Share , share, share!!

While I am having my afternoon sleep, my son Evan suddenly go to my room.He said "Ate close your eyes". He give me the V-cut..

Baby Maicko's first step on the floor

Kakai carry my 2 month old baby..:) and he stand on the floor and nodding his head while standing ..:)

I love CHOCOLATES!!

I love chocolates! My younger sister Kakai ate chocolate coins and I have read this article...

Top 10 Pinoy Chocolates 

SPOT - Friday, September 24
Top 10 Pinoy Chocolates

Local brands of of chocolate always conjure up childhood memories--as pasalubong from parents, titas, or older siblings, or the many times you forked over prized coins to the neighborhood tindahan for a couple of precious pieces. These homegrown varieties defined our Pinoy childhood long before their imported counterparts became as accessible as they are today.

Nowadays, no matter how sophisticated and well-travelled our palates have become when it comes to this cherished cocoa confection, we will, once in a while, get a hankering for a sweet fix of these local brands--just the sight, smell, or first bite of which has the power to immediately transport us into our carefree and innocent days, like that pivotal scene from Ratatouille. SPOT.ph checked out the local supermarkets and shops and sampled the local chocolates on their shelves, familiar classics and new contenders alike--taking note of taste, texture, size and other distinct standout qualities to see which local chocolates deliver the goods. Here's our top 10:

10. Cloud 9 Classic Price: around P7.50 per piece

A small bar of caramel, chewy nougat, and peanuts wrapped in thin chocolate, the Cloud 9 Classic bar still has that chocolate magic--peanuts offset the overly sweet chocolate while the nougat adds texture to the usual chocolate bar. Those looking for a quick and cheap chocolate pick-me-up can count on one bar to do the trick. Sold individually in convenience stores and in packs of 6 or more at groceries, Cloud 9 Classic has remained consistent throughout the years.

9. Goya Dark Mint Chocolates Price: P25 to P30

Goya's Dark Mint chocolates are circular-shaped nuggets with 9 pieces in a box. Upon opening the box and the foil that keeps the chocolate pieces fresh, a strong mint scents wafts out of the box, a telltale sign of how the chocolates will taste. The mint taste is stronger than the chocolate flavor, and the semi-sweet chocolate is creamy, soft and smooth and easily melts in the mouth. Those who have a penchant for mint chocolates will find Goya's version a cheap and enjoyable treat.

8. Goya Gold Coins Price: P19-P25/ pack

Smooth milk chocolate shaped like coins and embossed with a picture of a caboose on one side, Goya Gold chocolate coins are creamy and have a melt-in-your mouth consistency, with a slight salty aftertaste. The chocolate coins' size--about an inch and a half in diameter--are perfect for nibbling on when you're craving something sweet, you only need a few pieces for a sugar rush. The fun part about eating the chocolate coins: tearing off the gold tin foil packaging without cracking the chocolate in pieces.

7. Goya Milk Chocolate Price: P16/ bar

Goya's classic milk chocolate is a creamy, soft bar of sweet milk chocolate. Available in most groceries and convenience stores, the current Goya chocolate bars are richer in taste compared to the chocolate bars sold years ago, which had a faint taste of chocolate. The improved milk chocolate bars have a more creamy and milky taste rather than strong cacao flavors, and is preferred by those who like their chocolates sweet instead of rich and bitter.

6. Chocolate Mallows Price: around P16 for the snack pack (2 pieces)

These chocolate-coated marshmallow biscuits sold in its signature yellow box were popular back in the '80s. Available in boxes of six, Chocolate Mallows now come in snack packs of 2 and are sometimes quite hard to find in groceries. Individually wrapped in foil wrappers, the chocolate mallows have a rich milk chocolate coating with subtle but noticeable hints of orange flavor. The white-colored marshmallow inside isn't overly sweet and the biscuit adds texture to this well-loved chocolate snack.

5. Goya Dark Chocolate Price: P18/ bar

Goya's version of the dark chocolate is available in two variants: as a chocolate bar or as bite-sized circular chocolates packaged as Goya Black & White (mixed in with milk chocolates). Dark brown in color, soft and easily melts in one's fingers, Goya's dark chocolate does not have a strong bitter taste and is actually a tad sweet than your average dark chocolate. It also leaves a faint aftertaste of nuts, sugar and cocoa in the mouth. Tip: Goya's dark chocolates can be melted to create a quick and cheap alternative chocolate fondue dip at home.

4. Ricoa Curly Tops Price: around P17 for 15 pieces

The bite-sized chocolate cups get its name from the swirly chocolate top on each chocolate nugget. Sadly, the "curly tops" now look a bit deformed. Soft, with faint traces of powder and a tendency to melt fast if left in the heat for long periods of time, the small size of each chocolate piece makes for addictive snacking---one can easily finish a box of Curly Tops in less than 15 minutes. Curly Tops have a more sweet milk taste rather than a rich bitter chocolate flavor, perfect for those who love creamy milk chocolate. Pinoys who grew up with Curly Tops may remember the quality being better in terms of the "curly tops" being really swirly and the chocolate taste, richer. Despite the changes, Curly Tops still remains a favorite among kids and adults.

3. Ricoa Flat Tops Price: around P34 for a pack of 30 pieces

Flat Tops, the small circular chocolates with "Ricoa" embossed on top and wrapped individually in the familiar silver and orange wrapper, are a familiar Pinoy chocolate. Available in most groceries and convenience stores in packs of 30 or more, the bite-sized chocolates can be nibbled on or eaten as a whole. Soft when bitten into, chewed or left to melt inside one's mouth, Flat Tops are creamy with a faint milk chocolate flavor. Its sweetness borders on the less saccharine side of the spectrum, a probable reason why it takes little effort to finish off a pack.

2. Chocnut Price: around P30 for a pack of 24

Strictly speaking, Chocnut doesn't really fall under the chocolate category. The popular Pinoy treat which comes in small bite-size crumbly rectangular bars individually wrapped in foil, however, deserve a spot in this list because of its enduring popularity and distinct taste. Blending the tastes of chocolate and peanut nicely with just the right amount of nutty flavors without being cloying, the Chocnut's texture is powdery and melts in the mouth when eaten. Some like refrigerating the whole pack so it doesn't easily crumble when eaten. A Pinoy classic, OFWs and balikbayans often look for Chocnut to bring as pasalubong to kababayans hankering for a taste of home. The Chocnut has also proved its versatility through the years with its varied incarnations: as a flavor for hot chocolate drinks, an ice-cream flavor (previously served at the defunct Uva Restaurant and now available at Trilogy Boutique and Canteen in Legaspi Village), and even lending sweetness to cocktail drinks for the adventurous (There are chocnut-flavored cocktails at Tulipan at The Establishment and at No. 38 Sports Lounge and Grill).

1. Theo Philo Artisan Chocolates (Milk chocolate) Price: P95/ bar

By far the priciest and has the nicest packaging in the bunch, the unassuming Theo Philo Artisan chocolates made in Davao look like gourmet chocolates and may be bought at the EchoStore. Both the milk chocolate and the dark chocolate varieties come in an artful box that reminds one of the packaging of colored pencils. The milk chocolate variant, is medium-brown in color, smooth with no rectangle ridges found in most chocolate bars. Soft when bitten into, the Theo Philo bar is not at all cloyingly sweet. Instead, bitter notes and a rich cocoa taste greets the tongue. This bar is not for sugar junkies but for those who love the rich and robust taste of cacao.

* Retail prices of the chocolates may vary.
Recommend
13 users recommend
Send
IM Story
Print


Related Articles
MMDA Provides Drivers Tips Against Unscrupulous Traffic Enforcers Manila Bulletin - Friday, September 24

LGU set to Develop "Tagulahi Water Falls" as Tourist Destination in Caraga Region Manila Bulletin - Friday, September 24

Radiofrequency Surgery to Provide Hay Fever Relief Manila Bulletin - Friday, September 24

Top 10 Pinoy Chocolates SPOT - Friday, September 24

Sen. Miriam Santiago’s mad again, Mar and Noynoy reunited + more lowlights SPOT - Friday, September 24


by http://ph.news.yahoo.com/spot/20100924/tel-top-10-pinoy-chocolates-5a3fdeb_1.html

Onion snags

1 kg thick beef sausages
1 sliced onion
1/4 cup soft brown sugar
1 large tomato diced

Cook the snags on a medium flame. While your snags are cooking, brown the onions on the hot plate.
Once they onions are brown sprinkle about a quarter of a cup of soft brown sugar over them and leave them until they start to caramelise. When the sugar dissolves and goes all gooey your onions are done.
When your snags are cooked, remove them from the heat and allow them to cool slightly. Slit the sausages. Place a tablespoon of the caramelised onions into the sausages.


Recipe by Kim McCosker & Rachael Bermingham from 4 Ingredients

Mango Quick Fish

4 pieces fresh Fish boned and cleaned
½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 fresh mangos
cracked pepper

Coat fish liberally with extra virgin olive oil and cracked pepper.
Cook on a medium heated BBQ surface or flat fry pan. Cook fish till you can see the flesh turning white up to half way through, and then grind some more cracked pepper onto the exposed non-cooked surface before flipping over.
Serve with BBQ or pan-cooked fresh mango flesh.

Recipe by Kim McCosker & Rachael Bermingham from 4 Ingredients

Jam Drops

Makes 60
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 cups plain flour
jam of choice
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Fold in flour and spoon into heaped dollops onto a paper lined baking tray.
Use the end of a wooden spoon to push a hole nearly to the base of the biscuit dough. Fill hole with jam of choice and bake for 15 minutes or until slightly golden.
Remove from oven and allow to cool before serving.

Optional: Dust with icing sugar to jazz them up a bit for a bit of adult afternoon teas.

Recipe by Kim McCosker & Rachael Bermingham from 4 Ingredients

Healthy Hotdogs

 4 wraps
4 organic Sausages
1½ cups grated cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded carrot
 
Grill or BBQ sausages.
Lay wraps out and sprinkle equal portions of cheese onto each. Add chosen vegetable and rollup.


Recipe by Kim McCosker & Rachael Bermingham from 4 Ingredients

Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

380g tin condensed milk
600ml whipping cream
200g high quality chocolate
200g pkt plain chocolate bickies

Melt chocolate in a microwave, stirring every 30 seconds.
Leave to stand and while cooling beat condensed milk and cream until thick, stir in melted chocolate and smashed bickies, pour into a paper lined tray, cover and freeze overnight.

Recipe by Kim McCosker & Rachael Bermingham from 4 Ingredients

French toast

4 pieces of stale bread
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 tsp. mixed spice

Beat eggs and milk and spice together, soak bread in the mixture.
Once bread is soaked, place into hot non-stick pan and cook on both sides until just golden in colour.

Optional – Serve with fresh fruit and real maple syrup.


Recipe by Kim McCosker & Rachael Bermingham from 4 Ingredients

Fluffy Cheese Omelette

3 Eggs
1 Pinch of Salt
3 tablespoons cold Water
½ grated Cheese


Separate your egg whites and add a pinch of salt. Beat until mixture is white and fluffy. Fold through egg yolks, add 3 tablespoons of cold water and lightly whisk. Add half a cup of cheese and mix. Pour into a pre-heated fry pan (medium heat), allow it to go golden brown and flip.

Recipe by Kim McCosker & Rachael Bermingham from 4 Ingredients

Chicken Stir Fry

300 g chicken breast fillets sliced
3 tablespoons Sweet Chilli Sauce
3 tablespoons Hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons Soy sauce

Slice the chicken breast fillets into thin slices. Heat a fry pan on high. Add sweet chilli, hoisin and soy sauce and stir well.
When the sauce begins to bubble, add the chicken fillets and stir to combine. Cook until the chicken is done (approx. 5 minutes)
Serve on a bed of rice.

Recipe by Kim McCosker & Rachael Bermingham from 4 Ingredients

Chicken Nuggets

2 chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces
1½ cups organic breadcrumbs
1½ cups organic mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Butter melted
Preheat oven to 180C.
Coat chicken with mayonnaise and roll in breadcrumbs.
Lay on a baking paper lined baking tray.
Drizzle with a little butter and bake for 20 minutes.

Recipe by Kim McCosker & Rachael Bermingham from 4 Ingredients

Chicken Casserole

500g Chicken
1 Leek
2 Carrots
1 packet farmhouse chicken casserole
Place 500 grams of cut chicken pieces into a casserole dish.
Add a chopped leek, two chopped carrots, a packet of chicken casserole base and two cups of water.
Put in a pre-heated oven at 160c for two hours.

Recipe by Kim McCosker & Rachael Bermingham from 4 Ingredients

Chicken BBQ Burgers

½ cooked BBQ Chicken
1 cup wholegrain breadcrumbs
½ cup Sour Cream
4 hamburger Buns
Preheat oven to 180C.
Mix chicken, breadcrumbs and cream together and season with sea salt and pepper. Roll into patties and bake in a 180C oven for 20 minutes.
Serve in buns with lots of salad and BBQ sauce

Recipe by Kim McCosker & Rachael Bermingham from 4 Ingredients

Bagoong Chicken BBQ

ingredients:

500 grams Chicken breast fillet, skin on
AJI GINISA Original
1 cup tomato ketchup
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons Bagoong alamang
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
Rice to serve

Directions:
1. In a bowl, combine the ketchup, pineapple juice, sugar, bagoong alamang, chili powder, olive oil and sesame oil. Then season with salt, pepper and AJI GINISA, whisk.
2. Quick marinade the chicken in the mixture and grill skin side down. Set aside.
3. Meanwhile, make the sauce by simmering the marinade mixture.
4. Serve the grilled chicken with the sauce.


RECIPE AND PHOTO COURTESY OF QUICKFIRE

Caramel & Coconut Ice Cream

Serves 8


600ml cream
380g can caramel top ‘n’ fill
2 tbs Bailey’s liqueur
¼ cup shredded coconut, toasted

Combine cream, caramel and liqueur in large bowl and beat until thick and creamy with an electric mixer.
Fold in coconut and pour into a paper lined baking tin, cover and freeze for at least 4-6 hrs before serving.

Recipe by Kim McCosker & Rachael Bermingham from 4 Ingredients

Basic crepes

Makes 30.

3 eggs
1 ½ cups milk
2 ¼ cups plain flour
1 tsp. macadamia nut oil
Blend all ingredients together with 1 and ½ cups of water.
Heat a non-stick frying pan and add the oil swirling around to coat the entire surface. Pour about ¼ cup of mixture into the pan and swirl in a circular motion outwards so the batter is even. Cook for about 2 minutes or until the bottom is light brown and flip over to cook other side, repeat until mixture is gone.

Recipe by Kim McCosker & Rachael Bermingham from 4 Ingredients

Share ng anak ko...ano kaya yun???..

Sabi ng anak ko.."Ate I have a surprise for you.Get a plate." At dala dala niya yung surprise niya pero di ko pa nakita kasi nagluluto ako...

Hahaha ! chippy lang pala at ang dami pa...haha..I said.".wow thank you anak..." At sabi niya "you're welcome"

A Child's Prayer

My son Evan memorizes this prayer ..

A child's Prayer

 Angel of God 

My Guardian dear

To whom His love 

Commits me here

Everyday, be at my side

To light and guide 

To rule and guard

Amen! 

Hope Baby Maicko  can memorize too.

Successful breastfeeding in just 10 steps - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

Iwanna share this information to all.. 

Successful breastfeeding in just 10 steps - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

INQUIRER.net
First Posted 12:03:00 08/01/2010

Filed Under: Health, Children

MANILA, Philippines—The world celebrates this year’s breastfeeding Month by recognizing the vital role health facilities play to help improve the rate of breastfeeding in the community. Research shows that hospitals and maternity units can greatly influence a mother’s decision on whether or not to breastfeed her child.

“This year, we are commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Innocenti Declaration on the Protection, Promotion, and Support of Breastfeeding,” said Vanessa Tobin, country representative of the UN children’s agency Unicef.

Unicef advocates for a breastfeeding culture in the Philippines. Together with other child rights actors, it pushes for exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months of life. Exclusive breastfeeding means feeding the child with only mother’s milk and nothing else, not even water.

Soft, semi-solid, and solid food is ideal for babies six months and beyond, while the mother continues breastfeeding. This is called complementary feeding. Complementary feeding gives children the variety of nutrients that they need for their age, and will help them to develop fully into healthy and active individuals.

In response to one of the operational targets of the Innocenti Declaration, Unicef and the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) in 1991. The BFHI ensures that all free standing and hospital maternities become centers of breastfeeding support.

A maternity facility is considered “baby-friendly” when it does not accept free or low-cost breast milk substitutes, feeding bottles or teats, and has implemented these 10 steps to support successful breastfeeding:

1. Have a written breastfeeding policy that is routinely communicated to all health care staff. The 10 steps call for health facilities to have written policies that are displayed for all to read, indicating that staff is committed to implementing them.

2. Train all health care staff in skills necessary to implement this policy. Training at all levels should address the 10 steps, breastfeeding, counselling, and the International Code.

3. Inform all pregnant women about the benefits and management of breastfeeding. By the time a baby is born, the new mother must be comfortable about breastfeeding, understand its benefits, and what she has to do.

4. Help mothers initiate breastfeeding within one half-hour of birth. This step now means, for all healthy newborns, skin-to-skin contact from immediately after delivery for at least one hour or until the baby has attached and fed at the breast if this takes longer.

5. Show mothers how to breastfeed and maintain lactation, even if they should be separated from their infants. Helping mothers to breastfeed effectively with a good technique is a vital step. If infants are separated from their mothers, or are unable to suckle, their mothers need to express their milk. Health workers need skills to help mothers do these things.

6. Give newborn infants no food or drink other than breast milk, unless medically indicated. Families and health workers may believe that infants need pre-lacteal feeds of formula or glucose water or other drinks before their mother’s milk “comes in.” This may lead to failure to breastfeed. Infant formula and advertisements in maternities can mislead people on this important point. Breast milk is pure and complete, while giving babies water or other liquids can pose risks due to contaminated water.

7. Practice rooming-in—that is, allow mothers and infants to remain together 24 hours a day. In many hospitals, newborns are kept in nurseries after delivery. Rooming-in allows mothers and their babies to stay together day and night to bond and to establish breastfeeding.

8. Encourage breastfeeding on demand. Babies should feed according to their needs, not a schedule decided by the hospital or mother. Understanding her infant’s feeding cues improved breastfeeding and the mother-child relationship.

9. Give no artificial teats or pacifiers (also called dummies or soothers) to breastfeeding infants. During the early weeks, the baby’s need to suckle should be satisfied at the breast. Using teats or pacifiers may interfere with suckling and the adjustment of the breast milk supply to the baby’s requirements.

10. Foster the establishment of breastfeeding support groups and refer mothers to them on discharge from the hospital or clinic. Breastfeeding support groups are often part of a community nutrition strategy. Peer counsellors are women from the community who receive training in breastfeeding support. They often contact mothers in their homes. They are very effective in increasing exclusive breastfeeding.

Drawing attention to these 10 steps is critical in improving breastfeeding rates. More than 15,000 facilities in 134 countries have been awarded baby-friendly status since BFHI began almost 20 years ago. In many areas where hospitals have been designated baby-friendly, more mothers are breastfeeding their infants, and child health has improved.

BFHI is gaining ground in Asia, with Thailand being one of 12 developing countries taking the lead in instituting the 10 steps of baby-friendly practice in as many hospitals as possible. China now has more than 6,000 baby-friendly Hospitals and exclusive breastfeeding rose dramatically in the early 90s from 29 percent to 68 percent in the mid 90s.

“It’s a totally different scenario in the Philippines where exclusive breastfeeding for infants decreased from 37 percent in 1998 to 34 percent in 2003. Use of milk formula and feeding bottles is still a problem. There is much to be done to reverse the effect of bottle feeding and intensive work is necessary to make exclusive breastfeeding the norm in the society,” said Tobin.

Health systems, health care providers, and communities must act to make breastfeeding the easy choice for women. Breastfeeding is indeed the best start to life and mothers need everyone’s support to fully enjoy and appreciate their breastfeeding experience.



Copyright 2010 INQUIRER.net. All rights reser