WS: Cyma's Spinach and Artichoke Fondue

With the blend of melting cheese, sliced sun-dried tomatoes and Feta. Served with warm pita triangles and grilled garlic bread.

--- what he had for starters yesterday! super yummy, we'll really gonna comeback there :D My friends and I had a Saturday food getaway and we decided to try some Greek cuisine and found ourselves dining at CYMA, Greenbelt 2. So the verdict? almost perfect! servings are hefty, imagine there were four of us but we had a hard time finishing all of our foods! Salads, Kebabs and cheese dips are soooo good! Ambiance are a ok, but it gets crowded as diners come in. I overheard one of the customer in the next table wishes for HDTV, maybe she gots bored or something since fixing the orders can really consume some time. And for the price? I think it's fairly price for the taste and the huge servings.

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13 things your waiter won't tell you

1. Avoid eating out on holidays and Saturday nights. The sheer volume of customers guarantees that most kitchens will be pushed beyond their ability to produce a high-quality dish.

2. There are almost never any sick days in the restaurant business. A busboy with a kid to support isn't going to stay home and miss out on $100 because he's got strep throat. And these are the people handling your food.

3. When customers' dissatisfaction devolves into personal attacks, adulterating food or drink is a convenient way for servers to exact covert vengeance. Some waiters can and do spit in people's food.

4. Never say "I'm friends with the owner." Restaurant owners don't have friends. This marks you as a clueless poseur the moment you walk in the door.

5. Treat others as you want to be treated. (Yes, people need to be reminded of this.)

6. Don't snap your fingers to get our attention. Remember, we have shears that cut through bone in the kitchen.

7. Don't order meals that aren't on the menu. You're forcing the chef to cook something he doesn't make on a regular basis. If he makes the same entrée 10,000 times a month, the odds are good that the dish will be a home run every time.

8. Splitting entrées is okay, but don't ask for water, lemon, and sugar so you can make your own lemonade. What's next, grapes so you can press your own wine?

9. If you find a waiter you like, always ask to be seated in his or her section. Tell all your friends so they'll start asking for that server as well. You've just made that waiter look indispensable to the owner. The server will be grateful and take good care of you.

10. If you can't afford to leave a tip, you can't afford to eat in the restaurant. Servers could be giving 20 to 40 percent to the busboys, bartenders, maître d', or hostess.

11. Always examine the check. Sometimes large parties are unaware that a gratuity has been added to the bill, so they tip on top of it. Waiters "facilitate" this error. It's dishonest, it's wrong-and I did it all the time.

12. If you want to hang out, that's fine. But increase the tip to make up for money the server would have made if he or she had had another seating at that table.

13. Never, ever come in 15 minutes before closing time. The cooks are tired and will cook your dinner right away. So while you're chitchatting over salads, your entrées will be languishing under the heat lamp while the dishwasher is spraying industrial-strength, carcinogenic cleaning solvents in their immediate vicinity.

source

afternoon heat

The weather now is terribly hotter than last week! It makes people just want to bum around and basically just lay down on those comfy outdoor pillows that has being frequently used now on alfresco dining set ups of restaurants nowadays. Something that even the typical household would want to have, imagine being able to have a relaxing afternoon while enjoying those fluffy pillows under the tree shade! fresh air at it's finest! Don't you just love the idea that I divulge?! So what are you waiting for now? let's all rest!

not cooking

So am I cooking lately?! not! thank goodness for my mom whom who does the cooking for us all. This is actually one of the many perks when you stay at your parent's place, no worries about food, house cleaning among other things! But of course, as much as possible, I do my share in keeping the house clean you know. I also give some time when it comes to handling our mini store while taking care of my brat among other errands my mom asks me to take care like picking the best auto insurance quote that we'll get for our car. Which reminds me, I need to do that before the week ends!

Four Foods

#1. blueyes’ question. What’s your favorite seafood recipe?
:: that would be my mom's Ginataang Alvacora :D

#2. Italian Ice. Like it, love it or leave it?
:: Love it!

#3. What’s your favorite crunchy food? (anything – pickles, chips, fruit, etc.)
:: potato chips

#4. Have you ever eaten so much of something that you felt or got sick?
:: yeah!

Four Foods On Friday 80

#1. bestmomma’s question. If you could copy the cooking expertise and ability of one person, who would it be?

I'm torn with this because I have three wonderful idols when it comes to cooking, my Mommy Del, Nanay Alice and my MOMMA! :D

#2. What’s the first red food that comes to your mind?

Apple!

#3. How do you eat your strawberries?

shakes galore! :D or with whipped cream! yummo!

#4. Share a recipe that uses cherries.

just plain fruit salad topped with cherries!

Cooking Games Galore!

Don't you just love playing Food Games over the net? Because I do, my friends and my sister were the ones who actually invited me to try Cooking Games. There are numerous sites that gives out Free Cooking Games downloads making it very accessible for people who likes playing online games or just plain games in the computer.
And I, who is not really a gaming person is now hooked unto playing burger shop games! Talk about my love for food and cooking eh!? nah, I just love the fast phase feature of the games that is why you'll see me playing during my me time. And yes, even my daughter loves watching me play though at times she also wants to fiddle with my keyboard!
Anyways, if you too loves to play games, cooking games I mean check out ecookinggames.com! Here are some of the games they have available for downloads! Super cute isn't!? love the Dora and Spongebob game!

Health benefits of tomatoes

Tomatoes are a member of the deadly nightshade family, and as such were considered toxic, causing many conditions like appendicitis, “brain fever” and cancer. In fact, they may have just the opposite effect. Tomatoes were not even eaten in the US until the early 1800s, when an eccentric New Jersey gentleman Colonel Robert Gibbon Johnson brought them back from a trip overseas. Always one to take advantage of a dramatic opportunity, he announced an amazing display of courage would take place on September 26, 1820. He shocked his hometown of Salem by consuming and entire basket of tomatoes in front of a crowd of spectators, expecting him to keel over any second. Obviously, he didn’t and since then tomatoes have been a staple of the American diet and with good reason.

Starting with the basics, tomatoes contain large amounts of vitamin C, providing 40 percent of the daily value (DV). They also contain 15 percent DV of vitamin A, 8 percent DV of potassium, and 7 percent of the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of iron for women and 10 percent RDA for men.

The red pigment contained in tomatoes is called lycopene. This compound appears to act as an antioxidant, neutralizing free radicals that can damage cells in the body. Only recently, studies have revealed that lycopene may have twice the punch of another well-known antioxidant betacarotene. Studies conducted by Harvard researchers have discovered that men who consumed 10 servings of tomatoes a week, or the equivalent to 10 slices of pizza, can cut the risk of developing prostate cancer by a formidable 45 percent. However, its benefits are not limited to the prostate. Italian researchers have found that those who consume more that 7 servings of raw tomatoes lower the risk of developing rectal colon or stomach cancers by 60 percent. Israeli researchers have found that lycopene is a powerful inhibitor of lung, breast, and endometrial cancer cells. Research has also indicated that the lycopene in tomatoes can help older people stay active longer.

Wonderful List

1. What you put out comes back all the time, no matter what.

2. You define your own life. Don’t let other people write your script.

3. Whatever someone did to you in the past has no power over the present. Only you give it power.

4. When people show you who they are, believe them the first time. (A lesson from Maya Angelou.)

5. Worrying is wasted time. Use the same energy for doing something about whatever worries you.

6. What you believe has more power than what you dream or wish or hope for. You become what you believe.

7. If the only prayer you ever say is thank you, that will be enough. (From the German theologian and humanist Meister Eckhart.)

8. The happiness you feel is in direct proportion to the love you give.

9. Failure is a signpost to turn you in another direction.

10. If you make a choice that goes against what everyone else thinks, the world will not fall apart.

11. Trust your instincts. Intuition doesn’t lie.

12. Love yourself and then learn to extend that love to others in every encounter.

13. Let passion drive your profession.

14. Find a way to get paid for doing what you love. Then every paycheck will be a bonus.

15. Love doesn’t hurt. It feels really good.

16. Every day brings a chance to start over.

17. Being a mother is the hardest job on earth. Women everywhere must declare it so.

18. Doubt means don’t. Don’t move. Don’t answer. Don’t rush forward.

19. When you don’t know what to do, get still. The answer will come.

20. “Trouble don’t last always.” (A line from a Negro spiritual, which calls to mind another favorite: This, too, shall pass.)

This was taken from Oprah’s website

WS: Choco Fondue

Here's what we had for dessert when we had lunch at PH with my online friend Diane. We totally loved it! Choco overload! ;)

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WW: Crispy Kangkong

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Halo Halo by Chow King

Halo Halo is one of my favorite afternoon snack, especially if served with two scoops of ice cream! Chow King is well favored for they are very accessible since almost every towns and cities has a branch. Plus the fact that they also deliver! Quite pricey, but for me, the satisfaction of eating something that you love makes everything a ok! I remember when I was still working, my co-workers and I would always order this yummy treat for our afternoon snack! And right after, expect us all browsing and reading diet pill reviews online from dietpillreviews.net! We terribly need help from all the sugar intakes!

cravings

It's the time of the month and I am craving for this!



But no, I don't want to buy this from my own money. I want this yummy donuts to be given to me so I can appreciate more :D Another wishful thinking of mine, I know. Anyways, it's just a bad thing though, Krispy Kreme still doesn't have a branch yet at the nearest mall, so I'm really stuck with the not so yummy brand. Hopefully tomorrow I can stop by the donut's store and get a dozen of my favorite original glazed, and will surely hit the drugstore too to get some fat burner! I badly needed one now, my unwanted flabs are all over! Need help as soon as I can! lol

Aurora's Snack House

Last week, my friends Glen and Retz met up at Aurora's snack house in Cavite City, known for their yummy and flavorful Pancit Palabok. Anyways, we decided to meet there so we can have a quick snack while Retz do some downloading on my ipod. When we arrived at the place we ordered at once and waited not too long for our meals to arrive. It was heaven! old school thing as we realized, the place, the food, how they served everything was oldschool! even the price is still cheaply marked! But the taste? still fantastic! Look at what we had, just double everything and it was cleared out in a jiffy! Now it's time for popping some diet pills for we had a big time carbohydrates loading session!
Here's what we had... the pictures doesn't do justice on the taste though... lol



Pancit Palabok

Palabok Noodles / Sauce

• 1/2 kilo bihon noodles

• 1/2 kilo small crabs

• 5 cloves of garlic, minced

• 1 onion, chopped

• 2 tablespoons of atchuete seeds or oil

• 2 tablespoons of patis (fish sauce)

• 4 tablespoons of cornstarch, dissolved in water

• 1 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate (MSG)

• 1 1/2 cups of water

Palabok Toppings

• Tinapa flakes (smoked fish)

• Cooked shrimps, shelled

• Squid adobo, sliced into rings

• Pork chicharon, grounded

• Spring onions, chopped

• Hard boiled eggs, shelled, sliced

• Fried garlic, minced

• Fresh calamansi (lemon), sliced

procedure

• Extract fat and meat from clean crabs, set aside.

• Pound crab and extract juice on 1 1/2 cups of water

• On a pan, sauté garlic and onions until golden brown then add crab fat, crab meat, 1 1/2 cups of crab wash, patis and MSG. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

• Add corn starch and continue to simmer while constantly stirring until thick.

• Put miki noodles in a strainer and dip in boiling water for 5 minutes or until cooked.

• Lay drained noodles on a platter and pour the palabok sauce. Garnish with toppings and serve.

and we also had Tacos and Cheese Burger

Buttered Garlic Shrimp

Now before the husband left to work in a far away land (the reason of my so many sleepless nights, thus making me look for effective best eye cream! huhuhuhu) so anyways, this is what I prepared for him for two consecutive nights. Why shrimps? because he loves shrimps! and he totally digs my buttered and garlic shrimp so as he requested, I served this yummy meal for him. And it was actually a torn moment for me because I was happy because he was satisfied with the food that i served him but deep inside, I was crying because it is in fact our last dinner together for he is only to come back after two years, yes that long.

nice and cheap!

If only I have enough budget, I'd probably get my mom this super pretty discount jewelry set for just because. Found this great finds at holstedjewelers.com, where they sell fashion and real jewelries of all sorts and depending on your budget! Pretty nice because if you wanted to buy something and you only have a budget for the buy you can still find a piece or two that fits your budget. And as mentioned earlier I want this for my mom but my budget only permits me to get the pair of earrings or the necklace alone. But no need to worry because if ever I would have enough money, I can still go back and place an order for the item that I want.

What really made this stuff super adorable to my eyes are the fact that it is like from the famous jewelry designer! Definitely fab but not that expensive! With budget restrictions and financial crisis we are experiencing now, getting something like this that was inspired from an expensive one is being practical and reasonable. I just can't wait to receive the order that I made from this site.

WW: Fries Galore

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