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Momma 'N Manila

Growing through parenting

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Nourish

What’s Cooking Good Lookin’

I grew up in an environment where there was always home cooked food. We didn’t eat out so much. Actually, eating dinner outside of the house in a restaurant was a treat. If we were eating out it was usually to celebrate a big event, a milestone or some really great news. So, for the most part, my siblings and I grew up eating my mom’s good ole’ home cookin’. Mom could (and still can) pretty much whip up anything on a moment’s notice and could do a sit down meal (family style of course) for about 30 people with a few hours to prepare.

My brother Pete on his birthday. On the rare occasion that we would eat out, it was usually for a celebration and usually the restaurant would be close by. This was taken at one of the chinese restaurants right near our home.

My mom has always liked cooking for others, preparing simple or more complicated dishes for her guests depending on their tastes. For the Italian side of our family she would always prepare the staples of meatballs and pasta or eggplant parmigiana. For other guests, she might venture into making polenta with a mushroom sauce or veal saltimbocca. For the Pinoy side of the family she always prepared pancit and the cousins always loved mom’s shanghai rolls. There was so much cooking going on in our house that my husband often jokes back to the time when we were dating and he could surmise what my mom had cooked that day just by walking into our home on Post Road because of the lingering aromas of delicious food.

I know that my love for cooking and baking came from my mom. The fact that she doesn’t enjoy baking so much allowed me the room to explore baking more when I was younger. I wanted to compliment the meals she would put on the table by adding a dish of sweets for us to share afterward. I experimented, and sometimes I even baked with my friends. My friend Liz and I would make chocolate chip cookies pretty much every time we got together whether it was at her parents house or mine. My best friend Van and I tried rolling out our own sugar cookies one year for Valentine’s Day too. As Van and I got older and I acquired a kitchen of my own, we experimented by baking our Christmas treats and giving them as gifts every year, instead of buying them from a store.

Nino’s mom, my mom, and my Auntie Anne…three women that I have learned so much from in life…each of them different aspects of strength, integrity, pride, and perseverance. Each of them have shared different recipes that my family loves.

Even my Godmother Anne enjoyed cooking. I spent so much time with her and my mother in the kitchen that I got to know  many of their recipes by heart. Auntie Anne would help chop all the veggies for the pancit even though she had no idea how to make it, but that’s how we did it during the holidays. We were all in the kitchen with our jobs helping mom with the small things while she prepared the entire meal for up to 50 people on holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas! In fact, my godmother often said that when she was sad, you would know it, because her therapy would be to have 4 burners going. The irony in that is that once I moved here to Manila, I found comfort in preparing meals for my family and for Nino’s family too. Only difference was that I would have 5 burners going and was baking dessert as well.

Now that my daughter is older I love that fact that she enjoys being creative in the kitchen. We can spend the afternoon in the kitchen together, often times with the music playing, Gelli on the floor playing with her plastic cups, and the boys coming in and out of the kitchen asking to taste what we are creating. It seems that as I’ve gotten older, I have taken on the cooking of the meals more, (just like my mom) and Gia has excelled in baking. In fact, just the other day when I had some friends come over so we could cook brunch together, Gia decided to whip up some home made brownies to pair with her homemade vanilla ice cream that she had in the freezer to share with our cookfest buddies.

Cooking with Friends has always been something I love to do in the kitchen. Gia snapped this shot of us after she mixed the brownies and put them in the oven so that we would have warm brownies with her vanila ice cream that she made from the day before! She made the Vanilla Ice Cream with HER friends.

I love being in the kitchen with family and friends! This particular day we decided on a brunch menu that included Cottage Cheese Pancakes and Portobello Stuffed Mushrooms with Scrambled Eggs and Gruyere Cheese.

Cottage Cheese Pancakes with plain yogurt, walnuts, bananas and agave. Thanks Smitten Kitchen!

 

Breakfast Stuffed Mushrooms. Thanks Willow Bird Baking!

When I attended the Marriage Encounter Weekend Seminar with my husband back in March of 2009, we learned that there are five ways we can show love for one another.  M.E.W.S. is a retreat to strengthen your relationship with your spouse, however, you can pull what you learn from the weekend to enrich all of your relationships in your life. During that weekend, we learned that there are 5 languages of love. These include affirmation, physical touch, service, quality time, and gift giving. Of these five languages, I know and understand that cooking something delicious and tasty for my family falls under  “service.” I enjoy pouring myself into researching recipes, putting healthy ingredients together and watching my kids or my husband appreciate the final product that I bring to the table. Quite literally, I enjoy “serving” my family healthy meals-and through my “service,” I get to show them just how much I love them. So, when I put meals together that I know will satisfy, delight, and sustain my family, I do it because I love them that much…I do it because that is what my mom did for me and my siblings.

Ok…but let’s be  honest here…I LOVE FOOD. So, my desire to prepare something delicious also comes out of the fact that I like to EAT too! Eating with family and friends is just so much more fun…just like cooking with family and friends is more fun!

Proud Momma moments: When I see Gia in the kitchen with her friends and they are doing the same things that I remember doing as a young girl her age. They recently had a tournament where they mingled with an international team from Guam. The girls decided to bake cupcakes for the team.

 

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It’s December 1st! Is there anything more delic It’s December 1st!

Is there anything more delicious than the smell of Christmas and the new found freedom as we anticipate celebrating the holidays with our families again?

@festivalmall has hosted a series of musical shows since November 5th that include Ace Banzuelo and Silent Sanctuary. Check out Michael Pangilinan on December 10th, too!

With Santa visiting, Christmas parties, arts and crafts and lots of promos, you can even enter for a chance to win a Toyota Fortuner!

Best of all-I love it when the places we know give purpose to their celebrations. Thank you #FestivalMall for partnering with @dsapi1  this holiday season. 

Thank you for sharing all the different ways we can celebrate the holidays with you!

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I have always been intimidated by Cornish Hens. Th I have always been intimidated by Cornish Hens. Through this learning exercise with @usapeecphl, I have learned a bit more about these little birds that have bigger breast parts, and thank you Chef @ivoryyat for showing me how easy it is to prepare Greek Lemon Roasted Cornish Hens with Roasted Potatoes.
 
Clean and fresh flavors are perfect for these smaller birds that are rich in protein with zero carbs. Try the recipe in the comments section. I’m sure you’d enjoy it as much as I did!
 
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@gi.aventajado and I played with some of the @pura @gi.aventajado and I played with some of the @puratosph products that they sent over the other day. Ready to use Bavarian Cream made these Cream Puffs easier than ever. I think we have to figure out how to temper our couverture better…

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@mommymundo always has a way of bringing together @mommymundo always has a way of bringing together just what we need, no matter the time of year. Loving these photos of my first boy that were snapped @expomom.

Anyone else thinking about #HolidayPhotos? I am not one of those moms that has it all together before Christmas. It’s usually a mad dash for us at the end of the year, but if it’s anything that the past few years has taught me, it’s that the little things are what makes the Christmas special.

Many of us haven’t been together with the extended family or even our immediate family in so long. That means it’s the perfect time to document.

@nextbymetrophoto will be hosting one last Christmas Marathon family photo shoot before the end of year. Check them out or shoot them a message. They have some cute set-ups.
****GIVEAWAY ALERT*** 10 things I LOVE about @sed ****GIVEAWAY ALERT***

10 things I LOVE about @sedahotels listed here and on FB!

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Plus points for people who share this post in stories and the winner will be announced on December 6th.
Thankful for work that doesn’t feel like work. Thankful for work that doesn’t feel like work.

@kitchen143 is something I really do love. Sharing a little bit of my kitchen with viewers and followers brings me joy. Even better when I get to work with chefs whom I can learn from and friends who like to spend time in the kitchen too!

#Thanksgiving
Thankful for the gift of music. Wish I caught mor Thankful for the gift of music.

Wish I caught more mini moments from We Will Rock You.

Such a great musical!

@sedahotels 
#sedaresidencesmakati 
#sedaat10
Thankful for @bestbuddies_ph. @gelliaventajado j Thankful for @bestbuddies_ph. 

@gelliaventajado joined our family and led me to @bestbuddies. 

Thankful for all the ambassadors who were able to spend time with us. And for @smlpeeps  and @asurionphcareers for helping make magic happen on Saturday afternoon for #Friendsgiving.

#Thanksgiving #bestbuddiesph
Thankful for women who share their faith with me. Thankful for women who share their faith with me. 

#Thanksgiving
Is there anything better than a stuffed turkey at Is there anything better than a stuffed turkey at this time of year? Whole turkeys require serious commitment to cook. #IYKYK But because U.S. Poultry is now available here in the Philippines, that also means preparing turkey is a tad bit easier.
 
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