Healthy Cooking for Happy Kids

I was a kid when I learned how to cook, turning 11 to be a bit exact. Modesty aside, it was not fried egg or hotdog or instant noodles. It was similar to what I posted on my Instagram today. My mom didn't really teach me how; I'm a visual learner and just watched her cook. Fast forward to now that I have my own kid, I don't only cook to feed my passion for the kitchen. I need to feed my kid healthy food that makes her happy. 

Do you ever wonder why some kids - or adults - don't eat vegetables? Adults who don't eat veggies were, most of the time, the kids who were unhappy seeing veggie dishes on their table. I don't know how their parents introduced our dear farm crops to them but maybe they did something wrong in there. I strongly believe that we, the parents, can make or break our children's appetite. 

Four Things I Think Every Kitchen Must Have

I'm not sure for most of you but I guess some will agree that cooking pasta is really easy. Shopping for its ingredients isn't complicated, too. Filipinos are used to having rice and a viand as a meal but in our household, we're okay without rice as long as there's pasta. So it's always present in my grocery list. By the way, I posted the above photo on my Instagram sharing with my followers the four things that I think you must have in your kitchen.

CCA Manila's Young Chefs Boot Camp

If there's one thing that I could hopefully pass on to my daughter aside from her wit and charm (ahem), it's definitely my love for cooking. Every time I get busy in the kitchen, whatever her role will be; though she'll only take a sip to taste the sauce or something, I always make sure that she'd be involved. I want her to be acquainted with how her food was prepared so she'll know the hard work that was put into it. These days, I can see that she's slowly grasping the concept. The effort to finish the food on her plate is commendable. And lately, whenever I'd ask her to "assist" me in my home chef life, she doesn't complain. So when we had the opportunity to take part in Center for Culinary Arts (CCA) Manila's exclusive class for moms, dads and kids as their way of promoting CCA's Young Chefs Boot Camp, to say that I was excited is an understatement.

Bounty Fresh's Top Torikatsu: More Than Just a Katsu

I love food! Who doesn't? I mean, check Instagram using the hashtag #food and you'll see like 68M plus plus posts. So when our friends from Bounty Fresh sent me packs of their new product Top Torikatsu, I was really excited to cook it.

"Bounty Fresh, the award-winning makers of innovative, quality chicken products, has launched Top Torikatsu, the first and latest in a line of delicious heat-and-eat items made especially for young people with busy, active lifestyles who hardly have the time to prepare a good meal."

I've been buying chicken katsu at the supermarket long before I was introduced to this product so I basically know how it tastes and what to expect. But no, this one's different! It has two flavors, which you can actually see inside and taste eventually, when you take a bite -- classic (sweet tangy mayonnaise) and cheese & chives. While most of my fellow mom bloggers rooted for Cheese & Chives, I think that I prefer the taste of the Classic variant.

Sauteed String Beans

Here's another home cooked dish that is practical, healthy and easy on the budget. Some of my readers and friends have been bugging me for new recipe posts so I decided to share this with you. I had it with a little sabaw because I have a daughter who doesn't want her rice too dry. So here it is!

King Sue Ham Married Cheese

When I received a hefty package of ham products by King Sue (pronounced as King Sweh), I was giddy like a gradeschooler with new scented stationery (so 90s, sorry). The chef part of my brain started working. Hmm. I'm not really that creative though; but I'm more of making the practical and doable dishes. 

Everybody loves ham and cheese sandwich, right? So I thought of doing it without bread and have it paired with rice instead. LB loved it! She just went a little imaginative when she said "look at the cheese Nanay, it's like yellow lava". #crazykidsarebeautiful

Bebeng's Bonggang Bicol Express

Whenever I post food photos in my fan page, I've always been asked about its recipe. I admit about not being good in recipe-writing but I have attempted to write one, which you could see here and I will bravely do it again. I will be writing about Bebeng's Bonggang Bicol Express! It is not as photographic as what this blogger posted here, but I will do my best in sharing with you on how I did it. But before we proceed, let me remind you that I am a non-standardized cook. I cook based on my guts, really. As I am poor in Math, measurements will always be "approximately". I believe that cooking is not a skill, it's a talent. Yes, for those wives who can't cook for their husbands, sulk in sorrow, dear; because cooking wives are hot! Chos. I only said that 'cause I know that my husband loves me a little bit more because I CAN cook. For those who can't, there is still time to learn. Remember, you will do it for the one you love. So cook from the heart. Trust me, even if it's burned or bitter, it will weirdly taste good for him. Alright, enough with the chika, here's the recipe, mga mars -

My Love for Cooking + Pork Stir-Fry Recipe

I am an above-average cook. So fab moms who can't, forgive me for bragging a bit. Your kids will still love you if you choose delivery or take-outs. But this is my take.

Cooking kalderetang kambing at my husband's camp

A way to a hungry man's heart is definitely through his rumbling stomach. I'm one of the gifted wives who has kitchen skills. Modesty aside, I can definitely cook & it tastes good, actually. But I do have days when what I prepared didn't even look like food. Cuisine-wise, I'm still in the beginner's level. Conceptualizing on what to prepare for the family is one big task, considering that my husband comes home only on special occasions and that my daughter is a little picky-eater. So reading a magazine's food section helps me a lot. It has tips on how to prepare food for kids; should be healthy and visually-enticing at the same time; like what I have written in my previous post about the Sotanghon Bunny. It also has sample dining table setting or proper food plating, that I try all my best to copy. You know, the feeling of being an "expert". The reason why I love watching Top Chef and other cooking-related TV shows.

Bebeng Cooks

My Little Kitchen Helper: Mixing the Buko Salad with Exaggerated Cream

I started cooking when I was in fifth grade. My mom was at the office and I needed to cook for me and my younger brother. Since I was rushing to go back to school for the school paper meeting, I scoured our fridge to check on what's available and I saw togue (mongo sprouts). I sauteed it. It has almost-burnt garlic, almost-raw onion and a sugary taste. You can't blame me, I didn't know how to use condiments then. But from that experience, I knew that cooking will always be a part of my life. Okay, no more nostalgic stories. Let me share with you the product of my recent post. Note: We are not members of the Catholic Church, thus the existence of pork.