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BLOG GIVEAWAY: Serendipity Lane

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Lyn Nuevo, the lass behind Serendipity Lane, explains that her brand name exudes the products that she sells and labels them as a "happy accident" and a "pleasant surprise". With a wide selection of dainty accessories, beanies, wallets and USB flash drives with a kick, it's not hard to believe that all the items on her list are quick to delight anyone in search for pretty trinkets.

Wooden Spoons & Muffin Tops is collaborating with Serendipity Lane for my second blog giveaway! What a fortunate stroke of serendipity.

These are the prizes up for grabs: 

Channel your inner Beatle with these round Lennon Glasses

2 pairs of black and purple tassle earrings

White feather earrings

Brown feather earrings

Here are the mandatory steps to follow to qualify: 

1. Like my page on Facebook.
2. Add Serendipity Lane on Facebook.
3. Follow my blog via Google Friend Connect.
4. Follow my blog on Twitter.

The first 4 steps will qualify you to join the contest. Now, each entry you make will be considered after you do the following:

5. Post this as your status on Facebook: "Join @Serendipity Lane x @Wooden Spoons & Muffin Tops' giveaway and click here: http://woodenspoonsandmuffintops.blogspot.com/2012/10/serendipity-lane-blog-giveaway.html" (4 entries)

NOTE: You must tag 5 friends in order for your Facebook status entry to be valid. :) 

6. Post this on your Twitter account: Join @Serendipity Lane x @Wooden Spoons & Muffin Tops' giveaway and click here: http://woodenspoonsandmuffintops.blogspot.com/2012/10/serendipity-lane-blog-giveaway.html"  (2 entries)

7. Blog about this post! (2 entries)


NOTE: To make sure your entry is valid, comment below in this format: 

Full name: 
Facebook link:
Twitter name with status link: 
Google Friend Connect Username:
Blog (if you blogged about this giveaway): 


I'll be picking 3 winners for this giveaway. One for the Lennon glasses, another for both the brown and white feather earrings and another for both the purple and black tassel earrings.

The winners will be selected via Random.org

Giveaway ends on October 31. 

IMPORTANT: Please make sure you leave a comment below this post for me to consider your entry valid. Also, I'd be able to keep track of the steps you followed to qualify for the contest. 


Merci beaucoup! :) 



LoveTrends Giveaway Winner!

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I'm happy to announce that the winner of the LoveTrends giveaway is Micel Dizon!
Congratulations! Please send me a PM with your complete shipping address. :D



Since this is my first blog giveaway and I am feeling extra generous *teehee*, I am giving 3 other girls, all of whom were also selected at random, giveaways from my personal collection.

These are the clothes I will be giving away:





Here are the 3 other winners:

Abie Caponpon

Judy Ann Chio

 Kara Amanda Macadangdang
Please send me a PM on the Wooden Spoons and Muffin Tops Facebook page with your complete name and shipping details.

Thank you to everyone who joined! I have another giveaway coming up and I'll be posting it over the weekend or so. Do check back soon! 

Blog Update: Fashion Meets Food

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From Positively Present

The month of October can be quite dreadful for most students because of scheduled semestral and final exams. Despite that, I've always looked forward to the month October and it's not just because I was born on Halloween and I get to ask for candy from people without looking so desperate on my own birthday, but this month, it's going to be extra, extra, EXTRA special! Ask me why! *hears a faint "Why, oh why?" Well, that's because Wooden Spoons & Muffin Tops is going to bind ties with the fashion world! Yes, you read it right. I'm going to marry food and fashion.

When I announced my first blog giveaway last weekend in partnership with LoveTrends, I realized that featuring fashion lines and food businesses would be a great way to show ladies that you CAN bake your cake, eat it AND look even more amazing than you already do. I guess you could call it eating with style.

So what's in store for everyone this month and the months to come? Expect more blog giveaways (YAY! That means, clothes, accessories and all sorts of goodies are to be won!), outfit posts, fashion line features and of course, the reason why of all this started, more food features! I already have so many giveaways lined-up for all of you as well as food posts about what's been delighting my tastebuds!


And remember, the most stylish women are those who aren't afraid to eat. 

Cheers!

From Opi

BLOG GIVEAWAY: LoveTrends makes a come back!

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Who says you can't mix food and fashion? LoveTrends has been my favorite online store ever since I got model for their 37th Collection. Not only are the pieces affordable, they're also classy, feminine and comfortable!

Now, I'm proud & happy to announce that LoveTrends will be sponsoring my first blog giveaway! A huge THANK YOU goes out to Gienah Soriano for making all these beautiful clothes and of course for turning this giveaway into a reality! You might be thinking that this has absolutely nothing to do with food, but I truly believe that you can eat what makes you happy AND still look good when you pick the right clothes to wear. That's exactly why this collaboration is perfect! This is a "STARVING IS NOT ALLOWED" environment. :)

What's up for grabs? One lucky winner will win the following:



Brown/Tan high-waist shorts

  

                                                                 Black high-waist trousers

Let's get to the exciting part! So, how can you win these goodies? Just follow these steps and you'll be on your way to looking extra spiffy:


1. Like my page on Facebook.
2. Like the LoveTrends fan page on Facebook.
3. Follow my blog via Google Friend Connect.
4. Follow LoveTrends and my blog on Twitter.

The first 4 steps will qualify you to join the contest and will be equivalent to 1 entry. To up your number of entries, follow the steps below:

5. Post this as your status on Facebook: "@Wooden Spoons and Muffin Tops is having its first blog giveaway in partnership with @LoveTrends! Check out how food and fashion unify into one amazing ball of awesome and click here: http://woodenspoonsandmuffintops.blogspot.com/2012/09/blog-giveaway-lovetrends-makes-come-back.html (1 entry)

6. Post this on your Twitter account: @Wooden Spoons and Muffin Tops is having its first blog giveaway in partnership with @LoveTrends! Check out how food and fashion unify into one amazing ball of awesome and click here: http://woodenspoonsandmuffintops.blogspot.com/2012/09/blog-giveaway-lovetrends-makes-come-back.html  (1 entry)

7. Blog about this post! (2 entries)


NOTE: To make sure your entry is valid, comment below in this format: 

 Full name: 
Facebook link:
Twitter name with status link: 
Google Friend Connect Username:
Blog (if you blogged about this giveaway): 
Deadline of entries will be on October 12.

The winner will be selected via random.org


Don't follow the trend. Set it! :)

Turning Japanese: Kimono Ken

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This is a pretty late post. I haven't been able to update these past few weeks because of scheduled exams and now that it's Friday night again, I can finally work my fingers to the bone as I get back to typing an entry that has been long overdue! You'll notice how I start my Kimono Ken post off by talking about the long weekend that happened several weeks back. Just pretend we're currently at that point in time. So here goes! :D

I'm starting to get used to these long weekends that I almost forgot how every week begun with a Monday. I've been enjoying myself too much. Well, me and my digestive system that is. And I don't think this three-day break could have ended better than having lunch at Kimono Ken. My uncles, aunts and mum, being the food devotees that they are, rambled after their first fill of the Japanese food at the restaurant a month ago. So when Ate Teyet, my kuya's girlfriend, arrived from the States a week ago and everyone was free, we wasted no time gathering our hungry selves to celebrate. It was all in good timing.
Salmon Sashimi
I can easily count the number of times I've had raw salmon. I think it's because whenever my family and I eat at a Japanese restaurant, I always go for tempura and gomuku chahan and it stops there. This particular serving of salmon sashimi was incredibly creamy! We ordered this dish to share and there were around 9 of us so I had to tone down my inner food monster and save some for the rest. Had I ordered this to myself, I would have savoured each millisecond my teeth spent sunken into the salmon. It was that good.

My modelesque uncle Bing
Ate Teyet and my brother Kyle
Practicing a new dance move that involves...crab hands.
Miso Ramen (P200)
Miso based soup with minced pork and vegetables.
I rarely order noodles when I got out to eat mainly because I often opt for rice or bread. For some reason, I had a rumbly in my tumbly that day, and it was rumbling for a big serving of warm, thick-noodled ramen. The serving would feed 2 to 3 people, but if you don't like sharing really good food (like me sometimes) you can be a little selfish and have one all to yourself. The soup was creamy (First the salmon, now the soup. I'm beginning to think Kimono Ken was a creamery before they put up this establishment) and bursting with flavor. I was surprised to find myself eating the vegetables in this dish. I mysteriously felt inclined to do so. The ramen must have put some sort of spell on me. 

Sakura Roll (P150)
Fresh salmon, unagi and takuan

Oh how I love Kimon Ken's maki selection! Not only do they offer a variety of rolls, but they also come in big portions too. One bite wouldn't be enough to finish one piece of this wonderful rice roll. The crunchy exterior complemented its center stuffed with salmon, freshwater eel and Japanese preserved vegetable made from radish.

Dynamite Maki (P200)

Contrary to the use of spicy salmon as one of the main ingredients of this maki, it was hardly noticeable. Perhaps we were all too focused downing all the other food that the expected "hot" taste escaped our taste buds. Fish roe, another element to this making this maki what it is, has a natural golden brown color to it. Although as they clump together, it appears orange. That explains the color of the topping.

Kani Salad
Chicken Teriyaki (P195)
Chicken thigh with teriyaki sauce
Ebi Tempura,  5pcs (P300)
One of the best things about eating tempura is the crunch that comes after the munch!  The shrimps were big and juicy, which made it even more enjoyable to eat. There's a slight change in the taste of the batter they used, something I normally don't have. Nevertheless, it still brought me straight to tempura heaven!2





Chahan (P65)
Japanese rice is something I really enjoy eating, especially their fried rice. It is flavorful, colorful, short-grained and its sticky texture makes me feel like I'm ingesting more since the grains are all clumped together.
Coffee Jelly (P90)
Uncle Tony & Auntie Rachel
Mango Tempura A la mode (P120)
When I came across this item on the menu, I found the idea of dipping mangoes in tempura batter quite peculiar. Some might even think of it as gut-churning. But worry not! No gastronomic nightmare took place in the eating of this dessert. It was pleasant to eat, given the crunch element of the tempura batter, the tanginess of the warm mangoes and the sweetness of the ice cream. The different flavors and textures kept me guessing as I spooned each serving into my mouth.




Kimono Ken
256 Tomas Morato Ave.
Cor. Sct Fuentebella St., Quezon City
Tel. 928-1228 / 929-25-35 
Facebook page
Website

The big REVEL Magazine reveal!

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I mentioned in my previous post how I would be collaborating with REVEL magazine and for the month of September, I've submitted an article and now it's up! Check out the link below to find out more. :)

My article for REVEL Magazine
                           

The REVEL Magazine contributors for the month of September have been revealed. And yeaup, that's me on the bottom leftmost part of the photo. 




I'm bent on submitting a food review every month - I'm talking restaurant reviews, new places to eat at, the latest (and perhaps even the quirkiest) food items and home baker features! So keep checking back for future posts and incredible edibles!                                                       


Two Birthdays, Twice The Food

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         Birthday celebrations are something everyone looks forward to. I mean, who wouldn't want to be presented with a smorgasbord of food whilst enjoying the company of family and friends? Last Saturday, however, was extra special. It was the birthday celebration of not one, but two people in my family, my auntie Binky and my cousin Pau, both of whom were born on the 31st of August. My auntie Binky is an amazing cook (bias aside). It's as though everything she cooks is whipped up with the help of some pixie dust and the dishes she creates becomes an instant delicacy! You can imagine how excited my taste buds were as we made our way to my aunt's house. 

        My mum, aunt, grandparents and I were among the last people to arrive and some of the food had already been eaten...at least, that's what my uncle Bing said. But it seemed like the plates had been refilled every time someone reached for a serving of each dish. There's magic in that kitchen, I tell you. Magic. Or perhaps my aunt and uncle just prepared a lot of food.  

Roast pork
        Ahhh, this is a staple (along with chicken) whenever we have special occasions. One reason why I enjoy eating roast pork is mainly because of the fat. Yes, I know. I seem to be proud of my unhealthy eating habits, but I can't help it! As I forked the meat and inched my way to the cholesterol-filled part of the pork, I felt my mum's eyes watching me from my periphery, as though she was making me feel like each bite I took brought me closer to getting a heart attack. I could hear her thinking out loud, but I continued to munch away still.


Greek Paella
           I always lose track of how much rice I eat when my aunt serves this. It's that good. Although, I would make a guesstimation and say that I fill half of my plate (or more) and have two plates. Rice in paella usually comes out sticky and heavy, but this Greek version is a lot lighter in taste. Mixed with onions, peppers, tomatoes and sausages, it's not hard to wonder why this is a hit during family gatherings.

A spoonful of paella helps the porkloin go down
Arugula, avocado and mango salad with honey vinaigrette dressing
Baked Salmon with steamed asparagus
Iced tea bliss
My little big cousin 
I've said it before and I'll say it again - I can't believe my cousin is only 16 and she already stands 5 feet and 6 inches tall. Hence my caption "little big cousin".

Auntie Binky and Pau

Patchy, Auntie Binky, Pau, Neo and my Uncle Bing
Not to worry, no children were harmed at the time this photo was taken.
This is what my cousin Neo looks like on a daily basis, happy or sad.

             Little Willow

Red Velvet Cake

My auntie Jackie, another great cook and baker in the family, made this red velvet cake after I requested for it...lovingly. At least, I like to think of my approach as such. It turned out to be a pink velvet cake! Although my aunt was disappointed with the outcome of the cake's color, I thought it was an even prettier version of the sought-after dessert. My aunt covered the cake with buttercream and sandwiched some of it in between two chocolate layers. Definitely a yummier twist to the usual red velvet cakes out there!
During family gatherings like these, it truly is the food that brings everyone together. Palatable cooking generates endless laughter, a well-applauded belly after consuming a reasonable amount of food and a different kind of satisfaction. As Wolfgang Puck would always say, "Live! Love! Eat!"

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