I now have new dishes to prepare for the Holidays courtesy of the Doña Elena Cuisinera Club!

Last November 15, I was able to attend the Doña Elena Cuisinera Club Holiday Special event at the Hemady Square Events Place in Quezon City. Yes, I was able to convince my husband to travel from our kingdom in the South all the way to the North! It’s a good thing that this event was all worth it. I was able to learn a lot about cooking, met some of my fellow mommy bloggers (Hello Mommy Mel!) and learned new dishes that I can add up to my menu.

Fly Ace Corporation, the company behind Doña Elena products, had a lot in store for all the guests who came in to participate at their Holiday Special. The event was well attended by members of the Cuisinera Club (which was really a lot), members of the media and several bloggers.

There were booth activities for guests to enjoy. Bob the Capers and Guess How Many Pasta is in the Jar are among them. Guests were also treated to samples of Carbonara, Penne in Tomato Sauce, Nachos and another dish that I forgot. I was able to taste the Penne. I have noticed that this pasta is firmer than what I usually eat. I will use this when I am ready to make my first baked zitti 🙂

Members of the Doña Elena Cuisinera Club and bloggers eagerly anticipated the raffle. Prizes include Doña Elena and Jolly products, cooking magazines, small kitchen appliances and a microwave oven as the grand prize.

Karen Saguiped, Fly Ace Corporation Product Manager for Noodles, Pasta, Condiments and Sauces gave us a background of the Doña Elena Cuisinera Club. For 7 years, it has inspired a growing community of kitchen-lovers to live a healthy lifestyle without compromising the quality and flavor of the food that they prepare and serve for their families. The Club holds cooking classes, nutrition talks and food tasting activities so members can know more about cooking  and exchange kitchen tips with each other. Karen also gave an overview of  the  Doña Elena Olive Oil, Anchovies, Olives, Capers, Capers, Sardines and Canned Tomatoes.

Rachelle Chang,  Fly Ace Corporation Product Assistant came in next and talked about the Doña Elena Al Dente Pasta, the only Artisan Quality pasta brand. I have discovered that this brand use bronze dies to craft their pasta leaving a rough surface to the pasta that helps it absorb the sauce better. Al Dente has Fettucine, Spaghetti, Penne Rigate, Fusilli and Lasagna. All these five variants are made from 100% Durum Wheat Semolina, has higher protein content and 100% GMO-free.

After the presentation of Doña Elena products, Professor Luchie Callanta, resident nutritionist of Doña Elena, gave an informative talk and debunked the myth that canned goods are rich in preservatives. She asserted that  Doña Elena canned products are picked and canned at their freshness thus preserving their good quality. She added that when you cook canned tomatoes, you actually release more of the lycopene.  I have also learned from her that a serving in the size of your fist is the right one and that the brain takes 20 minutes to tell you when you are full already. These are things that we must consider before we hit the buffet and enjoy a sumptuous feast at the holidays.

Chef Golda Laurel Liamzon, the jolly resident chef of Doña Elena taught everyone how to cook and prepare a full course meal that we can serve come Christmas and New Year’s Eve. She showed everyone how to make Salmon Caesar Salad, Doña Elena Lengua Estofado, Mediterranean Lasagna, and Chocolate Chip Olive Oil Cookies the Doña Elena way. For every recipe, she invited a member of the audience to take part in the cooking, making the demo more interactive and fun.

Mommy Mel volunteered for the first recipe, the Salmon Caesar Salad. I am not a fan of salmon, but when I watched how this salad was prepared, I am inclined to make one for my family and actually eat it 🙂 I was amazed at how Chef Golda showed us that we can make our own dressing using egg yolks, garlic, lemon juice, mashed Doña Elena Flat Fillet Anchovies and Doña Elena Pure Olive Oil.

Here’s the finished product. The Caesar Salad topped with crispy salmon fillet, croutons and Parmesan cheese.

The best part of every live cooking demo is that everyone in the audience gets to have a taste of all the dishes that were prepared earlier 🙂 Except for the cookies, we were given sampling portions of the Caesar Salad, Lengua Estofado and the Mediterranean Lasagna. They may not look appealing in the photo below but I can guarantee that they all taste sooo good! I’d like to make all of them, except the Lengua, for Christmas. According to Chef Golda, the lengua takes several hours to prepare just to make it really tender. I am not patient enough to do that as it contributes to stress on the highest level 😀

I was able to take home these goodies from Doña Elena courtesy of MJ Cordova, Fly Ace Corporation PR and Digital Marketing Manager.  Thank you, Ms. MJ! 🙂 The Doña Elena Spanish Sardines were proudly bottled here in our country from the province of Dipolog. These sardines are rich in Calcium and Vitamin D. Each bottle contains more and bigger herring fish. Being a lover of Spanish sardines, I was so happy to try it out and it did not fail to satisfy my tummy! I am saving the Doña Elena Whole Peeled Tomatoes for my kitchen adventure.

To know more about this club and how to be a member, visit the Doña Elena Cuisinera Club on Facebook.