This one is supposed to be in loaf form.  But for some reason, muffins just seemed like a better idea.  That's why we have another banana muffin post up on here! 🙈

Lemon Garlic Tuna Pasta

Happy 2017!

Mocha Cupcakes

Do you remember when you started drinking coffee?  Did you start young or a little later?

Oreo Chocolate Chip Cookies

Do you remember your first baking experience?  Did you make cookies?  Or brownies?  Or something more complex than those?  I remember baking cookies for the first time and totally being clueless that there is such a thing as 'over mixing'.  Over mixing is never a good thing; we must all remember that.  But unfortunately for me, I sure did mix the cookie dough quite vigorously.  Let's just say those cookies weren't the easiest/most pleasant to bite into.

Cinnamon Rolls, The Quick & Easy

I have only worked with yeast twice; first time ever, for this pull apart and on these raisin rolls last.  Both instances resulted in unpleasantly tough bread and really I was already put off from trying any other recipe that involves yeast.

But I love cinnamon rolls and bread in general.

And I really, really, REALLY want to make them at home.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Yes, I know... another post about bananas.  

But!

Hazelnut Cocoa Chocolate Chip Brownies

Where my 'I'd rather stay at home than (insert whatever it is that you'd rather not be doing)' buddies at?!

Funfetti Birthday Cake

A happy birthday to you if today happens to be the day you came into the world xx years ago!  If it has already passed, still, happy birthday, gal/pal!

So...what was your birthday cake for this year?  Did you have a pro make it? Or did you DIY?

Because I did. 😎

(This is going to be a long post! You've been warned!)

Carrot Cake Cookies

A rant of sorts is what you'll be reading from the jump. 😬

Double Chocolate Macadamia Brownies

...and a variety of sprinkles on the top for aesthetic purposes only (let's be real here).

So, hello.  Here I am again, unable to start a blog post despite doing this blogging thing for years now.

Nutty Dark Chocolate Cookies with Cranberries

Before I bake anything, I write down the recipe on a notebook first and then triple check if I have copied everything.  Not gonna lie but I'm guilty of skipping an ingredient or procedure when I was just starting with baking.  But truth be told the same thing still happens to me to this day!

Have you ever caught yourself missing an ingredient when you've already placed everything in the oven?

I know.  Such a catastrophe, right?  I baked a banana cake once...and forgot about the sugar.

Banana Cinnamon and Walnut Pancakes

Back in college, I would religiously sit in front of my vanity and put on makeup.  I would try my very best (keyword here is try) to wake up a couple hours before classes.  Like I'd just be wearing a shirt, jeans and sandals but damn was my eye liner on fleek!  Unfortunately, I've lost the touch; I cannot seem to draw even, sharp lines anymore and you bet I am frustrated.

This post has nothing to do with makeup though.  I just wanted to share because all those YouTube makeup tutorials I've been watching make long for that era in my life (lol) when I could do a perfect cat eye, no sweat and anxiety felt and retouch needed.

Pancakes!

Mocha Cheesecake Brownies

It all started with a block of cream cheese.  

The original plan was to make bibingka and sprinkle the cream cheese all over it.  But a banana leaf needed for lining the pan was always forgotten and never made an appearance in our household.  Days turned to a week and I started to crave for something really chocolaty.

And bibingka is definitely not chocolaty!

Toasted Walnut Banana Cake

But in simpler words: banana cake.  My lola Vita's banana cake.  I only named this one like so because it sounds fancier than just 'banana cake'.

And if it sounds more interesting, you'll most likely not ignore yet another banana recipe.

Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes + Caramelized Bananas

I love breakfast food, yes.  But as much as I adore the whole breakfast concept, I'm not really too keen on waking up early.  Oh I still remember the mornings when I would willingly wake up at dawn and prepare for training.  Yep!  I once dreamt of becoming a pro athlete, too, you know.

A couple (more than a couple, actually) years has passed and I've yet to get that waking-up-early habit back.  But my love for everything breakfast stayed with me.

But you and I and everybody know that breakfast can be enjoyed any time of the day!  Right? Or damn right!?!

Churros

Truth be told, the only reason I took the plunge and made churros was because our oven is in bad shape.

Like it still has power and heats up but the temperature dial is broken.  I know I could just get an oven thermometer but ehh!  Plus, I also wanted to know how churros made from scratch differ or be similar to the ones we buy.

Simple, Egg-free Pancakes

Recently, I've been turning to the Web for answers.  For emergencies such as 'AHH! We're out of *whatever ingredient and whatever possible substitute there could be* but I want *whatever the end product of said missing ingredient/sub + other stuff would have been* now!'...or something.

I know you're saying the easiest solution would be to just go to the market and restock.

Red Velvet + White Chocolate Cookies

It's perfectly understandable for little kids to get really excited when they receive something, right?  I think the same applies to adults, too!  Please don't burst out laughing but my goodness even I couldn't believe how happy and excited I was when I got two glorious kilos of flour.  Like I smiled one wide smile, buddy!  In my mind I was doing a happy dance and then stopped because 'Abigail, it's just flour, stop'.  

And then I remembered this adorable scene from Stranger Than Fiction where Harold gave Ana flours instead of flowers (get it?!):

Source: http://caffeinated-much.tumblr.com/post/49928250894/the-sweetest-moment

100 points to Harold for being a cutie pie and practical at the same time!  Please, I know you'd be excited to receive bags of flour, too, if you love to bake!

Matcha Crinkle Cookies

I knew right away that matcha will be a favorite after my first bite of my first ever matcha-flavored food.  It was a humble yet glorious lil muffin and its insides were softly tinged green (!!!).  Since then whenever I see 'matcha' on a blog, Pinterest, tumblr and everywhere else, I just go nuts and seconds later, I'll be reading up on that blog post and bookmarking it after.

I even bought freaking soy milk just so I could make iced matcha latte!  Have you ever tried making iced matcha latte?  Without a bamboo whisk? Which I didn't know was called that prior to reading up on homemade matcha lattes.  

Oh well!

Easy Peasy Coffee Pancakes!

Have you ever eaten dinner way past dinnertime?  I remember a friend saying they usually eat late in the evening.  My family, on the other hand, we try to eat dinner before it gets too late.  How about yours?

But this one night, I found myself deciding between two pancake recipes...and it was already 10pm.  I thought I already had myself convinced that I'd just go to bed instead.  Who was I kidding?  I must have spent 15 minutes trying to fight the emerging want to eat!

Eh...I gave in.