Kitchen Essentials

Krispy Kreme answers fans’ chocolate cravings with Choco Mania Doughnuts

2012-01-19T22:46:00.000-08:00

Finally, something to end every chocoholic’s search for the ultimate chocolate experience — Krispy Kreme’s Choco Mania Doughnuts.

Pillow soft, freshly made chocolate doughnuts dressed in four different chocolaty ways -- Chocolate Custard, Chocolate Cookie Crunch, Caramel with Toasted Merengue and White Icing with Choco Curls -- these treats are best enjoyed with families and friends.

Dubbed as “the ultimate chocolate indulgence,” Krispy Kreme’s Choco Mania Doughnuts hit scream chocolaty goodness with every bite. Grab a box at your nearest Krispy Kreme stores now.

Hong Kong Style Noodles

2011-09-02T16:08:00.000-07:00

This is our new fave…HongKong style noodles.

We make sure to buy it every time we go to the market. What we love about it is it can be

eaten while walking. For just Php28 ($1.5) people on the go can have a good snack.

It is basically pan-fried noodles mixed with pan-fried bean sprouts, toppings and sauces of your choice.

Can't wait to have a cup again.

Top 10 Best Movies About Education Ever Made

2011-04-11T21:37:00.000-07:00

Education may be a broad topic, but it’s one that we can all learn from. These movies all teach us something different, but they all have education at the core of them.

1. Higher Learning: This showed what the world of college life was really like and the adversities that were involved. It showed how students at college turned into adults and what sort of issues were present within a typical college campus. It had a great cast and involved a very intricate plot with twists and turns.

2. Dead Poets Society: This showed the impact that a teacher really can have in the lives of his students. This was centered around a boarding school and how one teacher with great influence and passion opened the eyes and the hearts of students in his classroom to do better.

3. Dangerous Minds: Another example of how a teacher can really influence the lives of her students, this is a great story. This has to do with a teacher with a strong background going into an inner city classroom and making a difference in the lives of kids that most people have forgotten about.

4. Precious: This girl is abused in every sense of the word and feels worthless, until she finds education. It takes one teacher actually caring about her and her well being for her life to change. She finds a new world within education and a teacher showing interest in her otherwise terrible life.

5. Music of the Heart: This shows what the New York City school system is like and is very uplifting and it speaks to the inspiration of a teacher with her students. It’s an unlikely pairing and yet there is so much shown about how just one teacher with a great passion and dedication can change the lives of students forever.

6. Stand and Deliver: This won critical acclaim for the acting and the story that was told. This teacher went into a school where others would not and really helped to shake things up in the spirit of his students who desperately wanted an education.

7. Good Will Hunting: This speaks to how some students don’t want or care to live up to their potential. When he solves a math problem, his potential is uncovered through a teacher and his life is forever changed as education becomes a very real possibility that could change him from here on out.

8. The Social Network: Though it is in fact the story of how Facebook was created, it shows a good depiction of college life. This shows the ins and outs of college living and particularly what the ivy league schools and its students are really like in real life. A very telling tale and a very interesting way that students can create just about anything.

9. Freedom Writers: Another tale of an excellent and very dedicated teacher, but this time it also focuses on the students specifically as well. These students want to change the world and they want to show that their skills and their ideas really matter. The teacher helps to highlight all of this and gives them the forum that they need.

10. School of Rock: This is just a fun movie and yet it focuses on education in a different level. A very unlikely teacher uses music to motivate and bring the students together and the story that unfolds is priceless as the kids play a big part in the fun of the movie.

We look to movies for so many things, and these are the best about education. They all have different points of views, but they all have great lessons involved with them.

M.J. Frederick enjoys writing about how to enroll in online Ed.D. programs.

Ala Eh! Cafe Amadeo

2011-02-18T00:48:00.000-08:00

Batangueña as I am, their signage easily caught my attention. With "Ala Eh!", to which the Batangueños are famous for, who's Batangueño wouldn't be interested to have his breakfast in this little diner in Quezon City Memorial Circle?

The place is just small, with four tables but it is air conditioned, with mellow music playing and nice ambiance.

Rhonnel ordered tapsilog (wondering if it is the famous tapang Taal), while I had Vigan longganisa which I was craving for weeks and chocolate mousse for RJ.

fried rice, cured beef and sunny side up egg with pickled papaya on the side; P70 ($1.60)

fried rice, Vigan longganisa, sunny side up egg with pickled papaya on the side; cost P90 ($2)

chocolate mousse with free drinks of your choice; cost P80 ($1.80)

They also serve different flavors of coffee such as the famous Batangas' "kapeng barako" and Cavite's "kapeng alamid".

Pork Chicharon (Crackling)

2011-02-12T11:09:00.000-08:00

Chicharon are different parts of pork (mostly pork rind) that are seasoned and deep fried. It can also be made from chicken and mutton. It is eaten as finger food and dipped in vinegar. Though it is not healthy, it is favorite by most Filipinos as being a good beer partner (pulutan). Chicharon is also being used as ingredient to other dishes like, monggo, pakbet, sisig, etc.

Weekend Blog Follower Caravan

2011-02-12T09:27:00.000-08:00

I forgot to include this site on the previous GFC following campaign. I am glad that our dear Weekend Blog Follower Caravan host, known by many as Mommy Rubz, brought this back. All those who missed the GFC last time will have the chance to follow and be followed. Rest assured that I will follow all the links on this week's WBFC.

Solution to Your Seafood Cravings

2011-02-08T09:17:00.000-08:00

My husband and I love seafood in all of its form, whether in a shell or out of shell, grilled or deep fry, sautéd or steamed. Living in a tropical country surrounded by water is great advantage for us because any kind of seafood is available any season of the year. In this aspect, I sometimes feel luckier than those living in other parts of the world where seafood are scarce most especially now that it is snowing in some countries.

But hey, do not lose hope as there is solution to your seafood cravings. You can buy fresh seafood online and choose from the variety of sushi-quality fresh seafood whether you like the best oysters, tasty crabs, fresh prawns, clams, etc. It will be delivered in your doorsteps the next day with guaranteed freshness and incredible quality.

Ordering seafood online may be a little bit pricey as compared to buying directly from the wet market, but if you are craving and there is no seafood store near your place, you do not have much choice, do you? Anyway, there are online seafood sales wherein you can great value for your money.

Or if you are too busy and have no time to order and cook, you can just dine out. One of the best seafood restaurants is the Red Lobster. In fact it is named as the best family restaurant in America. How I wish they have branch here as well.

Mang Inasal

2011-02-08T09:01:00.000-08:00

Because RJ loves fried chicken so much, we dine at Jollibee or KFC most of the time. No doubt that Jollibee's chicken joy and KFCs fried chicken are the bests but Rhonnel and I hate grease so when we discovered Mang Inasal, it adds to our family's favorite place to dine out. Mang Inasal food chain have been existing for a long time but when Jollibee Foods Corp. took control of this food chain, the branches popped out like mushrooms all over the city and nearby provinces.

Chicken inasal is a popular dish from the City of Smiles. The chicken is marinated in different spices that create distinct flavor. It is then grilled over hot charcoal and basted with sauce with atchuete or annato oil that gives its yellow color. The smoke from the charcoal adds to the flavor and makes the chicken tastier.

unlimited rice P92

What my husband loves in Mang Inasal, aside from their chicken of course, is their unlimited rice which is perfect for Filipinos who are rice-lovers. For only P92 ($2.2) you can have a big piece of chicken and unlimited rice which are great value for your money. The chicken is served on a bamboo skewer while the rice is wrapped in banana leaf that makes it more Filipino.

Thanks to Bryan who was very prompt in refilling hubby's plate.

Have little money in your pocket? Don't worry because you can still have a piece of Mang Inasal chicken and a cup of rice for only P49 ($1.2).

value meal P49

By the way, this is not a paid post. I just love Mang Inasal's chicken.

Travel and Vacation

2011-02-03T23:12:00.000-08:00

Source:Online Classes

Source: Online Schooling

Mango Melba

2011-02-03T15:44:00.000-08:00

The whole family has sweet tooth. A fruit, candy or a little bite of chocolate is a must after each meal. If these three are not available, then I am obliged to make dessert and below, Mango Melba, is our family's favorite. It's very easy to prepare.

Ingredients:

2 tetra packs (250 ml each) all purpose cream

1 can (300 ml) condensed milk

30 pcs Graham crackers

2 pcs ripe mango (sliced thinly)

Procedure:

Combine all purpose cream and condensed milk. Mix well. Cover bottom of a 9 1/2" x 6" pan or any container with cream. Lay the pieces of Graham crackers over cream until it is all covered. Pour about 1/2 cup of cream mixture over the graham then spread. Arrange the pieces of thinly sliced mango over the cream. Lay graham again, then cream, then sliced mango. Top it with graham then cream. Chill for 1 hour. You can top it with sliced mango before serving.

Sushi Rice in Sesame Seeds

2011-01-27T18:50:00.000-08:00

Sushi is Japanese rice topped or filled with ingredients of your choice, can be crab sticks, shrimp, cucumber, ripe mango, avocado (alligator pear), raw fish. Last new year I made some California Maki, using sushi rice of course and Sushi rice in sesame seeds.

Ingredients:

Sushi rice (click HERE for the procedure)

sesame seeds (toasted)

Nori sheets
ingredient of your choice (I used crab sticks)

Procedure:

Heat each nori sheet for few seconds on a non-stick pan then cut into 1 inch strips, set aside. On a wax paper, place about 1 1/2 tablespoon of Sushi rice then roll to form 1 1/2 inch log. Roll the rice on toasted sesame seeds. Top with ingredient of your choice then wrap with a strip of nori sheet. Perfect if dipped in soy sauce with wasabi and drops of lime juice.

Blog Roll

2011-01-23T23:51:00.000-08:00

A Bucket of Wisdom

A Journey for Life

A Moonlight Rendezvous

A Mother's Thoughts and My Journey to Life

Adventures with Hyzyd and Beyond

All About Elizabeth

Amazing Grace

Amiable Amy

Analou's Place to Remember

Another Chapter Begins

As We Live Our Lives Together

Bitz 'n Pieces of My Life

Blog Fusion

Blog ni ako

Blogger Mommy's Shopping List and Creation

blowing peachkisses...

Business Matters : Anything That Involves Around It

Cacai M's Place

Cacai's StEps and JoUrNey

Designs By Vhiel - The Blog

Diary of Pure Pots of Honey

Down Home with the Kenyons...

Following the Footsteps

God's Amazing Grace

HEALTH & BEAUTY SECRET

Health and Home Pages

Health Assistant

HealthnBeyond.com

Heart's content of a Mama

Inspirational Insights

istarblog.com

iTravel

"I Want...." Wednesday

jengspeaks

Join My Stroll

Just About Anything

K.I.S.S.-Keep it Short and Simple

Kizuna

Komentaryo (Filipino Blog)

Life in Bellevue

Living Life to the Fullest!

MISTY'S ADVENTUROUS JOURNEY

My Daily Thoughts & Ramblings

My Daily Thoughts and Moods

My Journey with my Bea

My Life's Perception and Inspiration

My Lifes Journey in Focus

My Photography in Focus

Obstacles and Glories

Ovah' Coffee

peach and things

PINAY "BLOGGER" SA AMERICA

Pinay Mommies Community

Reflections - A Christian Blog

Rodliz Nest

Salior's Adventures & Opinions

Seikos Diary

Shopping List and Product Reviews

...Small and Simple Things...

Tales From The Mom Side

The Shadows of Our Past and the Silhouette of Our Future

Thoughts, Ideas and Resources

Thoughts Of A SHAM Traveling Across America

Under One Roof

Underway! Shift Colors

WAHMaholic

Walk with Me

We live to tell God's "Amazing Grace"

written by mys

Yena's World

These are my friends' badges and links. Their sites are worth reading. They help me, inspire me, and I am learning a lot from them. Visit their sites and learn from them too.

For my blogger friends whose links are not here, kindly let me know and I'll grab them. More power to all of you!

Filipino Breakfast

2011-01-21T08:01:00.000-08:00

What is the typical Filipino breakfast? Fried garlic rice, dried fish, egg (sunny side up), tomatoes and coffee. If you do not eat dried fish, then you are just a half-blooded Filipino. lol! I am just kidding. If you do not like dried fish then you can have tapa (marinated beef), tocino (sweet cured pork) or longanisa (Filipinos' native sausage). Below is an example of a typical Filipino breakfast. It is not only delicious, it is also easy peasy to prepare and cook. You will enjoy this meal more if you will not use spoon and fork. Just use for hand...hmmm....

For most Filipinos, having a heavy breakfast before leaving for work is important to be energized and prepared for a long day's work. As they say, eat like a king on breakfast. Kain na po tayo!

100% Natural Health Boosters and Supplements

2011-01-16T19:18:00.000-08:00

Every time I go to the supermarket, I see more people buying natural or organic foods. It seems like people now are more conscious about their health and are more aware of the harm caused by pesticides, artificial food additives and preservatives. Naturally produced foods may cost more than the traditionally produced but it contains absolutely no pesticides, no chemicals, and no preservatives. But do you know that there are also natural health boosters and supplements? It uses only 100% natural vitamins that have withstood the vigor of scientific testing and have proven to benefit human health, not just experimental conditions.

Now that we are living in a stressful and polluted Metro we do not want to add more toxins in our body, do we? What we need are not just natural foods but natural multivitamins and supplements as well that will boost our immune system, correct our deficiencies and imbalances and that will energize our mind and body. Your brain, your eyes, your skin…your immune system, your muscular-skeletal system …your heart and cardiovascular system — all need a balance of special nutrients to work together in harmony. You do not need to be a health buff to understand the importance of the natural vitamins.

Does your current multivitamins improves your quality of life?” The answer most probably is no. Then it is about time to shift to 100% natural multivitamins.

California Maki

2011-01-16T17:34:00.000-08:00

It’s been a month since I last joined Food Trip Friday. Now that it’s New Year, I do not want to be like mushroom, popping in and out of the blogosphere, anymore. I will make a list of all the weekly memes and try my very best to join every week.

For this week’s Food Trip Friday, I want to share with you a recipe of California Maki. It is my first to make Japanese dish and we all loved it.

Ingredients for Sushi Rice:

2c Japanese rice

½ c rice vinegar/ vinegar

2 t salt

¼ c sugar

Ingredients for Maki:

2 pcs ripe mangoes, sliced (about 1/4x1/4 inch thick)

luncheon meat (sliced about 1/4x1/4 inch thick)

6 pcs crabsticks

6 nori sheets

mayonnaise (optional)

Bamboo mat

Procedure for Sushi Rice:

Wash the Japanese then cook in 2 ¼ cups of water. Bring to a boil then lower the heat. Let it cook until the water evaporates.

While the rice is cooking, place the vinegar, salt and sugar in a saucepan. Let it boil while stirring constantlyuntil the salt and sugar dissolve. Set aside to cool. Pour in the vinegar mixture then toss and stir the rice.

Procedure for Maki:

Heat each nori sheet for few seconds on a non-stick pan then lay it on the bamboo mat. Spread the rice on the nori sheet about 1“ thick (make sure to leave 1” on the top side of nori). Lay the crabstick, mango, luncheon meat then squeeze some mayonnaise. Roll the mat until it forms a log. Make sure that you do not squeeze the rice roll too much because it may cause the ingredients to slide out of the roll. Remove the Maki from the bamboo mat and sliced it thinly about 1 inch thick using a sharp knife. Serve with soy sauce, wasabi and lime juice.

Macaroni Salad

2010-11-25T22:11:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

400 g. salad macaroni

1/2 kg. chicken breast (boiled and shredded)

1/4 kg. cooked ham (cut in small squares)

3 cups tidbits or crushed pineapple

1 big carrot (peeled and grated)

2 stalks celery

1 cup raisins

3 cups mayonnaise

1 small can condensed milk

dash of ground pepper

dash of salt to taste

Procedure:

Cook the macaroni as per package instructions. Drain and let cool then add the rest of the ingredients. Chill before serving.

Compare Water Filters

2010-11-13T02:30:00.000-08:00

Water is necessity to all living things. Even the animals and plants cannot live without water. But with the juice and sodas in the market, you sometimes forget to drink pure water and with the level of pollution around you, you cannot be sure always that the water you are drinking are free from any pollutants. That is why many people are using water filter for drinking and cooking.

One type of filtering your water is through the Reverse Osmosis Water Filter, also referred to as ultrafiltration. It is type of filtration method that removes contaminants through a semipermeable membrane. It purifies liquid with undesirable impurity however, it also filters out essential minerals present in water like calcium, magnesium and zinc, which are beneficial to the human body.

So, if you have been considering of buying a water filter, you should look closely on different types of water filter and compare the disadvantages and benefits your family will receive from it.

Tiramisu Meltdown from Red Ribbon

2010-11-04T08:50:00.000-07:00

Cakes have been integral part of every occasion. Some people say it symbolizes abundance but for some it denotes good because it is bread and bread denotes good of love. Well, all I know is cake is always present in our home on special occasions or even without occasions and we are having sweet tooth.

Last October 30, we celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary and what we had is Red Ribbon's Tiramisu Meltdown.

Tiramisu Meltdown is a heavenly three-layer cake of choco chiffon and cream cheese filling, dapple with a hint of coffee liquor.

It looks too sweet but it is not. The cream cheese and coffee balances the sweetness of the chocolate meltdown and toppings. It's heaven! Do you want a slice?

Pork Stew (Nilagang Baboy)

2010-09-30T22:42:00.000-07:00

Stew or nilaga is one of Filipinos favorite comfort foods. It can be beef or pork and is very easy to cook. All you have to do is throw everything in the pot and let it cook. For a tastier stew, it is best to use bony parts like limbs (less the skin) and ribs. I used pork limbs for this recipe.

Ingredients:

1 kg pork or beef (your choice parts)

8 cups water

1 big onion (sliced)

a handful of string beans or more

2 pc potatoes (peeled and quartered)

4 ripe baking bananas or saging na saba (peeled)

cabbage or Chinese pechay

1 tsp peppercorns

3 tbsp fish sauce

1 tsp salt

Procedure:

Place pork and water in a big pot, cover and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and let it simmer for 30 minutes. Remove all the scum or brown bubbles that will form on top of the soup. Add the onions, peppercorn and salt and let it boil again for 15 minutes or until meat is tender. Add the potatoes and bananas. Let simmer again for 3 minutes. Add the cabbage or Chinese pechay then cover. Remove from heat. Serve hot. Best dip for this is fish sauce with red chili (labuyo) and drops of lime juice.

*Do not overcook the vegetables.

Black Forest

2010-09-24T03:04:00.000-07:00

I know, I know...dieters like me should not eat cakes, chocolates or anything sweet. But what if your husband comes home with black forest cake? It was so tempting so I ate an slice...and another slice...and another slice.

Below are the nutrition facts of a slice of black forest:

calories 380

calories from fat 144

total fat 16g.

total carbohydrates 30g.

protein 29g.

I consumed three slices so that is a total of 1,140 calories. There goes my two weeks of dance workout.

Shao Mai/Siomai Recipe

2010-09-16T03:04:00.000-07:00

Shao Mai are steamed dumplings. It is known also as pork dumplings and one of the most standard dishes in China. Now it can be made also from beef, shrimp, sharks pin or combination. It is known here in the Philippines as Siomai and was served only in Dim Sum. Now you can see Siomai food carts everywhere.

I want to share with you my Shao Mai/Siomai recipe. I am not lifting my own bench but this recipe is really good as it does not have cornstarch or flour. Only eggs will serve as binder.

Ingredients:

400 grms. ground pork

100 gms. ground shrimp

1 big carrot (chopped)

2 onions (minced)

6 cloves garlic (minced)

1 tsp. ground black pepper

2 sachets of Aji Ginisa Mix

2 eggs (beaten)

Shao Mai wrappers

For the chili garlic sauce:

3 red chilis (labuyo) dried for one day then chopped

5 cloves garlic minced

1 tbsp. cooking oil

Procedure:

Mix all together the first eight ingredients very well. You can adjust the taste by adding a little salt and a little more ground pepper. Wrap about 1 tsp. in Shao Mai wrapper and seal edges with water or egg white. Steam for 45 minutes (medium fire only).

On a pan, heat the oil and saute the chopped chilis and garlic until golden brown. You can put some in your soy sauce dip to make it spicy.

Natural Remedies are Twice as Effective

2010-09-14T23:47:00.000-07:00

It is a must for Moms to have the knowledge on first aids and home remedies to treat easily minor accidents at home and ordinary illnesses. When my daughter had diarrhea last week, I preferred to treat her with diarrhea home remedies rather than giving her over the counter medicines. Thank God, she is well now. Just in time for their exam week. I have proven many times that natural remedies are twice as effective. If you do not know any home remedy, do not panic as there are many helpful sites on the web.

Tapa Recipe

2010-09-09T08:49:00.000-07:00

Second to pandesal, tapsilog is Filipinos favorite breakfast. Tapsilog is combination of tapa, sinangag (fried rice) and itlog (sunny side up). This is a perfect breakfast for anyone expecting a very busy day. Tapa is either beef or pork marinated in soy sauce and lime juice with lots of garlic and a little sugar. It can be cured or uncured. I am making my own tapa that has no any preservative in it.

Ingredients:

1/2 kilo beef or pork sirloin (sliced thinly)

3 tbsp. brown sugar

1/3 cup soy sauce

3 tbsp. lime juice

1 whole head of garlic (minced)

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

Procedure:

Wrap meat pieces between plastic or cling wrap then pound using meat mallet or the back of your knife until tender. Mix together the rest of the ingredients then marinade the meat overnight. Cut into small pieces then fry. Serve with sliced tomatoes or vinegar as dip.

Stir-Fry Vegetables with Tofu and Quail Eggs

2010-09-02T22:31:00.000-07:00

No doubt that this is an easy recipe. A healthy one too if you will use corn or vegetable oil.

Ingredients:

10pcs. young corn (cut crosswise)

1 carrot (sliced thinly)

10gms. snowpeas

1 red bell pepper (cut in strips)

20gms. Chinese cabbage (cut crosswise 1 inch wide)

a stalk of celery (cut thinly)

2 cubes of tofu (fried and diced)

12pcs. quail eggs (hard boiled and shelled)

3 cloves garlic (minced)

1 onion (sliced thinly)

2tbsp. corn or vegetable oil

3 tbsp. oyster sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

Heat oil and saute onion and garlic until golden brown. Stir in young corn and carrots and cook for a minute. Add celery and snow peas. Add the oyster sauce and simmer for another minute. Add the rest of the ingredients. Cook until vegetables are done. (do not over cook) You can add cauliflower, broccoli and chayote if you want.

Cadbury Roses

2010-09-01T01:35:00.000-07:00

We received a package from my aunt with this Cadbury Roses. Cadbury Roses is a selection of individually wrapped miniature chocolates, made by Cadbury UK. The can contains 10 different varieties of chocolate:

    •Brazilian Darkness - Red wrapper with gold twists.
    •Cadbury Dairy Milk - Purple Dairy Milk wrapper.
    •Caramel - Blue wrapped.
    •Caramel Velvet - Green foil wrapped.
    •Country Fudge - Log shaped gold wrapper.
    •Caramel Keg - Half-Barrel shaped, gold wrapper.
    •Hazel in Caramel - Purple wrapper
    •Hazel Whirl - Purple wrapper with orange twists.
    •Strawberry Dream - Pink foil wrapped.
    •Tangy Orange Creme - Square shaped, wrapped in orange foil.

We are still on a diet but who can resists temptations like this?