Chicken Macaroni Soup

So how's 2014 treating y'all so far? For my family and I, the new year started really good...and I'm hoping it's the same with you and your loved ones! We welcome 2014 with so much joy in our hearts...and of course, lots of food! There's abundance, togetherness and love in our home, and there's nothing else we could ask for! The first week of the new year was spent bonding with my brother who was here with us for the holidays. The cold weather brought cough and colds to the hubs, the girls and my brother but thank God, it's nothing serious...they're all well now! The bro has left and it's just me, the hubs, the girls and our dog (Russ) again! I may say everything here is pretty much back to normal, except for the temperature which remains too low for Texas!

For the past week, I've been making soup to give us comfort and warmth. This recipe that I'm sharing with you today is one of our favorites. It's one of those we consider ultimate Filipino comfort food. It's an all-in-one meal in a bowl that has everything in it --- meat, veggies, milk and pasta! I've featured Macaroni Sopas here on the blog before but that one has ground pork. This time, it's Chicken Macaroni Sopas! 

This is a very easy to make comfort food that's definitely delicious and nutritious! Ground beef, as well as leftover ham or turkey will work well as a meat replacement. You should try it!

Filipino Style Chicken Macaroni Salad

I've been receiving requests for Filipino Style Macaroni Salad...so here it is! 

Unlike the usual macaroni salad which is served as a side dish, Macaroni Salad in the Philippines is mildly sweet and is served as dessert especially during parties and special gatherings. Just like any other Filipino food, it varies from region to region...but there are three characteristics that remain consistent: it's creamy, a little sweet and a little sour and it has three basic ingredients: macaroni, mayonnaise and chicken.

This Filipino Style Macaroni Salad that I am sharing with you is my mom's version. I grew up with this very simple but really delicious macaroni salad which for me has a well-balanced creaminess, sweetness and sourness. For me, this is the perfect one! The combination of ingredients is just right and doesn't overpower the supposedly main star of the dish which is the macaroni! 

Three Cheese Filipino Style Baked Macaroni

Today, I'm bringing you a favorite pasta dish in the Philippines...the Baked Macaroni. Like the all time favorite Macaroni and Cheese here in the US, Filipino Style Baked Macaroni has elbow macaroni and cheese as the basic ingredients, but it has a tomato based meat sauce which is a little sweet like the sauce used in Filipino Style Spaghetti.

The most common version of baked macaroni in the Philippines is simply cooked pasta combined with meat sauce then topped with shredded cheddar cheese. The version that I'm going to share with you is my family's favorite. This is how I've been making Baked Macaroni since we got here in the US. The addition of mushrooms in the meat sauce makes it more special. The topping is also different. It 's a lot better than the usual melted cheddar cheese topping. It's creamy and cheesier, and both kids and adults will surely love it!

Check it out and do give it a try! It doesn't only make a delicious filling meal any day of the week, it's a perfect pasta dish for special occasions too...like Valentine's Day! ;)

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

In the Philippines, sweet spaghetti also known as Filipino Style Spaghetti is the favorite pasta dish among kids. Here in the US, it’s Macaroni and Cheese. It is an old American favorite which is now included in almost all restaurants’ kids menu. Its popularity really took off after Kraft introduced a boxed version in the 1930s. This became so popular that many prefer the packaged version more than homemade. Well, I still think homemade is best.

There are primarily two ways to make mac and cheese. The traditional Southern method includes mixing milk or cream and grated cheese right into the hot pasta then eaten as is or baked in a casserole dish. The other popular method is to make a roux (flour and butter), then add milk or cream or even stock to make a thick sauce. Then grated cheese is stirred into the sauce until it melts and the mixture is combined with cooked pasta. My daughters prefer the unbaked Southern version with a hint of sweetness from the addition of condensed milk. It has become their favorite pasta dish next to Filipino-style spaghetti. They love it so much that I have to cook it every week!

This recipe is so simple and very easy to prepare. Try it…and see for yourself that there's a better version than the boxed one!

* I shared this on Mac and Cheese Quest, What's Cooking Wednesday, Foodie Wednesday, What's on the Menu Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday, Miz Helen's Country Cottage's Full Plate Thursday and It's a Keeper Thursday.

Btw, the Online Bake Sale for Japan will go live today at The Tomato Tart. 90 foodies from 8 countries donated their homemade goodies for this event. Please be generous! Bid on any of the delectable goodies and help us raise money for Japan.

Prep Time: 5 minutes                   Cook Time: ~12 minutes                   Servings: 4-6 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked
• 1 ½ cup Velveeta cheese, cubed
• ½ cup evaporated milk
• 2 Tbsp condensed milk
• ½ cup mild finely shredded cheddar cheese
• ½ cup butter
• 1 cup beef franks, cut lengthwise then bias-sliced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Macaroni Sopas

Macaroni Sopas or simply sopas (soup), as we Filipinos call it, is a delicious and nutritious soup. It is an all-in-one meal in a bowl.  It has everything in it - meat, veggies, milk and pasta.
 

It is so easy to make! You most likely have all the ingredients at hand to make this.  You can use any meat of your choice – chicken, pork or beef. For this one, I used ground pork. 

Do give it a try! So perfect for kids, and adults too!

Prep Time: 5 mins          Cook Time: ~35 mins           Servings: 6-8                              

Ingredients:

• 1 ½  cups elbow macaroni, uncooked
• ½ lb ground pork
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small yellow onion, minced
• 1 pork or chicken cube
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 medium sized carrot, chopped
• ¼ red bell pepper, chopped
• 3 Tbsp fish sauce
• 8 cups water
• ¼ cup butter
• 1 cup evaporated milk (or full-cream milk)
• Salt & pepper to taste