I'm so excited for this!! :) Finally, a chance for me to see if this will be a good fit for our family.
Homeschooling, ready for the world! See you all tomorrow! :)
P.S. Yes I know, need to sleep na hehehe :)
Saturday, October 17, 2015
Sunday, October 11, 2015
Slow Cooker Meal: Tasty's Mozzarella-Stuffed Meatballs
Lately I've been suffering from waking up during odd hours at night. Not too sure if it's insomnia since I get to sleep by 9 or 10 pm. The bad part is I usually wake up at 2 am and not feel even a lil bit sleepy until after a couple of hours. So what do I do with that time? After I get to check on my fave sites, I try to be productive by scouring the net for fun, healthy, yummy and (hopefully) affordable meals I can prepare for the family.
I guess it was just my luck to have seen a slow cooker meal featured by Tasty. Just one look at the video and I knew I just had to make it! I was really pining for it for almost a week so I'm really glad we got the time to buy the ingredients needed when we dropped by Rockwell's Rustan's Supermarket.
Mommy Meowmeow's Verdict
My verdict? This meatball dish is the bomb!!! And every bite just feels like heaven... At first I was scared what would come out of it but now I'm so glad I took the risk. Absolutely goes right away to the top of my hall of fame list for easy and super delicious meals!
And since we made it using my mom's slow-cooker, I'm convinced more than ever that we should go get our own :)
In the grocery bag
So here's the list of ingredients including how much it costs in the Philippines:
1 pound ground beef = 139.67 [Ground Sirloin]
1 pound hot Italian sausage = 400.39 [Italian sausage we just peeled the casing]
1/2 tsp garlic powder = 5.00
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 cup bread crumbs = 15.25 [Nan Yuan]
1/4 cup parmesan cheese = 201.00
1 pound hot Italian sausage = 400.39 [Italian sausage we just peeled the casing]
1/2 tsp garlic powder = 5.00
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 cup bread crumbs = 15.25 [Nan Yuan]
1/4 cup parmesan cheese = 201.00
1 pack mozzarella cheese = 259.00
2 eggs = 30.67
1/2 cup whole milk = 28.00
1/2 cup chopped parsley = 31.86
2 eggs = 30.67
1/2 cup whole milk = 28.00
1/2 cup chopped parsley = 31.86
tomato sauce = 77.25 [We used 1 kg Clara Ole Sweet Style Spaghetti Sauce]
RECIPE from Tasty
1. Cut the mozzarella cheese into 3/4 inch cubes cubes. Store in refrigerator while preparing the meat.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine the above-mentioned ingredients (except for the mozzarella and tomato sauce)
3. Roll golf ball sized balls with the meat mixture. Squish mozzarella cube into the center and pull the edges of the meat ball around it until it’s a new ball again. [I now realize what an important step this is if you don't want the mozzarella to "escape" the meatball]
4. Arrange meatballs in slow cooker and cover in tomato sauce.
5. Cook on high for 2 to 2.5 hours.
So all in all it cost us around PHP 1,188.09 or roughly USD 26.40 --> I know! It's not exactly in the affordable category but it just tastes so good I'll probably still do this every so often! :p I wasn't able to make a count of the total meatballs but from memory it would be something from 15-18 medium balls.
1. Cut the mozzarella cheese into 3/4 inch cubes cubes. Store in refrigerator while preparing the meat.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine the above-mentioned ingredients (except for the mozzarella and tomato sauce)
3. Roll golf ball sized balls with the meat mixture. Squish mozzarella cube into the center and pull the edges of the meat ball around it until it’s a new ball again. [I now realize what an important step this is if you don't want the mozzarella to "escape" the meatball]
4. Arrange meatballs in slow cooker and cover in tomato sauce.
5. Cook on high for 2 to 2.5 hours.
So all in all it cost us around PHP 1,188.09 or roughly USD 26.40 --> I know! It's not exactly in the affordable category but it just tastes so good I'll probably still do this every so often! :p I wasn't able to make a count of the total meatballs but from memory it would be something from 15-18 medium balls.
Tips to make it more affordable: If you notice the Italian sausage is the runaway super expensive ingredient. If you're up to it you might want to substitute a local sausage variant (e.g. longganisang lucban, etc.) but the taste would definitely change a lot! The Italian sausage is actually the anchor or base taste of this dish. Parmesan and mozzarella are also not on the cheap side here in the Philippines; maybe you could change it to Quickmelt cheddar cheese or kesong puti perhaps? Again, proceed with caution! :) Oh and of course, the total cost might go down a bit depending on where you purchase the goods..methinks I have to do more research on quality and affordable sources :)
Over-all
1. I really (really, really, really!!!!) love this! :) I'll definitely splurge on this comfort food at least once a month.
2. Note to self: must learn more Italian recipes...and slow cooker meals!
3. Must buy our Crock-Pot Slow Cooker
!! The slow cooker is such an encouraging cooking device! It makes me feel like I can be a "pro" in the kitchen. The results are just fantastic!
!! The slow cooker is such an encouraging cooking device! It makes me feel like I can be a "pro" in the kitchen. The results are just fantastic!
Monday, October 5, 2015
Happy World Teacher's Day!
Seems like it was just yesterday when I entered my first class. [Cue John Travolta's: I got chills, they're multiplyin'...] Hehehe...ahhh, that was some 2 years ago but look, I'm still here. The past couple of years have been eye-openers. There are moments of self-doubt when we ask if what we offer is 'enough', moments of inspiration when we look to the works of our students, co-faculty and members of the academe. But what I love most are the fleeting moments of pride in my students when I see something just "clicks". You'll somehow know that you're doing something right. That hope is not lost on the youth.
Today marks the culmination of World Teacher's Day. I'd like to honor my former teachers and my colleagues now at the university for choosing this road, preparing the path for the youth. Despite the challenges and sacrifices this profession requires, we still soldier on for the children. So dear readers, I hope you can say a prayer for all teachers that we can continue to "teach minds, touch hearts and change lives" as we go through our journey.
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| Illustration courtesy of: http://www.balancinghome.com |
Our La Sallian Prayer,
I will continue O my God to do all my actions for the love of you.
St. Philip Neri, please pray for us.St. Faustina Kowalska, please pray for us.St. John Baptist De La Salle, please pray for us.
Live Jesus in our hearts, forever.
Sunday, October 4, 2015
Video: Oh Boy! Baby Shower for Bel & Paul
Aside from weddings and kids parties, it seems that there are more and more baby showers on our calendar :) The last one we attended was for my sister-in-law & her hubby's baby. It was held at Stacy's in Forbeswood BGC, and let me tell you, the ID was so spot-on, I nearly wanted to be a kid again! Or I could peg their shop as design inspiration for a girl's room or a nursery. It's just the right amount of vintage, shabby chic..really lovely! And the Smeg refrigerator! Aaaaggghhhh!! If it's possible to have a "crush" on a home appliance, I think this would be it! :)
The food was good too for a hearty and heavy merienda fare. Okay, I'm not sure if it was actually intended as snacks but that's what snacking is in my book = anything without rice! ..hahaha.. :) We had salad with pomelo and a nutty vinaigrette, fried/baked soft & crunchy chicken and their semi-spicy pasta. Don't tell A but I think I went beyond seconds here! :p
We certainly had so much fun too seeing grown up men (&women) gulping rounds of milk from a baby bottle, wrestling to fit a diaper, force-feeding an adult with Gerber baby food...and so much more! :)
Kudos to The Happyness Project team (Diane Lim & Kim Go) for a very successful event! :) Here's another home-made video, hope you like it! :)
Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Ang for their soon-to-arrive baby boy! :)
Baby Shower for Bel & Paul from Andrew Lim on Vimeo.
http://www.mommymeowmeow.com
Organized & Hosted by: Diane Lim & Kim Go | The Happyness Project
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