Canterberry Café

It was my usual weekend visit to my parents, there was nothing to do... my husband was at work, my dad's busy with stuff needed to be fixed, my brothers were both working. The girls are the only ones in the house. My mom, my sisters and I were having a good laugh, boredom sets in, it's almost lunch we decided to drive and have a good meal at a nearby restaurant.

I lived in Taytay Rizal half of my childhood until I got married. This restaurant discovery my sisters shared with me was worth it. I never thought that something like it will flourish at the heart of the town itself.

They call it Canterberry Café .

Canterberry Café offers Filipino viands for a very affordable price. An All-day Meal which consist of a viand and rice costs around Php50-80. Sizzlers and Appetizers good for 3-4 costs Php95-380. A pitcher of iced tea is at Php90. They also have a delectable line of desserts, snacks, sandwiches, pizza and pasta. Even for a single order, satisfaction is guaranteed, it's as good as eating our favorite home-cooked meal.

The restaurant itself is not air-conditioned, but its big windows keeps the place cool enough to enjoy ones dining experience. Canterberry Café is often visited by students like my sisters. They love Canterberry because it's a place where they can eat clean, delicious food and hangout with their friends. On a food adventure, I always take note of the crowd or the people that often makes up the place. In Canterberry, I was happy to see families, couples maybe on a lunch date and a bunch of youngsters having a good time.

As a foodie who loves to try everything and anything that will make my tummy happy, I am very proud of this restaurant find because I experienced quality service, good food and nice ambiance in a restaurant found in our humble town of Taytay Rizal... as if I ate in a restaurant within Makati or Quezon City. If you're in the area of Rizal, stop by.

Canterberry Café

E-149, E. Rodriguez Avenue, Taytay, Rizal 1920

Find more, visit and like: Canterberry Café on Facebook

Trader Joe's Cocoa Almond Spread

Hey guys! So it's been awhile, I've been occupied with a lot of things lately, but here I am and finally, my thoughts on Trader Joe's delicious Cocoa Almond Spread. So I was looking for somebody selling Cookie Butter and Biscoff products for a cheaper price. A friend of mine posted about her Cookie Butter experience on Facebook, I asked for details with regards to her contact (who happened to be a friend of hers). 

Ordering was easy as a breeze. Ann (seller) was very nice and she was the one who also introduced Trader Joe's Cocoa Almond Spread to me. 

My package arrived a day after the confirmation of the products' arrival from abroad. I just gotta give credit to Ann for a very fast and worry-free transaction, I'm a very happy and satisfied customer. The jars were sealed and wrapped properly.

For the moment, I bought a jar of Lotus Biscoff Crunchy and Trader Joe's Cocoa Almond Spread at Php450 ea. I think it's a good price because I've encountered sellers offering these items at a higher amount. Ann is also selling Trader Joe's Speculoos Cookie Butter (Php450).

Shipping: is Php70 within Metro Manila and Php100 outside the metro.

For interested buyers, for proper referral, please contact me via email: frommykitchenbeyond@gmail.com/ xtraordinarymom1008@gmail.com 

Everyone's raving about Cookie Butter or Biscoff's Crunchy and Creamy spreads, but I never really encountered any reviews or comments on Trader Joe's Cocoa Almond Spread. Here's what I got to say, if you're on the look for a more authentic- chocolatey spread, I greatly recommend Trader Joe's Cocoa Almond spread. It's not oily, it's not runny, it's like eating a thicker version of melted dark chocolate.

I love it with both fresh and dried fruits, especially dried mangoes.

My kids love it as a dip for their cookies.

It's a good substitute for butter for my pancakes, mixed with a little maple syrup and sliced bananas.

Why do we love such spreads? 

1. Mostly are made of quality and natural ingredients. 

2. It's not too sweet and it's perfect with almost everything.

3.With a small scoop, it can easily satisfy one's urge or craving for something sweet. Total indulgence.

4. Since it's an all-around spread/ dip it can also be used for baking like cookies and other pastries.

It's been awhile since our shift from the usual peanut butter- jelly, cheese and Nutella. My family loves the change when it comes to sandwich spreads. They now have more options... even if it's more expensive, when it comes to food, satisfaction is of great deal for me as a mom because I want to see my boys happy with what they're eating.

Curried Chicken Rice Pilaf

I was on experimental mode over the weekend. . For us Filipinos, usually, we fry our rice with garlic and other ingredients like shrimp paste, peas, chopped meat etc. Rice pilaf is almost the same, only, the rice is traditional cooked in broth with the rest of the ingredients. In most parts of the world, where pilaf rice is famous, Basmati rice is used. It's a long grain rice and it has a special aroma that makes it more enticing to eat. I get to eat Basmati rice in Persian restaurants like Shomal and Arya.

I've always wanted to cook rice pilaf. The method of cooking I used for my version of Pilaf Rice is both boiling and frying. Since I couldn't find any Basmati rice, I used Special Dinorado Rice which is also long- grain. Jasmine rice is also recommended.

Ingredients: For the Rice

• 2 cups uncooked white rice
• 1 tbsp curry

How To: 

• Wash rice well.
• Boil rice with curry powder until cooked. Set Aside.

*Do not over- cook the rice.

Pilaf Rice Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breast fillet (chopped)
• 2 tbsp. almonds (chopped)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp oregano (fresh or dried)
• 1/2 tsp cilantro (fresh or dried)
• 1 medium white onion (chopped)
• 1 tbsp spring onions (chopped)
• 3 tbsp mung bean sprouts
• 2 tbsp raisins
• A dash of salt and pepper to taste

How To:

• In a pan, stir fry chicken until half- cooked.
• Add almonds, raisins, mung bean sprouts, add spring onions and chopped white onions.
• Stir for about 30 seconds.
• Add prepared curried rice.
• Mix everything well then, salt and pepper.

Best served with kebab, steak, grilled sausages, pork chops, lamb chops and a cold bottle of beer.

ENJOY!

Healthy Substitutes