Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Eat well, live well, stay well! Ajinomoto asks all Pinoys to join Mag-Pinggang Pinoy Tayo 7-Day Menu Challenge

Ajinomoto sent me a gift pack of their products and asked me to join their Mag-Pinggang Pinoy Tayo 7-Day Menu Challenge. Thanks, Ajinomoto! I love using their Crispy Fry for my fried dishes - super hit with my boys! So I was super happy to get their other products. I've been using them for a few weeks now. Today, I cooked pork mechado and the Pork Savor did add linamnam to my dish! So excited to cook more yummy Pinoy meals now!


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PRESS RELEASE - The COVID-19 Pandemic intensifies the Philippine’s battle against Double Burden of Malnutrition. Double Burden of Malnutrition is defined by World Health Organization (WHO) as “the coexistence of undernutrition along with overweight and obesity, or diet-related non-communicable diseases, within individuals, households and populations, and across the life course.” 

The limited distribution and access to food supplies aggravate the plight of poor and low-income Filipino households to sustain each person’s required nutrients through healthy meals. On the other hand, home confinement due to the mandated community quarantine may cause more people to not only restrict their physical activities but also to overeat and/or consume more food with empty calories as part of coping with stress and/or boredom. 

Just 1 sachet for every half kilo of pork for malinamnam yumminess!

Given the importance of maintaining healthy diets to sustain our health and immunity against viruses and bacteria, we should turn to the practice of Pinggang Pinoy® as a viable safeguard to protect our family from diseases. 

Ajinomoto Philippines Corporation introduced “Mag-Pinggang Pinoy® Tayo 7-day Menu Challenge” as a way to encourage homemakers to serve a variety of balanced meals to their families. Homemakers could access the Mag-Pinggang Pinoy® Tayo 7-day menu plan at www.ajinomoto.com.ph and facebook.com/CookmunitybyAjinomotoPH.

I fry my meat and veggies, add the flavoring, then water, and tomato sauce.

This is part of the company’s “Eat Well, Live Well. Stay Well.” campaign to provide Filipino families with practical tips on proper nutrition, recipe menu, and fitness activities to cope, stay well, and enjoy life despite the current COVID-19 situation. 

Ajinomoto’s 7-day menu plan is composed of complete meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Each meal provides recipe suggestions for Healthy & Delicious Pinggang Pinoy® Recipes that are easy-to-do and affordable. These recipes are simple, solutions to serve enjoyable Pinggang Pinoy® meals. 


Homemakers could make use of their extra time to purchase widely available and inexpensive vegetables and fruits to complement rice beyond the usual supply of canned goods. Ajinomoto’s recipes make common ingredients more palatable like tofu sisig, meaty pechay picadillo, pork tapa and tomatoes, ensaladang talbos ng kamote, sweet and sour galunggong, and many more. Here are three recipe samplers done in three easy steps: 

Meaty Pechay Picadillo 
1) SAUTÉ onion, garlic, and ground pork. Mix in carrots, green peas, and pechay. 
2) SEASON with pepper, soy sauce, and AJI-GINISA® Flavor Seasoning Mix. 
3) COOK for 1 minute more.

Tofu Sisig 
1) FRY tofu until golden brown. Set aside. 
2) SAUTÉ ginger, onion, and garlic, add fried tofu and liver spread and mix well. 
3) SEASON with sugar and PORKSAVOR® All-in-One Seasoning mix and add chili peppers.

Pork Tapa with Tomatoes 
1) MARINATE pork in water, sugar, soy sauce, pepper, and SARSAYA® Oyster Sauce for an hour or overnight. 
2) SAUTÉ onion, garlic, and pork. 
3) BOIL. Pour the marinade mixture and boil until mixture is thick. 

For full recipes and for more information about Ajinomoto and its products, visit www.ajinomoto.com.ph and facebook.com/CookmunitybyAjinomotoPH.

*To be featured on Press Release Tuesdays, send it to frances@topazhorizon.com.

Friday, June 26, 2020

How to tell stories that win the hearts of people

Everyone loves a good story. And everyone has a story to tell. Some people want to share their stories with the world, shouting out loud on blogs, vlogs, and social media. Some people, however, don’t want to be so public so they use anonymous blog sites to share their stories with others online.

Sharing stories that win the hearts of people (a.k.a. viral content) is a talent. If you feel you don't have the talent for this, don't feel bad. You can learn how to tell stories that people will love by honing certain skills. Once you learn these skills, you'll be confident enough to share your stories with your online readers. In today's guest post, you'll find a few tips to gain the best skills to win the hearts of people with your stories.

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GUEST POST - Are you someone who tells stories for other people anonymously? That's called ghostwriting where the stories are shared through the strength of the person or brand you wrote for. But what if you want to tell your own stories but don't want to reveal who you are? How can you make people be interested in your story without making them interested in knowing you? 

Knowing how to tell your story anonymously is a tough deal. Your story must stand on its own. When you’re making an anonymous blog, you need to learn about all the tactics of storytelling to win your reader's heart. Here are some beneficial tips to tell stories that win the hearts of people. 

1. Talk about real things. 

Readers want authenticity. If you cook up a fake story, it will sound false and unrelatable. Only your real stories can make you win the hearts of people. People start developing a feeling of trust and empathy when reading someone’s true story. Don’t make your readers lose trust in your stories. 

2. Don't miss the suspense element. 

What’s the main thing which keeps you engaged in a story? Suspense. It doesn't need to sound like a murder thriller but the secret to keeping your readers engaged enough to read until the last line is to feed them little details throughout. Don't reveal everything. Build up the story before delivering the final statement.

3. Add a human touch to your simple story. 

Whether your story is simple or thrilling, you need to make people feel your experience is relevant to them. You want to make them feel they're not alone. For instance, you can talk about some past experiences which helped you gather confidence to move ahead in life. Your story may be about an ordinary day in your simple life but adding inspiring elements will make it special.

4. Use proper story structure. 

You may have a great story but if you can't tell it properly, people will lose interest and scroll past it. You need to have the basics—good grammar and correct spelling. A good storyteller writing anything from a blog post to a sales pitch knows how to use tone, relatable characters, build conflict, and impart an unforgettable message. 

5. Always have a message. 

Every storyteller knows that the best stories have a lesson. From fairy tales to parables, all the most memorable stories had a profound message. If your story doesn’t have a moral or a message for the readers, then why are you even telling a story! If you want people to remember your story, then it has to have a powerful message they can take away with them.


*This is a guest post, with my edits. To place a guest post, email frances@topazhorizon.com for my rates.

Thursday, June 25, 2020

Watch the Mad Men theme song but with a twist

I'm on YouTube a lot these days. I love watching music videos of my favorite songs, interviews of my favorite stars, and home tours of tiny homes and expansive mid-century modern mansions. So imagine my delight when I found this video! I just had to share it with you in case you're a Mad Men and Moulin Rouge fan like me.


If you put together the iconic opening credits of one of the best TV shows of all time and the opening scene of my favorite movie of all time, you get this:


Gorgeous! The song "Nature Boy" is so Don Draper!  

There was a boy 
A very strange enchanted boy 
They say he wandered very far 
Very far 
Over land and sea 

A little shy and sad of eye 
But very wise was he 

And then one day 
One magic day he passed my way 
And though he spoke of many things 
Fools and kings 
This he said to me 
"The greatest thing 
You'll ever learn 
Is just to love 
And be loved in return"

P.S. I'm happy I've learned the greatest lesson in life =)