The Food Edit – Page 68 – The Jellybeans Edit

#QuarantineCookbook: Homemade Avocado Ice Cream Cake

Relief from this summer’s oppressive heat and humidity is few and far between.

It makes me want to cool down with some frozen treat. How about you?

Well, since I recently learned how to make homemade ice cream, I set about learning how to add a twist to it: make it into a cake!

And of course, I just had to try it with my favorite fruit: the avocado!

This fruit has been having quite a resurgence lately, appearing in a variety of trendy and previously unheard-of dishes from toasts to pastas. However, the avocado’s real siren call to me is as a dessert. Its rich and creamy texture, as well as its earthy flavor make the avocado absolutely sensational when sweetened, making it a great showcase ingredients for desserts such as this homemade avocado ice cream cake.

It turned out to be so easy!

Ingredients:

For the crust:

2 cups crushed Christia toasted bread (can be replaced by an equal amount of crushed Graham crackers)
1 stick of softened butter
3 tbsp white sugar

For the ice cream:

1 cup avocado puree (made by pureeing the flesh of two ripe avocados in a blender)
1 300ml can of condensed milk
2 cups heavy whipping cream

Procedure:

In a bowl, combine the crushed Christia toasted bread, butter and sugar. Press the crumb mixture onto the bottom of two 6″ x 2″ cake tins then set aside.

In another bowl, mix together the avocado puree, the condensed milk and heavy cream at low speed until the ingredients are well-combined and the mixture begins to thicken.

Increase the mixer speed to medium and continue mixing until the mixture forms stiff peaks.

Transfer the mixture into the prepared cake tins, gently pressing the mixture into the containers and smoothing out the top using a spatula.

Freeze for at least six hours or overnight.

What you get is a wonderful creamy blend of avocado sweetness and crumbly buttery crust with each spoonful. My kids (and I!) absolutely love it!

Well, it sure looks like I’ve got new favorite dessert!

Plus, wouldn’t you know it! You can use this recipe to make other fruit-based ice cream cakes! You might need to adjust the amount of condensed milk you use depending on the native sweetness of the fruit you’re using. Check them out:

Mango!

Banana!

Strawberry!

If ever you need to bring dessert to a potluck party or want to give out ice cream cakes as gifts, you know you can always whip ’em up in a jiffy.

Which fruits would you like to make into homemade ice cream cakes? Try this recipe with your favorite fruit and let me know how it turns out.

PS: Truth be told, the recipe originally called for Graham crackers but after scouring through three supermarkets looking for this out-of-stock item, I decided to use Christia toasted bread as a substitute. It had a buttery flavor and a more crumbly texture that went well with the ice cream. Still, if you want a more conventional crust for your ice cream cake, you may opt to stick to the crushed Graham crackers.

Looking for other easy-to-cook dishes to try out while in quarantine? Check out my other recipes:

#QuarantineCookbook: Slow Cooker Pork Roast

Wanna know what my fam and I had for our Mother’s Day meal?

Pork Loin Roast with Herb-Buttered Vegetables!

If you find the name of the dish intimidating, don’t worry. It’s actually quite easy to do. (I have a “no-frills, no fuss” philosophy when it comes to home-cooking.)

Well, the ease of preparing this dish, of course, requires that you have the right tools, the most important of which is a slow cooker.

A slow cooker is a counter-top kitchen appliance used to simmer food in lower temperatures than other cooking methods which facilitates unattended cooking for many hours. The result: cheaper cuts of meat become fork tender and produce more flavorful stews.

You would think that using the slow cooker would entail a lot of hours slaving away in the kitchen.

Well, my hack for this recipe is to place the pork loin in the slow cooker and set the time for eight hours before bed time. The meat will be fully cooked by the time I wake.

So check out how easy it is to make this dish!

Ingredients:

For the rub:

1 tsp ground dried rosemary
1 tsp roasted garlic and herb seasoning
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil

For the roast:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 1/2 c water
1 1/2 kilo roast pork loin
1/2 pork bouillion cube

For the sides:

5 medium potatoes, boiled then cut into quarters
1 medium carrot, cut into strips then parboiled
1 bundle French beans, parboiled
1 tsp ground dried rosemary
1 tsp roasted garlic and herb seasoning
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter

Procedure:

In a small mixing bowl, combine the rub ingredients until well-mixed. Massage the rub into the pork roast, then place into a Ziplock bag and place in the refrigerator for up to six hours. That will help the meat absorb all the lovely flavors from the rub.

In a flat pan, melt the butter in olive oil then sear the marinated pork loin for up to 2 two minutes per side.

Place the pork loin in the slow cooker along with the water and pork cube. Cook on low for eight to ten hours.

Place the slow-cooked pork loin in a baking pan. Surround the pork loin with the vegetables. Sprinkle the vegetables with salt, pepper, garlic, rosemary and garlic and herb seasoning. Distribute dabs of butter among the vegetables then place in a 200 deg C oven for fifteen minutes. The meat is already cooked from the slow cooker. This will heat it up for your meal as well further brown the skin of the meat.

Lightly toss the vegetables to evenly distribute the melted butter and seasonings prior to serving.

This recipe serves ten. My household of five had two takes with this dish, as we had quite a lot of leftovers after the first serving.

Looking for other easy-to-cook dishes to try out while in quarantine? Check out my other recipes:

This post contains affiliate links.

Buffalo’s Wings N’ Things, Tomas Morato

If you’re eating lunch with a big group and you all want to stay together in one place, what do you do?

Head straight to Buffalo Wings N’ Things, of course! Here, everyone in the fam and barkada will find something to like.

Deep-frying chicken wings is rooted in Southern cooking but cooking them in peppery sauces started in Buffalo, New York in 1964. A bar owner in the area decided to cook leftover wings in hot sauce as a snack for her son and his friends. Served with celery slices and bleu cheese, it was a hit among the guys and the rest, as they say, is history.

Buffalo Wings N’ Things enriches its buffalo wings by having eleven savory flavors and seven spicy ones for its customers to choose from, along with tasty add-ons that chicken lovers can enjoy along with their Buffalo Wings.

While out on my lunch break with my office buddies (ten people in total!), we decided to maximize our budgets while sating our hunger by getting Grand Slam bundles of Buffalo Wings, and, well, things:

Grand Slam 6 (Php688 Good for 4). 8 pcs Champion Buffalo Wings, 8 pcs Signature Chicken Tenders,Bacon & Cheese Fries, steamed rice (we added Php98 for iced tea.

Grand Slam 4 (Php988 Good for 6). 12 pcs Champion Buffalo Wings, 12 pcs Signature Chicken Tenders, Chili n’ Cheese Nachos, steamed rice (we added Php138 for iced tea.

With these bundles, we were able to enjoy these Buffalo Wings flavors:

Honey BBQ. Southern BBQ flavor blended with sweet honey.

Creamy Salted Egg. Rich and creamy version of the regional favorite.

Chipotle Lime. Creamy smoked Chipotle sauce enhanced with the tanginess of freshly squeezed lime juice.

Garlic Parmesan. A blend of garlic butter sauce and real Parmesan cheese.

New York’s Finest. Medium heat Buffalo Wing sauce.

Thanks to the bundles, our meal amounted to just a little Php200 per person!

How’s that for value for money?

The good news for chicken lovers out there is that you can enjoy these with your family at home during the quarantine by ordering from these Buffalo Wings N’ Things branches now open for takeout or delivery via GrabFood, FoodPanda or LalaFood:

Brixton Kapitolyo, Pasig
Banawe, QC
Calle Bistro , Ever Gotesco Commonwealth
BGC Stopover
SM Manila
Grace Mall, Taguig
SM North EDSA
SMDC Jazz Mall
Southwoods Mall
SM Valenzuela

This Buffalo Wings N’ Things branch is located at M Place, Panay Avenue, South Triangle, Quezon City.

The Jelly List: Desserts for Delivery During Quarantine

How are your sweet cravings, foodies?

Sugar addicts like me are sure to be missing their usual dessert places with many restos and cafes closing shop during the enhanced community quarantine.

If your usual dessert haunts are currently inaccessible, you’ll be happy to know that desserts and baked goodies from these stores are available for delivery.

1. Cookies from Sugar Creations by Alex

“C is for cookie. That’s good enough for me.”

For all you Cookie Monsters out there, mommy Alex whips up crave-worthy cookies like Dark Chocolate, Dark Oatmeal, Classic Chocolate Chip and Smookies.

To order, call +63 988 5447945, or send a message via Instagram or Facebook.

2. Breads from Chloe Creations Bakeshop

Even if you’re working from home, you can still use a coffee break.

Have a few pieces of Ubechizdesal or a slice or two of Banana Loaf to go with your favorite cuppa.

To order, call + 63 915 3196411 or send a message via Instagram or Facebook.

3. Cakes from Carla Kusinera

C’mon… you know there’s always room for dessert! There’s nothing like a sweet treat to cap off a great meal.

So how about a slice of Carla Kusinera’s light and fluffy Creme Brulee Cake or decadent Chocolate Cake?

To order, call +63 917 5638785 or send a message via Instagram or Facebook.

4. Mocha Dalgona Avocado Gelato from What’s Your Flan?

With the summer heat intensifying, what we sometimes need is to cool down with a a frozen treat.

Indulge yourself with a tin of Mocha Dalgona Avocado Gelato (with real Dalgona candies) from What’s Your Flan?!

To order, call +63 916 4978876 or send a message via Instagram or Facebook.

5. Burnt Basque Cheesecake from Sweet Samthings

My birthday-in-quarantine was still a happy one with this lusciously milky and custardy Burnt Basque Cheesecake from Sweet Samthings.

To order, call +63 917 6183443 or send a message via Instagram or Facebook.

6. Apple Pie from Yellowbakerbug

Want a taste of home-style apple pie? I know I did last Mother’s Day!

That smell of cinnamon that wafted from the crumbly and sweetly spiced pastry from Yellowbakerbug got me and the fam salivating! Its crisp apple slices and buttery crumb topping make it a perfect dessert for my Mother’s Day meal.

To order, send a message via Instagram or Facebook.

Now you know who to call to sate your sweet cravings during quarantine!

Thanks to Harvard of AlwaysHungryPH for sharing the goodies from Chloe Creations Bakeshop, Karla Kusinera and What’s Your Flan?

Check out my other adventures compiled into Jelly Lists:

For the kids at heart – Scout’s Honor, Ayala Malls Vertis North

Every once in a while, even responsible and serious adults need to let loose their inner child.

Well, guess what: you can do exactly that the camp-themed Scout’s Honor branch in Ayala Malls Vertis North.

Designed to be a place where kids can hang out and enjoy their favorite food, it can also be a place for adults to give in to their playful side.

Together with my officemates, I set out to allow my inner child free rein over lunch at Scout’s Honor.

There, we munched on kid- and kid-at-heart-friendly fare which included:

Crackers, while waiting for our order.

Campfire Potatoes (Ph135). Handcut fries deep-fried to a crisp golden-brown topped with bacon bits and doused with cheese sauce.

Crispy Calamari and Chips (Php165). Crispy battered squid rings flavored with oregano and fennel and served with freshly crisped potato chips.

Scout’s Honor Cheeseburger (Php160 + Php75 for drink and fries). Scout’s Signature beef patty topped with melted cheese sauce between buttery toasted buns.

Tapsilog (Php245). Sukiyaki-cut USDA Beef tapa served with garlic rice, two sunny side up eggs, atchara and spiced vinegar.

Burger Silog (Php235). An all-beef burger steak in savory gravy served with garlic rice, two sunny side up eggs, atchara and spiced vinegar.

1 Bite 2 Bite (Php80/10 pieces). Mini-bite size milk chocolate chip cookies that we divided among ourselves.

I love how Scout’s Honor totally gets a kid’s predilection for melted cheese sauce, and of course, cookies!

And since two of us unlocked our Zomato Gold provileges here, we got two of these dishes for free!

Want to have some of that kiddie joy right at home?

During the enhanced community quarantine, two of Scout’s Honor’s branches are open from 11am to 7pm Tuesdays to Sundays with a special menu for takeout, delivery via GrabFood and FoodPanda or pickup via Grab Assistant or Lalamove Purchase Service:

Uptown Bonifacio: To order, call +63 917 631 0765 or +63 2 79467374
Santolan Town Plaza: To order, call +63 917 7061607 or +63 2 77288902

This Scout’s Honor branch is located at Level 1, Ayala Malls Vertis North, Bagong Pag-Asa, Quezon City with store hours from 8am to 10pm daily. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 2 79406480 or +63 917 7021404.

Other branches are located at:

Estancia Mall, Capitol Commons, Oranbo, Pasig
Uptown Place Mall, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Santolan Town Plaza, Little Baguio, San Juan
SM City North EDSA, Bago Bantay, Quezon City
SM City Fairview, Novaliches, Quezon City
Century City Mall, Poblacion, Makati
Robinsons Place Manila, Ermita, Manila

Ramen fave at Ramen Nagi, Trinoma

Whenever my officemates and I get that craving for ramen, we head straight for the Ramen Nagi branch nearest to our workplace: the one at Trinoma Mall.

We even agree on which ramen to sate our craving on: the Butao King (Php395). It’s Ramen Nagi’s award-winning tonkotsu pork broth, painstakingly prepared in the traditional method, with fresh hand-crafted noodles and classic Nagi pork chashu.

It’s a magical bowl of flavor that can fill you up, warm your tummy, lift your spirits and power you on for the rest of the day.

Last year, Ramen Nagi offered a free bowl of Butao King to birthday celebrants so long as they’re accompanied by someone paying for bowl of Butao King. So every time someone’s birthday month would come along, there would be a clamoring to go to Ramen Nagi to take advantage of the offer, thereby cementing the Butao King as everyone’s favorite ramen bowl from Ramen Nagi.

This Ramen Nagi branch is located at Garden Wing Area, Upper Ground Floor, Trinoma Mall, Bagong Pag-Asa, Quezon City.

Craving for ramen during the enhanced community quarantine? Worry not! Ramen Nagi recently launched its first-ever takeout box – the Ramen-to-Go (Php790/box). It’s a kit with two servings of Ramen Nagi broth (available flavors include Butao, Red, Black and Green King), noodles, pork chashu, vegetables, minced garlic, green onions, and the other ramen toppings, thereby allowing you to be a Ramen Chef at Home. To get your own box, place your order at the Ramen Nagi website at least two days in advance.

Selected Ramen Nagi branches are also open during the ECQ for takeout and delivery serving these areas:

Trinoma: Quezon City, San Juan, Pasig and Caloocan
Alabang Town Center: Alabang, Las Pinas, Muntinlupa, Paranaque
Signa: Makati, Taguig, Manila, Mandaluyong, Pasay

#QuarantineCookbook: Bulalo Steak from Leftovers

Hmm… What to do with leftover Bulalo? Make a Bulalo Steak with it!

Anybody who knows me is aware that almost nothing gets my hackles up than wasting food.

That’s why when Hubby (again!) flexed his culinary muscles to bring about some steaming-hot Bulalo for our family’s lunch and had a lot of leftovers – whick included meat, potatoes and broth – I just had to find a way to finish off all that food within the day.

(Note, though, that the leftovers resulted from his overestimation on the fam’s capacity to devour two kilograms of meaty beef shanks, despite how yummy the resulting dish was. )

Well, thanks to the leftovers, the Bulalo Steak for the fam’s dinner was quite easy to whip up using ingredients which were already on-hand.

Ingredients:

(Leftover from the Bulalo)
1 kilo cooked beef shanks, sliced into 1 1/2-inch thick pieces
2 cups of cubed boiled potatoes
1 1/2 cups Bulalo broth, strained

(Additional Vegetables)
1 bunch of French beans (could be substituted with Baguio beans)
1 large carrot, cut into thin strips

(Additional ingredients for the sauce)
6 tbsp butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup sliced Champignon mushrooms
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tbsp liquid seasoning

Procedure:

Re-heat the cooked beef shanks by placing them in a baking dish and into a 200 dec C oven for twenty minutes.

In a saucepan over low heat, melt four tablespoons butter, then add the flour, mixing to form a paste. Add in the milk and broth, mixing to avoid lumps until it thickens to your desired consistency, then add in the mushrooms. Add more beef broth little by little if you want to thin it down.

Parboil the French beans and the carrot strips before sauteing them along with the boiled potatoes in two tablespoons butter. After sauteing, arrange them in the baking dish with the reheated beef shanks.

Pour the sauce over the beef shanks and buttered vegetables. Serve immediately. It is best enjoyed with lots of steamed rice.

This recipe serves five, with 530 calories per serving.

If you want to make this dish but don’t have leftover Bulalo, you can boil up to 2 kilos of beef shanks (with enough water to fully over the meat) in a large pot for up to 2 hours or until tender. Or you can cook them in a pressure cooker for up to an hour. Be sure to save the resulting broth.

Also, if you happen to have a sizzling plate, you can make this dish a Sizzling Bulalo Steak. Arrange the cooked solid ingredients on a heated sizzling plate then pour the sauce over them until it sizzles.

Looking for other easy-to-cook dishes to try out while in quarantine? Check out my other recipes:

#QuarantineCookbook: Easy Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

All this extra time spent at home sure gets me in a more adventurous mood in the kitchen.

While Hubby has been flexin’ his culinary muscles and impressin’ the kiddos with outputs such as Beef Stroganoff and my K-pop princess #ExhibitA whipping up some Tteokbokki and Jajangmyeon on the fly, I decided to show ’em a thing or two on how mommy (sometimes!) knows best in the kitchen by preparing Shepherd’s Pie for dinner.

Shepherd’s Pie was first known as cottage pie, which became popular in Europe in the late 1700s around the time when the potato was being introduced as an affordable food crop for the poor, hence the inclusion of “cottage” – which refers to “modest dwelling for rural workers” – in the dish’ name.

It became known as Shepherd’s Pie in the 1800s when mutton or lamb was used as the meat filling.

In the early 1900s, it also adopted the monicker Hachis Parmentier, named after the Frenchman Antoine-Augustine Parmentier who advocated the potato as food source in France and throughout Europe.

Since its down-to-earth beginnings, Shepherd’s Pie has enjoyed worldwide popularity and is included in the menus of many European restaurants.

Well, true to my “no-fuss/no-frills” philosophy when it comes to home cooking, the Shepherd’s Pie I served my fam is quite easy to prepare, with ingredients that are available in many wet markets or grocery stores even during the enhanced community quarantine.

Ingredients:

5 medium potatoes
1/2 cup butter
1 medium onion, rough-chopped
2 medium carrots, diced
1/2 kilo of ground beef
1 beef bouillon cube dissolved in 1/2 cup hot water to make a beef broth
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated cheese

Procedure:

Place the potatoes, along with a teaspoon of salt in a medium-sized pot covered by water by at least half an inch. Bring to a boil then lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for twenty minutes or until tender, then remove from the pan.

Melt half of the butter in a pan on medium heat. Saute the onions and carrots in the butter for six to ten minutes or until tender.

Add the ground beef to the carrots and onions, cooking until the beef loses its reddish color. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the Worcestershire sauce and the beef broth. Once the beef mixture reaches a simmer, lower the heat and cook uncovered for 10 minutes.

Mash the cooked potatoes in a bowl. Add in the remaining half of the butter, then season with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 200 deg C. Evenly spread the beef mixture in a large baking dish.

Spread the mashed potatoes over the top of the ground beef. Using a fork, rough up the surface of the mashed potatoes to create peaks that will get browned. You may sprinkle some grated cheese on top of the mashed potatoes.

Place the baking dish in the oven and cook for thirty minutes or until brown and bubbling.

This recipe serves eight at 383 calories per serving.

The dish is a hit with the fam and I look forward to preparing it again. For my next attempt, I’m considering adding some sliced mushrooms.

I would recommend this dish for Sunday brunch with the fam or as a contribution to a potluck party. It’s quite heavy on its own and can go a long way when combined with other dishes.

Looking for other easy-to-cook dishes to try out while in quarantine? Check out my other recipes:

McDonald’s shares 5 must-try recipes for your Chicken Fillet!

Starting April 27, McDonald’s Philippines started offering its Breaded Chicken Fillet in Cook-It-Yourself packs. Customers can easily get packs of 15 pcs for only P315 through participating McDonald’s Drive-Thru, and Take Out while bigger packs of 60pcs are available in select SM Supermarket, SM Hypermarket, and Savemore branches.

Loved by customers as the main ingredient in McDonald’s McCrispy Chicken Fillet with Rice and McCrispy Chicken Sandwich, the Breaded Chicken Fillet Cook-It-Yourself packs are not just convenient to order, but also easy to cook! Just by deep frying the fillet portions for 6-7 minutes, you can enjoy a tasty and slightly spicy Chicken Fillet with a crispy outer crunch. While you can have it simply with a hot bed of rice or sandwiched in between steaming burger buns, there are also many other ways to enjoy this delicious fillet!

In partnership with McCormick, here are 5 easy home recipes you can try that will put a different twist to this McDonald’s staple.

Garlic Parmesan Chicken Fillet

Yields 4 servings

Ingredients:

4 tbsp butter, melted
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp McCormick Garlic Granulated or McCormick Garlic Powder
4 pcs McDonald’s Breaded Chicken Fillet

Procedure:

Pour the melted butter over the previously fried Breaded Chicken Fillet.

Combine parmesan cheese and garlic powder together in a bowl then sprinkle over the buttered chicken fillets. Serve hot.

Honey-Teriyaki Chicken Fillet

Yields 8-10 servings

Ingredients:

2 tbsp McCormick Teriyaki Marinade & Dipping Sauce
2 tbsp honey
8-10 pcs McDonald’s Breaded Chicken Fillet

Procedure:

Combine Teriyaki sauce and honey together in a small bowl. Mix until well blended.

Glaze previously fried Breaded Chicken Fillet with the honey-teriyaki mixture by pouring over or by basting with a brush. Serve hot.

Chicken Fillet Curry

Yields 8-10 servings

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp cooking oil
1 pc white onion, diced
8-10 pcs McDonald’s Breaded Chicken Fillet
1 pack McCormick Yellow Curry Recipe Mix
2 cups coconut milk
1 pc green bell pepper, diced
1 pc large potato, diced

Procedure:

Sauté the onions in a saucepan/pot over medium heat until translucent.

Mix the Yellow Curry Recipe mix and the coconut milk together then pour into the pan. Add in the vegetables. Allow to simmer until potatoes are cooked and sauce is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and serve hot over the previously fried Breaded Chicken Fillet on a bed of rice.

Chicken Fillet Pastel

Yields 8-10 servings

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp cooking oil
1 pc white onion, diced
8-10 pcs McDonald’s Breaded Chicken Fillet
1 pack McCormick Creamy Garlic Perfect Pasta Mix
2 cups evaporated milk
1 pc carrot, diced
1 pc green bell pepper, diced
1 can Vienna sausage, cut into 3 (about ½” pieces)

Procedure:

Sauté the onions in a saucepan/pot over medium heat until translucent.

Mix the Creamy Garlic Perfect Pasta mix and evaporated milk together then pour into the pan. Add in the vegetables. Allow to simmer until vegetables are cooked and sauce is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

Toss in the chopped Vienna sausage and simmer for another 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and serve hot over the previously fried Breaded Chicken Fillet on a bed of rice.

Creamy Garlic Chicken Fillet

Yield: 8-10 servings

Ingredients:

8-10pcs McDonald’s Breaded Chicken Fillet
1 ½ cup milk
1 pack McCormick Creamy Garlic Perfect Pasta Mix

Procedure:

Mix the milk and the Creamy Garlic Perfect Pasta mix together in a small saucepot then place over medium heat.

Allow the sauce to simmer and thicken for about 3 minutes. Sauce is ready to use.

Pour sauce over the previously fried Breaded Chicken Fillet. Serve hot.

Awaken the master chef in you and grab a pack of Cook-It-Yourself Breaded Chicken Fillet from participating McDonald’s and SM Markets stores! Complete the experience by getting your own McCormick products through the following websites: https://www.mccormickculinary.com.ph, https://shopee.ph/mccormick.ph, and https://www.lazada.com.ph/shop/mccormick/

Try out these recipes and share your finished product by tagging @McDo_PH on Instagram and Twitter and @McDo.PH on Facebook!

Visit http://bit.ly/McDocookityourself for the full list of stores offering frozen Cook-It-Yourself packs and follow McDonald’s on Facebook for the latest updates.

Recipes and images provided by McDonald’s in a recent press release.

Get your bowl of happiness at Hanamaruken

I wasn’t always a ramen lover.

Once upon a time, I wouldn’t be able to differentiate among ramen varieties, nor appreciate the artistry that goes into crafting and delicious bowl of ramen.

That changed when I first tasted Hanamaruken’s Happiness Ramen three years ago.

Thus started my #RamenPhase that’s showing no signs of fading away.

Before the enhanced community quarantine, I was lucky enough to take my fam out to dinner one Saturday night at the place where my love affair with ramen started: Hanamaruken at The Grove along C5.

Hanamaruken is a ramen chain that originated from Osaka, Japan which was established in 1982 by Takaku Arakawa who belonged to a family of butchers. By drawing from its founder’s background in butchery, Hanamaruken became known for ramen dishes that feature choice cuts of meat and uniquely flavored broth.

There, the fam enjoyed a meal that included:

Signature Happiness Ramen (Php445 half | Php580 whole). Arakawa’s ramen masterpiece features a combination of shoyu (soy) and tonkotsu (pork bone) broth topped with ginormous piece of tender slow-braised pork bone rib. This is still my benchmark when it comes to ramen.

Pot Belly Ramen (Php410). Another showcase for the tonkotsu and shoyu broth combo topped with roasted pork belly.

Spicy Tobanjan Ramen (Php320). Tonkotsu broth spiced by tobanjan paste. Hubby liked it so much that he ordered extra noodles (Php80) to savor more of the spicy broth.

Gyoza (Php240). My daughter #ExhibitA will not consider a visit to any Japanese resto complete without these Japanese potstickers.

Ebi Tempura (Php580). Large prawns battered and deep-fried to a beautiful golden brown and served with umami-rich tempura sauce.

I look forward to tasting this kind of happiness again and again.

Wanna have your own taste of ramen happiness but can’t leave home because of the ECQ? Here’s a bit of good news for you: Hanamaruken Forbestown is now open for pickup and delivery via Grab Assistant or Lalamove. To order, call +63 917 6356254 or +63 916 2142208.

This Hanamaruken branch is located at The Grove by Rockwell, E. Rodriguez Jr. Avenue, Barangay Ugong, Pasig City. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 2 86953643.

Other branches are located at:

Ground Floor, Serendra, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Forbes Retail, Forbes Town Center, Burgos Circle, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Ground Floor, Santolan Town Plaza, Colonel Bonny Serrano Avenue, Little Baguio, San Juan
Hole in the Wall, Fourth Floor, Century City Mall, Kalayaan Avenue, Poblacion, Makati City
Second Floor, Garden Wing, Trinoma Mall, Bagong Pag-Asa, Quezon City
Second Floor, Alabang Town Center, Alabang, Muntinlupa City