SWEET BITES BY BIANCA ~RinaZ

        There's something about home-based baked goodies that make it more delicious than corporate brands. Well, the answer is pretty simple. The big difference is it's made with love. The taste becomes very hearty. Like a warm hearty soup on a rainy day. It hits that sweet craving spot on! And Sweet Bites by Bianca is no different. 

HOME COOKING PART 3: A TALE OF TWO NEW YEARS

New year, Same old appetite..

          Everyone usually braces themselves during the Holiday season, mainly because they know they're gonna get seriously fat (or is that just me?). As usual, my mom was going to go all out again for New Years eve, so I was strongly considering just eating lightly during the day, so I don't punish my body too much during the evening. 

        Unfortunately, of course, that was not going to happen. In fact, things got more complex, because I realized we were scheduled to visit Rina's family in the early evening before going back to my parents place in Antipolo before midnight. It's one thing to prepare your body for one grand New Year's Eve feast, but how do you prepare yourself for TWO amazing feasts? 

           Since I knew the weight gain was inevitable, no matter what, I decided to just accept it and chalk up my new year's resolution as " Lose Weight" once again, as it has been for the past.. umm.. two decades. 

         Fantastic food with the people I love the most? What  a great way to start the year!

HOME COOKING PART 2: CHRISTMAS AT VALLEY

Ho Ho Ho-ooooly crap that smells so frickin' good!

     I'm taking a break from all my restaurant posts and showing you how we Zamora's roll during the holidays. Like I said before.. Boy, can we eat!

        I gained around 10 pounds this holiday season. Even though I promised myself I wouldn't, I still did. 

      As you can imagine, holidays with my family always involves a huge feast, and my mom takes her Noche Buena very seriously. When it comes to hosting an event with the family, my mom has no idea how to keep things "small". But for someone with my appetite, that works out just fine. As I mentioned in my previous "Home Cooking" post, my sister Rose is an internationally trained chef, so we are always eagerly awaiting what dishes she'll be whipping out on Christmas Eve.

         Rose and my mom joined forces to great their version of a Christmas miracle.

          To all my cousins overseas.. brace yourselves.. hehe

GROCERY FINDS: PANDA EXPRESS ORANGE SAUCE!

I'm starting a new Category to my blog, called "Grocery Finds", to be posted every Saturday or Sunday. These are some cool stuff that I get at the supermarket that I would like to share with you all.

Reunited and it feels so good

                Direk Pao posted a pic of a bottle of Panda Express orange sauce (P399) in his hand on his facebook page last week, effectively driving me into a frenzy. It all of a sudden became my civic duty to go out to S & R to grab a bottle for myself (I actually found a reason to renew my membership). During a trip to Hawaii a few years ago, I remember getting my first taste of Panda Express's Orange chicken, and loving it. Since they don't a branch here yet, this was obviously the only chance I could get to get a taste of Orange Chicken once again. 

               (Don't say Chowking. DO NOT say Chowking.)