My favorite convenient store 7-Eleven opened their 500^th branch at Eton Centris in Quezon City, making it the largest chain store in the Philippines to date.

I preferred 7-Eleven to the other convenient store because of its excellent service, courteous staff and wide array of products; it is open 24 hours a day and its store accessibility. One heartwarming experience with the store staff I had years ago is when I was so depressed and I need to buy coffee and hot dog sandwich, the staff really helped and served what I need, though its self-service, from then on I know 7-Eleven is my kind of store.

Aside from terrific service of their staff, 7-Eleven is known internationally for Big Gulp® soft drinks, Big Bite® hot dogs, Slurpee® beverages, and fresh brewed coffee. The stores have expanded their food service offerings with a proprietary line of deli items and baked goods, which are prepared and delivered fresh daily. In the Philippines, the local menu has expanded to Hottarice® Meals, Siopao, Pasta, Stuffed Pandesal and desserts.

7-Eleven also offers convenient services including bills payment, phone/call cards and simpacks, and money transfer, where available.

7-Eleven the Philippine’s favorite and most reliable convenience store chain.

“It is the world’s first cheese café that will serve the most number of cheese dishes at 5, 845”.

5845 is the number that shook the culinary world last December 14, 2009. It was when the Magsaysay Center for Hospitality and Culinary Arts (MIHCA) and Kraft Eden Cheese successfully created 5,845 unique cheese-infused dishes in one day, a Guinness world record-breaking milestone.

Café 5845 is at SM Mall of Asia North Living Seaside Boulevard area, it will serve pasta such as Penne Amatriciana with Shrimp & Mushroom, BBQ Pork w/ Cheesy Bechamel Sauce as one of the main courses. Vegetarian pizzas to satisfy vegetarian guests and of course, sandwiches such as Chicken and Cheese Panina lined up in the menu, guests are sure to indulge in a unique dining experience.

Café 5845 will serve a different menu everyday and will be featuring some of the dishes used in the record-breaking 5,845 dishes. Café 5845 cheese dishes are at affordable prices.

Friends we don’t have any reason not to visit Café 5845, Guinness world record, finest food prepared by MIHCA staff, and dishes enriched with Kraft Eden Cheese.

Ang Sarap ng Buhay !

Nestlé’s Heaven Ice Cream had a blast party for its formal launch at A. Venue in Makati last June 23, 2010. With men and women dressed in angel’s costume, a foggy and exhilarating atmosphere at the venue, feels like Heaven!

Nestle’s Heaven Ice Cream comes in 4 delicious flavors: Belgian Chocolate Bliss, Vanilla Almond Secret, Strawberry Dream, and Strawberry Dream. Prices range from Php 115( Php 115 ) to Php 175( 800mL) .

Each scoop will truly give an ultimate HEAVEN Ice Cream experience and that tastes just like Heaven on earth!

And the award for the Guinness world of record for successfully putting off 5845 cheese infused dishes goes to Team Kraft’s Eden cheese and the Magsaysay Center for Culinary Arts (MIHCA)! Hurrah for the men and women behind MICHA and Kraft’s Eden Cheese!

Last December 15, 2009, chefs and students from MIHCA , in cooperation with culinary students from Regina Carmeli, Saint Paul College, Centro Escolar University, Emilio Aguinaldo College, La Consolacion College, and Arellano University, gathered at Araneta Coliseum and helped Kraft Eden Cheese prepare 5845 cheese-based dishes.

Truly a fruit of hard work and perseverance, bagging a Guinness World Record for preparing the most number of dishes on display in a single day, proved MICHA’s world class ability both locally and globally.

As a way of celebrating a World Record-the Cheesy way, MIHCA and Kraft foods will launch the Café 5845 at SM Mall of Asia, the first cheese café in the world that will serve the most number of cheese dishes at 5845.

Indeed a remarkable feat for Filipinos in the culinary world! Congratulations to the team behind MIHCA and Kraft Eden Cheese.

Love is in the air again. Lovers would be definitely thinking about what to give a special someone. How do you express love? You can’t count how much we love; much more there is not enough way of expressing it. One may just express it in words of love, a hug, a kiss, a touch, or just a smile.

Red Ribbon has come up with a cake that can sum up all the love you can give and share. The new Roses and Kisses Cake, sugar roses and Hershey’s kisses top this chocolate pound cake with chocolate chip filling, a delightful and meaningful Valentines gift.

To those chocolate lovers, experience the ultimate chocolate cake, Chocolate Heaven. Combination of brownies, chocolate mouse, icing and curls just too chocolatety! Yummy , really for chocolate addicts.

Red Ribbon’s Roses & Kisses and Chocolate Heaven Cakes, available for your loved ones this Valentines! Its more beautiful with Red Ribbon.

Simbang gabi with a twist, attended the last “simbang gabi” in Kapamgpangan  held at San Guillermo Parish Church in Bacolor, Pampanga with Jeric, and Dianne for the Eden Keso de Gallo. The traditional Misa de Gallo, was highlighted with a featured dish  “Cheesy Squash Puto “ which was served as a treat to the churchgoers after the mass.

San Guillermo Parish, Bacolor, Pampanga

Kraft Eden Cheese aimed to bring back the joy and faith of Filipinos during this festive occasion.  The well-loved cheese brand launched the Keso de Gallo - a nationwide event coinciding with the traditionally celebrated Misa de Gallo (a Catholic Christmas tradition wherein nine dawn masses are held starting December 16, which will culminate on Christmas Eve).

Parallel to the nine-day Simbang Gabi, Eden brought the goodness of Filipino dishes to Pinoys in nine different towns including Bacolod City, Iloilo, Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu City, Naga, Butuan City, Laoag and Pampanga.

At least 300 “kabalens” enjoyed the “Cheesy Squash Puto” a recipe done by pupils from the San Matias Elementary School in Pampanga.

Kraft Eden Cheese Squash Puto

Squash Puto (Pampanga)

Ingredients:

2 ¼ cup squash, cooked and mashed

3 ¼ cup all purpose flour, sifted

1 ½ cup washed sugar

4 tbsp baking powder

1 bar Eden Cheese

½ cup margarine, melted

1 ½ cup butter milk

8 pcs. eggs, medium, beaten

1 tbsp. vanilla

2 cups water

Procedure:

1. Combine all dry ingredients together.
2. Make a well at the center and add the liquid ingredients.
3. Blend until smooth.
4. Add smashed squash and grated cheese. Mix well.
5. Pour mixture in a molder.
6. Steam for 45 minutes.

“With Eden cheese, we will explore the wonders of our country’s cuisine while providing an extended feast that will bring joy and delight to as many families as possible,” says Alex Tacderas, Category Marketing Manager for Cheese and Spoonables, Kraft Foods Philippines.

For more recipe with Eden Cheese, visit http://www.sarapngbuhay.com.

P.S

This Christmas I had the chance to connect to the roots of my DAD this Christmas. Attending mass said in  Kapampangan dialect  and reminiscing the culture and traditions of Kapampangan during Christmas. How I wish I were fluent in the dialect.

Thanks to Kraft Eden Cheese, and Keso de Gallo, I felt my Christmas was complete. The Keso de Gallo  in San Guillermo Parish Church in Bacolor Pampanga event will be in our memories for a long time.

The Keso de Gallo experience was our topic during the family gathering we had on Christmas Day.

Anchor butter has been part of our breakfast table since I was a kid. Since I grew up in a family who love to cook and eat, Anchor butter was always there to add flavor to every meal. Anchor butter in pandesal, “ube halaya”, “nilagang mais”, hot cake, “ bibingka”, puto bumbong , and polvoron are some of the food that I used Anchor butter a lot. It was always there in our grocery basket and fridge.

Food Bloggers take center stage in testing their culinary skills in a cook fest  “The Connoisseur Duel: The Grand Food Battle” sponsored by Anchor at the Magsaysay Institute of Hospitality and Culinary Arts (Walter Mart Makati) held last November 26, 2009.

Donning our chef’s hat and apron, we cooked several tasting dishes, our very own cooking masterpiece. Both the yellow and Red teams braced the 50-minute challenge of cooking three kinds of dish using the different Anchor products.

All of these cooking activities were done at Magsaysay Institute of Hospitality and Culinary Arts. MIHCA production kitchen is essentially a “playground” for us bloggers where we unleash our creativity in cooking though no formal training. We had full access to world-class equipment and materials, oven, cooking pans and utensils.

I was lucky to be a member of the Yellow team that prepared “Mum’s sopas”, main dish of fried Dory fish with white sauce, fruit salad and sweetened ladyfingers. We did have a great time, enjoying the whole process cooking and making the food presentable to the panel of judges; Leah Barin, Food Service Manager, Fonterra Brands; Juan Miguel Borja, Senior Chef Instructor at MIHCA ; Dorothy Ferreira, well-respected pastry chef and culinary teacher. The entire dishes used Anchor butter and Anchor Culinary cream.

Anchor shares to us secrets of great cooking; some recipes are passed on from generation to generation, others new creations. Visit http//www. AnchorRecipes.com; for these are recipes that are guaranteed to be delicious as these are made only with ANCHOR BUTTER as well as other Anchor/Fonterra products.

Anchor ….Taste is truly our passion!

Leopoldo “ Black Hole “Quinto, Jr. of Baclaran won P 500,000 by eating 13 hotdogs in a span of 10 minutes in the Big Bite Matching Hotdog Eating contest sponsored by 7- Eleven last November 14, 2009 at Music Hall SM Mall of Asia. He vested 25 other contestants.

Second runner up- was Kyle “The Beast” de Guzman, a nursing student from the University of Pangasinan, took the150,000 pesos prize.

I considered the two as the best Filipino Gurgitator. Job well done ! We will expect more from 7-eleven to host this new spectator event.

Here’s my previous post about the lauch of this event: http://www.annakatharinamd.com/2009/07/06/who-will-emerge-as-7-eleven%E2%80%99s-filipino-fastest-hotdog-eating-machine/

Big Bite ® Match is the biggest competitive eating event in the Philippines visit www.eatingmachinesphilippines.com/ for more information.

7-Eleven is celebrating its 25th year of being the largest convenience store chain in the Philippines. For inquiries about franchising, please contact the Customer Hotline at 724-10-31 or the Mobile Hotline at 0920-945-2036

Eden Cheese wants to set a Guinness World Record for the most number of Filipino dishes made with Eden cheese in a single day. Their target, 5000 dishes out of Eden Cheese , which will be held on December 14, 2009 at Araneta Coliseum.

This also aims to showcase our Filipino food culture in 5,000 dishes as a unique, wonderful and utterly tasty experience. On December 14, cooking enthusiasts, culinary students, kusineros, chefs and foodies for one battle royale featuring cheese, with Kraft Eden products demonstrating their versatility in various dishes, from the savory to the sweet.

I grew up in a family who loves to cook, my lola a certified cusinera and my Dad a Kapangpangan who can dish out anything. I use to attend “handaan” wherein my lola was the cook. I never got tired of watching her prepare morcon , and pastel both prepared with cheese.Everything then was prepared the natural way, all ingredients have to be fresh and of the first class quality. My dad was the one who introduced to me the use of cookbooks and how to experiment on some ingredients. I might not have the time to cook but I can do any common dish.

Be part of history, be involved, lets promote Filipino dishes and join the Eden Cheese Event.
Be a Yumm Member and give your own Eden Cheesified recipe. Join Eden Cheese in setting our World Record attempt to cheesify Filipino dishes! Visit www.sarapngbuhay.com !

Eden Cheese is YUMM , Your Ultimate Meal Makeover! Your Ulam Mas Masarap
Eden Cheese , A yummy and Inspiring Christmas, Cheese possibilities to the Limits

Ang Sarap ng Buhay sa Eden Cheese!

I was able to attend the first Celebrity Cook –off Challenge sponsored by Doña Elena Cuisinera Club held at Annabelle’s Restaurant at T. Morato Quezon City. In the competition, celebrities and guest displayed their culinary genius in preparing appetizing Filipino dishes using Doña Elena olive oil.

Guest celebrities Gladys Reyes and Bernadette Allyson displayed their skills in preparing a meal using Doña Elena products such as Pure Olive oil and Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Doña Elena Cuisinera Club advocates the use of olive oil as good partner in the kitchen. An oil rich in monosaturated fat Doña Elena olive oil has an anti-inflammatory and anti-hypertensive property. Olive oil is also abundant with polyphenols, a potent anti oxidant that scavenges harmful free radicals in the body.

Be a Cuisinera Club member. Cuisinera Club is a cooking community established by Doña Elena to provide first-time and experienced home cooks (we call them cuisineras) , who re pushing for a healthy eating lifestyle. Cuisinera Club aim to encourage and teach cuisineras easy ways on achieving a healthier lifestyle through better nutrition, which can be achieved by using olive oil in their daily cooking.

Some of Doña Elena Products are Doña Elena olive oil, Doña Elena sardines, Doña Elena Anchovy, Doña Elena olives , green and black.