KitchenAid Sale

When I started baking, my husband gifted me a Philips Stand Mixer and I’ve been using it for 12 years already. It is still working fine and madami na kaming pinagsamahan. But when I attended a bread baking class and started making dough, I find that my current mixer is too small for my bread recipe and nahihirapan siya sa pag knead ng dough.

And because of that, I wanted to replace my mixer. Of course, I want a KitchenAid mixer, I’m sure I’m not alone in this dream, every baker wants a KitchenAid. My only concern is the price, yes, we all know that KitchenAid mixer is not cheap so I was hesitant to buy this.

Two years ago, my husband went to the USA and when he visited an Outlet, he started sending me some KitchenAid photos. He asked me if I want a mixer but at that time, our oven is not yet fixed so I declined.

Now, we have a new gas range so last week, my husband told me na bumili na daw ko ng KitchenAid mixer, birthday gift daw niya sa akin. I saw KitchenAid Classic Stand Mixer at Landers, the price is P24,5999.75. My husband wanted to buy it na so I can have it before my birthday but I told him, I will check Rustan’s first.

So last weekend after my Birthday Staycation at Sheraton Manila, we went straight to Alabang Town Center. From the parking lot, we saw Anson’s so we checked kung may KitchenAid sila kaso wala. Then nagCR break ang mag-ama ko and while waiting for them, I saw the KitchenAid store and may sign na SALE.

When my two boys went out from the CR, my husband called me and tinuro niya yung way na pabalik ng Anson’s pero hindi ako lumapit, sila pinapunta ko sila sa pwesto ko. Hehehe! My husband was also surprised na may KitchenAid store sa ATC.

So all the mixers are on sale, may 15% and 20% discount kaming nakita. I saw the Artisan Mini Stand Mixer at P19,995 only from P31,195. I was tempted to buy this mixer because I can choose colors but I reminded myself that I need a bigger mixer. I can choose 5QT but I chose the 4.5QT Classic Mixer kasi ito yung pinakamura and konti lang naman difference sa size. The only disadvantage lang is the color, White or Onyx Black lang ang meron. I chose the Onyx Black because I don’t like white colors at dumihin.

KitchenAid 4.5 Quart Classic Stand Mixer

Flour Power Rating: 6 cups all-purpose flour

Features:
0.33 horsepower DC motor is designed to run longer and delivers optimum torque with less heat build up.
Tilt-head mechanism for easy removal of bowl and accessories.
Patented planetary mixing action provides the highest beater to bowl ratio for faster and more thorough mixing
All metal construction ensures many years of dependable service
Seamless design cleans up easily with a soft damp cloth.
Fits all attachments available.

Accessories included : 4.5 QT Stainless Steel Work Bowl, Coated Flat BEater, Whire Whisk, COated C-Dough Hook.

I’m not sure kung sino mas happy sa amin ni hubby, happy ako sa bagong mixer ko or mas happy si hubby kasi sobrang nakamura siya. He bought this for P17,245 and he saved P7354.75 kasi hindi ako agad bumili sa Landers. He even went to Rustan’s to check the price, naka-Sale din sila pero mas mura pa rin sa KitchenAid store mismo. I checked online and may sale din, the staff said until end of August daw.

Day 3 in Copenhagen

August month was so overwhelming, there are so many life events happening from left and right. In addition, I enrolled in an online class last month so since July I was busy studying and finishing my project. Today, I received an email that I passed my final exam. Yey, at last makakahinga na rin ko. To keep me sane, let me reminisce our travel in Copenhagen last summer. I already blogged about our Day 1 and Day 2 so let me share our Day 3 in Copenhagen.

Read: Day 1 in Copenhagen 
Day 2 in Copenhagen 

Day 3 in Copenhagen 

It was snowing in the morning so we’re praying for good weather because it is so hard to walk if it is so cold. And because of that, we left around 10AM so it is a little bit late but we’re thankful that we were able to visit 5 tourist places kahit naligaw-ligaw pa kami sa paglalakad. Hehehe! From Urban House, we just walked to the City Hall then the Strøget Shopping Street until we reached the Round Tower.

Read: Where to Stay in Copenhagen

The Round Tower 

If you are reading blogs or forums, then you are familiar with The Round Tower. It is popular structures in Denmark since 1642. King Christian IV built the tower for astronomical observatory purpose and to continue the Tycho Brahe research. It is the oldest functioning observatory in Europe.

Now, The Round Tower is famous because you can enjoy the 360-degree view of the old part city of Copenhagen. You need to walk around the building until you reach the spiral staircase. It is about 209 meters walk to reach the top which is only 36 meters tall.

Halfway to the top, there is a Library Hall too which was a university library until 1861. Today, it accommodates art exhibitions, souvenir shops, and restroom. Han Christian Andersen, the famous Danish writer used to visit this library too.

We’ve been to Copenhagen City Hall Tower so I can say that The Round Tower is an easy climb, hindi kami napagod dito. We were not able to try the telescope in the observatory because it was closed. The panorama view was nice but I prefer the bird’s eye view of the City Hall. You can also visit The Church of Our Saviour if you like to see some views too. I’ve seen that church during our Canal Tours in Copenhagen.

Admission Price 
Copenhagen Card - Free
Adult - 25.00 DKK
Children (5-15) - 5.00 DKK

The King's Garden 

From The Round Tower, we went straight to The King’s Garden or Rosenborg Castle Garden. It is the oldest royal garden in Denmark which was established in early 1600 by King Christian IV. The garden is home to a large herbaceous border, rose garden, lime tree (Knight’s Path and Lady’s Path), cherry blossom tree and some famous statues. The King’s Garden is popular for tourist because there is no entrance fee.

I’ve been meaning to revisit Japan because of Sakura so I was really happy when I saw the cherry blossom trees in The King’s Garden. My husband even told me, hindi na tayo pupunta ng Japan, meron naman pala dito. Hehehe!

Rosenborg Castle 

You can already see the Rosenborg Castle from The King’s Garden, we just had snacks at the garden then we went straight to the castle. Denmark has no many castles and I think the majority of the castles are free using the Copenhagen Card.

It was 400 years ago when Rosenborg Castle was built King Christian IV as a pleasure palace and became the King’s favorite residence. Now, it is where you can see the oldest, finest and rarest objects of the royal family. Visiting the castle is like traveling back in time and have a glimpse of wealth, status, and how the royal family lives their life.

The Rosenborg Castle is indeed an art treasure, the castle has five floors for you to explore. Take time to visit each floors because the entrance ticket is not cheap.

Read: Rosenberg Castle 

Admission Price

Adult - 115.00 DKK
Child (0-17) - Free
Copenhagen Card - Free
Park Museums - Free
Student - 75.00 DKK

After our visit to Rosenborg Castle, we moved to Botanical Garden because according to the map, it is near Rosenborg Castle but we could not find it. I was so tired looking for it and I was already hangry (hungry and angry, hehehe!) so I suggested to my mom to let go of the garden and we just go to Amalienborg Castle.

Lunch at Diamond Rice Restaurant

Of course, we have to eat first so we just walk and walk until we saw the Diamond Rice Restaurant. At last makakapaglunch na rin, it is one of our dilemmas if we are traveling abroad because rice is life so we always look for an Asian restaurant.

Read: Food Trip in Copenhagen

Amalienborg Castle 

After lunch, we went straight to Amalienborg Castle and we were surprised that we only have less than an hour to explore the castle because their closing time is 3PM. I’m not aware that they changed the schedule because the last time I checked, 4PM is the closing time. But we’re still thankful that we’ve made it, sa dami ng nilakad at ligaw namin from Rosenborg Castle. Hehehe!

We saw this castle too during our Canal Tours Copenhagen. Amalienborg Castle is a sister museum of Rosenborg Castle and it exhibits the royal history from the mid 19th century until today. It is the continuation of your journey through time from Rosenborg Castle. The museum is not that big so we were able to finish it before 3PM.

Admission Price 
Adults - 0 DKK- 95.00 DKK
Children - Free
Copenhagen Card - Free

Frederik's Church or The Marble Church 

Frederik’s Church is just few steps away from Amalienborg so it is impossible that you will miss this church. It is also known as the Marble church because the church is made of Norwegian marble and Danish Faxe marble.

The Marble Church is a regular parish church, part of the Danish State Church and an Evangelical-Lutheran church. During summer months, you can go to the church dome every 1PM to check the view. We did not experience it because we visited last April so it is not summertime yet.

Admission Price 

Visits to the Dome (Child) - 20.00 DKK
Visits to the Dome (Adult) - 35.00 DKK

Tycho Brahe Planetarium 

After the Marble Church, my companion wanted to go back to the hotel but I told them that we can still visit Tycho Brahe Planetarium but nobody agrees with me and nobody allowed me to go alone. So goodbye Tycho Brahe Planetarium, we went back to our hotel and rest. We packed our stuff because we will be going to Stockholm, Sweden the following day.

Read: Cruise from Oslo to Copenhagen
Day 4 in Copenhagen

Betty Crocker Oatmeal Cookie

It’s been a long time since the last time I baked and sa sobrang tagal, feeling ko nakalimutan ko na gumamit ng oven. According to my blog, 2017 pa yung last bake ko ng bread and hindi ko pa oven, we baked pandesal when we were in Norway.

Read: Baking Pandesal with Filling

It was funny because few years ago I took a Bread Making Class and hindi ko pa totally napractice ang bread making skill ko, bigla nasira oven ko. Waah! My husband called the customer service and if I remember it right, we need to pay a minimum of PHP7500 for the service, pwede pa mag-increase if they need to replace something. The problem is the oven thermostat is not working, lahat ng niluluto ko kahit nasa lowest temperature pa, nasusunog.

Read: The Day I Learned How to Bake my Own Bread 

Of course, I don’t want to pay the fee kasi naman makakabili na ko ng brand new electric oven sa presyo na yun. I decided not to buy oven na lang kasi magdiet ako, less sweets na for me. Nadiet naman kami pero hindi rin nagtagal because we have sweet tooth. I stopped baking pero bumibili naman ko ng cakes and pastries. Hehehe!

Hanggang nasanay na ko na walang oven, I just cook food na hindi need ng oven. But few months ago, my son told me “Mommy, namimiss ko na yung brownies mo. When ka na bibili ng oven?”. We were planning for a kitchen makeover kasi so dun na sana kami magpapalit para isang gastos na lang. But my son misses my brownies so we decided to buy a new gas range. Hindi siya yung dream oven ko pero para sa ikaliligaya ng anak ko, go na lang.

Since last month, I started baking again, I baked my son’s favorite brownies and roast chicken. I tried a new recipe which is Nutella Puff Pastry but I don’t have a nice picture so I will blog about it next time, kapag nakagawa na ulit ako. And yesterday, I baked Oatmeal Cookie.

Betty Crocker Oatmeal Cookie Mix 

Ang nobela ng intro ko, hehehe! I saw this cookie mix na nakasale sa Landmark supermarket, it was only P141.75 so I bought it. I tried other Betty Crocker instant mix na before so I’m sure that this oatmeal cookie will be a hit.

Read: Betty Crocker Chocolate Chips 
Betty Crocker Oatmeal Chocolate Chips

Just like the other Betty Crocker cookie mix, you only need to add few ingredients like 1/2 butter, 1 egg and 1 tbsp of water. Just mix the wet and dry ingredients and bake it for 10-12 minutes at 350F.

My son likes to add chocolate chips but we don’t have stock at home so I just add Freia Chocolate on top of it. I remember, few years ago my son dislike oatmeal cookie but now he loves it, binaon na rin niya maski yung plain oatmeal cookie.

Next time, I will try to bake oatmeal cookie from scratch, I hope it will taste good too. Medyo bitin kasi yung cookie mix (24 pieces). Kasi paglabas pa lang sa oven, kinain na agad ng mag-ama ko. The oatmeal cookie is soft and chewy, kahit galing sa fridge, soft and chewy pa rin siya kapag kinain.

Read: Oatmeal Chocolate Cookie Recipe

Gone Too Soon…

I’m feeling overwhelmed these past three weeks, hence I have no blog post. I’m physically, mentally, and emotionally challenged. True enough when it rains, it pours. I just hope that blessings yung bumuhos but it wasn’t.

My son even told me, ”Mommy, we had three funerals in one year”. At first, I said, why three? Then I realized, we really had three funerals in less than a year, it started last October 2018, when my aunt-in-law passed away, then my grandmother last February 2019, and just this month, my sister-in-law left us too.

To be honest, hindi pa totally nagsink-in sa akin na wala na siya because it happened so fast. It also started in October and I can still remember that day because it was my grandmother-in-law’s 80th birthday. We’re on our way to Pangasinan and she still attended the birthday party even she was not feeling well.

On our way home, my husband kept on telling her na didiretso na kami ng hospital but she declined and sa apartment pa rin siya nagpahatid. In her mind, dysmenorrhea lang yun and kaya na ng pain reliever. The following day, I was surprised when I saw her Instagram Story, na-admit na pala siya and the doctor advised that she needs to undergo D&C.

I told her that I experienced that too when I had a miscarriage and I know some friends na nag-undergo din ng D&C because of heavy bleeding. I thought that she will be okayed after the D&C procedure kasi naging okay na naman ko after pero kahit nakalabas na siya ng hospital she was still not feeling well.

After a week, she went back to the doctor to check her biopsy and we were all shocked when we learned about the result, she has Uterine Cancer. Woah, who would ever think na yung pagiging anemic niya, abdominal pain and heavy bleeding pag may menstruation are signs of cancer na pala.

Even we know that is already stage IV, we did not lose hope because we know that there is nothing impossible and we knew that there are cancer survivors kahit stage IV pa. We are not rich and cancer treatment costs a fortune, but my husband together with my in-laws find ways to make sure that my sister-in-law will get her treatment.

From November, she underwent a series of radiation, chemotherapy, surgery, tomotherapy, and brachytherapy. She was not able to finish her last two therapies because she was not feeling well last month. And because of that, she was admitted to the hospital until God called her home.

I don't know who is the author of this poem but this is so true.

Our lives go on without you

But nothing is the same, 

We have to hide our heartaches 

When someone speaks your name. 

Sad are the hearts that love you 

Silent the tears that fall, 

Living our hearts without you 

Is the hardest part of all. 

You did so many things for us 

Your heart was kind and true, 

And when we needed someone 

We could always count on you. 

The special years will not return 

When we were all together, 

But with the love within our hearts 

You will walk with us forever.

She fought for ten months and her family witnessed her struggles every treatment. I even shared a quote “The worst thing in the world is watching someone you love suffer in pain when there is nothing you can do to stop it.”

Sometimes I wonder why cancer takes a good heart and soul. At 36 years old, she has so many things to do and so much to live for but she was gone too soon. It broke our hearts to lose her but we know we cannot question God and we just need to have faith that there are reasons and purposes for everything. Our only consolation is we know that she is in a better place now and she is no longer in pain. She will be missed. Ethan lost his Tita Ninang but gained an angel.