Purple Oven: Pistachio Stardust Cake

I’ve been meaning to try the Pistachio Stardust Cake but every time we visit their store it is not available. Two weeks ago, we went to Nuvali and I saw the Pistachio Stardust Cake but I did not buy it because I remembered that we have just baked Rainbow Cupcake again.  

Last Saturday after visiting my grandmother in Victoria, Laguna, we dropped at Nuvali to pay bills and finally, I bought the Pistachio Stardust Cake P800. This is the third cake that I have tried in Purple Oven, the first one is Grandma’s Chocolate Cake and the second one was Classic Sansrival. 

Pistachio Stardust Cake is a chiffon cake covered with pistachio icing cream. I even gave some slice to my friends and one friend said, “malambot pa sa mamon”. Hehehe! This friend is not into sweets so she liked the cake because it is not sweet.  

Dulce de Leche French Toast

What do you usually do with your stale bread? If I’m not lazy I will make bread pudding but the easiest way to save the stale bread is making French Toast.  Last Sunday, I’ve made Dulce de Leche French Toast. The steps are the same with French Toast, the only difference is the spread, you can use Nutella or any spread you want.

1 egg 
1 cup milk 
1/2 tbsp of sugar 
6 slices of bread 
Butter 
1/2 tbsp cinnamon powder (optional) 
Dulce de Leche

1. Beat egg, then add milk and sugar. 
2. Spread Dulce de Leche in one slice of bread and put another slice of bread to make a sandwich. 
3. Soak the bread in egg mixture just enough to coat the bread.

4. Heat your pan and put butter. 
5. Place your bread in the pan and cook until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side, 
6. Slice in half and serve.

* You can add cinnamon in your egg mixture or sprinkle it before serving the French Toast.

Oven Baked Steak + Gravox Traditional Gravy

Steak is one of my favorite foods, so I always look for steak if we’re eating on the buffet. Happy na ko pag may steak, but of course, it should be tender and flavorful. I do cook grilled steak at home, but it was 2011 when I first tried to cook oven-baked steak.

I can’t remember the last time I cooked oven-baked steak, so last Sunday, I cooked this again, so we can try the Gravox Traditional Gravy. Yes, I also bought this aside from Gravox Roast Chicken with Herbs Gravy.  

Preheat oven to 225C 
Season the beef. I only used pepper, salt and garlic. 

Sear the beef in butter. 

Put slices of butter on top of the beef and bake for 30 minutes or until it is to your preferred doneness. 

It was a hit again with my family, and my son even said, “Mommy I love beef”. The gravy sauce is good, and my husband told me again na kalasa ng Gravox gravy sauce yung gravy ng ibang restaurant na nakainan niya. I still have half a kilo of beef in my fridge, so I will cook this again.

Fun with Clay and Homemade Play Dough

If there’s one thing I’ve learned as a mom, it’s that you don’t need fancy toys to keep a child happy — sometimes, a simple ball of play dough can spark hours of laughter and imagination!

In this post, I’m sharing how a little Pinterest inspiration turned into one of our favorite bonding activities at home. From homemade play dough recipes to printable mats and sweet surprises, here’s how we’ve been having fun (and making a bit of a mess!) with clay and creativity.

My son’s first experience with Play-Doh was about three years ago, when I bought the Play-Doh Cars 2 Mold N Go set a few weeks before his third birthday. He’s a huge Lightning McQueen fan, so he was absolutely thrilled! For a few days, he played nonstop… until, of course, we ran out of Play-Doh.

When I checked the toy store for refills, I was surprised at how expensive they were — definitely not in my budget at the time. So the toy ended up sitting in a corner, and that was that… until I discovered Pinterest (a true mom lifesaver!).

That’s where I found a recipe for homemade play dough, and just like that, my son’s Cars toy got a second life! We made our own batch at home, and he couldn’t have been happier.

Why I Love Play Dough (Even as an Adult!)

Yes, it’s messy. There will be bits of dough everywhere. But honestly? It’s so worth it. Play dough is amazing for developing fine motor skills, sparking imagination and creativity, and even helping kids (and adults!) relax.

I have to admit — I enjoy playing with it too! Growing up, I always wanted Play-Doh, but we couldn’t afford it back then. So now that I can make it at home for my son, I think I’m just as excited as he is.

Clay Adventures and Play Dough Mats

If you remember my post about our clay modeling session in Nuvali, that was such a fun day! Since then, my son has really gotten into clay and play dough. He even received a clay set as a Christmas gift, and I bought him a clay activity book last summer to keep him busy during the break.

Recently, I found some adorable play dough mats on Pinterest — you can print them out and use them again and again. I just print ours on regular paper and cover them with a plastic sheet (laminating works too if you want something sturdier).

We had so much fun pretending to make dinner, ice cream sundaes, and cakes. It’s amazing how something so simple can keep a kid entertained for hours!

my work

my work

Click here to download the file.  

A Sweet Little Surprise

A few weeks ago, I printed another set of mats, and while I was covering them, my son saw what I was doing and asked, “Mommy, can I have yellow play dough this time?”

So while he was at school, I secretly made a batch of yellow dough. When he came home and saw it sitting on the table, he ran to me, hugged me, and said, “I love you, Mommy!” #cheesymoment

That night, we played together with his new dough and mats. Simple moments like that just melt my heart.

Apple tree and Snow Tree

Cactus + Sun

This is my work! :)

Click here to download the play dough mats. 

Homemade Play Dough Recipe 

If you want to try making your own, here’s the recipe I used — it’s super easy and budget-friendly!  I got the recipe from "Musings from a Stay-at-Home Mom". 

Ingredients: 

1 cup flour
1 cup water
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/3 cup salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Food coloring

Instructions: 

Mix all ingredients except the food coloring in a saucepan.
Cook over low to medium heat while stirring.
When the mixture starts to thicken, add the food coloring.
Keep stirring until it becomes doughy and starts clumping around your spoon.
Remove it from the heat, let it cool, then knead until smooth.

 The color I tried was supposed to be strawberry red, but it turned out more pink or light purple — still cute! And the best part? My son didn’t mind at all. He was just so happy that Lightning McQueen was back on the road again.

If you want to experiment, you can also try Martha Stewart’s version:

1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon cooking oil
1 cup water
Food coloring

Simple Joys 

Whether it’s store-bought or homemade, play dough has given us so many hours of laughter and bonding. It’s such a simple activity, but it sparks so much joy and creativity. 

Sometimes, the best toys aren’t the ones that cost a lot — they’re the ones made with love (and maybe a little flour and salt).