Jellybeans in the City

Ready-to-eat dishes from San Miguel Foods and Petron Treats

Momshies, does working from home still leave you with little time to prepare and cook your family’s meals?

Worry no more, because San Miguel Foods has a line of pre-cooked dishes that are sure to be showstoppers at the dinner table.

With these ready-to-eat dishes, you won’t have to stress yourself out in the kitchen: all you have to do is heat, serve and enjoy!

I was able to serve some of these to my fam for lunch. Check them out:

Cook Express Chicken Karaage (Php424 for 1 kilo). Karaage is a Japanese cooking technique in which food items – mostly chicken – are marinated and lightly coated in flour prior to frying in light oil. After I’ve heated the chicken karaage in my oven, I found it close to restaurant quality, especially when accompanied with Japanese mayonnaise.

Cook Express Lechon Paksiw (Php495 for 1 kilo). I usually encounter lechon paksiw the day after big celebrations like fiestas or Noche Buena because this is the Pinoy mom’s answer to “”What happens to all those lechon leftovers?” (at least those not carried away by the Tupperware-toting guests, hehehe!). The leftover lechon is simmered in vinegar and the liver-based lechon sauce resulting in a dish with fork-tender roasted pork meat in sweet-sour-savory sauce that’s good for another family mealtime.

Cook Express Beef Kare Kare (Php693 for 1 kilo). I have great appreciation for kare-kare every time it is served to me at the dinner table because I know how much effort went into making it. My mom used to grind peanuts herself, meticulously clean and boil the animal parts prior to cooking up a great tasting peanut-y beef stew. This one has the same tender meat and peanut sauce I love and is enjoyed best with bagoong. Add in some veggies string beans, eggplant slices and pechay and it’s almost like the kare-kare that my mommy used to make.

Chef’s Selection Fresh Corned Beef (Php655 for 900 grams). Corned beef is called that because in the process of salt-curing the meat, it is treated with large grains (or “corns”) of salt. Today, it is one of my favorite breakfast food when served with fried rice and a sunny side up egg. This corned beef version differs from the canned iteration because the beef comes in chunks, not flakes. Still, it can be sliced up thinly to be sauteed with garlic and onions, or added to beef broth and veggies for a fresh take on nilaga.

So momshies, there’s no need to sweat it out in the kitchen. Just order these ready-to-eat dishes and more from San Miguel Foods through this website and schedule pick up at your nearest Petron Treats store.

Thanks to Harvard of AlwaysHungry.PH for sharing from his ulam stash!

Zomato Philippines shaves for a good cause

Last April 7, Zomato Philippines announced the initiative Feeding Philippines, which aims to help provide daily meals to those who need it the most. Zomato partnered with Rise Against Hunger Philippines, an international hunger relief organization that distributes food and life-changing aid to the world’s most vulnerable, mobilizing the necessary resources to end hunger by 2030.

Since the launch of the campaign, Zomato Philippines has raised 200,000 Pesos by leveraging on its users and restaurant partners, with the help of the foodie community. However, the fight against hunger is still a prominent problem, especially now with the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. The marginalized communities need help now more than ever.

The Country Head, Chris Evans, is taking the cause up a notch by pledging to shave his head once Zomato receives 1 Million Pesos of donations. He has also nominated Zomato Philippines employees to invite them to create their own video to pledge to the cause, and encourage their friends and family to support the fundraiser.

You can support the cause too! Visit www.zomato.com/feeding/philippines for full information about the Feeding Philippines campaign and details on how to donate. Let’s all make a stand together and rise against hunger today.

Samgyup Time at Leann’s Teahouse, Tomas Morato

For quite some time, Leann’s Teahouse has been one of the go-to places for Korean BBQ for me and my officemates.

Located a short distance from my workplace, it’s where we can get our K-BBQ cravings satisfied.

For only Php499 per person, we can enjoy all the samgyupsal and woosamgyup out hearts desire, as well as the side dishes we so love.

Once, my friends and I applied a Booky discount and we ended up just paying Php375 each! Quite a good deal, yes?

Plus, this resto’s Bibimbap (Php210) and Spicy Pork (Php220) are not to be missed.

When the community quarantine is lifted and I’m back to reporting to my office, a silver lining would be the chance to eat here with my samgyup co-conspirators again.

How are you K-BBQ fans on quarantine? Missing your favorite freshly grilled samgyeopsal and woosamgyup yet?

The good news for you K-BBQ lovers in Quezon City is that you can enjoy these at home as Leann’s Tea House has made available frozen meats by the kilo, marinades, dips, appetizers, noodles, rice and kimbaps for pickup and delivery.

Leann’s Tea House is located at 105-R Mother Ignacia Corner Sct. Madrinan Street, South Triangle, Quezon City. For inquiries and to place your orders, send a message via Facebook, Viber +63 917 3240959 or call +63 2 7916356.

HubbaBubbas teams up with Korean indie star Kwak Pareunhaneul on new single

Singapore indie-pop trio HubbaBubbas collaborates with K-Indie darling Kwak Pureunhaneul on their brand new single Rumble Under My Toes, released via Singapore based indie label Umami Records. The release also includes a Korean
version of Sunset In My Pocket featuring Kwak Pureunhaneul, of which the original version has just been nominated for five categories at the Singapore Youth Music Awards 2020.

HubbaBubbas’ first show in Korea was when they played at Seoul’s indie music festival Zandari Festa in 2017. They loved the country so much that they went back again to tour in 2019, and that was when they wrote this song with Kwak Pureunhaneul, also known as “Hongdae IU”, a nickname she picked up from her time on Korean television talent show series Superstar K.

Stephanie of HubbaBubbas shares about the story behind the song: “When we were facing uncertainty, we weren’t able to find much music to relate to because a lot of the music that we were listening to always had a clear feeling of the artist’s emotions – joy, sorrow… and for good reason. But we felt this was a part of ourselves that was not so clear, and we wanted to encapsulate it in a song. We also thought that perhaps there were people out there who felt the same way, and we found Kwakpu. She shared with us her personal reasons for being on a hiatus from music, and you can feel her emotions from her performance in the studio.”

A music video accompanies this release, as well as several behind-the-scenes videos telling the story of this collaboration and the band’s Korea tour.

HubbaBubbas are working on their new EP titled ‘New Home’, which they will start releasing at the end of 2020.

Rumble Under My Toes by HubbaBubbas is available everywhere here.

About HubbaBubbas

Singapore indie-pop trio HubbaBubbas comprises lead vocalist Stephanie Lim, guitarist Ryan Chan and beatboxer Mervyn Ye. The band is the recipient of the inaugural Singapore Youth Music Awards 2019 for Best Cover Artist, and have been nominated for five categories at the Singapore Youth Music Awards 2020. Their debut EP Amy(gdala) was released in Aug 2016 at a sold-out EP launch.

HubbaBubbas have been called upon to perform at events like the 2015 SEA Games, the ASEAN Paralympic games, Singapore Night Festival, Music Matters 2018, Bangkok Music City, as well as Zandari Festa, South Korea’s largest music festival, among others.

“Now what sets HubbaBubbas apart is that they aren’t your typical band. With siiiick guitar playing, crazy intense beatboxing and insanely beautiful vocals, they bring something totally different and fresh to the table” – Native Entertainment

“Quirky indie-pop ditties bookend the five-track EP, including the infectious feel-good electro-pop tune ‘Dancing on the World’, which was composed for the 28th South-East Asian Games in Singapore last year” – Time Out

About Kwak Pureunhaneul

Kwak Pureunhaneul is a singer-songwriter, also known as the IU of Hongdae. She talks about her honest life stories with her acoustic guitar and soothing voice, which helped her quickly establish her realm in the industry. Despite her young age, Kwak Pureunhaneul is capable of singing, composing, writing lyrics and even arranging. Let’s find more about her beautiful musicality.

Kwak Pureunhaneul first picked up the guitar when she was a high school student and then released her first album, “Without a Present,” upon graduation. She made herself known in the indie scene with the project gig “Hongdae IU” and secured her spot with the EP,

This singer-songwriter also took part in the audition program Superstar K7 and is set to release her second full-length album this fall.

About Umami Records

Umami Records is a Singapore-based indie record label founded in 2013. Much like the “5th taste” reputation of its namesake, the label strongly believes in discovering new, interesting sounds that run underground and away from the mainstream. The label’s tight-knit, curated roster thus far has included releases from Linying, The Steve McQueens, brb., Evanturetime, CampFire, Martin Baltser, Phoria, Oriental Cravings, and more.

How to boost immune system to fight off COVID-19

Legande Inc. recently had a 2.5 hour long live session with Dr. Ryan Nico C. Padua, internal medicine – cardiology, about how amazing our immune system is. As we all know, times have changed and we are now living a new normal where we stay at home as much as possible to combat an unseen enemy in the form of COVID-19.

COVID-19 is a form of a virus that is transmitted from person to person via droplets in the air or through an object touched by an infected person. This virus gets into our system via our eyes, nose, or mouth. This happens when you either inhale air where there are droplets from an infected person or when you touch something and then touch your face. A person touches their face about 20x every hour on average. This is how easily you can be infected when you come into contact with someone or something with the COVID-19 virus.

So, how can you boost your immune system so that it can help you fight off COVID-19?

Drink 2 cups of water every hour. It may sound a lot but it has been proven that COVID-19 thrives on parched throats. Keeping yourself hydrated not only helps fight off COVID-19, but it also helps to keep you hydrated and your internal system running on full speed.
Eat a balanced diet. This means the Go, Grow, Glow food chart should be followed. Avoid eating highly processed food such as those that come in plastic packaging or have a long shelf life. It’s best to eat natural, organic, or those that are high in fiber like oatmeal.
Avoid or cut down on vices. Smoking, drinking alcohol, and using illegal drugs can lower down your immune system.
Exercise and getting enough rest. You need to move your body to get your blood flowing and to stretch your muscles. However, you also need to get enough rest which means you need to sleep long enough that when you wake up, you feel refreshed, not tired.
Enzymes and probiotics. Enzymes and probiotics can help foster the growth of good bacteria to fight the bad ones. They also help in preventing disease-causing bacteria to do damage in the body.

Legande Inc. offers Life Enzymes. Life Enzyme works better than most vitamins, herbal remedies, and supplements. Enzymes speed up blood circulation, digestion, detoxification, and healing which are all necessary for the body. Legánde’s Life Enzyme contains 150 all-natural whole fruits and vegetables as well as medicinal fungi and ancient Chinese herbs which underwent a 1-year fermentation process. This slows down aging and aids in the relief of digestive disorders and boosts energy.

You can purchase Legánde’s Life Enzyme via www.Legánde.com or visit them at Suite 406, West Tower, Philippine Stock Exchange Center, Ortigas Center, Barangay San Antonio, Pasig City, Metro Manila, Philippines, 1605 when the quarantine is over. You can also check their Facebook Page to send them a message.

Product details and images provided in a recent press release.

Header photo created by jcomp – www.freepik.com

SKY sets friendly safety procedures for service teams

As the country shifts to the new normal, SKY subscribers can continue to rely on a safe service when SKY technicians visit their homes. Beginning this May, SKY technicians will be ready to assist subscribers with technical concerns that require in-home servicing by implementing safety procedures that benefit both its subscribers and frontline workers.

The SKY team will be wearing personal protective equipment, practice physical distancing, and decontaminate before and after their visits.

First, all service teams will be equipped with a complete personal protective equipment (PPE) gear which includes a face mask, disposable surgical gloves, and safety shoes plastic protection. All PPEs and tools also go through a disinfecting procedure based on approved standards.

Second, subscribers can rest assured that SKY’s service technicians have washed their hands and stepped on a footbath basin to disinfect their shoe soles before and after fulfilling a job order.

Third, a call-out will be done prior to each visit to ensure that no one in the home is feeling ill. The SKY team will reschedule the service visit as soon as they are certain that the entire household is well enough to receive service teams into their homes.

With this in mind, SKY remains faithful in maintaining a safe environment for any service transaction.

To further guarantee the protection of SKY customers and service technicians, SKY is also encouraging everyone to maximize the company’s digital platforms first for common transactions. For minor technical issues, Do-It-Yourself and troubleshooting guides can easily be accessed here (www.mysky.com.ph/help).
They can also use mySKY app wherein they can manage their account at the comfort of their homes. Through the app, they can check program schedules, billing information, and payment options.

Staying updated and reaching out to SKY can be simply done with just a few taps. Download the mySKY app today at www.mysky.com.ph/app.

Lunch delivery from Belly Good Boneless Lechon, Maybunga

In the time prior to the community quarantine, I haven’t been so conscious of the need for variety among the viands I serve my fam (probably we didn’t usually spend every lunchtime together until now).

Apparently, the kiddos sometimes get tired of the same-old chows.

Well, I also get tired of wracking my brain coming up with fresh takes on the dishes to serve.

So one day, an hour before lunchtime, I just took out my phone, opened the food delivery app and started scrolling.

And lo and behold, the salvation of my family’s lunch came at the hands of Belly Good Boneless Lechon, a Pinoy resto specializing in boneless lechon belly situated less than two kilometers from my home.

After a few more taps on my phone, my family’s lunch soon found its way to our table.

This included:

Family-size Bellychon (Php430). What a wonderful time to be alive when you can just order lechon anytime you crave for it. And no, you don’t need the whole lechon, right? Just the good parts will do, like the tender and flavorful meat and the crunchy skin.

Bellygood Pancit (Php220). Feel like carbo-loading? The serving size of Belly Good’s stir-fried noodle dish is quite large (filling up two bowls!), more than enough for the fam. It does tend to get a bit dry, and its presentation could use some work.

All I had to do was make sure we had enough steamed rice and iced tea, and just like that, a potentially disastrous lunch was averted without too much demand on my poor brain cells.

I felt quite nourished and refreshed that I had an excellent idea on what to have for dinner that same day.

Belly Good Boneless Lechon is located at Second Floor, Hampton Gardens Arcade, C. Raymundo Avenue, Maybunga, Pasig City. For deliveries and store pick-ups, send a message via Facebook or call/text +63 917 5420130. You can also order through GrabFood, FoodPanda and LalaFood.

Hotel Sogo innovates New Normal hotel features

Experts say it will take longer before the world completely heals from the effect of COVID19. As the country prepares to ease up after the almost three months of Enhance Community Quarantine, Hotel Sogo steps up for their version of the hotel industry’s ‘new normal’.

Hotel Sogo is doing various ways to ensure the safety and security of its guests and employees against the spread of Covid19 virus, once they go back to regular operations. Top on its list will be the use of ultraviolet (UV) lights in disinfecting around its facilities and intensified the process from checking-in to ordering of food to make sure their facilities as So Clean. The ultraviolet (UV) lights are highly effective at disinfection, as its rays are capable of killing bacteria, germs, and viruses.

To prepare its employees in servicing its guests, Hotel Sogo makes sure to protect their employees from the virus by giving them vitamins to boost their immunity and provided personalized PPEs. Hotel Sogo employees have their medical check-ups and Covid19 testing to make sure that their personnel is free from the virus to make sure that the employees and not just the facilities are So Good and ready for their regular operations.

Guests need not worry during their stay Hotel Sogo ensures that operations and preparations are So Safe, as mandatory temperature checks, passage through disinfecting tent, and use of disinfecting foot tray are in place. The availability of hand sanitizers in common areas, are strictly observed, as well as social distancing from the receiving process to elevator use going to their rooms. Facilities are also redesigned and modified to protect the guests and employees, like placing the glass panel divider on top of the front desk.

All of this information can be found in Hotel Sogo’s ‘new normal’ video playbook. The video is shared with relevant government agencies like the Department of Health (DOH), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), and the Department of Tourism (DOT), in the hope that the video could serve as a benchmark of other similar establishments prior to their reopening.

Watch Hotel Sogo’s ‘new normal’ playbook video to know more.

Video and details provided by Hotel Sogo in a recent press release.

#QuarantineCookbook: Sausage Pasta with The Saucier’s Creamy Sundried Tomatoes

Today, I was faced with a Mommy Problem: What do you do when dinner time is near and all that’s left in your freezer are some Hungarian sausages?

How did I get to this state? Well, I blame it on the quarantine… and, okay, on me too.

I thought I stocked the ref with two week’s worth of meats for the fam’s ulam, but apparently, I was one day short. Here’s the thing: during the quarantine, my city imposed specific market days when residents of a certain area can go to the wet markets or grocery stores to restock on food items.

When is our area’s next market day? Tomorrow. When did we run out of beef, pork or chicken for our ulam? Today.

Yikes!

Fortunately, I espied a package of Hungarian sausages and some fusili pasta that I bought at the nearest Landers branch during my last grocery run. Plus, a friend of mine recently sent me a bottle of Creamy Sundried Tomato from The Saucier.

So I had an idea: why not make a Sausage Pasta using The Saucier’s Creamy Sundried Tomato?

In the culinary industry, a saucier, also known as the saute chef, prepares the sauces, stews and the hot hors d’oeuvres as well as sautes food to order.

As I discovered, if you have a bottle or two of The Saucier’s homemade and preservatives-free sauces and dressings, it’s like you have your very own saucier in your kitchen.

Sun-dried tomatoes, in case you’re wondering, are made by drying out ripe tomatoes in the sun after treating them with salt so that they lose most of their water content. This is a traditional way of preserving tomatoes in Europe, guaranteeing a steady supply that can be enjoyed and provide nutrition during the winter months. Sun-dried tomatoes also have a more intense sweet-tart flavor than fresh tomatoes, making their use popular across a variety of dishes throughout the world.

The Saucier’s Creamy Sun-dried Tomato is made of sun-dried tomatoes, cream, olive oil and spices, definitely no preservatives. Since it already has cream incorporated in the sauce, it saved me the effort of experimenting the ratio of cream to sauce that would have plagued me if what I had on-hand was just plain sun-dried tomato. Whew!

Wanna know how my bright idea turned out? Here’s the recipe I used:

Ingredients:

250 grams fusili pasta, cooked according to package instructions and drained well
5 links of Hungarian sausage, boiled for twenty minutes until cooked, then sliced thinly
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 chicken bouillion cube, dissolved in 1 cup hot water (my substitute for 1 cup chicken broth)
1/2 cup The Saucier’s Creamy Sun-dried Tomato
1/4 cup grated Parmesan (apparently, I also ran out of this cheese, so I used the remaining half tablespoon of parmesan and substituted the rest with ordinary cheese)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

In a large saucepan or casserole over medium heat, melt the butter in the olive oil. Add the garlic, and cook for up to two minutes, stirring frequently until fragrant.

Whisk in the flour for one minute until it turns light brown, then gradually whisk in the chicken broth whisking constantly for up to two minutes until the flour is well incorporated into the broth.

Stir in the creamy sun-dried tomato, cheese and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir in pasta and sausage until these are well-coated with the sauce.

The resulting pasta dish is rich in taste and has a creamy texture.

Well, if the emptied-out casserole and the happy faces of my fam are any indication, I would say this makeshift dinner was a success, thanks in large part to the new and wonderful flavors introduced by The Saucier’s Creamy Sundried Tomato.

For more details or to get your hands on The Saucier’s sauces and dressings, as well as its tasty Mushroom Burger (more on this coming soon!), visit The Saucier on Facebook or call +63 2 76233600, +63 2 79015526 or +63 917 8870125.

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

Fun times for the little one with Warner Media channels this June

Back-to-school season usually comes in June. With the resumption of school operations still uncertain because of quarantine protocols, parents can rest easy that the kids will have something on tv to occupy their time, as well as experience with the family.

So gather your family together, pop some popcorn and explore a wide range of family-friendly movies and series on HBO GO, Cartoon Network, Boomerang and Warner TV.

Family-friendly movies on HBO GO

Let your imagination run free with a variety of family-friendly movies on HBO GO! Be a Teen Titan or an explorer; learn to train dragons or practise kung fu with a panda; solve mysteries with Scooby-Doo or Nancy Drew. Whatever your choose, an exciting action-packed adventure awaits when you stream these fun family-friendly movies on HBO GO.

Shows for the young ones on HBO GO

For more non-stop kids entertainment, check out popular kids series on HBO GO. Travel to alternative universes with talking bears, young samurais and superpowered sisters to fight aliens and save the world. Here is just a selection of the kids’ series to binge-watch on the streaming service.

Animation on Cartoon Network and Boomerang

For the young and young at heart, there are lots of animated series to choose from. From Yabba Dabba Dinosaurs and My Little Pony on Boomerang to ThunderCats Roar! And Monster Beach on Cartoon Network, catch these brand-new series and episodes this holiday.

Magical adventures with Warner TV

From saving the kingdom against giants to fighting alongside The Boy Who Lived and finally gathering clues in the Mystery Machine, go on magical adventures with Warner TV.

WarnerMedia is a leading media and entertainment company that creates and distributes premium and popular content from a diverse array of talented storytellers and journalists to global audiences through its consumer brands including: HBO, HBO Now, HBO Max, Warner Bros., TNT, TBS, truTV, CNN, DC, New Line, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies and others.

HBO GO, Cartoon Network, Boomerang and Warner TV are available on SKYcable. To subscribe or for more information on these, fill out this form.

People photo created by tirachardz – www.freepik.com