What’s on your Noche Buena list?
TRADITIONALLY, the Filipino bisperas ng pasko (Christmas Eve) is celebrated with the Midnight Mass, and the traditional Noche Buena feast. Family members dine together at around midnight on traditional Yuletide fare, which includes pancit, sweet Pinoy spaghetti, fried chicken, queso de bola, lumpia, relyenong bangus, steamed rice, and the much-awaited hamon or lechon. For desserts, there’s ube halayá, fruit salad, bibingka and other kakanin, served with hot tsokolate.
This year’s Christmas celebration may be a little different, with a livestreamed Mass, a smaller family gathering, and friends physically apart. On the bright side, this year has made us reflect on the most important things in our life, and that’s the true essence of Christmas.
So whether you have lechon or hot dogs as your Noche Buena centerpiece, here’s wishing a meaningful Chistmas to everyone!
A TASTE OF HOME
Nene’s homemade halayá uses only pure ube yam harvested from the family’s farm in Pangasinan. The jam’s creamy texture, combined with ube bits, and distinct ube taste make it the perfect comfort food for young and old. No food coloring and no artificial flavoring or preservatives are used in this special family recipe.
This yummy treat is available in holiday gift sets alongside other products from homepreneurs, thoughtfully curated by Cozy in Purple PH.
For orders and inquiries within Metro Manila, follow @cozyinpurpleph on Facebook and Instagram, or contact (0926) 695-3450.
SCOOPS OF SWEETNESS
Like ube, leche flan is an ultimate Filipino dessert whatever time of the day. So, someone smart from the South found the sweet niche of leche flan in a jar and envisioned itself to sell the best flavored flan in the country.
Just imagine and drool over flan flavors like blueberry, coffee jelly, choco fudge and matcha. Or indulge your sweet tooth further with their ice cream cakes and Graham de leche.
For more information, follow Spoonful Delights PH on Facebook.
STAR OF THE HOLIDAY
Bring home a taste of Carcar, Cebu’s lechon in a convenient take-out box. Using traditional but premium ingredients, each roll is meticulously prepared and carefully roasted to achieve a well-balanced flavor.
Starting at P859, order this as the party entrée that can satisfy a family of five. Additionally, the barkada size (P1,999) for 10 to 15 persons and the party size (P3,299) for 20 to 25 persons are the perfect choices for a larger crowd.
For orders and inquiries, please contact 7759-4101 or (0917) 5825333. Visit @baislechoncebu on Facebook and Instagram.
THE HEALTHY STUFF
For healthy, affordable, and easy-to-create celebratory meals, use the cooking must- have — olive oil.
Doña Elena Olive Oil is a blend of highquality hojiblanca and picual olives, and each bottle contains 80- percent monounsaturated oleic acids, proven to regulate insulin and support weight management. The heart- friendly fat is also known for supporting the heart health and enhancing brain function.
As diverse as the health advantages of olive oils are in its applications, Doña Elena Olive Oil comes in three variants to make any type of dish shine with flavorful and aromatic taste. There’s Extra Virgin for dips and salad dressing; Pure Olive Oil for pasta and everyday cooking; and Pomace for roasting and frying.
Doña Elena Olive Oil is available in all groceries and supermarkets nationwide. Shop online at www.AceMarket.ph.