Great bread at Good Grains Bakeshop

Update! As of early 2011, Good Grains has moved to 121 Aguirre Ave. It's on the same side of Aguirre but this time it's located street-level in a new building closer to Elizalde. Call them at +632 381-9633.

If you're looking for delicious, quality European-style breads and baked treats, visit Good Grains Bakeshop on Aguirre Avenue.

The small storefront belies the great selection inside -- from dinner rolls to sesame loaves to pillow soft ciabattas and long baguettes. They also sell yummy iced cupcakes and muffins, but these sell out early so call to reserve! The nice thing about Good Grains is that they also are health-conscious, offering wholemeal and whole wheat options. Plus, I can honestly say that everything tastes deliciously homemade.

Call Good Grains at 825-8978 or call/text 0917.8919605 or visit them at 171 Aguirre Avenue, BF Homes, Paranaque.

Marta's Cakes - adorably delicious!

Marta's Cakes makes the BEST decorated cakes. Not only are they visually stunning, but Marta Matute's baked creations really taste so so good. These are cakes that the fussy kids and parents love to savor even after the party is over.

Marta's Cakes is now at 3 locations:

• Alabang/Cupang: Marta's Cakes new head office, where you can place cake orders, is at the basement of Skunac Building on Alabang-Zapote road. Call 738-1026 or 842-1410.


• Serendra, Makati: Marta's Cakes is at Serendra, Bonifacio High Street in the Fort. Call 915-3802 or 856-1791. At this location, you can buy sweet desserts, have a coffee or hold your children's parties.


• Greenbelt 5, Makati: Marta's Cakes is inside the Kidz Station store on the 3rd Level of Greenbelt 5 Mall. Call 0917.8069984. This location inside a toy store is a great place to host children's parties.

Check http://www.martascakes.com.ph/ for more information

Turkey Bacon is here !

My friend Cristina of MeatPointe is selling 12 oz. packs of Oscar Meyer Turkey Bacon at P375/pack. I like the Oscar Meyer brand of turkey bacon much better than the Jennie-O brand at S&R (which seriously tastes like cardboard).

Call Meatpointe at 807-3197 or 0917-5050308 to order or to get a copy of their price list. They also carry Wagyu beef from Japan, US-grown Angus beef, and Australian beef. Meatpointe delivers to the Alabang and Makati areas.

Great Gift Idea -- Book Buddies!

My friend Sian makes these great wooden book holders called Book Buddies. A great accent piece for any happy child's bedroom, this is the perfect present for that special birthday or baptism.

Book Buddies come in the following designs: Jungle Animals (Pink Elephant, Grey Elephant, Sky Blue Hippo, Yellow Giraffe), Sea Creatures (Orange Fish, Blue Whale, Bright Green Turtle), Bugs (Ladybug, Caterpillar, Snail), Transportation (Yellow Bus, Red Train, Dark Blue Boat).

More information from Sian:

All our BOOK BUDDIES are handcrafted and made from recycled Philippine hardwood. They are a great accent piece for any type of room and can accommodate approximately 15 books depending on their sizes. Because of the manufacturing process, no two BOOK BUDDIES will be exactly alike. This way you and your book buddy will always be a UNIQUE match! This is a 100% Filipino made product. Please email slagdameo@gmail.com or contact me thru 0920 960 4521 for any inquiries or for a price list.

Sian Lagdameo-Legarda
Book Buddies, April 2009

A great find - Simple Green's All-purpose Cleaner

I can't say enough about the earth-friendly Simple Green All-purpose household Cleaner. It's biodegradable, non-toxic and really economical - a Green Mom's dream. I used to buy a huge bottle of Domex or Greenex every week, two bottles of acid-blue glass cleaners a month plus an industrial sized Pine-sol or floor cleaner once a month. After discovering Simple Green at Metro Gaisano supermarket a few months ago, I've eliminated all those toxic 'cleaners' from my list.

The beauty of Simple Green, aside from it's earth and child-friendliness, is that it's a concentrate. Just purchase spray bottles and set aside a measuring cup to ensure each spray bottle has 1 part Simple Green and up to 16 parts water. One Simple Green bottle can last me a month. I highly recommend it to all moms who may be concerned about product toxicity or the environment. There are a whole line of Simple Green products now available - from non-concentrated sprays to metal cleaners, but I find this original concentrate still the best buy. You can find Simple Green products at Ace Hardware, True Value and Metro Gaisano supermarket.