Christian, Wife, Mommy, Homemaker, Retired nurse, Fur-mama,living a simple and minimal life!
My sis in law gave us a Saltys gift card last month for our anniversary. The weather was so nice and perfect today that we wanted to eat somewhere in Seattle and decided this was the right time to use the gift! Thanks Julia for the gift, we really had a great time. We love Seattle, especially if the sun is out. It’s been a while since I’ve had my sandals on, feels so good!
We had this bbq earlier this month and I’ve been slacking with my foodie blog, so I honestly forgot already what kind of cut this meat is (maybe short ribs). All I remember is that I marinated the meat with teriyaki sauce then on to the grill!
Lindsey at The Pleated Poppy hosts “What I Wore Wednesday”, I like my clothes so I’m participating. Here’s what I’ve been wearing lately:
red cardigan- abercrombie, polka dots top-HnM, black pants- nordstrom, shoes-BCBG,bag-tory burch
flowery top-hollister, white pants-old navy, shoes- tory burch, bag- burberry
Our friends Ethan and Lena invited us over for a moroccan dinner at their house last night! I was really excited because I don’t think I’ve had any moroccan food before. Based on the food Lena prepared, I really liked it. I don’t know the specific name of the dishes she made but I know there was lamb and chicken stew that had saffron in it, couscous, beef kebabs! They also had moroccan tea and dessert:-) We played Dominion again, hung out, and just enjoyed each other’s company . Time flies so fast whenever you are having a great time:)
Daing na bangus has gotta be one of my fave dishes in PI! I’m so lucky because seafood city market is here in Washington, so whenever I miss food from PI there’s always a place to go to get my asian food cravings! Bangus (milkfish) is the national fish of the Philippines (because of its abundance in the country). I usually have it grilled but Hubby prefers it a little crispy. I wasn’t really in the mood to clean our grill so I just gave in to Hubby’s preference! I also sauteed shrimp paste with tomatoes! If you’re not from the Philippines you will most likely hate the smell of shrimp paste, it has that distinct pungent smell! I’ve heard some stories where a Filipina wife prepared shrimp paste and one of their neighbor called 911 because the smell coming out of their house was just too stinky for them!LOL…I rarely prepare it now because I feel sorry for my husband and our whole house..
Chicken Inasal (roast) is a very popular dish in PI. It’s another family fave growing up. I ate and prepared a lot of roast chicken here in America but I still think something is missing in the taste. So I researched online and “tested” this roast chicken recipe and I was so happy with the result because it’s just what I’ve been looking for! Brings back memories…finally I have a fave roast chicken recipe. The secret ingredient: lemongrass in the marinade! I’m so thankful that a lot of U.S supermarkets have lemongrass in their produce section and that I don’t have to go to the asian market just to get some, so convenient! I just “eyeball” the recipe..
Ingredients and directions:
Place your Chicken parts in a bowl. Add chopped lemongrass,lemon juice/calamansi,vinegar,minced ginger and garlic,salt and pepper(lots of it!) . Marinate for an hour and stir to coat chicken evenly.
Preheat oven 450F, bake chicken for 40-50 minutes (turn once). You can also grill this if you want!
Last week we stopped at Gemini Fish market here in Issaquah because Hubby has been craving for their poke. This place is the “to go” fish market if you want fresh fish (little pricey too) compared to other seafood market! Hubby can be an impulsive buyer, so when he saw the halibut fish they have he wanted to have it for dinner (although I already prepared the dish that we’re gonna have for dinner that day). He’s been so busy lately and I cannot just say no to him wanting halibut for dinner! LOL..We also got shrimps and made tuna tartar from scratch (emeril lagasse recipe!)
Using a sharp knife, small dice the ahi. Turn the diced tuna in a mixing bowl. Season the tuna with salt and pepper.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk the oil, shallots, parsley, mustard, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Toss the diced tuna with the vinaigrette and mix thoroughly. Season the avocados with salt and pepper.
To assemble, spoon the Wasabi Creme fraiche in the center of the plate. Place 1 wonton in the center of the sauce. Spread 2 ounces of the tartar over the wonton. Sprinkle the avocados over the tartar. Place another fried wonton on top of the avocados. Spread 2 ounces of the tartar over the wonton. Sprinkle the avocados over the tartar. Top the sandwich with one fried wonton. Garnish the wontons with the red onions, caviar and chives. Repeat the process for the other three sandwiches.
1) We had a great weekend with family and friends. We really are trying to spend time with people who makes our lives more meaningful and just have a great time!
2) Last saturday, we celebrated my mom in laws 60th bday, I’m so grateful that I have her in my life, truly a blessing and she is such an inspiration, especially with her relationship with the Lord!
3) Our puppy Riley, vomited twice last night and I think it’s because he ate too fast! So we are observing him this morning and looks like everything’s gonna be fine because he’s back to his old bouncy self!
4) I’m grateful that we have a nice sunny day today, so we can have a nice walk later this afternoon! Thank you Lord for just blessing us with another day, good health, hardworking and loving husband and the most adorable, loyal puppy:)
This is my version of Patatim ( Pork hocks in brown sauce). Growing up in PI, this is a family fave whenever we go out and eat at our fave chinese restaurant we always order this. If I’m right Patatim is originally a Chinese dish, but a lot of filipino restaurants come up with their own versions though. The recipe always calls for Pata (pork hocks) but I was craving for this dish and we’re not close to an Asian market so I just decided to use pork shoulder, lesser fat and cheaper cut of meat!
2 ½ pounds pork hocks
2 T chopped scallions
1 T chopped ginger
¼ C hoi sin sauce
¼ C soy sauce
¼ C dark brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 C rice wine or sherry
1 C water plus more if needed
baby bokchoy, well cleaned and dried
1. Place all ingredients except bokchoy in a pot and bring to a boil, skim off top.
2. Turn heat to very low, cover and simmer for 3 – 4 hours or until meat is very tender. Once in a while check and add water or sherry if needed. There should be about a cup and half of sauce.
3. Steam bokchoy for 3 minutes, set aside, keep warm.
4. Turn heat off and transfer cooked meat into a serving platter.
5. Remove bones and discard. Arrange cooked bokchoy around the meat. Pour the sauce all over the meat.
6. Serve with steamed rice.
What a busy and yet great weekend! Friday night we had a late cinco de mayo celebration with some of our couple friends! We had fajitas, guacamole, salsa, leche flan and hubby made some yummy drinks(mojito, pina colada) then we played this game called “Dominion” lots of fun! Saturday, we celebrated my mom in-laws 60th birthday, we had take out chinese food from our fave chinese restaurant here in Issaquah, had yummy chocolate cake and she opened her gifts! She doesn’t look like she’s 60, so fit and just gorgeous for a 60 year old woman:-) Then today, we headed to hubby’s Grandma’s to celebrate mothers day and another celebration for mom in-laws 60th! We had portobella mushroom lasagna (Ina Garten’s recipe) it was so good! I cannot wait to try that recipe:) It was great seeing everyone and just enjoying each other’s company!
