Michi Photostory: cake

Showing posts with label cake. Show all posts

October 11, 2024

16th Birthday Celebration

16th birthday is special in any child’s life because it is considered a transition from childhood to adulthood. It is a milestone so it is worth celebrating. We are not really into birthday parties so we had a mini celebration only.

This is the reason why I had limited time to blog because I was preparing for my son’s birthday. I made a banner, cake topper, and birthday mini album.

Cake Topper

For girls, they always say “Sweet Sixteen” but I had no idea about boys. While browsing Pinterest, I stumbled on “Superb Sixteen” so I used it for my cake topper. I made two cake toppers using Thinker and Bright fonts.

Giant Happy Birthday Banner

This Happy Birthday Banner has been on my list for a long time. I told myself that I would make it for my husband’s birthday and then for my birthday but it didn’t happen. Finally, I made it just in time for my son’s birthday.

This is the biggest project that I have done so far. It took me 2 hours of cutting and 3 hours of assembling the project. I was tired but happy. I plan to use this banner for our future birthdays.

Birthday Mini Album Card

Last June, I joined Card Making Countdown and there are two projects that I did not do because of limited time. But I knew that I would make the mini album card for my son’s birthday. I finished the mini album card in 3 days. Installment ko ginawa, first day yung card template, then yung box and last yung mga pictures and message na ilalagay ko.

Natagalan ako sa pictures because my son has thousands of pictures so imagine, I browsed his pictures since day one of his existence. I chose pictures, edited and printed them. I attached them to my card template. Buong araw ko talaga ginawa.

Even though it took me 3 days to finish the album, I felt satisfied after finishing my project and enjoyed looking at his pictures since birth. Kita ko talaga yung transition from babyhood to teenager. I miss those childhood days, iba na kasi kapag teenager na at may sarili na buhay.

Lunch at Seasonal Tastes of The Westin Manila

For the birthday celebration, we can really travel because my son has two days of asynchronous class but unfortunately, my husband has a business trip so we decided to have lunch buffet na lang. We looked for different credit card promotions but when we checked the date, hindi na naman aabot.

Good thing, I saw The Westin Manila promo of “50% off Lunch Buffet and Weekend Dinner Buffet from October 1 to 31, 2024” so I told my husband about it. My husband already ate there so he warned me na maliit lang daw restaurant ng The Westin Manila. But I said, okay lang kasi 50% off naman. Mas okay na yan kaysa sa Yurakuen natin last year. Hehehe!

Read: Birthday Celebration at Seasonal Tastes of The Westin Manila

Birthday at Home

After our lunch buffet, I invited my husband’s family to go to our house for merienda. I bought cake and my husband ordered pizza. My husband ordered the Triple Cheesy Pizza Craze for PHP1549. This package includes 12 inches of Pepperoni Pan Pizza, Triple Cheesy Burger Mega Crunch Pizza, and Hawaiian Supreme Stuffed Crust Pizza.

I did not eat kasi busog ako sa buffet pero naubos agad yung Triple Cheesy Burger Mega Crunch Pizza kasi masarap daw so nacurious tuloy ako so next time, bibili ulit ako para matry. I don't have picture of the pizzas, late kasi nadeliver.

That's our 16th birthday mini-celebration.

September 16, 2024

Moonchild Baked by Lea Sawali Chocolate Cake

“Reunions are a chance to pick up right where we left off and make new memories that will last a lifetime.”

It is hard to plan for get-togethers because we all have busy lives but sometimes we need to make time because life is short. So as much as possible, we should meet our friends habang may energy pa and wala pa bawal na mga food so we can still enjoy reunions.

As usual, ang tagal na naman namin nagplan for our get together pero in the end, hindi pa rin kami complete pero push pa rin. Last year, we had get-together at Borro + Kandle Cafe but last weekend, I volunteered our place if willing sila bumiyahe sa probinsiya. Hehehe!

My friends suggested na instead of potluck mag-order na lang daw ako ng food but I told them na, Amber lang ang okay dito. They approved Amber naman so mukhang matitikman ko na yata ng lahat ng menu nila. For six adults, 1 teenager and 2 kids, I ordered Spaghetti P750, Lechon Kawali P1,080, Kare-Kare P850 and Pichi-Pichi P300.

Last Mother’s Day, Amber’s required us to pay in full but this time, they only asked for 50% downpayment. Pero kung common yung order mo like the Spaghetti and Lumpiang Shanghai that I ordered last July during my friend’s visit, pwede Cash on Delivery.

Anyway, the delivery rider arrived 40 minutes before the scheduled time, ang aga naman. I was expecting na nakatupperware yung Kare-Kare kasi may sauce pero hindi pala. In fairness, okay pala ang Kare-Kare ng Amber’s. Unfortunately, dahil gutom na kami hindi ko na nakunan ng walang cover yung food.

For dessert, I prepared buko salad and my friend brought Chocolate Cake from Moonchild by Lea Sawali. He lives in Mandaluyong pero dinayo pa niya ito sa Las Piňas so it means, there is something special about this cake. It was a simple cake with smooth chocolate ganache. The cake is good and the taste is similar to the Chocolate Truffle of Cafe Mary Grace.

I also made cake toppers for my friends na ginamit na rin nila kasi may cake kami. Hehehe! For this cake topper, I used Birthday Verygood Font.

February 21, 2022

Sweet and Sour 16th Wedding Anniversary

Dave Meurer said, “A great marriage is not when the perfect couple comes together. It is when an imperfect couple learns to enjoy their differences”. My husband and I have been married for 16 years and I’m thankful that we are still together despite our differences. So totoo siguro na opposites attract. This pandemic proves na hindi naman kami nagsasawa sa isa’t isa. I will miss him if everything is back to normal because hindi na ko sanay na may business trip siya.

Sabi ko din sa kanya “I love you more than I’m annoyed by you, which is a lot”, I love my husband kahit may mga times na naiinis ako sa kanya and I’m sure vice versa. But despite our disagreements and arguments, at the end of the day, we still love each other.

“A perfect marriage is just two imperfect people who refuse to give up on each other” - Kate Stewart

Anyway, we recently celebrated our wedding anniversary so I made cards, a cake topper and we had a quick getaway at Chateau Hestia.

“I Like You a Hole a Lot” Donut Card

I used to make printable cards but since December, I enjoy making cards using my Cricut Maker so I started making cards for different occasions and my husband is my number one customer. Lol! One of the cards that I made for February is the “I like you a hole lot” donut card and my husband gave it to me. :)

Anniversary Cake Topper

I told my husband that I will make a “Sweet and Sour 16” cake topper and he thought that I was joking kaya nagulat siya na ito talaga yung ginawa ko. Because this is the reality, sometimes we are sweet, sometimes we are sour and sometimes may toyo. Hehehe!

This is a layered cake topper using glitter and metallic cardstock. Font is Loving Hollydate.

Rustic Chocolate Torte of Purple Oven

Celebration is not complete without cake so last week before hubby went home, he dropped by at Purple Oven Sta Rosa. We already tried different Purple Oven cakes and so far masarap lahat. I suggested White Chocolate Sansrival but it is not available so my husband sent me pictures and I chose Rustic Chocolate Torte.

It was a good decision because it became an instant favorite cake. This cake is a layer of sansrival, whipped cream, with lots of cashew, almonds and pecan nuts, and chocolate shavings. We finished half of this cake in one sitting. ;)

White Chocolate Sansrival

Classic Sansrival

Pistachio Stardust Cake

Grandma’s Chocolate Cake

Staycation at Chateau Hestia

My husband likes the beach so after our Acuaverde Resort Trip, he was already planning for our anniversary getaway. Unfortunately, fully booked na naman sa mga gusto niya, it is really hard to book kapag anniversary namin kasi love month ito so maraming nag-outing.

I suggested a food trip at Chateau Hestia so he contacted them but unfortunately, fully booked sila sa dates na gusto namin because Valentine’s Day and may wedding event din. My husband checked the website and he found out that Chateau Hestia is also a Bed & Breakfast so he booked a room instead kahit delayed celebration na lang.

We’re glad that we were able to go out this year kasi last year, nacancel yung anniversary beach trip namin so food trip na lang kami sa Alba and Chef RV Manabat Cafe. But this time, we both enjoyed our food trip and staycation at Chateau Hestia, this deserves a separate post.

Note: This post contains affiliate links.

December 09, 2021

62nd Birthday

Life is always busy during the holiday season so it is not surprising that I haven’t blogged for two weeks. As the quote says, “If you see me less, I’m doing more”. I’m quite busy with my offline life and my Holiday To-Do List is not yet over. But I decided to take a break from crafting so I can blog.

Last month, my mother-in-law celebrated her 62nd Birthday and I made this cake topper using metallic and glittered cardstock in rosegold shades. I just bought the Samantha Upright Script Font last Black Friday Sale so I immediately used it to design this cake topper.

For our potluck, I told my husband to order at Illo’s Party Trays; if you read my birthday blog post, dito rin kami nag-order. We tried the Ricardo’s Menu Package so for a change, we ordered Annelle’s Treat. The menu package has 4 viands, rice, and cake.

Annelle’s Treat PHP4,800

Kare-Kare ni Lola Remy

Crispy Pork Binagoongan

Chicken Salpicao

Fish Fillet with Special sauce

Pandan Parsley Rice

Cake of your choice

We paid an additional PHP150 because we chose Tiramisu Love for the cake. My husband paid (online banking) and picked up the order as early as 9:00AM for our brunch celebration because my mother-in-law has dialysis after.

Our potluck was a hit and my favorites are kare-kare and crispy pork binagoongan. Masarap yung bagoong nila. The tiramisu is just okay for me, I prefer the version of Contis and Cafe Mary Grace.

* This post contains affiliate links.

August 24, 2021

Happy Lockdown Birthday

Cheers to myself for surviving my second lockdown birthday. I never thought that I will be celebrating another quarantined birthday but of course, this pandemic won’t stop me from celebrating. Despite what is happening in the world, there is always a reason to be happy and thankful.

Another year down and I'm grateful to God for the gift of life. Waking up every morning is already a gift so I’m really glad to spend and share my life with my two boys even at the comfort of our home. My love language is time so as long as they are present on my birthday, okay na ko. I'm also thankful for all the people who remember and took the time to greet me.

For the past few years, my birthday wish is always good health because it is true that “Health is wealth”. If you get sick, mauubos ang pera mo sa pagpagamot and worst pa, kung hindi mo rin maenjoy ang wealth mo. So I'm praying for a healthy life ahead because I want to grow old pa.

And because this is another quarantined birthday, wala ng ibang iisipin kundi food. Last year, we had Steak and Seafood Grill so I was planning for a Shabu-Shabu Birthday Celebration but I changed my mind. I felt lazy to prepare for the ingredients, naisip ko marami ko i-slice na mga veggies, seafood, and meat. Ayaw ko mapagod sa birthday ko, hehehe! So I told my husband to order food at Illo’s Party Trays.

I learned about Illo’s last month, ito yung handa ng pamangkin ko nung graduation niya. Nasarapan sila so I checked the website and social media. Nagutom ako sa kakabrowse ng food and even celebrities pala bumibili din sa kanila. They have different packages and I was choosing between Ricardos and Remedios, but I settled for Ricardos kasi ito yung order ng sister-in-law ko dati.

Ricardos PHP3,080

Beef Caldereta

Lechon Kawali

Cajun Roast Chicken

Chorizo Fried Rice

Mixed Nuts Banana Loaf

We are just a family of three and the food package is good for 4 to 6 persons. As far as I know, ito na yung pinakamaliit and mura sa menu packages. It is not really a problem because my birthday leftovers will be our food for the week. Hehehe! Hindi pa ko magluluto ng ilang araw, nakapahinga pa ko.

My husband just called but was advised to send a message through Viber or WhatsApp. Then he paid through online banking. As expected, my husband chose pick-up, nagtitipid sa delivery fee. All foods are safely packed in plastic containers and may sariling eco-bag din so hindi mahirap bitbitin.

While I was preparing the food, my son kept on saying “wow, sarap ng food”. It was funny because hindi pa naman niya natitikman except for the cake and leche flan na all-time favorite na namin. But after trying the food, we knew that it won’t be our last time. For our future celebrations, Illo’s Party Trays will be part of our options. My son likes the Cajun Roast Chicken while my husband and I like the Lechon Kawali.

My husband also bought Cafe Mary Grace Cheesecake PHP1302 and Contis Leche Flan PHP195. I told my husband to buy a small cake for my birthday but he ended up, buying a big cake because he said, mas malaki pa daw cake topper ko sa small cake. Hahaha! Actually, I made two cake toppers for my birthday but I will share my DIY Cake Topper in a separate post.

June 09, 2021

Hubby's Quarantined Birthday Celebration

My husband wanted to travel for his birthday celebration, but unfortunately fully booked na sa birthday niya so we just celebrated at home. I did not imagine that we would experience another quarantined birthday celebration. However, I have no reason to complain because we can still celebrate even if we are confined in our homes.

I already blogged about my DIY Graduation preparation and for my husband’s birthday, I also designed his birthday card and cake topper. It was a last-minute project because my husband is working from home so I can’t do it, wala ng surprise kapag nakita niya agad. So when he went out, nagmamadali ako gawin, I wanted to improve the face pa sana kaso he messaged me na pauwi na siya so tinapos ko na agad.

For our food, we just ordered the Mini Celebration Meal P2,088 (Good for 5) at Amici. Last March, I placed my order online but last week, my husband just called to order and he paid on the day that he picked up the food.

You can save PHP1022 if you order this bundle and this includes the following meals:

2 Pizzas (Choice of Tutta Carne, Al Quattro Formaggi, Margherita, Ham & Two Cheese or Chicken Pesto)

1 Grande Pasta (Choice of Carbonara, Prosciutto e Tartufo, Aglio Olio, Garlic Italian Sardine Spaghetti & Pomodoro)

6 pieces of Pollo Arrostito (Composed of 1 Half Chicken and 1 Quarter Chicken)

5 Pieces of Italian Bread

1 Pepsi 1.5L

1 Pint of Gelato (any flavor)

We chose Tutta Carne Pizza, Ham & Two Cheese Pizza, Prosciutto e Tartufo Pasta and Coffee Mudslides Gelato. Spaghetti ai Tesori del Mare is our favorite pasta in Amici but it was not available in the choices so I suggested the Carbonara because we already tried it before but my husband chose the Prosciutto e Tartufo for a change. It is a combination of prosciutto, truffle oil, porcini, and shitake mushrooms. The taste is kinda bland for our taste.

Since we already have a Gusto Privilege Card, my husband ordered additional pizza to take advantage of the card benefits which is Buy 1 Take 1 Pizza. He delivered the pizza to my in-law's place. It was my husband’s birthday, Amici was so generous and gave a complimentary sliced of Caramia Creme Brulee Cake. A classic creamy and baked custard dessert. Four layers of melt-in-your-mouth chiffon cake with a vanilla pastry cream, buttercream filling, and burnt egg custard topping. I liked this cake compared to Caramia Pistaccio Ciocolato.

We still have leftover graduation cake so my husband bought a small cake for his birthday. He bought Light Double Cheesecake at Kumori PHP570. A creamy combination of white chiffon, cream cheese mousse, topped with Japanese cake crumbs, and white chocolate. It is a simple cake but we liked it.

Read: How to Order Online at Amici and Caramia

March 30, 2021

Sans Rival Cakes and Pastries

If Bacolod has Calea then Dumaguete has Sans Rival Cake House and Bistro and this is one of the reasons why I want to visit Dumaguete. I’m a sweet tooth so when my friend messaged me kung gusto ko magpasabuy ng silvanas at sansrival, wala ng isip-isip pa. Hehehe! I ordered Mini Sansrival PHP375, Buttercream Silvanas PHP260, and Ube Silvanas PHP270. My friend even delivered my order to our house. :)

After years of craving, I finally tasted their sans rival and silvanas so I also agree with other reviews, it is a must-try and a good pasalubong if ever you will visit Dumaguete. I tried the ube but I prefer the buttercream flavor, but you can also order pandan, strawberry, and chocolate flavor. The sans rival is also good and budget-friendly pa.

Since I live in the province, I have no idea that they already have a branch in Metro Manila, thanks to @purpleplumfairy for the information. I don’t need to travel to Dumaguete if I’m craving their cakes and pastries. According to my research, it was year 2008 when they opened their first kiosk in Food Choices, Glorietta 4 in Makati. You can also buy in Shangri-la Plaza, Robinson’s Magnolia, Sun Valley Paranaque, and selected SM Markets. I don't know the mall prices but I have a feeling, mas mura sa pinagbilhan ng friend ko "Silvanas from Dumaguete" (check their Facebook page).

Update November 2021

I was cleaning my phone gallery and I found these photos. It’s been months since the last time we ate silvanas so when my husband asked me if I want silvanas, I immediately said yes. He was in Shangri-la Plaza and he saw the Sans Rival Cake and Pastries branch. He sent me some photos so I can choose.

He bought Pound Cake PHP250, Silvanas PHP260, Josephines PHP30, Blueberry Cheese Cupcake PHP65. The “Josephines” is the inspired version of Napoleones of Bacolod which is made of layers of thin puff pastry with sweet filling and confectionate sugar. The taste is okay but I prefer the Napoleones that I’ve tried when we went to Bacolod. The pound cake is okay but my personal preference is sponge or chiffon cake. The Blueberry Cheese Cupcake is good, bitin lang at maliit lang yung cupcake.

Read: Pasalubong from Bacolod

March 29, 2021

How to Order Online at Amici and Cara Mia

When it comes to food delivery, I rarely order online because I hate waiting and I had few bad experiences na rin na sobrang late dumating yung order. Yung hangry (hungry+angry) ka na, wala pa rin yung food so I rather go to the restaurant and magtake-out ng food or store pick-up.

Last week, my father-in-law celebrated his birthday and his birthday wish is “pasta with clams”. I remembered our favorite pasta in Amici which is Spaghetti ai Tesori del Mare, it has clams, mussels, and scallops so I suggested to my husband na ito na lang potluck namin. We always order regular size but they also offer grande or gruppo.

Read: Lunch at Amici

There is no Amici in our area and the nearest branch that I know is in Alabang Town Center, I checked online on how to order and I’m so happy when I found out that I can order online. The day before my father-in-law’s birthday, I went to their website and placed my order. Spaghetti ai Tesori del Mare Gruppo is PHP1,720 with complimentary bread (6 pieces only). Ordering online is so easy.

How to Order Online at Amici and Caramia

1. I created an account first (Cara Mia).

2. Browse the menu and add to cart

3. Choose if you want local delivery or store pick-up. Since we live outside Metro Manila, we chose store pick-up. Choose the branch where you want to pick-up your order.

4. Choose date and time. Lunch time ang kainan kaso the earliest sa choices is 11AM so yun pinili ko.

5. Click Check-out

6. Enter your contact information. Then click continue.

7. For payment, you can choose online banking, cash on delivery, and credit card payment on delivery. I chose COD.

8. After few minutes, we received a call from the branch and they verified our order. You will also receive a confirmation email.

Since Cara Mia is also located in Alabang Town Center, I also ordered cake. I availed of their March Madness promo which is 1 whole cake + 1 Gelato Pint + FREE Gusto Privilege Card for PHP1,500. I was checking their cakes and hindi ko na makita yung Sansrival sa choices, yun pa naman unang cake na natry ko sa kanila dati.

Read: Caramia Sansrival

You can choose Ube, Midnight Dream, Pistaccio Ciocolato, Mango Magnifico, Sea Salted Honey Crunch, Chocolate S’mores, Coffee Honeycomb, Creme Brulee, and Strawberry Shortcake. We have tried the Midnight Dream before so for a change, I ordered Pistaccio Ciocolato PHP1,020 and for the gelato, we ordered our favorite which is Ferrero PHP380. So it seems like that we paid PHP100 for the Gusto Card but you can also buy the card online with a freebie for PHP1,000.

Gusto Card PHP1,000

With freebie: choose from Sea Salted Honey Crunch, Coffee Honey Comb, 1 Tub Gelato, 2 Pints Gelato, Ube Cake Mini, Pistacco Cioccolato mini, or Midnight Dream mini.

Additional perks:

* On every whole cake purchase made through the website or hotline number, get a P200 off discount code to be used on your next purchase made through the Cara Mia website!

*10% off on your total purchase when you buy products in-store.

* 15% off on your total purchase on your birth month when you buy products in store.

* 20% off on your total purchase on your birthday when buy products in store.

The following day, my husband went to Alabang Town Center to pick-up the order. He was in the mall before eleven but the opening hour is 11AM pa. When he arrived at the restaurant, unfortunately, the orders were not ready yet so mga 11:30AM na siya nakaalis. Late lunch tuloy kainan namin.

I have no idea na pwede palagyan ng Happy Birthday yung cake so nag-effort pa ko na gumawa ng cake topper. Pinalagyan pala ni hubby ng birthday greetings so sayang pagod ko sa DIY cake topper ko. Waah!

Well, when it comes to the taste of the cake, same with Midnight Dream, okay lang. The taste is good naman but it is not something na uulitin namin. But we always love their gelato so inuulit-ulit namin ito. Though hindi pa namin natry lahat ng flavors.

Trivia: Do you know that gelato is healthier than ice cream? Yes, gelato has fewer calories, sugar, and fat compared to ice cream. They are more expensive compared to ice cream but they are more creamy in texture.

Personally, I prefer gelato, mas gusto ko talaga texture niya, yung kahit galing freezer, makakain mo siya at hindi mahirap i-scoop. Melt in your mouth without a brain freeze feeling. It is good but expensive. Hehehe!