Rafael's Farm.

My boyfriend Jules and I went to Tacloban City, a 2-hour drive from where we are, to visit my good pal Sherry. She took us to a place called Rafael’s Farm which is located in Barangay Pagsulhugon, Babamgon, Leyte. They open daily from 10 am to 8 pm.

When I saw the place, I felt I was in a changed world, living the enchanting life of fairy tale princesses. It was like paradise. I couldn’t bring to an end my explorations on the modest things their dining spot has. The intricate pieces of antique were present all over the place, even to the powder room. They used simple materials yet they made it extraordinary and I have no idea how they put together such a very lovely sanctuary.

Okay, I’m joyfully in love with the place. I can’t wait to go back. Aside from the beautiful landscapes they formed, their restaurant offers dishes that are remarkably scrumptious and impressive. They grow their own vegetables, and mind you their salads are flavourful too. You have to be there, to actually sit in the old tables and chairs, experience the vintage touch of the place and feast in a very breezy open air area bounded by a fishpond with Japanese koi swimming here and there, overlooking the man-made pond that houses lilies and goose that were just wandering around, to be able to appreciate all I am saying.

I captured pictures that can somehow charm you to get there. My friend Sherry has also exquisite shots of the place. But everything is in my heart and mind by now. I will come what may create my own Rafael’s farm one day, not as big, but just as magical as it was. And I will never stop daydreaming about it until I have it in my very eyes.

Enjoy the photographs...

The dining area.

Flowers greet you at the entrance.

The dining area in bounded by this pond with green plants floating on the surface.

Goose just wanders around the entire farm.

An old well serves as a decoration in the garden.

An old night lamp is decorated all over the man-made pond.

A beautiful gazebo.

The choice is yours if you want to go rowing around this little boat.

Shadows of happy faces.

The toilet has a spa-like touch and feel.

Paintings and crafts are displayed everywhere.

I am inlove with this floor length white curtains.

A classic lamp shade.

The China cabinet with the owner's collection of old vintage finds.

Look at the detail of the walls and windows.

Their wine is hiding behind these shells.

A country watch that tells the time when we got there. Time to chow!

Look at the pretty tables and hand made table covers.

Their dining area.

I ate Farmer's Salad, Herb-Roasted Chicken, String Potatoes and Banana Turon for dessert. They also brew their own iced tea which ranges from lemon, ginger and lemongrass. They have gourmet sandwiches and a vast selection of coffee and chillers as well.

Happy faces and happy tummy's.

Sherry and I.

Thanks to Sherry for this lovely photograph.

Banana Walnut Cake.

Pardon me for using a green chopping board. It was the only one that came in handy right at that time. Cakes should be sliced on a clean, white board.

I’ve always loved making banana cakes, even banana cupcakes. It was good while it was baking in the oven. You can forever smell the delicious-ness of it while it cooks nice and slow. I’ve tried making it for years but I never can tell myself that I completed the perfect banana cake. It’s an all-time experimentation. It’s as simple compared to the very first one I’ve ever made but somehow it varies on the different moods a day brings on me, the looks, and the taste changes too. You should constantly be at peace and in high spirits when you put together something, may it be something you cook, something you make, or even something you do, otherwise it would spell disaster all over it.

Most of the time bananas are present at our kitchen counter top for the reason that my stepfather has planted lots of it almost everywhere. When I find it nearly over-ripe, I would easily have other ingredients all set for it, transforming it to a Banana Walnut Cake. It’s ideal for coffee on a hot afternoon or even on a rainy day. It’s excellent while its warm, you can taste the powdered sugar that was carefully sifted just on top of it before it is being sliced. It’s tasty as it is. But it’s also good to serve a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream on top like ala mode. Heaven that is.

India ranks as the world’s top producing banana country. Philippines came in close as it ranks third all throughout the world.

My Banana Walnut Cake

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter or margarine, softened (i think butter is way best!)

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/2 medium-size very ripe bananas, mashed not too smooth with a fork (3/4 cup)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups cake flour

1/2 cup milk

1 tablespoon freshly grated orange peel

1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped

Procedure:

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease and flour a loaf pan.
2. Beat the butter with an electric mixer for about 30 seconds or until smooth.
3. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the sugar. Increase the mixer speed to high and beat until light and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs one at a time. Beating well, after each addition.
   
5. Beat in the bananas, walnuts, vanilla, baking powder and salt. (The mixture will look curdled.)
6. On low speed, alternately beat in the flour and milk. Stir in the orange peel.
7. Scrape down the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake until the cake pulls away slightly from the sides of the pan and a toothpick or cake tester inserted near the center comes out clean, 1 hour 15 minutes.
8. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 2o minutes. Carefully run a thin knife around the edges of the cake to loosen.
   
9. Slice and enjoy while it is still warm.
   

Wonder Bread. Finally.

So, finally after much anticipation because I was playing smart like a scientist before, I now successfully made a French Baguette, right to it's size, texture and even taste. I am so proud of myself. It literally made me jump for joy. I made my Wonder Bread!!!

Waiting for it again. It normally should bake at 45 minutes to an hour. I made a small one for tasting purposes.

Voila! I love my own. It's wonderful! Everybody loves it too. :)

Here's my recipe...

Paris Bread (French Bread)

Ingredients:

• 1,620 ml Water

• 100 grams Instant Yeast

• 30 grams Malt Concentrate (Karo Corn Syrup or Pancake Syrup will do)

• 50 grams Salt

• 2,400 grams Bread Flour or All-Purpose Flour

*This recipe has a yield of 4,205 grams. Better yet to divide the recipe in half for home cooking, just like what I did. *

Procedure:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 220 to 230 Celsius (430 to 445 Fahrenheit).
2. Grease tray or prepare French Bread molds, set aside.
3. Sift Flour and salt.
4. Dissolve yeast in water.
5. Add all ingredients and knead in low speed for 5 minutes and 10 minutes on medium speed. Dough should be elastic and smooth as a sign of good gluten development.
6. Bulk Fermentation: 1 hour, punch down after 30 minutes. (You will have to literally punch the center of the dough after 30 minutes.)
7. Scaling: 450 grams and shape to a small rope.
8. Rest for 25 minutes.
9. Shaping, roll out to a strand but do not force them too quickly. Roll the dough with a rolling pin then roll the dough inwards.
   
10. Place them on a tray or on French Bread molds with the seam on the bottom.
    
11. When half proof (meaning it has doubled up its shape), score or cut 5 diagonal lines down the center, overlapping each cut by 1 inch.
12. Bake with steam until golden brown approximately 45 minutes to an hour. (As I don;t have a convection oven that bakes steam with it, I took a stainless deep tray and half-filled it with water and placed it in the bottom part of the oven, as the oven warms to its designated temperature, steam forms from the tray filled with water.)
13. Cool completely on wire racks.
    
14. Slice and enjoy while it's warm.

Wonder Bread.

Why Wonder Bread? Because it's wonderful. No. It's not really. As I finished reading the book of Nicholas Sparks "The Wedding", I kept going back to the Wonder Bread and how famous it is because it was that bread that Noah kept feeding the Swan that was on the pond of Creekside. So, voila! My Wonder Bread. :) It's actually a recipe of Paris Bread (French Bread) or commonly known as "Baguette" in France. What I did was I made it into small but long pieces because I have this vision inside my head of those movies I saw, girls bringing paper bags fillled with baguettes and some of their groceries in tow. For me it was wonderful to look at.

Anticipating, waiting for the top to crack a bit and to turn into golden brown.

I made quite a number of bread but because I was playing smart, I managed to brush Egg Wash (Egg yolk + Milk + Little Water), hoping it would give the end result a golden brown color. But sad to say, it did but it made the crust extremely hard, and when I say hard, really hard like a stone. But the inside was tasty and right. Up to now, I still laugh about how my family ate it.

So, today, exactly 4 days after my first Baguette, I will try again. I will post pictures if they appear right. :)

Flowers.

Early Morning Dew.

Baby Antorium.

I was out in my Father's house one early Sunday morning looking for anything new in his garden, I always love to do this most especially in his home when there is always something new to watch out for. I was out at the back when I caught a glimpse of the colors that well, attracted me to go near it. I remembered my grandmother who had so much love for orchids and flowers. I miss her everyday and when I saw the colorful blooms, I missed her even more. My father came up to me and told me that these plants never tire. They are flowering every now and then. At the back of my mind, maybe my grandmother is watching over these lovely plants. Thank goodness I had my camera with me so I started taking pictures.

Shades of Purple.

Shades of Yellow.

Shades of Orange.

Shades of White and Purple.

Always take time to smell the flowers...

A Happy Rainy Day at the Farm

My sister initially planned an outing with my cousin but because of our super easy schedules, we pulled it off right away for the next day's lunch picnic in our grandfather's farm which was a 20-minute drive to where we were residing. I asked my boyfriend to tag along of course. Not much plans were set as it was like a cowboy getaway. Back when I was little, me and my cousins would always look forward to summer time, when all of us would pack our stuff and head our way to the ranch for an entire week. It was heaven for us!

Our Festive Lunch was served in Banana Leaves that was just picked right before we ate. I love flowers. And I managed to grab an empty wine bottle from one of the rooms and placed wild roses inside it. It's a happy sight for me.

I love this picture taken on top of the hill by my sister. We are actually resting our foot on a giant stone that is situated on top of this hill long before I was born.

I just love flowers. They seem to make a bad day not-so-bad anymore for me. And how lucky I was to capture a bee on top of it.

There goes a favorite site of mine. Memories of my childhood comes in and goes at the same time

How often do you see something like this? How often or never at all?

A photograph of my sister and I. Happy days. Just like the old days. I love her rain boots. Well, I don't have one. Must get one soon.

I love this picture of me. It looks classic to me.

We never went home without having to watch this lovely sunset that hid beneath the fog.