I just got finished making some Pumpkin eggnog. I was a little disappointed I couldn’t find a recipe that DID NOT call for a dozen egg yolks or ice cream. What I did was adjust a recipe I had for Coquito (Tropical or Puerto Rican eggnog, its very yummy!) . I tasted it before letting it set in the fridge over night, and it tastes pretty good, so I am hoping it will taste better cold!  lol I did NOT add the rum to this batch. I would also guess that you could just take a favorite eggnog recipe and add a can of pumpkin (and maybe a little sugar). If anyone has a great recipe for Pumpkin nog, please share!

On the late afternoon of Christmas Day, soon after we left our paternal Lola’s house in Calumpang, Marikina City, I with my wife, Tina, our son, Gabby and my brother JC went to Eastwood Mall…

Gabby asked for a grande cup of Chocolate frappuccino and a slice of Oreo Cheesecake from Starbucks.  He finished the entire decadent while I shared the Banoffee Pie (one of my favorites!) with Tina.  I also enjoyed Dark Cherry Mocha frap and she had a hot grande cup of Toffee Nut.

Then after several weeks of caffeine indulgence, finally I got my 2010 Starbucks Coffee Planner.   It’s probably one of the most expensive planners but one cannot purchase it directly; and can only be redeemed via a completed promo sticker card. 

Each Starbucks Planner Promo Card requires interested patrons to collect 8 stickers (at 1 sticker per cup of any size) of Holiday blends (Toffee Nut, Peppermint Mocha and Dark Cherry Mocha) and another 8 stickers (or cups) from the usual Starbucks beverages.

I’ve been religiously using the planners from Starbucks for 3 years now and found it so functional to jot down schedules, appointments, small notes and whatnot. I am the type of guy who needs to write down important things in order to avoid missing them.  Are we the same who need a pen and paper most of the time ?  FYI, I sometimes suffer from selective amnesia, that’s why, LOL!

One of the unique features of  the 2010 edtion is its coffee bean shaped marker which I wish to keep and hope would not be lost throughout the year.

For the 2010 planner, the collector can choose from 3 cover designs  –coffee beans, coffee blender and coffee roaster which I like best. 

The planner also comes with different discount coupons with specified dates. 

Now that I’ve claimed mine, I’m just glad to have another partner (other than Tina,LOL!)  that can aid me to be more organized.

Come to think of it, I have no plans yet for January 08… Hmmm… do you have any clue what’s worth anticipating with the eighth day of the first month of the year?  Abangan!

Who does not want to plan for wonderful travels and awesome dining pleasures all throughout the year?  

What are your biggest plans for next year ?

Are you a person who can keep schedules efficiently or do you also need someone or something to put everything properly ?

This company has recently been added on Expopedia, the tradefair service finder. Visit our website for more information.

Kofler Kompanie
Sihlberg 10
8002 Zurich (Switzerland)
More information about Kofler Kompanie …

An overview of the available activities for Kofler Kompanie …

• Catering / Food & beverages

This company has recently been added on Expopedia, the tradefair service finder. Visit our website for more information.

MIC Catering
Reinacherstrasse 261
4053 Basel (Switzerland)
More information about MIC Catering …

An overview of the available activities for MIC Catering …

• Catering / Food & beverages

Feeling festive(ish) on the other side of the world

After two jam-packed weeks of excitement and overstimulation in Japan, I finally made it to the West Coast of Australia to spend Christmas with my friends Mandy and Alex.

Picking me up from the airport at Ridiculous O’Clock, I had a shower, repacked my bag and we were on our way down to Margaret River for a couple of days of winery visitation and general relaxation.

On a ‘Margs’ tip – learning the lingo already – I thoroughly recommend Vasse Felix and Cape Mentelle wineries if you’re in the area. Both have fantastic ranges, and lunch at the former provides a stunning setting and delicious food.

Following two days of living in tights and cardigans sheltering from the cool coastal winds of ‘Margs’ I was pretty sure that Australia had sold me a lie and it wasn’t actually summer. Until we came back up to Perth on Christmas Eve and found out that the forecast was 36 Degrees Celsius for Christmas Day.

Christmas here is a fairly relaxed affair. I got up at 7 to go for a run and avoid the heat, then went back to bed. Resurfacing late morning, Mandy, Alex and I climbed into the pool for half an hour, where I hid under the tarpaulin shade wearing SPF50 for fear of melting my skin off. Despite sheltering in the shade all day, my nose is still pink – this English skin needs to acclimatise!

M & A’s family arrived at about 3pm, whereupon we lived out the classic Aussie stereotype of ‘chucking another shrimp on the barbie’. Gone were the cranberry and bread sauces, the stuffings and the gravy, and in were the balsamic vinegars, olive oils and mayonnaise.

In theory Christmas Dinner should have been lighter, but six hours later I still feel decidedly rotund. Another dip in the pool following the amazing food with three very hyper dogs, and a few drinks in the house followed by a Skype session with my family, and my first non-English Christmas was over.

An interesting experience, where I was made to feel very welcome by the Pfeiffer and Kamasz families, but one which didn’t feel like a real Christmas! Apparently Australia Day in January is a bigger deal – I will report from the frontline when that one comes around.

Merry Christmas everybody…

It’s Christmas Eve.  I love egg nog lattes, but diligently resist them until now.  Too much egg nog isn’t good for a body.  I use a local roaster’s espresso roasted coffee.  You can order it online here .   For my egg nog, I also choose a local dairy.  It’s not much more expensive than the national dairy brands, if you remember to return the glass bottle to the retailer to get your deposit back.   Egg nog lattes are no different than regular lattes.  Steam your egg nog first, then brew your espresso.  I like a mild coffee flavor so I only brew 2 ounces of espresso for 8 ounces of egg nog.     Pour your steamed nog into your cup, holding back the foam with a large spoon.  Next, add your espresso.  For the adults, now is when you add 1/2 to 1 ounce of a dark rum.  Finally, top the latte with the egg nog foam.  May you all have a joyous holiday season.

Perfect Noggie Cap to a latte.

Please remember…never, never cut your egg nog with milk or water;  use it straight up.

Well, it’s Christmas Eve (technically Christmas now) and I can’t sleep due to extreme excitement. I adore Christmas. My parents always managed to make it so completely magical that I can’t wait to pass on these traditions to someone else, someday. Even now that my brother and I are grown, we come home from school to a house decorated from top to bottom in various Christmas paraphernalia. Each step on the staircase has a little mini christmas tree on it. The towels in the bathrooms have all been replaced by green and red ones. I made a latte this morning in a coffee mug with Frosty the snowman on it. When I tried to toast a bagel today, I reached for  a plain old white plate and was met with my mother’s fierce stance upon turning around. “Use the Christmas plates, dear,” and she handed me a plate lined with golden stars. 

I think my favorite memory of Christmas has to be the “little tree.” See, in my house, there were two trees. The big tree (the one with all the presents from my parents/family etc) and the little tree. The little tree was extra special because only Santa could put gifts under there. The little tree was upstairs, whereas the big tree was downstairs, and it was right outside of my bedroom door. There were never any presents there until Christmas morning, and they were always wrapped in completely different, magical-looking paper that my parents acquired from god knows where. Some years it was metallic and shiny yet crinkly looking, almost as if it had travelled from the North Pole. On each present, in an equally metallic/unearthly looking ink, was either my name or my brother’s, written in calligraphy. Santa had wonderful penmanship. 

On Christmas morning, my brother and I would excitedly run out of our bedrooms to see the little tree. Then, we would carefully take a few of the presents, go to my parents room, and sit on the end of their bed taking turns opening them. See, my parents were always equally astonished at all the wonderful things Santa had brought us, making us open them slowly so they too could relish the moment. And the presents were so, so neat. I suspect that when my parents travelled for work, they made a habit of picking up really odd little things that would be impossible to find in our home town. Everything looked hand-made and probably created lovingly by elves: toys, puzzles, even things that had our names individually carved into them. 

After the little tree was opened, we would all head downstairs to eat some breakfast (and make coffee for my poor parents who were probably up until the wee hours of the morning wrapping). On the table, we would see the remnants of whatever we left for Santa the night before. Once, we left a carrot for the reindeer who did the best job that night, and (I still have no idea quite how they did it) there were two GIANT reindeer teeth prints still in it. My brother and I stood with mouths agape when we saw that. 

Following breakfast, we opened our stockings. Had more tea and coffee, munched on delicious things we’d received, and then opened the big tree. There was none of this let’s-open-presents-as-quickly-as-we-can-all-simultaneously business. We opened them individually, one at a time, taking turns. It prolonged the process into the late afternoon, but we truly loved every minute of it. 

I loved when we were all done, sitting in a mound of wrapping paper and looking at all of our new things, when my Dad would make homemade hot chocolate for us to sip. I used to lurk right behind him, watching him make it so I could get the first glass. It’s delicious, rich, and feels like home. Let’s make some

Start with some whole milk. Of course you can use 2% here too, but I wouldn’t recommend going much lower than that or it tends to be a little thin. Just measure out as much as you need. Keep it warm over low heat.

 Couple pinches of cinnamon

Bit of vanilla

Pinch of salt to help accentuate all the flavors

Now for your chocolate. This is a matter of taste; I used Lindt 70% dark, and for two people I only used 4 squares. However, add the squares in a couple at a time and taste as you go. How rich do you want it? Whisk the chocolate until it’s incorporated into the milk. Give it some time and do it over a low heat.

Now add in sugar to taste. Put in about a tablespoon and taste it; if you want more, add in another. At this point adjust any other flavors you want; more cinnamon? Vanilla? Chocolate?

Ok keep it on low and stir often. Now for the whipped cream! The amount depends on how many mugs you’re making.

Splash of vanilla

Bit of sugar to sweeten it up.

Now whip it until it reaches stiff peaks!

Soooo hard to resist eating this with a spoon.

Let’s assemble..

I shaved a bit of chocolate on top for extra prettiness

Hot Chocolate with Vanilla Whipped Cream

• whole milk
• dark (70% or so) chocolate
• vanilla
• sugar
• pinch of salt
• couple pinches of cinnamon
• whipping cream (35%)
• shaved chocolate for garnish, optional

1. Heat some whole milk on low heat in a saucepan. The amount you need depends on how many people you’re feeding. Count on two cups per person
2. Put in a couple pinches of cinnamon, pinch of salt, splash of vanilla, and sugar to taste. Whisk to incorporate. Then, add in your chocolate squares. I did about 2 squares per person. Whisk until it’s all melted and then taste it to determine if you need more chocolate or sugar.
3. In a mixing bowl, whip as much whipped cream as you need for garnish. Add in some sugar to taste, and a splash of vanilla. 
4. Serve! Grate/shave some chocolate on top for extra pretty points.