Spider Man Cake for Birthday Boy!

My Son's Birthday Celebration

Hello! Everyone, getting ready for upcoming holidays? Thanksgiving is like 3 days away, there's gonna be a lot of scrumptious stuff all over the table and don't forget the Turkey! Yum! Although, I'll be working on that day, My mother in-law will gonna pack me some food. I can't wait!! Also, I'm excited to score some good deals this coming Black Friday, I probably gonna pick up some after work, keeping my eye peel to those cute stuff that I want for my kids stuffing stuffer. It seems like most of the stores open at 8 PM Thursday now, little early compare last year. Aside from that you can also get some good deals on Cyber Monday to avoid chaos with other shoppers. 

Aside from excitement of this coming holidays, I'm also beyond excited to share my son's 3rd birthday dinner with family and friends. He usually celebrate his birthday on Thanksgiving but this year kinda is totally different, Yay!. We decided to have like a dinner with family and friends at our place. Got some pizza, ice cream and cake, just very simple celebration. My son is a big fan of super heroes and one of them is Super Man- so that's how this homemade super man cake was made... wink. 

I'll show how easy it is to make this super man cake and pretty sure your kiddies loved them. It's not only you can save money from buying store bought cake, the experience of doing it is priceless, seeing my son's giggle while I'm putting the last touches on the cake is amazing.

Things you'll need:

Cake- I used 2 (8x8 inches pan) vanilla cake

Food Coloring- Black and Red 

Toothpick

Icing- I used store bought 

cake holder

spider man candle

Directions
1.) Bake and cool the 2 round cake in cooling rack. Put the cooled cake on the bottom of the cake holder, put little icing on the middle then stack the other cake on top.
2.) Put the remaining icing on the top, smooth it out using butter knife. Move from the top onto the side of the cake, make sure the everything is cover.
3.) Put the black icing on a pipping bag, if you don't have one just simply use the sandwich bag. That's what I used:) Draw a circle on the middle of the cake, just continue doing it until you reach the end of the cake. Refer the pictures above.
4.) Create the spider web using the toothpick. Start on the middle and just run the toothpick through the cake. Continue doing it until the cake look like a spider web. Refer the photo above.
5.) Top the cake with the spider-man candle. Whola! Spider man cake in no time.:) Put the cake on the fridge until you ready to served them.

When planning of dinner get together or party. I always think about other food to offer for the guest to enjoy. I made cassava cake, my friend Rose brought some delicious cupcake. We also have some chips, clementines and plenty to drink..:)

The main event on this dinner is the Pizza at our favorite pizza place close to our place ( Flyers). He was a super happy birthday boy, indeed!

Pizza varieties we have are ham and mushroom, pepperoni and cheese. We ordered so much pizza until today we still have left over :)
After eating dinner we have have cake and ice cream and the most exciting part.. opening the presents! My little boy was waiting for it all day long. That's how we celebrate my son's 3rd birthday just simple dinner with family and friends.
I would also like to extend my heart warming "Thank You"  to all who greeted my son and for being so generous as always. I love you, all!:)
UPDATE: I'm so Thankful to all of my readers and friends who give me inspiration to write more and explore my sweet journey here on Sweet Cuisinera. Have a Super Sweet Thanksgiving Everyone!

Ube Hopia & Sweet Mailbox#2

Ube Hopia and Sweet Mailbox

Happy Wednesday Everyone! I'm in the mood of posting some random thoughts today and to post some of my freebies stuff that I got in the mail recently. It nice getting something nice and cute stuff in the mail aside from bills..wink:) But, before we talk about my freebie finds. I want to share something really yummy find I have recently Ube Hopia from goldilocks, never thought that Hopia can this be good until I tasted one last night.. YUM! I can finished 4 little goodies in one time but I resist myself from doing so. I'm saving some for next day something to look forward before heading to work. Anyways, I find this yummy goodies at Chutchay's Market- (Filipino store here in my place) There's lot of Hopia varieties on the shelf but the UBE flavor really caught my attention. I simple love Ube and Hopia combine? Oh! yeah.. I wish Hopia is available everywhere here, I probably have it on my lunch box at work all the time. Are you big fan of Hopia? Umm.. I bet you do after tasting it, Its flaky and sweet a perfect bite. What's your favorite flavor? just curious maybe I'm gonna try it next time.:) I'm in the hunt of finding a simple recipe for Hopia, It would be great addition to have a HOPIA recipe here. So, If you know a good Hopia recipe, cause I haven't find one yet. Let me know... I would definitely gonna give it a try.... Anyways, Aside from this scrumptious Ube Hopia, I'm also sharing some sweet stuff I got from my mailbox..

I got a can of Progresso Soup- this is really good with rice or a piece of toasted bread on the side. This is available in all grocery store an the price is very affordable but getting it for free is awesome...! YUM! we have this for our quick dinner the other day it was Delish!

 I got FREE coupon! Yay! I can't wait to get my free Kraft Macaroni and Cheese- We love this macaroni and cheese perfect for our Friday dinner.. Macaroni and Cheese and Chicken Nuggets and Fries... YUM!!
I got FREE coupon for Orchard Juice- I can't wait to try their new product in the market. This is gonna be perfect drink for our Friday dinner... ( Excited!)

Lastly, FREE Sugar Free Gum from Glee Gum- Yum! I really like the taste and the flavor of the gum...

Disclosure: I receive the free product for free offered on Facebook and some blogs. No connection between me and the company. Opinion is 100% mine.:)

Keep browsing for your favorite recipes I got a few listed and counting..wink:)!
Thank you so much for stopping by on my blog! and I'll see you in few days for some awesome easy recipes!

 

Cinnamon Crisp Recipe

Cinnamon Crisp

inspired by:thepioneerwoman- cinnamon crisp

Happy Friday everyone! I'm back with another delicious treat for you to try this week "Cinnamon Crisp". Yum! the big inspiration behind this recipe is one and only thepioneerwoman. She's one of the food network star and her recipe is very delicious and easy to make. This cinnamon crisp is one of them! After two days thinking about it, finally last night I was able to give it a try. I wish I should made this a little sooner if I know how good it is. This is so far the easiest and the best sweet treat I've ever have... ( hahaha) I'm once again carried away with my emotions. Who doesn't? I'm eating this crunchy cinnamon crisp with my morning boost hot chocolate right now. It put smile on my face and thats all matter!!Oh, well I guess waking up so early is not so bad after all. It's not a typical ME to be awake this early,I know! I'm just so excited to have cinnamon crisp first thing in the morning. It's cruncny, sweet and addicting! I'm down to my last piece right now.... (hehehe! Did I eat that fast???) with very few ingredients, I highly recommend to stock on this on your cookie jar for fast sweet treat cravings. My kids loved them and so do I. Exciting news!! I'm beyond excited to celebrate my son's 3rd birthday a week from now. It's just gonna be super simple celebration with my family and friends..Also I love to share my new blog that I made 2 days ago, Yup! I think it's great addition with thesweetcuisinera... Hope you give me a visit and will go from there....wink:)

Enjoy the weekend and see in few days for more recipe. Don't forget to check out my other BLOG
Below is the my version of cinnamon twist: ) SUPER EASY RECIPE! I'll promise you that:)

Tips:
- Cooking process may vary depending on the oven used. Adjust the cooking process if you need to.
- Enjoy!
Ingredients:
3 pieces tortilla
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup melted butter

Directions:
1.) Preheat the oven at 375 degree
2.) Grease the baking pan. Meanwhile, slice the tortilla just like how you slice the pizza  or whatever size you want.:)
3.) Brush the sliced tortilla in both side with melted butter. Sprinkles it with cinnamon sugar and place it directly to the prepared baking pan.
4.) Bake it for 13-15 minutes until golden brown. Enjoy!!!

- Come on over and join me with my morning boost snack cinnamon crisp with hot chocolate or coffee of your choice!!! Enjoy the rest of the day:)

Happy Veterans Day

                  

(Veterans Song)

 Compose and Sing by: Gary Campbell

           

 This song is highly recommended from yours truly sweetcuisinera!:)

Veterans Day is an official United States holiday which honors people who have served in armed service also known as veterans. Veterans Day is not to be confused with Memorial Day; Veterans Day celebrates the service of all U.S. military veterans, while Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving (source: wikipedia )

 Friday, October 8,2013 Hurricane Yolanda hit the Philippines big time. The most devastated news I've heard for very long time.  The aftermath of the damages is so unreal, the houses are destroyed, electricity is down and lot of people recorded died, injured and still lot of people are missing. My family is safe and I'll be praying to those family you got affected by the typhoon and hoping that everything will back to normal soon.

Today is Veterans Day and I would like to say big "Thank You" to all the veterans out-there. As a proud wifey of veteran, I also consider Veterans Day a very special one. I can't imagine what other family been through knowing that their love-one's is out-there far far away and there's no certainty that they'll be back alive. Putting your life in the line for your country is truly amazing! and I'm so proud and thankful that my husband is one of those HEROES! The video above, is compose and sing by my father in-law Gary Campbell. I personally recommend to listen to the song, so perfect for Veterans Day! the inspiration behind it is my husband. Great song indeed! Do you have any Family members that is veteran, active duty or retired from the service? I'm sure they also have an inspiring stories that would inspires the next generations. The song is very true and it makes me so emotional, I'm like carried away with my emotions right now, especially to all what happened to my beloved country Philippines. I can't put into words how I felt to those badly affected by the typhoon. I hope through prayers I contribute a lot. Be strong!
Anyways, in part of this Veterans Day- I'll be preparing my Sweetie his favorite breakfast which is fried potatoes, gravy, eggs and biscuit. I think this breakfast makes him so happy and also for the whole family to enjoy.. I'm also making his favorite cookies of all time chocolate chip cookies to be enjoyed for the rest of the day.

Aside from that I'll be making our lunch which is probably Fried Chicken.

To make this day even sweeter most of the major restaurant in the US are offering Veterans Free meal day. Yay!  So, take advantage of this deal which is really nice treat to all the veterans out-there. Nothing more fulfilling having dinner with them and treat them so special, honoring their service in the country.
Check out this top 3 restaurant of my choice for special menu on Veterans day. Hope you have wonderful Veterans Day.

RESTAURANT DEALS ARE EXPIRED
Tips:
-Please call the restaurant before you leave home to make sure if they're taking part of Veterans Day Free Meals.
-Pay close attention to the date listed and what you need to bring so you qualify for the free meal. 

Outback Steakhouse Free Bloomin' Onion and beverage

-Whohoo!Calling all veterans as well as active duty and retired military. Stop by into any Outback Steakhouse on Veterans Day, November 11,2013 (Monday) and get free Bloomin' Onion and beverage.

- Also, Outback Steakhouse is giving out a military discount of 10% off the total check from November  12- December 31,2013-( awesome! I personally love Outback steakhouse..wink)

Olive Garden Veterans Free meal day

Veterans and current service member get a free meal from their special menu. All these entrees come with freshly baked garlic bread sticks and choice of unlimited soup or salad.
This offer valid on November 11,2013
- Family dining with them will also get 10% off their meal. ( Sounds good to me:) wink!!)

 

 To all Veterans and Active Duty Military enjoy a FREE Applebees Signatures Entree on Veterans Day,  Don't forget to stop by on November 11, 2013 Monday, to view the Vets Menu click HERE

-This deal is dine-in only and beverages and gratuity are not included.

-You'll need to bring in one proof of military service such as a U.S. Uniform Service ID card, U.S. Uniform Services Retired ID card, current Leave and Earnings statement, photograph in uniform, be wearing your uniform, a veterans organization card such as American Legion or VFW, or a DD214.

To my family and friends back home. I'll be praying for your safety. This is the time to be united, help one another and be strong..xoxox-thesweetcuisinera:)

Beef and Mixed Vegetables Stir Fry

Beef and Mixed Vegetables Stir Fry

After Halloween everything went fast forward! So, this week I decided to make super fast dinner for the whole family, nothing beats stir fry right? By the time the rice cooked, the stir fry is DONE!. I'm sure most of you have its own favorite stir fry recipes. I do too! the concept of Stir Fry for me is just basically throwing everything in a skillet with your favorite sauce and that's it. If your planning to clean out your fridge, this is the best way to make a meal out of left over vegetables. Sometimes, I do used store bought sauce like the Kikkoman brand, but this time I'm just gonna make something available on my hand which is the cornstarch, below is the substitution if you don't have any cornstarch at home.
 According to the source "cornstarch"- A dense, powdery thickening agent made from part of the corn kernel finely ground

How to prepare: Mix with a small amount of liquid into a slurry or paste before adding to a hot dish, or it will lump. Continued cooking or stirring will cause the thickening to thin.

Substitutions: 2 T all-purpose flour = 1 tbsp cornstarch
2 T granular tapioca = 1 tbsp cornstarch
1 T Arrowroot flour = 1 tbsp cornstarch
(source: food.com )
Thinking about dessert that goes along with this meal check out the link below.
Apple Crisp, Chocolate Crinkles, Chocolate Crinkles and much more!:) Let's start cooking! See you in few days for more recipes:) Haven fun in the kitchen..:)

Notes:
- This recipe is so forgiving, adjust the ingredients and taste according to your preference.
- Add your favorite vegetable selections and your favorite stir fry sauce.

Ingredients:
1/2 lbs. thinly sliced beef sirloin
1 medium carrots
Green Beans
Sugar Snap Peas
2 clove garlic- thinly chopped
1/2 medium size onion, thinly sliced
Soy sauce
cornstarch
1 teaspoon of sugar
Salt and Pepper- to taste

Directions:

1.) In a small bowl, marinate the beef with little soy sauce. Set aside;

2.) Bring water to boil in large pot. Add the sliced vegetables and let it simmer for 3 minutes or until cook crisp. Drain

3.) Heat oil in a skillet. Add the garlic and onion sauteed until translucent. Add the marinated beef and let it cooked for bout 5-6 minutes in high heat.

4.)Meanwhile, in small bowl combine the cornstarch, sugar and 1/4 water. Depending on how much sauce you like.

5.) Add the cooked crisp vegetables and the sauce. Let it thicken, add salt and pepper to taste.. Serve and Enjoy!..:)

( Grab some plate and get some stir fry )

My dinner plate..wink:)

Halloween Cookies

Halloween Cookies

Just a quick post of what we did yesterday in celebration of Halloween and Trick or Treat for my kiddies. It was painful! the weather is pretty bad that they need to reschedule the trick or treat a little early. It's raining, little cold and windy for my little Cinderella and power ranger liking. Anyways, we did went to few houses at my mother-in-law neighborhood and the kids are pretty happy with their candy haul. It was fun! Aside from trick or treat we also made this sugar cookies and my kids LOVED it, especially the decorating part..(hahaha) and you don't wanna imagine the clean up afterward, It took me awhile... What matters is we did have fun doing it.

Below is the sugar cookie recipe. I would say the easiest sugar cookie recipe there is. Hope everyone is having fun on Halloween. See you guys in few days for more fun recipes!

Notes:

- I used store bought icing for this recipe. Feel free to use homemade icing if you want.:)

- Used your favorite icing color and feel free create your spooky design... wink:)

 Sugar cookie recipe: inspired by- Allrecipe.com

 

Ingredients:

* makes 4 dozen Change Servings

 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup softened butter

1 1/2 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions: 

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside. 

2.)In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and place onto ungreased cookie sheets. 

3.)Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks. 

Spooky CUTE spiderweb cookies with cream cheese icing

BOO-tiful cookie sandwich with cream cheese filling.