Author: loida

I lived with my Aunt and her family in the late 1980s. They loved gardening! Well, her husband is an agriculturist. The front yard was filled with ornamental plants while the back yard had vegetables and some fruit-bearing trees. There was a time when they even cultivated the adjacent vacant lot with vines like string […]

I have been feeling melancholic since the other day because my stand mixer broke. What is a ‘baker’ without one of his key tools? I remember nearly a year ago when I was in a serious decision-making process of whether to get a stand mixer or not. It was a long and challenging process because […]

It’s been a while since I wrote about my last bake of sourdough bread. I did take a short break from writing but had been busy baking. I’m grateful to my sourdough starters that keep on giving! When I look at each freshly baked sourdough bread, I can’t help being amazed. Each bread comes out […]

The last time I baked burnt Basque cheesecake, a friend said, “A little bit of finesse and you can sell that! Looks yummy!” But I honestly didn’t give it much thought until recently. A colleague celebrated her birthday early this month and posted a photo of her burnt cheesecake. I asked where she bought it […]

I honestly prefer cooking pork and chicken dishes more than beef. It isn’t because I don’t like beef. It’s just that I don’t have enough patience waiting for hours for the meat to cook. I know it has to be that way for slow cook recipes so the meat won’t become chewy. A chef I’m […]

This kid loves ramen! Just the year before pandemic, these were some of the photos I took of him eating or about to eat this delicious Japanese dish. Anyway, who would say no to ramen? I, myself, love slurping its flavorful soup. Eleven years ago, I was given the opportunity to visit Japan and experience […]

I like this one particular brand of Korean instant mac and cheese. It tastes good, creamy, and serving size is just right. It’s also nice to eat it hot and paired with kimchi. But it’s a bit pricey and isn’t always available in grocery stores. I thought making my own mac and cheese would be […]

While I am currently in love with sourdough breadmaking these days, the truth is I cannot do it all the time. That’s why I usually reserve it for weekends. Nonetheless, when the family craves for homemade breads, I can easily go back to the typical (and easy) method of baking using instant yeast. Don’t get […]

Surely, my last two bakes were a success. The loaves were edible already, but I know much can still be improved. The goals have always been achieving a fuller bloom and more open crumb. All factors considered, I felt that these could only be achieved with the right bakeware. So I finally put an end […]

In my breadmaking venture this pandemic, I came across a lot of articles about sourdough bread. I got curious and became more interested after watching a couple of videos of local celebrities (whose social media I follow) shared their own attempts at sourdough. And who wouldn’t be interested in baking this aesthetically appealing artisanal bread […]