The New Year and Absences

Hi guys, I've been out of the circulation yet again, well, you can blame it to my hormonal imbalances *grins* and of course, to my son's most-awaited Holiday/vacation. Another thing, it's now my giving birth month, so blogging as well as moving, is kinda getting harder. I just thought of posting something before full-time motherhood calls me back, and to greet everyone a Happy and Blessed New Year!

By the way, have I told you that I'm going to have a baby girl, yes I would *doing the happy dance*, not that I love my son less, it's just that I can practice all my artistic and fashion ideas now that I'll be having my own doll and model, can you feel my excitement? I was, actually, tinkering with an editing software these past few days, as I try to come out with a logo that I can use in my baby's dedication, I want it pretty and coordinated. I want a specific logo that will work as a visual and an all around theme of the event, I think that it is pretty nifty and one of a kind. It's kinda hard to explain it in details but I swear it's awesome in my mind, you just have to trust me *chuckles*.

I wish artistry and capability in graphic design runs in my blood, life would have been so much easier but what I lack in aesthetic capacity, I can cover with maternal love *grins*, and I can always go for a Logo Designers, there are some free and crafty ones that circulate the net, when all hope is gone. I still have a lot of time in my hands though, I'm scheduled to have a CS procedure on the 4th week of January, so I can still play the DIY momma for a while *beams*.

Oh, I will try to upload and post all my stock photos to clean my laptop, so expect a blast of entries from me, well, as long as laziness doesn't kick in.

Again, sorry for being an absentee blogger, I hope you all still love me nonetheless...

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Newegg This Christmas

A few more days to go and it's Christmas, and though I love this season the most, I also feel wariness as the highest expenses our household have is during this festive season, not to mention, my son's birthday is celebrated at the same time the world celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, so double or triple the fun and loss of money for us *lol*. Seriously though, aside from the influx of stress, traffic, parties and number of friends and acquaintances, an influx in budget deficits is also acquired at this time, with all the extra food that we have to cook, extra ingredients and groceries that we have to buy, Christmas decors and paraphernalia, new clothes for the kids and sometimes for the kids at heart, gifts, lots and lots of gifts for everyone on the yearly Christmas list, our finances tend to go disarray, I'm not a money mongrel or something but at this time and age, being a little thrifty is almost a way of life, if you care to live long, with an erratic economy, everyone should be lucid and wise.

We can't just frown and let the season pass us by though, it's the season to be happy so spending is but necessary but staying in budget or saving a few dollars won't hurt either right? In a way being techie and/or internet savvy has its perks, like finding out ways to save some moolah through Newegg coupons, imagine having the same products but in a price that is a bit more wallet-friendly. I know I would love that, in a world where material things matter, as much as we may not want to admit it, having stuff and saving some money at the same time is a great deal. Finding various Newegg promo codes is technically easy, all you have to do is surf the site and browse through the number of promos and coupons available and voila, you're one step closer to that much-wanted purchase. I know that sales, price cuts and discounts are not that rare, but I kind of think that during this season, business owners tend to cling to that season of giving hullabaloo that's why they give out more *grins*.

I still have a long way to go before I can finish my Christmas list, I don't have much time but aside from some financial incapabilities, trudging in the sweat-reeked mall and traffic-infested roads made me more distant of shopping, aaah, I think, I had become an introvert. Anyway, I still have the Newegg promo code to back me up, so all is not lost. Online shopping here I come.

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Choco Mucho (Big Bar)

One of my sister-in-laws gave my son a big bar of Choco Mucho but as I have mentioned a few posts back, my son only ate a few brands of chocolates and sadly this one is not included in the elite list *grins*. So, it's mommy to the rescue *lol*, actually, it's more of a blessing in my case coz I got to eat sweets, and it has caramel, my favorite sweet treat of all time.

I am not a fan of Choco Mucho but I do eat some from time to time so it was really a delight to chomp on a big one, it's really big, I promise. The only thing I noticed was that the big bar doesn't have the chocolate filling in the center, as in it was bare. Did it walk away, did they forgot to put some, did it melt and evaporate, I actually don't know, hahaha.



I forgot to take pictures of the bar itself, I was too excited to taste it.

Ratings:
4 out of 5

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And Here's My Pick

*** This is a sponsored post.

Christmas is just around the corner and for housewives, like me, it is time to list down the name of stuff we want added in our kitchen, dining room or living room. We work at home, serving our family, we don't expect any 13 month pay or holiday bonus because we are not paid to work *grins* but a little courtesy from our husbands is enough to make our heart flutter and our stomach churn in excitement. In layman's term, we love gifts that we can use to make our home-making life easier aside from the personal one that you give us as Christmas presents.

And as I am waiting for this season to come for almost a year now *lol*, I already know what I want and I am prepared to do some haggling with the hubby so I can get it. As I spent most of my time lurking in the online world, I tend to search around a lot and thank heavens for that as I've found my preferred gift that way. If you're on the look out for small kitchen appliances, cookwares, baking paraphernalia, hard-to-find ingredients, I suggest you try food network, it's a one-stop online shop for housewives and cooking enthusiasts.

Curious as to what I want for myself? Hmm, shall I tell you? Well, I am not really picky so I have my eye on a really simple one, it is a set of non-stick cookware in orange, I love that color, it is lively and bright, it usually uplift my not-so-happy-mood; it is made of porcelain enamel from Rachel Ray's collection. Aren't those pots and pans lovely?

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Greenwich Ham & Cheese Square Pizza

I am a fan of Greenwich, that I can say, my family, unfortunately, is not. And in my practical-or-not-so mind, if you are to risk buying something that may not elicit good reviews, go for the basic, the simple the better, hence, ham and cheese pizza.

I think, I am both right and wrong, right, in picking ham and cheese, wrong, in presuming that my family is that picky, hahaha.

Still one of Greenwich's best, one of the pioneers in their menu and it is still waving the Ham & Cheese flag proudly, hahaha, that sounds weird.

Ratings:

5 out of 5

An entry for:

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Go Nuts Donuts Soft Cookies

Cookies courtesy of my little brother dear, he, actually, remembered me when he went to the mall and passed by a branch of Gonuts Donuts, how sweet is that? Anyway, these cookies are suppose to be put in a tin can or a box but it seems like they run out of both, I wonder why or how *grins*, so my cookies end up in a plastic bag *lol*. It's still the same cookies, yummy and soft, but it just doesn't appeal to me visually but as it was given as gift and free, I took and ate it with much gusto, of course *lol*.

It's a combination of regular choco and double fudge cookies which cost 6php each, my bro paid 150php for 25 soft cookie pieces. It's good, if you haven't tried some yet, you better :)

Ratings:
4.5 out of 5

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Lucky Me Supreme

I am not suppose to eat this kind of stuff and I am suppose to be really picky and careful on what to shove down my throat, but, when midnight hunger occurs and the first thing I got sight of was Lucky Me Supreme, all thoughts was lost. Don't you ever have that feeling of wanting to have something that is forbidden, well, that's how I felt *lol*.

Anyways, after months of deprivation, all I can say is lucky me *grins*!

Ratings:
4 out of 5

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Julie's Lechon Bread

My mom asked me a few days ago if I want some lechon de leche, I was shocked to hear that from her as she was really forcing me to eat healthy as I am about to give birth in a month's time, I seized the chance and immediately said yes, who in their right mind would say no to that. An hour or two later, my father came with a bread shaped like a lechon (photo below) and a bunch of other bread from Julie's Bakeshop. Gawd, my mother's sense of humor is beyond me sometimes *grins*.

But, bitter feelings aside, the cute lechon bread taste good. I had fun eating it, tearing the lechon piece by piece, I started with the tail, in case you wanna know *lol*. I don't know how much it cost, just visit your nearby Julie's branch to see for yourself.

Ratings:
4 out of 5

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Burger Machine's Chicken Burger

A new branch (aka a van-like stall) of Burger Machine opened up near our place, it has been ages since we saw one and it has been so long since we tasted their brands of burgers. As I was completely at a loss on what to get, I let my son decide and so we left the place with two orders of buy 1 take 1 double chicken burger, which equals to four pieces of double chicken patty sandwiched in a one and a half bun, I thought, I'll explain, in case, not everyone is as good as me in Math, hahaha, that is the most ironic comment I ever said in my life.



For 36php, it sure is worth your money, you even have a choice on what sauce you'd like, mayo and ketchup, bbq sauce, and the other one which I forgot *grins*. Next time, I'll try the Longganisa burger, it looks yummy.

Ratings:
5 out of 5
(I'm a fan ^_-)

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Kablon Farms Pure Tablea

My sister-in-law sent a couple of tablea, her co-teacher was nice enough to brought back a few after she attended a seminar somewhere in Mindanao. I'm more of an instant drink kind of person, it's easy and quick, but a taste of something elite once in a while is always welcome. We tried it out already and it was a big hit, two rounds of cocoa can already make a few cups of creamy chocolate drinks.

I chopped two rounds, heat a few cups of water and add the cocoa, I put in a wee pinch of salt (you can hold the salt if you want to), a spoon or two of sugar and some fresh milk, and I continuously stir to make it thick and creamy. My husband and son loved it, I think it's nice to pair up with a bibingka, I'll try that next time :)


Note: Pardon the blurry pic, I don't have a better shot, so I was forced to use this one :(

Ratings:
4.5 out of 5

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Pistachio Spread

One of the goodies from my father-in-law, it's just like a peanut butter spread but instead of peanuts, it's pistachio. I think it comes in two varieties, one is the regular smooth pistachio spread and the other is like that of the photo below where chunks of pistachio is available, to add a little crunch to your ordinary sandwich *grins*. I am a fan of pistachio nuts so imagine my glee when I learned that a pistachio spread exist, sadly though, I am not a fan of the spread, I think, I'll stick to the nuts per se.

I am not sure of the brand but it's a product of KSA.

Ratings:
4 out of 5

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Tortitas Black

Though, I try to be super strict on my diet, some cravings just couldn't be stop :) I learnt of Tortitas Black through my younger brother, if I remember correctly, he went home one night with a plastic bag of groceries from Rustan's and it was one of the goodies, good for me as I was staying at my parent's house at that time, bad for him as his glutton of a sister was home when he bought those, hahaha. And, I never stop after that.

It's like your usual Oreo but instead of vanilla cream filling in between two chocolate cookie sandwich, it's just a piece with the filling in its center. It is a product of Arcor which is an Argentine confectionery company that exports their products to 122 countries in the world, including the Philippines, I think, samba chocolate bonbons is also a product of theirs.

Try it, it's really good.

Ratings:
4.5 out of 5
(I'll hold the .5 until it is available in every store I go to, hehe)

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Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bars

It's kinda late but I hope everyone had a good time celebrating Halloween and indulging in some no-school, no-work breaks, I know, I did *grins*. I was out of the circulation for a few weeks, yet again, pregnancy is really a bugger, hahaha.

Anyway, my son wasn't able to do some trick or treating with his cousins nor was he able to attend a fun day to celebrate Halloween as his mother was puking her intestines and all other internal organs out without a halt, by the way that's me, so no one will accompany him. His aunts took pity and sent packs of Hershey's (the only brand, aside from M&M's, that he eats) for him to indulge in. Thanks sistars, you're the best!

Rating:
5 out of 5
(as I said my son love it)

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Mister Donut Swak'to

Matagal na itong picture na ito, nung uso pa ang commercial ni Bitoy na politician sya at namimigay ng donuts with lines "wala ng taong magugutom" and yes, I am super duper late in posting.

I've never been a fan of Mr. Donuts brand of doughnuts except for the plain ones with chocolate toppings or coating as I love, love the taste of their chocolates. So, to say that I bought this just for the sake of a photo op and for the cute ball pen, is not a lie, hahaha. I already forgot how much a box cost or how much do I pay for the ballpen, anyway you can always find out in their nearest branch, right?

Ratings:
3 out of 5

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Payless Pancit Shanghai

We are loyal consumers of Lucky Me pancit canton, but you see television advertisements always makes a big impact on my grocery-shopping decisions, hahaha, I admit we tried Payless Pancit Shanghai because of Kim Chui (I'm not a fan so I don't really know how to spell her name *grins*). Anyway, once in a while I hit jackpot when I try out stuff and this is one of those times, I really like its taste and it's easy on the budget, sadly, my son do not agree so we're still buying bulks of LM pancit canton next month. Oh well, I don't think it will matter if I sneak in a few packs of Payless *grins*.

Ratings:
4.5 out of 5

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Chuckie & Chips Delight

I was happy to find a big pack of Chuckie in the nearby market, we usually bought the big-sized ones in the groceries and supermarkets and my son usually drinks it all even before it's time to go grocery-shopping again, so the nearby market is our remaining source but, almost always, only the regular and small tetra packs of Chuckie is available. So, I was really, really thrilled to had found and bought a big one, hahaha, mababaw lang talaga kaligayahan ko.

I served it with snack-sized packs of Chips Delight and voila, I had a happy and contented son with me on a lazy afternoon.



I forgot how much it cost, sorry... my memory's been lagging these past few months, hahaha...

Ratings:
5 out of 5
(who doesn't love chocolate drinks and chocolate cookies?)

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Beef Tapa from the General's Place

My son spend last weekend with my parents and hubby was working so I just bought an order of beef tapa from the nearby diner, The General's Place, an order cost 90pesos. It is packed in a styrofoam and comes with a vinegar dip. I ate it with lots and lots of hot white rice, I was so full at that time, I felt like my stomach is going to explode, hahaha.

Oh yeah, if you wanna read more about the said diner, try A Taste of Both Worlds' review.

Ratings:
4.5 out of 5
(I want it cheaper, hahaha)

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Ensaimada & Brownies

We bought these goodies at Silver Crown Restaurant in Caloocan when we attended a dedication a few weeks ago, I asked the waitress and she told me that the bakery where this was made is a sister company of the restaurant, it's from Liberty Food Mart, by the way.

We bought an ensaimada special, an ube ensaimada and a bar of brownies, the taste is just so-so, just like that of the usual street bakeries, I guess, these are just higher in price because they are sold in mainstream market.

Ratings:
2.5 out of 5

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Kalamay (Rice Cake)

I really don't know what's the actual name of this rice cake, I simply know it as kalamay and you can, usually, find it at makeshift stalls during fiesta celebrations, sellers are usually from Antipolo and Rizal area. It was sold at 3 pieces for a hundred but as I used my power of haggling, I got one piece free, woot for me. Oh yeah, I even got to eat suman and other stuff for free, uso free taste sa street market kapag fiesta, I love!

In the olden days (hahaha, pang fairy tale ang intro), these treats only comes in brown, just like the ones in the pic, but now, they have white and green ones, I was, actually, stunned. I am naive like that *grins*. I, also, bought 2 pieces of the white one and a piece of green but I still prefer the brown one, the latik is just perfect.

Ratings:
5 out of 5
(I love kalamay w/latik!)

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Life's Short Notice

I know that this is a food blog, but for a moment let me discuss one of my woes as a mom - we, both hubby and I, were fortunate to be born in a middle-class family, giving us the freedom to eat, buy, spend and have stuff that we need and sometimes, even things that are consider as luxury. We don't have a parade of cars and servants or mansions and palaces as our home but we lived a fairly decent and rich life, and as a mom, that is one of my dream for my kid. Those who have been following this blog know that I am a stay-at-home mom with nothing on my sleeves but random blogging, my husband is the sole breadwinner in our family and though he earns a good amount of money, with the debt we incurred when we chose to build our dream house plus the monthly amortization for our car and credit cards, together with the ever-ballooning amount in our utility bills, sometimes, just sometimes, his salary doesn't seem to be enough. That's why I am thinking of having a short term insurance as a precautionary measure, we can still make it work now, but I'm not really sure about the future. I may be thinking too much, but I guess, being a parent teach us to be like that.

As much as we want to control all the experiences and happenings in our life, it is inevitable that we face something out of the ordinary and something that we are not betting on, so being ahead is always a good choice, don't you think?

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Waffle Time

One of the most popular brands of local waffles here in the country. A box of six would cost you a little more than a hundred bucks, depending on the variety of waffles that you pick. The cheapest, I think, is the American hotdog or something like that, hahaha. It's great as afternoon snack or baon for school, their kiosk is a-plenty and you can find it in every nook and corner of malls nationwide so their availability is never in question. And, I think, for its price, you're getting your money's worth :)

Ratings:
4 out of 5

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Lights and Blinds

For a woman who's just starting to love the art and science of cooking, a nice and efficient kitchen is necessary, going for a perfect one spells trouble, so like always, I only go for the minimal ones. My kitchen is not that big but it is spacious enough to move and work around; it is not as modern as I want it to be but I have worthy and useful appliances and gadgets; it is not as pretty as I would want it to be but it has its own charm, it's basically a kitchen that works for me.

One of the basics of a befitting kitchen in my book is one that has clear and adequate lighting as it makes cooking and other food preps easy on my semi-working eyes. Though electricity-induced lighting is okay, I still believe that lights emitted by the sun is the best thus my craving for a bigger window in our kitchen. I would love to have a glass-slide window that can light up my whole kitchen in the morning, enabling me to save on electricity and giving me that vibrant feel. I would then, put on some Cheap Roman Blinds to counter its brightness during its peak on afternoons and to silhouette the place at night. Ain't that bad for a dream, right?

If only we can snap our fingers and all our wishes can come true...

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Goldilocks Polvoron

I hoarded these babies when Goldilocks had their 10peso-polvoron sale a few months back, all came in packs of two, both the flavored and classic ones. I've always been a polvoron addict so when the chance to have it in cheaper price came, I grabbed it and rushed to the nearest Goldilocks branch in our area, if I remember correctly, I spend 300php just in polvoron alone, hahaha. The photo below was taken when we went home, so most of the polvoron were already gone, when I got those in my hand, I can't stop myself from eating :)

Ratings:
5 out of 5

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This Blogger's Dream

I just recently got back into blogging, I have been away, hiding under a huge boulder for a number of months but, I guess, blogging is already a part of my system because try as I might to stay away, the lure is just too great to decline *grins*. Before I had my hiatus and went into hiding, I was already toying with the idea of having my own domain name, imagine a kutsara at tinidor dot com, wouldn't that be great? But, as I decided to be a lazy bum, all ideas and dreams were put into a halt *sad face*. But as dreams are recurring hopes, here I am again, dreaming of windows web hosting, having one for this blog will be so cool, you can put me into cryo anytime you want *lol*.

If only I had done it when I had the money to do so, I earned a little through some online gigs and when I got the chance, I should have invested it to my domain and hosting but as I am the queen of procrastination and a shopaholic at heart, I shelved the idea and spent the money on something unnecessary, am I a lost case or what? Anyway, as I am back, this time with a little bit more of self-control and willpower, I plan to make my dream a reality. I'll work hard to earn and save some money to buy myself a dot com to my name, my target time is the first month of 2011, giving me ample time to save and do research. Fighting!

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Lucky Me Baked Mac and Mac & Cheez

I tried this a few months ago, bago pa sila noon, hahaha... and I never had one again, it was so hyped up by the commercials with kids loving it and all but the product per se is not worth the money, sorry for being a bit rude but I'm just voicing my honest opinion here :)

I forgot how much was the SRP and the actual market price already but I remember that I was stressing about the littlest amount of pasta noodles, it is so not practical to buy it. The taste is not that great, either, so there really was no saving grace for this one, sorry but that's what I think. Maybe it has improve or develop into something better the past months that I'm AWOL, so I suggest you try it on your own and not dwell so much on my opinion *grins*.

Ratings:
2.5 out of 5
(50/50, I'm giving it a chance to survive, hahaha)

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Foodie Address Book

One of the perks of being a food blogger is that you have a sort of license to eat out as much as you can, of course time, health and money are all put into consideration, too *grins*. But as a blogger, I kinda have the power to decide on where and what to eat whenever we go out, it's true that I don't hold as much power as my son but at least I'm second in command and these past few months, my son's appetite and taste has been expanding, he's now in a stage where he tends to try out stuff including new and used-to-be-taboo food on his list, so, yeah, life's easy these days.

As a food blogger, I tried to be as adventurous and as up-to-date in terms of new places to dine in and new dishes and offerings on various restaurants' menus, but sometimes, though I make it a point to sample something different each time I go out or order take outs with my family, there are just days that I crave for food that I already had or recently tasted. Its during those times that I really wish for restaurant business cards on dining establishments, simple but oh-so-worthy pieces of paper that can come in handy whenever I or any member of my family crave for something to munch on or gobble up. Imagine having a stack of restaurant business cards and making an address book out of it, I bet it would be a foodie's delight.

Do all foodies think alike?

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Milo

Wala lang! I just find this cute that's why I'm posting it *grins*.

We usually buy powdered drinks like Milo in one-kilo packages as canisters are a-plenty in our house but seeing this one months ago made me grab it. It cost more than our usual buy but as you can see, it says 'limited edition' so that's a plus factor for me, not that it can be use as anything else than a canister. But... okay, okay, it's called justification of one's random act *grins*.

Ratings:
5 out of 5
(I have been a Milo drinker since childhood so a 5 is but necessary :))

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Greenwich Brazo de Mercedes

Once upon a time, Brazo de Mercedes by Greenwich was new and undiscovered yet, but that was ages ago, I was so late in blogging about it, I guess now, it's just part of the normal Greenwich menu, downside of being old and lazy *grins*.





We bought this in a nearby mall months ago, we were on our way home when I spotted this delight in the branch's chiller display and as I am sucker for cakes and new products, I bought a piece for take home, we already had dinner in another fast food so dining in was out of the question. It cost 99php, it tasted good, it's even better than that of Goldilocks *grins*, but I don't think buying one as a dessert in a regular sched is practical, one can already have a full meal with that amount someplace else, right?

But if you're a sweet junkie and money is not a problem, I suggest you try one if you haven't already, as I've said, this pic has been in my possession months ago, so the possibility of people not knowing it is little to none.

Ratings:
4 out of 5
(I'm holding out 1 point for the price)

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Little Shepherd's Lengua de Gato

I'm trying to make up for the lost time, or something to that effect *grins*, that's why I'm posting at least once a day, I could try doubling it, but then I'll loose all my stock materials in a jiffy, and it's not a good thing in my book *lol*.

The lengua de gato (picture below) was given by my sister-in-law when they went for a three-day vacation in the summer capital three months ago, aside from that, we also got some strawberry jam, honey, fresh veggies and an assortment of knitted stuff (read: bonnets, cardigans, etc.). Unfortunately, I didn't like the taste of this particular brand, I love lengua de gato in general but this brand just didn't fit in my taste. But beggars can't be choosers, `ayt?

Lengua de Gato

label and packaging


Ratings:
3 out of 5

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Jonas

Hello foodies, I'm back, or at least I think I am *grins*. It has been a while, how many months has it been? Five or six? Do you miss me guys? Are you still there, or did you all get tired of waiting for me? I really hope not *praying*.

one of the wall designs

Pares (a set meal -beef stew, fried rice, soup + drinks)

Lechon Paksiw w/fried rice

Tofu & Fish Fillet w/ fried rice

Pork Siomai

Aaah, these was taken eons ago, so me remembering the corresponding prices is impossible. I think we bought some computer paraphernalia in SM San Lazaro when we had these treats. Pares is a set meal so you'll get the beef stew, fried rice, soup and a regular softdrinks if you purchase it. They also offer other viands, seen above is their Paksiw na Lechon and Tofu & Fish Fillet, fried rice was bought separately, look at the size of the rice bowl in the Pares and the ones with the regular viands, the first has a bigger one, don't ask me why, I don't know, either.

Pardon the crappy post, this is my first after a long while, so being rusty is still a viable reason *grins*. I'll polish up on my next post, I wish...

Anyways, aren't you glad I'm back? If you're not, please lie, hahaha...

Ratings:
4 out of 5

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