Instant Pot Sausage and Cabbage Soup

This quick, easy and tasty Sausage and Cabbage Soup is made in the Instant Pot (pressure cooker) for a dish that's on the table in 30 minutes!

It's still summery out there, I know, but before you know it, the cold weather would just sneak upon us. Thus, I have been doing my preparations in advance making some soup recipes that we can count on to give up warmth and comfort during the coming chilly weather!!

Slow Cooker Chicken (or Turkey) Chili

I have made this chili many times for my family and friends and it's always well loved and the super easy recipe is often requested. 

When our schedules are not hectic we love to have people over at our place. We especially love having friends from church during Sunday nights after the evening worship service. It's just a nice and perfect time to relax, enjoy each others company especially before we face the challenges in the real world the next day --- Monday! We enjoy some food and occasionally have some games that everyone can participate in. We don't do anything too formal or structured, the food is mostly the appetizer type - quick and easy in preparation. The point is to enjoy each other's company in a fuss-free environment.

Cheese Tortellini Soup with White Beans and Kielbasa

In 30 minutes you can serve your family a hearty and delicious soup! Easy-peasy yumminess in a bowl!

I have been making quite a lot of soup this winter season. You may think, well, that's pretty normal for the cold season. Perhaps but it's not normal for me. Since the Philippines is a hot country with only two major seasons - wet and dry - which incidentally are both relatively warm (hot!) weather, you won't often find soup on a Filipino's daily menu. Besides that, soup, like tea, when served, is often associated with an ailment or being unwell as that's often what's given to anyone who has been afflicted with some illness in the Philippines. Having this background, you can imagine, I am not much of a soup person at all.

Italian Sausage, Kale and White Bean Soup

In 30 minutes you have a delicious, nutritious and hearty soup for the whole family -  Italian Sausage, Kale and White Bean Soup. Easy recipe, too.

Winter season is soup season indeed! Since winter is also the season when you most likely will get sick or catch a bug, I want to make sure that I feed  my family healthy and wholesome food, too. As we all know green and leafy vegetables are one of the best sources of nutrients and Kale is certainly often considered the queen (or was it king?) of greens! Naturally, since it's not exactly candy material and the bright tint of green doesn't excite my kids either - I need to devise some ways to make them eat this healthy veggie!

Italian Sausage Casserole

This Italian Sausage Casserole is delicious and loaded with flavors from meat, herbs and vegetables! A healthy and yummy option for those in a gluten-free and low-carb diet, too!

Last November we went to England because of a family emergency. While we were there we met up with some of our friends. We only get to see them when we come to the UK for a visit so when we are over we make sure we meet at least once. One of the Sundays we were in London we attended worship service at St. Helen's, part of the Church of England denomination. Our friend attends this church regularly and we all decided to have dinner together after the evening service. After our souls were fed, we wondered where to get some physical nourishment. Thankfully, we didn't have to go too far to find a restaurant as St. Helen's, on Sunday nights, offers a dining service in one of its buildings for a very reasonable price. And the food was really good!!!

Slow Cooker Beef Caldereta (Kalderetang Baka)

This Asian beef stew (Beef Caldereta) is robust in flavor and so delicious! Cooking in the slow cooker makes it very convenient, too. Serve with Jasmine rice.

Sometime last year when the weather was starting to get cooler, I had this intense craving for Filipino food. In particular, I was longing for a steamy bowl of Beef Caldereta, a classic Filipino beef stew originally based on a Spanish stew, hence the name, (we were colonized by Spain for over 300 years, remember?) but with a distinctly and authentic Asian flair! It is a dish you will commonly find in any major celebration in the Philippines - weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, you name it. It is usually made with either beef or goat though you may also find versions of chicken or pork. Naturally, it pairs perfectly well with rice!

One Bowl Yummy Pumpkin Muffins

Use this as your basic formula for  yummy Pumpkin Muffins! Add your favorite baking chips for extra deliciousness!

One day earlier in the school year my little boy came home very excited and declared he will be doing some baking the next day. I asked him what inspired him to do that? He said their class baked some pumpkin muffins that day and that he enjoyed them so much he wanted to make them again. He was totally motivated to do it that he, in fact, got the recipe and brought it home!

Overnight Apple Oatmeal with Praline Topping

Cinnamon flavored oatmeal with apples and a buttery, crunchy praline topping is a delicious fall or winter breakfast or brunch dish!

We are back this month with another 30 Day Recipe Challenge for the fall season and our main ingredient for September is the yummy, juicy Apple! For those of you who are new to our blog, in the 30 Day Recipe Challenge, I join with some amazing food bloggers and we create delicious recipes using a chosen main ingredient. We have a month to come up with the most mouth-watering and tasty recipe that would highlight said main ingredient.

Slow Cooker Beef Burgundy (Boeuf Bourguignon)

Beef chunks are simmered in red wine in the slow cooker and results in a melt-in-your-mouth delicious stew. Make this crockpot version of the classic French stew - Beef Burgundy (Boeuf Bourguignon) in the morning and enjoy it for dinner!

I feel the chill in the air! It has started to get cooler the past few days and I have seen leaves fall all over the place already which means Autumn has started. Yay! I do love the fall season with all the gorgeous colors that it brings and also the most wonderful and aromatic dishes we associate with it.

30 Delicious Apple Cakes for Every Occasion

To celebrate Fall and Apple season, here's a delicious collection of 30 DELICIOUS APPLE CAKES!  Look no more!

Apple Cheesecake Pie with Caramel Sauce

I can't believe it's just a couple more days and 2015 is over! In some ways I am quite excited to welcome the new year as globally speaking 2015 has been quite chaotic and really challenging for so many. That is not to say there weren't many good things that happened in the past year. In fact, my habit as the year ends is always to make a list of the many things I can truly be thankful for. I can only do that if I go through the year month by month and look at the past and see how the Lord has truly blessed us. If often surprises me and in the end I often have to admit that indeed while the year past may not be perfect (it never will be!) it definitely is good and always has been good by God's grace.

Cranberry Cheese and Prosciutto Sandwich

Do you stick to one particular supermarket or grocery store when you go shopping for food on a weekly basis? Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't depending on which one has a sale. I do have three favorite stores that I make my rounds on. I already know, more or less, where to go for particular products or for certain food and that helps make everything easier and convenient.

Candied Sweet Potato Casserole

My family and I are getting excited about Thanksgiving and it's just around the corner. Since my parents and siblings  are in the Philippines and hubby's parents are in England, when Thanksgiving comes we really don't have our family to celebrate with us - it's just the four of us, hubby, me and our two little Americans. We do miss them especially during Thanksgiving and Christmas as it's not often that we get to see them because the fares are astronomically high to travel abroad during holiday season.

Best Apple Crisp

A few days ago our very kind neighbors gave us a bag of apples. They were quite a lot and we knew we wouldn't be able to eat it all of it in one go so I had to think of other ways to enjoy these juicy apples. I have made several recipes using apples before and didn't fancy simply re-creating them. I was suddenly in the mood for doing something I haven't done yet.

Easy 3 Ingredient Chili (Slow Cooker or Stove Top)

Even though I am not a winter fan at all I do have two perfectly good reasons why I can tolerate (perhaps even love!) the cold season - fashion and food! Let's talk about fashion first. I just love fall and winter fashion - the boots, scarves, coats, hats or headbands and what have you.... I just love to dress up during fall and winter. I get excited digging up in the closet what I can wear again for the next few months and finding out which ones fit well with a particular pair of shoes or scarf, etc. The best part is that you don't even need to buy expensive clothes as long as you can properly mix and match your outfit with your accessories.

Dutch Apple Pie Bars

Apple Pie....who can resist this delicious fall favorite? I surely can't! I definitely crave this delicious dessert especially in Autumn but sometimes I don't feel like going through the trouble of making a pastry dough from scratch or even using a store bought one. Thankfully, these delicious apple pie bars come to the rescue!

Pear, Honey, Cheese and Caramelized Onion Sandwiches

A couple of weeks ago, we went to Rhode Island to check out the city of Newport, well-known for its lovely beaches and of course its mansions. It was holiday in Connecticut, the weather was warm and sunny so we took advantage and took a quick tour to our neighboring state. While there we had a quick stroll of the city center and had a tour of  "The Breakers" (Vanderbilt Mansion). We had a truly wonderful time.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Lassi

*These products were given to us free to sample as members of the Chobani Parents Club. All opinions are my own. #Chobani #ChobaniKids

Oh glorious autumn....the cool crisp weather, the falling leaves and the delicious flavors of the season! I am not a fan of winter at all but fall.....I love, love fall. I wish after Fall we can skip winter and proceed to spring so that after the bright reds, yellows and oranges of autumn we will immediately be treated to the delightful sight of vibrant green. 

Yummy Pear Pie

I am not much of a pie person I must confess. Not because I don't like it because I certainly do - it's one of my favorite desserts! I especially love it served a la mode - anything with ice cream is always better, isn't it? The truth is I don't make a lot of pies because I get scared I'll mess it up. It's just one of those desserts that I truly feel intimidated, I don't know why. That fear factor has certainly prevented me from trying to make pies.

Ricotta Meatballs in Creamy White Wine Sauce

Today I felt like a contestant in that popular show from the Food Network - Chopped. I had some left-over ingredients which needed to be used up but they seemed to be an odd assortment. Initially, I felt like it would be weird to merge them in one dish, much like in Chopped (though perhaps not as extreme) where contestants are supposed to come with a yummy dish using a medley of ingredients which you don't normally put together. That was my challenge for the day - how to use in one dish a few pieces of sun-dried tomatoes, a little wine, two types of cheeses and ground beef.