#iloveLKK | COOKING IS EASY WITH LEE KUM KEE!

I practically grew up with Lee Kum Kee.

Seriously, Lee Kum Kee products are staples in my household. It was the same when I was growing up. Like I said, I practically grew up with the brand. I have fond memories of my childhood and my favorite Lee Kum Kee product - the Fine Chili Sauce. I ate everything with it - Pork Chop, Inihaw, Chinese Lumpia, Noodles - even Cheese! Remember that Lee Kum Kee jingle? "...Bring out the Lee Kum Kee! Bring out the Lee Kum Kee..." Yup, I knew that song by heart. I still do.

Oh, and who could forget our favorite go-to sauce - the Chicken Marinade - with simple instructions on how to cook a chicken: 1) Brown chicken in pot with a little oil, 2) Pour Chicken Marinade, 3) Bring to Boil, 4) Simmer until cooked, and 5) Enjoy! So simple, even kids can cook with it.

Now if there's a household brand I believe in, it is this. Especially now that I am married and have kids of my own. Lee Kum Kee has always made life easier. For a full-time working mom like me, Lee Kum Kee has helped me create delicious dishes in so little time. I am telling you, their sauces are lifesavers!

Moms and future moms at the #BetterMe Recipe Swap with #LKK!
(from L-R: Neva, Shiao Chew, me, Didi and Louren.

A few weeks ago, I got invited to a recipe swap hosted by Lee Kum Kee. There, I, along with other moms and future moms, learned more about Lee Kum Kee and its history in making quality sauces. Shiao Chew Chan, Lee Kum Kee's Southeast Asia Regional Category Manager for Soy, explained the tedious steps the brand has been taking to ensure their sauces are top-notch - even culturing their own oysters to make certain their Number One product, the Oyster Sauce, is of the best quality.

Shiao Chew re-telling LKK's history.

Lee Kum Kee is a family corporation spanning four generations. I can just imagine the heart that is put into this business for it to have lasted in the family this long!

Moms who demonstrated their cooking skills with LKK sauces that day: (from L-R: Eliza, Michelle, Suzi and Mish)

Anyway, during the recipe swap event, four moms shared their special recipes making use of Lee Kum Kee sauces. These were sooo good, and sooo easy to cook! This is seriously making me reconsider cooking special viands for my bentos, even in the morning before school. Lee Kum Kee makes cooking so easy!

Suzi Abrera's Thai-inspired Omelette. I love anything with eggs! And cilantro! 

Michelle's Grilled Salmon. I love how you can also bake this. This was so good!
I am sure RL will love this. He loves fish!

Michelle's Tofu Saute. So simple, but so delicious. I wanted to eat the whole plate!

Another super easy recipe! Would you believe Eli doesn't like to cook? This was nommy!!!

Inspired by these moms, I whipped up a quick recipe for you to try out as well. I make this regularly for my kids. It is a mix of chicken and veggies. I make it just the way I remember my mom making it for us. This recipe is from my childhood. I do not have the exact measurements (I cook just like my grandma, no recipes! Just stories!), so feel free to taste your cooking and adjust as you see fit. The measurements, however, I place in my recipe below is an approximate of the amounts I used. It shouldn't be too salty. But my kids love this just the way it is.

CHICKEN AND VEGGIE STIR-FRY

Ingredients
1/4 kilo Chicken Breast or Thigh Fillets, cubed
1 tbsp. Lee Kum Kee Soy Sauce

1 tbsp. Cooking Oil

1 tbsp. Lee Kum Kee Freshly Minced Garlic

1 pc. small Onion, diced

2 slices fresh Ginger

1/2 c. Button Mushrooms, sliced in quarters

1/2 c. Baby Corn, diced
1 pc. small Green Bell Pepper, seeded and diced

2 tbsp. Lee Kum Kee Oyster Sauce
1/2 c. Lukewarm Water
1 tsp. Cornstarch
Dash of Lee Kum Kee Sesame Oil

Procedure

1. In a small bowl, marinate chicken fillets in Lee Kum Kee Soy Sauce for 5-10 minutes.
2. Take a wok, heat cooking oil. Add Lee Kum Kee Freshly Minced Garlic, Onion and Ginger until fragrant.
3. Add marinated chicken and brown until half-cooked. 
4. Stir in mushrooms, corn and green bell pepper. Stir-fry.
5. Add Lee Kum Kee Oyster Sauce. 
6. In a bowl, dissolve cornstarch in water. Add to pan. Stir-fry.
7. When chicken is cooked, add a dash of Lee Kum Kee Sesame Oil. Stir-fry. 
8. Turn off stove and serve over hot rice.
9. Serves 2.

This recipe is making me hungry! Omnomnom! Told you cooking is easy with Lee Kum Kee!

~~~ * ~~~

Lee Kum Kee is running a contest on Facebook! Get a chance to win P25,000 worth of kitchenware Gift Certificates! So easy to join! Here's how:

1. Like the Lee Kum Kee Philippines Facebook page. 
2. Upload a mouthwatering photo of your dish beside the Lee Kum Kee product you used. 
3. Name the dish and use the hashtag ‪#‎LKKRecipesByMe‬ and #(Lee Kum Kee product used) (Example: ‪#‎PandaOysterSauce‬). 

Promo period is from May 27 - June 24, 2015. Terms and conditions apply. You still have a week to join the promo. Get cooking with Lee Kum Kee and join today!

#iloveLKK!

| Lee Kum Kee Philippines on Facebook
| philippines.lkk.com/en/Kitchen

#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.

San Remo Gift Pack Winners!

A lot of my readers have been tweeting me about this.

Did you pick the winners already? 
Can I still join the San Remo giveaway?
What happened to your FWC blog?

Well, dear readers, I haven't forgotten about you. So to answer your Qs, yes, I've picked the winners. And here they are... (drum roll, please)

IRIS ADRIENNE CAMACHO

ELTON P. QUIAMCO

BELLE HIZON

AIZA GARNICA

ALEYA ALBERT RANA

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congratulations! You each get a gift pack from San Remo! Yay!

Once you try cooking pasta with San Remo, you will never go back to your old brand.

Notification emails have been sent (ba, ang aga ko ha?) so kindly check your email accounts. Thank you for joining this very delayed blowout. Wag sana kayo madala. I have two more giveaways for this series!

Day 12 has been brought to you by my good friend and kumare, J, brand manager extraordinaire of the brand San Remo.

http://sanremo.com.au/

Day 12: Bet You Thought It Would Take Another Month!

Haha! I am running out of Blog Titles. Hehehe. Trying to be a little funny here. I am trying to fit in a blog post or two, in between typing up permits for our new releases here at work. So excuse the short posts. I just wanted this off my "to-do list".

DAY 12! I know some of you were probably wondering whatever happened to that Birthday Blowout. Well, it took in a little snooze and some shelf space. But yes, it's back. And I shall try to get everything out by the weekend (shoot me, there goes another promise, eeps!). I have a party, no nanny and guests. So yes, let's keep "all appendages crossed" (as Samantha Sotto would say... quoting here, in case some wise crack would accuse me of plagiarism, guffaw!). So where was I? Oh yes, cross those fingers!

Each gift pack contains a San Remo Food Container, a pack of San Remo Penne Pasta,
a pack of San Remo Elbows Pasta and a pack of San Remo La Pasta Alfredo Flavour Pasta and Sauce.

San Remo Pasta is made from 100% Australian Durum Wheat. It contains no artificial flavorings, colors, nor preservatives. Visit the San Remo International Website for great pasta recipes for Penne and Elbows.

Kaye says: You know what I love about San Remo? The pasta is almost always al dente, even if you accidentally over cook by a few minutes. You can never go wrong with San Remo.

Win a gift pack via Rafflecopter below. You must be able to pick up your prize from a House of Praise store (Panay Ave, Robinson's Galleria, SM North Edsa, SM Megamall, St. Francis Square, V-Mall or Festival Supermall).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Please note that this contest starts tomorrow (August 18), around lunch time. 

C'est tout. Bonne chance. Have a great long weekend!

Two more giveaways to go for this... uh... delayed birthday blowout. Please be patient with me. :)

http://sanremo.com.au/

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

Birthday Blowout Day 3 Winners!

Rafflecopter has drawn the winners for DAY 3! Congratulations to the following people who each won a Kikkoman Gift Pack (250ml Kikkoman Teriyaki Marinade with Honey and Soy + 1 Liter Kikkoman Standard Soy Sauce):

Evangeline Rejano

Charm Tamba-Dalguntas

Vivian Aguilar

Jeneth Mabiog Parro

Kimberly Camille Tiu

CONGRATULATIONS! Notification emails will be sent out within the week. Bear with me, mahina ang kalaban. Hehe.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I'd like to thank my bff JJ for helping me out with this giveaway. I miss spending my working hours with you. You have been a great friend to me all these years. You stood by me when I was at my lowest and always, always saw the good in the bad - no matter how bad. I will never forget that. 

BIRTHDAY BLOWOUT DAY 3 HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO YOU BY KIKKOMAN.

Birthday Blowout - DAY 3!

CAN YOU SAY KIKKOMAN?

Well, Day 3 is all about the world's leading soy sauce brand - Kikkoman. In the middle of writing that post about Kikkoman's NEW! Gourmet-nator, I got serious cravings for Chicken and Pork Adobo. Or steak. Or Humba. Anything tasty, please! Bah! Did you hear your tummy call out for food as well? LOL! Don't blame me. I am writing this post at 3am, and I AM HUNGRY!

So anyway, down to business... today, I am giving out 5 Kikkoman Gifts Packs - each comes with a 250ml bottle of Kikkoman Teriyaki Marinade with Honey and Soy plus! a 1-liter bottle of Kikkoman Standard Soy Sauce!

WIN 1 OF 5 KIKKOMAN GIFT PACKS FOR BIRTHDAY BLOWOUT DAY 3!

You know the drill. Rafflecopter will draw 5 winners after about 3 days. Remember, the more Rafflecopter options you fulfill, the more chances you get to win this prize. You MUST be able to pick up (or have a representative do so) your prize from a House of Praise store.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

3 Days down, 11 more Blowout Days to go. Yay!

Birthday Blowout Day 3 has been brought to you by KIKKOMAN - Over 300 Years of Excellence; Over 300 Years of transforming everyday dishes to gourmet. 

Kikkoman's Corner on Facebook
www.kikkoman.com

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/