Food Friday

This week's Featured in Food Friday player is...

Manang Kim, who owns the blog @my tabletop, with her blog post: Street Food.

Most of us like to nibble or munch in between meals. We all try to eat healthy (well, at least I'd like to think so) but of course sometimes we just can't resist all those sweet/spicy/salty/savoury/oily snacks that is all around us. I don't think eating chips is bad but everything must be in moderation. Enough said, lol. Just head on over to Manang Kim's post and check out what else they had that day! Just click on the shot above and you'll get there safe and sound. 

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My food post for this week is something that I used to have on a weekly basis when I was growing up: Sauteed Halaan (Ark Shell) <------ am not sure if that's the proper name of the bivalve, so do correct me if i'm wrong. :)

Ingredients

• fresh live halaan shells (I bought a kilo)
• ginger, onion, garlic (all thinly sliced and diced)
• vegetable oil, pepper, water

Procedure:

• Place the shells on water and set aside.
• Prepare the ginger, onion, and garlic. You may opt to pound the ginger and garlic, like what we used to do back then...I just like mine small since I like to eat the garlic bits. Weird, I know. lol
• Heat the pan, then add the vegetable oil (use whatever oil you like). Place the ginger, onion and garlic on to the pan, then stir for about a minute or so under low heat.
• Remove the shells from the water then dump them on the hot pan. Stir for a bit then add water (just enough to cover the shells). Add pepper.
• Cover and let simmer for around five to ten minutes, or until the shells have opened.
• Best served hot.

We were fortunate enough to be growing up on a coastal area so we had access to all the fresh bounty that the surrounding waters had to offer. Shot above was taken two days ago when I accompanied SIL to the wet market...and that's where I saw the "halaan". Of course, I just had to buy one kilo to bring home (it costs only Php40 - more or less just US$1!!) and cook them (with my SIL's permission, of course, since that's where we're staying right now)! lol.

*all shots taken using phonecam...no fancy-shmancy shots in my food post today! lol. :D

Reminder: Please don't forget to link back (a simple text would be great, or you may use the buttons provided here). Also, please try to visit the other party-goers and leave some commentluv to let them know that you dropped by. Many thanks! :)

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Last month

Yeah, that's me and my shadow. Shot taken last month. :D

Food Friday

This week's Featured in Food Friday player is ...

Mommy Bonz, who blogs over at Bonz World (World of Food and Health), with her blog post: Shopping and Food Last Weekend.

Food always tastes exceptionally good when shared with family and friends. Most of the time we just can't help getting second servings with the goodies spread right in front of us (all the while talking and laughing with our companions)! Looks like Mommy Bonz and her family had a wonderful time eating out that day. Want to know more? Then do check out her site,

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My food post is another personal fave: Monggo (Mung beans)

Ingredients

• mung beans (soaked overnight)
• tomatoes, malunggay leaves (moringa), bell pepper, red onions, garlic
• salt, pepper, soy sauce (just a drop, or two)
• cooking oil for sauteing
• fish sauce and chicken stock (both optional)

Procedure:

• Boil mung beans in water until soft and mushy, with a pinch of salt.
• Heat another pot and saute tomatoes, bell pepper, red onions, and garlic.
• Dump the boiled mung beans in the pot, liquid and all. Let simmer for a bit, then taste accordingly (here's where you add the soy sauce/fish sauce/pepper/salt). Add the malunggay/moringa leaves. You may opt to add stock (we like chicken stock, but it's entirely up to you) if it's too dry.
• Once satisfied, serve immediately. Perfect with steamed rice. I also like it sometimes with a crusty loaf.

There are loads of variations with this dish and that's what I love about it: the variety and versatility! Both my sons like eating this dish (though my youngest doesn't eat the bell peppers, lol). This was regularly served when I was growing up (sometimes meat was added, or a different veggie - like the bitter gourd leaf! - mixed in; whatever was readily available that time) so it has been added to my long list of comfort foods. lol. I personally like it without meat, though. :D


Reminder: Please don't forget to link back (a simple text would be great, or you may use the buttons provided here). Also, please try to visit the other party-goers and leave some commentluv to let them know that you dropped by. Many thanks! :)

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Happy Chomping...

...simple pleasures. :)

sharing over at Happiness Is...

#SuperEvent #Giveaway: TriLight Health {$200 Credits}

So excited to bring you another #SuperEvent Giveaway! This week is all about TriLight Health a high quality liquid herbal product supplier! Hosted by Full Price? Never! with contributing bloggers CuzinLogic and MyCraftyLife.

About TriLight Health: For over 20 years now, TriLight Health (formerly TriLight Herbs) has faithfully supplied their customers nationwide with their high quality line of liquid herbal products. They were the first company to specialize in great tasting, non-alcoholic herbal formulas for pregnancy, children, and the family. Their exclusive 3 Stage Liquid Light Process is what makes their products Fast Acting and Effective for adults, but Tastes so good that children will LOVE them!

#Giveaway: My Name is Handel (CD for kids)

This giveaway is made possible by Maestro Classics and the Review is done by Colleen owner of Colleen's Book Nook. 

Did you know that Maestro Classics CDs have won over 45 national awards? Impressive, huh?

And did you also know that Maestro Classics has a Kid's Club? You can sign your child up for monthly puzzles, games and activities. Good thing the kids can go online at their site and get the answers to the puzzles and activities. You and your children can also find how to make lots of homemade instruments on their pinterest site! I suggest you check them out.

So this is how I came to find out about Maestro Classics and the wonderful CD My Name is Handel!:  Bonnie, from Maestro Classics, had originally sent me their CD "The Soldier's Tale" to review. It was not to my family's liking (we all felt the story was too dark for us, although I hear it is a smash with jr high and high school boys), so I shared this with Bonnie. Bonnie wanted me to hear some of their other stories set to music, so unbeknown to me, Bonnie sent me two wonderful CD's that our family has loved, My Name is Handel and Tortoise and the Hare. And I want YOU to know that Maestro Classics is wonderful to work with and will help make sure you find the right "fit" for your child!

I have a 4 yr old grandson and an 11 month old granddaughter and you wouldn't think that children that young would enjoy the classics, but my grandson loves My Name is Handel! He was brought up as a baby listening to the classics and enjoys them. The story about Handel is short with lovely & LIVELY music that he LOVES to listen to! He will ask to have this CD played! He sits in a trance listening to the story and music. So if you want to introduce your child, grandchild or anybody else to the classics, this CD is perfect!

Maestro Classics is giving this fabulous CD,
  My Name is Handel, to one of our lucky readers!

Open to US only
Enter on the Rafflecopter below. Lots of Luck!

Food Friday

This week's Featured in Food Friday player is ...

Ms. Che who owns the blog Sweet Memoirs, with her blog post: Pronto Pizzeria

Another pizza for this week's featured player's post! Gosh, pizza lovers are all over! lol. This time, it's a blog post by Ms. Che (I have featured her food post before, here), when she and her family went out. Actually, I believe that they didn't just "go out"...want to know more? Then check out her post! :)

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So sorry, haven't had the chance to visit much these past few weeks...that's because my family and I are on a month-long vacation and the internet connection is quite moody here; one minute it's on and quite fast and the next minute it goes kaput! Frustrating, but that's life. ;P

Anyway, another super simple recipe... Potato Omelette.

Ingredients

• 2 eggs (scrambled)
• ground pork (not sure about the exact amt, but am sure i used less than 1/4 kg)
• one medium potato (peeled and diced)
• half red onion (diced)
• one garlic (sliced finely)
• cooking oil, water, soy sauce, salt, pepper
• pepper flakes (optional)

Procedure

• Place ground pork in pan with a small amount of water. Heat up pan, add soy sauce (around a tablespoon). pepper, and salt to meat. Cook till water has dissolved. You may add a bit of cooking oil if it's too dry. Add diced potatoes, onion, and garlic. Season. Once cooked, set aside.
• Heat up another pan and add a bit of cooking oil. Add the scrambled eggs, then after it has set/cooked for a bit place the cooked meat/potato mixture on one side. Drizzle some pepper flakes, if you want. Flip the empty side over to cover the mixture. You may opt to flip the whole omelette again just to make sure everything's cooked to how you like it. Transfer to a serving plate. Pepper flakes again, if you're like me. lol.
• Done! :)

My youngest always likes his omelette with loads of ketchup while the eldest and I always have ours with pepper flakes. Went well with the pan de sal (the breakfast rolls we have commonly around here; literally means "bread of salt") that we had, together with our choice of drinks (I had coffee while the youngest and eldest had their Swiss Miss drinks).

Reminder: Please don't forget to link back (a simple text would be great, or you may use the buttons provided here). Also, please try to visit the other party-goers and leave some commentluv to let them know that you dropped by. Many thanks! :)

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#Giveaway: Kindle Fire (free shipping to US winner, but if international fan chosen, must shoulder shipping cost)

Everyone likes to be liked....and we LIKE you! 

To prove it we are going to give away a Kindle Fire to one lucky fan...it could be you!

Credit given to Amazon for photo

Together with Give Oh Giveaway, Oh My Gosh Beck, Military Wives Savings, Simplified Saving, we have teamed up with  other great bloggers to present this giveaway to you! We like to keep things simple. To be eligible to win this AWESOME prize, just answer one easy question on the rafflecopter form (below): What is your name and the best email address to reach you at if you win the Kindle Fire? Easy, right?

It only takes one entry to enter to win but completing the extra entries will increase your odds! You literally have hundreds of chances to get your name in the drawing! The winning entry will be confirmed, so please make sure you do the task before hitting enter! 

We recently read comments on what the least favorite task to do in order to enter a giveaway was....the number 1 answer was "Liking 50 Facebook pages that I am not interested in for only 25 bonus entries!" You spoke and we listened! So for this giveaway each participating blogger is listed individually. Choose to like the ones that might interest you and submit those entries. Or better yet, like them all, get every possible entry in for the great prize; then if in a weeks time you feel your news feed is too clogged, just adjust the notifications. You can hide the posts from your news feed by clicking on the little gadget (star like button) and then adjust accordingly. It is easy to do and better than un-liking a page. Remember you can fill out as many or as few extra entries as you want on the Rafflecopter form!

This giveaway will run from 12:01 am on May 10th to 11:59 pm (eastern time) till May 24th. You can tweet and share this giveaway daily for extra entries...so come back daily (bookmark this page) to increase your chances! The winner will be notified by email and will have 24 hours to respond or a new winner will be drawn! This giveaway is open to the continental US only. Sorry international people....shipping is a bugger! Sigh. UPDATE: International fans can now enter! If chosen, they must shoulder the shipping cost, though. Still a good deal, right?

Disclaimer: I received no monetary compensation for sharing this giveaway. I just like to share! 

Lots of Luck!

THANK YOU!!!

#Giveaway: Precision Pro Digital Kitchen Scale (Open US)

EatSmart Precision Pro Digital Kitchen Scale, Black Chrome

Looking for a really good kitchen scale?

The Precision Pro Digital Kitchen Scale is a nice size, 8 x 6 inches, and weighs 11 oz. It weighs items up to 11 lbs. quickly and accurately. Results are displayed in grams / ounces / pounds / kilograms. This great scale comes with 5 rubber feet which means you don't have to chase it all over your counter. It stays put nicely, and also comes with a three minute auto-turnoff feature.

And how about if you're trying to lose weight? The Precision Pro is ultra accurate and perfect for calorie or carbohydrate counting. The scale now includes a FREE EatSmart Calorie Factors book for easy calorie counting. You can now take control of your health and start living a healthy lifestyle.

Check out the EatSmart blog at http://www.eatsmartblog.com/; they have some really delicious recipes to share with you! You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter.

Here's what Debbie of Coupons In Motion has to say: "I give the EatSmart Precision Pro Digital Kitchen Scale an A+! I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers."

Giveaway is open to US residents only (18 years old and above). Enter on the Rafflecopter form below for your chance to win. All entries will be verified. Ends on 5/13. Lots of Luck!

Chic Algene's Birthday Bash: $150 Paypal Cash #Giveaway!

Did you know? The lovely Chic Algene of I Heart Giveaways and The Coffee Chic is celebrating her birthday today! To make things more exciting, she has teamed up with me and other wonderful fellow blogger to bring you an awesome giveaway. One lucky entrant will win $150 Paypal Cash! .

This event would not become possible without the help and support of these co-hosts: Bay Area Mommy, Zoe's Printable Coupons, Samut-Sari, Wrap with Jolene, Mamal Diane and Stiletto Files.

You can finish the entries in one sitting or bookmark this site and come back tomorrow. Remember, the higher number of entries you complete, the higher the chances of winning.

This giveaway is open Worldwide (18year old or older) and will be accepting entries via the rafflecopter form provided below, until 5/30 {11:59PM EST}. Lots of Luck!

Tamales

I know I heard the vendor right when he said that these were tamales. I think I've tasted them before, but wasn't so keen on the taste previously; guess it's an "acquired taste". Or maybe my taste buds are just plain weird! lol.

Anyway, I couldn't finish eating this...it was just so different. Maybe there are other tamales out there that I'm more partial to...am not closing my taste buds when it comes to this treat! ;)

sharing over at Jenn's Weekend Eating

#Giveaway: Firmoo Eye Glasses {Open WW}

Summer Fun with Firmoo Glasses Giveaway!

The scorching heat can be dangerous to our eyes, specially when we're out most of the time. The best way to avoid eye damage is by wearing protective eye wear which shields our eyes from the sun's harmful rays.

Firmoo.com is the emerging global online optical store of prescription eyeglasses and prescription sunglasses. Years of expertise in optical industry enable Firmoo.com to offer varieties of prescription eyewear to the consuming public in high quality yet at extremely affordable prices. The low prices in Firmoo.com never compromise the quality of eyewear while treating the quality and services to consumers as top priority

Firmoo.com's mission is far more beyond providing refractive corrections for our customers. Their product portfolio offers wide varieties of most stylish frames for both budget- and fashion-conscious wearers. Firmoo.com will help you realize your dream of creating your own eyeglasses wardrobe!

The good news is that Firmoo Glasses allowed me to host this fun giveaway, together with other awesome bloggers. At stake are 16 pairs of any pair of glasses, sunglasses or RX sunglasses for our readers! Check here.

Giveaway will run from May 7-14, 2012 and is open Worldwide where Firmoo ships. Cast your entries using the rafflecopter form below. Some entries are not mandatory, but remember: the more entries you have, the greater chances of winning! Winners will be verified and notified by email 48 hours after the giveaway ends. Lots of Luck!

#Giveaway: MP3 Touch Screen Music and Movie Player

I was given the chance to team up with an awesome group of bloggers to bring you Penny Pinch Boutique’s MP3 Touch Screen Music and Movie Player Giveaway! We bloggers absolutely love our readers and want to thank you for being a fan.

The giveaway is open to US residents over 18years old and will run from 5/7-5/14. Getting those entries is easy: just fill-up the Rafflecopter form below. Make sure you come back and enter the daily tasks for more entries! Thank you so much for being a fan! Lots of Luck!

Food Friday

This week's Featured in Food Friday player is...

Mr. Nicholas V., who owns Intelliblog, with his post: Smoked Salmon Pizza

My family and I just love pizza! Honestly, am drooling just looking at this shot... Intelliblog is Mr. Nicholas V.'s own personal site with a wide selection of topics. But what immediately caught my attention when I went visiting was that he always starts his posts with a quote. If you haven't visited his blog yet, I highly encourage you to do so. Definitely well worth the click!

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Something which we had for breakfast: Pan de Sal with Fried Kesong Puti (white cheese), Tomatoes, and Toge (mung bean sprouts).

Ingredients:

• fresh pandesal
• kesong puti (sliced then fried lightly; i used butter sparingly)
• sliced tomatoes
• sauteed mung bean sprouts
• dried dill leaf tips (optional)

Procedure:

• Slice kesong puti then fry lightly in butter. While frying, slice the pan de sal halfway through. Slice the tomatoes, set aside.
• After frying the kesong puti, saute the mung bean sprouts in the remaining butter. After that, it's just a matter of assembling everything...
• Put the sauteed mung bean sprouts in between the sliced pan de sal, then the cheese, tomatoes, sprinkling of dill (optional), and then topped with cheese again.
• Bite. :P

My youngest wasn't feeling "adventurous" with his food; he decided he wanted his pan de sal with the fried kesong puti only. lol. My eldest son and I enjoyed this unusual bread filling and he said he wants to have it again the next day! :)

Reminder: Please don't forget to link back (a simple text would be great, or you may use the buttons provided here). Also, please try to visit the other party-goers and leave some commentluv to let them know that you dropped by. Many thanks! :)

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Cool Weather

Happiness Is...

knowing that

cooler days/nights

are going to be

here real SOON! :)

We all miss him!

Ever since hubby got assigned a bit far from us (work related), I noticed that our youngest has this "need" to get noticed every time hubby comes home. I know, he misses him (we all do!) and that's why we always make it a point to talk with hubby at least once a week. We have thought of availing one of those teleconferencing services, or something similar, but haven't decided on anything yet.

Hopefully, his working schedule will be worked out soon such that he can come home more than twice in a month...praying and hoping. :)

#Giveaway: Win $260 worth of Children's Book!

Barron's Educational Series is teaming up with Blog it Forward to bring you an amazing promotion!They are giving away $260 worth of children's books!Barron's is known for their test prep books (SAT, ACT, AP, GRE, etc.). They are also a major publisher of children's books with hundreds of books in their inventory.View their online children's catalog here.Hold on tight, here's the HUGE list of books they're giving away!

JOIN: #Win $60 Paypal Cash! Open WW (one day only)

It's time for Hump Day Giveaway once again but this time, you'll get a chance to win $60 instead of $50! This week's task is for Facebook Page Likes which is super easy to do. Feel free to visit all the wonderful blogs below once you're done entering the giveaway. You can log on to Rafflecopter via your Facebook account, or your name and email (just make sure your Facebook is opened so you can easily like the pages).



Once you've liked ALL the pages (page to be opened through the Rafflecopter form), leave your Facebook Profile Name (not a Business/Blog Page) on the space provided for Extra Info after doing the task so we can verify your entry. It would be best if you enable us to see the pages that you liked in your info tab so we can announce the winner ASAP.

Mother's Day, It's Our Day Giveaway - Feel Good Labels

I'm a full-time mummy,

together with a bunch of awesome bloggers, have teamed up to bring you:

Mother's Day, It's Our Day Giveaway!

The giveaway will be open for entries from May 1st until May 31st.

We have arranged for the following prizes to be given away:

To enter, log in below, and click the “Do It” buttons to get your instructions. This giveaway is open Worldwide. Lots of luck!

Goodies for Mommies #Giveaway (Open WW)

Hi There! Welcome to Goodies for Mommies Giveaway!

“Most of all the other beautiful things in life come by twos and threes, by dozens and hundreds. Plenty of roses, stars, sunsets, rainbows, brothers and sisters, aunts and cousins, comrades and friends—but only one mother in the whole world.”

This giveaway is brought to you by:

Mother's Day is fast approaching and it's always a great idea to give those awesome hard-working mommies something special on their special day! That's why we're giving 5 lucky mommies some lovely goodies (prizes will be sent separately by the corresponsing sponsor).

• $20 in CASH or AMAZON GIFT CODE
• Mama Never Told Me books by Emily Van Do - Retail Value $9.95 each
• A Choice of What To Expect Books by Heidi Murkoff - Retail Value $ 8.97 - $19.11
• How to Rock Your Baby - $10.19
• Dryper's Baby Shirts (For Philippine residents only)

This giveaway is sponsored by: Mama Never Told Me ,WhatToExpect.com , How to Rock Your Baby,  Dryper's Wee Wee Dry , Health and Beauty Diva and Best Vacation Places

This Giveaway is Open WW.
Lots of Luck!!