I was supposed to post this before we left for CDO, but time just wasn't enough for me to sit and
blog, so before I start off the blog journey for 2014, let me just post this first.
Our family isn't big on gifts. We rarely give each other gifts during birthdays and Christmas.. so whenever I receive gifts, I do get giddy about it. For Christmas 2013, the gifts I received are from the companies and people I worked with for this blog and here are the gifts I have received:
A picture frame from Jollibee.
I still haven't used this, but I am thinking of choosing five travel pictures for 2013 for this frame.
2014 Journal from Moonleaf Tea Shop.
I participated in a food taste test for a restaurant opening sometime in the next two months.. and while waiting for my sister (the taste test was held at the restaurant where she's working), the owner of Moonleaf Tea Place stopped by for a meeting and when sister's boss introduced me as a food blogger and told that I attended the Moonleaf Beats, the owner of Moonleaf Tea Shop gave me this as a Christmas gift. Currently, I am using this planner to jot down the movies I have watched and books I have read... as well as the food trips I had and will have.
2014 Calendar and Pastry Box from Max's Restaurant.
The assorted pastries we eat little by little... and the calendar I super duper love because it has discount coupons every month.
Cake Mix and Cookbook from The Maya Kitchen.
Attending the monthly featured classes at The Maya Kitchen allows me to take home a bag of goodies and I was able to collect quite a number of boxes over the year that I am blogging for The Maya Kitchen. Some of the Hotcake Mix we gave to some neighbors with children - so they may be able to enjoy the goodness of Maya Hotcakes, while the Bibingka Mix I used for Noche Buena. The rest I am keeping in the pantry.
Pastries and Goodies from Bizu Patisserie.
This was a surprise gift. The family consumed most of these within two days, but the peanut butter and the crostinis I am saving up for a recipe I plan to try.
Assorted Drinks from PerkComm.
This was such a fun gift to receive! The water and iced tea became our drinks when we traveled to Cagayan de Oro (consumed while waiting for our flight), while the Cobra Energy Drink we gave to sister's co-worker at the restaurant (the security guard) who was super happy about it. The Coco Quench we drank or Noche Buena and Media Noche.
Food Trip from The Bistro Group.
On Christmas eve, my sister and I went on a food trip at Krazy Garlik and tasted their Kraaazy Grubs offering (a dish for each of us). It was a very happy food trip for us, and the full story will be shared tomorrow.
For 2013, I was blessed to be invited in several food events. Some of these I wasn't able to attend due to some matters, but for 2014, I resolve to attend more events (YOLO, I say), striking a balance between two sides of the fence, as I am also committing to a year long weight loss program. While I will try to minimize my food intake, I don't see any reason why I should turn down invitations - afterall, I control the amount of food that goes in my mouth. I can always taste each food, right?
Thank you to all the people and companies who have invited me to their events and / or asked me to try out their products. Here's to a more sumptuous year ahead!
I come from a family who loves cooking and eating. I never had any formal training in cooking and that I taught myself how to cook based on the handed down recipes, but I could say that I can cook good food. In 2008, I started documenting my food trips for my