Amaya's Kitchen - Coq Au Vin

Despite my very busy schedule, I always welcome days when I have the perfect excuse to really cook.  You see my hubby and I have the perfect partnership when it comes to socialization.  He loves to invite friends over and I love to cook and prepare for them. Last night was no exception. We had special people over for dinner.  Although busy juggling my mommy duties and my teaching responsibilities, I was able to prepare a quick menu.

My menu included pumpkin soup, coq au vin, crown roast, and baked potatoes with sweet peas. I served chocolate mousse  and my favourite brazo de Mercedes for dessert. I would have loved the frozen Brazo however we did not have the time to go to Alabang to make the purchase.  I served these sweets together with coffee and chamomile tea with vanilla. For drinks we had soda and wine (Burgundy and Red Moscato). 

This time I will be sharing how I cooked my version of “Coq Au Vin”. This dish is a traditional French dish .

Although the traditional dish is cooked using rooster braised in red wine (burgundy), I chose to use chicken meat instead.

The ingredients are as follows:

1 – 1.5 kg of chicken meat

Half a bottle of burgundy (I used Californian, although French Burgundy is highly recommended)

2 large carrots

A can of button mushrooms

A dozen of small white onions

Oil ( I used extra virgin olive oil)

6 strips of bacon

Bay leaf, thyme and parsley

Mashed garlic ( I used 1 whole garlic, although you may use 2 – 3 cloves only)

Salt and pepper to taste

Clean the chicken meat and place the pieces in a marinating dish and pour the wine. Put the carrots, onions, thyme and bay leaf and cover and put it in the refrigerator overnight.

When ready to cook, drain the chicken pieces and brown both sides in olive oil.  Set aside the pieces by putting them in a big saucepan or cooking pot. Using the same oil, sauté the garlic and the carrots.  Once done, put them with the chicken and pour the wine used to marinate the chicken. Bring to a slow boil until the chicken pieces are tender, about 1 – 2 hours. Cook the onions together with the button mushroom and combine with the chicken.  Fry bacon strips and chop them to small pieces and top the dish with parsley. Adjust the taste by adding salt and pepper.

Serve the dish with baked potato and sweet peas and your favorite wine.  Bon Appetit!

Job Site Registration, A Click Away to Your Dream Job

People, who are actively looking for Manila jobs, should try and register in job sites.  Being a member provides advantages and makes your job hunting easy and convenient for you. 

            Registration is fast, free and easy.  These employment sites will ask for your information, such as name, email address, a password you can use to access your member page, gender, date of birth, your country of residence and your job function. It is important for you to specify what business industry and choice of job you wish to apply for.  That way you can be easily matched with available job openings from their job boards. Once you have successfully created your account, you will then be asked to upload your resume.  If you do not have an existing one, they have a resume builder online that you can fill out with the important details about your professional experience and educational background.

            Among the benefits that you can enjoy as a member are the following: Once you have posted your resume, thousands of top companies searching for new talents will easily find you.  Applying for a job has never been easy.  All it takes is just a click once you already have your resume on file. There is no need to waste your precious time and resources going to offices to hand in your application letters and CV’s to their human resource departments.  By letting them know of your interests as far as the industry and job function, you will be informed about job postings related to your interests.  You can save your favorite job searches so that the next time you log in, you will already be given job matches to view. Some of them allow you to save up to a few months record of the job applications you have done.  They will also regularly send you updates about the latest information and postings relating to your interests.  Helpful articles on job hunting are also sent to your email. These articles will help you in coming up with cover letters, resumes and preparing yourself for interviews. 

            It would help to look for reputable career sites because they can really assist you in your job application process and concerns.

                       

Job Fair, A Practical Way to Find A Job

There is one fun and great way for newly graduates and job seekers who want to switch careers to find Manila jobs and that is to go to a job fair. This is an event regularly organized by different companies and head hunters. It is a way for employers to find new employees and for job hunters to find new opportunities. The purpose is to meet and screen interested job applicants for positions in top corporations from different industries.  It is usually held in a big area to accommodate the different companies participating in the event and the thousands of job applicants who are expected to try their luck in the job market.

Events as such are widely advertised in newspapers, television and the internet. You may want to watch out for upcoming job fairs in your area. Some of these events, you may already pre-register on line by email or through  employment sites on the internet to avoid the hassle of doing it during the event itself.

If you are keen on serving your purpose in going to one, it would help to follow these tips. Always come prepared and be early.  Projecting a good image through speech and look is a valuable way of making a good first impression so make the effort to dress up and look professional.  Make sure that your resume is clean and brief.  Remember that your application and resume is going to be reviewed by people who are looking at thousands more. So try to come up with something that will immediately catch the attention of the human resource personnel in charge of the event. Bring a number of copies so that you do not run out of them. Prior to the event, practice answering questions that may be possibly asked during interviews.  You may check out the resource pages of employment sites for tips on interview questions and how to best answer them.

Job fairs are a practical and convenient way for employers and job seekers to gather.  It lessens the time of the job application, interview and hiring process for both parties.

The Experience of Fine Dining

For celebrating special events in life, it is always a great pleasure to once in a while indulge in the experience of eating in a fine dining restaurant.  The classy atmosphere of the place, the first-rate food selection and the excellent customer service make this experience truly unique and extraordinary.  Some restaurants require for you to call in advance for a reservation. The food and beverage staff members are all formally dressed and highly-trained to make their guests feel important and special starting with the reservation agent’s courteous and warm approach that make each guest feel welcome. When you walk through the door of the restaurant, you will be greeted by the charming receptionist who then escorts and sits you to your table. The tables are well set with fine china, glassware and flatware arranged neatly on a white table cloth with elaborate center pieces such as candles or flower arrangements professionally done by a florist. The place is generally subtly lit to achieve a romantic atmosphere. When they see that you are already comfortably seated, the head-waiter then comes with the menu and explains the specialties of the house. Several courses are offered and the meals are sometimes unique to the place creatively done by the chef.  The courses are served warm and visually appetizing. They are expertly placed directly to your plates by restaurant waiters. The wine and liquor list is also provided with suggestions of which are best to drink with the food ordered.  The staffs are very attentive that they already seem to know what you need even before you call them for it.  Wine stewards top your wine glasses with the utmost care and expertise. And your table napkins are changed without you even noticing.  The restaurant owners or managers sometimes come to your table for a small chit chat during the course of your meal while you listen to classical or jazz music subtly played in the background. For dessert, they come up with beautiful creations by the pastry chef.  Everywhere you look, you find everything in place including the patrons and customers who behave accordingly. There are rules to be followed in eating in restaurants as such and they are pretty strict with the dress code. The over-all experience makes your special day even more meaningful.

Many people choose to have challenging and rewarding manila jobs in the food and beverage industry. They are the ones responsible for making your dining experience truly remarkable that leaves a lasting impression in your gustatory sense.

Rainy Days, School Days and Work Days

           Not exactly proud to admit this but I used to pray for bad weather.  This was when I was young and thoughtless. I did everything possible to keep myself away from early morning classes and my math teachers. No wonder I ended up having the most number of incidents of being late in high school.  I was a constant guest of our guidance counselor in her office.  And that had meant hours of pulling out love-grasses (amorseco) from the front yard of our high school building it’s a surprise I did not end up having a career as a landscape artist or a gardener.        

Nowadays, when the heat gets too unbearable, I no longer pray for bad weather. I just imagine myself doing the rain dance. And when it rains, I just stay at home and think of how the weather has come to be so unpredictable. Typhoon season in the Philippines runs from July until November. I grew up in the typhoon capital of the Philippines but I have never experienced major flooding in my life, until I lived in Metro Manila.  Tyler’s school is a three minute drive from our house and yet, when it rains hard, classes are suspended.  We may be fortunate to live close by, but not the other families who have to brave the torrential rains with toddlers in tow.  Students are not the only ones affected by heavy rains and flooding.  Employees and workers are not as lucky as they are.  Work is suspended only when there is a storm so I can just imagine the difficulties encountered by millions of people who leave for their workplaces everyday during this season.  Especially for those who commute via public transportation and much more for those people who have jobs that call for them to be out in the streets. The risk of getting stranded, the heavy traffic brought about by flooded streets,  the inconvenience of traveling in the rain, the possible diseases that may be contracted and getting sick are just a few of the hazards.  It would really help to read articles about staying safe and warm during these times.  

          Job seekers today should highly consider the proximity of the location of the company that they wish to work for.    It is not only wise but practical. I consider myself to be lucky that I work from home but the changes in the weather have also made me think twice about choosing the right school for my son.  After all the health and well being of my son is far more important to me than anything else

Make-Up Completes the Look of a Working Woman

Most people are visual. I know and admit that I am. We like to appreciate beauty in everything. The stresses of work are somehow lessened when we see beautiful things around us.  In an office environment, it is not surprising to meet someone we like to emulate. The picture of a woman that inspires me is someone who is not just successful in her profession but also someone who knows how to take care of her physical attributes. To me that is the total package.  Having the right clothes in your wardrobe does not complete a working woman’s look. Without make-up, an all dressed up working woman will still look bare. Make up enhances the natural beauty of a woman.

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Make-Up Essentials

Office make-up should be simple and natural looking, just enough to highlight the features of your face.  More often than not the reason why women do not apply it is because they do not know how.  There are simple ways on how to apply make up that is appropriate for the workplace.  After your basic skin care regimen, start your make up with a good choice of face powder.  It has to be the same color with your skin tone.  What it does is, it evens out your minor skin discoloration, and covers some blemishes on your face. Make sure to apply a thin layer to avoid looking too made up.  Remember that you are off to your office and not to a party or face a camera. Use an eyebrow pencil and trace the natural eyebrow line with it.  Dark brown is a better choice than black eyebrow pencils. Keep your eyebrows regularly groomed to achieve a neat look.  Next apply a neutral color to your eyelids that will serve as base and highlighter.  You may use an eye-shadow brush.  I prefer using my fingertips.  Following this, use a slightly darker shade of brown or any earth colors, sweep from the inner to the outer lid to create a shadow that will give you a more deep-set look. Eyeliners are used to define the shape of your eyes and to add drama. Use black pencil eye-liner as opposed to a liquid eye-liner if you have dark colored eyes and for a softer definition. For longer lashes and to open up your eyes more apply mascara on your upper lashes only. For the cheeks, use a tint that is not too dark, just enough to make your face a little flushed the look of health.  The color of your lipstick should complement the color of your outfit but keep it to shades that are not too loud. Start from the middle of the upper and lower lip.  Then press your lips together to even out the lipstick. 

            If you are unsure about what colors to choose, stick to what is closest and what matches your skin tone and the occasion. The colors that complement most skin tones are light pink, peach and brown.  For darker skin tones, go for bronze, gold and maroon shades.  For the apple of your cheeks, stay away from reds and settle for shades of peach.

            The secret to staying and looking freshly done the whole day is constant re touch.  Blot out the excess oil from your skin and apply powder, blush and your lipstick. 

We all like to look good and feel great. It inspires us to do more and gives us the confidence to face the day ahead no matter what careers we have and the companies we work for. With the correct choice for office attire, glowing skin and simple makeup, you are in the road to dressing up for success.

Angry Birds Equals Angry Boss

                I could not help but overhear the conversation among young professionals, as I was patiently waiting for my turn in a payment facility.  The place was jam-packed, and I was uncomfortably seated between two groups who were unmindful of the people around them.  Despite showing my displeasure, they still continued to talk loudly and one of them was complaining about getting reprimanded at her workplace and was seriously considering quitting her call-center job. Her colleagues were throwing suggestions on how to go about finding another company to work for.  One suggested going to a job fair,  another mentioned about  a job opening in her office for a quality assurance position.  Not particularly interested to hear more, I reached out for my phone thinking I could just pass the time and the boredom by playing Word Mole when I heard them say to the girl “Angry Birds could really anger your boss”.  Apparently, the girl’s Team Leader, caught her playing games in her smart phone when she was supposed to be carrying out her job responsibilities.  It was then that I seriously found myself feeling even worse  for the birds. Isn’t it bad enough that their eggs got stolen by pigs? And now they were getting blamed for someone about to get fired.

                Office distractions, as I call them have been around for a very long time.  Angry Birds to that call-center agent, Plants vs Zombies for me, Mafia Wars to my brother,  Facebook to others...the list is endless. One time, I visited a law firm and found most of the lawyers playing Zuma in their computers.  I remember one company that I worked for a few years back, they had IT department adjust settings so that the employees could not access social networking sites.  Somehow the workforce still found ways to visit those addictive sites.  Companies come up with restrictions and some employees simply disregard them.   It is the addiction that compels them to play,  surf and risk the repercussions.  An Employer myself, I realize the need for the workers to enjoy any form of relaxation  but should be done during their break time only.  They have that fifteen-minute break in the morning, lunch break and the fifteen-minute break in the afternoon. They can choose to spend their time playing their favorite games.  These forms of entertainment can offer a temporary reprieve from office demands.  Most of the time however, people get addicted and simply won’t stop thus allowing their work to suffer.  And we know what happens after that, as in the case of the girl.

                With the growing number of people seeking for employment nowadays, it is wise to think of that and how much you have to value your jobs the next time you are tempted to help those birds rescue their eggs or in my case, protect my brains from getting eaten by zombies.