Shrimp, Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Salted Duck Egg Pasta

After a two-month break, Kulinarya Cooking Club Challenge is back with a very interesting theme for the month of February...and that is "PULANG ITLOG" (Red Egg) or what's also known as Itlog na Maalat (Salted Eggs) in the Philippines.

Like other Filipinos, I really enjoy eating itlog na maalat. I love it as a filling for pandesal, as a topping for bibingka and large ensaymadas, and as an accompaniment to any fried fish. When I was young, I loved eating it with daing na bangus for breakfast. I remember my mom slicing the salted eggs into wedges and serving it with diced onions and tomatoes and the fried daing na bangus. Hmmmm...that was one simple meal that never failed to satisfy my tummy! Having that on our table would always make me eat more rice than I usually do! 

For this month's Kulinarya Cooking Club Challenge, I decided to share a recipe that I created instead of the above mentioned ways that we Filipinos use salted eggs for. I call it Shrimp, Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Salted Duck Egg Pasta. It's a simple pasta dish that uses itlog na maalat  both in the sauce and topping, and that gives it an interesting texture. 

Baked Filipino-Style Spaghetti

Like me and Ryan, our two daughters love Filipino-style spaghetti. They love it so much that it's something they very often request me to cook. Well, it's the irresistible sweetness in it that makes it seem addicting for them. Whether it's with meatballs or with the regular ground beef and hotdogs, this pasta dish never fail to bring sweet smiles on their faces. But there's a special version of it that they love even more. I'm talking about this Baked Filipo-Style Spaghetti...

...which is so creamy, cheesy, and truly irresistible for children and adults alike. This has the same cheese topping as the Baked Macaroni that I've shared here before, wherein I used 3 types of cheese: parmesan, cheddar and mozzarella. 

Though the Filipino-Style Spaghetti is pleasing enough to eat as is, this baked version takes it to a whole new level. Baking it not only let the spaghetti absorb more flavor from the sauce, it also makes it extra comforting because of the added gooey cheese! 

Chicken 'n Peppers Spaghetti

I hate to admit this, but sometimes I'm just too lazy to cook. It's on such days that I make quick pasta dishes like this Chicken 'n Peppers Spaghetti...

...and by quick, I mean less than 30 minutes including prep and cooking time. I'm really not comfortable with serving frozen ready-to-eat food to my family (though I must admit, I sometimes do and that makes me feel guilty)...so even though I'm feeling lazy, I still prefer making a simple meal that won't make me feel guilty. This is an example of that. It is very easy to prepare and cook but it's healthy! The chicken and cheese makes this dish a good source of protein, while the peppers (both the bell pepper and Jalapeño) give this dish added vitamins and nutrients like Vitamin A, C and E, potassium and folic acid. Red bell peppers also contain lycopene, which is a carotene that helps to protect against cancer and heart disease. This is really packed with goodness but is so easy which makes it perfect for lazy to cook days!

How about you, do you have any “too lazy to cook recipe” ? 

Spaghetti With Meatballs In Sweet Sauce And A Trip to Big Orange Pumpkin Patch Plus Avery® Giveaway Winner

Last week, Ryan & I got to chaperone Cherlin's class to The Big Orange Pumpkin Patch in Celina, TX for Robertson Elementary's Kindergarten Field Trip. It was so much fun indeed!

The cute hay bales...

the hay ride...

picking their own pumpkin from the patch...

feeding the animals...

and simply hanging out with their family and classmates...

truly gave each of the kindergarteners a great and memorable time! They really had a blast!

Aside from all these, Cherlin said that riding the bus and eating her favorite food with her friends, and her mom & dad made her first field trip more special. :)

For lunch, Cherlin requested me to bring Spaghetti with Meatballs in Sweet Sauce which I cooked the night before. It is basically the same as my Filipino Spaghetti but instead of red hotdogs and ground beef, it has meat balls in it. The meatballs I used here have the same ingredients as my Beef Balls in Mushroom Sauce, the only difference is that I used pork because I ran out of beef. :)

The sweetness of Filipino-style spaghetti brings sweet smiles to Cherlin's face all the time. Try it! I'm sure it can do the same thing to your kids...

Filipino Style Spaghetti

One food that brings wonderful childhood memories to me is the Filipino Style Spaghetti...

I spent my elementary and high school years at Holy Infant Academy(HIA), a private school in Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro where there is this yearly celebration called feast day. It is when we celebrate the feast of a patron saint assigned to each grade level. This means no class…just whole day of fun and play! Since we celebrate it outside the campus, we had to bring lunch with us. I can still remember that I had Filipino-Style Spaghetti and fried chicken drumsticks every feast day since 1st grade to 4th year high school. It’s like I was having a grand meal every time there’s spaghetti and fried chicken...and HIA feast days won't be complete without it! I just love that combination! I guess every Filipino kid does!

So what’s in Filipino Style Spaghetti that kids love? Non-Filipino friends who have tasted this all said it tastes weird but is really good. Unlike Italian spaghetti which is full of spices and tomato sauce, Filipino spaghetti is sweet and it has hot dogs or Vienna sausage in addition to ground meat. No wonder Filipino kids love it! I can’t recall any Filipino kid’s birthday celebration without spaghetti on the table. But don’t get me wrong, Filipino-style spaghetti isn’t just for kids! Even Filipino adults love it…and I’m sure you will! 

Here's my version of Filipino Style Spaghetti. Check it out! 

Prep Time: 10 minutes         Cook Time: ~45 minutes          Servings: 10-12                   

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs spaghetti
• 1 lb ground beef or pork
• 6 pc. beef franks or Filipino red hotdogs, bias-sliced into 1/4" thick
• 2 cans Del Monte or Hunt’s Spaghetti Sauce (26.5oz each) - I prefer using Meat or Garlic Flavor or a combination of both
• 1 cup Filipino Banana Catsup
• 1 can Tomato Sauce (8 oz) - I prefer using Hunt's Tomato Sauce with Basil, Garlic and Oregano
• 1 beef cube
• 1 medium-sized onion, minced
• 1 head garlic, minced
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• ½ cup grated cheddar cheese
• 3 Tbsp Fish Sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 8-10 quarts water (for cooking pasta)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil or butter for sautéing
• Some more parmesan or cheddar cheese for topping