Mornings@ANC

What can make me turn around? Yesterday, we were headed to Isabela for a quick trip and touch base, before the IFEX event over the weekend. It was a leisurely trip, with me on the wheel. Lunch, dessert of the biggest Blizzard at DQ etc etc etc. Somewhere about San Rafael, Doc Rey gets a call from CITEM and asking if we can guest that afternoon (uhuh, too late) and the next morning at Mornings@ANC.

He passes the phone to me and YES, I will go back :) I like that show and will want to meet the hosts up close and personal...wehehehe....means, watch from the bleachers!

I needed a cooked dish. No cook, but still asked a store staff to dry rub some chickens and stuff with lemongrass. Sounds easy huh? By 11pm, it was ready for charbroiling. I was excited to taste it. After I asked it to be chopped....I noticed this plant like stuff hiding among the chopped pieces. Hmmmmm...can't be tanglad or lemongrass. Looks more like celery to me...and the chicken was far too peppery...ewwwwwww!

Relax....I remembered I had some tubs of pate left in the freezer :)

By 6:30am, I was at my AANI Circle booth getting some dressed chickens for the table setting. Aside from me, there was a couple at the AANI area reading through the other booths' tarpaulins. The moment I entered my booth, they came in and looks like very happy that there was someone to ask about Sunshines. The chat extended to a pleasant one and may translate to day old chicks flying out of Manila :)

Soon after, I went to ABS-CBN. I am always early for appointments, as #1 I am so poor in parking so I scout the place, #2 I like to be early wehehehehhe. Because of that, I got the parking right under the canopy, by the entrance.

Got off and scouted the place...it was near for me to carry my stuff. Good, because I didn't think about bringing the dependable kareton.

Geez...everyone who was guesting in DZMM, Channel 2, Channel 23, ANC...I saw them all. Who drove them, where they got off, what were they wearing when they arrived and the clothes they were carrying to change to.

8:00am came and I walked into Studio 6. The guests for the IFEX promo fixed their own tables. I was the only one doing it solo...but its ok. Don't touch my chicken...because that's only for the camera. I cautioned everyone that it was peppery. The asst floor director and another PA said that the hosts liked their food hot ahahhahahha.

Ok...so fixed up now.


Soon after, the hosts were digging into the liver pate, even before the show started....the very savior. It was most easiest to munch on, w/o destroying the look, as pates are meant to be dug into. So it still looked good through the camera's eyes. I had to replenish the crackers several times!

Got good reviews about my liver pate. Actually not mine...this is a pina-MANNA. Commissioned Elena of Manna Specialty Bakery to do it for me, together with the Gizzard Adobo.

Pressured to have more....decided to go by Elena's store.

You should make your own and sell them. I suggest, don't cut corners and make a good one. The market who will seek for it, demands a good one.

As the hosts of Mornings@ANC said....it was really awesome. Mind you, those comments were made on and off camera :)

As we were tidying up the set, CITEM promo staff asked us to guest again for a Friday morning show in another channel. But, that is already the start of IFEX! Let's see how we will shuffle ourselves.

The 26th

Five more days and its 2009.

I took it upon myself to make those three chicken roasts. Better to not volunteer it, lest the expected happens and it turns out the usual bad :) Rush rush, that I had to prepare and take a shower during the last 30mins of cooking the 3rd (I only used a turbo and an oven). The two I used a turbo on, was preferential for my eyes. The 3rd one cooked on the oven, inside a dutch, was screaming to peel itself from the bones. It was so tender and juicy!

Anyway, I promised myself to take pictures as the aroma and slow browning was pushing the juices from the chicken and my senses. Came the bell to alert me that the roasts were done....rush to pack...

20mins later, as the spread was prepared...the buffet looked gorgeous for let's say 5mins? The pinches on my chickens drew reactions that made me feel I was made up by my favorite make up artist. The words of appreciation from the male out-laws, were IT! I know I had a winner.

At this point, even if I remembered to take photos...I'd be embarassed to click on my chickens. Nevermind, the words and the mere fact that it made to the pulutan table, was enough for me.

Pate...yes the pate I asked Elena of Manna Specialty Bakery to make for me was such a hit too!

Did I say 5days to go to 2009? Most households recreate the chaos of December 20 too :)

We head back to Manila....I love doing my booths at the weekend markets. See you at Sidcor Market at the Green Street tomorrow.

Adobo

This afternoon, Elena of Manna Specialty Bakery texted me this :)

My sis' comment abt your adobo - Parang adobo version ng chicken soup, soothing

That made me smile and happy. When Elena tasted it, she said "it was not salty. it was neutral". I asked what her neutral meant. I forgot what her reply was verbatim, but it meant that is was not outstanding nor was the taste different...it was home cooked taste.

That moment, whether her opinion was supposed to be a negative remark, it meant I got the taste for the home cooked food I wanted in the first place.

Our adobo has the old taste, dry, minimal soy sauce just for color. Vacuum packed, so people just let it sit on water to thaw, then heat it in the microwave, toaster or fry it a bit :)

Naku...where is that saucer of kamatis, sibuyas, bagoong, and wansoy....give me that chicharon for topping!

Merry...

Holiday schedule for Market At The Hills' night weekend market...I can't just be there and sell dressed Sunshines!

Elena of Manna Specialty Bakery, gave us Liver Pate that she made from my chickens' livers. It was heaven. Pure liver, no additives, no other meat ingredients. We finished our bread and 2 packs of pate, between three ladies..,and taste tests to Mary Ann and Candy. We can't get over how delicious it was, simply liver pate.

Pricing was discussed. It will be pricey compared to others. We walked over to the deli and bought a jar of what was labeled as liver pate. Just reading the label we knew already why it may be priced as such, being not pure liver. Opening it, they took a sniff and knew... we had a good product coming up from Elena. We still did a taste test among the 5 of us, and voted that we should pack some of our own :) I should tag it.. Pina-MANNA!

I want to come out too with viands from our naturally grown chicken and pork. Vacuum packed, ready to be stored, easy to pack in luggages for pasalubongs, ready to be heated and eaten!

In all the frenzy of my activities: seminars, opening Organikasyon, Christmas season...am like a merry go round! Hmmm which brings me...I want a rotisserie!

Getting several for the stores now. Excited to have a Merry Chicken wehehhehe.

Alorible Day At MATH

I set up real early every weekend at Market At The Hills (MATH), that by the time I am ready to have breakfast, the others are still working on their tables.

Today was just like that, and I was engaging in small talk w/ Elena of Manna Specialty Bakery, as I was deliberating on a Banana Muffin or a Poppsyseed Bagel from her baskets of freshly baked goodies. Our talk drifted to blogging, bloggers etc...and as we both love desserts...of course we touched on Lori of Dessert Comes First.

I was telling Elena about how I was speaking to this couple with a daughter in tow during IFEX...then I noticed this MOLE! THE MOLE that is Lori's signature avatar :)...then I went... "Lori"? See...that was her!

Today was such a breeze. I finished all my stock real early and was eating and relaxing as I was killing time. Someone needed some smaller bills and I went to the faucet to wash my hands. From the corner of my eye...I see a MOLE....hmmmmmmmmmmmm...."Lori"???? Well yes, it was her! After some short talk about her being tampo that I indicated another food blog as a favorite...I told her not bagay to her to get tampororot :) Lori, you are my favorite for desserts! Food is not dessert :)

...she goes around the tables.

Then, I saw her get some bread from Manna...I didn't let this pass. I needed to take her pic for Elena :)

Come End Of May

Or Start of June?

Depends of you see the glass half full or half empty :)

What am I saying? We had our 1st egg drop from the 2nd batch of our Parent Stocks, now from SASSO (thank God!). The Parent Stocks from SASSO of France had been good from the day it arrived as day old chicks. No mortality at the airport, packed well, alive and chirpy. Hardly any mortality during the grow out period and gave a 38g 1st egg drop. Very good sign, in comparison to our initial batch of Parent Stocks from another company. Really glad that we made the switch.

2nd weekend at Market at the Hills. Enjoyable, relaxing. Good venue for consumer awareness and developing the niche market some of the growers are targeting. This also serves as my respite....as I have encountered numerous friends from way back, and not too distant past. I guess that is why I don't find MATH weekends as work, its like throwing a duck into a pond.

You have to go try the native chocolate drink at Manna Specialty Bakery. It was really good. Just right. Not too sweet nor thick. Sarap to dip your bread from Manna :)

If you care to gift your parents, grandparents or yourself some exotic fruit trees, go to Market at the Hills on Saturdays. Teresa Orchard will have their miniature Macopas from Indonesia and Abiu available. Free taste test of the produce...it will make you want to grow your own trees.