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! 

Salmon Teriyaki

Do you know that salmon is a stress-busting superfood? I didn't know that, too and actually can't confirm if it's true. I just read that somewhere and thought it can be quite a cool opening sentence to this recipe post lol. Kidding aside, fact or fake, eating salmon really does bust stress away! At least for us, my husband and I, who love the fish down to its pink meat. So when I knew that Seaking, a brand I love buying at the supermarket, now has wild-caught Alaskan salmon, I got excited for my salmon-loving better half. 

You see, Seaking's salmon cuts are not farmed so they don't feed from chemically-enriched fish food. It's clean, fresh-smelling and so convenient to use! It comes in three cuts – slab, steak and chunks. It's a life-saver, I tell you. Allow me to share with you this latest recipe that I've tried doing and had been successful at for the first time!

Fish Escabeche

I may look like I know a lot about food but guys, I am just actually learning so much from the people I follow on Instagram! Take for example, Joey of @chichajo. I was watching her Stories when I saw the tagged online shop that sells seafood. Wow. I mean, who would think that you can now buy fresh seafood online, right? Search it, it's called @marvsboqueria.ph. You're welcome. Marvs sells different kinds of seafood! He also has an awesome package that includes prime beef steak, tiger prawns and salmon. It's quite costly; I'm still saving up for that so I can cook them on my birthday. Or maybe on our wedding anniversary. 

Anyway, I bought crab meat, tanigue fillet and steak and bakoko. I never encountered bakoko in the wet market so after I did a quick consultation with Mr. G, I decided to buy that. If you are following me on IG, you'd know that I made a lot of dishes using the 500-gram crab meat. With tanigue, I made kilawin from some of it for my husband. As for my new fishy friends, I made escabeche.

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. 

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. 

Vegetable and Macaroni Soup with Crispy Bacon Bits

My toddler Samantha is such a joy to feed! She now eats table food and almost everything that I serve to her big sister, Sophia so that means kitchen time is back to easy for me. I no longer make separate food for the tiny one. No more boiling and mashing and storing. My baby foodie now eats freshly-cooked food. Thank God for daughters who love eating as much as I love cooking! It's not always a walk in the park, though. There are days when one of them, or sometimes both, feel like being judgy as if I'd feed them something gross. Well, I've made myself a general rule when it comes to my relationship with food and motherhood—while I enjoy seeing my kids finish their plant-based meals, I still acknowledge the fact that they are humans who deserve to enjoy 'delish dishes'. 

What I mean by delish dishes are food our generation has always loved when we were kids (uhm till now actually). Like spaghetti, burger, fried chicken, pizza, and what-have-yous. Back then, it's every child's dream to eat those on a regular basis. Jollibee was like the god of happiness in the 90s! But not me. As a kid, I was happier to have nilagang baka, pancit and chicken macaroni soup. In fact, I knew my mama, who's a widow, has extra money when she makes us creamy and hearty macaroni soup. She paired it with fried fish or breaded pork chops. It was one of the best memories of my childhood... watching my mother cook for us. Her version of macaroni soup has julienned carrots, shredded cabbage, chicken pieces and sliced hotdogs. I loved my mama's soup but now that I'm a grown-up and have learned the risks of eating hotdogs regularly, I have almost taken that out of our grocery list. Also, pink soups mean there's food color. But guys, this recipe still has processed meat. Why? Duh, bacon!

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.

Garlic Butter Shrimp

Sophia was around five years old when I finally decided to regularly serve her shrimp dishes. Yes, she started late. I didn't force her to eat those she wasn't comfortable to have yet. Then till now, I strongly believe that mealtimes should be fun. Even if I have a solid table rule (i.e., eat whatever I serve), I still made sure crying wasn't part of it. I came to a point when I had to unleash my inner theater actress, allowed her to "starve" for 5 minutes and made the broccoli speak just to make her understand that I will never feed her gross food. Guess what, it was effective! She's now a certified foodie. In fact, she now knows how to eat shrimp with head on. As in, the real shiznit – sucking it to really get its flavor. So proud of her, she's really her mother's daughter.

Okay, enough. That's already silly mom-bragging right there, haha. I'm sure you came here for the recipe so let's talk about that.

Filipino Kiddie Spaghetti

I was raised in a home that enjoyed rice and ulam meals every single day. Rice and tinola, rice and sinigang, rice and fried fish, rice and tocino and even rice and macaroni soup. I think I speak for most Filipino families — rice is life. But now that I've been feeding my not-so-little foodie for a decade already, I sometimes question why rice always has to be present in our meals. No, I actually do not question, I rebel against the norms. When Sophia was younger, I created a habit of feeding her healthy dishes that I know she'd like. I didn't force her to eat those that I just started to eat when I was a bit older. Mealtimes should be fun, a fact I stick to up to this day. I guess, that's why she just had a quick time in the picky-eating phase.

One of the delish dishes that I frequently served her — spaghetti! When I had to scrimp on budget, I used canned corned beef. When I was slowly introducing seafood to her, I used tuna. When I wanted it healthier, I used real tomatoes instead of ready-made sauces. Sophia ate and liked them all. She would say after every meal, "I wish this is my baon, Nay!" Haha. But still, nothing beats the classic Pinoy spaghetti. The one with sweet sauce, ground pork, hotdogs and grated cheese. It's her most favorite! So it's safe to say that I have memorized cooking it as much as her ultimate fave,  adobo.

Do you want to know how I make mine? Here's my recipe!

Tinapa Rice

As someone who truthfully loves eating regardless of mood, I have lots of comfort foods. But of course, I will always have a favorite – Pinoy breakfast! There's really something magical about our breakfast dishes that give anyone warmth and solace. Glad that the Filipino cuisine is starting to make its mark in the international scene. Have you seen the video where Gordon Ramsay chose an adobo-inspired burger in a cook-off on Good Morning America? I was so kilig for us! We're finally getting more attention now. Because really, masasarap ang pagkaing Pinoy! Especially the ones with rice. Actually, I can't live without it! Hindi ko kaya ang no-rice diet. 

So anyway, when the tinapa-daing guy passed by, I knew what I'd be making. This is just an easy recipe that even my 10-year-old girl can cook so I hope you would try it next time you serve breakfast food to your loved ones. By the way, do you eat brekky anytime of the day like we do? If yes, here's my Tinapa Rice recipe, perfect to pair with salted egg and tomatoes. Yum!

Sinigang sa Miso

One of the many things I am most happy about in my life now is the fact that my military husband does chores when he's at home! I mean, it may be trivial for a lot of women but it is for this stay-at-home momma. You see, he has to be away from us to be able to provide but he still does what he can to fulfill the responsibilities that raising a family entails. And I super appreciate him for that. Of course, I reciprocate not just by being a chill and fun wife but also through my kitchen skills. If other women shower their men with expensive toys for the big boys, I hit my husband's stomach (where his heart truly is) wildly. Like, I regret I created a monster kind of hitting, haha.

So when he was here for a short break last week, he requested for Sinigang sa Miso. I willingly obliged. Sinigang is a family favorite. We love it whatever meat is used. Yes, even the baby foodie who now eats rice and sabaw all the time.

Tuna Patties

When I attended the Gold Seas bento workshop two weeks ago, the featured dish was Tuna Cakes made of Gold Seas Tuna Chunks in olive oil and mashed potato. It looks like any other tuna patty but surprisingly, it was so delish! It's really that yummy that I actually thought of recreating it on my own kitchen yesterday at lunch. Instead of mashed potato, though, I used mashed carrots. And I added more characters to my tuna by putting garlic powder, thyme and Parmesan cheese. This dish is perfect for kids who loves fried food so much! But since I fried it in a non-stick pan, I only used a tablespoon of oil.

Sophia and I loved these healthy and filling patties! Who would actually think this is fish and veggies, right? Hmm. You think your pickytarian will eat this? Well, try my recipe and let's see how it'll go!

Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry with Crispy Tofu

Please don't hate me – I'm one of the lucky moms who has a kid and a husband who regularly eat veggies. In fact, my not-so-little foodie, Sophia actually requested for chopseuy when we had lunch in Baler last summer. With that said, I usually find it easy to serve them veggie dishes. In my close to a decade experience of homemaking (I feel sooo good writing that, wow 10 years can you imagine), it's apparent for me to have already memorized the food my husband likes. As for my growing girl, every new meal is a discovery.

One time, I served her fried tofu. She asked me what it was then said she doesn't like it. I urged her to try it first and dip it in the sauce I made. I knew she loved it when I saw a tiny smile in the corner of her lips as she chewed. My homecooking mama heart was so happy! That's when I was sure she will love it added in dishes that she already eats. Hence, I served her Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry with Crispy Tofu. Yum.

Ginisang Labong at Saluyot

My husband's family has been in this neighborhood since the early 1980s. So they basically know each and everyone in the area. In fact, if you get lost coming here, ask for our surname and they will direct you to our house. Just don't do bad things to us; you won't like what can happen to you, haha. Anyway, my favorite benefit of living here is the good number of community vendors that often knock on our door, er, gate. One of them is Grace, an old woman who sells fresh produce from her own harvest. My pure Bicolana mother-in-law, Mama A, gets fresh gabi leaves from her that she cooks into laing. One day, Grace cheerfully arrived with fresh labong (bamboo shoots). I was so excited I bought it all! Then Mama A prepped it for cooking by boiling and extracting the not-so-pleasant taste of its liquid. Para daw "walang kati". The next day, she bought saluyot, tomatoes and ginger. I bought bangus. We were on a serious mission for some tasty dinengdeng! However, Mama A had allergies that day so I skipped using bagoong isda for this recipe, making it a simple guisado. 

You know what, okay lang naman 'cause I used fish sauce (patis) instead and the natural flavor of fried bangus made it more delish. To be honest, this was the first time that I cooked this! I was so happy it was a success and that my tweener foodie loved it so I'm sharing this with all of you.

Ginisang Sayote at Carrots

Mashed sayote was Sophia's first food. Eversince, the unassuming and versatile veggie has been a mainstay in my grocery list. It's so easy to feed to kids! In fact, Samantha just had a mashed sayote with breastmilk today. Our baby bear loved it, too – no spills, no mess! So I'd like to share my recipe with you. 

No-brainer dish ito for someone who knows how to cook but I'm sure, a lot of you want to know a fail-proof base recipe of a guisadong gulay. This one can be altered by adding other veggies that match sayote. Serve it for lunch, dinner or for your families' baon along with fried meat. Ready to cook?

Pinangat na Hiwas

One rainy Tuesday morning, I woke up earlier than usual (and before my girls, which is very rare) so I made sure to use the extra minutes wisely. I went to the nearby talipapa to buy food to cook for lunch. I'm so happy to see some fresh fish other than the mainstay bangus and tilapia the vendor sells. I bought four pieces of Hiwas (Chabeta) for ₱95. Price is reasonable since it's fresh, there weren't too many fishbones and is definitely meaty. I knew I'd cook it pinangat style.

Pinangat is fish boiled in water; one version is sour and the other is cooked with coconut milk. We have kamias tree here at home so I did the sour version. I added tomatoes for a fruitier taste. Ayoko yung puro asim lang ang nalalasahan. I put pechay para more gulay. Also, the more color your food has nga daw, the healthier it is. My little foodie, Sophia liked it so much. It made my homecook heart so happy 'cause it wasn't just so easy to prepare, nagustuhan pa ng bagets. So if you like to try this at your home, too, here's my recipe –

Chicken Tinola

Having a child who's now in her big kid years surely has its many benefits. One of them is no longer needing to make her food cute just she'd eat it. We are now done with broccoli trees, rice mountain and scrambled egg sand. Well, the baby will soon eat solid food but not those I've mentioned yet so I'm now enjoying the freedom to serve real adult dishes. I'm glad my daughter eats most veggies that I serve her. I trained her to eat whatever's on the table, that's why. It wasn't a walk in the park; there were soooo many table discussions about how blessed she is to have me at home, how blessed she is to have warm meals and how blessed she is to eat more than three times a day. I think it got to her. She now eats well like a sensible adult. I mean, there are older people than me who decided to be picky eaters for the rest of their lives. 

Anyway, one thing that a lot of parents are wrongly doing when preparing food for their kids is serving them a kid-unfriendly dish. And they'd be mad all of a sudden 'cause they expect their kids to eat and like it! So cruel. Folks, food has to be pleasant to the eyes and the palate of a kid, okay. They will eventually learn to love what you love to eat now. Just train them gradually but not in a forceful way. I did that and guess what Sophia's first favorite real ulam that has veggies? TINOLA!

So if you're always lost in the kitchen but wants to sometimes impress the fam with a warm Filipino family dinner, here's my recipe to help you out –

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. 

No-Bake Cookies and Cream Cake

With Valentine's Day nearing, it's quite a given that pastry stores, even chocolatiers will take advantage of the needs of their customers. Aww-worthy gifts for their loved ones, that is! But what if you actually have not allotted a budget for it? Well, you might probably decide unleashing your inner Martha Stewart, right? But then, what if you got no tools to back you up? You only got a few spoons and bowls and a brand new refrigerator (from last Christmas or perhaps, a wedding present from one of your wedding godparents, lol). 

Fret no more, royalties! MoneyMax.ph sent me this awesome infographic on how to make a No-Bake Cookies and Cream Cake under Php200.