Club Paradise Resort – A Piece of Paradise in Coron, Palawan

It started a couple of years ago when Ken and I made a pact that on our birthdays, we have to celebrate by traveling some place we’ve never been. Our 2014 birthday celebration was not as spectacular as we wanted so we vowed to make up for it in 2015. And, boy, that we did… in an island paradise in Coron, Palawan – Club Paradise Resort. 🙂

Club Paradise is under The Discovery Leisure Co. (TDLCI) We planned a 4D3N vacation in Coron, but due to unforeseen circumstances – my flight with nanay got cancelled, so we had to fly out early on our supposedly Day 2 – it was cut short by a day. Ken’s flight had no issues so he was there already. Thankfully, our stay in Coron and in Club Paradise made us forget all that happened on Day 1. They gladly made adjustments to our accommodation, and we had an absolutely amazing time. Nanay was particularly amused by the VIP treatment we got from the moment they picked us up until the time they dropped us off the airport to fly back to Manila.

We were picked up from the hotel where Ken stayed on his first day and we were taken to Club Paradise’s own private port where a speed boat is waiting to take us to Dimakya Island. The speed boat ride was exciting, and we had the whole boat to ourselves. They offered us some snacks – bottled water and a sandwich. It’s a 30-minute boat ride, I think. I can’t remember ’cause we were busy taking photos and enjoying the windy ride. 😀

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Noche Buena Ideas with Alaska Crema from the Merry Cremas Festival 2015

When December comes and we all start feeling the cool breeze, I can’t help but get all giddy with excitement for Christmas. Ken and I always look forward to Noche Buena because that’s when our nanay prepares extra special dishes for the whole family to enjoy. In the past few years, nanay and Ken have made it a habit to prepare something new every Noche Buena. This is why we always look forward to the annual Alaska Merry Cremas Festival where we get to see what new dishes we can add to our Christmas feast.

This year’s Merry Cremas Festival was held at the Trinoma Activity Center. As expected, there was quite a delicious lineup of sweet and savory dishes made using Alaska Crema All-Purpose Cream. We weren’t able to taste everything, but it’s fun to see how creative you can be and how one ingredient – Alaska Crema – can be incorporated in a variety of dishes to give them that extra creamy goodness. Let’s start off with our top favorites from the 2015 Alaska Merry Cremas Festival.

KISS’ Mille Crepe Cakes

During our first round of food sampling, KISS wasn’t open yet. Good thing we came back because we would’ve missed their creamy tower of mille crepe cakes. From the endless stream of people crowding their booth, I can say that their cakes were on the top of the best-sellers at the Merry Cremas Festival. We bought a slice of their Salted Caramel Cake. They used Alaska Crema in their buttercream, so it was oh-so velvety! Since I don’t have an oven now in my condo, this is one dessert I can’t wait to recreate! 🙂

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6 Reasons Why the ASUS ZenFone 2 Laser Is a Foodie’s Best Friend

Being active food bloggers, it has become more important than ever to own a reliable, fast, and feature-packed smartphone that can help us create better content and connect easily with our readers. Weâ€™ve discovered 6 compelling reasons why the new ASUS ZenFone 2 Laser is exactly the phone foodies like us are looking for!

6 Reasons Why the ASUS ZenFone 2 Laser Is a Foodieâ€™s Best Friend

#6 – Incredible Design and Grip

When it comes to modern smartphones, the exterior is just as significant to whatâ€™s inside. ASUS is one of the phone companies who were able to incorporate incredible design with powerful software and hardware into an affordable smartphone. The ASUS ZenFone 2 Laser, with its ergonomic arc design and thin edge of only 3.9mm, lets users hold the phone comfortably in their palms. Its hairline design and metallic finish give the phone a premium look and feel, without being overly priced as compared to other mid-range phones in the market.

What this means is you can comfortably hold the Zenfone 2 with one hand while you’re taking photos of your food without worrying you’ll accidentally drop itÂ and ruin your shot. 😀

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Clara Ole Baby Back Ribs with Beef Steak Rice and Caesar Salad Recipe

A few weeks ago, I reached a major milestone in my life – I have successfully survived a challenging year at my new office job and living independently in my Makati condo. When I moved in here, I promised myself to cook more and not resort to food delivery. In celebration of this important milestone, Ken decided to whip up a fancy meal for the two us despite the limited kitchen space and equipment at my place. With the help of Clara Ole products, he showed me you don’t have to spend a lot to come up with a restaurant-quality dish that you can make any time, starting with these mouth-watering Barbecue Baby Back Ribs. 🙂

If you’ve been following our blog, you know we are meat lovers. It was easy to decide which dish we want him to cook for this night. He made our meal extra special by also preparing Beef Steak Rice, with Caesar salad on the side. This recipe is easy to cook and budget-friendly, but the flavors and texture are on point; smoky, sweet with that subtle tangy taste. The meat? Falls off the bone. To fully enjoy the meal, we suggest you eat the ribs with your hands so you can lick off the sauce from your fingers afterwards. 😉

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Champorado and Bibingka with Toblerone & Cadbury – A Sweet Twist to Your Favorite Pinoy Merienda

Whenever the clock hits 3 o’clock in the afternoon, it’s like our bodies are programmed to want to have merienda. We grew up like this, and I still remember our nanay knocking on our doors at 3pm, announcing it’s merienda time. When we follow her to the kitchen, we’ll be delighted by the spread of different snacks she bought or prepared for us. You’d usually find pansit luglog or Pansit Malabon, lugaw with tokwa’t baboy, turon (we call it valencia), sopas, ginataan, ensaymada, bibingka and, my favorite, champorado.

Yes, champorado. Some may think that it’s better enjoyed for breakfast, but I beg to disagree. 😀 I love champorado for merienda because it gives me a much-needed boost in the middle of the afternoon that’ll last until the end of the day. 🙂 I also love turon, ginataan, peachy-peachy, and, of course, Pansit Malabon.

Ken’s merienda favorites are lugaw, Pansit Malabon and bibingka. The latter, you’d think you can only find people selling them during the holidays, but in Malabon, it’s a regular snack choice because it’s readily available all year round (that’s why we LOVE our home town 😀 ).

If you’ve seen our past recipes, you already know how we enjoy adding our own twists to usual dishes. This time, Ken came up with 2 Pinoy merienda recipes with a sweet twist that we’re sure you’ll both love. He used products from Mondelez Philippines.

Mondelez Philippines, formerly named Kraft Foods, has been around for over 5 decades. They’re the authority when it comes to snacks. Don’t believe us? Under their belt, they have Oreo, Toblerone, Cadbury, and Tiger Enery Biscuits. Their Eden Cheese is a regular when we prepare spaghetti. We also add cheesiness to our ‘flying saucer’ sandwiches with Cheez Whiz. Merienda won’t be complete, especially for our nanay, without a pitcher of her favorite Tang.

Mondelez has been constantly innovating, coming up with new flavors that us Filipinos love. Have you tried their Oreo Coconut Delight? You must! How about the Tang Dalandan, Honey Lemon and Calamansi? 🙂

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Our #ClaraOlePotluck Fiesta, Boodle Fight Style!

We’re from Malabon, and if you know anyone from there or you’ve attended at least one fiesta or party hosted by someone who lives in our hometown, you know how festive ourÂ celebrations could be. And if you’ve been to one of our parties at home, you’ve seen how lavish we are when it comes to preparing food for our guests. We did just that when we hosted our own Clara Ole Potluck Fiesta party a couple of weeks ago.

The party took almost a month to prepare. The Clara Ole team gave us one task – to prepare a menu showcasing the wide variety of dishes you can make using their products, and how convenient and easy it is for anyone to serve delicious dishes, whatever level your cooking skills are and however small your kitchen is. We personally use Clara Ole products in my little kitchen in my Makati condo, and I tell you, everything I cook with their products come out perfect. 🙂 My favorites would be their pasta sauces and marinades.

Going back to our party, Ken and I thought of hosting a boodle fight, and we all agreed on the Pinoy Fiesta theme for our friends. Since it’ll be a boodle fight, Ken knew serving a couple of dishes won’t be enough. So, he came up with a menu composed of 14 dishes + the punch, which serves as my only contribution. 😀 All of the dishes were made using Clara Ole products, as listed below.

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Baon Ideas with Oreo and Tiger Energy Biscuits

I remember when we were still kids, our nanay wakes up really early in the morning to prepare our baon for school. Ken and I usually didn’t know what she prepared for us, and we’ll just be pleasantly surprised come recess time. I guess that’s why we always look forward to opening our lunchboxes during our breaks. She always makes sure we have something to eat that’s not just delicious, but will also energize us for the rest of our school day.

I’m sure many moms would agree that a good baon is vital during school days. I’m seeing a lot of moms getting creative with their kids’ baon nowadays. If you’re one of them, and you need a little inspiration, we’ve got a few ideas for you. We used 2 well-known products fromÂ Mondelez PhilippinesÂ for these recipes.

If this is your first time hearing about Mondelez (pronounced ‘mohn-dah-leez’, meaning ‘delicious world’), their company was formerly named Kraft Foods. The company has been around for decades and theyâ€™re behind familiar brands likeÂ Oreo cookies, Tiger Energy biscuits,Â Tang, Eden Cheese, Cheez Whiz, Cadbury, and Toblerone. If you check their website, you’ll find delightful recipes forÂ fun baon ideas for your kids.

Ken and I love putting a twist on our favorite dishes, and we did exactly that with the recipes belowÂ usingÂ Tiger Energy Biscuits and Oreo cookies, which are already good baon as is, but we thought of other creative treats you can make with them. These snacks / baon bites will surely give you a boost of energy, so it’s not just great for kids, but also fun snacks to take with you to the office or as merienda at home. Let us know once you’ve tried these recipes, okay? Enjoy! 🙂

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Surrender Your Taste Buds at Cops and Robbers in San Juan

Last week, I received a warrant of arrest from Zomato for being found guilty of gluttony. They ordered me to surrender myself at Cops and Robbers in Greenhills, San Juan. I had to turn myself in to answer for my crime. 😀

The Concept

When I got off the cab, the first thing I noticed was the scarcity of food businesses in the area. Cops and Robbers shares the location with only two other restaurantsÂ – Maria Maria and La Contessa Delicatessen. Strategically situated in front of Xavier School’s Sports Complex, there’s no doubt Cops and Robbers triumphs over its contemporaries for having a fun ambiance, a straightforward menu of comfort food, and a price range that students, the restaurant’s main demographic, wouldn’t findÂ so heavy in the pocket.

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Highlands Gold Corned Beef: Premium Taste of Steak and Angus Beef in a Can!

Corned beef has always been our go-to alternative when weâ€™re too lazy to cook dinner or when weâ€™re just looking for a quick bite. It may not be the most delicious food out there, but it does the job in satiating our sudden pangs of hunger. But all that has changed when we discovered Highlands Gold Corned Beef.

Highlands Gold Corned Beef puts the luxurious taste of steak and Angus beef in a can. Itâ€™s quite affordable, too. A 320-gram can is priced at Php 150.00 (SRP), and you can prepare multiple dishes with all its meaty contents.

When youâ€™re not in the mood to cook, you can just eat it right out of the can. Simply serve it with some steamed rice and that makes for a very satisfying dinner already. Trust me; Iâ€™ve done it a couple of times. 🙂

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Shed Off Your Holiday Weight with Healthy Foodie Manila

The Christmas and New Year season is the time of year when everyone can eat all the food that they want and gain a few pounds (or even 10) without receiving judgment from family and friends. But after all these festivities, when weâ€™re back to living our regular lives, that is when the pangs of guilt and regret come to haunt us with the horrific sights of our puffy cheeks and jiggly muffin tops. We immediately subject ourselves to crazy fad diets like water therapy and fasting. But whereâ€™s the fun in that, right? What if we tell you that you can shed all that holiday weight off but still get to eat delicious food and enjoy 4 meals a day? Yes, you can, and itâ€™s with the help of Healthy Foodie Manila. 🙂

What is Healthy Foodie Manila?

Healthy Foodie Manila is one of the best diet food delivery services in the Metro that provides calorie-counted and portion-controlled meals according to their customersâ€™ specific health needs, whether it be to lose or to gain weight. Itâ€™s important to note that they can cater special kinds of diets like vegetarian, pescatarian, and paleo. You may also avail the services of their registered nutritionist / dietician for a free nutrition consultation to help you determine the type of program you can most benefit from.

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