Be a little more YOU

"Be a little 

more you,

And 

a lot less

Them."

 

Cowboy Pasta Salad

I made another Yummy Pasta Salad yesterday. 

There is something so fun about making all of these Pasta Salad.

I like making the most Colorful ones!

That could mean it's the healthiest or yummiest right?

Either way I am enjoying it.

The only difference with this Pasta Salad is that 

you can eat it cold or you can microwave it before eating.

I prefer it a little warm.

It sure is good cold though.

What ever you prefer!

I mean..

Look at these Colors!

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried  pasta shells
• 1 pound hickory smoked bacon , diced
• 3/4 pound lean ground beef
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• pinch red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup barbecue sauce
• 2 tablespoons Spicy Brown Mustard
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 1/2 teaspoons hot chili sauce
• 15 ounce can whole kernel sweet corn, drained
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 5 scallions, diced

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil; cook pasta until al dente according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drizzle with a little olive oil to prevent sticking.
• In the meantime, saute bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crispy, about 10 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain off grease. Wipe out skillet, leaving a little of the bacon grease. Add the ground beef; cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until cooked through and no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Season with the cumin, red pepper flakes, and with a pinch of salt and pepper. Drain off fat. Set aside to cool completely.
• In an extra large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, barbecue sauce, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and hot chili sauce until combined and smooth. Add in the cooked pasta, bacon, beef, corn, tomatoes, cheese, and scallions; toss to combine and coat.
• Enjoy right away or refrigerate until ready to serve.

The Sauce was definitely so good.

It has Cheeseburger/BBQ flavor to it and we love it!

Double the recipe if you prefer it really saucy!

Let me know what you guys think!

Enjoy!

xoxo

 

Tortang Giniling

As much as I can, I try to make different kinds of dish/meals for my boys to have. 

It's so easy to just make them Pizza or Chicken nuggets.

But, I don't want them to grow up eating the same thing and become so picky. 

Also, they are half Filipinos SO they need to at least try all the Filipino Dish. 

For today, I made Tortang Giniling.

It's a kind of Filipino Omelette.

I mean, very basic, easy to make.

It's the best way to hide those veggies. 

I think they loved it. 

We also made it as a Sandwich and it was a good idea!

Let me know what you guys think!

Ingredients

• 3/4 lb. ground pork or beef
• 6 pieces raw eggs
• 1 medium-sized onion diced
• 2 medium sized tomatoes diced
• 4 cloves garlic chopped
• 1 small green bell pepper minced
• 1 small red bell pepper minced
• 1/2 cup frozen green peas
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons cooking oil

Instructions

• Heat a frying pan or wok and pour-in 2 tablespoons of cooking oil
• When the oil is hot enough, sauté the onion, garlic, and tomato.
• Add the ground meat and cook for 8 to 10 minutes.
• Put-in the bell peppers and green peas. Cook for 3 minutes.
• Add salt and pepper then stir to distribute. Transfer to a large bowl. Let it cool down.
• When the cooked ground meat reaches room temperature, beat the eggs and pour into the bowl same bowl. Stir to distribute all the ingredients.
• Heat a clean non-stick pan. Add the remaining cooking oil.
• Scoop 1/3 of the egg and pork mixture to the pan.
• Cook each side for 3 minutes or until you see that the eggs are fully cooked. Avoid overcooking the eggs. Do the same step until the mixture is consumed.
• Turn off the heat and transfer to a serving plate.
• Serve with banana ketchup or any dip preferred.

I also made Air fried Tilapia. (30 mins in the Air fryer 375F Flipping half way.)

I can never get tired of Seafood.

Now that I can make Fried Seafood whenever I want and not worry about all the mess.

It makes me so happy!

I also made my favorite Mango Salsa to pair it with.

( Mango Salsa )

 

Enjoy!!

xoxo

Dream Closet

 

Don't you just have that FAVORITE room in your house that every time you come in

You can't help but stare and admire?

Everyone needs at least one. 

I'm in love with our Closet. 

Now that it's officially Spring. 

It was time for some Spring cleaning.

I love that my husband supports me with wanting to keep our closet organized.

He is an organized person himself.

My Shoe Closet/2nd Closet finally have chair.

Putting on shoes is going to be much easier. 

Another Room that I love so much!

We also did a quick retouch to the patio/outdoor entertainment area. 

It's crazy how better it looks now.

I'm not crazy with how Red it is.

Maybe one day we'll put in tiles, But for now this will do. 

Which one is your favorite room?

Do you do Spring Cleaning?

It feels so good and It feels more relaxing when your house is clean. 

It may be hard time to find time to clean and It's definitely hard to keep it clean.

Just one thing is for sure, It is so worth it. 

xoxo

Jalapeño Popper Pigs in a Blanket

 

We had Another Finger food Friday's few weeks ago.

Hubby's request was Pigs in a blanket, but of course its a Jalapeño popper one.

He made me like Jalapeño so I had to say yes.

I think this would also be good with just regular crescent rolls but I wanted it to

have a Pretzel like texture and flavor.

...And it did!

It was so good.

INGREDIENTS




• 18 jalapeño peppers
• 36 lil smokies or cocktail wieners
• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 6 ounces extra sharp cheddar, shredded
• All-purpose flour, for dusting
• 3 sheets puff pastry, thawed
• 1 large egg
• Pretzel salt, for sprinkling, optional
• Marinara sauce, to serve, optional

INSTRUCTIONS



1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Cut the tops off of the jalapeño peppers and then each pepper in half. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and membranes and discard them. Place a cocktail wiener on each scooped out pepper half and cut the pepper to be the same size as the cocktail wiener. Set aside.
3. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the cream cheese and cheddar cheese until well-combined. One at a time, remove the cocktail wiener from each pepper segement and fill each jalapeño pepper segment with the cheese mixture. Then, top each cheese-filled jalapeño pepper segment again with the cocktail wieners. Set aside.
4. In a small bowl, whisk the egg.
5. On a lightly floured surface, unroll 1 puff pastry dough sheet. Cut it into 6 equal strips, and then cut those strips in half, cross-ways, to create 12 equal-sized pieces. Roll each stuffed pepper piece in 1 puff pastry strip, then seal with the egg wash. Place the wrapped jalapeño pieces on the prepared baking sheets. Repeat until all no jalapeño pieces or puff pastry remains.
6. Brush the puff pastry tops with the remaining egg and sprinkle lightly with pretzel salt. Bake until browned, about 25 to 30 minutes.
7. Some of the cheese filling will have spilled out, but don’t worry. Allow the Jalapeño Popper Pigs in a Blanket to cool slightly and use a knife to gently scrape away the cheese that’s oozed out onto the baking sheet. There will still be plenty of cheese left inside.
8. Serve warm with marinara sauce, for dipping.

Also made my favorite Mango Salsa.

Perfect for Chips or  Side dish.

( Recipe here )

Have a good weekend!

xoxo

Air fryer Pork Belly (Lechon Kawali)

 

I have been seeing so many things you can cook in the  Air fryer.

All the Crispy food! So I thought why not make this. 

Who would've thought it would be this easy!

So so happy with my Air fryer.

Let me know what you guys think!

Ingredients:

- 1-2 lbs pork belly

-Water

- Peppercorn

-garlic

-Bay leaves 3-4 pcs

-Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

* Boil pork belly in a pot with water, salt, whole peppercorns, bay leaves & garlic for 25 mins.

* Drain the water, pat dry and store in the fridge overnight

* Rub with salt and poke holes using a fork.

* Cook for 35 mins at 375F in the air fryer (flipping halfway)

* Cut and Serve. 

It came out really crispy so use your best, sharp knife!

Enjoy!!!

xo

Boy's Play Room

So much more  to be done in the Boy's Play room

But, for now I am so happy how it looks.

We got the Stuffed Animals Hammock from 

Amazon 

( Here )

For its price it's definitely worth buying.

If your kids love Stuffed Animals as much as our boys do.

I highly recommend!

Still deciding what theme we are going for.

What is yours?

Open for ideas!

I think they love it!

xo

 

St. Louis Zoo

With whats going on right now.

We try to be really careful and just stay home more.

But, with the Spring break we decided to do something that the kids will love.

With extra precaution.

The boys were so excited!

We went for a day trip to St. Louis!

It's about 3 and half hour from us.

It was okay, we just had to leave early!

I'm glad it was open and its free!

All you have to do is make a reservation a week ahead.

Though..

I'm surprised how much people were there.

It wasn't bad, we just had to keep our distance from everyone.

It was a beautiful day.

We saw all the Animals.

I think the boys enjoyed it!

The Zoo was quite big.

We enjoyed walking though.

These Animals looked like they are being taken care of well. 

We took a quick break and had snacks and drinks.

I loved the Zoo cup that you could get refilled whenever you want.

Even on your next visit.

After walking for a little while.

We decided to try the Train for our last Activity so we can see the whole Zoo.

It was worth it. 

We went around twice.

Since it was a 3 hours drive we headed home after the Zoo. 

It was a Fun-filled day.

So excited to do other things in St. Louis!

Which one is your favorite??

xoxo

Sunday Grillin'

 

Yesterday was a perfect Spring day!

It was such a rainy week so I was so glad that the Sun finally came out

so we can enjoy the last day of Spring break. 

Hubby grilled some Pork chops.

I got to chill with them while I was waiting for the Side dish to be done.

This Side dish was perfect, so easy to make and so yummy!

( Cheesy Vegetable Bake )

Dinner and Vikings!

The perfect Sunday!

Have a great week!

xoxo

Cheesy Vegetable Bake

 

I like having a really good side dish for our grilling days. 

Hubby usually cook cheesy mixed vegetables on the grill

But, for a change I decided to bake it.

If you are looking for a really good Vegetable Side Dish...

These are perfect!

We added some Crab meat since Hubby loves meat.

But definitely optional.

Let me know what you guys think!

Ingredients

• Nonstick cooking spray 
• 2 (16 ounce) packages frozen broccoli, cauliflower and carrots, thawed and rinsed (see Tip) 
• 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated fat-free milk 
  2 cups Imitation crab meat,chopped
• ¼ cup finely chopped onion 
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 
• 2 cloves garlic, minced 
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper 
• ¾ cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese (3 ounces) 
• ½ (8 ounce) package  cream cheese cut up and softened 
• ⅔ cup bread crumbs herb and cheese flavor
• 2 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley (Optional)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  Directions

  
  

  • 
    

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 2-quart square baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange thawed vegetables and crab meat in the baking dish. Set aside.

  • 
    

    In a medium saucepan, whisk together evaporated milk, onion, flour, garlic and pepper. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat. Add cheddar cheese and cream cheese, whisking until melted and smooth.

  • 
    

    Pour cheese mixture evenly over vegetables. Toss gently to coat vegetables with sauce. Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Lightly coat crumbs with additional cooking spray.

  • 
    

    Bake for 30-40 minutes or until mixture is bubbly and crumbs are lightly browned. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. If desired, sprinkle with parsley and/or basil.

  Tips

  Tip: Thaw vegetables overnight in the refrigerator or place vegetables in a large colander. Run cool water over vegetables. Let stand for 15 minutes to drain.

  
  

  
  

  

  
  

  Hubby grilled some Pork Chops.

  It was the perfect side dish!

  
  

  xoxo