There are moments when we make last-minute decisions that actually turn out well. One of which is deciding what to cook for dinner.
Yesterday evening, I had no plan to cook additional food for dinner since we still had a lot of fried fish that was left from our lunch. I was already done setting the table for dinner when I realized the meal looked “dry”. I wanted something warm like some soup to pair with the fish, chicken siomai, and rice.
The problem was I didn’t really want to go to the market to buy whatever was needed to make some soup. I didn’t want to cook instant beef noodles either. So, I had to make use of what was available. I have to quickly cook something so we could have dinner at around 7 pm.
Surprisingly, we had some macaroni, milk, and some veggies in our stash. We also had sliced ham in the fridge. So I decided to make my version of macaroni soup.
I used the following ingredients that were readily available at home:
200g macaroni (I used Del Monte salad macaroni for this recipe)
5 pieces of ham slices, chopped
½ cup whole corn kernels (I used canned corn kernels)
1 medium-sized carrot, chopped
1 medium-sized green onion (this one’s from our yard), chop and separate the white/bottom part from the green leafy part
5 cups of water
1 cup of milk (I used evaporated milk)
Himalayan salt and pepper, to taste
Steps:
- Pour 5 cups of water into a pot and let it simmer. Add salt. Then add the macaroni. Cook for about 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2.Then, add the chopped onions (white/bottom part). Let the water boil.
3.Add the chopped carrots and then simmer. Make sure not to overcook both the macaroni and the carrots.
4.Add the chopped ham and add a pinch of salt.
5.Let it boil,then add the corn kernels.
6.Pour in the milk. Let simmer. Adjust your stove this time (set to medium) to avoid milk from curdling.
7.Add the onion (green leafy part) and let simmer. Stir every now and then.
8.Add ground black pepper (skip if you don't like black pepper). Add salt to taste.
9.Simmer one more time before serving.
Soup is ready!👏
Our dinner was made extra special by this last-minute macaroni soup. It was creamy and hearty.
And yes, we ate it with our rice!😉
The best part of this cooking experience was seeing my son smile and eager to eat my home-cooked meal. He really loves to eat more when there’s some warm soup. My mother and my brother also had several helpings and they expressed how they like the taste.
Cooking is indeed something that warms not only the stomach but also the heart. I guess it is also my love language most of the time. I feel glad about what I cook when I do it right. There is some level of self-fulfillment every time I cook something good. A great bonus is seeing my loved ones appreciate my cooking. 😘
I would gladly cook this again for my family. I will also try to cook other recipes that might become a family favorite. How about you? What food have you cooked for your loved ones that made their hearts smile? And what would you love to cook for them someday? 💜