You would hardly find any trace of Food for the Gods anywhere in the Philippines from January to November. But for some unknown reason, the classic and chewy treat always finds its way to the list of food gifts for Christmas and New Year.

Maja Blanca is a creamy, gelatinous Filipino dessert made from several types of milk, chiefly coconut milk, thickened with cornstarch and topped with latik (cooked coconut topping). It is a traditional dessert served during get togethers.

Filipinos are the most ingenious when it comes to adopting foreign food to suit the local palate. Take, for example, the case of spaghetti. Though it has some serious Italian influences, you’d be hard-pressed to find spaghetti in restaurants in Italy. Just as the Americans have added meatballs to come up with ‘spaghetti and meatballs,’ we, too, have given spaghetti our spin. We called it our very own Filipino-Style Spaghetti!

Hi! Welcome to the third installment of my personal Christmas challenge! This time, I have this delicious, easy to prepare, and quite frankly, addicting Filipino Chicken Potato Salad.

Our neighbor used to make and sell leche flan. Since they lived just right next to ours, I used to go to their house and watch as they steamed batches after batches of leche flan.

Leche Flan is the Filipino counterpart of custards. The sweet and slightly bitter caramel sauce perfectly offsets the silky texture of the flan.

Buko pandan is a Filipino dessert that is made of shredded coconut, pandan (screw pine) flavored jelly, and lots and lots of cream. It’s really simple to make and the color blends nicely with the seasonal reds and greens. Despite being a standby on the Christmas table, buko pandan is a popular summer favorite, too.

I took a break from my recent obsession with bread making. I found myself suddenly sick of bread flour, yeast, and the hours spent in resting the dough.  And what better way to shake off my bread-making doldrums than a fast and effortless recipe for butterscotch?

Today’s recipe is for another local bakery standby – the Pan de Coco. Pan de Coco is a soft, coconut-filled bun that is a popular snack in the Philippines. Like most Filipino breads, its name comes from Spanish and literally translates to coconut bread.

I wasn’t a big fan of breads back when I was a kid but I have always had a soft spot for some yummy Filipino Cheese Bread. I used to always go to the market with my mom to do some weekly grocery shopping and we would always stop at a bakery off the main street to buy some bread. One of the many goodies that were on display was Filipino cheese bread.