Sherra's Taste of Life

I missed the big 6 month celebration of Presto Pasta Night of OnceUponAFeast ( sigh...) Thus, I made sure this time my entry came in early. I thought of something that will go as a complete meal. This means having carbohydrates, protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals in it. So, here's an all original recipe of our Beef & Vegetables Hofan that satisfied this criteria. This noodle dish is actually a spin-off of Beef Broccoli in Oyster Sauce which, is a favorite family viand. Hence, you may also opt to serve the beef recipe with rice if you're not in the mood for pasta. I just love the flexibility of it! Preparation time: 5 mins Cooking time: 15 mins Serves 5 Ingredients : 1 400 g pack of Hofan Noodles (Rice Noodles) 1/2 kg sirloin beef, cut thinly in serving portions 1 small sized carrots, cut in rounds 1 cup broccoli flower, cut in serving portions 1 cup cauliflower, cut in serving portions 1 small sized onion, chopped 5 cloves garlic, chopped 1/4 cup oyster sauce 1/2 cup...

I do heart coffee. If you get interested to read this post, perhaps you are too! The mushrooming of café and coffee shops and the birth of enormous coffee products are living proofs of its growing market. It is now one of the most wanted drinks in all age segments. Yes, young and adults alike. Today, drinking coffee at a very young age is no longer taboo. In fact, scenes of bonding parents and kids frequent cafés. Other than that, isn't it interesting how coffee is personified in many different ways and positioned in most inviting views? Think of a warm conversation between husband and wife over a cup of coffee. Think of connecting with friends, meeting new people or doing business. All things important to us, we frequently do with coffee around. Thus far, it's no longer just a drink made more readily available, it's already a lifestyle. So, here are some of the bits and pieces behind that delightful cup of coffee... Is there really something good in coffee? Yes, definite...

TRINOMA - the youngest Ayala Mall recently opened in Quezon City, generally shows nothing new. It basically has the same mall offering as those we already frequented anywhere in the Metro. Some things worth noting are probably, the proliferation of "new", imported stuffs like this beauty and skin care shop from Australia (the name just didn't register so well so I can't remember), nice landscape outside the mall, being the birthplace of some new restaurants and cafe such as Five Cows and Mrs. Fields Cookie Cafe, spacious cinema lobby and game zone, convenient location and for in-housing another shoppers' haven, the Landmark. Unfortunately, it's still one of the many unopened stores in the mall. One thing that needs significant improvement though is the availability of better signages to and from the carpark area. We find the existing quite confusing and hardly recognizable. On a lighter note, below are some of our good finds that'll give enough reasons f...

Kids seemed so lucky nowadays. Their needs are simplified, tailored fit, made more fun and even better. From more comfortable nappies to power packed milks and vitamins, to more educational toys and techie gadgets even to fun hair grooming ! Moms and dads fret no more! Gone are the days for this frightening, so hard to do hair cutting activity. Kiddie Salons made it all easier for us. It simply makes the hair comb - scissors encounter more enjoyable and less traumatic. So what's in a kiddie salon experience? Apart from that refreshing new hair cut, inviting and familiar toys with some favorite kiddie programs await young customers in this establishment. This provides a comforting ambiance to the kid that'll help make the job easier to do. Let's just call it a needed conditioning process . It should be emphasized however, that the skills and the patience of the hair stylist is of prime importance as in making the place more entertaining as possible. Valuing kids' saf...

Scott of Real Epicurian is hosting this weeks' WHB (weekend herb blogging by Kalyn's Kitchen ). It's rainy season here in the Philippines. Because of the cold weather, craving for comfort food and drinks is inevitable. It's not surprising then that a picture of warm, soothing cup of tea lingered in my mind. So, off I went to the pantry and concocted a " ginger cinnamon tea " . Preparation time: 15 mins Serves 1 Ingredients: 1 - 1 1/2 tbsps crushed ginger (fresh, peeled) 1 tsp muscovado or brown sugar 1/8 tsp cinnamon powder 1 cup water Procedure: 1. Boil ginger in 1 cup of water for 10 minutes. 2. Strain and transfer the ginger tea in a tea cup. 3. Stir in sugar and cinnamon, mix well. Enjoy while hot ** honey is also a good alternative for muscovado or brown sugar for an added caramel note Ginger root is believed to be a very good remedy to most common respiratory ailments such as cold, cough and sore throat. But not only that, it can also be ...

Scott of Real Epicurian is hosting this weeks' WHB (weekend herb blogging by Kalyn's Kitchen ). It's rainy season here in the Philippines. Because of the cold weather, craving for comfort food and drinks is inevitable. It's not surprising then that a picture of warm, soothing cup of tea lingered in my mind. So, off I went to the pantry and concocted a " ginger cinnamon tea " . Preparation time: 15 mins Serves 1 Ingredients: 1 - 1 1/2 tbsps crushed ginger (fresh, peeled) 1 tsp muscovado or brown sugar 1/8 tsp cinnamon powder 1 cup water Procedure: 1. Boil ginger in 1 cup of water for 10 minutes. 2. Strain and transfer the ginger tea in a tea cup. 3. Stir in sugar and cinnamon, mix well. Enjoy while hot ** honey is also a good alternative for muscovado or brown sugar for an added caramel note Ginger root is believed to be a very good remedy to most common respiratory ailments such as cold, cough and sore throat. But not only that, it can also be a good cleans...

In May-June 2007 issue of MomsToday (a parenting magazine in the Philippines), they featured the "10 tips to raise young readers". This article caught my attention because we certainly are raising a " book lover ". According to Michelle Gan, "reading is the first skill required to understand and apply concepts, both at work and in life". We are glad that we did not have any difficulty instilling this skill with our son even at a very young age. He’s still a tot but he's someone who would rather trade toys for books. I’ve already proven this a number of times. We don’t have to drag him to go to a bookstore instead of a toyshop. Hence, it was such a treat for him when we went to the newly opened Fully Booked in Bonifacio High Street. As expected, he did not go out of the store empty handed. Some friends are asking me how we honed him as such. I think primarily because we started as early as possible. From the moment I felt him growing inside my tummy, ...

Umenoya , a japanese term for a flower is a popular Japanese Restaurant in Paseo de Sta. Rosa. It offers great selection of real tasty japanese cuisine. The best time to dine here is during lunch. Because it is only at lunch time that they offer the bento sets at affordable prices (starts at P200++). On other meal occasions you have to order a la carte style and you may find that some food are a bit over priced. We keep on coming back here and undoubtedly, the taste is consistently good. Unfortunately, we noticed that the service is deteriorating in quality. My colleagues and I recently dined here and we were so dismayed with the poor service rendered to us. We’ve been standing inside the resto for quite awhile waiting for a waiter to approach us and give us some seats. But all that we saw were crews running here and there at the top of their voices. For seconds, we thought we were given a market feel instead of a decent to say the least ambiance! When we were finally seated after mak...

I've been an avid follower of Bo Sanchez's writings. I have copies of all his eight national best sellers. His works speak of a thousand life realizations and perspectives, truly enriching that it can work miracles to a reader's life. Perhaps, this makes him one of the most influential people in the Philippines. 8 Secrets of the Truly Rich is the title of his recent book. Who would not make a turn merely seeing the title of the book? Eye catchy, mind inviting, I think you will agree. Especially during this time when most people are yearning for financial liberation and abundance. Bo , actually presented things that probably we are already aware of or might have even heard before. But these are exactly the same things we need to be reminded of and be reminded more. He put financial blessings and material abundance in a different context, to a higher level I must say. Hence, the title - Truly Rich makes no less than appropriate. In a nutshell, as Bo has put it, financial ig...

It happened once again, I almost didn't make it to this Presto Pasta Night by Ruth Daniels of Once Upon A Feast . Why am I always beating the deadline huh? I think I really need to make some improvements on my blog hopping activity. Lucky me this time! I still had a day to prepare for my initial entry. This is another fun and exciting activities of food bloggers around. Each week, all pasta lovers are encouraged to submit a pasta dish of their own and share it with the rest of the blogging community. Ruth makes a wrap up on fridays so everyone can have something to relish on weekends. Being a big fan of Pasta, I simply can't pass on this one. By the way, Pasta here means all types of NOODLES . After checking what ingredients I've got in our pantry, I've decided to make this simple, popular Filipino-Chinese noodle dish called " Stir-fried Chow Mein Noodles ". It is more commonly known in the Philippines as Pancit Canton . ** read Ruth Daniels' wrap up he...

It's Weekend Herb Blogging once again by Kalyn's Kitchen . The host for this week is Zorra of Kochtopf . Last week I blogged about Moringa , one of the nutritious leaves we have in the planet. This week, I am featuring its nutritious kin Ampalaya, scientifically known as Momordica Charantia and Bitter Melon in English. Ampalaya is a widely cultivated plant in the Philippines. It's getting more and more popular nowadays due to its invaluable health benefits. In actual fact, a number of researches have proven Ampalaya’s ability to increase the production of “ beta cells ” by the pancreas. This leads to the body’s improved production of insulin. In this way, Ampalaya became most notable for its effectiveness to combat diabetes. We are proud that the Philippine variety is considered as the most potent. Thus, the Department of Health of the Philippines (DOH) endorsed it as one of the best herbal medicines for liver problems and diabetes. In the Philippines, taste preference ...

Warm from the oven PIZZA , rich CHOCOLATEY treat, frosty ICE CREAM , delightful DOUGHNUTS , creamy PARFAITS , savoury CHIPS , oh so yummy CAKES , mouth-watering STEAKS , even that lip-smacking, crispy Lechon (fire-roasted pork) ...the list can go on and on. These are the foods we often get to indulge. We normally heart them because they deliver pleasure and satisfaction in many different notes. The word indulgent is defined here as tolerant, lenient, favourably inclined, yielding to the wishes or appetites, mostly to excessive consumption – put it simply, to give in. All yummy attributes just seemed so fitting to indulgent foods. In fact, we often end it with “insanely delicious!” remarks. On the contrary, they are also referred to as “sinful”. Enticing and delectable as they can be, indulgent foods can also take their toll on our health. These are the foods that usually contain substances which when taken in excessive amounts can lead to unhealthy results. Indulgent foods are typic...

Food for Thought is one of Our Taste of Life’s categories where I find great joy in writing. The topics that I’ve blogged and still wish to share in the future are those close to my heart and profession. Thus, you may have noticed that posts on “ better for you foods ” is becoming a trend in this blog. I feel blessed to encounter all these stuff and delighted that I can share them with you. Being a Food Technologist, in some way a part of me says that Food Professionals owe the consuming public a big chunk of information. We all ought to know what’s in the food we’re patronizing. Identify what good we will get from consuming it and discern if it will match the value of our hard earned money. Besides, food is the most important element for us to keep going and continue our living. Likewise, it can also be the determining factor of our " shelf life " here on earth. Hence, smart eating, healthy living is becoming a mantra now. So, what's in store for the consumers? What...

For Discount Hunters out there, this might be an interesting place for you. A growing community of Paseo de Sta. Rosa offers a wide array of choices on sports apparel and other sporting goods, swim wear and branded clothing all for discounted prices. Brands with depots here are North Face, Dunlop, Levi's, Dockers, Adidas, Nike, Speedo, Gas, United Colors of Benetton, AND 1 and Mizuno. Discount rates range from 20% - 50%. If you get lucky, sometimes you can also chance upon a 70% discount. Most of the stores replenish their stocks on wednesdays or fridays. Thus, you may drop by a day after any of these two days. Normally, buyers flock on weekends so if you'll visit on saturday or sunday make sure you'll be there early. Stores open at 10:00 am and close at 9:00 pm. How to get there: From Manila - drive down SLEX (south luzon expressway) and take Sta. Rosa Exit. Turn right from the Coca Cola Plant and drive through the Sta. Rosa - Tagaytay Road. Paseo de Sta. Rosa is located a...