On fire!

Am in Hell's Kitchen! All these fire. Today I decided to turn on the heat in my little kitchen! Yes this is how it is when my energy is restrained or when it is confined to hollow spaces. I think I do better when pushed to the wall. So this afternoon I decided to make custaroons, like the ones that are popular in the malls. born out of Ms. Gigi Gaerlan's creative mind! I love them custaroons and have dilly dallied trying to make some at home. The recipe is the same all over the internet and since this is my first time to do it, I have no way to tweak the recipe yet. So am just going to include links in here that you may find useful.

Adora's box was my first point of reference then went on to another Hapag Kainan just to compare well both turned out the same everything. So like I said, I am trying this one first and will do another set should I find some tweaky moments for this recipe!

Right now I have to hurry lest my children sees this haha am sure these will be gone in a few when I want it stored in the fridge first!

I hope I did justice to the recipe :) 

Re-written: Relaunching the relauncher

Lately I have been thinking about going back to work. I have been working since I was in college. My parents did not even know that I once worked as a sales consultant at Rustan's, handling Benetton products. I earned money while in school. And while at that, I was also a part time volunteer at the Caritas Manila, teaching special children.

After college, armed with my diploma, the only other thing I had were my guts. I remember that my first job was at a video store as its Shift Management trainee. From there I became Promotions manager to a group of restaurants where I handled membership cards. Then went on to being Assistant Purchasing manager of an electronics company. Many years later I had a shift in my career; this was after I got married and gave birth to my second child. I joined the fast rising call center industry. and spent 7 years doing my darnedest at customer service. Years passed and my call center career had to end to give way to following my husband to Saudi Arabia. I worked at a 5-star hotel and was the only Pinay working at the HR department; there were only 2 Filipinas working in the hotel which, eventually became 3, when I was asked to hire my own assistant. As an OFW's wife I had to be there for everyone since we had no maid. So after a long while I had to say goodbye to my corporate career. The internet became my best bud and I started blogging again just so that my brain can start functioning as it's supposed to 😂.

Being a CFL (certified food lover), my "suppressed" passion for baking, resurfaced. It's surprising where your interest can take you in your desire to learn! It was equally passionate kitchen divas like Paula Deen, Nigella Lawson, Rachel Ray, and Martha Stewart that helped me along the way via the internet. I turned this interest into a business opportunity. At a young age, I knew that I like selling stuff especially the ones that I produce. My first try at the food business started way back during my call center career. It was there that I sold food while taking calls 😁. I remember having to go to the grocery to buy the things I need for that night's orders, then come home and get my forty winks. I'd sleep for about 4-5 hours then wakeup to prepare the orders.

Moving forward... We ended 5 years of Saudi and moved back to the Philippines. Thinking I could go back to work was futile as my kids wanted me to take care of them.. In their own words, they wanted me home when they came back from school. And having no "Ate Sheila" to take care of them, I was blissfully stuck with them until such a time I can finally spread my wings... again... Well to cut the story short, Ate Sheila came back and circumstances found me wanting to go relaunch into a corporate career. I am not scared of interviews, mind you! I enjoy them! I guess it is because I always have so many things to say, so many experiences to share. However, much to my dismay, joining the fresh grads, and the seasoned talents, job hunting is not as sprightly as it used to be. The internet may have made job hunting easier but I realise more than ever, that the labor market is a lot more competitive these days. Where my Curriculum vitae is reviewed alongside the ones submitted by either fresh graduates or those who have their master's degree and Phd's. So for a relauncher like me who has extensive experience (or so I thought), it was pretty tough. Relaunchers like myself have to understand that further learnings are needed to keep ones corporate profile more attractive to the companies we are sending our Resumes or Curriculum Vitae to. Do not stop at reading! Enroll or attend seminars. Keep yourself abreast with new management skills or other trending skills that will boost your corporate appeal! I have had my share of successes and failures! And as always I go back to the thought that whatever the result we must be prepared to gear on, bounce back, and move forward!

So for now, I just leave everything up to the Lord. He has provided me skills that I can work on, a restless mind that makes me want to go to the computer and do this.

Need tips on job interviews? Click on this link http://callcentermomie.blogspot.com/search?q=interview

Baking buddies

My husband has a acquired a newly found interest in baking fresh bread since he bought our first oven. Two weeks prior we were in Carrefour buying some stuff for the house and he asked me whether I wanted a water dispenser or an electric oven. I wanted so much to say "electric oven" but I did not want to impose i mean to outwardly...obviously impose hahaha. So I made him choose instead. I showed him two sides of the coin and told him to think about the benefits that he can get if  a) he chose to buy the water dispenser or b)  if he chooses the oven.  I helped him by saying that the water dispenser can give him hot or cold water and that's it; whereas if we have the electric oven I can bake goodies, and roast chicken...etc... He did not need too much prodding and talked to the first salesman he saw on the floor hehehe. Wagi! (Success!) hahaha

The next day coming home from work he handed me recipes for baking various breads, cookies, brownies and other recipes that he downloaded from the internet. His darn interest and excitement was just too infectious, already I, too, was excited to start the "pin" rolling.

He baked his first pandesal one antsy pantsy thursday night...

I jokingly told my husband that he probably was a Panadero (Baker) in his previous life :)

Lookit those cute litte things!

Ready for baking

smells good!!!

my husband's first pandesal customer :)

The next day my "baker husband" made Monay and this time he recruited our kids :)

Baking buddies

too busy to see me taking their pictures

Ready for baking 

the finished product which our kids named as Monay Swordcheese,
Monay Sweetheart, Monay Fried chicken cheese, while my husband
named his creation - Monay croissant, Monay long john and Monay donut LOL