Surprise Sylvanas!

Work. 

My life has officially jumped from college student, to college graduate, to unemployed, and to being employed. 

This time, I had been given a new task, and let me just say that I love it! Yes, it's really challenging and everything is still new to me, but everyone starts from scratch, yeah? 

The new task required me to focus and devote 100% of my work time. So, me and my team were stationed in a conference room so we could not be bothered and so we could focus, focus, focus. 

Anyway, I was really surprised and glad when Ate Honey (a really good friend of mine from our HR Team, and our company nurse) handed me a piece of a classic butter sylvana around snack time. 

If you can take a step back or click backwards through my blog, I had already posted what sylvana is. HAHA. 

Soft and smooth batter outside with that butter filling bursting at the center. :)

Pick Less, Pick PikNIk.

My movie buddy. My comfort food. 

That is exactly what PikNik is to me. Long ago, when I cared less for what I eat (which is sort of ironic right now, given that I have and run a food blog HAHA), I preferred the original salted PikNik. 

But, now that I do care, I'm not comprising all that PikNik goodness and crunch. Instead, every chance I get to grocery-shop at S&R, I would grab a can or two of some tall 50% Less Salt PikNik. 

Has the same tastiness. Has the same memories. ;)

Mini Magic in Your Mouth!

Mini versions of happiness, this is what I call 'em. 

A bag of assorted Hershey's mini bars : Special Dark Chocolate, Krackel, Hershey's Milk Chocolate, and finally, Mr. Goodbar. 

This stayed in our fridge for more than a month because nobody at home was familiar with the other assortments in this bag. To save it from expiring, I literally took it out of the bag, and laid it front of the fam after dinner one night, and made them taste everything, 

Once we got talking, we also got finishing the whole bag. Yey! 

Super love Hershey's. :)

Black Forest on a Cup.

Throughout the years, Black Forest has been associated with a gorg cake. 

Today, I'm trying out Zagu's Black Forest shake. I expected it to look darker and possible have a reddish hue (from the cherry flavor), but it looked like an ordinary chocolate or mocha shake. 

It may have looked like any other shake, but boy, did it taste like Black Forest alright. HAHA. 

All the elements of Black Forest were there - sweet chocolate, tangy cherry, and just a hint of that rum. 

Not bad! :)

Independence Day Macaroons!

Happy Independence Day, Philippines!

It's officially my first holiday as an employee, but don't get me wrong, I wasn't just lying around and catching up on sleep like most people on holidays. I was actually out on duty for a job fair. 

Being the Recruitment-in-Charge, I organized and arranged for our attendance to the annual Independence Day job fair this year. It was definitely a first for me, being the one doing the interview instead of being the applicant. 

Not only have I learned so much from the experience, I also got to know my colleagues better. 

What I remember most about this day is also the fact that the company car that we were using while we were headed home accidentally backward-bumped another vehicle. :O

Thank God, the whole situation was solved without much drama. HAHA. 

To reward myself for the effort and knowledge I acquired today, I spent a bit of my salary on buying myself two delish french macaroons. 

I went to the little, cozy shop at the far end of SM Northwing, Vanille Cakes and Patisseries. Ordered myself  one Cookies and Cream French Macaroon, and one Hazelnut French Macaroon.

Love it. :)

Chocolate Theme - Chocolate Dream!

Chocolate saves everything. 

And a box of these chocolate-themed donuts from Krispy Kreme is certainly enough to make any chocolate addict and/or donut-addict extremely happy. 

From the left (top) : Chocolate Kreme Cake with Oreos, Glazed Devil's Food Cake, Snickers Doughnut

From the left (bottom) : Chocolate-Iced & Custard-Filled Doughnut, KitKat Doughnut, Chocolate-Iced & Creme-Filled Doughnut

My personal favorite would always be the one with the oreos! HAHA. I love it when my mom brings home a box of sweet delights. :)

Do-It-Yourself Creations Part 1 : Spread 'n' Top!

It was one boring afternoon, and I wanted a snack. A good snack. 

After staring at our pantry for a full 2 minutes . . . AHA!

I found a few of my favorite cookies, Chips Ahoy Reduced Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies, fresh and ripe bananas, and chunky Skippy Peanut Butter. 

Combining three of my faves, I attempted to create a snack that shows how I like my food and a snack that only certified weird foodies like me would also like. HAHA. 

Using the Chips Ahoy choco chip cookies as my base, I spread some chunky peanut butter on top (not too many, as to not overcome the cookies), and finally finishing it off with two slices of banana.

And here you have my sinful, possibly fattening, and foodgasmic snack. ;)

Mint Shakes!

Walking in the mall on Sundays usually make me thirsty. And getting thirsty means I also get tempted into buying one of Black Pearl's affordable, but tasty shakes. 

As you may have already guessed, I'm big on chocolate and anything that is 85-90% chocolate. HAHA. Buuut, I decided to change my usual and predictable chocolate shake.

Sooo, I went with a Chocolate Mint Shake with chewy black pearls. The best thing about this shake is not only its minty flavor and pure chocolatey-ness, but it had an added crunch with crushed nuts. 

This shake definitely motivated me to walk more and window-shop more. Even when I'm still in heels. Lol. 

A Date with Dates!

I got so used to eating either chocolate-covered almonds OR chocolate-covered raisins, that I was surprised (in a good way, HAHA) with what we received from a friend at Dubai. 

Combining two elegant ingredients and covering it with chocolate is probably one of the best ideas anyone has ever had. 

Munching on chocolate-covered almonds AND dates is certainly a good way to start eating a healthier version of desserts. 

I would love another bag of these. :)

Candy Canes on June!

Peppermint and candy canes are usually associated with Christmas.

It's just the middle of June, and I had a bit more time to have breakfast drink before going to work that day. So, I made myself a cup of Second Cup's Candy Cane White Chocolate. 

The hint of mint and white chocolate was enough to start the day right. 

I want to thank my aunt who sent this delish drink from Canada. Hoping for a second can! HAHAHA. 

A cup of this will definitely warm up your stomach on a cold morning. Very cozy. Very homey. :)

Thumbs up! 

Go Nutty on Pistchs!

Since the word "pistachios" is a mouthful, my brilliant mind came up with its nickname, "Pistchs". 

Ice cream tonight. Having been used to buying and consuming either chocolate-flavored and chocolate-based or ube-flavored dairy, we decided it was time to go nutty by having  Selecta's Pistachio and Cashews Ice Cream. 

Just enough sweetness, and the texture of the nuts compliment the smooth ice cream perfectly. 

Good Things Come in 3s!

They say that the healthiest kind of chocolate is Dark Chocolate. 

What more can I ask for with a huge bag of Hershey's Special Dark Mini Bars. It comes in three amazing mixes : with peanuts, with crispies, and of course, pure mildly sweet dark chocolate. 

Personally, I prefer the one with peanuts. I remember stopping by the  fridge every morning or every after dinner to grab a piece and just taste its bittersweet yumminess. HAHA. 

The funny thing about this bag of chocolates is that it was too many for us to handle. One day, we found out that it was expiring in less than 2 weeks and the bag was still have full. To save these mini bars, almost everyday, I would bring about 10 pieces to the office and pass it around to my officemates. Voila! It was gone before I could even say Dark Chocolate. HAHA. 

Will get another bag soon! :)

Together It's FUNNER!

Yes, "funner" isn't exactly a valid word. I'm not even sure if it exists. HAHA. 

Anyway, this ice cream on a cone is the epitome of a perfect combination. Soft vanilla and chocolate ice cream swirled amazingly into a crispy sugar cone. 

What I love about this is its extremely good and extremely affordable. 

For only P15.00 at your nearest 7Eleven store, it's enough to give you that ice cream goodness you're looking for. And the vanilla-chocolate combination is perf if you can't decide which flavor to get. 

New fave right here! 

See Food? SEAFOOD!

Dinner out with the fam bam. 

Another resto to try once more. And we decided to for some good grilled food at Lamesa Grill at SM Cebu Northwing. 

Seated on an outside table, feeling the breezy night, I really enjoyed their Seafood Platter. 

A plate of grilled seafood right in front me errbody. Grilled baby mussels, grilled squid, grilled blue marlin, and grilled shrimp. 

Tasted good, but I would have loved it if it were served in bigger portions. I mean, it was called a platter after all. HAHA. 

Work on your serving size, and I'll be back soon. :)

Filipino Choco AGAIN.

Lookie what we have today. 

Just when I had a Chocolate Moron last week at the office, mom brings home a bundle of more of them today. 

I know, I know. It looks pretty weird, and probably disturbing if you're not familiar with the delicacy. HAHA. I don't even wanna continue the thought. Lol. 

This one had more chocolate flavor, and it totally won me over. Chocolate wins anything. HAHA. 

Filipino Choco!

Filipinos take pride on the variety of delicacies offered in every region. 

One of my faves would be Chocolate Suman Moron. And it was provided today by one of our part time employees, Mae. Fresh from Leyte, she brought chocolate moron wrapped in banana leaf. 

Unwrapping suman has always been a challenge for me. It's sticky and needs effort but rewarding when you get the treat inside. HAHA. 

Made with glutinous rice (locally called "malagkit"), and infused with cocoa and/or chocolate. 

Happy office day. Thanks, Mae. :)

Eat Green, Eat Clean!

Dinner tonight was a product of an attempt of a healthy meal and an experiment. 

Not being able to try this recipe yet, we were all excited to have a taste when it finished cooking. 

Weeeeeell, I got a teeny bit excited and had to take a picture when it was still in our wok. Which by the way, is one ancient wok. HAHA. But that's completely besides the point. 

Anyway, now presenting a classic Asian dish, chopsuey (stir fried vegetables in a thick chopsuey sauce), and we mixed it up with my choice of seafood tofu and chicken balls. 

Not your everyday chopsuey, but you will certainly want it everyday. 

It's green, healthy, and super good. :)

Skippin' It Real.

A childhood favorite of mine, peanut butter. 

With this creamy and chunkier version of Skippy, I can eat this just by itself. No bread, no crackers, and even no fruits. 

A few days into buying this uber chunky and smooth Skippy peanut butter, I found myself dipping a teaspoon at least once a day to scoop up a portion. 

I'm cheating myself. I'm cheating on my diet. HAHA. 

A Sweet Breakfast.

Finally recovered from my sore throat. Yay!

To celebrate, I broke my morning streak of not eating breakfast by having one amazing bread by Leona's Cakes and Pastries. 

Being just the right size, it's a moist bread filled with melted chocolate, and topped with chocolate swirls and almond slivers. 

I'm not a big fan of bread, but I certainly am a fan of this. 

Sweet sweet breakfast indeed. :)

We All Get Sore Throats.

Reality bites. But in this case, it decided to scrape up my throat. 

My first few months being part of the best Human Resource team, I can definitely say that I have developed and learned a lot of skills, knowledge and organization. 

One of things I learned is to TALK. Because when you're in HR, you need to talk. A LOT. 

So, all the talking plus the cold AC blowing right in my face (and unfortunately, on my throat), I woke up one day with a sore throat, and a raspy almost-gone voice. 

Since I had to keep talking, I opted to buy a cooler, less sweeter Strepsils to cure the bug. 

Super cool. Super effective. 

The Good Kind of BLUE!

Who would have thought that blue cheese in junk food would be this good?

I was Instagram-stalking (yes, I do that. Lol.) a few days back, and I found a picture of this unique junk food. At that moment, I knew I had to buy myself one of these. HAHA. 

I scoured the Internet, and discovered that they don't sell this much here in Cebu. I was on the verge of giving up. 

However, one fine day, I was at the mall, and I just had lunch with my mom. I had convinced her to go get a cup of frozen yogurt at Golden Spoon. I was standing by the counter and TA-DAAAA . . . a bag of Herr's Buffalo Blue Cheese was standing right there. Yep, right there on the counter. No more questions asked. I instantly got one bag. HAHA. 

Once I tasted it when I got back home, I couldn't believe the favor it has. The tangy flavor of blue cheese incorporated in cheese curls was SURREAL. :)

Munch munch Munchkins!

Craving for a donut. But cutting down on the calorie intake. 

The best way to satisfy the dilemma is to buy a variety of Dunkin Donut's Muchkins. 

Smaller and cuter versions of their classic donuts, just enough to get the sweetness and donut goodness. 

Tonight, the fam and I went out to dinner. And after having a savory meal, I couldn't help but want to end the night with a bit of sweetness. We were passing by a Dunkin Donuts store, and I just knew I had to get some donut. HAHA. 

I honestly stood in front of the counter for a good 5 minutes, trying to think through the best flavor to get. Hmmm. Yes, I'm serious about my donuts. Lol.

At the end, I decided to get 2 pieces of Choco Butternut (my ultimate favorite flavor); 2 pieces of Bavarian Creme (coated with sugar and filled with creamy bavarian); and lastly, 1 piece of classic chocolate munchkin covered with coconut shavings. 

Satisfaction for just P25.00. :)

Sizzle Me.

Everybody who's tasted sizzling, hot, spicy, pork sisig instantly becomes in love with it. And I'm definitely not an exception. 

I've loved Pork Sisig for a long time. And Chikaan sa Cebu's Sizzling Pork Sisig is really good. 

Spicy and sizzling hot, with finely chopped pork, it was enough to satisfy my craving for the night. 

No matter how good it is, however, you have to start eating it while its hot and fresh out of the kitchen and into that sizzling plate. Leave it out in the cold for a second too long, and the pork starts sticking at the pan. And you don't want to have burnt pork sticking at the plate, right? HAHA. 

Cheatin' with some Cheetos!

Cheatday junk food day. 

One of my favorite big bag of cheesy junk food goodness, Cheetos Puffs. 

I don't need to say more on how great and satisfyingly good these puffs are. Just the right size, right crisp, and right cheesiness.

I know I've been saying 'cheese' a lot, so I'm gonna stop. HAHAHA.

Go and grab some at the grocery store nearest yooou!

Beat the Biko.

First, let me explain what biko is. 

Biko is a traditional and classic Filipino delicacy and a favorite of many. It's made from sticky rice (malagkit), brown sugar, coconut milk, and for this one, a hint of zesty lemon. 

Personally, I don't usually go around eating biko all the time, but when a good family friend handed a plateful of this sweet rice, who am I to deny such blessing?

Super love the contrast between the familiar taste of sweet biko and the unique lemon flavor incorporated in it. 

Being Filipino, Means ADOBO.

One of the best, and most memorable Filipino dishes (especially to foreigners, mind you) is Adobong Manok or Chicken Adobo. 

Having this tonight on our dining table made me feel the warmth of being in a Filipino home and the comfort that only homemade food and family can bring. 

Chicken Adobo, made with choice pieces of chicken, soy sauce, vinegar, pepper, and all other condiments, has always been, and will always be a personal favorite. 

You Go Mango Yogu.

I've always been a big fan of yogurt. 

Passing by the dairy section at the local supermarket, and see the rows and rows of flavored yogurt just made me want to buy one. And, I did. Haha.

I got my favorite favorite flavor from Nestle Fruit Selections, Mango!

I super love the creamy yogurt goodness, and the chunky bits of ripe mangoes in it. Yummy and healthy and good for the digestion. 

Wasn't contented with just a measly cup, so I got one container of it. HAHA. 

Coffee for Free!

Work.

This is my new reason to wake up everyday. HAHA. Don't get me wrong. I've been enjoying work so far. But, Monday mornings aren't really my best times. Lol.

To get me started this fine *sarcasm* Monday morning, I decided to make myself a cup of some good ol' coffee before I leave for work. I didn't want to spend an extra 20 bucks to get myself a coffee later on, so I opted for some free instant coffee at home. HAHA. 

Been having this yummy coffee for some time now. G7 is a Vietnamese coffee brand with that rich flavor that will surely wake you up. The best thing about it is that it doesn't leave your mouth with that horrible after-coffee taste. HAHA. 

Oh, and I super love it's Cappuccino flavor! Yey. 

You Make Me So HOT!

Being in California, and being with our Vietnamese friends, I learned about this awesome sauce.

A bottle of Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce was the one thing that I made sure we brought back home to the Philippines! Good thing, I grabbed one at WalMart! HAHAHA. 

Perfect for any fried dish, or even for dishes with some soup! Trust me on this one!

Appetizing, will leave you wanting more, and without a doubt, spicy to the highest level.

Make every meal one HOT experience. ;)

Certified 90's Kid!

Who else remembers eating CHOCOLATE GOLD COINS when they were kids??? 

I know I do! HAHA. One of the cheapest, funnest, and best kiddie chocolate any 90's kid has eaten! Growing up, I remember so much fond memories in the playground with my friends, afternoon naps at the house, and even moments of kiddie drama whenever I eat on gold coin!

Wrapped in that shiny gold foil, I used to pretend that they were real money and that I was rich as hell if I had about 3-5 pieces of gold coins. And at the end of my play time, I always open them up and pop them into my mouth for that chocolate sugar rush!

Sooo, when my supervisor offered me some last Tuesday afternoon, I did not hesitate to take them! HAHAHA. I super missed this! 

Now I miss being a kid! ;)

Classics with a Kick.

One of my mom's fave, and also one of the best Filipino-style dishes.

For lunch, I had a bowl of Max's Restaurant's healthy Tofu con Lechon Kawali. Deep fried slices of tofu with crispy fried pork, served with diced green peppers, carrots, and onions in a light soy sauce-vinegar dressing. 

It's healthy, satisfying, and all-Filipino!

The Most Challenging Delicacy!

Eat one whole piece and try to blow or whistle at the same time. 

This is probably the funniest and the most challenging game that I've known since I was a kid. One of the best childhood memories! HAHA.

Presenting, Goldilock's Polvoron! It is a soft, crumbly, and heavy Spanish shortbread made with milk, flour, sugar, and nuts. Since it is so packed, one piece is definitely more than a mouthful! HAHAHA. 

Super yummy, super fun to eat, and a favorite Filipino delicacy! 

Froyo Should Be Eaten with a Golden Spoon!

Monday! And it's finally my day-off. HAHA.

Still, I had to go run a work-related errand during the day. But no matter, I had finished it before lunch, and I had time to eat with my mom at SM. 

Before I went home, we stopped by Golden Spoon to get me some froyo. Naturally, I chose the Belgian Chocolate flavor! Lol.

A cupful of gluten-free Belgian Chocolate frozen yogurt was definitely the highlight of my day. Everything is better with chocolate, indeed. HAHA. 

Love!

Cebuano Mangoes!

It's Sunday. And I just got home from work. And an overtime at that. 

I had changed my day-off from Sunday to Monday for this week to finish up on two projects in the office. Well, it's not yet done, but at least it has made a significant progress. HAHA. 

Anyway, when I got home, I could smell the sweet scent of ripe mangoes from our dining table. And luckily, I found some chilled mangoes in our ref! Yey!

Nothing beats the natural sweetness of ripe mangoes, especially when they're chilled! ;)

Corn Corn Cornick!

One of my favorite childhood snacks, everytime we go to our province, Ilocos Sur. 

Presenting, Namnama's Garlic-flavored Chichacorn! Bought and made from Vigan. Authentic taste of crispy and crunchy cornick to make your day a happy day! HAHAHA. 

Munch, crunch, love! 

Pomelo Lovin'

I've been reducing my junk food intake.

And whenever I get hungry during the afternoon or at mid-morning, instead of eating a bag of chips, I reach in our refrigerator and grab one pomelo wedge. 

It's juicy, healthy, low-calorie, and makes a good snack! Not only can it satisfy your hunger, it also cools you down from this unbelievable summer heat. 

Cheers to fruits and diet! ;)

Doughnuts Just Got Krazier!

Fresh from the Mall of Asia Krispy Kreme branch. 

A box containing the delectable flavors of Krispy Kreme:

-Snickers Doughnut : Fluffy doughnut topped with chocolate glaze, and bits of caramel, nougat, chocolate, and nuts, inspired by the yummy Snickers bar! 

-New York Cheesecake : Yummy doughnut with creamy cheesecake filling, topped with cream cheese icing, and graham cracker crunches!

-Hershey's Cookies and Kreme : A doughnut topped with iced vanilla, and sprinkled with bits of the original Hershey's Cookies and Cream.

-Powdered Strawberry Filling ; Bursting with sweet strawberry jam filling, and dusted with fine white sugar.

-Peanut Butter and Creme : Hand-dipped doughnuts into Reese's Peanut Butter flavor, and topped with vanilla icing.

This, right here, is doughnut heaven! All your favorite chocolates now in Krispy Kreme's delish doughnuts! Yey!

Fun Day Fundae Sundae!

I know it's not yet the weekend. But I wanted to indulge tonight, anyway. HAHA.

On our way to the airport to pick up my tita from her vacation, we stopped by Mcdonalds which was conveniently near a 7-Eleven. I wanted to have some ice cream, but unfortunately, Mcdonalds only had "melty" ice cream. Lol. No way I'm eating that! HAHAHA.

Sooo, I went in 7-Eleven and got myself the very cheap, but VERY BIG Chocolate Fundae Cone! Yey! One big sugar cone with a tall chocolate soft ice cream swirl. 

Chocogasm errbody! ;)

Chick Chick Chicken!

Lunch hour from work again!

Still sitting here at Cobo, with my Sweet Chili Chicken Chops Meal, using their free WiFi connection and chillin' like a villain from all the office work. HAHA.

What I love about this meal is the fact that it's so affordable, but super yummy at the same time! A deep-fried chicken breast fillet with a sweet chili sauce in a bed of hot white rice. 

It's low-calorie, delish, and definitely worth the eat!

Ahoy, Chips Ahoy!

Whoever invented this is a GENIUS.

I was so happy when I saw that my mom bought this! Chips Ahoy Reduced Fat in the house! Hooray! 

Because Ma knows how much I love my chocolates and cookies, AND she also knows how I freakishly follow my diet and keep a food diary for my calorie intake. HAHA. 

She bought me Chips Ahoy Reduced Fat to satisfy my chocolate-chip cookie cravings, without worrying too much on calories and fat! Yipee!

Perf snack for cookie addicts and diet-conscious people like me! 

Just can't let go of my chocolate chips!