Cooking at home

Penmanship Problems + Baon Plan #2

June 27, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 8 Comments

It’s officially the end of our third week of school. Yay! I wish I could say that I look forward to sleeping in over the weekend, but soccer camp is back on and so Saturdays and Sundays find us on the field bright and early. I do have the luxury of afternoon naps, though, so it’s all good.

Tell me about your kids’ first few weeks of school

Did everything run as smoothly as you thought they would? Here at home, weekday afternoons are super busy, with homework and review time taking up a good chunk of what used to be free time for us. I keep reminding my son that the third grade is now part of the “Upper Grades” in school, which means that things are now pretty serious, academically.

One major challenge I’ve been having to deal with is my son’s note-taking. He’s been showing me a lot of incomplete and misspelled notes in his assignment notebook and in his subject notebooks, too. These are things he copies off the board, and that’s why I have a hard time understanding why there are so many errors. The bad thing is that his excuse is consistent, each and every time. He says he does it in a hurry because he runs out of time to copy his notes. When prodded, he admits that he wasted a lot of time talking before he actually started writing, and that’s why he was unable to copy properly. Every day. Every single day this week. I’m still figuring out how to deal with this.

There’s also been a bit of drama where the lunch box is concerned, because he recently discovered the joys of buying pizza at recess time, and not eating the food that mom prepared for him. No, he doesn’t have an allowance yet, just to be clear. He has some money saved up from random gift-giving sessions with aunts and grandparents, and that’s what he’s been using. Maybe this is a challenge for me to up my game where baon is concerned? Something to think about for sure. In the meantime, here are some photos of lunches from the last two weeks, as posted on Instagram.

Just a few lunch boxes from the last two weeks

Last Week’s Test Recipes

I was able to try two new recipes last week, a beef tapa one from Yummy and Once A Month Meals’ Cheesy Tuna Mac. MrC loved the tapa. It was garlicky and sweet and salty with a hint of sourness. It reminded me a lot of carinderia tapa, covered in a sticky sauce that nicely coated the meat while cooking. I still have one more container in the freezer, ready to be cooked for brunch one of these weekends. The Mac N Cheese was well-received by the little boy. In fact,of all the food I packed for him since school started, this was one of the few that he really finished. As in, no leftovers! I also froze some, and I think I’m gonna snack on one of the containers this weekend while watching the World Cup games.

This Week’s Featured Recipes and Baon Plan

I feel pressured to make sure that everything I prepare is extra yummy this week, because like I said earlier, I’m now competing with cafeteria pizza. Ugh. I have my sure-win Pinoy Spaghetti on there, and my Beef Salpicao, too. I’m also trying out this recipe for Parmesan Chicken Fingers, and this Honey Balsamic Glazed Pork one. Plus, for recess, I’m gonna be baking a batch of cheese cupcakes. If I never get around to baking, I know I can get good pastries from Le Coeur de France. Buy 1 take 1 on weekends and after 7pm on weekdays, yay! I really hope that the kiddo finishes his food from here on out. I’d like to think that the adjustment period is over already.

I’ll let you know how these new recipe experiments turn out. In the meantime, please download (and enjoy) my Baon Plan for June 30 to July 11! And make me kwento about your first few weeks of school, okay?

Welcome to the 3rd Grade + Baon Plan #1

June 13, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 27 Comments

The little boy and I are so ready to conquer the 3rd grade. Same as last year, I’ve prepared myself for lots of early mornings in the kitchen. This year, we adjust our time a little bit earlier because school starts half an hour earlier as well. The good news is that the FIFA World Cup starts on the first week of school, so I have more than one reason to wake up way before dawn.

I know some of you have been looking forward to these lunchbox plans, and I’m really so happy and thankful for the appreciation and support. I’ve decided to make just a few changes this year to my posting, too. First, instead of a weekly plan, this is going to be bi-monthly. I think it makes for easier grocery shopping and meal planning (and blog posting, actually). I will also include at least two featured recipes per plan – one mine, and another I’ve found on the internet or from a cookbook. Disclaimer, most likely the recipe from the net is something I’m also only trying for the first time, so this has sort of an adventurous feel to it. At the same time, I promise to be sure to post feedback on the following week’s lunchbox post.

One last thing. I don’t have a shopping list yet this week because I still have a bunch of things from the summer that I need to use up. I also am pretty sure that what I’ve purchased from my trip to the supermarket this week is missing so many things, but I’m not sure what they are yet. Winner. Promise to make it up to you.

So, anyway. Featured this week is my ever-reliable chicken adobo recipe. Why? Because it’s the first batch of baons for this school year and I need to go for something familiar, reliable and comforting, that’s why. I also decided to try this Cheesy Tuna Mac recipe from one of my go-to references for make ahead meals, Once A Month Meals. I’m excited about this recipe coz it looks so easy! Another new recipe I’m trying out is one for a garlicky Beef Tapa that I found in the Breakfast! book special of Yummy. I actually marinated some already yesterday and split them into two batches, ready for freezing. Can’t wait to tell you how these two new recipes turn out.

Download the baon plan HERE, and I’ll be back with another one in two weeks.

What have you guys been packing for your kids? I’d love to get new ideas from you!

One Last Second Grade Baon Week

March 20, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 1 Comment

Home stretch is finally here!!! We’ve officially got only one week left for this school year, and I am so proud of Little MrC and I for surviving our first year of school lunches. I never thought we could do it, but we did. I feel so happy.

I originally thought that because this would be the last baon week for the year, it would be more special. I’m sorry, I was wrong. I honestly just want to be done, I want summer to be here already, and so my final baon week is simply ordinary. Also, after giving it a lot of though, I have decided to put a pause on the baon planning over summer, first so that I can build some excitement for the coming year, and second, because I don’t always pack lunch for MrC. I will still be sharing a featured recipe on each Thursday of the week, though, so there still is something that you can look forward to each week.

If you’ll notice, my grocery list and menu plan has specific brands of food, particularly in the snack portion. That’s because I’m finishing up whatever I still have on hand here at home. Also, I’ve decided to make use of some kitchen friendly friends to make life simpler. For the breaded pork chops, I’m using McCormick Season’n Fry. For the chicken teriyaki, I bought bottled Kikkoman roasted garlic marinade and used that instead of making my own from scratch. Twice I’ve placed ready to fry options into the menu – Bounty Fresh Top Torikatsu and Century Smoked bangus belly.

My recipe for this week is a typical Filipino dish, pork steak, that our old helper used to make with a twist. The twist is that the dish is a little sweeter than your normal pork steak, and the soy sauce is watered down, resulting in really pale meat. Honestly, not everyone likes it. My dad thinks it tastes like soap. My brother and I love it though, and we would have this for our packed lunch many times when we were little. So, I figured it would be a great packed meal to use for my little boy’s last lunch in school as a second grader.

Manang's Lomo

2014-03-20 03:24:05

Not your ordinary pork steam

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Ingredients

1/4 kilo pork tenderloin (lomo) cut into medallions
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
The juice of 1 calamansi
1/4 cup water
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil or butter for frying

Instructions

Combine all ingredients and marinade the pork overnight in the refrigerator. Yes, even the water.
Fry the pork medallions in butter or olive oil.
Pour the marinade over the meat and let it simmer. Reduce the sauce to your desired thickness, and you're done.
Serve with hot rice.

Notes

You can totally adjust the amount of sugar in this if you find the dish too sweet.

By MrsC

At Home With MrsC https://blissbysam.com/

I think that this is a pretty kid-friendly dish, but still, let me know if you get to try it and if it works for you. Here are this week’s downloads:

Baon Plan for March 21-27

Grocery List for March 21-27

So excited to be taking a break from my 5AM kitchen routine! Hooray for summer vacation!!!

A Week Without A Plan + A Recipe for Glazed Tuna Steaks

March 13, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 15 Comments

My mom and I spent nearly 3 hours walking around S&R today, checking out what was already marked down, pre-Member’s Sale. What we found to be a real bargain were giant cans of diced tomatoes and whole peeled tomatoes that we got for making pasta and other tomato sauce based dishes. We purchased a few other random things, plus some pizza and chowder to eat, and then we went home, tired but happy.

I was supposed to go to the supermarket today to figure out what to prepare for the boys’ lunch boxes next week, but instead I decided to spend leisure time with my mom in one of our favorite places. Because of this, it looks like next week is going to be a week without a plan, a meal plan, that is. Now, I figured, this happens to everyone, and it’s a good exercise in thinking on your feet in the kitchen. Right? I do have a security blanket of smoked fish, tocino, enough ingredients for a pot of adobo, and a bunch of other things in the freezer and pantry. We will survive. It’s just that I don’t have a meal plan or grocery list to share with you this week.

I do have a recipe though, and a really good one too. It’s Lent-friendly, pretty healthy, and super easy to prepare. Ready?

MrsC's Honey Balsamic Glazed Tuna

2014-03-13 03:58:39

Baked tuna steaks with a sweet and tangy glaze

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Ingredients

2 large tuna steaks
1 tbsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tbsp yellow mustard
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp dried rosemary, or 2 sprigs fresh
Olive oil

Instructions

Wash the tuna steaks well, and pat dry with paper towels. Rub with salt and pepper on all sides.
Grease the bottom of an aluminum or glass baking pan with olive oil. Place the tuna steaks onto the pan.
Mix together the mustard, honey, balsamic vinegar and rosemary, and pour over the tuna. Make sure that all surfaces of the fish are coated, and let the whole thing marinade for about an hour, refrigerated.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake the fish for 25-30 minutes, or until cooked through. The sauce should end up thick and syrupy.
Enjoy!

Notes

When using frozen fish, defrost the steaks in the refrigerator first before marinading.
Dried rosemary can be a hassle to chew on, so try to brush these herbs off of the fish before serving.
For extra yum, brush the thickened glaze onto the cooked fish right when you serve this dish.
Best eaten with cauliflower or broccoli salad, or even just steamed vegetables.

By MrsC

At Home With MrsC https://blissbysam.com/

This fish is obviously a Friday dish. To find out what I’ll be packing for the rest of the week’s lunches, please follow me on Instagram. I’m sure to post there. I’m thinking I’ll cook chicken adobo over the weekend and that can be for Monday. I’ll save some of the chicken to use for fried chicken on Tuesday. Wednesday can be the smoked fish, and Thursday tocino. Then somewhere between then and now, I should get my butt to the grocery store and prepare for the following week. Sounds good?

In these last two weeks of school that are coming up, it’s obviously going to be a struggle for me to stay organized and focused. Seriously, I can taste summer already. Or maybe it’s more like I can feel summer already. My rashes from the heat are proof! Argh.

Let me know if you try this fish recipe. I hope you love it as much as I do!

New Babies Are On Their Way + Our Lunch Box Menu for March 7-13

March 6, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 7 Comments

Two very good friends announced this week that they are expecting! I am so, so very excited for them. These are moms who were pregnant around the same time I was carrying Little MrC. Our older kids are batch 1 of our barkada babies. Now, with the recent delivery of another good friend to her first baby boy, plus those two new ones on the way, batch 2 is officially here!

Part of me is starting to wonder if it’s time for us to have another kid. Believe me when I tell you that a lot of people have been telling us to go for it already, with my grandfather being the most persistent of all. I’m honestly not sure I’m ready for another baby just yet. I can barely make it through the day, drama-free, with my one little boy. Oh my gosh, the thought of having to get up at 5am to cook breakfast and baon while pregnant sounds a little wacko to me. But anyway, I am setting these baby thoughts aside for now to focus on baon, which is what this post is about, anyway.

Do you like this featured image? I’m not too sure about it just yet.

First, a few adjustments.

I never realized that I could use a WordPress plugin for my recipes until a couple of hours ago. Oh my gosh it makes life so much simpler! So instead of the downloadable PDF recipe, I will now have recipe cards in these cooking at home posts. Super bonus, there is a template that matches my blog look perfectly. It is so meant to be.

Also, last week I said I’d share more seafood recipes, with it being Lent and all. But alas, I realized yesterday that I rarely cook seafood, and already I shared the one fish dish I am confident about last week. So, sorry but this week’s featured recipe is a beef dish. And I promise to prepare more dishes that don’t contain any meat with feet in the coming days so that I will have something to share next week. Anyway for Lent, I am abstaining from meat with feet, so I really do have to figure out what I can cook anyway.

This week’s recipe.

On we go, here is my featured recipe for the week. It’s a beef tapa recipe that was sorta kinda based on my grandmother’s tapa. We can never get it exactly right though, because she buys a certain portion from a certain cut of meat from her one and only supplier, and that’s what makes all the difference. Me, though, I’m happy with any cut of good beef. Just make sure it’s sliced real thin, and there’s a little bit of fat in there.

This is a dry, sweet-salty tapa. I have yet to try making one that’s a little saucy, kinda like Tapa King. If you have a recipe for that kind of tapa, please share! I chose this recipe for the week coz my friend, Jane, requested for it. So yes, I do accept requests! Though it might be a wee bit ambitious right now, but I will definitely try to make whatever it is that you ask for.

Beef Tapa ala Mama

2014-03-05 18:18:32

A dry, salty beef tapa with a tiny hint of sweetness.

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Ingredients

1/2 kilo Top round beef, sliced super thin
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/2 tablespoon iodized salt
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
Cooking oil for frying

Instructions

Wash the beef slices well to remove majority of the blood.
Combine the sugar and the salt and massage the mixture into the beef.
Add soy sauce for colour.
Marinade for at least an hour, but best if you could do this overnight
Fry each strip of beef until it is dark brown. Be careful not to burn this!

Notes

When choosing your beef, try to find a portion that has a strip of fat on one side.
Since the marinade used for this tapa is very basic, you will really need to find good beef, otherwise it won’t taste as good.
If you can’t find top round, tenderloin will do. Just make sure that it’s sliced thinly.

By MrsC

At Home With MrsC https://blissbysam.com/

Oh my gosh, isn’t that recipe card just PERFECT?!

Download time!

I don’t know if there’s a plugin for a downloadable menu plan or grocery list, but I don’t think I’ll go that far. So this week, you still get my boring old PDFs, but that’s okay, right?

Lunch Box Meal Plan for March 7-13

Grocery List for March 7-13

So, I just want to know if you’ve been able to try any of the recipes I’ve posted so far. I’d love feedback. My boys seem to think that everything I cook is delicious. A second opinion is definitely in order!

Lunch Box Menu for February 28 – March 6

February 27, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 12 Comments

I can’t believe that we are officially entering the last month of the school year! I just realized though that my baon packing days are continuing on til the summer because MrC will be needing sustenance at work. It’s easier with him, though, because I can pack him frozen meals that he can microwave at the office when lunch time rolls around. Anyway, I think I’m getting ahead of myself. Time to deal with the upcoming week first.

Lent is fast approaching and that means I am going to do my annual “no walking meat” panata (promise/commitment). So expect to see more Lent-friendly seafood recipes over the next few weeks. I’ll still be plotting meaty dishes into the meal plan for the boys, though, so those of you with carnivorous taste buds need not worry.

This week’s recipes

This week, I am featuring an easy Baked Fish in Garlic Butter with Dill recipe, which I’ve never posted before, and my super winner Chicken Adobo in it’s new downloadable PDF format. I’m also adding my ever-so reliable Banana Bread recipe, which isn’t exactly mine because I found it in a library book, but I can’t remember what book it was. Yes, I decided to share 3 recipes again this week. And I made sure to make them downloadable. Oh, I also added “branding” on my downloadable content heehee! I forgot to do that last week.

I also am doing a repeat performance of the Beef Salpicao I made last week. Like I said in my previous baon post, each batch of marinade and freeze meals that I do are good for two separate meals. If I don’t get to use them up, I’ll have a rerun week where I clean out the freezer and cook whatever’s there. So I’d rather mix one or two of last week’s dishes in with new stuff for the coming week. I think it’s more fun that way.

Since the baked fish isn’t something you can prepare ahead and freeze, I’m using an old photo of a batch I prepared for a Christmas gathering with friends last December. Sorry it’s kinda blurry. I’ve already put “A phone with a better camera for Instagramming” on my wishlist.

Here’s a tip. If you’re packing this for someone who has no access to a microwave, don’t the butter sauce into the lunchbox. The butter tends to solidify when cold, and unless your kid or spouse (or you) like chewing on butter chunks, it won’t be good. Trust me. The cooked fish will be flavorful even without the additional butter.

Grocery notes

The grocery list has everything you need for this week, but if like me, you still have things like sandwich crackers or cooking oil in stock, then you obviously don’t need to buy more. Also, I didn’t put any quantities per item coz it will really depend on how much food you need to prepare, and how many people you are cooking for. There are quantities for ingredients in the recipes, though, so you can do the necessary adjustments. I’m bad at math, so you might wanna just do the multiplying and dividing yourself.

Download away!

Here’s the menu plan for February 28 to March 6 . And here’s the matching grocery list . The recipe links are below:

Happy cooking and happy eating! Let me know which recipes you’ve tried, and which ones you like best.