A Very Filipino Easter

Easter. There's so much to say and yet I'm at a loss of words. I thank God for every blessing and for this life. What His son has done for us at the cross is the perfect love... Feeling loved and grateful comes easy when you just sit back (amidst all struggle and mistakes) and look to reflect that in reality, things aren't as bad as they seem. Rest in the fact that God has it taken care of. :)

This weekend I came home to Houston to celebrate Easter with my mom. Papa is currently in the Philippines spending time with relatives, but he'll be back soon. My mom had a novena (gathering for a rosary prayer) and so it was the perfect opportunity to cook - a lot. Here are some pictures:

Strawberry cupcakes with easter colored icing. Obviously I don't know how to pipe very well (nor did I have the proper equipment) and I was experimenting. But the cake portion was delish!

Red velvet vegan cupcakes with almond buttercream frosting. This was my favorite. So good! I needed to drink so much water after eating one.

So much filipino fooooood!! Lumpia, pancit canton mangoes... what else?

Red velvet to the core.

Now, my parents are excellent chefs. I took their cooking for granted growing up. It wasn't until I went off for college that I realized cooking is a necessary skill (especially with my appetite). I can honestly admit that my dad is the better chef (sorry mom!) but my mom has some excellent recipes. And while I have SO many to choose from to share with you all, my number one pick is the Leche Flan. The way she prepares it is quite different, but it creates the best texture. She gets plenty of compliments with this dessert, and it is easy to make:

Ingredients:

3 whole eggs
1 tall can evaporated milk
1 can condensed milk
2 tbls granulated sugar

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Place plastic cover, place in fridge and chill overnight. The following day, using a caramelized leche flan pan (see what it looks like here), place on top of the stove top, pour 2 tablespoons of white sugar and caramelize, covering the whole pan (this will eventually be the "sauce" of the pan). If you refer to the picture above the brown "sauce" is actually the caramelized sugar. Take out your batter from the day before and pour into caramelized pan. Put your pan into a larger pan filled with water into an oven (350 degrees). Steam for an hour. Once finished, turn upside down into a tray. The bottom part should be the top part of your finished flan. So easy! So tasty! Enjoy! - Mommy

To finish off this blog post I just wanted to show of the male dog of our family, Chippy:

He's incredibly photogenic. The best pom there is!

Penny and Chippy love playing together.

That's all for now! Until my next post!

God bless!

Jacq