Frannywanny

8 years ago, I made my first ever croquette . In fact, the last time I ever did croquette was 2 years ago. Remember my Sardines Croquette ? This is because as easy as it may seem, it actually entails a lot of step and I never really got around to doing it again. Furthermore, I don't really like deep-frying because the thought of cleaning a very greasy pan is enough to discourage me from even entertaining that thought. However, I never thought my culinary creativity will be put to the test the moment I became a Mom...well a Mom of a picky eater. You all know that my little princess L can be quite picky with her food and one thing that she doesn't like is to eat the same dish repeatedly... so, we always have to make sure that we have a new dish every meal so as to entice her to eat. *sigh*  I tell you, my twins are like night and day. As picky as L can be, my little J is so easy to please. Just give him rice, add some sauce or soup and small cubes of meat and he's good. He ...

This year, I got to play queen for two special occasions -- my birthday and Mother's Day . I swear, I was so thrilled by all the surprise gifts that came my way. Delimondo , one of my favorite corned beef brand, made Mother's Day extra memorable for me with their special delivery. Back when I was residing in Singapore, Paul and I would make it a point to fill at least 20% of our luggage with cans of Delimondo Garlic and Chili Corned Beef . It's the yummiest and easiest thing to have when we're in a rush and we don't have time to prepare our baon or dinner. I normally would even cook this with more garlic to make it more aromatic. Of course, it's either I have it with macaroni as how Mommy taught me or a piping hot bowl of rice. This time, we got their newest variants -- Delimondo Caldereta Corned Beef and their Sweet and Spicy Luncheon Meat . I got to admit that this is me taking a step outside my comfort zone as I'm just so used to their original flav...

Despite my short visit home, I made it a point to visit some of my favorite restaurants. True, I have a growing list of new restaurants to try but there are just some times that I would prefer something that's familiar, something that brings comfort, something safe. So, when I was setting a dinner catch-up with my cousins-in-law, I suggested that we go to Hole in the Wall in Century City Mall. If you recall, I've dined there with my family last December but after months of being away, I just have to satisfy my craving for that yummy Buttermilk Fried Chicken from Bad Bird and that to-die-for freshly baked cookies from Scout's Honor . In addition to that, I heard that there were more stalls that opened after my visit so I am definitely heading straight to those. We were a huge group of 9 so you can just imagine the amount of food that went around as we shared all our orders that evening. Let me share with you my top picks :

Myster Dinner.  The first time I heard about this was when I received a very cryptic invite two years ago. Well it had the date, time and meeting place but that was it. No description of what was to happen, no photos, nothing. As much as I am a control freak, the invite surely got my attention and curiosity. Sadly, I received the invite when Paul and I were having our vacation in California so with a heavy heart and an extremely curious brain, I had to send my regrets. It was only a few days after  that I began seeing photos shared by fellow food bloggers and food lovers on what the dinner was all about.  As it turned out, it was a mystery dinner for a cheese brand and all the participants were asked to go to a meeting place. Little did they know was they were about to be "kidnapped" and to be whisked off to another place. It was a good thing that the whole thing was legit or else it surely sounded closely similar to a kidnapping plot, doesn't it? Well, luckily f...

Who doesn't love canned goods? With the wide-variety available in the market, the choices are pretty much endless! Growing up, my sister and I have had a number of  Vienna Sausages and Spam in the morning, Sardines Pasta once in a while and our ever favorite Corned Beef Macaroni every single time the craving arises. In fact, one Christmas Day when we all had to skip our annual family dinner because my sister was sick and all four of us have to stay home, Mommy prepared a plate of Corned Beef Macaroni to cheer us up. This is a pretty special recipe because my Mom learned this from her best friend's Mom who according to Mommy was an awesome cook! I love all types of Corned Beef from Palm to the local Purefoods. I love mixing this not only with macaroni but of course with rice! For me, it's one very versatile food item that goes well with rice, bread, pasta, crackers, egg and a lot more! Of course, it's also yummy when eaten alone. While talking about Corned Beef ...

My family can be pretty picky when it comes to enjoying Filipino food. Back when we were kids, the only two restaurants that have successfully garnered the seal of approval of my food-loving grandpa and mom were Harana of the EDSA Shangri-la Hotel and Kamayan . However, as soon as a restaurant gets our two thumbs-up, they can be assured of long-lasting loyalty from the entire family. This was the case with the two previously mentioned restaurants-- Harana was our regular Sunday dinner venue where we all grew fond of its delicious Laing, Sinigang soup and Garlic Rice. Our Sundays would begin with an afternoon tea session at the lobby of EDSA Shangri-la where the adults would catch up with one another while the kids were taught how to enjoy tea sandwiches and an assortment of mini pastries and scones. My sister and I loved the sugar cubes that would be served together with our tea. After which, we will be allowed to roam around the hotel and play by the pool side. Come dinner time, t...