Are You a Coffee Lover?

Yes we are. We love waking up to freshly brewed coffee in the morning. Stephen and I sometimes have no time to eat breakfast before heading off to work but, Stephen especially, just gotta have coffee in the morning.

The truth is I used to be a non-coffee drinker since nobody in my parents' house actually drink coffee. I got hooked to coffee when I got back to work after my maternity leave. Being sleep-deprived during Sophie's early months, I depend on coffee to keep me up while at work. I make sure I get a cup only each day, though, since too much caffeine can have an effect on breastfeeding babies. 

In Manila, we buy our ground coffee in Tiendesitas. We love Kalinga Gold Gourmet coffee, Cordillera coffee that's organically grown at an altitude of 4,000 to 5,000 feet. It's a combination of Arabica, Robusta and Excelsa. Kinda strong but if you put just the right amount when you brew, taste super rich and fabuloso. 

So when we went to Baguio, we just can't go home without buying coffee from the area. 

This is Kape Umali, located right in the middle of the market place just across the fish area and a few steps away from the pasalubong area. If you are a coffee lover like us, you will drool over the variety of coffee they offer. 

Stephen and the gang waited for the coffee to be grounded and packed tightly to keep it fresh. Nevertheless, coffee aroma lingered in our car while we were driving to Manila and even days after. 

This is Civet coffee, also known as Alamid coffee, kinda pricey at P3,200 per kilo (although it sells for $1000 per kilo in the International market). The vendor was urging me to buy but I said maybe next time. 

The other variety which we bought, Arabica Sagada and our fave Kalinga coffee. You will get 1 kilo for only P270.00. That price will only get you half a kilo in Manila.

Weekend Treats

For several weekends (except recently when we’ve been really busy with something), I 'd cook with the help of Sophie merienda and breakfast that are very simple yet something we all enjoy eating. For one, I made spaghetti inspired by Amber’s spaghetti. I usually make Italliani's-inspired pasta having outgrown cooking the regular spaghetti with meat sauce. But this time, it's a kiddie-party style spaghetti, with hotdogs ang sweet tomato sauce, something Bam, Sophie and Sam really love.

Amber's Spaghetti, really yummy :)

our spaghetti, syempre masarap din :)

Another weekend, Sophie and I made pandesal pizza. Very easy to do, just cut the pandesal in half, put a little tomato or pizza sauce, quick melt cheese, hotdog or ham (or both), fresh basil and sprinkle with olive oil and it’s ready for the oven (even oven toaster will do J ). Once cheese is melted and bread a little brown and crusty, it’s done. This is a yummy treat, the fresh basil adds so much character to the pizza.

 If you notice, we just love cheese :) 

Then one weekend, Bam and I decided to make a big breakfast sans McDo delivery. We made scrambled egg ala McDo (the soft and moist kind), french toast, ham and...sliced cheese again (which Sophie finished off in minutes). Perfect breakfast to go with the our new Nescafe Taster’s Choice coffee :0