Pork Ribs Caldereta

Caldereta is one of my favorite dishes ever! If a Filipino kiddie party will never be complete without sweet spaghetti, I think any Pinoy handaan (basta mahanapan ng something to celebrate for) will not be as special without a tomato-based meat dish. Afritada, menudo, mechado, caldereta—whichever way you like it—at least one of them is surely ever present. When I was a kid, I always looked forward to having menudo with pancit bihon. But as I grew older, my food choices have changed. I'd have caldereta any other day. Its thick and savory sauce plus the non-complex number of ingredients make it so enjoyable to devour.

I read (or have watched) somewhere that caldereta originally has goat meat but I guess, our ancestors have actually taken it from beef bourguignon of the French that we also started using beef. For a lot of Filipino families though who'd like to eat caldereta on a regular day, beef can be a bit expensive for everyday cooking. Good thing a more affordable and very versatile meat has entered the picture—pork. Of course, there's nothing like beef caldereta but if you're on a budget and craving for this Pinoy handaan staple, this recipe that uses pork ribs is a great alternative! 

Chicken and Pork Adobo

Is there any meat-loving mammal here who don't eat adobo? If that's you, why are you even here? 

I mean, remember the time celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay chose pork adobo burger over a bison and chorizo double stacked burger in the American TV program Good Morning America? What about when Anthony Bourdain learned how to cook adobo? I won't go further and stress the importance of these two gentlemen in the food industry but if they loved adobo, why anyone else wouldn't?

When I became a full-time homemaker, adobo has always been my saving grace. Adobo gave comfort to my husband after a tiring and long travel from the camp. Its thick and flavorful sauce has been my eldest daughter's first experience in appreciating Filipino cuisine. A huge chunk in our family and food stories will always be taken by adobo. 

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.

Pork Adobo with String Beans

Sophia and I were cleaning the house when she requested her ultimate favorite ulam for lunch. And since we still have veggies left from our Nueca Ecija trip, I cooked Pork Adobo with String Beans! You might have already read or seen a hundred ways to cook this super easy Pinoy dish but if you want a base recipe that you can always go back to for days when you can't think of anything to cook, here it is. 

Pork Binagoongan

I was in college when I realized how I seriously loved fried eggplant with bagoong. Well, my college life was all about siomai and rice. Or pancit canton and rice - so that's very understandable. Yup, carbs on carbs most of the time! Haha. That's what being in a State U is, you know. 

Anyway, when my husband R and I got together two years after I graduated from college, the siomai and rice combo still exists but that's when I realized the importance of mealtimes in our relationship. Him being in the military makes us get together for only three times in a year! So this homecooking ladylove should make it a bit more special each time. But let's be honest, my entry-level salary can't give him a restaurant-style dinner at home. I settled for whatever my budget can do. I believe, though that budgeted meals do not mean it's not delicious. 

Embutido

Embutido is one of the dishes that I frequently cooked  when R and I were just starting our family. Most home cooks say that this is best for Filipino parties or celebrations. I agree! My mama always has this in her table for Noche Buena or Media Noche. In my opinion, though, this can also be categorized under freezer or make-ahead meals. 

You see, what I did then was to buy a bulk amount of ground pork. I'd make embutido, siomai and lumpiang shanghai for each portion during the weekend. When I'm at work on weekdays, the yaya would just take out a pre-steamed embutido from the freezer and she'd put it on top of the rice while it's still being cooked at its last phase. Yes, habang "ini-inin". Now that I have a gradeschooler, who brings packed lunch to school, I decided to make Embutido again. Not only would it replace her usual canned meatloaf but it's also an addition to my growing episode of #baonserye. ;)

Want to try making it, too? Here's the recipe!

Picadillo

I know it's three days late for Cinco de Mayo but I am sharing with you the recipe of one of my preschool popstar's favorites that has something to do with the celebration! Picadillo is a traditional dish in Spain and many Latin American countries that is similar to hash. It is made with ground beef, tomatoes, and other ingredients that vary by region. In the Philippines, it is commonly known as menudillo or the ground meat version of menudo.

 

But like what I said, since I cooked this for dinner on May 5th, I made it a bit Mexican. I love Mexican food ― burritos, nachos, tacos, empanada, etcetera! There's something about paprika, cayenne and chili that makes me want to eat it again and again. One spice that adds that certain Mexican oomph to my menudillo that can make it pass as picadillo is the cumin. I bought my McCormick ground cumin seeds ever since I knew how it would distinctively make my ground meat tastes so Mexican-ish. So do you want to try cooking Sophia's paboritong Picadillo? Here!

Classic Pork Adobo

I strongly believe that you're not truly Pinoy if you don't eat adobo. Others say you're not a true Filipino wife if you don't know how to cook it. Well, I know a lot of Filipinas who cook it but admit that they honestly know it's not that good. So I don't think that there's truth in that statement. However... as a self-proclaimed kitchen goddess, I think I have already mastered the art of cooking adobo. So I'd like to help you out by sharing with you my Classic Pork Adobo recipe.

This dish is one of my daughter's favorites; it never failed to make her eat a lot of rice when this is what I serve her. If you don't eat pork, you can try my Hawaiian Chicken Adobo with Sesame Seeds recipe instead. You have the option to remove the sesame seeds though, you'd know why when you read the post. Anyway, here's the recipe of my Classic Pork Adobo, y'all.

Baked Hawaiian Ham Dinner Rolls

My daughter's school has officially ended its classes last week. Students just go back to school thrice a week to rehearse for their Moving Up Day presentation on April 4th. And as a simple token of appreciation for her past and present teachers, I made them sandwiches like no other.

OK. It looks like an ordinary ham sandwich that looks like it doesn't need a recipe but let me tell you a juicy secret ― I drizzled butter mustard sauce on top of the dinner rolls before baking it! Ooh. Isn't it salivating? Before I hit our fridge and prepare myself one, I'd like to share this recipe with you that I adapted from King's Hawaiian and All Recipes.