I’ve been living here in Washington State for the last 7 years and I’ve never seen the Cherry blossoms at the University of Washington (the area is called the Quad). This weekend the Hubs and I went to see it, and it was so pretty. It rained a little (for like 5 minutes after we got there) then the sun showed up and it was lovely. Riley had the most fun because there were dogs at the Quad and he loves Springtime;)
After our little Cherry blossom outing, we had sushi and ramen at Genki Sushi in Factoria Mall (Bellevue,WA)
While in Portland, we visited our favorite places again( we didn’t really branch out). We went to PokPok thai restaurant for their fish sauce chicken wings. I personally love their wings,while the Hubs finds them OK. I’m disappointed with their other dishes though(just like the first time we were there) but I will still go there for the wings alone.
Lunch at PokPok:
People are waiting to get in..
mango drinkHubs!!Fish sauce chicken wings
Bye PokPok, till next time!
Enjoying some Ice cream at Salt&Straw (PokPok and Salt&straw are just walking distance from each other). We sampled 4 different Ice cream flavors and my favorite was the Strawberry Honey Balsamic with Black pepper, sounds weird but I really enjoyed it.
Salted Caramel cupcake,Strawberry Honey Balsamic with black pepper,coconut with Petunias salted caramel bars, Rose city riot
Podnah’s Barbeque (we stopped at Podnah’s to get some bbq for my In laws who took care of Riley for 2 days). Podnah’s was featured by Guy Feiri on his Foodnetwork show; we’ve been here before so we know it’s really good bbq).
Ribs,Brisket (my fave),chicken BBQ from Podnah’s Pit
We went to Portland this week for 2 days because I wanted to watch the NBA game between Portland Trailblazers and Dallas Mavericks. I’m a big basketball fan (the Hubs not so much) and Portland is the closest team to watch. I’m still sad that Seattle gave up the Sonics and we no longer have an NBA team. It was a great time with Hubs, this was our 3rd NBA game that we’ve seen (we’ve been to Madison square, San Antonio’s stadium and the Moda center). We stayed at the Marriot which is really close to the stadium. We took a taxi going there so we didn’t have to deal with parking and we took a pedicab after the game to enjoy the City view (it was pricey but fun to see Portland at night!). I do enjoy watching the whole “behind” the scenes at the games because it’s so different when I watch it on TV. You miss the entertainment of the stuff going on between time outs, halftime show and the energy the crowd the whole time. Thanks to my Hubs who took time to bring me to watch the game. Till next time:)
entering Oregonchecking in
view from the hotel!our attempt to take a selfie and about to take a nap before the game! lol
Too funny! Death to false pizza!hour before the game!Dirk is the guy wearing gray shirt, he was practicing before the game started! Truly a class act, he took the time to take pictures and sign autographs for fans, you can really tell he appreciates them and happy to do so!bad angle but I wanted to take a selfie with Hubs!pathetic cheese burger and an OK hotdog!lolwe got a decent view!Yup I caught the Hubs reading his kindle!lolwe had meat and cheese after the game at the hotel bar!our Hotelenjoying some drinksHawthorne bridge in the back
LOL!see yah later Portland!Home! entering washingtongot starbucks for the roadtrip!Mt Rainier!so happy to see my Puss!
If you happen to be in Seattle and you love Pizza, I would recommend that you go visit the Tom Douglas’ Pizza place called “Serious Pie”. It’s more pricey than your typical Pizza place, but OH so worth it!
we had the roasted seasonal mushrooms and truffle cheese; and penn clove clams,pancetta tesa,lemon thyme
no leftovers! this is not your typical pizza people!One thing I hate in Seattle is the expensive parking fee!
Hope you had a great weekend friends. It was Valentines weekend and we celebrated it with my In laws. I personally don’t make a big deal out of this “holiday” because I try every day to celebrate my loved ones and friends in the best way I know how, no need to have a certain date for that. Although my Hubs and I had doughnuts and coffee, spent time watching “Elementary” before having dinner with my In Laws at Maggiano’s (Bellevue). We had a lovely time enjoying Italian food and desserts. The restaurant was packed and they ran out of their “braised short ribs” that I originally wanted to have 🙁 It was all good, I end up ordering their sirloin steak (decent but nothing out of the ordinary). Everybody enjoyed their dishes and all agreed that their meatballs were out of this world (especially the DILaw).
my other favorite Valentine, Riley! A.K.A “The Lovebug”YUM!I watched the NBA All star weekend too!
Our Maggiano’s dinner! We used my Sis In laws phone so the pictures are not the best quality (the restaurant was kinda dark too).
My In Laws!Julia and IHubsMy steak and mashed potatoFried MozzarellaChicken ParmesanSpinach and artichoke dip!Veal PiccataDessert Sample (creme brulee, cheesecake,truffles,tiramisu,apple ice cream some kind of dessert)
Hello family and friends! I hope you’re having a lovely Sunday night with your loved ones. The Hubs is watching the season premier of the Walking Dead while I’m reading Ruth Soukup’s “Living Well Spending Less 12 Secrets of the Good Life”. I’m so enjoying it and kinda sad I’m almost done with it. I love her blog and her writing, it’s like I’m talking to one of my girlfriends! So relatable! We had a relaxing weekend, watched the movie “Jupiter Ascending” the one starring Channing Tatum. The movie was OK, I enjoyed the special effects but nothing great about it. After the movie,we had burgers at Red Robin and watched NBA games in the bar area. Our local Red Robin is always packed so we just go to the bar right away!
Onion Rings!I always get the Double Tavern burger because it reminds me of In n Out’s
We had sushi after Church this afternoon. I wanted some Ramen and got what I wanted! I cannot wait for Spring. I’m so over this cold winter (I know it’s not as bad compared to the other parts of the country). We stopped at Walmart after to check out their Spring candles and I got some. Will post it this week. I love me some candles:)
Hello family and friends! Hope your weekend was fun and relaxing. On our side, my husband is still recovering from the nasty flu/cold he had after Christmas. It was spent napping (for my hubs) and taking down the Christmas decorations (for me). I still have some decorations left but the majority, like the Christmas tree, are done and stored already. We were also able to order our Christmas tree for next year (it was on sale but I still find it pricey:-0). We didn’t go out this weekend because I cooked our meals at home, but we did get some things from the Asian market in Seattle. I wanted to get a Filipino delicacy called, “binignit”. I’m not sure what they call it here in the U.S but it has the consistency of pudding, with lots of tapioca, bananas, and yams. I’ve tried it in other Asian/Filipino stores here in Washington, but Foulee Asian market in Seattle is the only place I go now if I want to eat “Binignit”. I also got some filipino “junk food” too.
“Binignit” ( glutinous rice porridge with coconut cream, blended with some fruits and root crops like sweet yams,bananas).Filipino junk foodCreamy Mushroom pasta I made (Rachael Ray recipe)Braised short ribs (another Rachael Ray recipe)
I also cleaned my empty candles. These are the ones I’ve gone through since September. I will not buy the small cheap ones from Target anymore because they aren’t very fragrant. It was pathetic! My favorites in the pic below are the Walmart candles (719 walnut and Better Homes), the Yankees were Okay, but nothing great. I like the Fresh Balsam (from Bath and body works) but it was too much for my husband so I only burn it when he’s not around. I burn a candle everyday, so I plan to share some of them here (I’m not a candle expert so don’t expect too much!). I just like making our house cozy and I think candles are one way I can do that:)
Candle empties for the months of September-December 2014My favorite schnauzer napping with his paposh (a common event this weekend).
Have a great week all, I’m off to hangout with my Hubs and Riley now! Talk to you soon:)
Hello Family and Friends! It’s been a while since my last post, it’s always a busy season this time of year. A couple of weeks ago, my friend Faye and I watched the Nutcracker Ballet show in Seattle, it was such a nice night with her. I love watching ballet and it was special to share it with a friend.
Hello family and friends! I hope you all had a great thanksgiving (if you celebrate this Holiday) and stuffed your belly with yummy food! We hosted this year (2nd in a row now) and I think we will be hosting for the coming years too. I really don’t mind because everyone (my husband’s side of the family) shares responsibility in the food department. We enjoyed thanksgiving dinner and watched the Seahawks beat the 49ers (it was a boring game because I think the 49ers forgot how to play football!). Around 11pm when I was already in bed, the Hubs wanted to go check out target because he wanted to get something related to his computer! So off we go to 2 Targets and I’m glad he got what he wanted. We also checked out Walmart for candles (my new obsession lately) and there were a lot of people but nothing like what I normally see on T.V. I don’t think I will do it again. I prefer shopping online because the deals seem to be the same and it is more convenient.
My Thanksgiving table 2014; just bought flowers because I wanted a simple table.candles and flowers for a simple table
with my In Laws(DIL and Sis IL)
I made lechon belly(roast pork belly) because we wanted my DIL to taste itLechon Belly
someone’s enjoying his dinner!(pic from the iPad so it’s blurry)watching football and Riley is so over the game!dessertGO HAWKS!LOL! black friday shopping at target!Thanksgiving cuddles!
The next day (Friday) it’s a family tradition for all of us to walk around downtown Seattle and window shop. The weather was so nasty that we only stayed for 4 hours. It was still a nice time with my In laws though.
Pike Place market!Cheese Heaven at DelaurentiBuying Frango Chocolates at Macyssorry for the ugly background!the Hubs just asked me to turn around…can barely see macys;).Did you get me something mom?-Riley
Hi Friends! Last Sunday (my birthday) we decided to have brunch after church at Eques (it’s located inside the Hyatt Bellevue). We’ve passed the place many times, we always said that we should try it because the place was known for their breakfast buffet. After checking out their buffet selection, we were not impressed (not that it was bad, just not a wide selection) we decided to just order ala carte and forget the buffet. I had the crab cake eggs benedict (I really enjoyed it) while Zach had the smoked salmon eggs benedict (he said it was great!) We shared their banana split pancakes with hazelnut chocolate ,we really liked it too.Though it was pricey for a what we got, we would still come back. Great service and ambiance too (they had a TV in one area where the Seahawks game was on! Too bad they lost!).
cute condimentsomelet stationCrab cakes benedict
OOTD!
I also would like to thank my Hubs and my family (including my In laws) for all their birthday gifts! To my friends who also took time to text,message,greeted me on my birthday! I appreciate you all! Thanks again to my family for their thoughtful gifts.
Pretty flowers from my hubs!Raybans from my Sis and BIL! The camera is not giving the shades justice!LOL..this is one lovely shades! I cannot wait to use this one!Gift cards from our favorite stores/restaurants!Bday gifts to myself! My obsession lately:CANDLES!!!!On my bday weekend,Bath and Body works had a sale $3 for their lotion so I went a little crazy because I had a coupon that makes it $2 each! half of these will be for my sisters! (original price:$262,I paid $42)More BBW (this store is a trap! Their coupons are just so good!) I bought these Kate Moss lipsticks because Kris Aquino “recommends” this on her morning show. She mentioned how she’s impressed with drugstore makeup too (not just the high ends ). SO of course I have to check it out myself. I listen to Kris Aquino’s makeup opinions you all *sarcasm!).
