Pages

.


.


Cafe d'Asie Breakfast Buffet

Cafe d'Asie
2nd Floor, Main Wing - The Bellevue Manila
North Bridgeway, Filinvest Corporate City
Alabang, Muntinlupa
+63 (02)771-8181 local 8020

Breakfast at Cafe d'Asie starts at 6am, but it was nearly 7am when we went down to eat breakfast, simply because we wanted to stay in bed longer as we just had a very relaxing massage the night before and the fluffy sheets and the good air conditioning system made us bargain with the alarm. :)

Cafe d'Asie
Cafe d'Asie Cafe d'Asie

Anyway, we knew our time was limited (as sister has to be at work by 3pm and we have to consider traffic) so we fixed ourselves for breakfast. We didn't check the cafe the previous day so seeing it for the first time blew us away. It was spacious, it provides a good view outside (depends where you're sitting, of course) and they have a wide selection of food.

What was for breakfast that day?

Salad Station

Salad Station. Typical selection for salad, but I was happy that they provided six sauces to choose from (all labeled for easy identification). Well, salads tend to fill me easily, and because I wanted to taste as much food as possible, I skipped this station.

Cereals

Cereal Station. Koko Krunch, Corn Flakes and Bran Flakes were available - milk can be seen nearby, but  even if I do eat cereals from time to time, I skipped this station as well as I don't want to slurp some milk.

Sushi

Japanese Station. Sushi for breakfast? Why not! I told before that I am not much into Japanese food, but little by little I am training myself to like it, and I did like this sushi. I realized, it was the wasabi that I don't like much of, so eating the sushi just as it is made me appreciate the flavors.

Dried Seafood

Filipino Station. Filipino breakfast is something so rich and flavorful - that the cafe had a lot of choices - steamed and garlic rice, longganisa, scrambled eggs, corned beef... and these - dried seafood. Well, guests can just take some from the plate, but there are cooks on stand by if you want to have freshly fried danggit or pusit.

Cheeses

Bread / Cheese & Spreads Station. I wasn't able to photograph the breads, but they do have different types of bread, which guests can toast, if they want to. Aside from these cheeses, they also have individually wrapped small packs of butter and jams to go with the bread.

Crispy Bacon

Bacon! Something that made sister and I salivate. :) It was so delicious, but I only had one small strip (just to taste it) because I am not really fond of crispy bacon.

Pastries

Pastry Station. Yes, there were breads, but there were also different pastries. I was able to try the Danish Breads as well as the Muffins, and my favorite would be the Chocolate Muffin. It had a lot of choco chip toppings, and more choco chips inside the muffin.

Fruits for Dessert

Fresh Fruits. Some of the pastries are great enough to cap off the meal, but for some, fresh fruits are a must. Seeing the pineapples and the papaya was difficult to resist. :)

As for the drinks - staffs roamed around to ask guests for coffee refills, but they also have a drink station - with different kinds of fruit juices. If it's tea that you want, they can serve it to you, too.

I have had breakfast buffets during travels, but this by far was the best breakfast buffet I have experience.

  FTFBadge   

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

ABC Wednesday | W and X

I still am coping with slow Internet connection, but I feel optimistic that the 30th is about to come - means the contractors will be here to check the problems. Hopefully come July I will have faster connection, giving me the chance to update my blogs regularly.

Today's Wednesday, here's my share for letters W and X.

Wintermelon

W is for Wintermelon.

I thought for this round I'd share another watermelon picture and this morning I thought of taking a picture of the Worcestershire Sauce bottle we have at the pantry, but while eating dinner just a few hours ago, I remembered this picture I took last March.

My sister and I were in La Union that time for our cousin's wedding. They live in a house near the farm lands,  and while roaming around she saw this and asked me about it. Told her it's the Wintermelon, or Kundol as we call it locally. I heard this vegetable/fruit is used for soups, but I still haven't really eaten big chunks of it. The only Wintermelon by-products I got to tasted were the dried wintermelon candies and the Hopia Baboy (a type of pastry), which uses Wintermelon tidbits, which gives the pork fat texture. Nowadays, there are a lot of raves about the Wintermelon Milk Tea, something I am quite fond of.

X.O. Butter Caramel Candies

X is for X.O. Candy.

This is probably the only "X" food I can think of and I was glad the nearby store sells it. I am not sure how many flavors there is now, but my favorite would have to be this, the Butter Caramel candy. Although I don't really consider this as something I'd pop in my mouth most of the time, whenever  we are expecting guests here at home, I tend to buy a bag of this candy and serve this at the coffee table.

Two more letters left... I think I am going to finish this round of ABC Wednesday.



 
reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Gardening Journal: Week of June 27th, 2011



Can you guess what this is?  If you said Celery you would have guessed currectly.  Can you see what we did here?  Just sliced the bottom off some organic celery and submerged the bottom in water with toothpicks.  In no time flat this celery started to re-grow itself.  Amazing!!!  This would be a great project to do with your children.
reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Jennie-O Turkey Burgers Review

Jennie-O Turkey Burgers

Have you seen Jennie-O All Natural Turkey Burgers yet?  My husband and I were strolling through the supermarket, a rare occurrence, when we happened upon these burgers.  He thought it would be a nice idea to try them so we picked up a box.  I personally am not one to not go off the beaten path but a quick flip of of the box convinced me in an instant.  Something I am not sure has always been there, they added the wording "gluten free" on the back of the box.

Ingredients: Turkey, Natural Flavoring, Salt.


Just look at the ingredients in this product!!!! The best part is they say Gluten Free right on the Box.  No wait, that is not the best part.  The best part is my kids asked for seconds!!!  I am really not sure why they liked these so much more than the turkey burgers I used to purchase, maybe its the lack of ingredients?  That pure turkey taste? The looks of the burgers seems to suggest the dark meat of the turkey was used.  We love the dark meat of the turkey at our house so maybe that is it.  Hey, what do I care, right?  Next time I break out the burgers, I need to cook two for each kid!  ;-)

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Join me in the talk about How to Live Gluten Free over at The Motherhood



What:
This chat is a live, all-text Talk on The Motherhood called, "How to Life Gluten Free". I get lots of questions both directly to me and channeled though my family from folks asking questions like:

  1. How to live gluten free, 
  2. Where do I shop, and 
  3. How do I handle birthday parties.  

We will be answering these questions and more over at the talk.

Bring your ideas and suggestions as well.  I would love to hear from you too!  Ask us what's the best way to tell if a particular dish or ingredient contains gluten? Tell us about how you handle your gluten allergy (if you have one), share recipes and resources, and exchange ideas for life without gluten.

When:
Tuesday, June 26, at 1 p.m. ET. We will chat for 30 minutes!

Where:
On The Motherhood, right here - http://bit.ly/Kz1Cqd

Who:

The all-text chat will be hosted by my buddy Debbi Smith of the blog Debbi Does Dinner ... Healthy & Low Calorie, http://debbidoesdinnerhealthy.blogspot.com/.  I am Co-hosting along with these lovely Ladies:

Lauren, As Good as Gluten, http://asgoodasgluten.blogspot.com/
Veronica, Veronica’s Cornucopia, http://veronicascornucopia.com/

Come on out and show your support!  Ask us a question to keep the chat lively!!!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Early Dinner with the Family

My Internet was a bit unstable the past few days. Seems our antenna is having a difficult time receiving signals, but contractors will look into it by the end of the month. Hopefully by July our connection will be better than ever.

Sister's schedule at work allowed her to spend Saturday afternoon with us, so the family decided to eat out. Biggest craving we had was Halo Halo, so we went to the nearest Chowking branch to have our Halo Halo fix as well as eat early dinner (as sister has to be on the road by 6pm).

Chicken Lauriat

Chicken Lauriat. Sister's meal. She just went with the typical fried chicken (which I always believe to be dry), because she just love fried chicken.

Chunky Beef Chow Pao

Beef Chow Pao. Newest food on the menu... mom went for this instead of her usual siopao just to try it out. I wasn't able to taste it, but mom didn't like seeing just 4 strips of beef inside mixed with some slices of tofu.

Supreme Chicken

Chicken Supreme. Brother's meal. I personally like it especially the sauce, but I don't usually go for this as I love their Chinese Chicken the most.
Chorizo Chow Fan with Lumpia

Chorizo Chow Fan + Lumpiang Shanghai. I initially wanted the Shanghai Lauriat but I thought it would be way too heavy, so I just went for the Chow Fan. I love chorizo and this was something I haven't tasted yet, so I chose it. Not delicious as I hoped it would be.. it was called Chorizo Chow Fan yet it didn't have that much Chorizo pieces.
Halo Halo

Halo Halo. Us three girls had a glass each of Halo Halo... and despite the rants I had about my Chow Fan, this Halo Halo cooled me. I really love Chowking's Halo Halo, but it was the Ube ice cream that I loved the most. :)

It was an okay dining experience (not the best, but not worst), but I loved it because I was with my family.



reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Easy Cauliflower Puree

I will never forget the time I added a head of cauliflower into my mashed potatoes one Thanksgiving early on in my cooking experience.  My brother in law who is known for his extreme pickiness ate 3 plates full and my sister and I giggled in the kitchen for hours.  He had no idea he was eating cauliflower.  I LOVE cauliflower so does my sister so we thought this was a natural pairing.  My own mother and grandmother used to put turnips in their mashed potatoes to give it that spicy bite they love.  We thought we were original and creative but you know what they say, most ideas are not original.  Folks have been cooking almost since time began.  Most likely it has been done before.  Now that I am trying to keep my family off of starches for health reasons, I love that there is a replacement for those mashed potatoes we loved so much.  I am posting my no so original recipe for Cauliflower puree not for the recipe per say but the method.  My way of doing it is more like a lazy girls way.  Shall we get started?  Great....



1 16 ounce bag of Frozen Cauliflower
2 tablespoons of Water
4 Tablespoons of Butter
1/4 teaspoon Salt

  • Place frozen cauliflower in a microwave safe bowl along with Water
  • Cook for suggested cooking time on package (about 8 minutes)
  • Pour out as much as the cooking liquid as you can.
  • Dump cooked cauliflower, butter and salt into food processor and puree until all is incorporated and cauliflower is smooth.
  • Your dish is ready to eat.
  • Pureed cauliflower could be kept warm at this point in the oven along with whatever you are baking. 
  • Place 
reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Menu Plan Monday: Week of June 25th, 2012

My mother is literally the queen of all things frugal.  Whenever I go shopping with her, no matter how good I am at saving at the supermarket, I save even more than expected.  Maybe she has a touch of good luck but most certainly she has a keen eye for a good deal.  I walked into an unexpected good deal at the meat market while shopping with her this week and paid a dollar a pound for loin pork chops, chicken parts, and saved more on ground beef than what was on my raincheck!  LOL...  Love that.  Spent a total of $40 bucks on groceries.

Monday:
Boneless Buffalo Wings, Celery, Avocado Dressing for dipping.  
Maybe I'll toss in some cucumber with that Avocado dressing!
This low carb lady is awesome and while I do not think this boneless buffalo wing idea is new, I think the low carb breading choice is genius.  Head on over there and check it out. We are headed into town Monday so a quick dinner was in order.

Tuesday:
Salisbury Steak, Mashed Cauliflower, Sauteed Onions and Mushrooms
Made up a double batch last time I made these.  I love when I have time to do that!

Wednesday:
I am in love with the stir fry during this cabbage season.  It is so quick and easy to make with leftover meats and I just love stir fried cabbage.  I love cabbage so much, I have been putting cabbage, fried up until soft, into my eggs in the morning!  

Thursday:
Fried Pork Chops, Fried Cabbage, Broccoli
Have you seen Mrs. Dash's blend for Steak?  I love that stuff on Pork Chops!  Makes an ordinary fried meal taste extraordinary.... and thats the truth!  ;-)  

Friday:
BBQ Spare Ribs, Cauliflower Rice, Spinach
Not sure how I'll pull off the "wet" portion of the ribs but the dry rub I have. 

Saturday:
Turkey Burgers topped Lettuce, Tomato & Onion, Sweet Potato Fries, & Cucumber Salad

Sunday:




Looking for inspiration? I can help in three different ways.
  1. Head on over to Orgjunkie.com and visit Laura's Menu Plan Monday.
  2. Visit Heather at Celiac Family, the Gluten Free Menu Swap headquarters!
  3. You can also view my past menu plans here 



reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Mott’s Medleys Fruit Flavored Snacks Review & Giveaway


I was recently contacted by My Blog Spark to tell my readers about Mott's Medleys Fruit Snacks and offer you a giveaway. As some of you may know, my children do not eat corn products so I did not try this product out on them.  I did however give some to my niece who was only more than happy to try them.  She gave them two thumbs up and would not mind AT ALL if I asked her to eat some more.  

Fruit snacks are a life saver for mothers of allergen free and dye free children.  It's not exactly easy to stop and pick up a quick bite when so many fast food restaurants are off limits.  Sometimes you feel like the mother of a newborn sneaking out in between naps.  A few bags of Fruit snacks in your purse saves you from kids starving-to-death-if-they-don't-eat-RIGHT-NOW problem and are the perfect tide-you-over portable snack. Don't leave home without them, stash some in your purse!  ;-)


Ingredients: Fruit Juice From Concentrate (Apple, Grape), Gelatin, Citric Acid, Natural Flavors, Acerola Extract, Mineral Oil, Carnauba Wax, Soy Protein.

While these snacks are not perfectly allergen free, they are Gluten Free and perfect for those who simply want to avoid Gluten and Food Dye.  Are you interested in trying them for yourself?  Just click the link below and print out a coupon!

***

**Download a $.60 off coupon for one box any flavor/variety Mott's Fruit Flavored Snackshttp://bit.ly/MottsCoupon !

***

Giveaway:

I have a total of 4 gift packs to give away. Each prize pack includes 3 boxes of fruit snacks in assorted fruit and 3 boxes of berry.  Just leave me your comment below letting me know where Mott's Medleys Fruit Snacks will travel with you this summer.  Please do not forget to be sure I know how to contact you.  

For Additional entries:

Follow Mott's on FACEBOOK and TWITTER.  Leave me a comment below letting me know you have done so.


Note:

Each entry requires a separate comment.
This giveaway ends June 29th, 2012.
Winner will be selected by Random.org and contacted by email. 
Winner will have 48 hours to respond to claim your prize!



“Disclosure:  The product, gift pack, information, and additional sample have all been provided by Mott’s® through MyBlogSpark.”
reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Gardening Journal: Week of June 20th, 2011


Really......my hubby should type up these Gardening Journals, he is the Organic Gardening guru at our house.  He does all the work and I take all the credit!!!  ;-).  The planting season in our 'neck of the woods" starts in February but our garden went in sometime in March.


What is the best thing to make with your new Purple Potato Harvest?


Pretty Purple Potato French Fries of course!  I sound like Spongebob with his Pretty Patty's you say?  These potatoes will not dye your tongue or anything else purple!!! ;-).  In fact, according to an article over at Rodale, these potatoes have more than just good looks.  These pretty potatoes are chuck full of "disease smashing antioxidants".  In the article written by Leah Zerbe over at Rodale, "Researchers found that people who eat pigmented potatoes boast lower levels of oxidative stress and inflammation, factors linked to chronic disease, when compared to eaters of white potatoes."  So there you have it, if you grow potatoes, you should consider the pigmented variety!  My son assures you that if you cook the french fries the Alton Brown way, they will taste just like McDonalds French Fries without the junk.  I'm so proud of my kids for knowing this stuff at such a young age!!!



Here is our latest harvest.  I added a few onions but they are really not quite ready yet.  I am trying to use a harvest photo to replace the one that is a "canned" photo through blogger that I currently use.  What do you think of this one?  Can I lighten it up and try and use this?


Tuesday Garden Party hosted by an Oregon Cottage
Garden Tuesday hosted by Sidewalk Shoes
Wordful Wednesday hosted by Parenting by Dummies



reade more... Résuméabuiyad