Treasure Jar

Inspired by My Great Food, I created a very simple dessert that is perfect for the summer, using only TWO main ingredients: Magnolia Fudge Brownie Mix and Iloilo’s Magnolia Best of the Philippines Butterscotch Ice Cream.

This simple snack or dessert is in fact so easy to prepare that kids can actually make this themselves, with the help of mom of course, particularly in the baking part.

This is the video I made and uploaded in YouTube and this is the Instagram link http://instagram.com/p/pFXHl6CH05/ but for more details on how the recipe was prepared, read more below.

Here are the things you need:

• Magnolia Fudge Brownie Mix + 1/4 cup of water, 1/4 cup of cooking oil and 1 egg

• Iloilo’s Magnolia Best of the Philippines Butterscotch Ice Cream

Procedure:

1. Prepare all the things you need for the baking process:

• mixing bowl
• spatula
• measuring cup
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup cooking oil
• 1 egg
• 8 x 8 baking pan
• baking paper
• wire rack for cooling
• ice cream scoop

2. Mix the Magnolia Fudge Brownie Mix according to instructions: Put the brownie mix in the mixing bowl, add the water, egg and cooking oil and mix for 1 minute or so until there are no lumps or powder left.

3. Pour the Magnolia Fudge Brownie Mix in an 8 x 8 baking pan lined with baking paper. Putting a baking paper on the baking pan is important because getting the baked brownies from the baking pan as well as cleaning up both become easier.

4. Bake the mixed Magnolia Fudge Brownie Mix in a preheated oven for about 20 -25 minutes or until a toothpick you will use to insert in the middle of the baked brownies comes out clean.

While the brownies are baking, it is best to start cleaning up the utensils used for the mixing so that you are able to enjoy the baked goodies later on.

5. Cool the baked brownies on a wire rack.

6. Cut according to desired size.

7. Serve the baked Magnolia Fudge Brownies while still a bit warm with a scoop of Magnolia Best of the Philippines Butterscotch Ice Cream.

Now if this is not the perfect summer treat for your family and friends, then I don’t know what could be better than this Super Simple Magnolia Brownies ala Mode.

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NOTE 1 :

I am not really sure how much these desserts cost when you order from a restaurant and perhaps it is safe to say that per order would probably cost you around Php75 – 125.00

The cost for this dessert which made 12 servings for the combination are the following (plus a few extra scoops of ice cream as well that weren’t used with the brownies):

• Php250.00 for the Magnolia Best of the Philippines Butterscotch Ice Cream
• Php129.50 for the Magnolia Fudge Brownie Mix
• Php20 for the cooking oil and egg
• A few tens of pesos for the gas or in my case, for the electricity I used in baking.

4 pieces of the brownies were eaten without the ice cream as packed snacks the day after for a road trip we did.
The left-over ice cream were eaten for a few times more and the children were even asking me to buy another Magnolia Fudge Brownie Mix box to go with the Magnolia Best of the Philippines Butterscotch Ice Cream.

Now do the math and see how much it will cost you to order these Brownies ala Mode in 12 or even 16 servings. I know, it is a big winner, right?

NOTE 2: You can add chocolate or caramel syrup to this Magnolia Brownies ala Mode recipe but I did not do it anymore because I figured the brownies and the butterscotch has both the perfect combination of taste that will complement each other.

You wouldn’t want to have a dessert that tastes a bit too sweet, wouldn’t you?

Now am off to enjoy my Magnolia Brownies ala Mode with my family and thank goodness, it didn’t make me tired to do this dessert.

For more recipes, register at My Great Food website AND “Like” the My Great Food Facebook page.

Tags: Magnolia Best of the Philippines Butterscotch Ice Cream, Magnolia Brownie Mix, Magnolia Brownies ala Mode, Magnolia Brownies and Magnolia Butterscotch Ice Cream, summer treatssuper simple dessert recipe

Let’s face it, we Filipinos love to eat. In my family, we find ways to think of special occasions and gather everyone to have a feast, be it simple or grand.

Foodie or not, there is a dish, a flavor,  or an aroma or two (or maybe more!) that reminds us of home, of Mom’s or Grandma’s cooking, of a special time that makes family bond a delightful experience to go back to again and again.

Electrolux, a global leader in home appliances has come up with an online contest with Instagram and Twitter to cater to our LOVE of FOOD and FAMILY.

This summer, join Electrolux and its new endorsers Cheska Garcia-Kramer and her cute daughter Kendra invite you to join Electrolux online photo contest.

It is so easy to join and here’s how to join Electrolux DelightfulE Instagram and Twitter Contest:

1. Follow @ElectroluxPH on Instagram and Twitter
2. Take photos of delicious and delightful dishes that remind you of home and family.
3. Add a catchy caption that explains why the dish reminds you of a hearty home
4. se the hashtag #DelightfulE and tag @ElectroluxPH

One featured Electrolux apppliance will be given to one lucky weekly winner!! Woohoo!!

Join now and share your delightfully delicious memories with the world.

For more news and updates about the Electrolux Delightful-E Online Contest and Campaign, visit The Little White Book or follow ElectroluxPH on Twitter and Instagram.

Tags: #DelightfulE, #DelightfulE Instagram and Twitter Contest, Electrolux DelightfulE contest, Electrolux Launches #DelightfulE Instagram and Twitter Contest, how to join Electrolux DelightfulE Instagram and Twitter Contest

When was the last time you made someone else smile? That is the question Havaianas asks you as it launches the Havaianas Design a Smile 2, a flip-flops design contest for the benefit of Operation Smile Philippines.

Havaianas Design a Smile was first launched in 2010.

Havaianas Design a Smile showcases children’s artistic abilities by designing Havaianas flipflops which will be made into an actual Havaianas pair. Percentage of the sales from these designs will benefit Operation Smile Philippines. Operation Smile Philippines is a non-profit organization that give surgeries to children with cleft palates and cleft lips.

The first Havaianas Design a Smile competition had over 2,000 entries and raised more than Php100,000 pesos from donations.

“Havaianas believes that summer is a state of mind and can be lived every day of the year whenever you adopt a happy and carefree attitude,“ shares Anne Gonzalez, Managing Director of Havaianas Philippines. “And nowhere else is that more evident than in children. With Havaianas Design a Smile, we hope to generate funds and awareness to support Operation Smile in our shared mission to spread smiles all over the world.”

Starting this November till  to January, Havaianas Design a Smile 2 is back, with the theme “Paying it Forward: Kids Helping Kids.”

On November 24th, artistically inclined kids can join Havaianas Design a Smile by submitting their designs illustrating their answer to the question “What will you do to make other people smile?” at partner events nationwide:

• Bonifacio Global City Passion Fest at Bonifacio High Street from November 23 to 25
• Mommy Mundo Bazaar at the Rockwell Tent from November 24 to 25.

Winners will receive exciting prizes from the following:

• Havaianas, 
• Bobble, 
• Pininho, 
• Hobbes and Landes, 
• McDonald’s, 
•  Sony.

The grand prize winner will also have his or her design produced as part of the Havaianas 2014 Collection as the Havaianas Smile pair, with a percentage of the sales from which will help fund the operations of Operation Smile.

Like the Havaianas Philippines Official Facebook page to find out other events that the Havaianas Design a Smile 2 booth will be visiting.

Tags: Bobble, Bonifacio Global City Passion Fest, Havaianas, Havaianas 2014 Collection as the Havaianas Smile pair, Havaianas Design a Smile 2 and Operation Smile Philippines, Havaianas Philippines Official Facebook page, Havainas Design a Smile Contest 2012, Hobbes and Landes, McDonald's, Mommy Mundo Bazaar at the Rockwell Tent from November 24 to 25, Operation Smile Philippines, Pininho, Sony, What will you do to make other people smile?

This is my children’s guitar. It is a mini guitar for children.

It is smaller than the usual guitar, like a taylor gs mini, because it was made especially for children. They don’t have time to really play with this especially now that they get swamped with homework, projects and other school concerns.

I miss hearing them strumming, though they still have to really learn how to play since they didn’t have time to have guitar lessons last summer.

Tags: guitar for kids, mini guitar, small guitar

It is back to school and back to reality for us on Monday. This is officially the end of summer vacation even if summer ended a few weeks back.

Hello waking up at 4am in the morning, traffic jams, homework and projects, tests and quizzes and dirty laundry.

Of course, that’s not all, there’s new school bags like stroller bags, backpacks and aluminum briefcases (don’t ask, lol), new pencils and crayons, new books and notebooks and all things new that the children either chose or their parents did.

With this new school year comes new hope: that everything will be better in terms of attitude towards learning new things, discovering new things, formulating novel ideas and a renewed chance to make things just better.

Has 2012 summer come and gone already?

Photo from my Instagram account.

It sure does feel that way because we have been having rains almost daily. There are days too that we can still feel the summer heat. I’m sure tanning supply will be in demand once the rainy season kicks off.

We welcome the rains that make the summer heat bearable but the truth is, I am skeptical how the rainy season will be considering how hot the weather has been these past two months.

Tags: weather talk