McDonald's Holiday Sweet Pleasures 2013

McDonald's has launched their Holiday Sweet Pleasures 2013 about five days ago. I just found out about it today. Indeed the Christmas holiday for this year is near. Stores everywhere have been launching their holiday offerings.

Here are the posters both courtesy of the McDonalds FB page.

Their new dessert Salted Caramel Sundae is an offering to indulge in a holiday treat that is what they described as the perfect medley of salty and sweet to get the merry mood started early.

For those who loves their McFlurry, there's a new scrumptious brand new holiday flavor which cookie lovers are sure to love. The cookie butter that has been trending for months now has come to be one of their new flavors in their Cookie Butter McFlurry.

There's also the McFlurry with OREO in Merry Berry and OREO flavors. Who loves Oreo? Well this foodie mommy and my lil foodie kid loves Oreo. I would love to try both.

Last but not the least...

The McCafe Coffee Float has been one interesting drink for me when I need to really work late at night. Coffees don't usually have that effect on me to really keep me up all night long. But McDo's Coffee Float has been tested and proven for us as the most effective coffee drink I have taken that kept me awake till the wee hours of 3AM to 4PM. We cannot forget it when we first tried it before with my hubby. We were not able to sleep when we turned in around 2AM which is already really late. We both were kept awake until 3AM and for me till 4AM when finally sleep came to me.

I want try all the new holiday flavors soon! I also that they also have new flavors for the sundae cone. Well let's try them all this holiday season! Kids and kids at heart would be delighted!

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Cafe France's French Donuts - Classic Chocolate and Lemon Custard

I have heard about the cronuts craze since August initially through Instagram and Twitter then on Facebook. So when I knew that Cafe France Opens a New Branch in Davao City at Hai Global in Pryce Business Park, I thought I have a closer place to go to when I want to try out one of the cronuts version available in the city.

For those who are not yet familiar, the cronut is a croissant-doughnut pastry created by a Chef Dominique Ansel for Dominique Ansel Bakery in New York City just this May 2013. When I first saw it, what comes to mind is our local "Otap". I dunno why but it just looks like it. *wink*

The half-croissant, half-donut pastry made a craze in our country a month after that in June this year. I have been hearing and seeing various cronuts from Chef Ansel's, Wildflour Café + Bakery's version which I think was the first in the country to make its own version. There is also Yamato Bakery Café's cronuts, Krispy Kreme's Krispy Krouissant, DolceLatte's croughnuts, Dunkin Donuts donut croissant, Chatime's Kronuts, The French Baker's croinuts, Go Nuts Donuts cronuts. The list could go on. Intercontinental Hotel Makati cro-nuts and Manila Hotel also made their own version of the pastry. Even Vikings Luxury Buffet Restaurant also has their own.

Then this Cafe France's French Donuts was the first one I heard to be available here in the city. It was launched in Manila last August 1. These are available in these flavors:

LEMON CUSTARD: Zesty lemon-sugar icing atop numerous layers of buttery, crisp puff pastry filled with creamy lemon custard paste.

SALTED CARAMEL: A luscious blend of sea salt and caramel icing atop numerous layers of buttery, crisp puff pastry filled with smooth salted caramel pasty.

CLASSIC CHOCOLATE: Silky semisweet chocolate icing with a choco espresso bean atop numerous layers of buttery, crisp puff pastry filled with rich chocolate paste.

The classic chocolate can be my fave for now among the three from Cafe France but I have yet to try the salted caramel which was not available that  time we were there with the foodie hubby having a light brekkie.

The cronuts craze goes on and our city is just catching up to what was started in NY to Manila to our city.

Go Nuts Donuts' Donut Croissants Cro-nuts

Go Nuts Donuts has joined the cro-nuts craze and we're glad to have been invited to try their new offering of Cro-Nuts by Go Nuts Donuts just a week ago when they launched it here in our city.

Exceptional lightness of a donut. Extraordinary crispness of a croissant. A melt-in-your-mouth masterpiece.

Here are the variety of cro-nuts to choose from...

These were the Cro-Nuts available at that time we were invited by Go Nuts Donuts... 

Plain Sugared (Php 75.00) - Go Nuts Donuts donut croissant fried and injected with pastry cream and rolled in sugar.

Chocolate Almond (Php 75.00)- Go Nuts Donuts donut croissant fried and injected with pastry cream, topped with chocolate fudge and sprinkled with almond slivers.

Strawberry Jam (Php 75.00) - Go Nuts Donuts donut croissant fried and filled with pastry cream. Topped with our homemade jam.

Peaches and Cream (Php 75.00) - Go Nuts Donuts donut croissant fried and injected with pastry cream. Topped with whipped cream and peaches.

Among the four I've tasted, I like the chocolate almond most since it's given that we all like chocolate and I personally love almonds! The peaches and cream was also delightful to eat especially when it is freshly made.

The other cro-nuts are...

Apple Cinnamon (Php 75.00) - Go Nuts Donuts donut croissant fried and filled with pastry cream. Rolled in Cinnamon Sugar and topped with homemade apple jam.

BlueBerry Cream Cheese (Php 75.00) - Go Nuts Donuts donut croissant fried and filled with cream cheese and topped with Blueberry Jam.

Hopefully we would be able to try these two other variety soon.

Berry-Stuffed French Toast With Vanilla Yogurt Sauce

Whenever I think about French Toast, I remember a beautiful and kind friend in college who brought me to her house with another friend and she taught us how to make French toast. I really like how she made her french toast! Since then every time I see French toast anywhere, she would almost always come to mind. She is now based and working in Singapore.

Anyway I found this recipe just awhile ago and I want to try it soon or maybe later you know how busy moms can be when it is almost exam week in our little kid's school.

It looks so yummy and I love this kid of toast. I'm craving for it already!

Photo from Food.com

Berry-Stuffed French Toast With Vanilla Yogurt Sauce recipe that I found at Food.com which I would like to try but in a simpler version soon.

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh mixed berries, about 1/2 lb (blueberries, sliced strawberries, raspberries or blackberries)
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/3 cup fat-free sweetened condensed milk
1 (6 ounce) container low-fat vanilla yogurt
10 ounces French bread (1 small loaf)
1 egg
1 egg white
1/3 cup low-fat milk
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
nonstick cooking spray

Directions:

1. Place berries in a small bowl and sprinkle with powdered sugar. For the sauce, spoon about 1/4 of the berries, sweetened condensed milk and yogurt into a blender (or food processor) and puree until smooth; set aside.

2. Cut bread into twelve 1 1/2-inch pieces. Cut into each piece almost all the way through to create a pocket. Stuff the bread slices with remaining sweetened berries and press lightly to close; set aside. Reserve any unused berries to garnish top at serving time.

3. Whisk egg, egg white, milk, granulated sugar, vanilla and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Spray skillet with non-stick cooking spray. Dip stuffed bread slices in egg mixture to coat and cook until lightly browned on both sides, turning once.

4. Spoon sauce onto serving plate, arrange French toast on top and garnish with any remaining berries.