Archive for the ‘Food’ Category

Do you keep storage food in your pantry? We don’t.

I just don’t like the smell and taste of canned goods. It’s like eating a portion of the can on every serving. Bleeeh There are times that I crave for canned goods like tuna but we do not make it a practice to eat canned products often.

We love our food fresh from the market so hubby visits the public market twice a week to get the freshest meat and fruits

One challenge in being a multi-tasking work at home mom (WAHM) is the rarity of “me-time moments”. I rarely have time for myself because my 24 hours are divided into school (mommy-yaya moment), house chores (househelp moment), errands (messenger moment), business (baker moment), work (writer moment), and of course my wife duties. I barely have time for myself, this is why I value me-time moments a lot.

So how do I spend me-time? I read a good book and by good I mean, cheesy, romantic, fictional novels written by the likes of Nicholas Sparks and Danielle Steel.  I spend my me-time  moments at the weirdest places, in air-conditioned buses on my way to suppliers, in the bathroom, in coffee shops or restaurants while waiting for clients or simply in between tasks. The location doesn’t matter for once I’m hooked with a book, no one can disturb me

The past few weeks, my baking schedule had gone haywire and the I found a good company with reading and Dove Chocolates! Surprisingly, reading and the silkiness of Dove chocolates were the perfect duo to calm my crazy nerves. Unlike most people who gets hyperactive in eating chocolates, I get the opposite It sooths me and I noticed how perfect Dove chocolates were to cap my stressful everyday.

DOVE® is available at all local supermarkets, hypermarkets and convenience stores. retails at P45 and is available in:

DOVE^® Milk Chocolate (43g): Enjoy a pure moment with silky smooth DOVE® Milk Chocolate.

DOVE^® Dark Chocolate (43g): Yield to the devilishly dark DOVE® Chocolate.

DOVE^® Milk Chocolate with Hazelnut, Almond & Raisin (43g): Get luxuriously indulgent with DOVE® Milk Chocolate with Hazelnut, Almonds and Raisins bar

DOVE^® Chocolate with Crispy Rice (4og): Enjoy mouthful of surprises with DOVE® Chocolate with Crispy Rice

Aside from the christmas tree, a significant part of every Filipino household during Christmas is the ham. Among many reasons, the ham makes the Noche Buena special so it has to be perfect, nonetheless. This is why choosing the best ham available is crucial – because a lot maybe available on the market these days – yet none of them tastes like Holiday Ham: The Premium-Cut Ham. Take it from a non-ham eater like me!

The CDO Holiday Ham, fresh from it’s sealed pouch

(Shot taken from my trusty G11)

Here are three things why I could say that this ham is the best among the rest:

1. It is made from a whole boneless meat from the hind leg – the best cut of pork for hams. Since it’s whole, not from chopped parts of pork, Holiday ham is tastier and meatier.
2. Holiday ham is a high-quality smoked ham, the net marks attest to this. Only whole meat hams can be smoked in nets because if it isn’t, pieces would fall off.
3. Holiday ham has no extenders! Based on the picture above, the ham is meat, juicy and very flavorful.

The Holiday ham, if kept on it’s original packaging could last for 6 months, frozen. Otherwise, opened packages will last for a week on the chiller.

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Visit http://holidayham.com.ph/subpages/promo.aspx now!

Registration is open until December 20, 2010

My schedule last week was indeed crazy! I was swamped with orders and deadlines AND on top of that was my daughter’s 2nd Grading Period examinations, and yes, you’ve heard of Typhoon Juan, right? Oh the weather he brought with him did not do good to our production, hmp! Our fondants went very, very sticky because of the moisture. But anyhoo, nagawan naman ng paraan ni Super Hubby

Here are the cakes and cupcakes we made this week:

Spongebob and Patrick Cake for Frances Sarena’s 13th Birthday

Ben10 cake and cupcakes for Mahat Mommy Pehpot‘s eldest son.

Mickey and Minnie Cupcakes for Adee, Mommy Leira‘s youngest child.

and my little witch joined a bazaar pa!

So what happened to me this week? As expected, I got a lot of pimples from all those sleepless nights, much that I needed a pimple and blackhead treatment. I also have recurring headache that only wears off if I leave the house (oh, am I seeing S-T-R-E-S-S all over my face?).

I want to admit it that I’ve been very, very, very cranky all week long And with that I’m starting the week right by having a lunch date today with my eBay girlfriends

and hmmmmn, did I just say that I’m bringing their cake and cupcake orders with me? hehe

As they all say, Health is Wealth.

By this, we make it a point not to offer preservatives-laden cold cuts to our child. At age 5, she knows hotdogs, tocino, longganisa, nuggets and the like but she doesn’t crave for it. She also doesn’t eat chips that much because for me it’s very salty and has lots of MSG (MSG is a no-no at home including all those pampalasas available in the market). We also avoid softdrinks as much as possible but we honor cheat days so we don’t feel deprived naman. Hubby and I also do not smoke even if we’re offered strawberry cigars, which, by the way, sounds so tempting

Yesterday, Soyami Soya Chips was launched and I was just too glad to know that there’s now a healthier alternative to the classic salty chips!

What is Soyami Soya Chips?

• A new healthy snack made from Soya
• Because it is made of Soya, it’s way, way healthier compared to other chips
• Compared to potato chips, Soyami Soya Chips has lower fat %

What are the Benefits of Soyami Soya Chips?

• It promotes body health because the chips are high in protein and fiber yet it’s low in fat, sugar and calories
• It improves cardiovascular health because in a way, it reduces cholesterol
• Losing weight is easier with Soyami Soya Chips
• It helps in the management of diabetes
• It reduces the risk of breast, colon and prostate cancers
• It prevents the following: child obesity, hair loss, osteoporosis and Alzheimer’s disease.

These are just some of the benefits one would reap in adding soya to their diet.

Soyami Soya Chips comes in 3 variety of flavors: Original, White Cheddar and Pizza. At P37.00/50 grams, it’s a sure inexpensive way to add 16% of soya to your recommended daily requirement which is 25%.

A trip to Strawberry Farm in La Trinidad Benguet is a must when you visit the City of Pines. One can buy freshly-picked strawberries, various kinds of vegetables and even experience strawberry picking if it’s strawberry season. On my case I bought strawberry preserves, P100 worth of vegetables for chopsuey (my huge shopping bag was half-full!),a few shirts and the usual peanut brittle, lengua and chocolate chips.

But you know what made the trip memorable? Strawberry Ice Cream and Strawberry Taho

Strawberry Ice Cream P10/cone Pampawi ng Init

Strawberry Taho P20 “Katuparan ng Pangarap”

The place has a commercial center which offers various pasalubongs though I think the goods are still cheaper in Baguio City Market. Their edge? They have stalls that accepts major credit cards! Cool! But not every seller there are up-to-date because the seller where I got the strawberry preserves is in need of a reliable POS and receipt printer as she was having a hard time computing

My tip?  Buy strawberries and veggies from this farm but your other goods from Baguio City Market.

Among the things I can not forget about our stay at Mines View Park Hotel is their food. It exceeded my expectations because I am no fan of hotel food.

Labo? No.

For me hotel food is bland, expensive dishes that doesn’t satisfy my tummy. The food we’ve tried in Baguio reminds of good ol’ home cooked meals that will leave you craving for more. But of all the food they offered us, there were three unforgettable ones:  Bibingcrepe, BibingCrisp and Strawberry Sinigang.

BibingCrepe

Mines View Park Hotel’s cafe, Halfmoon Asian Cafe offers “bibingcrepe” – a fluffy bibingka rolled out into a crepe with a slight flavor of caramel. Guests can pair with a steaming cup of coffee, voila! Perfect light breakfast on a chilly Baguio morning.

BibingCrisp

BibingCrisp is the crispy version of Bibingcrepe. It’s thinner, crispier! Top it with ice cream to have the perfect dessert!

Strawberry Sinigang

Tired of the usual sinigang? Mines View Park Hotel offers sinigang with a twist – enjoy this ultimate comfort food with fresh strawberries!

Freshly-picked strawberries are used to provide the sweet-tangy flavor to the broth and the customer can choose from pork, beef, shrimps or fish to complete the dish.

Bibingcrepe, BibingCrisp and Strawberry Sinigang are all exclusive culinary offerings of Mines View Park Hotel and are available at the hotel’s Halfmoon Asian Cafe and Zenz Restaurant.

Mines View Park Hotel
#1 Apostol St. North Outlook Drive
Baguio City
T: (074) 442-1559
F: (074) 424-1088
M: (+63) 922.888.6392
Manila #: (02) 372-3984 loc 133

Zenz Restaurant is open from 7:00am to 10:00pm.

Crystal Jade Restaurant is usually associated with phrases such as “ultimate satisfaction” and “authentic Chinese food frenzies” but on top of that, the restaurant promises “quality food, quality service” to all its customers. I’ve experienced it first-hand and I must say, I was impressed!

I’m afraid to try Chinese restos because of two reasons:

• Chopsticks and I are not good friends, really.
• Authentic Chinese food uses a lot of shrimp flavorings and I am allergic to it.

But now I could say that I am no longer afraid to eat Chinese food because of my experience in Crystal Jade. All the foods were mouth-watering that I tried every single dish offered to us. Hands-down winner! The food was so good that you’d forget anything about the weight loss pills you’re taking ^_^

HUNGRY? read on…

Steamed Soupy Pork Dumpling “Xiao Long Bao” P158/5pcs

This is a type of steamed dumpling from Eastern China and traditionally steamed in small bamboo baskets.

This is my newest comfort food! I’d travel all the way to Greenhills next week just to order a set of this Xiao Long Bao

Steamed Vegetable Bun P98/3pcs and Radish Pastry P98/3 pcs

Cold Cucumber with Minced Garlic in Sesame Oil P180

This dish is a perfect starter to your meal because it is crunchy and flavorful at the same time.

Cold Sliced Pork Roll with Cucumber and Garlic P180

Crunch cucmber & rolled in pork and topped with sauce and garlic, it tastes delicious yet not greasy.

Crispy Eel, Wuxi Style P288

Spicy and Sour Soup in Sichuan Style P188

Noodle with Dried Shrimp & Peanut in Spicy Sauce P188

This classic Sichuan noodles consist of spicy sauce with peanuts, vinegar and an additional crushed peanut on top.

Fried Rice with Diced Chinese Sausage, Shrimp & Egg in Yang Zhou Style P248

Sauteed Chicken with Cashew Nuts in Spicy Sauce PP288

Deep-fried Souffle Ball with Red Bean Paste P188/3pcs

Crystal Jade Xiao Long Bao
Ground Floor, V-Mall, Greenhills Shopping Center
(632) 570-6910
Mon-Fri, weekends and holidays: 11:00am-10:00pm

The hubby and I may have different tastes on everything but we love one thing in common – and that’s laman-loob. No, we’re not cannibals but we just love to eat pork intestines. Basically, the fresh intestines are boiled until cooked and hubby will put it in a bowl together with onions, crushed garlic and bell peppers. Of course it has to be sprinkled with salt and pepper to taste.

It has now become a staple food at home haha! The problem with having a delectable viand such as this is that we tend to eat more rice than the usual Chances are, I’d be needing help from www.effectivedietpills.org soon if this doesn’t stop LOL

I’ve had too much Filipino food the past few weeks because of my three consecutive visits to KKK so when the invitation to visit ASYA came, I was hmmmm… a bit hesitant because I thought “ugh. another Filipino restaurant again?” but oh boy, just like most of their loyal customers who prefer ASYA over any other restaurant in Eton Centris Walk, I’ll surely be back because I love how they prepare the Filipino (and Asian!) dishes we’ve loved all these years.

There were about 20 bloggers – all eager to know what Asya has to offer ^_^ and most of us haven’t been to Eton Centris Walk until the event

Eton Centris Walk is the newest upscale hang-out in Quezon City. It only opened last July 2010 and one of their restaurants is Asya. We chatted with Mr. Kevin Prasad, the Managing Director of Asya as well as Duo of Serendra and Zuni of Greenbelt for a bit and we learned that while the two fine dining restaurants (Duo and Zuni) offers Mediterranean and Continental cuisines, Asya on the other hand offers Filipino and Asian cuisines in a much casual setting . With him was Chef Ding Lozana who gamely answered all our questions.

Here the ASYA’s bestsellers and mind you, all of them are very delicious ^_^

Crunchy Oysters P265/6pcs
Deep-fried oysters in mild-spicy mango sauce

This one is the best and for a person who doesn’t eat oyster – the dish came as a surprise! Beneath the crunchy batter are soft and tasty oysters. The spicy mango sauce gives a little kick to the dish but with or without it, this is still a winner!

Sushi Sampler 12 pcs per serving P400-P475

California Maki, Philadelphia Rolls, Zig Zag, Dragon Dance, Ebi Tempura, Salmon Kani, Atomic, Chirasi, Scorpio Nights

Everyone’s favorite!

Kinunot na Page, Malunggay at Kangkong P220

Humba ala Eh! P315

Pork Kasim and Pork Pata specially marinated and slowly cooked with Asya’s secret spices.

Hongkong Style Fried Noodles – Good for 2 P365

Crispy Chinese fried noodles with chicken, shrimps and assorted vegetables

Nasi Goreng Good for 2-3 persons, P165

Indonesian fried rice sauteed with chicken strips, shrimps and special spices, topped with fried egg, served with pickled vegetables and prawn crackers.

Langka with Turon topped with vanilla ice cream Php 65.00

Asya only opened their doors to the public last July 29, 2010 but they already received a fair share of customers coming mostly from the middle class crowd. Eating in Asya will also not hurt your pocket because servings are all meant for sharing and are good for 2-3 persons per serving. Not bad right? And with P250 – P500 per meal price range, you’ll get authentic Filipino food, no less ^_^

Asya Filipino-Asian Restaurant is located in Unit 2E & 2F Eton Centris Walk, EDSA corner Quezon Avenue, Brgy. Pinyahan, Quezon City. Tel. No. 994-8467, 738-4938 to 39.