#ThrowbackThursday: Ratatouille!

Yes, again! Today is all about food. Don't ask me why.

I was going through Facebook's new timeline and saw that my old notes now appear on my info border. Stumbled upon this note, which was an original post on the SYSU Gourmet Blog (now defunct), which I initially wrote for (the first few issues were written by moi, I think this was my last post) back when I was still handling brand with the food group.

So, in honor of #ThrowbackTuesdays, and so you readers get to try something "Filipino-Mediterranean" (as I've labeled it since we tried to localize the dish), below is my post about making Ratatouille with what we have on-hand in the Philippines. Enjoy!

Rainy Days Come and Go... 

Have you noticed how terrible the weather has been lately? Well, back in June and July, we hardly had rain. Then towards the end of last month, we'd have really weird weather - scorching hot mid-days, then pouring rain in the afternoons! This makes for very lazy weather, don't you think? :P Makes you want to head to the mall and chill out, huh? Maybe take in a movie or check out some of the new food places...

Speaking of Movies and Food... (what a segue!) We were able to catch the advanced screening of the new Disney Pixar Movie, Ratatouille (pronounced as Ra-Ta-Tu-Wee). And we must say we LOVED the movie. Hmmm... not really sure about the Kikkoman Brand Manager though, she winced each time she saw all those rats onscreen (who could forget the scene where the ceiling falls and the colony is exposed? hahaha!) but the rest of us sure loved the movie! So much so that we got so curious about the real Ratatouille - the dish and not the... uh... Rat (whose name's Remy, by the way). So right after, we searched the net for the easiest Ratatouille recipe there is, only to be disappointed because all the recipes called for baking (and we didn't have an oven on hand... *sigh*). But one 5-star recipe we did find had dozens of comments, and we poured over each one, curious to see if anyone tried making the dish stove-top style. And there was this one college girl who got so interested in the dish because of the movie. Like us, she didn't have an oven, so she decided to toss everything in a saucepan instead. The end result turned out great or in her exact words -fabuloso! Ha! We decided to do the same thing. We headed over to the nearest supermarket, bought the ingredients available in the Philippines and went home to make our own version of Ratatouille. And boy, we were in for a treat because the dish we made already smelled delicioso right when we were making it. and it tasted great too (we actually zipped through the whole pan)! And yes, it didn't exactly look like the Ratatouille masterpiece Remy made in the movie... uh... ours looked a bit like mush. but hey, if mush tasted this good, we'll have mush everyday! :)

My very first attempt at making Ratatouille.

Ratatouille 
Ratatouille is a mediterranean peasant dish. Apparently, this is one cheap dish in places where all the ingredients come cheap (read: not in the Philippines, haha), but we tweaked the recipe a bit and came up with an affordable yet hearty (can we say delicioso again?) version.

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp La Espanola Extra Virgin Olive Oil
5 large cloves Garlic, minced (you can add more if you LOVE garlic)
1 large White Onion, sliced
1 large Eggplant, thinly sliced
1 large Zucchini, thinly sliced
1/8 Squash, peeled and thinly sliced (yes, take out the hard skin, of course!)
1 Green Bell Pepper, cut into strips
1 Red Bell Pepper, cut into strips (optional)
1/2 Cup Mushrooms, cut into strips (we used oyster mushrooms)
2 large Tomatoes, chopped
Salt to taste
Pinch of McCormick Rosemary
1/2 Cup Clara Ole Three Cheese Spaghetti Sauce
1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese (divide into 5 parts, parts depend on the number of veggies you are using)
1/4 Cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Procedure:
1. In a large saucepan, saute Garlic in La Espanola Extra Virgin Olive Oil until light brown in color. Add half of the sliced Onions until Onions are coated in oil.
2. Add Eggplant. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and some of your Parmesan Cheese. Mix well. When Eggplant is half-cooked, add the Squash. Sprinkle a pinch of Salt and some Parmesan Cheese. Mix well. Add the Zucchini, sprinkle again with a bit of Salt and some Parmesan Cheese. Mix well. Add the rest of the vegetables (Mushrooms, Bell Pepper, Tomatoes and remaining Onions). Sprinkle with a bit of Salt and some Parmesan Cheese. Mix well.
3. Add Clara Ole Three Cheese Spaghetti Sauce, small pinch of McCormick Rosemary and the remaining Parmesan Cheese. Mix well.
4. Put on medium heat until the sauce comes to a boil.
5. Transfer to a foil pan or microwaveable container. Sprinkle Mozzarella Cheese on top. Serve over pasta, rice or as is.

You may opt to put the dish in the Toaster Oven for about 3 minutes (or 30 seconds in the Microwave) to melt the cheese, if you wish. The good thing about Ratatouille is that you can freeze leftovers and the vegetables still come out crunchy when reheated. It actually tastes a lot like lasagna. Difference is, this is made entirely without meat, and the ingredients are good for you. What more, you can try making this dish for your kids while the movie's such a hit. Don't say we didn't warn you if they start asking for more.

Ole! Day 7 Winners!

I'm cutting this short as I have several posts for tonight. I drew winners the other night. Each of you get a Clara Ole gift pack!

Each Clara Ole gift pack contains (1) Tomato Sauce, 250g; (1) Chunky Tomato with Three-Cheese Pasta Sauce, 225g; (1) Barbecue Marinade Hickory, 225g; (1) Ora Mix Mo Java Rice, 120g, and (1) Dips n' Dressings Thousand Island, 120g.

CONGRATULATIONS!

JAY ANTHONY GONZALES

REGINE BIANCA ROBIN

OGIE CAYABYAB

MARVI NATURAL BUNCARAS

JOANNA DELOS SANTOS

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I will send you notification emails soon! Let me get around to doing that. 14 sets of promos, blog posts and emails - what was I thinking?!! LOL! I am, needless to say, overwhelmed. But t'is fun, so yea, please, please, please be patient with me.

I'd like to thank my cousin J for allowing me to blog about our food products. Thank you for inviting me to your events, even if I no longer work directly with your group. I owe you posts! I'd also like to thanks SB for inviting me to the Clara Ole Sinangag Fest and yes, I have that coming next! And to NH for trusting me with her brand. Thank you for generously supporting this blowout!

BIRTHDAY BLOWOUT DAY 7 HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO YOU BY CLARA OLE! If you haven't checked out their latest iPad Giveaway, read all about it here.

www.facebook.com/myclaraole

Birthday Blowout - DAY 7

The next giveaway needs no introduction as I often blog about this brand, but let me give you a brief history. Clara Ole makes the best Tomato Sauce. But did you know that Clara Ole started with jams and preserves in 1987? Their tomato and spaghetti sauce line launched in 2001. Many of you think it is imported but it is Proudly Filipino. Did you know that this brand was named after a grandmother? Yes, aptly named after Clara, wife of Ruben Sysu, founder of SYSU International, Inc.

I make the best spaghetti in town (ask my family, friends and officemates, and they can attest to this fact). LOL! But it's true and Clara Ole is my secret ingredient. Have you tried making spaghetti using Clara Ole? Try it and taste the difference. I use a mix of Tomato Sauce and the Three Cheese Spaghetti Sauce. Nothing compares to the Three Cheese, I tell you. Even the imported brands pale in comparison.

Find out more about Clara Ole's history here.

TODAY'S GIVEAWAY IS BEING BROUGHT TO YOU BY CLARA OLE!

Each Clara Ole gift pack contains (1) Tomato Sauce, 250g; (1) Chunky Tomato with Three-Cheese Pasta Sauce, 225g;
(1) Barbecue Marinade Hickory, 225g; (1) Ora Mix Mo Java Rice, 120g, and (1) Dips n' Dressings Thousand Island, 120g.

CLARA OLE TOMATO SAUCE
The delicious and flavorful blend of Clara Ole Tomato Sauce has NO ARTIFICIAL COLORS nor preservatives. It contains Lycopene, Potassium and Iodine.

Kaye says: I think the best thing about this product is that it contains NO ADDED MSG.

CLARA OLE PASTA SAUCE - CHUNKY TOMATO WITH THREE-CHEESE
Bring this well-loved, classic combination to your dining table with Clara Ole's ready-to-use pasta sauce. Enjoy sweet, juicy tomatoes with the full bodied goodness of select Italian cheeses. Simply as it is, try with beef, chicken, tuna or shrimp. For a more aromatic gourmet delight, combine with lots of basil!

CLARA OLE BARBECUE MARINADE - HICKORY
Clara Ole's marinades make grilling fun, easy and delicious! Take meat, marinade for about 30 minutes or more (I prefer to marinade overnight), then cook. You will never go wrong with Clara Ole's Barbecue Marinades.

CLARA OLE ORA MIX MO - JAVA RICE
I think I've blogged too much about this particular product. Hehe. This fried rice mix has NO ADDED MSG. All you have to do is heat oil in pan, put in your rice, add some Ora Mix Mo, mix and serve. Java Rice is my new favorite but you may try the other variants as they are good, too!

See my blog about Clara Ole Ora Mix Mo Java Rice here.

CLARA OLE DIPS N' DRESSINGS - THOUSAND ISLAND
Clara Ole Thousand Island Dips n’ Dressings is blended with just the right sweet and sour blend of pickles, herbs and spices. It is perfect for salads, appetizers, burgers, cocktails and chips. I'm not much of a Thousand Island girl, but this, I love.

I have five (5) Clara Ole gift packs to give away. You know the drill. :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Winners will be picked over the weekend. If you're from outside Metro Manila, I think I can ship this to you, but you may have to shoulder shipping. (Sorry, single mom, limited budget). Otherwise, pick-up is from any House of Praise store.

On Facebook: /myclaraole
www.claraole.com

Want to Win an iPad?

My kids have been bugging me for an iPad. Sadly, momma's budget isn't big enough to accommodate spending on gadgets. Nope, our disposable income for gadgets is zero. I look at my friends who aren't earning much, and yet, they have iPads and all sorts of techie stuff. Whereas, I'm stuck with a single iPhone - a company-issued phone. Not that I'm complaining. I'm still blessed beyond measure. My mom says it's really about priority. And she's right. Whereas some people opt to get the latest phone or what-have-you, I set aside money for our annual trip to the homeland. I realize that a trip's budget can actually fetch us two nice iPads.

But like I said, it's all about priority. That, plus my little boy will be starting school soon. So yeah, I'm keeping my fingers crossed and praying to the high heavens that someone will give my kids an iPad. Save momma the spending money, please? Haha!

It's amazing how many iPad promos there are out there. Even Clara Ole has joined the bandwagon! Here's an easy way to win one!

1) To join, LIKE the Clara Ole page on Facebook.
2) Click on the Great Food Fest tab or go to apps.facebook.com/greatfoodfest.
3) Fill out all the fields in the registration form and click "REGISTER" (you only need to register once).
4) After registering, you automatically get a digital ticket and a chance to win a CLARA OLE DAILY GIFT PACK prize, and the weekly grand prize - an iPad!
5) Invite your Facebook friends to join by clicking the "INVITE" button. If your Facebook friends successfully register for the promo, you are entitled to another digital ticket, thereby increasing your chances to win. The more friends you invite and register, the more chances of winning.
6) Everyday, two winners will be drawn to win the DAILY GIFT PACK prize.
7) At the end of the week, one lucky registrant will win an iPad. Clara Ole will be giving out 8 iPads throughout the duration of the promo.
8) Promo is from June 11, 2012 to August 3, 2012.

Winning is easy! No purchase is necessary. You must, however, be 21 years old and above to win. Good luck!

BIRTHDAY BLOWOUT!

T'was my birthday yesterday! And I had planned this blowout to run for the last 14 days of May. Alas, work and life got in the way (again!). So we're starting today - a day AFTER my birthday... because I still want this to happen! After all, I have all the swag here, waiting for me to give them away.

A little disclaimer first. I work for brand. I have been in Marketing for the past so and so years. Because of what I do, I have friends in the same line of work - thus the abundance in swag. I ask demand my friends for promotional items and they oblige. Haha! The prizes you will see in this blowout have zero cost to them. My friends have paid zilch to get them in this blowout, and I have paid zilch as well. Everything is here because I have cool friends who love me. Naks!

God has been so good to bless me with so much (the secret to youth included, ha!), I don't feel a day over 16. Haha! Seriously. So I wanted to share my blessings with you! This blowout will run for 14 days (non-consecutive, depends if I find time to post). I will be giving out 5 things per blowout day. You have about 3 days to send in your entries (from the time the blowout is announced). 5 winners will be picked per blowout day to win one out of 5 things. All in all, I will have 70 prizes and 70 winners. So yay! Watch out for Day 1!

*NOTE: Congratulations to sweetie_mayumi for winning a special prize for guessing what's next on the blog this month. :) It's still May, right? LOL! Leave a comment below with your Twitter ID and I'll send you instructions on how to claim your special prize.

That Java Rice Craving.

It started when I brought two whole bags of an assortment of Clara Ole's Ora Mix Mo to Hong Kong. I wanted to give my friends AB and M some to try. Two weeks after that trip, AB tells me on Facebook how she and her hubby E both love the Java Rice variant. Hmmm, I've never tried that one. I always stick to the safe ones - Adobo, Beefsteak and Bagoong Rice.

I really am not a fan of Java Rice. Even on past Barbeque nights in Tiendesitas, I always skip on the Java Rice and ask for plain. Yup, just plain or garlic, for I am no Java Rice girl. But when AB told me how they both loved Ora Mix Mo's Java Rice mix, I just had to give it a try.

I got a big pack from the office coop and cooked a small batch. Just a cup, because I only wanted a taste. But waaah! IT'S SO GOOD! I think I cooked up two more batches.

So ever since, it has been Java Rice almost everyday in my household. Even A takes it to school because she loves it. The best part is... it's easy to make.

What you need:
A Pack of Clara Ole Ora Mix Mo Java Rice (or any variant; there's Adobo Rice, Beefsteak Rice, Bagoong Rice, Tocino Rice, Java Rice, Paella Rice, Japanese Fried Rice - available at leading supermarkets nationwide)
2 cups of cooked rice
a little oil


How to cook it:
1) Preheat a little oil in a pan.
2) Pour in rice and heat it a bit.
3) Add a little of the Ora Mix Mo sauce. 
4) Mix until rice is coated.

Okay, okay. Those are not the instructions on the pack. But you get the gist. It's so easy to cook. And best of all, it contains no added MSG.

It's as easy as 1-2-3!

1) Heat oil and rice in a pan.

2) Add a little of your Ora Mix Mo sauce.

and 3) Mix until rice is coated. Voila! Java Rice!

Get to know more of the Clara Ole brand! Check out their Facebook page here.

http://claraole.com/