25 November 2018

Our First Halloween Event

When we got invited to Cocoon Boutique Hotel and Hive Hotel's first joint Halloween event, we made sure to make it a bit special since it was our first to attend as a family. Yup, the word our in the title was for our family and the two amazeballs hotels in Quezon City. You have to check them out; both are eco-friendly hotels. Anyway – R, Sophia and I thought of our costumes well since we didn't want to spend too much money on it. After all, we would only use it for a few hours. So, I thought of something that I can easily DIY. Thank goodness for Pinterest, we came as the The Breakfast Club — what Sophia called us when I showed her the pegs. 


It was a success if we will based it on my readers' reactions on social media. But we thought it could be a lot cuter if the sunny side up egg has actually walked or at least stood for photos, no? Heehee.

17 November 2018

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.

07 November 2018

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!