May 2011 - Certified Foodies

McDonald’s Shake Shake Fries, Kung Fu Panda 2 Happy Meal are Back!

Before we headed home earlier from a fun blogger event, my bro and I, with my blogger friend Divine, headed to McDonald’s in Munoz. I’ve been craving for their McChicken Sandwich (check this recipe) so I was glad that the venue for the event was a jeepney ride away from the nearest McDo.

I didn’t get to take a photo of my McChicken sandwich ’cause Divine and I were busy chattering away :D. But, when we last ate at McDo in Buendia, I took photos of the packaging or box for my burger, including the Heinz ketchup sachets.

The Munoz branch wasn’t using the same packaging though. Anyway, since I was eyeing for the McChicken sandwich, I completely forgot that the McDonald’s Shake Shake Fries is back.

Yes! They’re back, along with some Kung Fu Panda 2 fun (ooohh, we’ve yet to watch it!). There are 2 flavors to choose from for your McDonald’s Shake Shake fries – Cheese Rush and BBQ Kick – for only Php 55 each. You can also go for the Shake Shake Fries combo where you can opt for a Watermelon or Green Apple Sprite McFloat for only Php 85. But, if you prefer Coke McFloat, it’s priced at Php 80 only.

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Banchetto Emerald in Ortigas – Gone for Good?

Update: Banchetto is now operating in 3 different locations for 5 straight nights. Check out the list at our post here.

We were saddened by the news that Banchetto Emerald is gone. Our first visit to this foodie haven last month was truly memorable (you can read about that here) and we were looking forward to going back really soon. So, when we heard about this news, we wondered, “What happened to Banchetto Emerald?”

Well, as much as I’d want to tell you more about what happened to Banchetto Emerald, how about I just tell you the good news that they’ll be coming back soon?

Yes! A post yesterday from Banchetto’s Facebook page revealed that because of the tremendous support they received from all the foodies who frequent this night market in Ortigas, Banchetto Emerald will be coming back soon!

And, aside from that good news, they also announced that there are offers to open Banchetto venues in Araneta Center in Cubao, and in other places that are buzzing with people at night like Makati, Magallanes, Sta. Rosa, and Commonwealth among others. Oohh, I can’t wait!

I really hope the growth of Banchetto will continue on because they help small-time entrepreneurs by giving them a venue to market and sell their products. And I feel the same way for Mercato and Midnight Mercato, which we have yet to visit.

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Fedhz Homemade Polvoron

One of my ultimate food cravings is polvoron. I used to always drop by Goldilocks whenever Iâ€™m at the mall just so I could take home a pack or two of their different flavored polvoron.

I also remember my favorite godma, Ninang Perla, teaching me how to prepare homemade polvoron. It may look easy, but getting just the right amount of sweetness and flavors with every serving could make or break your success in preparing them.

The regular polvoron is made of toasted flour, powdered milk, sugar and butter. Throughout the years, foodies have come up with different varieties of it by adding flavors like chocolate, peanut butter, cookies and cream, and pinipig.

Over the past few months, Iâ€™ve been seeing fellow bloggers raving about polvoron made by another blogger and foodie, Fedhz Aquino. Iâ€™ve wanted to try her homemade polvoron so I was pretty glad that during the Teleserv Bloggers Movie Night, I met her and she was giving away samples of her products (great marketing strategy, gurl!)!

I intended to take a photo of the polvoron after I unwrapped them, but after I took the one below, a ton of print orders came in at my computer shop. I unmindfully grabbed and gobbled up each polvoron while I was designing layouts and printing away. I only realized they were all gone after I finished all the printing. Waaahh. 😀

But, trust me, they were all good. I love that the sweetness is just right, unlike Goldilocksâ€™. Also, Iâ€™m glad that the powdered mix doesnâ€™t stick in your mouth as they melt. Anyone can easily tell they were homemade because of the quality of each polvoron â€“ they were prepared with love. 🙂

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Beat the Heat with Dairy Queen Blizzards

Can you believe how hot it’s been this summer?! I can’t stay anywhere without an electric fan or the AC cooling me down. And even when we have a water dispenser that provides us cold water everytime, I always have to add ice to it. I just can’t take the heat!

That’s why a few weeks ago when Kenneth and I were at Glorietta in Makati, we both had this craving for Dairy Queen’s Blizzard. He’s a li’l addicted to to their Caramel Cashew flavor.

The Dairy Queen store at Glorietta 4 is just across the cinemas, beside Timezone.

Of course, my bro ordered the usual. He urged me to try their new flavor, Dairy Queen’s Mango Cheesecake Blizzard.

They have a ton of other Blizzard flavors including Banana Split, Double Dutch, Brownie Temptation (ooohh, too sinful!), Chocolate Truffle and Strawberry Cheesecake.

You can also add extra toppings to your Blizzard, Just add Php 29 and you can choose from caramel fudge, Butterfinger, Kitkat, etc.

Ohh, I gotta try their waffle sandwiches next time, too. Reminds me of Tivoli Funwich that I got so addicted to back when I was a kid. ^_^

There are 4 sizes of Blizzard serving cups to choose from. Since we were really craving for something sweet and cold, we thought, the heck with it, and just ordered 16-oz… EACH! 😀

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Cheers to Tanduay Ice!

The rainy seasonâ€™s almost here. And years ago, Iâ€™d usually enjoy the cold, wet weather by inviting friends over for a movie marathon party or just to sing videoke and drink.

I admit, Iâ€™m a liâ€™l on the heavy social drinker side, especially back when I was younger. My usual drinking buddies are mostly my male friends so just imagine how drinking with them increased my tolerance to alcohol.

No, Iâ€™m not an alcoholic. I only drink socially, or when I really, really need to sleep so I can wake up early the next day (Iâ€™m an insomniac :|). Recently, though, Iâ€™ve discovered this light alcoholic drink thatâ€™s just perfect for those parties or drinking sessions with friends and you donâ€™t want any of you to get really, really drunk â€“ Tanduay Ice.

The label says â€œTriple Distilled Spirit with Natural Citrus Flavoursâ€.

With just 5% Alcohol, youâ€™d barely taste the strength of this booze. Okay, thatâ€™s my point of view. I used to drink beer with friends, or mix our own cocktails (weâ€™ll share our Mindoro Sling recipe next time). Now, if possible, Iâ€™d prefer drinking Tanduay Ice.

When itâ€™s ice-cold, itâ€™s so good that itâ€™d feel like youâ€™re just drinking a citrusy soda. But, be careful â€˜cause even with just 5% alcohol, itâ€™s still a very decent booze.

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Craving for A&W Sparkling Vanilla Cream Soda

One of my top indulgences when it comes to food or beverages is A&Wâ€™s Root Beer. I actually wrote about it last year and it was awesome to find out that there are many others who miss their root beer, too.

A&W stores here in the Philippines closed back in 2004. I was one of those who were disappointed by that news â€˜cause I super love their root beer floats. Thatâ€™s why everytime I see cans of A&W root beer when I go grocery-shopping, I canâ€™t help but grab 2-4 cans of it. Thatâ€™s how much I love root beer.

In my previous post about A&W root beer, someone in the comments section mentioned A&Wâ€™s Root Beer Cream Soda.

veeraf: guys, do you know where I can find A&W root beer cream soda? yung vanilla? 😀

I havenâ€™t tried it and wasnâ€™t familiar with it yet, hence I only got to reply to the comment now. Sorry. 😀

Anyway, while we were grocery-shopping at SM Hypermarket in North Edsa, I found it!

Iâ€™m a liâ€™l skeptical if Iâ€™d enjoy it so I only got 2 cans just so I can have a taste. How was it? Imagine enjoying a mug of A&Wâ€™s Root Beer float, with the vanilla ice cream already completely mixed with the root beer. Itâ€™s a bit sweet for my taste, but I super enjoyed it when it was really ice-cold. Great for those days when you just want to sit back and enjoy a movie with popcorn or homemade burgers. Wew. 😀

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Baking Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies from The Cookie Jar Mix

Over a week ago, I mentioned about Rae of The Cookie Jar sending us 3 of their products to try â€“ their French macarons, Triple Chocolate Cookies and this â€“ their Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie mix.

We postponed baking using the mix for a pick-me-up get-together with my best friend, Tina. I know baking will cheer her up. 🙂

As soon as she saw the jar with the ingredients stacked up as pictured below, she got excited and even reminded us we should start baking already. 😀

The Cookie Jar Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie mix includes semi-sweet choco chips, oats, flour, brown and white sugar. Like what is mentioned at the back of the gift tag thatâ€™s included with the package, you only need to add butter, eggs and vanilla.

Let me share with you some photos taken during our baking session. If you havenâ€™t tried baking yet, then, these photos might help. You see, itâ€™s so easy, you wonâ€™t need any complicated kitchen tools like utility knives or heavy kitchen machines. 🙂

I had to stop myself from eating the chocolate chips when we finally opened the jar.

Then, we used 2 sticks of butter and softened them through our microwave. Yes, we were busy chattering away that we forgot that we were only supposed to use 1 1/2 stick of butter. So, using a little Mathâ€¦

1 stick of butter = 100 g

1 1/2 stick of butter = 150 g

Since Ken, as Iâ€™ve mentioned before, is into baking. So, we have this weighing scale available at home. How convenient. You should know that precise measurements are very important when baking. Otherwise, youâ€™d get undesirable results. Thatâ€™s why, if youâ€™re really planning on starting baking at home, then, you should have this weighing scale available tooâ€¦ just in case. (I forgot how much this costs, will get back to you with the price)

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