van.nurse@gmail.com – Page 74 – The Adventures of a Calamari Queen

Jesus Christ Superstar!

Last Friday night we watched the musical show Jesus Christ Superstar with my In laws. The musical was just OK for me, I don’t think I will watch it again. Although I enjoyed some of the songs especially Mary Magdalene’s part (the singer reminds me of Filipina singer “Charice”, petite but she can really sing! Some of the scenes of the play was awkward, like there’s a part where Mary and Jesus kissed and clearly projecting that they are romantically involved! WTH… My husband said don’t take it seriously, but still don’t the people behind the show READ THE BIBLE? hehe. Guess I expected a lot from this production. Before the show we had dinner at La Costa (mexican resto) and I ordered the same dish again (for the nth time) Carne Asada. The steak was so good (loved the charcoal flavor of it). Here’s some of the pics Hubby took!

Zach's ( i don't remember the name of this dish)

Carne Asada, Dad in Law ordered it too..

Leche Flan

We’ve had this dessert when we invited our friends to celebrate “cinco de mayo”. Leche flan is similar to custard/brulee. This is one of my fave desserts but I rarely make it because I really have a hard time making the caramel part of the dish. It’s really frustrating because I end up wasting lots of sugar! I got the recipe from panlasangpinoy.com .

Ingredients:

10 pieces raw eggs

1 small can condensed milk

1 cup fresh milk (or evaporated milk)

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Cooking procedure:

1. Using all the eggs, separate the yolk from the egg white (only egg yolks will be used).

2. Place the egg yolks in a big bowl then beat them using a fork or an egg beater

3. Add the condensed milk and mix thoroughly

4. Pour-in the fresh milk and mix well

5. Put the mold (llanera) on top of the stove and heat using low fire

6. Put-in the granulated sugar on the mold and mix thoroughly until the solid sugar turns into liquid (caramel) having a light brown color

7. Spread the caramel (liquid sugar) evenly on the flat side of the mold

8. Wait for 5 minutes then pour the egg yolk and milk mixture on the mold

9. Cover the top of the mold using an Aluminum foil

10. Steam the mold with egg and milk mixture for 30 to 35 minutes.

11. After steaming, let the temperature cool down then refrigerate

12. Serve during dessert. Share and Enjoy!

hubby helped me flip the flan! he's so helpful if I allow him!lol

Ina Garten dinner again!

I wanted to prepare a yummy dinner for my hardworking hubby, so I ended up making an Ina Garten recipe again. Her recipes are proven already, so I know it’s gonna be great (that’s my opinion). I don’t think I’ve prepared one of her recipes and ended up disappointed. She’s one of my fave food network chefs:) You can get all of the recipes on the food network if you’re ever up for making a delicious and fast meal!

we got this from Hawaii and hubby used this to his steak

Saltys

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!

Korean style bbq!

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!

WIWW!!

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:

stripe top-old navy, cardigan-abercrombie,pants- abercrombie,shoes-tory burch,bag-coach

top- ross, black cardigan- target,jeans-hollister, shoes-tory burch

top- store in PI,sweater- abercrombie, jeans- forever21, shoes- tory burch,bag-coach (gift from hubby)

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

Moroccan Dinner!

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 and Guinamos (shrimp paste)

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..

marinated the fish with soysauce,lemon juice,pepper

Chicken Inasal

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!

Seafood feast!

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!)

Ingredients

1 pound sashimi-grade ahi
Salt and white pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 lemons, juiced
1 avocado, peeled, cored removed and brunoise
1 cup Wasabi Creme Fraiche, recipe follows
12 fried wonton wrappers
1/4 cup brunoise red onions
1 ounce Sevruga caviar
Long chives

Directions

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.

Wasabi Creme Fraiche:

1 teaspoon wasabi powder
1 cup creme fraiche

In a small bowl, whisk the wasabi powder into the creme fraiche, smoothing all the lumps. Let creme sit for at least 1 hour, covered and refrigerated, to let the flavor bloom.