Lasang Pinoy 7: Eggs

Gising, mag-ALMUSAL na tayo is the topic for Lasang Pinoy 7 which is hosted by Joey of 80 breakfasts. Breakfast, agahan, or almusal is the day’s first meal. Eating breakfast not only fuels the body to help provide stamina, it is also very important for weight management and weight loss. It helps curb our hunger and prevent binge eating later in the day. We really should "Breakfast like a King, lunch like a lord and dine like a pauper…."

When I was a child, breakfast for our family usually composed of hot toasted pandesal from Juat bakery, different kinds of spread; kesong puti, cheese with anchor butter, fried eggs; and hot coffee or milk.

When I reached my teenage years, I started skipping breakfast. I just drink coffee or milk before going to school. I didn’t have enough time to eat because I usually woke up late (typical teenage habit).

I started eating rice for breakfast when I was working already. I need extra energy to be able to work efficiently. I feel exhausted every time I don’t eat enough.

According to a book I read, breakfast is even better with protein. Eggs are a great source of protein, vitamins like B and K as well as folic acid. And since there are many easy ways in preparing eggs, I usually cook it for breakfast. But as much as possible I limit our egg intake for 2-3 times a week.

Whenever I want the pares-type (pair) breakfast; like tapsilog, longsilog, tuyosilog, I usually cook egg sunny-side up or omelette-style. Sometimes I add garlic, onion and tomatoes for my scrambled egg.



I also cook corned beef with scrambled egg. My son loves it so much. I just mix the corned beef with egg and fry it just like in tortang giniling.

Carrot-Raisin Bars

Now that I’m enjoying baking, I gain extra pounds as a consequence. I couldn’t resist eating a lot. I really made a point to use the freshest and finest ingredients every time I bake. My hubby and son love to eat what I bake. My hubby is also giving his officemates some of the goodies because he is really so proud of the taste of it.

Every time I eat, guilt sets in. How can I lose weight or even maintain my present weight if I don’t get rid of those calories from cakes? Well, I read from many dieting books, eating vegetables is healthy. So, since I love to eat, I chose this cake recipe with carrots. Since carrot is a vegetable then I’m now eating healthy (hahaha, what a logic!). I have this carrot-raisin bars recipe which is really delicious and nutritious but still loaded with fats and calories. At least, I actually get rid of a little of the guilt I feel because there's vegetable in my cake.

Do I make sense here? Oh, well never mind. I just love to share this recipe with you and from now on I’ll tell myself that even I’m plump, I still look beautiful and sexy (hahaha).

Carrot-Raisin Bars

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup softened margarine
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup unsifted flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup chopped raisins
1 1/2 cup finely grated carrots
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Grease a 9”x13” baking pan. Mix sugar and margarine. Add eggs and vanilla; beat. Stir in dry ingredients. Add raisins and carrots; stir. Spread mixture into baking pan; sprinkle with walnuts.
Bake about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool; cut into bars.

Hello, Baking!

After my unsuccessful attempt in baking about 7 years ago, I found the courage to try it again. But before I started, I bought some baking equipment especially the oven thermometer. It is necessary that you have the right oven temperature while baking. Now I know that the failure in baking lies in the temperature and measurement of ingredients.

I started baking banana cake. My friend Nora shared to me her simple banana cake recipe. Hooray!!! I got it right. Well, maybe it’s just a simple recipe that’s why I successfully made it.

I became a little adventurous, I started baking brownies. The first attempt of baking brownies was a real failure; I called it “roasted brownies.” But I don’t lose hope and said to myself, “C’mon Lani, you can try it again.” Here’s my recipe for brownies which I got from Del Monte kitchenomics website. And I’m happy I did it perfectly.

Fruit Cocktail Brownies

Ingredients:

2/3 cup margarine or butter
¾ cup cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
4 pcs eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp iodized fine salt
1 can (439 g) Del Monte Fiesta Fruit Cocktail
½ cup roasted cashew nuts

Procedure:

Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
Melt margarine in sauce pan over low heat. Add cocoa. Remove from heat. Add sugar, eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking powder, salt, fruit cocktail and nuts.
Pour onto greased rectangular pan (13” x 9”). Bake for 45 minutes or until brownies start to pull away from sides of pan. Cool slightly. Cut into bars.


Moral of my story: “Try and try until you succeed.”