Noodles Heart-Shaped

We had noodles for heavy snacks and when the hubby served the cooked Payless instant noodles, it looked liked this...

The little kid said "Whoa! It looks like a heart!" He was at first busy with something else and was not interested in eating this until he got fascinated with how it was somehow 'creatively' presented. The presentation worked with the little kid suddenly feeling very hungry to eat some afternoon snacks then.

I had to take a quick snap of the plate, hence the blurry shot from my phone's camera, before the hungry boys digged in and ate their share of this plate of noodles. The hubby did not notice nor intended to plate the noodle this way. After I pointed it out to him did he only realize that it indeed look like a heart-shaped pile of noodles in the plate.

KFC Two Piece Chicken

Extra hungry? Try filling up with two pieces of any of Kentucky Fried Chicken chicken variants. Choose from Original Recipe or Hot & Crispy chicken. Plus a cup of rice, and lots of gravy. This meal costs P99 (ala carte) and P120 (combo with drinks).

The little guy wants KFC for lunch after attending mass just within AMall. My boys are up to it so we headed off to KFC for a quick Sunday lunch before going to another mall where I remember seeing an affordable option to buy a new electric stove.

This was a combination of spicy and original flavor. I have come to explore in eating the spicy variants of food lately. The hubby has an influence on that since he likes hot and spicy food. It has become somewhat like an acquired taste for me. I am getting to that point where I am appreciating and enjoying spicy food now. It's like an adventure and spicing up life for TheFoodieMommy who loves to eat.

Starbucks Coffee Via Ready Brew Italian Roast Extra Bold

The cold and rainy weather has kept us indoors today. This bed weather day made me lazy to go out in the rain to the nearby mall. So to satisfy my craving for a hot coffee drink, we went through our stocks and found that we still have this Starbucks Coffee Via Ready Brew Italian Roast Extra Bold... A big and extra bold darker roast coffee, worthy of the Italian tradition and ready in an instant.

You get that rich aroma and smooth taste of 100% arabica coffee. What you just have to do is open a packet (you have three single serve sachets inside that), add hot water, just wait 10 seconds they say, stir your coffee and enjoy your Italian roast coffee.

You can now enjoy the delicious dark roast coffee with that rich, sweet, roasty and smoky flavor. It is quite strong for me since I am not much into strong coffee. The foodie hubby enjoyed it well. I had to take it easy on this one though it was good enough to drink something hot on this cold rainy evening.

Thanks that we have this and we were able to find it before it will expire next month. We need to use it soon before we completely forget that we have it.

Remember as the pack says, "Never be without great coffee."

Laing from Happy Home - Leandro's

Oh my this Laing from Happy Home (Leandro's Catering) which we had for lunch today did not disappoint TheFoodieMommy and my hubby. It tasted just right for me and the hubby. I was tempted to bring home another order for our dinner but since it has coconut milk and we won't be heading home yet until a few hours after, I decided to just have this again some other time.

They mixed pork in this laing recipe. I wish the cook would be able to share the recipe. This foodie mommy's tummy was really satisfied with the taste of this laing.

Laing is a vegetable dish cooked in coconut milk. It is usually spicy. It is a dish that originated in the Bicol Region where coconut milk is used in most of the local cuisine. It is made from dried taro or gabi leaves and coconut milk. I usually find dried gabi leaves at the Robinsons Supermarket here. I fell in love in laing perhaps becuase I love dishes with gata and I have acquired the fondness for spicy dishes due to my hubby's influence who loves to eat spicy dishes.

I have not eaten this dish while a neighbor we have in my parents' home would usually give this to us. But during the Sooo Pinoy food trip in our own city leg that I was blessed to be a part of, I finally got to try the dish in a few of the restaurants we went to since I have to taste them and that is how I started to eat this dish I somehow avoided before.

I now try to eat laing whenever I see the dish being served. It is kind of like the search for the best laing in town for me now. So far I have tasted a more rich and creamy laing before but this laing was just good for my taste. I enjoyed our simple lunch eating it!

Manang's Chicken Soon to Open in Gaisano Mall Davao

Manang’s Chicken, “Ang Bagong Fried Chicken ng Pinoy,” is opening soon at the 4^th Level of Gaisano Mall. Get your fill soon of our famous soy garlic double deep fried chicken and other delightful treats!

Their first branch outside Luzon will be on soft opening soon from what I heard from a source. They have about 12 branches already since Manang's Chicken became an instant hit, from what I have heard, when they first put up a stall in December of 2010 at the popular food market among foodies which we go to when we travel to Manila known as Mercato Centrale loacted at the corner of 34th Street and 8th Avenue (across MC Home Depot) in Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Taguig City.

I am quite curious to try Manang's Chicken version of soy garlic double deep fried chicken after having tried BonChon's and Chicken Charlie which I both liked. The old Fiesta resto that has closed in SM City Davao also had a good tasting garlic chicken which was our fave there. Among the three I liked Chicken Charlie most when It was still a few months open in Gaisano Mall Davao.

I am looking forward to trying Manang's Chicken and see how the taste fares with the others. See you soon there at their soft opening foodies!

Fried Siomai

This is the new fave fried siomai of TheFoodieMommy and my foodie hubby that we can buy at the school canteen of our dear little kid. We love it the first time we tried it during the recess of a speech fest event where the parents of those performing were invited. We had our heavy snacks at the canteen during their recess and this is what we decided to try then.

This lunch costs P39 that consist of five (5) pieces of fried siomai plus rice and hot sauce (which I did not out take anymore). If you just want to have the siomai, well they sell it at P30 which makes the price of P6 per piece of siomai. That makes the price of the rice at P9. You can opt to buy it at another food stall in the canteen for P8 saving you P1. That saving can still go a long way in the long run for a student in the school. The take out box costs P6. I thought too late that I should have brought to the canteen instead the lunch box of my son and just have this lunch placed there after he has eaten his lunch.

Anyway, I'll do that next time. *wink* The P6 I can save can still buy me a good small cup of iced tea at the first stall there at their canteen where we buy iced tea for our little kid. Well just a mother trying to save a little in our own little way. A student should be able to figure that out. Anyway if you eat at the canteen, they will serve this friend siomai in a bowl for no extra charge at all of course.

Well this lunch already is good for our hungry tummies when we are at our kid's school for lunch. It also more affordable compared to when we have to eat out or in the mall or fastfood when we have not much time to go home for lunch then come back again for awhile to fetch our little kid from school once again.

I tried asking if they sell this siomai and the lady serving me most of the time I order there answered that we can buy a pack of 25 pieces  of not yet fried siomai, though already cooked previously (steamed that is) and has been frozen, for P125. A piece costs P6 same price as when it was already fried. One just need a good deep fryer to fry these siomai. Or you can just steam it again.

Free Soup All You Want

If it's free soup all you want, then here it is from Mandarin Tea Garden in Abreeza Mall.

We just wanted something hot like soup for a rainy night when we were having dinner there but I did not want to order another dish coz I am saving it up for something else later after our dinner. We asked one of their staff, who I assume is their supervisor, if by any chance that they have free soup tonight and he answered, "Yes." So we asked for a little of that hot soup and here is what they gave us. I pray it's clean, hot soup. People may just take this for granted. This hot soup they served to us may just be free but it did warm us a little bit more on this cold, rainy night at the mall having a simple dinner at MTG.

McDonald's Holiday Sweet Pleasures 2013

McDonald's has launched their Holiday Sweet Pleasures 2013 about five days ago. I just found out about it today. Indeed the Christmas holiday for this year is near. Stores everywhere have been launching their holiday offerings.

Here are the posters both courtesy of the McDonalds FB page.

Their new dessert Salted Caramel Sundae is an offering to indulge in a holiday treat that is what they described as the perfect medley of salty and sweet to get the merry mood started early.

For those who loves their McFlurry, there's a new scrumptious brand new holiday flavor which cookie lovers are sure to love. The cookie butter that has been trending for months now has come to be one of their new flavors in their Cookie Butter McFlurry.

There's also the McFlurry with OREO in Merry Berry and OREO flavors. Who loves Oreo? Well this foodie mommy and my lil foodie kid loves Oreo. I would love to try both.

Last but not the least...

The McCafe Coffee Float has been one interesting drink for me when I need to really work late at night. Coffees don't usually have that effect on me to really keep me up all night long. But McDo's Coffee Float has been tested and proven for us as the most effective coffee drink I have taken that kept me awake till the wee hours of 3AM to 4PM. We cannot forget it when we first tried it before with my hubby. We were not able to sleep when we turned in around 2AM which is already really late. We both were kept awake until 3AM and for me till 4AM when finally sleep came to me.

I want try all the new holiday flavors soon! I also that they also have new flavors for the sundae cone. Well let's try them all this holiday season! Kids and kids at heart would be delighted!

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Cafe France's French Donuts - Classic Chocolate and Lemon Custard

I have heard about the cronuts craze since August initially through Instagram and Twitter then on Facebook. So when I knew that Cafe France Opens a New Branch in Davao City at Hai Global in Pryce Business Park, I thought I have a closer place to go to when I want to try out one of the cronuts version available in the city.

For those who are not yet familiar, the cronut is a croissant-doughnut pastry created by a Chef Dominique Ansel for Dominique Ansel Bakery in New York City just this May 2013. When I first saw it, what comes to mind is our local "Otap". I dunno why but it just looks like it. *wink*

The half-croissant, half-donut pastry made a craze in our country a month after that in June this year. I have been hearing and seeing various cronuts from Chef Ansel's, Wildflour Café + Bakery's version which I think was the first in the country to make its own version. There is also Yamato Bakery Café's cronuts, Krispy Kreme's Krispy Krouissant, DolceLatte's croughnuts, Dunkin Donuts donut croissant, Chatime's Kronuts, The French Baker's croinuts, Go Nuts Donuts cronuts. The list could go on. Intercontinental Hotel Makati cro-nuts and Manila Hotel also made their own version of the pastry. Even Vikings Luxury Buffet Restaurant also has their own.

Then this Cafe France's French Donuts was the first one I heard to be available here in the city. It was launched in Manila last August 1. These are available in these flavors:

LEMON CUSTARD: Zesty lemon-sugar icing atop numerous layers of buttery, crisp puff pastry filled with creamy lemon custard paste.

SALTED CARAMEL: A luscious blend of sea salt and caramel icing atop numerous layers of buttery, crisp puff pastry filled with smooth salted caramel pasty.

CLASSIC CHOCOLATE: Silky semisweet chocolate icing with a choco espresso bean atop numerous layers of buttery, crisp puff pastry filled with rich chocolate paste.

The classic chocolate can be my fave for now among the three from Cafe France but I have yet to try the salted caramel which was not available that  time we were there with the foodie hubby having a light brekkie.

The cronuts craze goes on and our city is just catching up to what was started in NY to Manila to our city.

Go Nuts Donuts' Donut Croissants Cro-nuts

Go Nuts Donuts has joined the cro-nuts craze and we're glad to have been invited to try their new offering of Cro-Nuts by Go Nuts Donuts just a week ago when they launched it here in our city.

Exceptional lightness of a donut. Extraordinary crispness of a croissant. A melt-in-your-mouth masterpiece.

Here are the variety of cro-nuts to choose from...

These were the Cro-Nuts available at that time we were invited by Go Nuts Donuts... 

Plain Sugared (Php 75.00) - Go Nuts Donuts donut croissant fried and injected with pastry cream and rolled in sugar.

Chocolate Almond (Php 75.00)- Go Nuts Donuts donut croissant fried and injected with pastry cream, topped with chocolate fudge and sprinkled with almond slivers.

Strawberry Jam (Php 75.00) - Go Nuts Donuts donut croissant fried and filled with pastry cream. Topped with our homemade jam.

Peaches and Cream (Php 75.00) - Go Nuts Donuts donut croissant fried and injected with pastry cream. Topped with whipped cream and peaches.

Among the four I've tasted, I like the chocolate almond most since it's given that we all like chocolate and I personally love almonds! The peaches and cream was also delightful to eat especially when it is freshly made.

The other cro-nuts are...

Apple Cinnamon (Php 75.00) - Go Nuts Donuts donut croissant fried and filled with pastry cream. Rolled in Cinnamon Sugar and topped with homemade apple jam.

BlueBerry Cream Cheese (Php 75.00) - Go Nuts Donuts donut croissant fried and filled with cream cheese and topped with Blueberry Jam.

Hopefully we would be able to try these two other variety soon.

Berry-Stuffed French Toast With Vanilla Yogurt Sauce

Whenever I think about French Toast, I remember a beautiful and kind friend in college who brought me to her house with another friend and she taught us how to make French toast. I really like how she made her french toast! Since then every time I see French toast anywhere, she would almost always come to mind. She is now based and working in Singapore.

Anyway I found this recipe just awhile ago and I want to try it soon or maybe later you know how busy moms can be when it is almost exam week in our little kid's school.

It looks so yummy and I love this kid of toast. I'm craving for it already!

Photo from Food.com

Berry-Stuffed French Toast With Vanilla Yogurt Sauce recipe that I found at Food.com which I would like to try but in a simpler version soon.

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh mixed berries, about 1/2 lb (blueberries, sliced strawberries, raspberries or blackberries)
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/3 cup fat-free sweetened condensed milk
1 (6 ounce) container low-fat vanilla yogurt
10 ounces French bread (1 small loaf)
1 egg
1 egg white
1/3 cup low-fat milk
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
nonstick cooking spray

Directions:

1. Place berries in a small bowl and sprinkle with powdered sugar. For the sauce, spoon about 1/4 of the berries, sweetened condensed milk and yogurt into a blender (or food processor) and puree until smooth; set aside.

2. Cut bread into twelve 1 1/2-inch pieces. Cut into each piece almost all the way through to create a pocket. Stuff the bread slices with remaining sweetened berries and press lightly to close; set aside. Reserve any unused berries to garnish top at serving time.

3. Whisk egg, egg white, milk, granulated sugar, vanilla and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Spray skillet with non-stick cooking spray. Dip stuffed bread slices in egg mixture to coat and cook until lightly browned on both sides, turning once.

4. Spoon sauce onto serving plate, arrange French toast on top and garnish with any remaining berries.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Open House | Espresso Cream Ice Blended & Espresso Cream Iced Latte

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf has sent an invite to their upcoming OPEN HOUSE in their stores nationwaide on August 18, 2013 Sunday.

This foodie mommy and my foodie hubby and kid usually take our time to visit our barista friends at CBTL when they have an open house to try their new offering but as for this time it is said to be a returning favorite.

NOTE: This is open to everyone so bring your family, relatives, friends, officemates, neighbors and enjoy a free taste of their Espresso Cream. No need to print this invite. Just come to their participating stores at the given time next Sunday, August 18.

Check out their poster image and details below from the CBTL invite I got in my email. See you there at the CBTL store we will be going to next Sunday!

Treating Our Customers Is One Of Our Favorite Things To Do.

Join us as we bring back two Returning Favorites: The Espresso Cream Ice Blended® and The Espresso Cream Iced Latte!

Come for a visit on Sunday, August 18, 2013 from 10:00am to 11:30am at all The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® stores in Manila, Batangas, Olongapo, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, General Santos and Davao (except University Mall and CBTL™ Coffee Bars) for some Espresso Cream goodness like no other.

See you there! #tastematters

Source: The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf