Mommy TG's Recipes for Meatless Fridays of Lent and More

I was inspired last Lent to weekly share about some of the meatless recipes I know that are easy to prepare. I know that moms are always busy and it would be helpful to find recipes that they can quickly prepare even if they are not divas in the kitchen. It was also my way of reminding myself of other meal options I can include in our Lenten menu.

Surprisingly, these weekly posts got a lot of page views and most of these posts made their way to my Top 13 Posts for 2013. Thus, I've decided to write this post in preparation for Lent (which is starting tomorrow, Ash Wednesday) so that all the mommies who are cramming or who didn't have much time to do some menu planning before Lent can benefit from this post.

I'm arranging these posts in order of page views gained since I posted them last Lent (2013).

Recipes for Meatless Fridays: Spanish Sardines Pasta

Recipes for Meatless Fridays: Seafood Kare-Kare

Recipes for Meatless Fridays: Paksiw na Bangus

Recipes for Meatless Fridays: Baked Mussels (Baked Tahong)

Recipes for Meatless Fridays: Seafood Paella or Paella de Marisco

Recipes for Meatless Fridays: Crusted Tilapia Fillet

Let me also share with you my 4-Week Cycle Menu Plan for Lent, which I made years ago. Feel free to adapt or tweak it to suit your family's needs and preferences.

Mommy TG's 4-Week Cycle Menu Plan for Lent

One of the reasons that I love writing and blogging is that I can go back to what I wrote in the past and benefit from my previous writings. With a blog, going back to these useful and helpful posts is much easier because there's a search button. :)

Thank God for these blessings!

Before I forget, I'd like to share another recipe for a truly blessed and meaningful Lent this year.

1. Marinate on God's Word daily. Let your soul soak in it for at least 15 minutes each day. You can make it 5-5-5. 5 minutes in the morning, 5 minutes at noon and 5 minutes before bed.

2. Add bits of Prayer throughout the day. Just like salt and pepper, this is best added not just at one point but at different times.

3. Add some more Forbearance and Patience. This would tenderize your soul and form your character.

4. Sprinkle generously with Love.

5. Last but not least, serve with a warm Smile on your lips.

Hope this post helps you this Lent and beyond! Don't forget to go to Mass tomorrow!

Adobo Adventures in the Kitchen

When you are a mom, what to feed your family will always be one of your daily concerns. Adobo is one of our family's favorite dishes and one of my specialties; but I don't want to cook and present it too frequently in the same way so as to prevent my family from getting tired of it.

 

Since it is so easy to cook and cooking it saves me a lot of time in the kitchen (compared to other dishes because I can cook and work a little while it's simmering), I looked for ways to cook Adobo in different ways.

 

I once shared in this blog my maternal grandmother's Adobo recipe, which is cooked in vinegar only (no soy sauce). It has been one of the bestsellers in this blog since then!

 

Last week, I cooked Chicken Adobo with pineapple tidbits. You cook the adobo in the same way until the chicken is almost cooked. Then, you add a small pouch of pineapple tidbits while you let it simmer in low heat.

 

Another variation to the traditional adobo that I do is to cook it with coconut milk. Again, the chicken is cooked until almost done before I pour in coconut milk (fresh, powder or liquid). Make sure that the chicken meat is almost cooked and that your flame is on low heat before adding the coconut milk because you don't want too much coconut oil on your adobo. You want a creamy sauce where the coconut cream is well-blended with the Adobo sauce. It would be tastier if you put finger peppers on this but if you will be feeding small kids, you might want to do away with that.

Photo source here.

I have included Adobo in my 4-week cycle menu, which I posted in this blog years ago. (That post is among the all-time bestsellers here.)

 

That's all for now. Next time, I will share my well-loved traditional Adobo recipe with soy sauce.

 

Have you tried other variations of the famous Adobo in your kitchen? Please feel free to share it in the comments. I would love to learn more variations to this all-time Pinoy favorite!

 

Save on Grocery by Making Homemade Baby Food

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that “infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life to achieve optimal growth, development and health. Thereafter, to meet their evolving nutritional requirements, infants should receive nutritionally adequate and safe complementary foods, while continuing to breastfeed for up to two years or more.” Some parents might be surprised to read this because some health care providers, including doctors, suggest that babies be introduced to solids as early as four months of age. This is the updated/latest directive not only from the World Health Organization but also from other trusted authorities such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, UNICEF and Australian Government National Health and Medical Research Council among others. You may click here and here to read articles that summarize the benefits of delaying the introduction of solids to babies to six months of age at least.

 

Many parents however think that making homemade baby food is a lot of fuss so they simply buy baby foods from groceries which are packed in jars or in boxes. But these baby foods are quite expensive, aside from the fact that most of them are available in blended variants and flavors, not really ideal as baby’s first food. It is recommended by doctors that babies try out one kind of food at a time when they are already six months old.

 

We chose the path less travelled by parents. We have decided to give our second child homemade food instead of store-bought baby foods when he started to eat solid food. Let me share some of our reasons for making this choice.

 

We have greater control of our baby’s diet. We are able to plan our baby’s diet and implement it without being dependent on what is in stock in the grocery.

We know exactly what goes into the baby food.

We can make sure that our baby’s food does not lose its nutrients because we are the ones who prepare or cook the food.

We are sure that what our baby is eating is natural and fresh. We didn’t like to use preservatives or other artificial flavors on our baby’s food. We didn’t even put salt until he was one year old because we wanted him to be familiar with the natural flavor and tastes of foods.

We are able to save grocery money because it’s more economical.

Unlike what most people think, it’s convenient. We cook in batches so each batch can last up to 3-5 days. We simply store the baby food in ice cube trays with cover and freeze it. Then, we reheat just enough for each serving or meal.

Now that our baby is older, the baby gets to eat the same foods that the whole family eats so we are able to save much on groceries.

 

Here's a handy helper in making your baby food.

 

How do you make homemade baby food?

 

Click here to continue reading this article.  This was published today at The Philippine Online Chronicles.

Recipes for Meatless Fridays: Seafood Kare-Kare

It's another beautiful Friday of Lent!  Today, I will share about a dish that I first tried when I was still a college student taking up Hotel and Restaurant Administration in the University of the Philippines in Diliman.

 

It was also Lent at that time and we were planning for our catering class.  My groupmates and I thought of making a delicious twist to the traditional Kare-Kare which is usually cooked with beef.  The result was still a delicious Kare-Kare with new ingredients.

 

What we did was to simply blanch the vegetables so as not to lose their nutrients and to prevent them from becoming soggy.  We did not mix the vegetables right away with the sauce.  We put the vegetables when the dish is about to be served.  We chose to put one kind of fish which has firm flesh that's cut into bit-size squares (to ensure it won't flake easily when cooked), mussels, shrimps and squid rings. 

 

I have lost our original recipe so I've decided to look for similar Kare-Kare recipes in the web that I can share with you.  You may choose from these recipes which you think would best suit your taste and which seafoods to include.  You may also choose to make your own peanut sauce from scratch (which my groupmates I did before) or use the store-bought ready to mix sauce.  We also did not mix the bagoong or shrimp paste right away to the sauce.  It was served with the dish but placed in a smaller container.

 

 

Seafood Kare-Kare

 

Recipe #1

 

Recipe #2

 

Recipe #3

 

Recipe #4

 

 

Try one Seafood Kare-Kare recipe and let me know how you find it?  A grace-filled Friday to you and your family!

 

Recipes for Meatless Fridays: Baked Mussels (Baked Tahong)

It's Friday once more!  Sorry that I was not able to post a meatless recipe last Friday. I totally forgot to make a blog post due to my very hectic schedule in the past week.  I came home late from a meeting in Makati for one of the books I'm writing last Thursday and the following Friday morning, my husband and I went to PICC early to attend the Wealth Summit which was totally awesome! Anyway, you may read some of my posts about that event here and here.

 

 

Now, since it's another Friday of Lent, let me share another favorite meatless recipe of mine.  I love this dish!  It's so quick and easy to prepare.  You can even ask your small kids to help you prepare it.  It's so cheap.  And most of all, it's so delicious!

 

 

Mussels are abundant in the Philippines especially in the coastal areas that's why they are cheap. You just need to make sure that you buy the fresh ones to prevent potential problems after cooking or eating them.  Also, always check if there's a "red tide" alert before buying.

 

 

I have not heard of a red tide alert reccently so here's my Baked Mussels or Baked Tahong Recipe.

 

 

Baked Mussels (Baked Tahong)

 

 

Ingredients:

 

1/2 kilo of mussels, cleaned and boiled so the shells would open

1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of softened salted butter

6-8 cloves garlic, pounded and minced

finely chopped fresh parsley

grated quickmelt cheese

black pepper to taste (optional)

 

 

Procedure:

 

1. Soften butter in a sauce pan. Then remove from heat.
2. Mix all the ingredients (butter, garlic, parsley) well in a bowl except the grated quickmelt cheese.
3. Remove the other half of the shell or the cover from the mussel.
4. Spoon the mixture into each mussel shell. It should be enough to cover the mussel.
5. Top with grated quickmelt cheese.
6. Bake in oven toaster or regular oven for 5-10 minutes depending on the size of your mussels.  The bigger ones take longer to cook.  I suggest you test using a few mussels before baking a big batch to prevent burning your mussels.
7. Serve hot as appetizer or with rice as part of the main meal.

 

I cooked this dish for one of my birthday celebrations years ago and it was a hit!  Try this recipe and get back to me for your feedback, okay?  A blessed Friday to all!

 

 

P.S.

If this is your first time to stumble into my blog, you may check out my one of my latest Lenten posts here and my previously posted meatless recipes such as Crusted Tilapia Fillet, Paksiw na Bangus and Spanish Sardines Pasta. Hope you'll come back again to read some more next time. God bless!

 

 

Recipes for Meatless Fridays: Spanish Sardines Pasta

It's Friday once more and the second Friday of Lent.  Have you decided what to cook today?  Here's what's cooking in our kitchen.

 

 

It's another quick, easy and budget-friendly recipe you can try.  This one is based on one of my favorite foods - Spanish sardines.  I like making sandwich spreads from Spanish sardines.  I also like having it as viand when I'm too lazy or tired to whip up anything in the kitchen.  Thus, it's no surprise that I love it with my pasta, too.

 

 

My birthday usually falls within the season of Lent or during Holy Week.  Thus, pastas with seafood are what we usually prepare to celebrate my special day.  You need not worry if your birthday or the birthday of one of your family members falls on a Friday this Lent.  This recipe is an example of a yummy pasta you can prepare to celebrate your special day and still abstain from meat.

Below is my recipe:

Spanish Sardines Pasta


Ingredients:

your choice of pasta pasta (cooked according to package instructions)
1 bottle of Spanish sardines or 2 (155g) cans of Spanish sardines (I like it hot and spicy.)
3 T of olive oil
6-8 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium sized onion, chopped
1 small bottle of sun-dried tomatoes (I'll update this post next time when I'm sure of the exact size of the bottle I use.)
a dash of basil or fresh basil leaves roughly chopped
salt and pepper to taste
grated Parmesan cheese
chopped parsley and chili flakes (optional)

Procedure:

1. Drain the Spanish sardines of oil.
2. Saute the onions in olive oil until transparent.
3. Add the garlic and saute until golden brown.
4. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and saute for 2-3 minutes.
5. Mix in the Spanish sardines and slightly flake as you saute it.
6. Add a dash of basil and season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Serve hot on top of cooked pasta.
8. Top with grated cheese and chopped parsley.
9. You may sprinkle chili flakes if you want it extra hot and spicy.

There are times when I find it difficult to find sun-dried tomatoes in the grocery stores.  When this happens, I substitute it with big, ripe fresh tomatoes around 8-10 pieces and saute them in oilive oil


This much sauce is usually good for 400-500 grams of cooked pasta.  I use spaghetti most of the time.

 

 

Good luck and enjoy your lunch/dinner!

 

Recipes for Meatless Fridays: Paksiw na Bangus

As promised in my previous post on Recipes for Meatless Fridays, here is another meatless recipe that you can cook one Friday this Lent.  This dish was a regular in our household when my Lola Caring (Grandma Caridad) was still alive and very much active in our kitchen.  She loved cooking this tasty fish dish in a palayok and we loved eating it!  I have tried to recreate this dish by recalling how my grandmother would cook it before.  I've mentioned before in one of the recipes (Adobong Manok sa Suka) I shared here in my blog (which was also inspired by my grandmother's recipe) that my grandmother didn't use measuring cups or spoons and didn't write her recipes.  Her recipes were passed on to us as we watched her closely cook in the kitchen and as we enjoyed them. 
 

 

Paksiw na Bangus Recipe.

By Lola Caring (Grandma Caridad)

 

 

Ingredients:

 

1 Bangus (milkfish) cleaned and sliced into 4-5 pieces (sinigang cut)

1 head garlic, crushed

thumb-sized ginger, chopped thinly

1 cup white vinegar (there were times when she used tuba)

1/2 cup water

salt and peppercorns to taste

2-3 pieces finger peppers (siling haba)

1 medium sized ampalaya, halved lengthwise then cut into 3-4 smaller pieces

1-2 medium sized eggplant, halved lengthwise then cut into 3-4 smaller pieces

 

 

Cooking Procedure:

 

1. Season cleaned and sliced milkfish or bangus with salt and let it sit for at least 5 minutes.
2. Put crushed garlic, chopped ginger and the peppercorns in the palayok or pot together with the milkfish.
3. Pour the vinegar and water over the fish.
4. Simmer under medium heat until the fish is almost cooked.
5. Add a bit of salt according to taste.
6. Add the vegetables (finger peppers, eggplant and ampalaya) and let it simmer for a few more minutes until the fish and vegetables are done but not soggy. Make sure that you check often enough to prevent the vinegar and water mixture from evaporating completely.  This could burn your fish and give a bitter taste to your dish.
7. Remove from heat and serve hot with steamed rice.

 

This is another easy dish that you can cook this Lent.  Bangus or milkfish is also very common in the Philippines making it available all year round.

 

Recipes for Meatless Fridays: Crusted Tilapia Fillet

The season of Lent is about to start once more. Do you have enough meatless recipes for the Fridays of Lent and for Good Friday?  How about tomorrow?  Have you decided on what you'll cook for Ash Wednesday being a day of fasting and abstinence?

 

According to the Code of Canons for the Eastern Churches, specifically Canon 1251, "Abstinence from eating meat or another food according to the prescriptions of the conference of bishops is to be observed on Fridays throughout the year unless they are solemnities; abstinence and fast are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and on the Friday of the Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ." 

 

This means that, unless specified by the episcopal conference of a specific country and approved by the Pope, Catholics (from Eastern Churches or Western Catholics) all over the world will have to abstain from meat on all Fridays of Lent and even outside of Lent except when solemnities are being observed or celebrated; since according to the teachings of the Catholic Church, all Fridays throughout the year are considered penitential days (Canon 1250).

 

According to this article that I read, in the Philippines, Catholics like me and my family, are no longer required to abstain from meat on Fridays outside of Lent.  But we are however asked to substitute this with other forms of penance or acts of piety like reading the Bible, going to Mass, visiting the Blessed Sacrament, praying the Holy Rosary, or acts of charity like visiting the sick or prisoners, giving alms to the poor or teaching catechism. (The article I read cited Canon 1253 Norms approved by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines for the Local Implementation of Some Provisions of the New Code of Canon Law as source and published in the November - December 1985 issue of CBCP Monitor Vol. VI, Number 6, pp. 32-43).

 

Fr. Javier Gonzalez, OP said in his article about Canon Law published in 1997 that "abstaining from meat cannot be considered a penance for a great part or number of Filipino people who can no longer afford to buy meat."  This was cited in the same article that I read.

 

I called one of my priest friends yesterday to help me validate these things that I read in the internet and to help me clarify some points.  One example that he gave which was helpful is this: If you choose to abstain from meat but you ate an expensive seafood or fish like a blue marlin, which was more pleasurable to you, then that defeated the spirit of the law on abstinence. 

 

I thanked the Lord for leading me to these articles and for my priest friend.  They reminded me that all Fridays of the year, Lent or otherwise, are days of penance as we remember with reverence the passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ.  I therefore resolved to approach these days (Fridays outside of Lent) being mindful of what kind of penance I could do other than abstaining from meat if I choose not to do it as a form of penance.  I admit that I forgot about this teaching for a while and I was glad that yesterday I was reminded of this as I was preparing for Lent.  So, I thought of sharing this here in my blog, in case there are also readers who forgot that we need to approach all Fridays of the year in a posture of penance, whether we are required by our bishops or not, to abstain from meat on those days.

 

I have shared my "discovery" with my husband and we have decided that after I wean our second child, we will choose to abstain from meat eventually on all Fridays of the year, not just during Lent.  This was prompted by what I also discovered yesterday that pregnant and nursing/breastfeeding mothers are exempted from abstinence and fasting. You may click here and here to read more about fasting and abstinence in the Catholic Church and those who are exempted from these laws.  But since I did not know about this in the past years that I was nursing my babies and didn't see any harmful effects on my children, I will still abstain from meat on the Fridays of Lent and on Good Friday. 

 

So there, after sharing with you some information and teachings about Lent, I will now share a simple, easy-on-the-pocket fish recipe.  This is part of my 4-week cycle menu for Lent.  You may click here to see what dishes I included in my 4-week cycle menu plan.  You can use this for any fish fillet other than tilapia. I just chose tilapia because it's abundant in the Philippines and it's relatively cheap which is in keeping with our Lenten virtues.  With the money that we can save by choosing to buy and eat less expensive food this Lent, we can have more money to donate to the poor around us and to the church so we can support their ministries.

 

 

Crusted Tilapia Fillet

 

Ingredients:

 

Tilapia fillet (or other kinds of fish fillet) 

all purpose flour

breading

salt and pepper to taste

thyme

egg (slightly beaten)

cooking oil

 

For the dip:

mayonnaise/all purpose dressing and catsup or

mayonnaise/all purpose dressing with squeezed calamansi juice (homemade sour cream) or mayonnaise/all purpose dressing and chopped dill or

mayonnaise/all purpose dressing and chopped garlic or

soy sauce with vinegar and chili

 

Procedure:

 

1. Season fish fillet with salt and pepper and thyme.  Let it stand for 2-3 minutes.
2. Dredge in flour.
3. Dip in slightly beaten egg seasoned with a bit of salt and pepper and thyme as well.
4. Roll on breading. I like using Japanese breading but you can use other kinds of unflavored breadings, too.
5. Pan fry for a few minutes each side until golden brown.  I use canola oil for frying because it's a healthier substitute to the other oils.
6. Serve hot with rice and your choice of dip.

I'll be posting more meatless recipes that you can include in your menu this Lent. Watch out for these in the coming days!


May we all have a meaningful observance of the Lenten season. May we be drawn closer to God as we spend more time in prayer and as we to do penance for our sins.

Macaroni with Corned Beef Recipe for Frantic Days

Do you also experience those days when you suddenly find yourself too busy to go to the grocery to buy your stuff?  Do you also have those days when you only have a few minutes to spare to prepare a quick lunch or dinner?  I had one of those days around a week ago.  I was so busy and around an hour before lunch, we hurriedly checked our cupboard to see what we can cook for lunch.  Luckily, I found some uncooked macaroni and a can of corned beef inside.  I asked our helper to buy a small pouch of spaghetti sauce in a nearby convenience store and instructed her how to prepare this simple recipe that can be cooked in minutes.  It's also budget-friendly and yummy!

 

Here's the recipe.

 

Ingredients:

 

1 can of corned beef (small to medium size)

1 small/medium pouch of spaghetti sauce or tomato sauce

1 small pack of macaroni (500 g) cooked according to package instructions

1 small onion, chopped

3-5 cloves garlic, minced

2-3 tablespons cooking oil

salt and pepper to taste

a dash of basil

half cup of water or chicken broth

grated cheese

 

 

Cooking Procedure:

 

1. Saute onions in oil until transparent.
2. Add the garlic and saute until golden brown.
3. Add the corned beef.  Cook until dark red or for about 3-5 minutes.
4. Pour in the tomato sauce of spaghetti sauce and simmer under low heat.
5. Pour in the water or broth.  Simmer for ten minutes. Mix constantly to prevent the mixture from getting burned.
6. Season with salt and pepper and a dash of basil according to taste.
7. Mix the sauce with the cooked macaroni.
8. Top with grated cheese.
9. Serve hot.
10. Garnish with chopped parsley. (Optional)
 

4 V-Day activities you can do with your kids

Here's one of my latest articles published at Philippine Online Chronicles (POC).

 

 

************

 

Valentine’s Day is not just a day for lovers. We can celebrate it by spreading love not only to our spouses; but to the other members of our family as well, like our kids. Here are four simple activities that you can do on Valentine’s Day or throughout this month of love. Choose one or choose all and make this your happiest Valentines ever with your kids.

 

 

Pre-Valentine date with my eldest son. 
Enjoying some of his favorites - spaghetti, french fries and ice cream.

Go out on a date with your child. – Who says that we can only date our spouses? This month of love, take time to plan for a special one-on-one bonding with your child to make him/her feel important and loved. If you have more than one child, plan something special for each one of them. I first heard this from bestselling author and lay preacher, Bo Sanchez. I also read about this from Stephen Covey’s book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families. I have practiced this since then and this is something my eldest son looks forward to each week. A lot of times, I accompany my son as he enjoys some rides then we have a donut, a pastry or ice cream after. On some days, we go to the bookstore together and find new books we can read. Think of some of your child’s favorite places and activities and take your cue from there. It can be a play date between you and your child followed by snacks afterwards. You can have strawberry ice cream or cup cakes with pink and red candy sprinkles for example. Or you can begin with a lunch date in a fancy restaurant or in his/her favorite restaurant followed by a trip to the toy store, department store or bookstore where you buy something for the child.



Pretending to be in a race car.

Yanthy tries a bike with a passenger seat at the back.
He asked if we could buy that for him and his baby brother.

 

Write love letters together. – It is already the digital age and very seldom do people write love letters by hand. But it doesn’t mean that this practice has lost its sweetness. Why not write love letters again this Valentine’s Day? Write one for your husband. Then, encourage and assist your child to write one for your spouse. Ask your child questions like “what does Daddy do that makes you happy?” or “why do you love Daddy?” to help your child come up with something to write for your husband. If you’re kid/s are still very young, you can think of a short but sweet Valentine message that your child can write for your spouse. When my son was only two years old, I assisted him in writing a Valentine message for my husband. Last year, he wrote something in his own handwriting. Your kids can also write love letters to their grandparents. I’m sure the grannies’ hearts would melt as they receive these old fashioned expressions of love from your kids.

 

 

Click here to continue reading.

Crema de Fruta Refrigerator Cake Recipe

I've been meaning to make one of my favorite desserts (and one of my family's favorites as well) but our schedule has been really tight.  So, I've decided that I'll just post the recipe even though I was not able to make it recently.  I got the recipe for this very delicious treat from a male college friend.  I first tried to make it when I was in college and since then, I had been making it for special occasions, usually Christmas or New Year.  So, in case you're looking for an easy to make dessert, I suggest that you read this recipe and try it.  Who knows, it might also become one of your family's favorites.

 

 

Crema de Fruta Refrigerator Cake

 

 

Ingredients for Crust:

 

Crushed Graham crackers

melted butter

crushed pineapple (minus the juice)

 

Ingredients for Filling:

 

4 cans condensed milk

Crushed Graham crackers

 

Ingredients for Topping:

 

1 medium can fruit cocktail (drained)

1 tetra pack of all purpose cream

 

Procedure:

 

1. Mix the crushed Graham crackers, melted butter and crushed pineapple in a pan (round, square or rectangular) and press to the bottom and sides.  Set aside and chill or put in the freezer while preparing the filling.

 

2. Remove the milk can labels and wash the condensed milk cans. Put inside a pot.

 

3. Fill the pot with water until the water reaches the top of the cans.

 

4. Bring the water to a boil and turn down the heat once boiling. Let it simmer for 2 hours, checking it frequently to make sure the water in the pot does not go lower than the middle of the cans to prevent the milk cans from burning.

 

5. Remove the pot and the milk cans from the heat after 2 hours. Let the milk cans cool a bit before opening.

 

6. Once cooled, bring out the cake pan from the refrigerator.

 

7. Pour out the contents of 2 milk cans over the crust to form the first layer. Make sure the milk is leveled. (The cooked milk is light brown or dark cream in color.)

 

8. Top the milk with crushed Graham. Make sure that it's evenly distributed as well.

 

9. Next, pour out the contents of the remaining 2 milk cans over the crushed Graham.

 

10. Pour crushed Graham again over the second layer of cooked condensed milk.

 

11. Mix the fruit cocktail and the all purpose cream in a bowl.

 

12. Top the second layer of crushed Graham crackers with the fruit cocktail mixture.

 

13. Freeze for at least 4 hours. What I usually do is to make this the night before the special occasion where I would be serving this. Then, I just thaw it inside the refrigerator by bringing it out of the freezer at least an hour before serving so it can be removed easily from the pan and cut into serving pieces.

 

Enjoy!

 

Mommy TG's Sausage Pasta with Red Sauce Recipe

It's the day before Christmas and I'm pretty sure that most moms are busy in their respective kitchens preparing something that their family can eat together later for Noche Buena.  This mom is no exception. Our family had been very busy in the past months.  It was only yesterday afternoon that my husband and I had the chance to do some Christmas shopping for our Christmas gifts for each other and buy our groceries for our Christmas celebration.  Thankfully, we finished shopping last night early enough so we can still have some time to bond with the kids before going to bed.

 

By the grace of God, I woke up early today; thus, as of this writing, I'm done cooking/preparing our food for Noche Buena.  I prepared the fruit salad first, taught our maid how to prepare the vegetable and beef dish, bought the birthday cake for the Birthday Boy, then after lunch, cooked the pasta and the ham.  I've decided to prepare not too many dishes because there are only a few people in our household and our maid is also taking a day off this afternoon until tomorrow so she can spend Christmas with her family.   Moreover, I want us to have ample time for the essential things like praying together, going to Mass before our Noche Buena, and bonding with each other.

 

 

Let me share with you now my simple pasta recipe in case you haven't made up your mind on what kind of pasta dish to cook.

 

Sausage Pasta with Red Sauce

by Mommy TG

 

Ingredients for the sauce:

 

250 g bacon, chopped

4 pieces Italian/Hungarian sausages, cut into thin ovals or semi-circles (Italian sausages are a bit spicy)

1 T oil (preferably olive oil)

a slice of butter (preferably unsalted)

1 big onion, minced

1 bulb or 8 cloves of garlic, minced

1 kg spaghetti sauce (Italian style or if for kids, you can use Filipino-style with MMK)

half block of quick melt cheese cut into small cubes or grated

1/2 to 1 cup water (depends on how thick you want your sauce to be)

salt and black pepper to taste

1/4 to 1/2 dried basil or torn fresh basil leaves

Procedure:

 

1. Render the chopped bacon to make the oil come out. Once the oil from the bacon is out and the bacon is slightly crispy, set aside in a plate.

 

2. Brown the sausage ovals in the bacon fat/oil. Set aside again once done.

 

3. Saute the minced onions in oil and a slice of melted butter.

 

4. Add the minced garlic once the onions are transparent. Saute until light or golden brown.

 

5. Add the sausages and bacon again in the pot where the onions and garlic are sauteed.

 

6. Add the spaghetti sauce, water and add some salt and pepper and bring to a boil.

 

7. Once boiling, turn down the heat, add the quick melt cheese and let the mixture simmer for around 15 minutes. 

 

8. Add the basil and season once more with a bit of salt and pepper to taste.

 

9. Make sure that you stir often enough to prevent the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

 

10. Serve hot over cooked pasta and top with grated parmesan cheese. To make the presentation more attractive, arrange some sausages around the plate or on top of the sauce and noodles.

 

This pasta sauce is good for a kilo of spaghetti.

 

Adobong Manok sa Suka ni Lola Caring (Chicken Adobo in Vinegar by Grandma Caridad)

We just had dinner at home and I can't help but remember my Lola Caring (Grandma Caring/Caridad) with fondness because we just had one of her signature dishes -- Chicken Adobo in Vinegar or Adobong Manok sa Suka.  I grew up nourished by my (maternal) grandmother's delicious dishes for she lived with us.  This is one of my favorites; and today, I decided to have this as part of our menu aside from the Prawns in Garlic Butter that I cooked for my family.  I think it's very timely that we ate it this weekend since we just celebrated All Souls' Day the other day.  Eating this simple and easy-to-cook but very delicious dish brought back happy memories of my childhood with my Grandma Caridad (Lola Caring).  It was also an opportunity for me to share the recipe and some stories about her to my eldest son and husband.

So, as a tribute to my grandmother and her cooking, let me share this recipe.  This is not my grandmother's original recipe.  She didn't use measuring cups or spoons when cooking before; but her dishes usually turned out good.  I tried my best to recreate some of her signature dishes including this one.  Like her, I don't always measure my ingredients.  I gauge the dishes that I cook by their taste, very much like Grandma Caridad (Lola Caring).  So, what I'm about to share here is an estimate.  Just tweak or modify according to your taste.

Adobong Manok sa Suka ni Lola Caring

1/2 kilo chicken cut-ups (tinola or adobo cut)

1/2 cup of white vinegar (I like using Datu Puti vinegar)

1/2 bulb of garlic (or 6-8 cloves of garlic crushed)

2-3 pieces laurel leaves (torn into smaller pieces)

8 pieces whole black pepper corns

1 cup water (or enough to have the chicken covered by the vinegar-water mixture)

salt to taste

cooking oil  

Procedure:

1. Combine all ingredients in a pot and simmer in medium heat.

2. Make sure that you check the chicken every now and then so that it will not become overly tender as the liquid boils or that it will not get burned as the liquid evaporates.

3. Let the chicken simmer in the vinegar mixture until cooked/tender or until the liquid evaporates.

4. Once the chicken is done and tender, pan fry in just enough cooking oil to make the outside turn golden brown and crunchy.

5. Serve hot with cooked rice.

One of the things I like about this dish is that it's crunchy and not so oily.  I like using less salt too so it's a healthier alternative to the usual Chicken Adobo recipe with soy sauce.

Let me end with a message to my Lola/Grandma:

Thank you, Lola/Grandma, for taking care of me and my brother watching over us -- cooking for us, bringing us to school, teaching us good manners, and many other things -- when we were still kids until we grew up to become teenagers.  Thank you for the delicious dishes you cooked for our family including this recipe.  Thank you for your example of hardwork and dedication in the things that you do or to the people who are dear to you.  Thank you for inspiring me and teaching me to cook.  I pray for your soul.  I pray that you experience eternal rest and peace with God in heaven.

How moms and kids can earn during the holidays

Here's another article I contributed to POC's Mom's Corner this month.  I'm sure many moms are on the look out for ways to earn extra this Christmas season.  Hope this article inspires you or helps you achieve this goal this year and in the Christmas seasons.  Advance Merry Christmas!

 

 

************

 

Spending normally rises during the “ber” months. People are more generous and giving. With the increase in the expenses of most households during this season comes the need for an increase in budget as well. Here are some ways by which moms and kids can bond during the Christmas season and at the same time earn extra money for the family budget. Take your pick and enjoy the adventure and the money that goes with it!

 

Offer gift-wrapping service to busy relatives, friends or neighbors. You can take this service a notch higher by offering delivery service as well. You can let the big kids deliver gifts if the intended recipients are also from the same neighborhood or if you have a vehicle. You and your kids can make this your adventure or field trip this season to bring the gifts you wrapped to different houses or offices. Another option is to design your own gift wrappers too. You can experiment with designs first and show them to your clients. Then, give them the option to have their gifts wrapped in your personally designed gift wrappers or the traditional store-bought wrappers. Click here, here and here to see some simple and easy-to-make designs from the Martha Stewart’s site. You and your kids might find inspiration from these featured designs. Last year, my eldest son and I made his own gift wrappers for his grandparents’ presents. We used a star-shaped sponge to decorate plain white paper.

 

Make and sell handmade Christmas cards. There are plenty of cards to choose from these days but there are those who prefer handmade and personalized cards that are not reprints of other cards. There are still people who like to go the old fashioned way of sending handmade cards that are unique and personalized. You and your kids might want to give this a try. You can start by making samples or sending early Christmas cards to your relatives and friends and let those cards serve as your samples.

 

Below are some examples you can find inspiration from:

• Santa card
• Button-embellished card
• Fern-tree card
• Pencil stamps

Make money by selling sweet treats that people love to eat and give away during this season of parties. Diets usually go out of the window come Christmas time. People indulge a bit more. Moreover, the sales of sweet treats of every kind normally goes up. There are lots of sweet treats you can choose from. But for folks and kids who are not kitchen experts or seasoned cooks, simple and easy-to-do recipes also abound.

 

Here’s a list of examples that I have gathered, some of which do not require baking and/or elaborate gadgets to prepare them. Check them out and see which would fit your skills and interests and what would sell well in your target market.

• Christmas tree cake pops
• Granola bars
• Gumdrop pops
• No-bake cookie and granola bars
• No-bake cookie cottages
• No-bake cheesecakes
• No-bake cake pops (using sponge cake and jam)
• Oreo ice cream cake, cheesecake and cake pops
• Santa hat cake pops
• Snowman cupcakes
• S’mores cupcakes

Click here to continue reading the article. 


Here is a video of one of the cake pops I want to make this Christmas.  Looks simple enough for me and my eldest son. :)
 

No Bake Blueberry Cheesecake Recipes

My husband asked me over the weekend to check out recipes of one of his favorite cakes, blueberry cheesecake.  He requested me to learn it so I can make it at home.  I searched the net once more and found two interesting and easy to do recipes that require no baking.  One recipe I found (at Self) is a healthy version of the blueberry cheesecake in a cupcake.  The other one is a recipe for a big cake or regular cake from My Mom-Friday.  I got excited as soon as I read the ingredients and the procedure for making them.  I might be trying out these recipes soon.

 

Here are the links to the websites where I found these recipes.  You might want to check them out as well and try them this Christmas season.

 

No-bake Blueberry Cheesecake Cupcake - This recipe made use of fresh fruits such as strawberries and blueberries.  In countries where this is not abundant, you may opt to use canned versions of these fruits.  You can also substitute other fruits in season and enjoy a different fruit flavor for your cheesecake.  Below is a photo of the blueberry cheesecake cupcake version from the same website where I found the recipe.

 

 

 

No-bake Blueberry Cheesecake - This recipe used some spices like cinnamon and nutmeg for the Graham cracker-based crust.  In case you find it difficult to find these ingredients in your local grocery store or you don't have them at home and you really are craving to make this cake, you can just use Graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and crushed pineapple for the crust.  I had been using these three ingredients for one of my favorite desserts which I personally make during special occasions - my Crema de Fruta refrigerator cake.  I started making them when I was in college (either first year or second year college) and my family and friends loved them!  My tip on making the crust: Don't use too much butter.  Add butter gradually to the Graham cracker crumbs and crushed pineapple mixture.  Also, don't forget to remove the excess pineapple juice or syrup from the can (if you are using canned pineapples) before mixing it with the Graham crackers.  The consistency of the mixture should be that of moistened or wet sand. It should not be runny, meaning the butter should not be seeping out of the mixture.

 

Photo source here.

Just looking at these pictures makes my mouth water. :) I need to buy the ingredients soon so I can try making this for my family.

 

Let me know if you have tried these recipes and your verdict for them.