

So behold my Goya chocolate discoveries for today.

Look, three more Goya bars for the child in me! They are Almonds in Milk Chocolate, Cookies & Cream and Krispy Krunch: Dark Chocolate with Crisped Rice.

Apparently, Splendor is a major category of Goya chocolates and I found three varieties of Splendor: Crushed Almonds in Dark Chocolate, Crushed Almonds in Milk Chocolate and Crushed Almonds in Cream White Chocolate. Oh, this makes me think that Goya is a many-Splendored chocolate. Hahaha!

I call this as Goya-standing-proud pose. Goya Dark: Whole Almonds Covered in Dark Chocolate (left), Goya White: Whole Almonds Covered in White Chocolate (center) and Goya Nuggets: Milk Chocolate (right).

These two are my instant favorites among all the Goya chocolates I discovered today. Both Goya Raisins (covered with milk chocolate) and Crispy Chocs (crunchy rice crispies in milk chocolate) are miraculously good.

I'm still looking forward to more varieties. Re-discovering Goya is like hitting two birds with one stone: first, mission accomplished for life in rewind and, second, instant happiness! Yey Goya!

The Amelioration of Goya Choclits Part 1

I feel that I am entering a phase in my life where I want to rewind the life I had. A big part of this rewind will probably come from childhood, a stage where candies and chocolates are more than enough to cheer me up. Life then was so uncomplicated I'm tempted to go back.

So while on my way home, I made a quick stopover at Mercury Drug and found the kiddie treats I used to enjoy. Yey Goya! Back when M & M's chocolates were a little bit expensive for daily consumption, Goya was there.

In high school, it was a running joke that if someone courts you and gives you Goya chocolates, the logical thing to do is to dump him instantly. Well, I'm guilty of belittling Goya then. I even stopped buying and eating it because my taste buds worshipped the taste of imported chocolates. Plus, the forex rate was $1=Php 25 in Clark Duty Free shops back then.

I'm impressed that Goya chocolates are becoming competitive similar to the modern Pinoy. The packaging and variety of flavors reminds me of Swiss chocolates such as Cadbury. Seeing these kiddie treats in Mercury Drug shelves was very nostalgic.

As seen from above, the Goya bar varieties are: Raisins in Milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, Raisins and Nuts in Milk Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, Cream White Chocolate and Krispy Krunch: Milk Chocolate with Crisped Rice.

I immediately gobbled up the Cream White Chocolate and it was really good. I could easily mistake it for Toblerone white chocolate were it not for its wrapper and, of course, the shape.

There's Goya in a box too. It's labeled as Black & White: Dark & White Chocolate. For one sec, I got confused with that. Hahaha! I also found two varieties of Goya ChocoMax: white chocolate coated vanilla filled chocolate wafer sandwich and milk chocolate coated chocolate filled chocolate wafer sandwich. That's Goya tongue twister for you.

I look forward to more Goya varieties. Yep, still on rewind button.

Sari-sari store + JP novel = Happiness

My favorite chichirya

Reminds me of my childhood days

I always spend my Sunday evenings reading a novel (Patterson's Run for your Life this time) while munching on sari-sari store little wonders. I love small, shallow things. And better yet, I don't have to dig deeper into my  pocket just to find my little happy corner of the world. 

Life's great.