El Gaucho

We celebrated Valentines day with a dinner at El Gaucho (steakhouse in Seattle).  It was our first time to dine in this restaurant and decided to put the gift card from my in-law’s to use.  It didn’t disappoint!  We really enjoyed our first dining experience here.  The food was amazing (hubby was really happy with his steak), the ambiance was perfection (classy and romantic!), and the service was great.

vday gifts from hubby! my fave starbucks drink and roses!
our view..
they gave me a rose too!
my valentine:)
preparing our steak tartare
steak tartare and tuna tartare
mac and cheese
frenched rib chop
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Filet medallions oscar style!
fruits,nuts,cheese!
being silly!
creme brulee for dessert!
the girl who played with fire!
what a great night! time to go home:)

Meatballs

This is my favorite meatball recipe, I got this from my Dad In law. So easy to make,simply mix all the ingredients and bake!  Simple and tasty:)

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with marinara sauce!
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Meatballs

1lb 80-20 Hamburger

1lb Italian Sausage

1C Italian Bread Crumbs

1/2C Parm Cheese

1  Minced Garlic

1 Egg

Handful of Minced Parsley

Half and Half or Tomato Sauce to moisten the fixture

Make into cute little ball and bake @ 350 for 45 minutes

WIWW

I’m linking up with Lindsey again at the pleated poppy, check her site for fashion inspiration:)

Top and Jeans=hollister, Target Boots,Riley the most adorable puppy!
sweater=Missoni for target,jeans=hollister, Toms wedge/shoes
shirt,sweater,jeans=abercrombie, tory burch flats
sweater=target,top and jeans=hollister, toms wedge/shoes,Lv bag=gift from Hubs
sweater= hollister, coat=juicy couture, red pants= hollister,tory burch shoes
blue top=local shop from PI, brown sweater and wedge=tory burch, jeans=hollister
sweater=target, black dress=Ross,tory burch bag and shoes
shirt=HnM,sweater, jeans =abercrombie, target boots
sweater=target. skirt =Ross,shoes=nine west,coat=juicy couture

weekend fun!

We spent our weekend eating out and going to the movies.But my fave thing that we did was watch the ballet performance of Don Quixote! Friday Night we had dinner at Pogacha (it’s an Italian Resto), I had a coupon that was expiring so I suggested this place. Our food was Ok,nothing special but I like the place coz it’s cozy with lots of nice wall decors!

Fire Warmed Goat Cheese Creamy goat cheese with roasted red peppers, Kalamata olives and Pogacha bread triangles
I ordered Grilled Tenderloin Skewer
closer pic of my food!
Veal Saltimbocca ♦ Seasoned Veal sirloin, sautéed with white wine butter, sage, prosciutto and Fontina cheese
Ballet performance of Don Quixote! I love it...
stage (no pics allowed,that's why I don't have pics of the performance)
with my hubby!
with sis!
dinner after the Ballet!
salads!
Maine Lobster Bisque Rich lobster stock, heavy cream, Cognac.
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Prime Teriyaki Tenderloin Bites* Seared with orange, soy, ginger and brown sugar.
sis with the calamari!
The Works Burger* American Wagyu sirloin, cheddar and Swiss cheeses, caramelized onions, drive–in sauce, lettuce, tomato, with crisp fries.
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Nine Layer Chocolate Cake Layers of rich, moist devil’s food chocolate caked filled with chocolate butter cream. Served with Olympic Mountain Madagascar vanilla ice cream and a special dark chocolate sauce.
the best chocolate cake for me!

 

Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos

I got this recipe online (www.thecleverclipper.com).  I had all of the ingredients so I just decided to make this chicken dish.  This is our first time to make chicken tacos and based on the result of this dish, it will not be our last!

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extra sauce
we added chopped green onions,cheese and sour cream
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I added tabasco sauce for extra kick!
Ingredients
  • 2 lbs chicken
  • 1 jar of salsa
  • 1 can of black beans
  • 1/2 cup frozen corn (optional)
Instructions
  1. Put all ingredients into slow cooker.
  2. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
  3. Shred chicken.
  4. Enjoy with rice, in taco form or any way you like!

Roasted Shrimp Cocktail

I’ve made this dish a couple of times already, and it was just as delicious this time!  I will never boil shrimp again!  The roasting makes a big difference.  Simple, easy, and flavorful. Thanks so much Ina.

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Ingredients

For the shrimp:

  • 2 pounds (12 to 15-count) shrimp
  • 1 tablespoon good olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Peel and devein the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Place them on a sheet pan with the olive oil, salt, and pepper and spread them in 1 layer. Roast for 8 to10 minutes, just until pink and firm and cooked through. Set aside to cool.

Superbowl weekend!!

What a great weekend we had here in Washington State!  The sun was out and we went to Alki beach to enjoy the view, got some coffee, and ate fish & chips!  Seattle is such a pretty city; I’m grateful to be living here.  Hubs and I are not into football (but we do watch NBA games), however, we watched the game tonight and I did enjoy the halftime show and some commercials.  I prepared chicken wings while hubby made spinach and guacamole dips and dessert (chocolate mousse).

the making of spinach dip!
the best spinach dip!
avocado....
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baked chicken wings...
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superbowl food!
halftime!
dessert!
little picnic@ Alki beach
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Alki beach

 

Deviled Eggs

This is an appetizer that my Hubby prepared a couple of weeks ago.  The  recipe is from Emeril Lagasse ( from foodnetwork website.) He said it was easy and doesn’t need help in making this dish. This is really tasty and addictive:)

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yum!

Ingredients

  • 6 eggs, hard boiled, cooled, and peeled
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped chives
  • Hot pepper sauce
  • Paprika
  • Salt and pepper
  • Variation: add 1 teaspoon chopped canned jalapeno peppers
  • radicchio leaves, for garnish
  • 3 parsley sprigs, for garnish

Directions

Place the cooked egg yolks in a bowl. Using a fork, work the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, chives, and salt and pepper into the yolks to form a smooth paste. Taste. Place 1/2 of this mixture in a smallpastry bag with a large star tip. To the remaining mixture, add the jalapenos and season with Hot pepper sauce. Fill 6 of the egg halves with the basic filling. Fill the pastry bag with the jalapeno filling. Fill the remaining egg white halves. Top with paprika. Place on a platter on the radicchio leaves, and parsley sprigs.

Foodie Pics!

It’s been a long week here in the PNW, with the snow storm and power outage that happened.  We have been stuck here at home for a week.  I made some comfort food and enjoyed some nice time with hubby!  So last Saturday (was safe to get out of the house) we watched the movie Haywire and ate at Red Robin (yum!)

Baked Penne with Italian sausage
Bake mussels with japanese mayo and tobiko(we always order this whenever go to sushi place)
soo goood!
chili with cornbread! I used chuck roast beef cut!
stir fry noodles!
I've been watching too much chinese cooking show! another stir fry dish!
i love stir fry!
crispy orange beef (my new fave lately)
green beans!
milkshake!
some kind of a cheese dip!
red robin burger!
blue cheese burger!
sis!
us!
French toast (with lots of nutella) and bacon!

Broiled Lemon-Garlic chicken!

I prepared this chicken dish last week!  The recipe is from the food network 🙂 I added herbs like rosemary and thyme because I had them in the ref, and wanted to make use of what I had (it gives so much flavor and the house smells “delicious”).

chicken!
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blurry pic:(
another blurry one!

Ingredients

  • 2 lemons
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2 to 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 2 half chickens (3 to 3 1/4 pounds total)

Directions

Position an oven rack about 8 to 10 inches from the broiler and preheat. Grate the lemon zest and combine in a small bowl with the butter, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Mash with a fork to make a smooth paste.

With your fingers, gently loosen the skin on the chicken breasts, legs and thighs. Spread the flavored butter under the skin as evenly as possible. Halve the lemons and squeeze 2 halves over the chicken; season with salt and pepper.

Place the chicken skin-side up on a broiler pan (or a rack on a baking sheet). Position the halves about 2 inches apart with the thick parts of the legs facing the center. Arrange the remaining 2 lemon halves cut-side down next to the chicken.

Broil the chicken until the skin is light brown and crisp, about 8 minutes. If the chicken browns too quickly, lower the oven rack. Flip the chicken and the lemons and continue to broil until almost cooked through (a thermometer inserted into the thickest part will register 160 degrees), about 15 minutes. Remove the lemons, if browned; turn the chicken again and broil until the skin is brown and crisp and the thermometer registers 165 degrees, about 2 more minutes. Serve the chicken with the broiled lemons for squeezing on top.