egg tarts

it sure feels great to be back in the kitchen! :)

it’s been truly wonderful spending quality time visiting family and friends during the christmas holiday season – and, of course, indulging in many a holiday feast! over the past few weeks, i’ve noshed on some pretty incredible food and also learned how to cook some family favorite dishes. there’s nothing quite like mom’s homecooking! :) here’s a recipe for one of my all-time faves, from my family’s kitchen to yours. happy holidays!

pre-heat oven to 300F

prep ingredients:
- 12 egg yolks (separate egg whites and reserve for another recipe)
- 28-30 frozen pie tart shells
- 1 can condensed milk
- 1 can evaporated milk

mix the batter:
- in a large mixing bowl, beat egg yolks until smooth
- add condensed milk and evaporated milk to egg mixture and beat well

halo halo

halo halo = mix mix. this popular filipino frozen dessert is the perfect icy treat for an impromptu kitchen party. and that’s exactly what we did recently on a hot summer weekend with the family. i scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream? after this, you’ll all scream for halo halo. :)

my parents have this handy ice shaver that’s great for making halo halo, margaritas & other frozen cocktails. you can typically find one in an asian food market.

the goodies:
- plenty of shaved ice
- chickpeas (garbanzo)
- jackfruit (langka)
- coconut gel
- purple yam (ube)
- sweet beans
- 1 can evaporated milk

(tip: mix it up. there are many different combos of flavours that you can experiment with for halo halo. leche flan, plantains, tapioca, ice cream… be creative.)

mix it up:
- similar to a parfait, halo halo is all about the colourful layers. add a little bit of each sweet fruit ingredient to the bottom of each tall glass.
- add shaved ice, and then top with purple yam and some of your fave toppings
(tip: this is a great dessert for a dinner party or family bbq. let your guests make their own halo halo, so they can choose which ingredients they want to include in their glass.)

peach mango smoothie

do fruity iced drinks make you daydream about chillaxing in a hammock on some island paradise? do they take you to your happy place?

peaches & mangoes do that for me. this fruit-infused, peach mango smoothie recently brought some rays of sunshine to an otherwise gloomy, cloudy morning… so simple, yet so refreshingly happy. perfect reason why you should have some frozen fruit in your freezer at all times! :)

blend well:
- 1/2 cup frozen peach slices
- 1/2 cup frozen mango chunks
- 1.5 cups low-fat organic plain yogurt
- 1/3 cup skim or 1% milk

(tip: for a vegan version of this smoothie, swap out the skim milk for almond milk instead. skip the yogurt, and add 1 sliced banana to add some smooth creaminess. no need to add crushed ice, since the frozen peaches & frozen mango chunks will already add enough moisture.)