Formosa Bakery for those sweet bread cravings

I prefer breads to rice. Eating rice three times a day can make me feel so full, so I find that a sandwich for dinner is just right for me.

Breads are also an integral part of snack time for my kids, and I'm always on the lookout for good breads for them.  I cannot settle for those backdoor bakeshop/ sari sari store where they sell breads at 2 pesos each and tasted too sweet.

Good breads require ingredients that costs more and techniques that only experienced bread artisans have perfected.

Recently we visited this bakeshop in Banawe Street, Quezon City where they sell good quality breads.
Formosa Bakery sells what its name implies, Taiwanese- yeast leavened breads, quick breads and cakes.

We tried this BBQ Bread for 48 pesos.    It consists of  puff pastry dough separated by roasted green bell pepper on a stick, slathered with barbeque sauce and topped with seaweed flakes. Yum. Hubby likes it.

 The roasted green pepper are surprisingly not overpowering and tasted sweet.

This heart shaped pink bread  is called a Full Wheat Meal Bread and it costs 55 pesos. It is a combination of strawberry and vanila -yeast leavened bread with a cheesy interior.  Not too expensive considering it being big enough to share.  The combination of cheese and strawberry is ok.  I like that its not sweet.

My kids like this one, they like the gooey cheese inside it.

This one is named Piccachu, and its highly recommended by the shop girl I asked. ( Do not know why its named after a Pokemon) It costs 85 pesos each.  Its sweeter than the strawberry full wheat meal bread but it tasted heavenly!  Bigger than the two other breads I bought.  It is yeast leavened with a sweet crust sprinkled with walnuts.  The taste reminds me of coffee buns.  I bet it will be great with coffee.

I prefer my breads to be yeast leavened.  Its as soft as quick breads and cakes but without the butter and fat.

Formosa Bakery
518 Banawe Street, Brgy Sto Domingo,Quezon City.
Telephone number 5168319

New San Juan Branch opened June 19, 2011
Formosa Bakery
Unit 2 Madison Square Building
#229 Wilson Street, Barangay Greenhills, San Juan City.
Telephone Number 7232039

Today is Pizza Day

When my sister went to Chicago, she asked me what I'd like as a pasalubong.  I said an eatable-not stale-Chicago deep dish pizza.

Really I was joking.  Although I'd love to have tasted one, I never expected her to bring a real pizza from Chicago.  It was a 13 hour plane ride and a pizza probably wouldn't survive it.

But, she did bring this deep dish pizza KIT from Chicago.

 I loved my pasalubong instantly.  It gave me an inspiration to learn to bake a real pizza.  From scratch....

It wouldn't do justice if I bought a grocery pizza crust and just slather it with toppings, not too original. 

                                     
So today I made a home made pizza from whole wheat flour, yeast, salt and olive oil.

 Toppings include tomato sauce, roasted red pepper, onion, pineapple, lean bacon, yesterday's hamburger, sharp cheddar and mozzarella.

 I baked it in the oven on 250 degrees for 30 minutes and Tadaah!

                                         
It took me at least 4 to 5 hours to make this beauty. 

I will never complain again if it took 45 minutes for my pizza to be delivered.

I like making my own pizza, there's something divine about creating bread from flour. 

And its time well spent when you see the smiles on my kids' face when they devour it with much gusto!

The Greedy Monkey- A short story written and illustrated by Brian

                                              
 My 8 year old son Brian bought home a little book he made in school, and it's titled "The Greedy Monkey".
It was handwritten, illustrated and completely inspired by a movie we saw in Lantau Island in Hong Kong.

 Once upon a time in the rainforest there was a greedy monkey.  The greedy monkey ordered the other monkeys to give him bananas.  He would say " Give me bananas!"

 The other monkeys asked him, " Can I have some of your bananas?"  He said, "NO!  YOU CAN"T HAVE THESE BANANAS!"

The other monkeys worked for him for several days.  When they got tired of it, they said they quit!  The monkey said "Where are the other monkeys?"

When he found them he said,"Can you please work for me? They said "NO!"  The monkey said, "I will share you my bananas".  They said "OK."  The end....

Sounds like my son will grow up to be a  business manager...  or a people manager- managing people to work for your business.