Martin Nievera at The Bellevue Hotel

The Association of St. John Marie Vianney (ASJMV) of Saint James The Great Parish in Alabang is having a fundraising concert on September 12, 2014 at The Bellevue Hotel.

Enjoy a sumptuous dinner and be serenaded by the country's top performer, Martin Nievera, as he sings pops and ballads at the Grand Ballroom of The Bellevue Hotel Manila. This is a one night only show you can't miss!

We are inviting everyone to support ASJMV in their mission to promote priestly vocations by providing for the education needs of poor but deserving seminarians. The association has helped a total 37 seminarians who have all graduated and ordained to into priesthood. Proceeds of this year's fundraising event will benefit the 31 seminarians and 4 priest scholars currently in their scholarship program as well as  many more applicants in various seminaries in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

For ticket inquiries please contact Ms. Louiza Asinas, Events Department of The Bellevue Hotel, Tel. (02) 771.8181.

This article also appears on PhilStar.com.

The Way We Ate- Rustique Kitchen

Chef Bruce Lim serves up comfort food with a Filipino twist at his new restaurant, Rustique Kitchen in Makati City.

An American born Filipino-Chinese chef and a graduate of Le Cordon Blue in London, Chef Bruce made a name for himself in the Philippines as a TV personality and restaurateur. He is currently the host of Asian Food Channel's The Boss which showcases his take on modern Filipino dishes.

At Rustique Kitchen, he promises to treat your taste buds to an explosion of flavors in a comfortable, homey ambience. "We're serving comfort food," he explains. "We don't want to intimidate our customers. We'd like to make them feel right at home."

 Chef Bruce with Bianca & Cynthia.

We were treated to a generous sampling of some of the restaurant's bestsellers and new dishes. Thank you so much to Rustique Kitchen for inviting us, and many thanks to Ross Del Rosario and Aldous Calubad for organizing this special event.

 Freshly baked bread served with Herbed Butter and Coffee Maple Butter. 

Pata Fritters- new on the menu!

 Cozy dining at Rustique Kitchen.

 Lapu lapu Ceviche- Fresh rock fish marinated in citrus vinaigrette, topped with crispy danggit.

 Country Pumpkin Pasta- Pasta tossed in a kalabasa cream sauce, served with roasted Cornish hen and deep fried squash blossoms.

 Soon to be introduced is a Slab Menu- family style servings of salmon (shown above), steaks, pork confit and other seafood.

 Warm Chocolate Tart.

Quesong Puti Cheesecake- Classic baked cheesecake served with mangoes and strawberries.

Congratulations, Chef Bruce! We'll see you again soon!

This article also appears on PhilStar.com.

Chef Bruce Lim's Rustique Kitchen

Ground Floor, Leelin Building

820 Arnaiz Avenue, Makati City

Facebook page 

Certificate Courses at PowerSkills

Whenever we eat out in new restaurants, I always take mental notes on how much I enjoyed the whole dining experience. Good food and good customer service are elements that go hand in hand and a big deciding factor on whether I would visit that particular restaurant again.

I have a couple of favorite places that I've come to love not just for their delicious food but for their consistently excellent customer service. I bring my family and friends to these restaurants, and over the years, I can say that I am loyal to these establishments because they put a premium on keeping their staff well trained and committed to quality, value, and service.

PowerSkills, Inc., is a training and development company that I've had the pleasure to work with for many years now. I have had the opportunity to attend as well as facilitate several of their customized seminars and workshops.

As a recognized international Management Training and Development firm and preferred partner of professionals in the Asia-Pacific region, PowerSkills continues to work with leading local organizations and corporations in Europe & the USA.

In their commitment to continually develop programs that provide a competitive advantage and be the best source of stategies, policies and inspiration, PowerSkills is now offering Certificate courses in Restaurant Management & Development. Their roster of clients include Starbucks, Jollibee, HEAT Edsa Shangri-La Hotel, Spiral at Sofitel Philippine Plaza, and Hen Lin, among others.

We are inviting all our friends in the restaurant, hotel and food business to explore the advantages of conducting customized training for your organization.

For more information and inquiries, you may contact PowerSkills, Inc. at:
Tel: 475.6334
Mobile: 0917.8579664
www.powerskillsinc.com

Design Pegs for our Home Office

When we started our blog in January 2013, our goal was to chronicle our mother & daughter relationship in an online journal so both Bianca and I could have something to look back on. We wanted to challenge our creative side too. Bianca is a budding photographer and writer, while I became interested in writing as a form of therapy and self expression. 

We have been blessed with a growing number of readers and all the positive feedback we have been receiving for the blog has truly encouraged and inspired us to share our thoughts and experiences into words even more.

Most of the time, writing and conceptualizing our posts takes place inside the bedroom where, truth be told, our 10" screen Acer laptop sits on a  28" plastic folding table. And as I write this post, I'm actually sitting on the edge of my bed, with the plastic table pulled towards my lap. Bianca's room has a perfectly set up study table, I don't know why I don't use it as often as I should. Maybe, it's just that I find it more convenient to write and take naps in between since my bed is just right here, hahaha. Bad habits die hard.

Seriously though, I need to do something about this bad habit of mine before I develop a back or neck problem which I'm sure nobody wants to have.

I've been daydreaming of setting up a home office in the space between our living and dining areas. Ideally, I would like the home office to have a work table big enough for two persons so Bianca and I can work together and also have a place to keep files, books, props for our photo shoots, reference materials that we use when we blog, and where we can do our craft projects.

Here are some home office inspiration I found online. Follow us on Pinterest to see more design pegs.

Easy Pasta Dishes with The Blue Kitchen

We love pasta dishes! Besides being hearty and filling, they're a cinch to prepare. All you have to do is boil a pot of water, simmer the sauce, and you've got yourself a meal! We always have pasta and stand by ingredients such as bottled sauces and some kind of chorizo or sausage in our freezer to prepare a quick dinner on busy weeknights.

The Blue Kitchen is a specialty food store where you can find pantry staples and lots of choices for add-ins to make a delicious meal at home whether it's for your family or friends.

Here are some of our latest food finds at The Blue Kitchen with recipes to match!

Visit The Blue Kitchen at Robinson's Magnolia and their other branches at Shangri-la Mall and Power Plant Mall!

This article is also published on PhilStar.com.

The Blue Kitchen
Facebook page
website

Kitchen Stories- Pinoy Brandade

The Blue Kitchen is a specialty food store that has been a go-to for artisanal homemade specialties, ready to cook, and ready to serve food for close to 18 years now.

Favorite Filipino specialties like native sausages, sweets, local coffee, pastries, and their popular garlic tuyo can be found alongside hard to find international brands. 

They just opened their newest branch in Robinson's Magnolia,Quezon City. Luckily, we frequent this area on weekends, so aside from their other branches in Power Plant Mall and Shangri-la Mall, it is now more convenient for us to stock up on our favorites!

Now open! The Blue Kitchen is located at the 3rd level of Robinson's Magnolia.

 Filipino sweets and assorted gourmet products.

What we love most about The Blue Kitchen is that you can find everything you need to prepare lunch or dinner all in one store! It's perfect for busy households like ours who don't have house help and need to prepare quick but delicious dishes. You can choose from a variety of bottled pasta sauces, salad dressings, frozen cooked dishes and even desserts. This makes it easy to whip up and enjoy a home-cooked meal without the fuss! And knowing that their homemade selections are prepared without preservatives, using only the freshest natural ingredients available, is definitely a winner in my book : ) 

We were recently invited to a cookout & lunch where we got to try our hand at cooking and tasting several dishes using some of The Blue Kitchen's bestsellers. One of our favorites is this tasty appetizer recipe that makes use of Daing Bacalao - preserved, salted codfish.

Brandade is a creamy appetizer typically made with codfish and olive oil. Here's a Pinoy version you can try at home that's fast and easy to prepare, especially when you have guests. Best served warm with some toasted bread.

More recipes from The Blue Kitchen, coming soon in our next posts!

This article is also published on PhilStar.com

The Blue Kitchen
3rd Level, Robinson's Magnolia
Aurora Boulevard corner Hemady St.,
Quezon City
Facebook page
website