#HoarderDiaries | HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

I had a low-key birthday this year.

Usually, I celebrate with a lot of food. This year though, it being extra busy and stressful, both at home and at work, I didn't have much time to prep anything - let alone cook. I had received a new toy a few weeks ago though, and had been wanting to try it out. So when my birthday came around, I thought it would be the perfect chance to test out my new Severin Wafer/Cone Maker!

My kids are really fond of Sugar Cones. I know, added sugar to an already sugar high treat. But I am not a fan of those bland cones either, thus I give in when they pick the sugary ones out at the supermarket. So when I was given a Severin Wafer/Cone Maker, the thought of making my own cones just tickled my imagination! Yes, the possibilities! I can even use this for Bento!

I went searching for a recipe that was more on the crepe side. My kids love a good crepe as well (the Severin Crepe Maker is next on my to-buy list!). So when I found this recipe on allrecipes.com, I knew that with a little tweaking, this would make a good waffle wafer cone recipe!

From my kitchen to yours.

Initially, the thought of making these cones from scratch intimidated me. But when Michelle invited me to attend the Severin and Braun event a few weeks back, I saw just how easy it was to make my own with the Severin Wafer/Cone Maker. Did I say easy? I meant VERY EASY!

Eggs and Sugar. Whisk until frothy. Nope, no need for an electric mixer!

Whisk in all other ingredients. 

Whisk! Whisk! Until smooth and thin.

Once your Wafer/Cone Maker is hot and ready, pour about a tablespoon or two of the batter in the center. Cover.

And after two minutes, VOILA! 

Once you have your waffle wafers cooked, it is important that you mold them while hot. They will crisp up once set. Use a cone molder or a cup to make your waffle wafers into wafer cups.

Mold into cones...

...or cups.

Or let them set as is and have waffle cookies instead!

I made the wafer cups early morning with the intention of taking them to the office on the first workday after my birthday (my birthday this year fell on a Saturday). While I was cooking a batch, my kids already ate about five cups! I had to make two recipes worth!

WHAT I LIKED:

Convenient

Easy to Use

Easy to Clean

Use of Own Recipe

Compact and Stores Easily

FUN!

Mmm... home made waffle wafer cups and cones with my fave Macapuno Ice Cream!

So good!

Next time, I shall bring the batter and the Severin Wafer/Cone Maker to the office. These are so good while hot and fresh from the griddle!

Office peeps excited to try it out!

My dad is happy to have some ice cream. He can eat ice cream everyday!

Yup, Happy Birthday to me!

~~~ * ~~~

Severin and Braun small kitchen appliances are distributed locally by Colombo Merchant Philippines. Aside from Severin and Braun, Colombo also carries the Nescafe Dolce Gusto, Beurer and Minox. 

ABOUT SEVERIN

Did you know that Severin has been making quality kitchen appliances for over 60 years? What actually started as a Blacksmith shop 120 years ago has evolved into one of the most prestigious German companies! You can purchase Severin appliances locally from Anson's, SM Appliances, Abenson, S&R, Rustan's, True Value, Gourdo's, Santis, Wellworth and from Duty Free Philippines.

THE SEVERIN WAFER/CONE MAKER retails for P2,395.

Titas at the Severin and Braun event. Thank you, Mish and Colombo Merchants!
(from L-R: Didi, Mish, me, Cai, Tina and Patty)

| facebook.com/Colombophils

Bento 101: Simple Bento

For first-timers, the world of bento-making could be overwhelming. Take my word for it, when I started out making bento meals for my then 5-year old daughter, A, I would do it sporadically. Like I said in my previous post, bento-making takes a lot of dedication. Not to say it is difficult to start doing it, since once you get a hang of it, it becomes fairly easy. 

There are three things I would advise first-timers in bento-making. These are as follows:
1) You can use leftovers... and whatever you have in your pantry. 
2) Use photos of other bentos as a guide, but don't let it limit your creativity! (You can use kamias to fill in the spaces in your bento. LOL)
3) It won't hurt to collect more tools. Hoard if you must. LOL.

I decided to teach the kids a little bento-making today. We were having quite a slow Saturday - the nanny was out to see her kids, and Momma woke up a wee bit later than usual. I figured if I had them participate in making lunch, then that would keep them busy. I didn't want another Saturday in front of the telly, so I dubbed today "Activity Saturday", and did all sorts.

The key to bento-making is keeping everything in proportion. In fact, bento is a great way to keep food proportions in check. The Japanese use the 1:1:2 ratio when filling their lunch boxes: 1 part rice/grain, 1 part protein, 2 parts vegetables/fruits/dessert. There are others who prefer the 4:3:2:1 rule in bento-making (4 parts vegetables, 3 parts meat/ protein, 2 parts grain, 1 part fruit/dessert). I like to keep things practical, so I usually go with the Japanese ratio (1:1:2) but I don't let it limit my ideas. There are days when my pantry isn't stocked, and I break the rules. Haha!    

Anyway, let's show you how to put together a simple bento lunch.

With simple bento, all you need are a few tools. Don't be discouraged if you don't have much, there are other ways to beautify that lunch box!

WHAT YOU NEED:

FOOD
Rice
Meat/Protein
Vegetables/Fruit

TOOLS

Bento Box

Silicone Cups

Picks

Barans (optional)

Rice Molds (optional)

Bento tools - all available at Saizen!
(Top L, clockwise): Hand-held tools, Assorted picks, Silicone Cups, Rice Mold, Barans. 

The kids and I decided to use bento boxes with different shapes and sizes. 

The small rectangular box was mine, RL had the small round one, and A had a big appetite. LOL.

I thought it would be appropriate to use what we already had prepared for lunch. I had marinated beef for Salpicao in the chiller, so I cooked that. I also had some hotdogs, broccoli, baby lettuce, cherry tomatoes and green apples prepared for balance and box fillers.

I like keeping fruits and vegetables handy because my kids love them!

Rice is our grain of choice today!

PROCEDURE

1. Take your rice mold and scoop some rice into it. Make sure you pack your rice (so it will hold its shape), and flip onto your bento box. 

2. If your main dish has sauce, it is best to use a silicone cup to hold that sauce. You don't want the sauce to mix with your rice. 

3. Take some fillers (in this case, some hotdogs, broccoli and fruit) and fill up those extra spaces. 

4. Use barans to separate the fruit/sweets from everything else. 

5. Decorate your bento with picks.
Optional: Add cut cheese or carrots (shaped like stars, hearts, etc.) to spruce up your box. 

The best way to demonstrate how to put together a bento box is to show you. So I took a few photos of the kids putting together their bento lunch.

~~~ * ~~~

RL's BENTO

RL scooping his rice onto his bento box.

RL chose a small silicone cup to hold his steak. He prefers hotdogs.

Carefully filling out the spaces in his bento box with a green apple slice.
Notice he uses two silicone barans to separate the fruit from his rice.

Adding picks to his bento.

Voila! My little boy's first bento ever! I think he did pretty good, donchatink?
Guess all that bento lunch he brings to school gave him pretty much an idea how to put this together.

"I wanna eat it up!" - RL

A's BIG APPETITE BENTO

Pretty girl getting ready to make her own lunch.

She was reluctant to use the molds, because she wanted to fill her box with rice. Hehe.

Carefully filling her silicone cup of choice with Salpicao.
I intentionally cut the pieces that small for the little boy's benefit.

Once you've placed your rice and main dish in the box, work on filling up the spaces.
A chose to put her hotdogs in a silicone cup as well.

My daughter is a big rice-eater. She can have just rice and no meat or veggies.
Excuse the broccoli, it has been sitting in the fridge for a while.

My not-so-little girl is very proud of her work. She says she will try to make her own lunch everyday.

KAYE's BENTO

My bento lunch, showing the right ratio: 1 part grain, 1 part meat, 2 parts veggies/ fruits.

~~~ * ~~~

Like I said, bento-making need not be complicated. The usual bento in other countries are made this way - simple. It takes about 5 minutes (or even less!) to put together a simple bento, provided everything is ready to go in the box. Remember, a big part of bento-making is in the planning. Plan ahead! Keep a bento notebook and write down all you're going to need for the next day. That way, you have everything prepared and bento assembly will be a breeze.

Follow me on Instagram at:
http://instagram.com/momma_makes_imbento



Wanna try your hand at bento-making? Or join a bento-making contest maybe? SAIZEN IS CELEBRATING BENTO MONTH! Purchase a few bento tools at Saizen, make a bento lunch, take photos, and get a chance to win P3,000 worth of Saizen gift certificates!

Visit Saizen on Facebook for details!

| facebook.com/saizenph 

| twitter.com/SaizenByDaiso 

| instagram.com/saizenph

SuperLaunch!

My siblings and I grew up watching Superbook. In fact, I still have our dusty (and probably moldy) VHS tapes of the old series. It was my goal to have my own kids watch it, as I learned many a Bible story from this childhood favorite. I think A got to catch a few episodes when we lived in Ortigas Center. But like I said, the tapes are dusty and although you could still get them to play by rewinding and forwarding it on a tape rewinder, our trusty old VHS player no longer works, LOL. And yet, the tapes still sit on the shelf, as I don't have the heart to toss them in the bin.

House of Praise sells the DVD version of the old series, but they have very limited stocks, as these have been phased out by the local distributor. UPDATE: I just checked. They've sold out. Sorry.

But then, here's good news! Superbook has been REIMAGINED!

Chris, Joy and Gizmo are back - this time sporting a new look! Catch the new SUPERBOOK SUPERLAUNCH this Saturday, 25 May 2013, (that's tomorrow) at the Robinson's Galleria Activity Center from 2 to 5 PM! Here's your chance to reminisce and relive a childhood favorite, and with your kids, too!

Heaps of FUN, LEARNING and GIVEAWAYS await you! There will be interactive games, presentations, photo booths, and a ton of activities for the whole gang! And guess what? You even get the chance to meet Gizmo!

What's more, we will finally get to catch Superbook on TV next month as it airs on GMA 7! Now isn't that great news?

See you tomorrow at the SUPERBOOK SUPERLAUNCH! It's going to be SUPER!

| batangsuperbook.com
| facebook.com/BatangSuperbook

Ice Age 4!

I had just purchased tickets to catch Ice Age 4 last Friday when I received a call from Eon inviting me to catch the next day's screening of Ice Age 4 at Megamall. I had initially declined the invitation, when after thinking about it for a minute, thought "what the heck", it's a cartoon and my kids are sure to want to watch it again.

I was wise to accept the invitation because A slept through half the movie. Poor baby, tired from a full day in school (She got left behind by her school bus because she had to take two make up quizzes. Yes, blame it on our vacay, sigh), she couldn't keep her eyes open. RL, on the other hand, took in the movie like a sponge.

Separation scene that scared RL.

I must point out that toddlers might find the movie a bit scary. RL clung to me at some parts (especially the part where the ground shook and split open, and Manny gets separated from Ellie and Peaches). He also hated the parts where the Sirens were on screen. 

So we all (three of us, as yaya went home to Bulacan to be with her kids for the weekend) trooped to Megamall to catch the sponsored showing of Ice Age 4 (in 3D, too!). I had an event that afternoon, so it was a nice payback of sorts for the kids who later had to endure a 4-hour talk about fire and emergency safety, hehe.

Thank you, McDonald's! A got to watch the movie in full, and RL got the chance to see it all again.

~~~

I don't know what it is about Hong Kong but each time I'm there, I come home craving for McNuggets. All the more for this recent trip. They had a Hello Kitty promo in Hong Kong, and had new McNugget Sauces. When we were there, they were serving Honey Mustard Sauce. Nom!

Had McNuggets with French Fries and Honey Mustard Sauce at Ocean Park.

So yes, this past week, I've been having McNuggets and Fries almost everyday. Hihihi. Oops, I know. You don't have to say it, I hear you loud and clear ("It's no wonder I'm fat"). But see, I have a good excuse. McDonald's has Ice Age 4 toys for their Happy Meal and I just had to complete the set for my little boy. AND... I found out that McDonald's still served Sweet N' Sour Sauce! And all this time I was settling for Barbeque! If you haven't tried their Sweet N' Sour Sauce, try it! It's a little bit of Hong Kong with your McNuggets, hehe.

Sid and my McNuggets & Regular Fries with Sweet N' Sour Sauce. 

Cute little fellas. 

This was the meal that completed our collection. Wish they had a Louis toy.

Catch all Ice Age 4 toys at McDonald's while they're still there! Don't let 'em drift away!

One toy with every Happy Meal.

www.facebook.com/McDo.ph
www.twitter.com/mcdo_ph

Shhhhh...

The kids are FINALLY asleep. A first in many months to get them down by 10pm. Not an easy feat, I tell ya. My little boy normally stays up with me 'til the wee hours of the morning.

But not tonight. We don't want a repeat of what happened this morning. We were supposed to wake up early but lo and behold, momma slept ON the phone and missed SimSimi's Chicken Alarm. *facepalm* Well that's what you get for working all day AND night AND sleeping at 6am. Oh well.

So tonight we're sleeping early and making sure we get ourselves to S&R right when the gates open. Haha! Ready ka na ba, JM-T et Doraemon (special mention kayo kasi boyscout si J e... LOL!)?


~~~


Wanna know what's happening at S&R tomorrow? Click here.