Moulinex You Cook Video Recipe Challenge Year 2 Semi-Finals

The Moulinex You Cook is a culinary competition where entries are submitted in video clips showing the ingredients and procedure through a cooking video using Moulinex food preparation products.  This contest is open to currently enrolled Culinary Arts and Restaurant Management students within Metro Manila aged 18 years old and above.

This year’s competition heats up as the Moulinex You Cook Video Recipe Challenge Year 2’s People’s Choice Award is launched on Moulinex Philippines Facebook Fan Page and the official website http://www.moulinexyoucook.com/

Here the contestants prepare their dishes under time pressure.



The judges checks out the works of the participants.

The judges make their comments on each participants' dish.

Anyone of the 16 Semi-Finalists has the chance to win this title. The voting system will close on January 27, 2012 at exactly 12 midnight. The participant who garnered the highest number of votes will be proclaimed winner and shall receive prizes from Moulinex valued partners and sponsors.

This year’s judges are:

Noel Rama (Marketing Consultant of Collins International Trading Corporation)

Laurent Casteret (Food & Beverage Director, Intercontinental Hotel Manila)
Rory Subida (Culinary Directress/Manager of Maya Kitchen Culinary Arts Center)

Chef Nino Laus (Passionate for Asian-European fusion cuisine, entrepreneur, multi-awarded chef)

Nina Daza-Puyat (Daughter of the Philippine Culinary Icon Ms. Nora Daza, Editor-in-Chief of Appetite Magazine)

Chef Bruce Lim (Filipino-Chinese Chef, schooled in London, Entrepreneur, TV Producer and Host)

From the 20 collected valid video entries for Moulinex You Cook Video Recipe Challenge 2 from 9 participating schools, 16 top qualifiers were screened and evaluated by three qualifying judges, namely Mr. Noel Rama, Ms. Rory Subida and Mr. Laurent Casteret.

Held last January 14, 2012 at the Legaspi Room of Hotel InterContinental in Makati, the Semi-Finalists competed for the slots of the top 8 Finalists for the Championships. In this round, each contestants had 1 ½ hours to cook their submitted recipe and was judged according to the following criteria:

Taste: 30%

Mise En Place/Ease of Preparation 20%

Creativity/Originality 15%

Visual Appeal 15%

Optimization of Moulinex Products 15%

Personality 15%

 Here are some of the mouthwatering dishes the participants had prepared during the cook-off:

Cooking enthusiasts like me are looking forward on January 28, 2012 where 8 Student Chefs from top schools in the Metro will be having a cooking showdown as they vie for the Moulinex You Cook Video Recipe Challenge Year 2 Grand Winner. Up for grabs for the Grand Winner will be Php 40,000 from Moulinex, Stay and Learn Program from Hotel InterContinental Manila and a demo tour with the Moulinex Marekitng Team. The school represented by the winner and his or her mentor shall also be receiving lots of prizes from the participating sponsors.

I'll be keeping you tabs on what will happen in the Grand Finals! Good luck to all our eight Finalists!


Here are the lucky Grand Finalists with the judges! Cheers everyone!


 

Special thanks to Ms. Norma Galera for providing us the photos and Moulinex for the invites.

xoxo,

A Weekend in Tagaytay

We had a wonderful bonding last week. It was just the 3 of us: Kyle, me and my mom. We headed for Crosswinds' Grand Quartier after a short picnic at Picnic Grove. Kyle & I would've wanted to try the zipline, however since it was a weekend, it actually cost more. Here's a tip: you could save more money if you could go on weekdays + that could also save you from the hassle of lining up. So Kyle & I decided we better try the zipping some other time. At the time we were there, the line was way too long and with the sun up, one might even suffer from dizzyness. We eventually settled on a bench under the tree, just across the hanging bridge. So much had changed since the last time I was here - back in high school, around 1997. The Picnic Grove now looks like Baguio City's Mines View. Gone are the days when you could just go there, enjoy the Taal Volcano's majestic view and simply relax. Nowadays, there are a lot of people hovering you offering either a boat ride or a horse ride (both rented for a fee).  I mean, I'd like to assume that guests/visitors would come because they'd like to bond with family amidst the beauty of Tagaytay. There's also a shopping center, fish spa with foot massage ( yup, just like the ones @ Manila Ocean Park) and loads of eateries oe food kiosk/stalls abound. All of these only mean one thing: more garbages will surely be with it. To be completelt honest, the addition to this supposedly tourist destination can truly be a wrong move. Charging guests at 50 Php per head & finding out later that all you'll get are all rubbish, I'd say it is tantamount to paying for the Taal Volcano as a backdrop on your photos! I won't be surprised if one day, Tagaytay Picnic Grove will eventually lose its charm.

Anyway, despite the disappointing trip to picnic grove, we had fun at the Crosswinds. It was our second time at the scenic Swiss village, but it was our 1st time to stay overnight at the Grand Quartier. We had stayed at the studio room: we had a kitchen + fridge etc. But we did not had the chance to cook because we were too tired from all the walking that we had. We also ditch our plan to swim at the pool because it was freezing cold and Crosswinds did not have an a available shuttle service at the time. It was pure bliss bonding with Kyle and my Mom. We surely had a great weekend despite the glitches.

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Koala's March Helps to Cheer Us Up!

There's always a Koala's March for you, it comes in different sizes and in chocolate and strawberry variant. 

What do you do when your child suddenly goes home from school feeling gloomy after having a really bad day at school?  Like he had a spat with a friend or that he got a really low score in a quiz. Each time it happens to Kyle, like a typical mommy, I immediately put down whatever it is that I am doing just so I could attend to him. I'd cook his favorite meal (he arrives from school after lunch) and makes sure to understand his not so typical "quietness". I mean, of course, as much as I want to know right away why he's gotten the blues, I wouldn't dare ask him, not after he's had his meal and only when he's ready to talk about it. 

Mommies, you see, our children also had their "down times". Our job is to make sure that they learn to pick up themselves and learn how to chase the blues away on their own. They should learn that although life isn't always a bed of roses, it wouldn't also be nice if life had no challenges. All they should do is to always think positive and begin to see life as something that's not half empty but rather half full. 

Here's a few proven and tested ways to keep the smile and laughter back in your child:

* Tell him the stories you've had of him when he was small. It never fails to make him smile as he tried to reminisce on all the wonderful time he had in kindergarten. With all the bloopers and funny antics he's made, it'll definitely give him the positive vibe he needs.

* Have a relaxing CD or music played. You could even try to give him a massage, just like you used to do when he was still a toddler. It could help him ease his heart's pain. 

*Open a box of Lotte's Koala's March. Chocolates had been known to release the so-called "happy hormone" or endorphins. With 125 Koala designs in every pack to enjoy, Koala's March will take away his mind off from whatever it was that happened in school. Imagine a bunch of Koalas printed on delicious, flavor-filled biscuits. Your kid will surely love to see different Koalas in happy smiling faces. Each bite will bring him happiness with its luscious chocolate cream and strawberry flavors bursting on each bite. Your kid will enjoy Koala's March with a glass of warm milk and pretty soon from all the stories, he might even doze off to sleep. And when he wakes up, he'll be ready to face another day. I can assure you, he'll feel much better.

Always remember, we all have difficulties in life every day and it is quite normal. Sometimes, to really solve a problem, all you need is a quiet moment to relax and keep yourself cool. And most of the time, if you are more relaxed, more solutions come to mind. Of course, it is also highly recommended that you try and seek help from others, especially from your family and friends.

Those suggestions to keep the blues away aren't just for kids, it could also work for us, adults. So each time you feel somewhat sad, you should know now what to do, open a pack of Koala's March and keep the blues away. :) 

xoxo,

Donate your old mobile phone, help save the Philippine Tarsier and get the chance to win a Nokia C6!

The Philippine Tarsier

Nokia Philippines, Globe Telecom, Ayala Foundation and Philippine Tarsier Foundation (PTFI) recently launched I-recover, I-Recycle program that aims to heed the call for the recycling project aimed at creating awareness on the importance of saving the environment and its endangered species. The said program aims to make people become aware of proper waste disposal and its main vision is to attract the general public, including Globe and non-Globe subscribers, as well as Nokia and non-Nokia users, to donate old mobile phones by bringing them to the cellular phone recycling bins located in Globe stores and at all Ayala Malls nationwide.

For every old mobile phone collected for recycling, Nokia will donate 100Php to the PTFI to support programs for preserving the Philippine Tarsier and its habitat. Anyone who donates a “complete” mobile phone (with battery) will also receive a Nokia eco-item and a chance to win a Nokia C6 smartphone in a raffle draw.

The program will run until August 4, 2012. Participants may visit any of Globe’s 140 stores nationwide or any of the Ayala Malls.

Hope you guys will be able to help save these cute little tarsiers and be able to dispose of your old mobile phones properly. 

xoxo,

Valiente Remake on TV5 this February 2012

Oyo Boy Sotto plays Theo Braganza

   As a kid, I grew up watching Valiente with my grandma as an excuse so as not to have my afternoon siesta (nap). I guess I was too young then to really understand why most of my relatives were so into it, so when I learned that there will be a remake this year, I am definitely looking forward to see the said series for the second time. Only this time, with me really understanding what all the hype's all about. I mean, there must be something in this series why most Filipinos in my childhood days were glued on their television sets in the afternoon. And for an epic drama to last for five years without stretching its story just for the sake of high TV ratings--I'd surely give this TV series a thumbs-up!


For those of you who hasn’t heard yet or is not yet familiar with Valiente, it is a Philippine television epic drama originally aired on ABS-CBN from 1992 to 1995, and then was transferred to GMA Network from 1995 until its last episode in 1997. 

JC De Vera plays Gardo Valiente.

Valiente was from the same people (Television And Production Exponents Inc. or better known as TAPE Inc.) behind other successful TAPE-produced shows such as Agila, the longest-running noontime show Eat Bulaga, sitcom Okay Ka Fairy Ko (from which the character of  Enteng Kabisote’s adventures in Engkantasia began). The Valiente series  lasted for five years and just like the original version, TV5 would also like Valiente to become part of its viewers’ everyday routine or lifestyle.

Valiente’s TV5 remake will have an ensemble cast of promising actors JC De Vera (as Gardo Valiente) and Oyo Boy Sotto (as Theo Braganza). Appearances from the original casts will also be expected in the said remake. Actors from the original Valiente include Tirso Cruz III, Michael De Mesa, Glenda Garcia and Mariz Ricketts.  Valiente is a Filipino epic drama and action television series that will be offered by Archangel Productions and will be broadcasted on Associated Broadcasting Company TV5 and will be airing on February 2012. The new Valiente version also topbills dramatic young actress Nadine Samonte and alluring Nina Jose. 

Trailer of the Valiente remake may now be viewed on You Tube:

You could also like Valiente TV5's new remake on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Valiente/321546524531205?sk=wall

Follow them as well on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/#!/Valiente2012

Do Watch out for Valiente on TV5 this February! Remember to watch Valiente on the month of Valentines!  

xoxo,