Category: In the Kitchen

Relax with Milk & Oreo Stuffed Cookies

One of the best midnight snacks I’ve had recently was freshly baked, Oreo stuffed chocolate chip cookies with a cold glass of milk. Mmm… DELICIOUS! :) Yes, yes. I know that I’ve already posted two different entries in this blog about chocolate chip cookies. But, what can I say? Cookies are delightful treats! :)

Last Tuesday morning, when work unexpectedly got suspended, I had an idea of treating the family with some baked goodies. Before going home, I passed by the supermarket to get more ingredients. I wanted to experiment with a new treat/recipe. However, since I didn’t have access to the internet at that time, I decided to use the only recipe that I knew by heart: Chocolate Chip Cookies.

I was about to pay for the ingredients already when I suddenly thought of baking Oreo stuffed Chocolate Chip cookies. Early this year, I was able to see different photos of that particular type of cookie in the internet and it intrigued me. I immediately ran to the cookie section at the supermarket and got myself a pack of Oreo cookies. I eagerly paid for my groceries and went home as soon as possible.

                Making the cookies that day was a relaxing moment for me. Although it was raining hard, I somehow still enjoyed preparing and baking them. I’ve baked chocolate chip cookies a lot of times already; however, I still get nervous every time I would put them in the oven.

The tricky part about baking cookies is that you really have to keep your eye on them while they’re baking. Otherwise, if you let them bake a few seconds/minutes longer than they should, you’d end up with harder and darker cookies. (I prefer the soft, chewy, light colored ones. :P)

It was sort of a struggle to stuff the sticky cookie dough with Oreo cookies. However, after chilling the dough for a while, I was finally able to nicely shape the cookies. I sat in front of the oven while they were baking and carefully watched over them as they slightly puffed up. When the time was right, I got them out of the oven and let them cool on a wire rack.

After about 2 hours of preparing and baking the cookies, it was time to taste them! :) I couldn’t believe it. They were actually really good!

OREO INSIDE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES + COLD MILK = THE BEST!

Of course, it was all by God’s grace that I was able to make them. Thank You, Lord! :)

I really appreciate being able to try out new treats every now and then. But what I appreciate more is being encouraged by God through them. Interestingly, while I was munching on my cookie treats, God spoke to my heart. :)

He made me remember the times when I sat down in front of the oven and carefully observed the cookies. Syempre! I didn’t want to over bake the cookies. I wanted them to become the best that they could be. :)

In the same way, God reminded me that He also carefully watches over me. He watches over us every single day. It was such a comfort to know that, because it allows us to relax more and not worry about what we’re going through or even about the future.

 

It was actually a very timely reminder that day too. The Philippines was experiencing struggles because of the bad weather and it would have been so easy for the Filipinos to just complain and rant all day long about the terrible situation. But, I was blessed to see the Filipinos still have peace and hopeful hearts despite the heavy rain and flood. Moreover, it was nice to witness a lot of people really exert effort in helping out each other, especially those who were affected by the flood.

It says in Psalm 121:3, 5-8

He who watches over you will not sleep;

5 The Lord watches over you—
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord will keep you from all harm —
he will watch over your life;
8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

                Indeed, making those cookies that day was a relaxing moment for me… not only because of the sound of the rain and the fact that I was baking, but also, because I was reminded of the comfort and security that we have in God, knowing that He will continue to watch over us. :)

 

Encourage yourself one treat at a time! :)

Shrimp Scampi with Guacamole

A few days ago, my younger brother was confined and advised to stay at the hospital for the weekend. I knew that it was a perfect opportunity for me to treat the family with something special. I decided to prepare Shrimp Scampi with Guacamole on toasted slices of Baguettes. I originally wanted to make another shrimp dish; but, I remembered how chefs would always say that shrimps and avocados make a good combination. Interestingly, God taught me two important lessons when I made this dish.

  1. God gives us everything we need in His perfect time for His good purposes in our lives.

I went to the grocery to buy my main ingredients: Shrimps and Avocados. However, to my dismay, all of the avocados were still green and unripe. I wanted to go to another supermarket but since it would be a hassle, I decided to stay instead. In the meantime, I went to the seafood section to get shrimps and started talking to God. “Lord, I don’t know how, but I know that if You really want me to make guacamole, You will provide the avocados. Thank You.” :)

After getting the shrimps, I decided to pass by the avocados again. Would you believe it? Hidden underneath the vegetables beside the green avocados were 3 packs of purple, ripe, Hass Avocados! I couldn’t believe my eyes! “Wow, Lord! Those ripe avocados weren’t here a while ago. Thank You so much!” I immediately grabbed the avocados and paid for my groceries.

The wonderful thing about the hidden, ripe avocados that God gave me was that they were Hass/Haas avocados (the best type to be used for the guacamole recipe that I had). It was really encouraging to be reminded by God that He will continue to provide for our needs and give us what is best for us according to His will.

It says in Philippians 4:9

“And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

 

2.       How God sees us, rather than how we/others view ourselves, is the only thing that matters.

After making the guacamole, I prepared the other ingredients for the shrimp scampi. I noticed that some of the chefs recommend removing the heads of the shrimps before cooking so that they would look more presentable.

Before I cooked the shrimps, I was torn between removing their heads and keeping them intact. “Is the head of a shrimp really that undesirable?” I asked myself. I then remembered instances before when people would use the term “Shrimp” to describe a person who has a great body, but has an ugly face.

I thought about it more and decided NOT to remove the heads, because I remembered my mom who always used the heads of the shrimps to enhance the flavor of the dish. I knew that there was something in the shrimp’s head that was useful, despite its “ugliness”.

True enough, while I was cooking the shrimps with butter and garlic, I saw some of its juices flow out of their heads. “Thank You, Lord, that I didn’t throw the heads away.” I whispered to God as I took a sip of the delicious sauce of the shrimp scampi.

After taking photos and preparing the dish, I suddenly remembered an interesting trivia about shrimps that I read a few weeks ago. Did you know that a shrimp’s heart is located in its head?* “Hahaha! What a funny trivia, Lord!” I told God. But, amusingly, He used that fact to speak to my heart.

God purposely placed the heart of a shrimp in its head. And it’s amazing because although the head of a shrimp is perceived by others to be useless, not presentable, and undesirable; it actually contains the very thing that gives the animal the ability to live: its heart. Moreover, the head contains certain elements that produce more ‘shrimp flavor’.

In the same way, I am reminded me that God created me for a special purpose and He made me the way I am according to His good will. Moreover, He encouraged me to focus on what’s more valuable to Him (my heart and how I see myself and others through His eyes) than on the opinions and expectations of the people around me.

It says in 1 Samuel 16:7

“The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Avocados and shrimps definitely make a good combination, most especially, when God uses both ingredients to encourage our hearts. :)

Encourage yourself one treat at a time. :)

 

*trivia taken from www.weirdfacts.com

 

 

 

 

Anyone Can Cook Ratatouille

One of the most encouraging mottos I have ever heard in my whole life is this: “Anyone can cook.” This line came from one of the characters (Chef Gusteau) in Ratatouille, a Disney Pixar animated movie. After watching the movie for the first time (a few years ago), I was able to appreciate culinary more. Moreover, even without the luxury of being trained by professional chefs, because of the movie (and many other things), I was encouraged to constantly improve on my skills in the kitchen.

Last weekend, I tried making my first Ratatouille. :) As seen in the movie, it basically is a vegetable dish that combines cooked zucchinis, eggplants, squash, tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, onions, fresh herbs, and spices. One of the most popular recipes of Ratatouille was made by Thomas Keller, who was also one of the consultants for the movie.

I started making the dish by roasting green bell peppers in the oven at 450 degrees. After cooking and removing the peppers from the oven, I had to readjust the temperature to 275 degrees as it was stated in Mr. Keller’s recipe. To ensure the correct temperature, I used my oven thermometer to check the degrees.

After a few minutes, I used the pair of tongs again to get the oven thermometer out and placed it on the table. However, I guess, because I was trying to work double time, I accidentally grabbed the oven thermometer with my left hand without any mitten on.

“AAAAAGGGGHHHH!” I screamed in pain as I dropped the oven thermometer on the floor. I immediately rushed to the freezer and held on to an ice cube. All I could say was “Huhuhu. Ouuuch.” It was really terrible. I had a difficult time preparing the ingredients because my fingers were aching and sore.

As tears rolled down my cheeks, I told God: “Lord, of all the times to have burnt fingertips, why now? :( Haha. I was supposed to make Ratatouille tonight. But with my sore fingers, how can I thinly slice the vegetables and do the rest of the preparation?”

I sat in front of the electric fan and I tried to cool myself down. I was already giving up on the idea of making Ratatouille that night when God suddenly spoke to me: “Nic, you know that I am still in control even when it’s painful and difficult, right? And you know that you can still do all things through Christ who gives you strength (Phil. 4:13). So, why are you still so disturbed and worried?”

“Oo nga noh, Lord.” I replied. “Sorry for not focusing on you and for not being grateful still. You are in control and by Your grace, I know that I can do the Ratatouille even with burnt fingertips.”

I continued preparing the ingredients even if it was really painful. I constantly placed my three fingers on the ice to soothe the pain while I was slicing, chopping, mixing, and baking. Eventually, my mom put an ointment on them for faster recovery.

While I was preparing and baking the Ratatouille, I started to think about my situation and thanked God for the following:

  1. That I had the privilege of baking again.
  2. That he provided for the ingredients and other resources needed.
  3. That I only have three burnt fingers and was still able to work in the kitchen.
  4. That my mom is a dermatologist, so it was really convenient for me to have a treatment instantly.
  5. That Philippians 4:13 continues to encourage me and remind me that I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST.
  6. And that God is God, because whatever happens and whatever the result may be, it was comforting to know that He is always in control.

 

After one and a half hours, I finally topped the dish with my leftover mozzarella cheese from the pizza I made two weeks ago (https://encouragingtreats.com/god-stuck/); placed it back in the oven for five minutes; and served it with fresh, toasted slices of baguettes.

I kept on thanking God while I was enjoying my share of Ratatouille because He allowed me to finish it even with burnt fingertips. I suddenly remembered Chef Gusteau’s motto: “Anyone can cook.” and it became so real to me. “Wow! This is so cool, Lord! By Your grace, I COOKED RATATOUILLE! ANYONE CAN COOK RATATOUILLE!” :D

But, what made that moment even more special was when God whispered in my heart, “Yes, Nic. You can because of Christ who gives you strength. (Philippians 4:13)” :) (It was interesting how He made the Bible verse and chef Gusteau’s motto to be so similar.)

I smiled and suddenly noticed my three burnt fingers again. At that moment, I realized that God does sometimes allow us to go through different kinds of pain and struggle.  However, it is still comforting to know that He will always give us what we need (in my case, 7 more fingers to use), for us to fulfill His purposes in the lives He has blessed us with.

I thank God because of His reminder for us to still find joy in Him even in difficulties. Making Ratatouille definitely is one of his encouraging treats for me. And I pray that my heart will continue to rest, do my best, and at the same time, find joy in Him who is able to work in and through me in whatever situation.

 

Philippians 4:13

“I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”

Psalm 46:1 

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”

 

Encourage yourself one treat at a time! :)

 

 

 

Thank God I Got Stuck :)

For the longest time, I’ve been craving for juicy steaks, Chili’s chips and salsa, and Pizza Hut’s stuffed crust pizza. However, because I couldn’t find anyone in my family who was available for a random food trip, I just decided to make one of those dishes at home. I chose to bake a mozzarella stuffed crust pizza because it was cheaper than steaks and it was also more interesting to make than chips and salsa.

Interestingly, last Friday night, I was supposed to attend a concert in CCF Makati; however, because of the strong wind and heavy rain, I decided to go home instead. Usually, my siblings and I would have different plans every Friday night, but because of the bad weather, God allowed us to be complete that night.

Mom was so happy that she asked us all (via text) what food we wanted to eat that night. She wanted to treat us and have food delivered to our house. I immediately replied: “Mom, I was actually planning on making homemade stuffed crust pizza this Saturday, but can we still have stuffed crust pizza delivered tonight too? Haha.” She agreed and even told me that she was hoping I would make an Italian dish soon. Cool!

My siblings and I had an interesting Friday night with mom at home (Dad was out of town). We were able to eat sausage stuffed crust pizza, catch up; laugh with each other; and even talk about random things like Italian food, sinkholes, Gabo’s dream to have McDonald’s in his future house (Haha), and the crazy weather. It was a good night. :)

The next day, the weather was still pretty bad and eventually, most of my plans for ministry that day got cancelled because of the rain. But, for a change, it was actually really nice to stay in on a rainy and windy Saturday. I loved it!

After spending time with God, my family, and even Copper (our dog), I decided to finally make the homemade mozzarella stuffed crust pizza. However, in the middle of my preparation, dad told us that since we were all present at home, He wanted us to have a family devotion (Bible study).

After hearing that, I sort of panicked because I couldn’t just stop the process of making the pizza at that moment. The pizza dough was still rising and after it has fully risen, it must be prepared for baking immediately.

“How could I possibly knead the pizza, prepare the sauce, closely watch it while it bakes, and be present in our family devotion all at the same time?” I thought to myself. “Lord, what should I do?”

By the grace of God, even though it was getting late already (around 7:30 pm), dad gave me 30 more minutes to finish making the pizza. As soon as I finished eating dinner, I immediately worked double time to bake the mozzarella stuffed crust pizza. After 15 minutes of baking it, dad already called us in to have the devotion. Even if I wasn’t 100% sure that it was thoroughly cooked, by faith, I decided to bring it out of the oven so I could join my family in our meeting.

We were able to read a few verses in the Bible as a family and dad encouraged us all to carefully study them. At first, I was getting distracted because I wanted to check on the pizza that was just resting on our kitchen table. However, God somehow whispered to me: “Nic, relax. :) Don’t worry about the pizza and just enjoy this time that you have with your family and with Me.”

By His grace, I shifted my focus from the pizza to God’s word and I’m glad I did. Our family shared with each other the different lessons we learned from His word and we committed to become accountable to each other and to God.

After closing in prayer, I went to the kitchen to check out the pizza. By God’s grace, after letting it bake for a few more minutes, I was able to make my very first mozzarella stuffed crust pizza! :D Woohoo!

While I was taking photos of the pizza, I was thanking God for another privilege of being able to bake a new treat. Here are some of the things that I really enjoyed doing while making the pizza:

  1. Kneading the dough – I just love the consistency of fresh dough;
  2. Stretching the dough – I did this with the help of a rolling pin and by throwing it in the air and catching with my hands; and of course,
  3. Seeing the mozzarella cheese stretch out from the pizza crust – THE BEST! Mozzarella cheese really is one the best types of cheese in the world!

Before letting my family taste the pizza, I decided to cherish the moment that I had with it first. I started to play with the mozzarella cheese that was oozing out from the crust. I then thought about how cool it was that hours before that moment, the thick strings of cheese were just tightly wrapped around the edges of the pizza dough. They were immovable; stuck; and had no choice but to remain inside. However, after being baked, the flexible, melted, mozzarella cheese actually became the highlight of the dish: Mozzarella Stuffed Crust Pizza. :)

God used that moment to encourage me and remind me of His goodness. God made me realize that just like the cheese, I got stuck too! (Of course, I got stuck at home because of the bad weather. :) ) Moreover, most of my plans and activities got cancelled and it could have been a reason for me to get frustrated with the surprising turn of events.

But, I thank God for the rain and for the moments when I was stuck at home. I praise Him because it was His way of allowing our family to spend more time together; and for me to get to know Him more through the Bible.

Because of this experience, I was reminded that God still is at work even in the midst of unwanted circumstances in life. Definitely, God still is good even if we get stuck in situations that we do not like. I’m also learning that, sometimes, God allows us to get stuck so we could practice being still before Him and enjoy His presence more.

John 16:33 says:

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

 

*Other posts that include homemade dough:

1. Pasta (Dough Not Give Up) – https://encouragingtreats.com/homemade-pasta-dough/

2. Pretzels (Pretzels & Passions) – https://encouragingtreats.com/pretzels-passions/

Encourage yourself one treat at a time! :)

 

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About Me

My name is Nicole Obligacion and I started this blog because I was inspired by Hebrews 10:24 and Hebrews 3:13. I love to eat, cook, bake, read the Bible, and encourage. :)

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