Hello! Happy Hive Power Up Day, citizens of Hive! Have you powered up some hive yet? You can check how much time is left before the HPUD ends at Hive Buzz. There's also the Hive Power Up Month. Funny how I almost forgot to power up last February and only remembered it two minutes before it ended.

Anyway, let's go back a week before March. I know the month of February is special for most of you here because of Valentine's Day but it's special for me not because of that but because it is my birth month. And while February coming makes me quite sad because my age increases again, I look forward to the bright instead, foods! We have four February celebrants in our family: my aunt, niece, brother and I. Although me and my brother's birthdays are only a day apart, we still celebrate our birthdays separately because that means more food. Lol!

Some people here in my country say February people are weird, that they have a slight crack on their heads. If you know someone born in February, I want to know your thoughts on this. 😂

Alright! So much for the intro! This year is special, not only because it's 2022, but as a celebration of something that has ended and began, and for another 'something' that's about to end and begin. Confused? No worries because I really intend not to make it clear since it's something very personal. :)

And as a celebration for these milestones I created in my head, I got myself some good foods and a fancy cake!

_{❤️ 22122 ❤️}

I've only seen this type of cake once while scrolling on Facebook some months ago so I was surprised to see an advertisement of such cakes two weeks before my birthday on a local Facebook page I am following. My eyes sparkled and my initial reaction was, "I found my cake for my birthday!"

I found out that these cakes are called jelly cakes. It's made entirely of gelatin, even the flowers. I read in one of the comments that they use plant-based ingredients so their cakes are kind of healthy, I guess?

They do not, however, accept rush orders and advise customers to make orders at least 2 to 3 days in advance. Their cake starts at Php 850 (16.55 USD) for the 6 inches and Php 1,180 (22.98 USD) for the 8 inches. They also have mini cakes which costs Php 280 (5.45 USD) each. It's obvious that you are not just paying for the gelatin here but more on the talent and creativity poured to create this edible masterpiece. I didn't mind paying the price because just look how adorable the cake is. The flowers look realistic and like they were encapsulated and preserved in a glass. It's perfectly crafted and the details of the flowers is just simply mind blowing!

The name of the store, by the way, is Cree's Artisan Jelly Cakes. They also have an Instagram account, @creesjellycakes. They're based in Dagupan City here in the province of Pangasinan. Cree's Artisan Jelly Cakes was only established last July 2021, no physical store yet and only sells their cakes online and delivers through pick up on a specific location only.

Customized orders are very much welcome, though as much as I want to mix and arrange flowers to my liking, my brain ran out of creative juices that time and I also don't want to have long discussions with the seller, so I requested for that certain cake that caught my heart when I first saw their advertisement. The one I saw advertised was for their Valentine special, and of course, the cakes were heart-shaped. Although the heart looks very cute, I opted for a circle one in 8 inches (and in almond flavor) so there would be enough space for the "Happy Birthday" lettering. The cake alone costs Php 1,180 plus add-ons (lettering and candles) so total cost was Php 1,350 (26.29 USD). I think it's not bad and the price is just right for such a wonderful cake like this. For sure this would cost more if it was sold in Manila or other countries. Also, I believe Cree's Artisan Jelly Cakes is the lone jelly cake artist here in our province and we're very lucky to have them here!

The jelly cake was contained on this circular plastic container and wrapped with a ribbon. I love the color of the ribbon, by the way! I also asked the seller if the cake won't get watery quickly because I used a delivery service to pick up the cake on behalf of me and buy the other foods as well. Seller told me it won't easily sweat but advised to have it refrigerated once it arrives and that's what I did after taking the photo above.

_{daaangg.. how do you make decent-looking gifs? haha}

Everyone found this cake too beautiful to eat and I couldn't agree more! When I took it out from the fridge and placed it on the table, I just keep staring at it and marveled at the delicate details of the flower. Of course, I took loooots of photos/videos/boomerang! Lol.

Just look at the petals of this flower. It has like a print or specks of dark colors on it. It looks like a real flower!

I've been telling enough about the appearance of this cake but what about.. the taste? If you like sweet spongy cakes then you might get disappointed on this one because it's literally just gelatin. It tastes gelatin but it's not completely bland. It has a slight taste which I can't clearly describe but it taste alright and I think you can perfectly pair this cake with a cup of coffee or tea for your afternoon snack or as a dessert after dinner. Pair this with anything sweet to balance your palate.

This cake also smells very nice, by the way! Probably because of the almond flavor.

Okay, I've been rambling so much about this cake, let's move to the other foods!

Of course, Filipino occasions wouldn't be complete without some noodles! We ordered Canton Guisado from Rubis and surprisingly, it tasted really good! It was the best Canton Guisado I've ever tasted yet. It's savory and the meatball mixed in it almost tasted like longganisa. I want to order again for my other brother's birthday next week. Uhm.. I'm not sure how to call this dish in English but it's stir-fried noodles in spices mixed with vegetables and meat.

Rubis is a known restaurant in Dagupan City. My school's cafeteria back in elementary used to sell Rubis' egg pies and it's among my favorite snack during recess because aside from tasting delicious, it's easy to consume. I'll have more time to stare blankly somewhere while my brain goes on sleep mode.

Meanwhile, I also got some Palabok on our menu but mama suggested we buy Jollibee's Palabok Family Pan instead because it's cheaper. It's alright, Jollibee's Palabok tastes great too! Palabok is rice noodles with shrimp and pork sauce, fish flakes, onion leeks, and hard boiled egg. Yum!

Since it's a new year for me, it's only fitting to have some fresh lumpia to celebrate the beginning of a new age! Just kidding! We've been craving for Rubis' Fresh Lumpia for so long and now we're able to get one. We're so happy!

Fresh lumpia is a spring roll loaded with fresh vegetables with crushed peanuts and drenched with peanut sauce. I used to dislike this food but I learned to appreciate it as I got older. It's among my favorite foods now and a food that I would most likely look for whenever I go to a restaurant.

Yeah, Ensaymada on birthdays? Why not! I've been craving for ensaymada lately I don't know why, so I got it for my birthday. I ordered Pedritos' Classic Ensaymada, it tasted great as expected from this bakery/restaurant. Just like Rubis, Pedritos is among the classic and popular restaurants in the city.

We got two tubs of ice cream, strawberries n' cream flavor and the other tub was a mix of rocky road and cookies & cream flavor. The other is actually for my brother's birthday as our birthdays are only one day apart.

We also got the Veggie Overload from Greenwich which left me chuckling a bit when I saw the pizza. It says 'overload' on their menu but the only veggie I saw was bell pepper. I don't know if mushroom also counts as veggie in their ingredients though. But their pizza tastes good, of course! I almost forgot to pour hot sauce, good thing I remembered it while I was halfway devouring my second slice!

And also since I'm already talking about hot sauce, Angel's Pizza hot sauce tastes way better than Greenwich hot sauce. Well, that's just my opinion. Hehe.

I don't know if you have noticed but I didn't show you any beverage. Lol. The truth is, we're not fans of carbonated drinks and even milk tea. I'm fine pairing these foods with a glass of water though later on after eating, my mama made iced tea.

My birthdays were usually spent with my family and we just celebrate it in a simple way. No balloons, garlands, karaoke, visitors, etc. We no longer even make home cooked dishes. We just order foods because we all wanted to relax during a special day. If not for the pandemic, we could've had a dinner at a restaurant instead and I could've visited the beach too.

And that is all for my birthday celebration last week! The cake was really the star that day, not me. Lol. Kidding! On a serious note, my wish is to have lots of energy, patience, mental capacity and persistence to do all things I need to do before I turn another year older next year. I wish my future self doesn't give up with whatever path she decides on. I will still root for her 110% in case she changes course from the path I had planned for us. :)