Bistek Tagalog

If there's one thing that I can't just easily minimize the consumption of, it has to be beef! I'm a beef-lover since I learned how glorious bulalo is. Then as I grew older, I have always loved my mama's beef caldereta. Its savory sauce made of rich tomato paste, pork liver and some chili was a perfect match to the beef's taste and texture. And one day, after a long and tiring trip along EDSA, my husband and I found ourselves parking in front of a beef pares joint near our house. Yes, instead of going home directly, we stopped by to eat pares—our ultimate post-carmageddon meal. But that's not the recipe I'm sharing here today. Sorry for the confusion, haha.

I got carried away with my beef stories that I went that far. It happened that my husband came home with a big bag of white onions from their farmer friends. The ones we got were actually market rejects. It was still perfectly edible but they came in odd sizes so it's not good to sell anymore. And since white onions rot fast, I needed to consume it before it does. Bistek Tagalog enters the picture. 

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Just like how special bulalo is to me because it brings many memories of my father, this dish is also close to my heart. You see, my mama had a canteen near a college school in Quezon City when I was around Sophia's age. During those times, I learned about a lot of different dishes that we don't usually eat at home. And one of them is Sweet and Sour Meatballs! Yes, would you believe that she didn't serve it to us then that I needed to hang out in her canteen to know what it is? Haha, I'm sure she'd roll her eyes dramatically and might say I just can't remember it. Well, please remind me to ask my older sisters to clarify.

Anyway, so in the canteen, she served this dish with big, juicy meatballs and with thick red sauce unlike most cheap eateries where sauce was too orange and balls were small and full of flour. Too sad that she had to close the canteen. I saw how successful it was! I loved hanging out there and helping her with whatever. Many students liked it there, too because of the delicious and generous serving of food (and also, maybe because my eldest sister was an attractive teenager, lol).

Almondigas

Feeding a growing toddler may be quite tricky given their food limitations and experience. But once you get into the groove in knowing what your kid likes most and what she can eat, serving her nutritious and delicious food can be your second nature. I have three simple tips to achieve that! First, it has to be soft or soupy. Nothing that can choke them or can make their milkteeth hard to chew. Next, it should be a complete meal—think of go, grow glow. Toddlers have unlimited energy and they need well-balanced meals to refuel. Lastly and most importantly, it has to be irresistibly yummy.

Misua con Patola or Almondigas easily tops the list of dishes that we can serve our toddler and the whole family. It's a legit hit especially when it's breezy cool like today. For those who don't know yet, Almondigas came from the Spanish word Albondigas, which means meatballs. So yes, this soup is meatballs-based but loved well if it has patola and misua. There are more savory versions from other countries but here in the Philippines, Almondigas is known to be light and comforting; perfect for sweater weather or when someone's down with a flu.

Basic Beef Burger

Sometimes, browsing Instagram or Facebook can do something about our appetite or diet. One time, while doing my usual IG routine, I saw a mean food post! Yes, that kind of post that makes you want to unfollow that person who posted it because it's 2am and you just brushed your teeth. It's a #foodporn at its finest: A juicy slab of burger resting on what seemed to be its bed of cushion-like bun, fresh lettuce and seductive dressing. Well, I resisted to dive into the temptation of dialing McDonald's delivery because I'm sure it will all go to my already big belly. But I made sure my cravings will be justified the next day. To the supermarket I went and bought the essentials in making this basic beef burger. It's not that visually enticing but it's royally satisfying. 

Creamy Corned Beef Rice

I love breakfast food! I love corned beef! I can eat breakfast food for lunch, snack or dinner. I can cook corned beef with anything. I have tried it with the usual potato cubes, sayote, carrots, shredded cabbage, tomatoes and also added it to my omelette. You see, the possibilities are endless. I buy canned corned beef whenever I shop for groceries. It's usually the last can standing in my grocery cupboard. Yup, it's my "emergency food".

And today, I cooked it with the rest of what I have in my kitchen. So it ended up as Creamy Corned Beef Rice. It's easy to cook and super kid-friendly, too. In fact, my preschool popstar finished her share without me prodding her to. Here's the recipe!