Hi, I’m Julie!

An Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW), wife, mother, a food lover and blogger.

Welcome to HappyTummyRecipes.com! I just want to say a big THANK YOU for visiting this blog. I will be sharing mostly Filipino and Asian-inspired recipes and some dishes that are simple to make and are also affordable.

A brief background

I was born and raised in Pampanga Philippines, the culinary capital of the Philippines. Due to unemployment in the Philippines and inspired to reach my dreams, I decided to work abroad. In 2006, I first set foot in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and been living here for more than 10 years now.  

When our fellow Filipinos (“Kabayans”) learned that I’m from Pampanga, they usually remark that I should be good in cooking. I just smile and say that there’s always an exception to the rule. I only know simple dishes (fried dishes) as I am really dependent on my family. Most of the time I enjoyed having meal (but not preparing it) with my whole family. I remembered that these are the numerous occasions that we were able to chat and bond as family. I missed those days. So I don’t really know how to cook complicated food until I became an OFW.

To survive as an OFW, I should learn how to be independent. One thing I need to learn is to cook somehow. If not, I would end up starving or eating in expensive restaurants/ fast food chains that would drain my income.

And now that I am a mother myself, I want to prepare more nutritious foods for my family. And tried baking as well. I also made money on the side by means of cooking and baking. This gave us enough allowances during the time of recession, isn’t that great. You can read that story on my post on Baked Chicken Empanada Recipe and Chicken Embutido.

How did I learn about cooking & baking?

To be honest, I don’t have formal education in cooking or baking, I’m just fond of eating. This is what I use to come up with food ideas. I also read to gain insights into cooking and baking. Through experience and experiments, I was able to cook delicious meals and snacks. I also learned from family and friends that share their tips and secrets in cooking. Hopefully, I could study cooking lessons in the future and build a business out of it, praying for it.

My mission

I created this blog for Filipinos especially OFWs who miss the food back in the Philippines. And at the same time sharing affordable recipes with easy-to-find ingredients and with minimal time to prepare. As a career person and a mother, I have limited time to cook. I know I need to balance work and family life.

I will also be writing about food recipes that catches my taste buds while living here in UAE. Somehow I learned to adapt and enjoy other countries’ native foods and delicacies. Hope that you will enjoy them as much as I did.

Let me be a part of your lives

Hope that this blog could help you in cooking your food daily. Enjoy delicious foods while sharing them with your loved ones and friends.

Let this blog be a part of your daily lives and I really appreciate your support for HappyTummyRecipes.com!

Have you tried any recipes in this site and made your improvised version? Please leave a feedback or comment and share with other readers so we can learn from each other.

I would love to hear from you. If you have any comments, suggestions, and feedback please email me at [email protected] or via the contact form.

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Happy Tummy!