Month: August 2011

Last day to join our First Anniversary Giveaway

It’s the last day of our first anniversary giveaway. Yes, it’s your last day to join! To do so, click on the banner on the sidebar on the left or here.

Here’s a sneak peek of the majority of the prizes we’re giving away:

Our prizes for our first anniversary giveaway are ready! - CertifiedFoodies.com

Look at all those gift certificates!

Oh, an update! Last night, when Ken and I went shopping for prizes, Pancake House in Trinoma and SM North Edsa didn’t have gift certificates available. Plus, Kenny Rogers don’t sell them anymore so we decided to change these GCs to KFC’s instead.. I think the KFC branch in Trinoma is out of GCs because of the amount we bought from them. 😀

And don’t forget the other prizes you’re getting like our  The Cookie Jar  treat for you and yummy polvoron from Fedhz!

And, lastly, from Chef Anna of My Pink Wasabi – the 16-piece bento boxes!

Hurry! We’re no longer extending the giveaway so make sure you submit your mandatory and optional entries by 11:59pm tonight.

To everyone who joined, good luck! Please be patient as we verify ALL your entries.

Lastly, it’s also the last day of our Pasko sa Agosto giveaway. Head on over to this giveaway page to join.

Note: Today, I’m posting this through a VERY SLOW CONNECTION. We don’t have our regular DSL right now so please bear with us as we find a way to check on all your entries with this problem at hand. Boohoo.

Robina Farms Big Boy Hotdogs

If there’s one thing our refrigerator’s always have a stock of, it’ll be hotdogs. We love hotdogs because you can quickly cook them any way you want to serve for breakfast, snacks or even for lunch or dinner when no one at home feels like preparing anything real special. And we’ve bought, cooked and tasted almost all hotdogs we can find at the grocery so we knew we just had to give Robina Farms’ Big Boy Hotdogs a try too.

Robina Farm Big Boy Hotdogs - CertifiedFoodies.com

They come in 2 variants – regular and the cheese hotdogs. Shown here are their jumbo-sized hotdogs.

Here’s a closer look at Big Boy Jumbo hotdogs, which are about the same size as the other branded hotdogs.

Closer look at Robina Farms' Big Boy Classic Hotdogs - CertifiedFoodies.com

Here at home, we usually love to boil our hotdogs. Why? No oil and boiling gives it a subtle, tasty flavor. And, so, we just gotta do it with Big Boy’s. We cooked them 2 ways actually – through boiling and grilling in our oven so we won’t have to use any more extra oil.

Continue reading Robina Farms Big Boy Hotdogs

Plates of the Caribbean: Surf and Turf Goodness from Fish & Co

Fish & Co - CertifiedFoodies.com

Ahoy, mates! Fish & Co., the Singapore-bred restaurant that has enticed the Filipino palates with their best-selling seafood fare, had set sail across the Atlantic Ocean and captured the flavors exotic to the islands of the West Indies in their latest menu addition the “Plates of the Caribbean”.

Plates of the Caribbean - CertifiedFoodies.com

Being a Filipino, I’m accustomed to having rice and meat combinations in most of my meals, so a dinner of merely “fish and chips” may deem unsatisfying to my appetite. Relatively, Fish & Co. recognized the need to introduce more meat dishes in their menu as a strategy to reel in more rice-and-meat-loving Pinoys.

Early this year, they launched the Fish and Ribs as a means of testing the waters to see how their meat dishes will fare in the market. The dish was well-accepted by their guests, thus resulting now to the creation of the Plates of the Caribbean, which promised to incorporate more fish, seafood, chicken, pork, beef, and vegetables into Fish & Co’s menu.

The Plates of the Caribbean presents 5 new surf and turf dishes named after five island destinations in the Caribbean. They are the islands of Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Montserrat, and Saint Lucia. And to complement these five sumptuous fare, three new refreshing beverages were also added – the Juice Almighty, the Cool Cucumber Breeze, and the Veggie-Fruit Blast.

Fish & Co's Plates of the Caribbean - CertifiedFoodies.com

From Top Left: Saint Lucia, Montserrat, Dominica, Barbados,Bahamas, Juice Almighty, Cool Cucumber Breeze, and Veggie-Fruit Blast.

 

For Sharing or for the Lone Pirate?

The Plates of the Caribbean are available in Regular and Just For Me portions. Regular is enough to feed 2-3 hungry pirates, while the Just For Me portion is for those pirates dining alone, or for those who prefer smaller servings of the dishes.

Continue reading Plates of the Caribbean: Surf and Turf Goodness from Fish & Co

Cadbury Chocoholic Night + Joy Shots Promo for a Trip to Boracay

Bizu Patisserie and Bistro at Greenbelt 2A few weeks ago, we were invited by Cadbury Philippines to a chocoholic night at Bizu Patisserie and Bistro in Greenbelt 2 in Makati. Our family LOVES Cadbury chocolates because of its creamy, milky goodness so it was an event we won’t ever pass up.

We invited a fellow chocoholic friend Geejay of Mga Luto ni Lola to join the Certified Foodies team for the night. Here’s a shot of us at the photo booth. It was so fun that I think we took home 3-4 photos each! 😀

Team Certified Foodies at the Cadbury photo booth!

The event was graced by the lovely Georgina Wilson, Cadbury Philippines’ brand ambassador. She shared with us how much she loves Cadbury and how relishing these milky chocolates brings back memories of bonding times with her family, particularly her dad. And I feel her. We all did. Food and the enjoyment of it can really bring back memories and fun times we had with people we hold dear.

Cadbury Brand Ambassador Georgina Wilson graced the event

FYI: Each chocolate bar of Cadbury Dairy Milk contains a glass and a half of milk. No wonder it’s the richest and milkiest chocolate bar I’ve ever tasted! 🙂 I love the plain milk chocolate; my bro and parents are into their Fruits and Nuts variants.

Cadbury Dairy Milk Joy Shots Promo for a trip to Boracay with friendsAnyway, the chocoholic bloggers night was intended to announce the launch of their latest promo, Cadbury  Dairy Milk Joy Shots where a barkada of four can win a 4-day, 3-night round trip to Boracay inclusive of hotel accommodations and transfers. How exciting is that?!

How to join the Joy Shots promo? All you have to do is take a photo of you with 3 of your friends while you enjoy Cadbury Dairy Milk Bar/s (at least one 75g bar OR two 40g bars). The photo should be of you sharing a joyful moment with your friends.

Send in your photo, along with a brief caption (maximum of 60 words) about why you and your barkada deserve to win that Boracay trip. Email it to cadburyphilippines@gmail.com.

Photos will be judged based on the following criteria:

– Depiction of Sharing the Joy with Cadbury Dairy Milk (40%)
– Originality of depicting bonding (30%)
– Creativity (20%)
– Caption (10%)

The best photo based on the above criteria will win the trip. 5 consolation prize winners will also get Cadbury gift bags. Promo runs until September 16, 2011 only so HURRY! 🙂

Continue reading Cadbury Chocoholic Night + Joy Shots Promo for a Trip to Boracay

My Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2011

It’s that time again when new emerging and influential blogs are recognized by the blogging community.

This year, choosing my list of emerging blogs for 2011 has been easy. My votes go to my blogger friends and some that I completely support.

Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2011

Without further ado, here are my Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2011:

 

#1: www.CertifiedFoodies.com

Vote for Certified Foodies for Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2011 - CertifiedFoodies.com

Of course, on top of my list is our food blog, this blog, Certified Foodies. I believe that our food blog deserve a spot in the Top 10 this year because of what we have accomplished in a year of this blog’s existence. We may go on about our blog’s traffic stats and the number of readers and comments we get daily, but really, this blog is about how we affect other people.

When we started this blog last year, our main goal was to share our own recipes and to convince people that cooking can really be fun. In our family, food and cooking have played a big part in drawing us closer together. And we wanted to share that love and passion for food with our dear friends and readers.

We also share our foodie adventures here. And if you’ve been reading our posts, you’d get to read about some awkward and funny moments that we experience while we discover new things. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about – it’s part of the fun and adventure. 😀

We're closer than ever before - CertifiedFoodies.com

My bro, Kenneth, and I have become closer than ever because of this food blog. We enjoy going on food trips, and now, we get to discover new cuisines and flavors together. And we know that you all agree that nothing beats bonding with your closest friends and loved ones with something delicious to share with them, may it be a home-cooked meal or even a sandwich to make it special. 🙂

I believe that our food blog has received votes from numerous bloggers, a lot of them have known us up-close, because they’ve seen the bond between me and my brother. We only realized that when people started complimenting us about it – how close we are. I bet when they get to meet my whole family, especially our nanay, or even live in our home for even a day or two, they’d understand why we’re so close. Everyone here at home loves food and enjoys cooking.

Our family now enjoy dining out more than before - CertifiedFoodies.comOur family enjoys dining out more than ever. We get to try out new restaurants together. 🙂
Sorry, we don’t usually smile in our photos but we really had fun when we all went out for movie day. 😀

 

And I know you’d agree that in every occasion or every emotion you feel, there’s a dish or food that will suit the moment. May it be a tub of vanilla ice cream to ease a broken heart, a fiesta of kare-kare and all sorts of Pinoy dishes to celebrate a birthday or an anniversary, glasses of wine or shots of tequila as you bond and drink with friends you haven’t seen for awhile, a home-cooked meal during the weekend when your family’s together, or a romantic meal before you propose to the love of your life.

This is why we enjoy food blogging as much as you, our dear friends and readers, enjoy reading and sharing your own foodie stories on our posts. And because of this, we’ll continue on spreading the LOVE, not just for food, but for our family and friends, and for each other as siblings. 🙂

Finally, now that my brother Kenneth is studying to become a full-fledged chef soon, expect us to share more tips, recipes and discoveries as he venture onwards to fulfill his culinary journey. 🙂

Soon to be Chef Kenneth - CertifiedFoodies.com

To everyone who voted for us already, THANK YOU SO MUCH! We truly appreciate your votes, especially those that came from people who’ve been following our foodie stories and adventures for months now. You’re a major part of why we’re enjoying this! 🙂

(Okay, I’m getting a li’l teary-eyed here. 😀 Only my closest friends know exactly why.)

The rest of my Top 10 after the jump.

Continue reading My Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2011

See You at the Ultimate Taste Test 6.0 in Rockwell

Here’s another foodie event you wouldn’t want to miss – it’s Rockwell’s Ultimate Taste Test happening on September 3, 2011 at the Rockwell Tent in Power Plant Mall.

The Ultimate Taste Test is a project pioneered by Anton Diaz of Our Awesome Planet, one of the blogs we follow. It’ll start at 11am and will end at 9pm. We hope we’d get to try everything! 😀

This year, there’ll be over 50 home-based businesses that’ll be featured at the event where we get to be a food critic for a day. Yes, visitors get to rate their products and the top participants will be featured at Our Awesome Planet. Also part of the event are Power Plant Mall’s best restaurants.

We here at Certified Foodies can’t wait to experience this as we love to discover new food to tickle our senses. Make sure you stay tuned here for our features of the products we loved.

If you’d like to experience this too, you can buy tickets now, sold at Php 585 per head, at Power Plant Mall during mall hours (call them at 898-1702) or Creative Juice office (contact them at 570-7827) at office hours.

For more info, check out Anton’s post over at OAP about the Ultimate Taste Test. For the complete list of the food suppliers and tips on how to maximize your stay at the UTT 6.0, read this post by Anton.

See you there! 🙂

Cook with the Masters : A Lee Kum Kee Weekend Cooking Festival

Here’s a weekend cooking festival you wouldn’t want to miss – Lee Kum Kee’s Cook with the Masters happening this Saturday and Sunday at the Grand Atrium, Level 2, Shangri-la Plaza.

They are inviting bloggers to experience this cooking festival where Chef Eugene Raymundo and Chef Sandy Daza show off their cooking expertise.

If you’d like to be part of this event, sign up through the form below. Then, wait for an invite or confirmation. 🙂

(sign-up form after the jump) Sign-ups are closed.

Healthier Snack Time with California Crunch Cassava Chips and GIVEAWAY

Because of the nature of my offline and online work, whenever I need a pick-me-up or something to keep me alert in the middle of the night, I have chips ready for me to snack on with a cup of hot tea. I know how unhealthy some snacks can be, especially when I’m munching on them when my body should already be resting. But, a few weeks ago, I discovered a healthier snack for me to enjoy – California Crunch Cassava Chips.

California Crunch Cassava Chips we received as a prize

My first time trying these cassava chips was when I got them as prizes in their Facebook contest. I was anticipating getting a taste of California Crunch Cassava Chips to know how they compare to potato chips. So, how was it?

Well, to sum up how much we enjoyed it, there are no photos of the actual chips here. Why? Ken and I loved it so much that we forgot to take photos. Hahaha. I promise to update this post with photos of the chips. 😀 (UPDATE: Scroll down for a closer look on the chips)

And, yes, there were 2 packs of each variant – Sour Cream & Onions and Barbecue. We gobbled them up like there’s no tomorrow. 😀 California Crunch Cassava Chips in Barbecue and Sour Cream and Onions

What we particularly liked about these cassava chips is the crunch. The chips are thicker than your regular potato chips so you’d get all that crunchy goodness matched with more flavors packed in each piece. Ken hogged the barbecue variant and I kept the sour cream all to myself and my nanay.

Closer look at California Crunch Cassava Chips

Cassava is known to have more fiber and potassium than potatoes. Plus, they’re 30% less fat than potato chips and it’s 0% cholesterol. So, you can enjoy a pack or two of California Crunch Cassava Chips without the guilt of eating something unhealthy for you or your kids. And it’s not as messy to eat, too, as the chips aren’t as greasy. 🙂

Cassava is healthier than potatoes(credit)

We here at Certified Foodies highly recommend you try California Crunch Cassava Chips so much that we’re giving away THREE (3) packs of these healthy snack to our readers and fellow foodies.

Continue reading Healthier Snack Time with California Crunch Cassava Chips and GIVEAWAY

Certified Foodies at the Blogapalooza

Certified Foodies is officially part of the Blogapalooza! And that means both of us, Mhel and Ken, will be there!

Blogapalooza Blogger Event

We are excited to be part of this awesome event as we experience and review some of the newest and hottest new products and concepts from different companies and entrepreneurs.

If you want to have your business showcased, check out the official website of Blogapalooza to find out more about what you’d get if you join in.

If you’re a blogger or someone influential online, may it be on Twitter, Facebook or YouTube, you can join too.

All food products we’ll get to try at the event will be featured here. The rest will either be posted on our personal blogs (Just Another Pixel and Ken Avenue) or my review blog Pinay Reviewer.

Stay tuned! 🙂

Last Call to Join our Anniversary Giveaway!

If you haven’t heard yet, we extended our ‘ target=_blank>first year anniversary giveaway until the end of this month to give time for more participants and for those who already submitted their entries to possibly work on their write-ups for their Certified Foodie photo entry.

Join CertifiedFoodies.com’s First Anniversary Giveaway

So, you only have about 11 days to join. Our giveaway ends on August 31st.

I know, you’re all excited about the prizes and we are too! We can’t wait to pick the winners and see who’ll be the luckiest of them all and win more than one prize.

If you haven’t joined yet, do so NOW NA! Click here to join now or on the banner above. 🙂