Fibers.com Giveaway

Like my new shirt??? Well, I got it from Fibers.com, an innovative website that offers custom clothing items for both kids and adults like t-shirts, tank tops, hoodies, pants, shorts and even undies and baby bodysuits and bibs!

Ordering at Fibers.com is so easy! You can have your custom item with just a few mouse clicks! You simply have to choose the type of product you'd like to customize. They have over 50 products to choose from, from sleeveless shirts to long sleeves and from undies to pants. They have infant sizes from newborn to 24 months and kids sizes from YS to YL. Men's sizes are from S to 5XL and women's sizes are from XS to 2XL. They also have several t-shirt colors, fits and styles to choose from. They have regular cotton as well as organic and recycled ones. For my shirt, I chose the white Junior Fit Ringer T-Shirt with navy blue ribbing which has a base price of $21.99. Regular shirts are priced at $20.99 and recycled and organic ones are $24.99 and $27.99 respectively.

Once you’ve chosen the product you want, it’s time to decide on the design. You can choose from 8,000 pieces of art available on their website or you can upload your own. I used one of their "I Heart T-shirts" design...

...and just added my personalized PiTCC logo on it and changed the text. 

 

There are 500+ fonts available on Fibers.com and they have thousands of cliparts to choose from...so even if you don't have your own graphics to upload, you don't have to worry! With the endless combinations you can make from the available tools on their website, you'll surely come up with a unique design that's 100% yours! The front design is included in the price...so no matter how much graphics you want on your shirt, you don't have to worry about paying more.

I really love how my t-shirt looks. I even had PiTCC's url printed at the back for an additional $3, making the total price $24.99 plus 2-3 day shipping fee of $5.

I know it may sound expensive for a simple shirt...but for the quality of both the shirt and the print, I can say it's worth the price! I've ordered from other custom shirt websites before and I must say that Fibers.com's price range is basically the same but the quality of both their fabric and print is a lot more better. The shirt looks great even after washing it! The best thing about Fibers.com is that they donate a portion of their profits to help public school kids through funding teacher projects at Donors Choose. They are also involved in microfinancing with Kiva to help low-income individuals who do not have access to typical banking services, and they also donate a percentage of profits of all breast cancer t-shirt sales to support breast cancer research. A purchase from Fibers.com is one you can feel good about...so the next time you need custom t-shirts or other clothing items, be sure to check out their website! For product updates and promotions, you can follow them on Facebook and Twitter too!

Fibers.com is giving away one $30 voucher to one lucky PiTCC reader! Fibers.com ships internationally so this giveaway is open to everyone! If you want a t-shirt like mine or you want to try other custom clothing items, simply enter through the rafflecopter below! This giveaway ends on May 14, 12:01a.m. EST!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received a $30 voucher from Fibers.com to design a t-shirt for review and another one to give away. All opinions expressed here are my own.

 

Next Day Flyers Custom Sticker Giveaway

My daughters love stickers. I guess all kids do. I remember that I was a huge fan of stickers myself when I was a little girl. I used to collect all kinds of them, but Disney Princesses, Hello Kitty and Minnie Mouse are my favorites. I loved to stick them on all my books, notebooks, bags and even on my rubber shoes. :) My study table and the walls in my room had stickers too! 

Now that I am older, I found a new use for them... and that is, for labeling stuff. Stickers really make labeling a whole lot easier for me. So instead of character stickers, label stickers are my thing now. I find them really useful all around the home. I actually have a sticker label maker, but I also enjoy having different personalized sticker labels printed online. These are some of them...but I tell you, I have a lot more.

Whenever I find a good deal online, I would order a set or two. I find them so useful for labeling my daughters' books and notebooks, as well my recipe books, freezer bags, bottles and jars in the kitchen. I also enjoy using them as return address labels and gift tags. 

When Next Day Flyers offered me to try their sticker printing service and at the same time, host a sticker giveaway for PiTCC readers, I was so thrilled. Knowing that this could be useful for me and for someone out there who's fond of personalized stickers like me, I just couldn't say no. Imagine, 100 pieces of custom made 2"x3.5" stickers worth $35.95 plus free shipping!  

Whether I use it for personalized labels or gift tags with my name on it, or just choose any colored print that I can use for writing labels, this is truly a good deal! The stickers can be customized with images, logos, text, and other design preferences at their online design center, or I can upload a design file that I've already created. I really haven't decided what design will I order, but I can go with any of these ...

Next Day Flyers offers high quality stickers as well as other full color marketing materials like  business cards, brochures, greeting cards, postcards, as well as specialty die cuts. If you’re looking to find a company to help market and promote your business, take a peak at Next Day Flyers. You might just find a product of theirs that suits your need!

If you are a US resident and you want to try Next Day Flyer's sticker printing service, enter the giveaway through the Rafflecopter form below. a Rafflecopter giveaway  
Good luck everyone! Wishing you all a great day!
 

Three Nut Sansrival and a Giveaway for PiTCC's 1st Anniversary

In the afternoon of January 14, 2011, while I was snacking on the Pancit Palabok that I made the day before, I suddenly thought of posting my recipe and photo of it via Blogger. Though I've long been wanting to have a space of my own which will serve as my recipe journal and at the same time allow me to share my passion for food and cooking, starting my own recipe blog on that day wasn't planned. I didn't even have any idea of how much work is involved in it. That time, all I had were unwritten recipes from my Mom which I have memorized in my mind, and a few photos of some Filipino food that I frequently cook. I got no blogging nor photography background or whatsoever...in short, I was not prepared for it. But for some reasons, I started typing my first post and published it though I knew that it would be just a waste of time and effort because I got no one to read it. 

A year after, I no longer see Pinay In Texas Cooking Corner as a waste of time and effort. With all the emails and comments I got, saying either they are thankful to find my blog or they like my recipe, I feel proud of myself! Nothing beats the feeling of knowing you have helped someone even in the simplest possible way! And with all the existing food blogs in the web, who would have thought that a Filipino recipe blog like mine would get readers? I know I don't have that much...but with more than 35,000 unique visitors in my first year of blogging, I couldn't ask for more! Though I'm not good and don't have time to put much effort on social networking, I was able to gain almost 700 followers on Facebook, and more than 600 on Twitter. That's really much more than I expected. I thought I would only have my family and friends as followers! :)

Today, as I celebrate my blog's 1st anniversary, I would like to thank each and every one of you who has left a comment, written encouraging e-mails and showed your support to me! Without you, I wouldn't have the inspiration to share a total of 162 recipes in my first year of blogging! And to the wonderful, kind, supportive and encouraging people in the food blogging community, I am so grateful to all of you too! I know I could never thank you enough for making me feel that I have a place in the blogosphere.

To show my gratitude to you my dear readers and blogger friends, I'm giving away these cute "Be Brave" coasters and Food & Wine Chef Recipes Made Easy Cookbook which I personally chose.

With over 100 recipes which includes everything from starters and salads to main courses and desserts from star chefs like Daniel Boulud, Mario Batali, Bobby Flay and Wolfgang Puck, this book is truly a must have..so be sure to enter the giveaway through the Rafflecopter plugin at the end of this post!

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To celebrate PiTCC's first anniversary, I am sharing with you the Sansrival that I made yesterday. This is a favorite Filipino meringue based cake filled, topped and iced with butter cream which is of French origin. It came from the words sans rival which means without rival. It is found in many coffee shops in the Philippines and comes in different versions. My most favorite of which are Figaro's My Little Oscar and Goldilocks' Cashew Sansrival. 

This very delightful dessert has been my favorite since the first time I had it at Goldilocks' Bakeshop. I love it with lots of nuts that's why I came up with my own version of it which has three of my favorite nuts in it: pecans, almonds and cashews. I call it Three Nut Sansrival. 

Check out and enjoy this delicious dessert as you wish me more wonderful years of blogging via Pinay In Texas Cooking Corner! :)

Beef Morcon and Macy's Thanksgiving Giveaway

Growing up in a country where there's no Thanksgiving celebration, I was at lost as to what to prepare when we first had our first Thanksgiving here in Texas. We relocated here from the Philippines a week before Thanksgiving Day in 2004, and though we were invited by a friend to celebrate with them, I decided to cook something that we can bring. I searched over the internet about what's usually served on a Thanksgiving feast, and though I wanted to be adventurous and try cooking a usual Thanksgiving dish, I opted to just make something that I'm used to prepare. Beef Morcon, which is a favorite holiday food in the Philippines was one of them...and surprisingly, it was a hit not only to our friend's Filipino guests but also to the American ones!  

This will be the 8th time that we're celebrating Thanksgiving here, and though I've been preparing traditional American Thanksgiving food (like roast turkey, mashed potatoes & green bean casserole) since our second time, Beef Morcon is one of those Filipino food that I love making for Thanksgiving. I don't know if it's simply because it was my late Mom's favorite dish to cook for my birthday (which falls on Christmas Day) or it's my way of looking back to our first Thanksgiving celebration 7 years ago. Well I guess both are good reasons...but I must say that Beef Morcon is certainly a dish to love.

Let me share with you my Mom's Beef Morcon recipe that I altered a bit. You will find this dish irresistible, and you definitely won't regret if you'll make this a part of your Thanksgiving or Holiday feast. It's such a good addition to the usual star of the dinner table, Mr. Gobble Gobble Turkey. The best thing about Beef Morcon is that you can prepare it ahead of time!

Kalderetang Baka (Beef Caldereta) and Avery® See Through Sticky Notes Giveaway

I love jotting down notes as well as to-do and to-buy lists. Maybe I got it from my father or I just find it helpful in not forgetting things that I have to do. I was really excited when self-adhesive notes came to the market. I don't exactly remember when that was (I guess I was in college) but I must say that the person behind it is a genius! It is such a simple idea that made my life easier. Even in this smartphone world where we are now, I still prefer writing notes that I can readily see to remind me of upcoming events, or what the girls need to bring to school, or what pantry supplies I need to get. You may think I'm old fashioned but I must admit that I'm a big fan of sticky notes and even though I love using my iPhone notes and reminders apps, sticky notes are still so handy for me.

When I was asked by Avery® to make a review and hold a giveaway of their see through sticky notes, I just couldn't say no! How can I when I'm a big fan??! When Avery® took these sticky notes a step further by developing a See-Through Sticky Note, I was like telling myself that whoever thought of it was so cool!

I just love the idea of having  transparent writable surface that will stand out without covering the information underneath. I can place these right on my recipe books, write recipe adjustments and still see the recipe!

I can write reminders on calendars without covering important texts!

The best thing about Avery® See Through Sticky Notes is that it has a good adhesive that sticks well on paper and other flat surfaces whether rough or smooth, but it removes cleanly without leaving sticky residue or ruining the paper. Its neon color (yellow and magenta) really helped the notes stand out from the page and even if these sticky notes have a plastic texture, you can use a simple ballpoint pen or even pencil! I am really impressed and for that, I give it 5 stars!

Honestly, I like how cool and innovative Avery's products are! But there's more to that! Avery® is part of Box tops for Education - a nationwide fundraising program dedicated to helping America's schools get the things they need—from books and school supplies to playground equipment to computers. Every packaging of Avery products include Box Tops for Education coupon, and for each Box Tops coupon redeemed from Avery products, Avery will donate 10 cents. I find it so great that Avery® is focusing on helping raise money for our local schools! And last Oct. 3, Avery  launched  its Sticky Notes Mark The Spot Sweepstakes wherein 20,000 winners will be selected at random to receive one (1) pack of Avery Sticky Notes, valued at $2.88, and  (5) schools from among those nominated by the 20,000 preliminary contest winners will each win 100,000 Box Tops For Education Coupons, valued at $10,000 each. The estimated retail value of the 20,000 Avery Sticky Notes is $57,600 and the estimated retail value of the 5 school prizes is $50,000. It's really so generous of Avery, don't you think???

If you want to try your luck of helping your school, just like Avery's Facebook page, sign up  and then choose the school you’d like the money to go to should you win. Pretty simple, and you're doing it for a great cause! Imagine what you can do with Avery Sticky Notes and what your school can do with 100,000 Box Tops coupons!

And if you want a chance to win some packs of sticky notes, I am happy to tell you that the generous people from Avery are offering my US readers the chance to win 6 packs Avery® See Through Sticky Notes.
 
To enter, simply leave a comment on this post telling me what you want to use these cool see through sticky notes for. It's that simple! The giveaway will close on Sunday, Oct. 23, 9PM CDT. One winner will be chosen via random.org and will be announced on Monday!

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It's such a wonderful day, and aside from the awesome giveaway from Avery®, I want to share with you a very awesome Filipino dish called KALDERETANG BAKA (Beef Caldereta)...

Kaldereta which came from the Spanish word "caldereta" simply means stew. It is a favorite Filipino dish especially in the Luzon area, which is originally goat stew and is cooked with tomato sauce, potatoes, liver spread, olives, bell peppers and hot peppers. It is another one of those Spanish-influenced dishes that came to be a favorite among Filipinos. It became so popular that many versions have been made, and other meat like beef, chicken, pork and even fish have been used. Beef is the most popular though.

Some cook their kaldereta with coconut milk and some cook it really hot...but I grew up loving the original version which is cooked in tomato sauce but is not too spicy. Kaldereta is a truly scrumptious dish that is served during fiestas, birthday parties, and other special occasions in the Philippines. It has lots of ingredients that all contribute to the goodness of this dish. But don't get intimidated...as long as you have beef (or even pork), tomato sauce, liver paste, potatoes and bell pepper, you're good to cook a simple version of kaldereta. That's how I do it most of the time! :)

But this version of Kaldereta that I'm going to share with you is the one that is usually served during special Filipino gatherings. It has all the ingredients that make it so festive and so delicious that you just can't stop asking for more!

Canvas Print Giveaway and This Week's Bentos

It's Friday again! Can't believe how quickly the week went by! I hardly noticed it. Time indeed flies fast when you're having fun. Today, just like the past seven consecutive Fridays, I'll be sharing with you the cute bentos I made for the girls...but before that, I have something special for you!

The wonderful people at UPrinting.com has offered my readers the chance to win a 16"x20" rolled canvas print! This is a great opportunity for you to turn your favorite digital photo into a beautiful canvas print! What a wonderful artwork to decorate your home!

UPrinting.com is an online printing company that offers a wide variety of printing services for both business and personal use. From labels and business cards printing to high quality vinyl banners and canvas printing, they have it! So, if you have any printing needs, visit their website and see for yourself all the products they offer.

My apologies to all my non-US readers...this giveaway is for US residents 18 years old and above only. Winners of Uprinting.com giveaway in the past 6 months are also not allowed to join. To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment on this post. Yes, it's that simple! But if you want additional entries, you may do the following:

1. Like Pinay In Texas Cooking Corner and UPrinting on Facebook, and leave a comment here stating that you "liked" both pages.

2. Follow PinayInTexas and UPrinting on Twitter, and leave another comment here stating that you are following both.

3. Post about this giveaway on Facebook and/or tweet about it, and leave a separate comment here stating you have posted or tweeted about this giveaway.

You can have a total of 4 entries. Just don't forget to leave a separate comment for each. This giveaway will end on September 23, 2011 (Friday) 9PM CDT. One winner will be chosen via random.org to receive  one (1 ) piece 16” x 20” rolled canvas print, with 2-inch border or No border and 1 Business Day Turnaround *Free shipping.

If you love decorating your home with your favorite family or scenic photos, you'll love canvas prints even more!  So be sure to join this giveaway, and get a chance to win a free canvas print with free shipping!!! You really don't wanna miss this! 

Disclaimer: This canvas print giveaway is sponsored by UPrinting. No monetary compensation was given to PiTCC for hosting. All opinions expressed here are my own

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Now for this week's bentos...

Just like the past weeks, the girls mostly requested for sandwich bentos. They said it's easier and quick to eat in school. We agreed that I'll let them decide what they want in their bentos, so when they ask for sandwich, I prepare sandwich...but veggies and fruits must go with it!

Bento #20:  Adorable Puppy Bento (Clarise's request)

What's in it: Ham & Cheese Sandwich, White American Cheese, carrots, beef franks, blueberries, and grapes / strawberries

Clarise has always wanted to have a dog, and since I told her she can't have one until she's responsible enough, she just contents herself with anything "doggy" - posters, stuff toys, books, etc. Last Monday, she requested me to make a doggy themed bento. 

This was actually very easy to make. I still don't have a round cutter, so again, I used a glass to shape the dog's face. For the ears and the neck, I just used a sharp knife to cut the bread.

I made the face, ears and neck into sweet ham sandwiches.

Then for the eyes, I used white American cheese and blueberry cut in half. For the eyebrows, the lips and the collar, I used nori...then sweet ham for the tongue and blueberry for the nose. I added beef franks, carrots and bone shaped white American cheese for added decoration. Clarise really loved it...and Cherlin did too!

Bento #21:  Gobble, Gobble! Turkey Bento (Clarise and Cherlin's request)

What's in it: Cheese Sandwich, egg, carrots, sweet ham, blueberries, and grapes & cantaloupe/strawberries

For some reasons, we talked about Thanksgiving Day while having dinner last Monday...and there came Clarise's idea of having a turkey themed sandwich bento. But Cherlin said she wanted egg...so to satisfy both of them, I made a "turkey" cheese sandwich...

 

and a "turkey" designed hard boiled egg.

I made two happy girls with this! I joined Cherlin for lunch on Tuesday, and I saw how excited she was to see what I made for her.

Bento #22:  Starry, Starry Fried Rice Bento (Cherlin's request)

What's in it: Fried rice, Filipino red hotdogs, turkey bacon, strawberries and brownies

This is the type of food they usually eat for breakfast on weekends: fried rice with turkey bacon or hotdogs and sometimes, fried chinese chorizo or sauteed corned beef. I really like it when they request that I prepare something with rice for their school lunch (which they seldom do). I think it's more filling! For this one, I cooked fried rice with egg and turkey bacon strips, and made turkey bacon and boiled red hotdog kabobs. For a change, I let them have brownies for dessert, instead of fruits. :) 

Bento #23:  Bunny Bento (Cherlin's request)

What's in it: Turkey ham sandwich, American Cheese, mini sweet ham kabobs, carrots, blueberries, grapes and strawberries

Cherlin & I were reading  "The Weasel and the Bunny Rabbit" last Wednesday night, and that is how she came up with the idea of a bunny theme. I thought of preparing something with rice or noodles, but she insisted on just having sandwich, and Clarise agreed. So, bunny designed sandwich it is! The face and ears are made up of multi-grain white bread and turkey ham. I used white American cheese and blueberry for the eyes, grapes for the nose, and American cheese for the teeth. I added a piece of baby carrot, bunny shaped cheese slices and turkey & sweet ham rolls with grapes & strawberries for dessert. I find it really "cute"...and the girls agreed! 

In my past 8 weeks of making bentos , I've seen how my girls love it! Waking up at 6am (or sometimes earlier) and thinking of themes/designs make bento-ing more difficult than I thought...but the bentos I prepare definitely make my daughters smile, so I can't complain! Watching the joy and excitement  in their eyes is priceless! So, as long as I can see they're having fun, I'll keep doing it!

That’s it for today my friends! A wonderful weekend to you all where ever you may be! Stay happy and stay full!!! ;)