This Home Appliance Tops the List of Popular Mother's Day Gifts.

The month of flowers is also the month for mothers! The month of May is upon us again, which only means that the spotlight shines extra bright once more for us moms as we celebrate Mother’s Day. If you’re thinking of the right surprise to give to the number one lady in your life, allow me to give you a clue. It starts with an A and ends with an R. It’s a kitchen favorite, one that will help the number one chef flex her amazing cooking skills.

Drumroll please... it’s Air Fryers! Yes, it is still air fryers, at least according to the latest data from OnBuy . According to the latest report, there is a big surge of sales on this nifty appliance weeks before the annual celebration of Mother’s Day. This kitchen must-have has boomed in popularity in the last couple of years and for very good reasons. In this blog post, I’ll give you a rundown of all its benefits by putting the focus on one of the most powerful models in the market: The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer. Below are all the reasons why you should #BringBrevilleHome.

1. Air frying is a better alternative to traditional deep frying.

When you deep fry, oil is heated into high amounts that can lead to increased concentrations of inflammatory compounds that are absorbed by the food. With air frying, you minimize the use of oil or can even entirely remove it. The way it works is that it uses convection heat to cook food, similar to the way a fan oven works.

2. It can help you cook healthier versions of your favorite fried dishes.

Regular consumption of deep-fried food has been known to be correlated to the development of chronic ailments like cardiovascular disease. The use of convection heat to fry can create the same crispy exterior that we all love so much from our favorite fried treats. The result is healthier versions of meals with lower saturated fat that are better for our diets.

3. It’s versatile!

The versatility of this kitchen partner is something all cooking aficionados will definitely appreciate. The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer is a perfect example of this. On top of having a dedicated air frying setting, this unit from the premium home lifestyle brand comes with nine other cooking functions which include toast, roast, bake, crumpet, and even pizza. It’s like having 10 appliances, all in one powerful model.

4. It’s perfect for busy bees.

Talking about power, the Smart Oven Air Fryer is also ideal for anyone who wants to be efficient with cooking. Its dual-speed convection feature reduces cooking time by 30 percent which is perfect for all busy moms out there. 5. It’s very user-friendly. Air frying food is a no-brainer because you can easily pick settings for your recipe. The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer takes this a notch higher with its Element IQ System which has a smart algorithm that creates the ideal cooking environment for a range of different cooking techniques. Forget about cold, uneven spots and ideal rack positions. This air fryer does it all for you and more, regardless of your cooking skills.

This Mother’s Day, give the gift of innovation to the special woman in your life by turning their dream kitchen into a reality. We already know that our moms are geniuses when it comes to creating meals that we love, but it doesn’t hurt to bring home an equally smart partner that can help them make even more cooking wonders. If you’re into it, you can even go the extra mile and take a crack at cooking by bonding with her to make your own Mother’s Day feast.

It’s time to #BringBrevilleHome this Mother’s Day. Want to know more about the Smart Oven Air Fryer? Visit their website to get the full deets about this appliance. Don’t forget to also follow their official Facebook and Instagram to get updated on their other releases.

The Stoveless Kitchen: Modern Solutions for Modern Problems.

Managing your own space is as fulfilling as it is challenging sometimes. For anyone living in a modern apartment or a condo set-up where every square foot holds its weight in gold, finding the sweet spot between maximizing space and making it conducive for everyday living can be a real struggle.

It's because of this need that so many multi-functional and space-saving household essentials shot in popularity in recent years. But how effective are they for other parts of the home where we usually spend a lot of time doing manual work and prep? Case in point: our kitchens.

Years ago, a regular kitchen was expected to have several appliances to be truly functional. But modern problems require modern solutions, and so a new wave of kitchen partners that can do multiple jobs started taking over households. Think about it: a few years ago, would you have even imagined that you could survive without a stove?

Now you might say, "This isn't even possible at present!" Well, the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer is here to prove you wrong. The latest model from the premium lifestyle brand’s best-selling line of kitchen partners, the Smart Oven Air Fryer is a versatile unit that can do almost anything and everything a home cook needs in their kitchen.

The model’s dedicated air frying setting is just the tip of the iceberg of its note-worthy line of features. With ten cooking functions that include grilling, slow cooking, baking, roasting, and even a pizza-cooking feature, you can skip having a stove–and a dozen other appliances in your kitchen. Make your favorite roast or whip up your favorite crunchy fries in minutes with its dual-speed convection feature that raises hot air and sinks cold air to reduce the cooking time by 30 percent.

The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer also has an Element IQ System that makes it ideal even for a newbie home cook. The technology is a smart algorithm feature that helps create the perfect cooking environment for different cooking techniques. The advanced sensing and temperature control of this model promises even cooking all the time, eliminating guesswork for its users.

In terms of design, the Smart Oven Air Fryer is crafted for ease of use. It comes with a clear and easy-to-understand LCD Display and an interior oven light that automatically turns on at the end of every cooking cycle. Topping these is its sophisticated and sleek aesthetic which makes it so easy to fit in any modern, classy home.

True enough, the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer checks all the boxes a smart homeowner needs from a cooking appliance. It is sleek, versatile, user-friendly, and can elevate anyone’s creativity in the kitchen regardless of their cooking level. Small space or not, this model is a definite must-have for anyone looking for a kitchen partner that can meet their modern needs.

Do you want to learn more about the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer? Check out their website or follow their Facebook and Instagram pages now for more information.

Cook Smart (not hard) this Christmas with the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer.

It's almost Christmas! Barely 48 hours away, to be exact. And with the most festive and most-awaited holiday of the year right around the corner, I'm sure you've already planned out your Noche Buena-slash-Christmas Day menu.

The holidays are always such a big eating season for everyone. It’s that one time of the year when we feel extra carefree about what we eat because seriously, have you really enjoyed Christmas without jumping from one banquet to another?

But what if we tell you that you do not need to sacrifice healthy eating to enjoy the season? Even more, what if you find out that you can whip up your flavorful recipe in minutes in your own kitchen?

Breville’s Smart Oven Air Fryer should be on every Christmas wishlist of all home cooks out there. Versatile, easy to use, and very durable, this oven from the premium home brand can give you the best of both worlds in terms of flavor and ease of cooking as you cruise through the holidays.

One of the beauties of the Smart Oven Air Fryer is its ten cooking functions that can let you make to-die-for crispy treats and scrumptious slow-cooked meals. Toast, bake, roast, grill, and of course air fry without any fuss while shortening your cooking time. Equipped with Dual Speed Convection, this kitchen partner speeds up the cooking process by raising hotter air while sinking colder one. The result: 30 percent reduced cooking time as compared to regular ovens and air fryers!

Richie Zamora, the vlogger behind The Pickiest Eater in the World makes a perfect case for this when he prepared a full spread of TV chow snacks for his family to enjoy in minutes. He shares, "All these amazing snacks were cooked in the air fryer with absolutely no oil. Everything was cooked to a beautiful crisp, but you don't even realize that they aren't deep fried."

Let’s Eat Pare also showed how fast and easy it is to make restaurant-level fried crispy wings with Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer. In just 20 minutes, they were able to make a big batch of chicken wings in sour cream flavor! You can check out their recipe here if you want to try their version.

Of course, preparing healthier versions of dishes is another thing that makes this kitchen must-have from Breville essential. Air frying significantly reduces—if not totally removes—the use of oil in cooking, which means that you consume fewer calories and prevent weight gain and obesity when you air-fried food. Fortunately, for the Smart Oven Air Fryer, you don’t need to worry about sacrificing flavors just to go the healthier route. Chef Beng proves this when she made a Pinoy-style whole fried chicken using it.

“Normally, I will have this deep fried, but using an air fryer is apparently so much better as the chicken is amazingly crispy, juicy, and full of flavor. Not to mention, this is a way healthier process than deep frying.”

She also shares that she loves the precision with time and temperature that this Air Fryer provides. “Just press a function and it automatically shows how long and high the cooking process will be.” This is made possible by Breville’s patented Element IQ System which is a smart algorithm that decides the ideal cooking environment for a range of different cooking techniques.

The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer is definitely the kitchen partner to have this holiday season if you want to enjoy healthy, delicious meals minus the fuss. As Richie, Chef Beng, and Let’s Eat Pare say, respectively: "The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer proves that cooking doesn't need to be greasy to be delicious, and preparing food with less guilt doesn't mean less flavors either."

“It has 10 cooking functions which makes it a value-for-money purchase. I totally love it and I highly recommend this smart kitchen appliance.”

“It’s the ultimate kitchen tool you need to put on your Christmas shopping list, pare!”

What are you waiting for? Add the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer to your holiday wishlist now. To know more about the product, visit the Breville website and follow their Facebook and Instagram pages.

Cooking with my Air Fryer | Mocha Muffins.

Afternoons have become relatively cooler now that we're entering the rainy season. Compared to the past few weeks when afternoons would be extremely hot and humid, today's drizzly weather was just right for baking. 

My son had been requesting for Mocha Muffins since last week, and today, I finally had the chance to whip up a batch for our midday snack. Goes perfectly well with a cup of coffee (or tea) while watching K-dramas or Trese on Netflix. 

Sharing with you the recipe, because I know some of you have been missing my air fryer recipe posts and have been wondering I've been doing with my air fryer lately. Well, my air fryer is now officially a year old - very much used, well-loved, and still one of my best buys during this pandemic. :)

Mocha Muffins

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tbsp cocoa powder

1 tbsp instant coffee powder

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter

3/4 cup sugar

2 whole eggs (cool, straight from the fridge)

3/4 cup all-purpose cream

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Procedure:

1. Preheat air fryer to 170° Celsius.

2. In a bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, coffee powder, baking powder, and salt. (You may choose not to add salt if you are using salted butter.)

3. Add the chocolate chips to the dry ingredients and mix well.

4. Mix the butter and sugar in another bowl and with a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat in low speed until fluffy. (You can mix by hand, but make sure that the butter is at room temperature.) 

Muffin time once again! :)

5. Add the eggs to the mixture one at a time, and beat until the eggs are no longer visible.

6. Add half of the dry ingredients to the mixture and the all-purpose cream, mix at low speed.

7. Add the remaining half of the dry ingredients and continue to mix until everything is well-combined. 

8. Put your mixer at high speed for 5-10 seconds to make sure the mixture is creamy and has a refined texture.

9. Using an ice cream scoop, fill your paper-lined muffin tin cups with the batter and top with more chocolate chips.

Super moist Mocha Muffins! 

10. Bake at 170° Celsius for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

11. Let cool for five minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cooking with my Air Fryer | Baked Salmon.

Born and raised as a Catholic, I've always followed the "Fish Friday" tradition for as long as I can remember. It's when (most) Catholics abstain from consuming meat on Ash Wednesday and every Friday in Lent, and eat only fish and/or vegetables. I reckon I learned this practice from my great grandmother, who would also diligently sing the "pasyon" during the Holy Week, year in and year out. 

Before I got my air fryer, our Fish Friday meals would either be bangus (daing, bistek, sinigang, or tinapa), tuna (stir-fried or eaten straight from the can), or good ol' pan-fried tilapia.  Now that I have an air fryer, I have even more options such as Tuna Rice Casserole, Cheesy Baked Bangus, and even the quarantine-famous Sushi Bake. 

Recently, I've learned how to make Baked Salmon (yes, Conti's style), and it's the recipe I'm sharing with you today - just in time for another Fish Friday. :)

Baked Salmon (ala Conti's)

Ingredients:

500 grams salmon fillet

5 cloves garlic, minced

juice of 1 lemon

salt & pepper

1/2 block cream cheese, softened

3 Tbsps mayonnaise

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup parmesan cheese

For the side dish:

1 pack mixed vegetables 

2 Tbsps butter

Procedure: 

1. Preheat the air fryer at 190° Celsius.

2. In a bowl, marinate salmon with garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Let it sit for 30 minutes.

3. In a small bowl, mix the cream cheese, mayonnaise, minced garlic, and parmesan cheese.

4. Remove the salmon from the bowl and pat dry with a paper towel.

5. Place the salmon in a baking pan and spread the cream cheese mixture on top. Sprinkle more parmesan cheese on top if desired.

6. Set your air fryer to Bake mode and bake at 170° C for 30-25 minutes or until the top is golden.

7. While the salmon is baking, prepare the side dish by melting the butter in a non-stick pan.

8. Once melted, add the vegetable mix to the pan. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until the vegetables are tender crisp. Add a dash of salt and pepper to taste. 

9. Serve with the baked salmon.

Cooking with my Air Fryer | Cheesy Baked Bangus.

Just like chicken and tofu, bangus (or milkfish) is also a staple in this household. Whether it's sinigang, bistek, daing, or tinapa, there just has to be a bangus dish in our meal plan at least once or twice a week. And why not? Aside from its versatility, bangus is healthy, flavorful, and definitely more affordable than pork or beef.

Today, I tried to be more adventurous with bangus, instead of the usual air fried tinapa or daing. I baked it, and topped it with cream and lots and lots of cheese. It was a hit with my son, who almost finished the entire bangus in one sitting!

Cheesy Baked Bangus

Ingredients:

500 grams boneless bangus

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup all-purpose cream

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 cup melting cheese

For the toppings:

1/2 cup melting cheese

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

1 to 2 Tbsp parmesan cheese

If you're out of mozzarella, you can use cheddar cheese instead.

Procedure:

1. Preheat the air fryer at 190° Celsius.

2. Season bangus with salt, pepper, and paprika.

3. Prepare the cream mixture by mixing the mayonnaise, all-purpose cream, garlic powder, pepper, sugar, and melting cheese in a small bowl. 

4. Place the bangus skin side down in a greased baking tray.

5. Spread the cream mixture on top of the bangus. (Mixture is good for two pieces of bangus.)

6. Top with different cheeses.

7. Set your air fryer to Bake mode and bake at 180° C for 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden.

Many thanks to Ms. Lhen de Castro, founder of Bake and Cook PH, for this recipe! Watch how she made this Cheesy Baked Bangus on her Youtube channel. :)

Cooking with my Air Fryer | Orange Chocolate Chip Muffins.

Social media has been abuzz lately with air fryers and their increasing popularity here in the Philippines. I know air fryers have been around for years, but it was only last year when they started to get a lot of hype in my country.

But along with the new-found fame and popularity came the hatred for air fryers and for people who own it, have bought it, and even those who are planning to buy it. Some people would argue that it works the same way as the turbo broiler and/or the convection oven and it would be a waste of money to buy an air fryer if you already have these appliances (I have neither of the two so the air fryer was a very good investment for me), while some say that air fryers are for lazy people or people who don't know how to cook. I strongly disagree with this one, because hey, I know how to cook. My friends who have air fryers know how to cook. And no, we're not lazy people. People who own air fryers (at least the ones I know) are actually busy people who are after the convenience of being able to work on other things while they cook. 

Like what I've said on my Facebook post, people have their own reasons for buying air fryers. If they have the money for it, let them buy it! Let people enjoy things! 

As for me, my seven-month-old relationship with my Hanabishi Air Fryer is still going strong, and I'm proud to say that I whipped up a storm in the kitchen on New Year's Eve (for the traditional Media Noche) with it! My latest creation are these Orange Chocolate Chip Muffins using the oranges from my New Year fruit basket. I had so many fruits and chocolates for the New Year and they all ended up being made into muffins, haha!

Orange Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup Greek yogurt or plain yogurt

1/4 cup milk

2 large eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil

zest and juice of 1 large orange (about 1/2 cup juice and 1 tablespoon zest)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup chocolate chips (dark or semi-sweet)

For Orange Drizzle Topping (optional):

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1-2 tablespoons orange juice

No drizzle, but I added more chocolate chips on top.

Procedure:

1. Preheat air fryer to 170° Celsius.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the sugar and orange zest.

3. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well.

4. In another bowl, whisk the eggs with oil, yogurt, milk, orange juice, and vanilla extract until completely combined.

5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.

6. Fold in the chocolate chips.

7. Bake at 170° Celsius for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

8. Switch to Convection Broil for 2-3 minutes if you want the muffin tops to look more brown. (Kindly make adjustments to the temperature settings if you're cooking with a conventional oven.)

9. To make the drizzle, sift the powdered sugar in a small bowl. Add the orange juice and stir until the sugar has melted enough and the drizzle can be poured. 

10. When the muffins have cooled down, pour the drizzle on the muffin tops.

Cooking with my Air Fryer | Lemon Yogurt Muffins.

After my successful experiment with apples, I decided to try another fruit with my muffins. This time, I used lemons in this recipe because you know what they say... when life gives you lemons, make muffins with it. Haha!

If you've been reading or have tried any of my muffin recipes, you might have noticed that I always use milk for baking. For this recipe, I switched to yogurt instead. Yogurt, as it turns out, makes baked goods taste better. Its tanginess adds an interesting, non-cloying taste to your muffins (or cakes, for that matter), while its creaminess helps make your baked goods soft and moist. In addition, it gives muffins a good rise as its acidity activates baking soda, which I also used in this recipe. Looks like I'll be using yogurt for baking more often from now on. 

Now enough of this chit-chat and let's move on to the recipe. :)

Lemon Yogurt Muffins

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups all purpose-flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 cup Greek yogurt (or plain yogurt)

1/4 cup butter, melted

zest and juice of one lemon (about 1/4 cup juice and 1 tablespoon zest)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For Lemon Drizzle Topping:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Just some muffins cooling down and waiting to be eaten... :)

Procedure:

1.Preheat air fryer to 170° Celsius.

2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Mix in the lemon zest.

3. In another bowl, whisk the eggs together with the butter, yogurt, lemon juice and vanilla extract.

4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.  

5. Pour the batter into paper-lined muffin cups. (This mixture yields about 12 regular-sized muffins.) 

6. Set your air fryer to Bake mode and at 170°C for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

7. Optional: Switch to Convection Broil for 2-3 minutes if you want the muffin tops to look more brown. (Kindly make adjustments to the temperature settings if you're cooking with a conventional oven.)

8. To make the drizzle, sift the powdered sugar in a small bowl. Add the lemon juice and stir until the sugar has melted enough and the drizzle can be poured. 

9. When the muffins have cooled down, pour the drizzle on the muffin tops.

Cooking with my Air Fryer | Apple Cinnamon Muffins.

Apples are pretty much a staple in our home. Apples are Yue's most favorite fruit, and he makes sure to eat them everyday because as the saying goes, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." 

Today, I decided to experiment with apples in the kitchen, after seeing that we have way too much of them in the crisper. It seems that the fruit delivery guy handed us a few extra pieces when he delivered apples the other day. Either that, or the price of his apples have decreased, because I usually hand him a hundred peso bill and get six apples in return. I have like, a dozen apples inside the fridge and I don't even know why, haha.

Anyway, this is my first time to add fruit into my muffins, and I'm so happy with the results! The muffins that I made were super moist, and they smelled divine. The kitchen smelled like Christmas as soon as I opened my air fryer to take out the muffins! Even Yue was impressed! :)

And with that, I give you my Apple Cinnamon Muffin recipe.

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup milk

1 large egg

1 teaspoon white vinegar

2 cups apple pieces, peeled and chopped into small cubes

1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

Apples and cinnamon make a great combination!

Procedure:

1. Preheat air fryer to 170° Celsius.

2. In a large bowl, mix the butter and brown sugar until well-combined. 

3. Stir in the egg, milk, and vinegar until incorporated.

4. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon powder, and salt until well-blended.

5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not overmix!

6. Lightly fold in the apples and walnuts to the mixture.

7. Pour the batter into paper-lined muffin cups.

8. Set your air fryer to Bake mode and at 170°C for 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

9. Optional: Switch to Convection Broil for 3 to 5 minutes if you want the muffin tops to look more brown. (Kindly make adjustments to the temperature settings if you're cooking with a conventional oven.) 

Cooking with my Air Fryer | White Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe.

I'm on a baking roll lately. I've been baking almost twice a week, ever since I've achieved my goal of baking a cake from scratch. Maybe because I have become more confident with my baking skills (after all, it's been almost half a year since I started experimenting with my air fryer), or maybe because my son is very appreciative of my cooking - he pretty much eats (and compliments) everything I cook or bake, and he devours it with so much gusto. 

Yue requested for cookies again today, because he wanted to snack on something sweet while studying for his exams. (Yes, it's hell week again, lol!) I made Chocolate Chip Cookies for him last week, so for a change, I made White Chocolate Chip Cookies instead. This recipe is inspired by Chef RV Manabat, whose YouTube channel is a treasure trove for homecooks/homebakers like me. Thank you, Chef RV for your easy-to-follow cooking videos! :)

White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup white sugar

1 large egg 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup white chocolate chips

1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Because I have a cookie monster at home. :)

Procedure:

1. Preheat air fryer to 170° Celsius.

2. In a large bowl, mix the butter with the white sugar and brown sugar until well-combined. 

3. Stir in the egg and vanilla until incorporated.

4. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt until well-blended. 

5. Add the white chocolate chips and walnuts and mix until the chocolates and the nuts are well-coated with the flour.

6. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture until just combined. 

7. Scoop out 1 1/2 tablespoons of the dough and place 2 inches apart on a baking sheet.

8. Set your air fryer to bake mode and bake at 170° Celsius for 12-15 minutes. (Kindly make adjustments to the temperature settings if you're using a conventional oven.)

Cooking with my Air Fryer | Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.

My son turned 12 yesterday, and for this year's birthday, I took it upon myself to cook everything on my own for his (simple) birthday dinner. No take-outs, no food deliveries, no 'paluto' from other restaurants, including the birthday cake. Yes, even the birthday cake! I think this has got to be one of the highlights of my airfryer experiments - baking a cake from scratch. I feel so accomplished, haha!

I baked the cake on the eve of his birthday (November 11th), while Typhoon Ulysses (international name Vanco) was starting to cause havoc in the country. It was raining heavily that night, with roaring winds and all, and I was awfully worried that the power might go out any minute. Thankfully, I was able to finish the cake without a hitch, despite the power fluctuations here and there.

I was dead tired after baking this cake, and my arms were stiff from all that grating (tip: use a box grater to make your life easier), but I wasn't able to sleep soundly that night because of the strong typhoon. I was afraid that the roof might start leaking, or worse, be blown off by the strong winds. Good thing none of those happened, and we were able to celebrate Yue's birthday at home with a simple dinner of tuna pasta, roast chicken, and this carrot cake. Sharing with you the cake recipe inspired by InspiredTaste, and my own version of the buttercream frosting. :) 

Carrot Cake with Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour 

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 1/4 cups vegetable oil 

1 cup granulated sugar 

1 cup brown sugar 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

4 large eggs 

3 cups grated peeled carrots 

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts 

For Cream Cheese Frosting:

1/4 cup softened butter

3/4 cup cream cheese

1/4 cup Nestle All-Purpose Cream (chilled)

2 cups powdered sugar

Procedure:

1. Preheat the airfryer to 190° Celsius. Grease two round cake pans and line the bottom with parchment paper, then grease the top of the parchment paper. (I used an 8" springform pan and cooked two batches since I only have one pan.)

2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon until well-blended.

3. In another bowl, whisk the oils, sugar, and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, until combined.

4. Using a spatula, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in three parts, gently stirring until they disappear and the batter is smooth.

5. Fold in the carrots and walnuts.

Carrots and walnuts!

6. Pour the batter into the cake pans.

7. Set the airfryer to Bake mode and bake at 170° Celsius for 35-40 minutes or until the top of the cake is springy when touched and when a toothpick inserted to the center of the cake comes out clean.

8. Cool the cake in the pan for 10-15 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack. Peel off the parchment paper and cool off completely before frosting.

Buttercream frosting, before chilling. 

9. To make the frosting, whisk the butter, cream cheese, and Nestle All-Purpose Cream. Add the powdered sugar in four batches, whisking the mixture until thick and smooth. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

10. To assemble, spread frosting on one part of the cake and place the other part to sandwich the frosting. Spread frosting on all sides of the cake. Top with extra chopped walnuts. Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving. (I refrigerated mine overnight.)

My first-ever carrot cake! Neighbors loved it! :)

P.S. Many thanks to everyone who greeted Yue on his birthday! He truly appreciated all the greetings and well-wishes! :)

Cooking with my Air Fryer | Creamy Tuna Rice Casserole Recipe.

And just like that - it's November. This year will soon be over, and well, it's not as fruitful or as eventful as I had hoped it to be. I guess most of you feel the same way because of the situation we're all in (damn you, coronavirus!). On the bright side, the community quarantine made me rekindle my love for plants and gardening, gave me a chance to binge-watch all sorts of series on Netflix, allowed me to indulge in aromatherapy and essential oils, and made me very productive in terms of housework (kitchen work, to be exact). 

Speaking of kitchen work, I'm back with a new recipe. Yay! I just realized that I have been out of circulation for almost two weeks. Sorry for the lack of updates, but we've been busy with school stuff - projects, unit tests, you know the drill. Thankfully, Yue won't be having classes this week (both synchronous and asynchronous) because the school will be giving the kids some sort of 'health and wellness break'. That means plenty of time for me to bake and try out new recipes, and finish the first season of Black Clover on Netflix.

Today's recipe is Creamy Tuna Casserole, which I discovered in Nestle Cream Philippines' Create with Cream website. I tweaked it just a bit to my liking. Here goes:

Creamy Tuna Casserole

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, chopped

1 medium tomato, chopped

1 can shredded tuna, drained

1 cup mixed vegetables (carrots, corn, green peas)

1/2 cup water

1 pack 125 mL Nestle All-Purpose Cream

2 cups cooked rice (Japanese rice or Dinorado)

1/2 bar quick melt cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for the Creamy Tuna Rice Casserole.

Procedure:

1. Saute garlic, onion, and tomato in butter.

2. Once the onion has slightly caramelized and the tomato has softened, add the mixed vegetables to the pan. Saute for a minute, then add the shredded tuna. 

3. Add the water and Nestle All-Purpose Cream. Gently simmer and season with salt and pepper. Remove from fire once the mixture thickens.

4. Spread the rice in an oven-safe pan. Pour the cream mixture and grate cheese on top. 

5. Set your air fryer to Bake mode and bake at 170°C for 15 minutes or until the cheese turns light golden brown. Serve warm.

6. Optional: Scoop them on seasoned nori sheets, Sushi Bake style.

Enjoy! :)

Cooking with my Air Fryer | Cheese Muffins Recipe.

I've been wanting to try to make my own cheese muffins for the longest time. In fact, I've bought most of the ingredients for it on my last grocery run (which was like, three weeks ago). However, I had qualms about baking it without a mixer, thinking that it would be too much of a pain to mix the ingredients with just a spatula and a wire whisk.

Thankfully, I chanced upon a Hanabishi Hand Mixer yesterday, while I was window shopping at the department store. I really had no plans of buying anything inside the department store because the main purpose of my trip to the mall was to pay bills and buy food stuff. I ended up buying clothes for the kids (my son, my niece and nephew), underwear for myself (because they were on sale), some gardening tools, plus the hand mixer. Lol.

Today, I tried making the Cheese Muffins and it was a success! Good thing I decided to buy this hand mixer. My arms would probably be sore from mixing had I used just the spatula and the wire whisk because the mixture is thick! Anyways, here is the recipe. Please use an electric mixer should you wish to try this. :)

Cheese Muffins

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsps baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup refined sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 eggs (room temperature)

1 can (300 mL) condensed milk

2 tsps vanilla extract

1 cup Quickmelt cheese, grated

Procedure:

1. Preheat the airfryer to 190° Celsius.

2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside. 

3. In a separate bowl, mix the butter and sugar using an electric mixer.

4. Beat the eggs in the mixture, one at a time.

5. Add the condensed milk and vanilla extract and mix again.

6. Pour half of the dry ingredients in the mixture. Mix at low speed.

7. Add the remaining half of the dry ingredients, again mixing at low speed.

8. Add the cheese and fold in to combine. 

9. Pour the batter into paper lined muffin pan cups. Top with more grated cheese if desired. 

10. Set your air fryer to Bake mode and bake at 170°C for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

11. Optional: Switch to Convection Broil for 3 to 5 minutes if you want the muffin tops to look more brown. (Kindly make adjustments to the temperature settings if you're cooking with a conventional oven.)

Cooking with my Air Fryer | Cappuccino Muffins Recipe.

A-and we're back to regular programming! I had been in (social media) hiatus for about a week or so and had not been baking much because of my eye problem. Halfway through September, I had been having issues with my left eye - it felt dry, the upper part of the sclera had reddish streaks, and it felt like I had something stuck in my eye most of the time. I finally decided to see my eye doctor as soon as Yue's exams were over, and I was diagnosed with corneal abrasion. I'm still under medication as of this writing, and there's still a miniscule white spot on my cornea, but my eyes feel much, much better and less sensitive to light than it did two weeks ago. 

Anyway, moving on to what this blog post is really about - the recipe. I had been baking my Cappuccino Muffins differently, using just one egg. Until I realized that two eggs are better than one, lol. But seriously, my muffins became lighter, fluffier, and definitely more moist after I started using two (room temperature) eggs. And with that, here's the recipe. Enjoy! :)

Cappuccino Muffins

Ingredients:

2 cups flour 

3 tsps baking powder 

2 tsp coffee

1/2 tsp salt 

3/4 cup white sugar 

2 eggs 

1 cup milk 

1/4 cup vegetable oil 

1/4 tsp cinnamon 

1/4 tsp nutmeg 

2 tsp vanilla extract 

1 cup dark or semisweet chocolate chips 

Procedure: 

1. Preheat the air fryer to 190° Celsius. 

2. Stir together all the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, coffee, salt, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg) in a large bowl. Make a well in the center. 

3. In a small bowl, beat the egg with a fork. Stir in the milk, oil, and vanilla extract. Pour this mixture all at once into the well in the flour mixture.

4. Mix quickly and lightly until moistened. Do not overmix.

5. Lightly fold in the chocolate chips into the mixture.

6. Pour the batter into paper lined muffin pan cups. Top with more chocolate chips if desired.

7. Set your air fryer to Bake mode and bake at 170°C for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

8. Optional: Switch to Convection Broil for 3 to 5 minutes if you want the muffin tops to look more brown. (Kindly make adjustments to the temperature settings if you're cooking with a conventional oven.)

Cooking with my Air Fryer | Crispy Fried Chicken (ala Max's Restaurant).

This is a recipe that I've been wanting to experiment with ever since I got my hands on my Hanabishi Air Fryer Oven. It took me quite awhile to actually try it, since chicken leg quarters were always out of stock whenever I do the groceries (which is actually like, twice a month at the most).

Luckily, I chanced upon some chicken leg quarters at SM Supermarket's Bounty Fresh section on my last grocery run. Yay! And so finally, here it is - my Crispy Fried Chicken, Max's style.

Crispy Fried Chicken (ala Max's Restaurant)

Ingredients:

4 chicken leg quarters (or 1 whole spring chicken)

4 cloves garlic, chopped (or crushed)

6 slices ginger

4 pieces bay leaf

3 Tbsps fish sauce/patis

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

4 cups water

Procedure:

1. In a large pot, mix the water, fish sauce, garlic, ginger, and bay leaf. Stir, then bring to a boil.

2. Place the chicken in the pot and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

3. Remove the chicken from the broth and drain using a colander. Let it cool for 15 to 20 minutes and rub with salt and pepper on all sides of the skin.

4. Set your air fryer to Air Fry mode and air fry at 190°C for 20 minutes. Flip the chicken at the 5-minute mark. 

5. Flip the chicken again at let it rest for 10 minutes.

6. Air fry the chicken again at 190°C for another 3 to 5 minutes for added crisp. You may adjust the length of time depending on how crispy you want your chicken to be.

7. Serve with fried sweet potato or french fries and tomato ketchup with Worcestershire sauce.