My Very Own Barista

enjoying her strawberry frappe made by daddy

I mentioned on a previous post that hubby and I started making our own drinks at home. I'm happy to announce that while we aren't turning into alcoholics, we have found a new love or let's just say a new found appreciation for coffee. I am not a huge coffee drinker nor is hubby and usually I prefer my coffee cold. Hubby however, brings a travel mug to work but rarely drinks coffee at home partly because I don't like making something I don't really like to drink.

So what changed? Hubby (finally) convinced me to purchase a stove top espresso maker and frother then he started making cappuccino, frappuccino, macchiato, frappe and whatever else we desire.

To be honest I don't know the difference between a cappuccino and a frappuccino. I love the sound of it yeah but whether I'm drinking a latte or plain coffee, espresso or some other fancy coffee, making it at home and not spending a few dollars on something I can't even tell the difference actually makes much more sense.

strawberry frappe, espresso, cappuccino

caramel macchiato

iced caramel macchiato (mine!)

iced frappucino

More than the taste or the coffee itself, I think hubby loves being able to do these various drinks at home. If you ask me, he won't stop until he's able to do latte art :D

Cooking the Obvious

Because hubby is on leave, it only means one thing (ok maybe two!) gotta have food and eat when it's time to eat.

grilled honey ham

grilled honey ham, egg, cheese, veggies, sweet mayo

grilled honey ham and egg sandwich

He wakes up late so it's either brunch or lunch already. I usually make it few minutes before he wakes up and because he wakes up at exactly the same time everyday (how creepy is that!), by the time I'm done and everything's set up, we're both ready to sit down and eat a warm meal.

waffle sandwich with bologna, egg and cheese plus lemon smoothie

I wish I have a weekly menu planned but I don't. I always go to bed thinking what's gonna go to the kids' lunch bags, what do I cook tomorrow? It works for me though because between that time when I start thinking and waking up, something just pops up. Either it's a craving, or something I saw on Pinterest but most often than not I mentally add up what's in the fridge/freezer. Like I knew the next day would be a poutine day (just because) I remembered there's a bag of fries downstairs.

poutine and strawberry smoothie

poutine for kids' lunch

It may not be the ideal thing to do but I go with what my gut's telling me to cook. Okay, I'm not sure if it's gut or what (haha!) Actually, I cook whatever makes sense. We have this so I cook it. From time to time we do entertain our cravings and make a special trip to the store to get the ingredient but most often than not it's cooking what we already have.

steamed and fried dumplings

Hubby was craving for dumplings few days ago and I knew eating out wasn't the best option. I would rather spend the money towards buying groceries which I did and the dumplings were only $3.88/bag. They all taste the same to me anyway (haha!)

hot dogs in ketchup, worcestershire, soy sauce and brown sugar

I'm not fond of hot dog in a bun, I would rather eat it with rice actually especially when cooked like that in the picture. Found this hot dog recipe but sauteed mine in garlic and onion, omitted the mustard and added soy sauce.

breaded beef and vegetable tempura

I knew I had beef in the freezer, the kids won't enjoy it if it's cooked like steak. I don't have much veggies either to turn it into (sinigang or nilaga), I don't feel like using it in a stir fry. So I decided to just slice them thinly, season with salt and pepper, roll into cornstarch then fry. I still have zucchini and carrots and decided to do vegetable tempura. Okay the tempura thing was just an excuse to use the deep fryer (again!)

love this thing!

Leila came home from school the next day requesting for the breaded beef again. Who am I to refuse her request? Now I have a valid reason to cook the same thing for the second time. I knew hubby would notice but he didn't complain, partnered it with the pickled veggies I made few weeks ago. The veggies are awesome! I am going to make some more and hopefully pick up some mason jars soon. :D

Easy Kids' Lunch

Sometimes I plan ahead of time the kids' lunches, most often I don't. As long as I have what I need (cheese, bread, pizza sauce, fruit, crackers, perogies, hot dog, yogurt, pasta, etc) then I'm good.

One of their favorites is pizza quesadilla which I love making because it's so easy. If I run out of tortillas then I use any bread available then it becomes (pizza bread). I buy pizza sauce and tortillas on a regular basis (weekly) and usually mozzarella and marble cheese. The more types of cheese the merrier (and the pricier it gets). I don't buy the grated ones as they are so expensive. I have a great set of arms (huge actually) and can do the grating myself. We used to buy the cheese slices but I only used them for sandwiches so we switched to the cheese bars plus they give you more bang for your buck (frugal momma right here!)

See how easy it is to prepare this? It tastes really good especially when it's warm. My kids don't care though if it's warm or not, it's always a hit and they come home with empty lunch boxes :D

And may I just say, I love my grill pan. It's probably the most used cooking ware I have. It's very useful and hasn't let me down (just yet).

Long Weekend 2012

Hubby just had his birthday a few days ago and it seemed like my own. We spent it quietly, no party and just some family time, watched Avengers, window shopped, shopped (for real) and slept haha! We should have gone on a road trip but we weren't able to plan the long weekend properly, blame it to laziness or being preoccupied with lotsa stuff lately, both hubby and I.

Happy Birthday B!

Post birthday lunch Sizzling pork belly

Still, it was an amazing weekend, nothing beats some family time and some retail therapy. We got some sizzling plates, silicone bakeware, etc. So hubby's birthday dinner was yummy sizzling steak!

silicone molds for my puto

bought cheap juice .07/can

I gave hubby a birthday gift, birthday gifts I mean and used coupons of course :D

my gifts to hubby: TEN Febreze car clips :)

Appetite Has Sprung

We've been having new meals lately and thanks to the slow cooker, life's easy these days. It allows me to go out for my coupon trips and go home to a sumptuous meal. I didn't like using the slow cooker before as I don't have any patience for it but now I am truly surprised how delicious our meals have turned out and how easy it is to prepare everything.

chicken with italian herb spices

chicken slow cooked in bbq sauce

beef slow cooked in mushroom soup

Aside from the slow cooker, the grill pan is my other favorite in the kitchen. I found it very useful and caters to our love for grilled food.

grilled chicken and vegetables

yummy Arctic Gardens veggies

chicken breast marinated in VH honey garlic sauce

our new favorite

Few weeks back I bought 72 cans of soup and we're probably down to 50. I use the tomato soup and mushroom soup for cooking while the chicken noodle soup is a favorite of the kids.

our soup stock

chicken noodle soup and triscuit crackers for dinner

shrimp, frozen veggies with mushroom soup as sauce

a soup with everything on it, so yummy!

Another favorite of the family lately is cheese omelette, I tweaked it a bit and included tuna. As we're trying to healthy and eat more vegetables lately, another variation of the veggies and shrimp I included quail eggs and used chopsuey mix.

tuna cheesy omelette

shrimp, quail eggs and veggies

chopsuey

Who needs to eat in restaurants when you can make all these at home? Thanks to my kitchen gadgets and hubby's appetite and appreciation, I won't ever slow down in creating new meals and more grilled food. Hooray for spring! :D

FYI: I Still Cook!

I've been forgetting to take pictures of food lately, maybe I should  forget about my coupons for a bit. We still love food but I haven't cooked anything exciting lately except that we now eat breakfast regularly these days. Breakfast not consisting of rice and leftover viands but a real breakfast meal of toast with cream cheese and jam, eggs, bacon, hash brown and juice. All I needed was my new griddle and I get up each day excited to prepare something. Thanks hubby I love my griddle!

yeyy ♥ my new griddle

my boys' breakfast

Leila's french toast

Aside from the griddle, I have also been using the slow cooker more. I now appreciate it being slow and having the freedom to go out while something's cooking. Plus hubby likes super tender meat and warm meals so the slow cooker is really perfect for him. I am still on the lookout for yummy slow cooker recipes and have yet to try a bunch that I have found.

yummy pulled pork

moose with veggies

We tried the moose roast but hubby and I didn't like it. Maybe I'm just a huge fan of beef or I'm not adventurous enough to try other meats. I didn't like the buffalo as well and we still have elk in the freezer. I eat goat, don't know why I'm not liking any of those other meats.

Another favorite of mine to use in the kitchen lately is the grill pan. We got it last month in Ikea and have used it more than a dozen times already. I love grilled pork dipped in vinegar with garlic. I like it seasoned with just salt and pepper but hubby likes it fancier so I used herbs (oregano, thyme, rosemary) and this time used pork loin. Hubby is being choosy with his pork lately only wanting tenderloin and pork loin which is good, less fats but more expensive so it's bad in some way :D

Shopping at T&T

Lance's fave: cheesy ensaymada

I love going to Calgary partly because we get to go to T&T Supermarket and buy Filipino stuff (mostly food) and since it's a pretty big store, they got a huge selection of almost everything a Pinoy living abroad would want. I would have wanted to fill out a shopping cart but I decided to just pick out what we need (banana leaves, grated cassava, rice crackers, ensaymada, and my steamer). Just a few items but enough to make me happy and that's because of the steamer of course!

cheese flavored rice crackers

I used it the very next day for my Cassava Suman and then used it again the day after for the Max's style fried chicken. Steamed dishes coming up soon :D

steamed for 45 mins. before frying

first time ever to cook cassava suman

Lunch at Red Lobster

During our recent trip to Calgary, we stopped at Red Lobster for lunch. Hubby ordered the Ultimate Feast while I tried the Bar Harbor Lobster and Shrimp Trio with creamy parmesan lobster and shrimp bake. We were so full and satisfied after the meal. It's worth the wait (we've been planning to eat there for the longest time), but of course, the seafood back home is still the BEST!

Steak is next on our list but first, I'll give the Max's style Fried Chicken a try using my new steamer tomorrow :D

a steamer at last!