Category Archives: Recipes For Busy Moms

Planning a Budget Friendly Children’s Party

Posted by Mommy Les on May 27, 2011 None comments

Most kids look forward to celebrating their birthday, as Moms we need to make sure that it will be a very special party. Being special does not mean being expensive. If you have an allotted budget for the party, there is no need to worry because there are ways to have a budget friendly kids’ party. All it takes is a little creativity and resourcefulness on your part.

First thing to do is to decide on the party theme. There is free software on the internet that will allow you to customize party invitations, banners and even party hats. All you need to do is to personalize the template and print.

Second, birthday parties should be fun; so think of games that would not require you to buy any props. Kids love to play Treasure Hunt, create a treasure hunting map for the kids to follow and enjoy. Play popular music and simply let the kids twist and dance.

When it comes to food, you will definitely save a lot of money if you will prepare and cook the food. However, if you are not the cooking-type mom; you can order food and mix and match menu of not-so expensive food.

Nonna’s Steamed Chicken

Posted by Antoniette Sellaro on March 26, 2011 None comments

This is a very simple recipe where all the ingredients are literally put together in a pan and steamed until cooked.

The secret however in cooking this recipe is the pan that you need to use.  Whether it be Teflon, Tefal, Baccarat, Bessemer etc., the thing is, there must be a lid.

Ingredients:  chicken legs, crushed garlic, olive oil, peeled and chopped potatoes, carrots, chopped pumpkin with peel, sliced tomatoes, chopped parsley, red chillies (optional)

Here’s the simple instruction in cooking this chicken recipe:  Pour olive oil in the pan; put the chicken drumsticks in and brown it, turning pieces every minute – this is to dry the water out of the chicken;  When chicken drumsticks are nearly golden brown, put the crushed garlic in to start flavour the chicken.  Put in the veggies – potatoes, pumpkin, carrots, chillies, and tomatoes.  Season with salt and black pepper.  When everything is well distributed and arranged in the pan, put the lid on and steam it until all the vegetables are cooked and the juice from all the ingredients are in the base of the pan.

Remember that in the latter part of the cooking where all the ingredients are in, fire must be very low.  Do turn the chicken legs once in a while.  The lid keeps the steam in and cooks the chicken slowly.  Make sure though that it doesn’t get dry to avoid burning.

Cooking may take 45 minutes to 1 hour.

When everything is cooked sprinkle it with parsley on top and serve.

Botarga: Palabok Italian Style

Posted by Antoniette Sellaro on January 12, 2011 1 comments


Botarga is an Italian term for “fish roe”.  Australians pronounce it ‘bat-ta-ga’. It is a sun dried Mullet roe.  In Filipino, it’s ‘itlog ng isda’ (fish eggs) which is like dried caviar.

This simple recipe that I am going to share to you tastes exactly like ‘palabok’ but without the usual sauce that Filipinos pour on top of the noodles.  The olive oil together with the other ingredients are sufficient to replace that sauce.

Ingredients:

Grated botarga 5-10 grams, chopped garlic, chopped red chillies, peeled prawns, finely chopped Italian/ flat parsley, olive oil, spaghetti.

Cooking instructions: Pre-boil spaghetti.

In a pan, put olive oil – about 3/4 cup for 500 grams spaghetti.  Saute garlic until soft; do not brown.  Add chillies, peeled prawns, and parsley. Cook for a minute.  Turn stove off and put in the grated botarga.  Toss spaghetti.  Serve with lemon wedges.

This recipe is so simple.  I usually cook this when I do not have much time to cook.  My husband loves this.  The taste is, for me, out of this world, that I can eat it everyday!

I will also try to experiment with the combined recipe of Filipino palabok and this botarga recipe.

Botarga is also known as “Karasumi” in Japananese.  This is a delicacy in Shizuoka.  It is called “boutargue” in French.  It is quite expensive but it’s worth it.

Buffalo Chicken Wings…Finger Licking Good!

Posted by Antoniette Sellaro on July 15, 2010 2 comments

I love chicken wings especially the ‘wingette’ (not the tip part) which have more meat in it.  This recipe brings more enjoyment in eating my favorite chicken wings because of its delicious marinade.  This is a simple marinade recipe that can be prepared several hours or even a day before cooking.

Ingredients for the marinade: 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 shallot finely chopped; 3 garlic cloves 1/2 cup tomato sauce; 1 tbsp dried oregano; few drops of chili sauce; 2 tbsp brown sugar; salt and finely ground black pepper; 12 pieces of chicken wings

Procedure: Preheat the oven to 180C.  Put all the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.  Marinade the chicken wings for a couple of hours before cooking or even over night.  Oil a baking tray and arrange the chicken wings skin-side down.  Place in the oven and cook for 10-15 minutes.  Turn the wings over and cook for further 10 minutes, or until cooked.

Tip: I first cook the chicken wings for few minutes in a grill pan or barbecue grill.  I love the smoky taste that the grilling process gives to the chicken.  Then, after a couple of minutes, I put the chicken on the tray and straight to the oven.  The grilling also seals the flavor and liquid in the chicken, thus, making it juicy and not dry.

Dip: The used marinade can be made into a topping sauce for this recipe.  Simply put the marinade in a small sauce pan and add 1/3 cup of chicken stock.  Stir continuously in low heat.  Put in a teaspoon of thick cream and stir to blend.  This is a beautiful sauce.  The chicken wings in the photos have sauce in it, less the cream though.  This is because hubby is on diet and I preferred to do that to reduce calorie and fat intake.

If you want a thick dip instead of sauce, a mixture of sour cream, a tablespoon of lemon juice, crumbled feta or any soft cheese, and chives and black pepper make perfect dipping sauce for this.  Bon apetit!

(Ideas for this recipe were derived from ‘The Cooking Book’ by Brigitte Hafner.)

Healthy Veggie Dip

Posted by Antoniette Sellaro on June 21, 2010 None comments

A healthy choice for veggie lovers...

I have seen this a couple of weeks ago on my favorite cooking show.  That one of Giada in Food Channel.  I got very interested in this because I love green peas and I love the witlof with which she served the dip.  The thing is, I am not really fond of sundried tomatoes.  But still, I gave it a go.

Ingredients:  A cup of sundried tomatoes marinated in olive oil; 2 cups of frozen peas (blunched); 2 cloves of garlic; half cup of olive oil; salt and pepper; chili flakes (optional)

Procedure:  Put all the ingredients in the food processor and blend it until all the ingredients are well incorporated.  Make sure that it still has a coarse texture.  We don’t want the ingredients pureed.  Serve with veggies like witlof spears, baby cos/ baby romaine lettuce, seeded cucumbers or any veggies you like.

I served mine with witlof spears.  I love the sweet taste of green peas combined with the salty-sour taste of sundried tomatoes.  But since the witlof spears have a  bit of bitter taste, it may not be the ideal choice for those who do not like bitter veggies.  I recommend baby cos/ baby romaine lettuce as it is a bit sweet and very juicy.

This dip is ideal for dinner or cocktail parties.

Spare Ribs Adobo In Red Wine

Posted by Antoniette Sellaro on June 12, 2010 None comments

Finger-licking good 'red wine adobo'

If you are a real Filipino you must love adobo.  Who is not familiar with adobo?  Whether you are in the Philippines or in other countries around the globe, Filipinos have to have adobo on their table once in a blue moon.  This is like a Pinoy ‘trademark’.  My friend in Las Vegas told me about the adobo they ordered in one of the restaurants there.  Yes, sure, it was yummy…but nothing can beat the home made adobo that we cook in our own version.

I have tasted and cooked different versions of adobo.  I love my mom’s version of adobo with dried banana flowers.  I miss it so much.  I promise that as soon as I find banana flowers here in Sydney I will definitely cook that version.  My brother-in-law’s version of adobo is worth the wait; he cooks it for an hour or so.  He cooks the meat first with the golden brown garlic then the rest of the cooking process lasts for an hour.  This adobo is one of the best I have ever tasted.  I love the garlicky taste.  This version has no sauce because it is cooked until it gets dry.

I came up with my own version of adobo.  This is spare ribs adobo with red wine vinegar.  What makes it different is the vinegar itself and the red wine.  The blend of the red wine vinegar and red wine with the flavors of garlic, a bit of sugar, soy sauce, black pepper corns and bay leaves is simply a piece of heaven in my palate.  The very tender pork spare ribs and the adobo sauce are finger-licking good.

Procedure: Brown spare ribs (1kg) in a bit of oil to seal the juice and flavor of the meat.  When done, set aside in a plate.  Put the garlic in the same pan and cook until brown.  Put in half cup of water, 1/4 cup of soy sauce (or just enough to make the sauce salty).  Put in a bit of sugar, black pepper corns and bay leaves.  Cook until the meat is tender.  Pour in the red wine vinegar – the amount will depend on your taste, so aim for that taste that pleases your palate.  Pour in 2 table spoons of red wine.  Simmer until the sauce is reduced and sticky.  Serve with steamed jasmine rice.