Food: CCME Homemade Foodstuff

I learned of CCME Homemadefoodstuff when I was searching for an affordable wedding caterer. Their catering service is affordable indeed and they enjoy a good number of positive feedback from those who have tried their food. But I decided against getting them when they told me that they only use artificial flowers for the table setup. I figured, it'll cost me more to hire a separate event stylist to dress up the reception venue.

But then, because a lot of people are raving about their food and their price, I recommended CCME to my brother for his first son's christening party. He had a limited budget and opted to have the food delivered instead of availing their complete catering setup. Based on menu recommendations I've gathered from online forums and other blogs, we ordered the following dishes:

• Chicken Pastel (6 orders)
• Beef Morcon (4 orders)
• Barbeque (3 orders)
• Chopsuey (3 orders)
• Lumpiang Shanghai (2 orders)
• Dark Chocolate cake (3 orders)

Rating Guides:

= A big headache!
= Relieved that it's over.
= It wasn't that bad. But it wasn't that good either.
= Happy about the outcome.
= I wouldn't be grinning this big for nothing.


How did they fare?

Food:

Chicken Pastel. A lot said that this is highly recommended and they were right. It's delicious and had big chunks of chicken, sausages, juicy button mushrooms, potatoes and carrots in a light creamy sauce. But I failed to considered that a lot of people are not fond of milk-based or cheese-based dishes. Out of the 6 trays that we ordered, we had 3 leftovers. So we had chicken pastel for dinner and for breakfast the morning after. Surprisingly, it tasted even better than it did the day before. My mom said that it was cooked well that's why it lasted until the next day and was even better tasting.


Beef Morcon. I'm not a fan of their beef morcon. Probably because my mom cooks a better version and all the other beef morcons I've tasted pale in comparison to her cooking. But it doesn't mean that the beef morcon is not delicious. A lot of guests loved it. They just didn't like the sauce that came with it. One guest even said that it tastes better with the vinegar concoction that came with the Lumpiang Shanghai.

Pork Barbeque. It was ok, tasted a notch better than regular barbeques. But like the morcon, I've tasted more delicious barbeque recipes.



Chopsuey. I saw that the Chopsuey has generous amounts of ingredients like button mushrooms, carrots, cabbage slices, shreds of chicken, etc. The vegetables were not overly cooked and overall, it tasted good. But again, my dad cooks a really scrumptious and crunchy version of the dish so I can't really rave about CCME's Chopsuey.

Lumpiang Shanghai. I didn't get to taste the Lumpiang Shanghai except for a small bite. And I forgot how it tasted.

Dark Chocolate Cake. The cake was too sweet for me. But it was moist and the kids love it so I guess, it was ok.



Ordering:

Ordering was done through phone. I made several calls before giving my final order and whoever answered was very polite and patiently entertained all my inquiries. There was just a little misunderstanding when it came to what they'll write on the cake. And they misspelled my nephew's name.

Delivery:

Delivery Fee was remarkably low and delivery time was more than punctual. Our food was scheduled to be delivered at 10:30 am. The delivery van arrived at 9:45 am. Before the driver left CCME, he sent me a message asking for directions. I gave him the vaguest of directions and yet he was still able to arrive 45 minutes ahead of schedule.

Packaging

The dishes were piping hot when they came, as if they've just been cooked which is impossible because it came to Laguna all the way from Quezon City. They were in cardboard box containers lined with aluminum foil wraps and covered with plastic. Although not aesthetically appealing, these containers are very convenient and can easily be disposed of. The sauces and dipping were packed separately in plastic bags.

Serving:

They said 1 tray can make about 10-12 servings. That is, if you only have 1 dish to serve. But if paired with other viands, 1 dish can serve at least 20 persons. Our orders above can feed about 80 to 100 persons. And for only P10,340.00 (including delivery fee), that's really an affordable way to cater a party.

Overall: We'll definitely order from them again.

Food item list and prices, and contact information are available at CCME's website: www.homemadefoodstuff.com

Engage with Grace: A Very Touching Video

My grandfather is in a critical condition right now. I hope that he recovers soon and we, as his family, won't have to deal with a situation where we need to make THE decision for him.

We never really talk about this, among families and relatives, but this video, Engage with Grace from Health 2.0 on Vimeo, has illustrated a strong point why dealing with it sooner than later is important and how it helps to ease the burden on our part and on the side of the one leaving us.

But my grandpa is not leaving us anytime soon, I just thought it's an interesting video, and I'd like to share it with you. And if you're fired up, you can also check the on-going dNeero conversation about it.

Sheng Loves Clover Chips

Here's a picture of my favorite snack's old packaging. They may look different now, but the taste stayed the same. And perhaps, that is the reason why, more than 30 years later, Clover Chips remains one of the bestselling chips--if not the bestselling chips of all time. In my list, that is.

There's something about Clover Chips--the crunch, the flavor, even the smell when you open a pack--that makes me crave for it. This is my ultimate "upper" food whenever I feel depressed. A typically gloomy day would require two (2) 160-gram packs to lift up my spirit. A combo of Cheese and Barbeque flavor is how I like it best.

My partner, who is not a fan, even tried to dissuade my appetite and introduce me to other snacks. I like some but I find it unfair to say that they're better tasting. Clover Chips is different and superior in ways only my taste buds can understand. It's just like explaining why chocoholics are addicted to chocolates--you simple can't.

Website: GirlTalk -- Where the Girls Are Taking the Floor

I can't stress enough how important discussion forums are in one's online experience. Forums are about the most honest and most reliable source of information there is in the info-crazy world known as the internet.

Anyone can drop anything on cyberspace--a golden nugget, a worthy campaign, a piece of junk, a fake product testimonial, a self-serving comment. It would be helpful if a community exists that can somehow steer you to the right direction.


Luckily for us Filipina, there's GirlTalk, a subdomain and the official forum of FemaleNetwork, an online Philippine magazine targeted at the female audience. But don't be fooled by the name or the site's theme, GirlTalk is not limited to the girls, ladies and women only. Male members are welcome and equally appreciated.

Although I haven't flipped through the pages of the online magazine, I frequent the discussion boards, whether as a lurker or as a poster, and consider myself a GirlTalker. The sisses are generally very friendly, very smart and are more than willing to dish out their two cents and no-nonsense opinions. You can find various topics that will engage your attention and will soon entice you to post and join the community. From the mundane to the interesting, from the funny to the serious, from beauty secrets to fab finds, from looking for this item to selling this product, from kikay trinkets to the techie gadgets, from online to offline, there's something for you in GirlTalk.

So, what do I dig about GirlTalk?

It's the warm, friendly air that is so evident in the community. It's the weight of information that you can acquire from collective posts and replies. It's the reassuring confidence that forum members will help you in any way that they can--to give you what you're looking for, or tell you where you might find it.

Best of all, it's the way that GirlTalk understands what it means to be a girl or a woman today.