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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..

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

Wasabi Creme Fraiche:

• 1 teaspoon wasabi powder
• 1 cup creme fraiche

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:)

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!

Last Saturday, I had to renew my PI passport in Tacoma Washington (1 hour drive from home) and somethings never change in the Philippine government.  It takes 3 hours just to give your old passport, new application, money!  It’s always an ordeal whenever I have to deal with government people:( ..I have to wait 3 months for my new passport to arrive here in Washington (meaning I’m stuck here in US) but I’m not complaining:-)..After a grueling Saturday morning hubby asked me where I want to have lunch, and it just happend that filipino resto is on our way back home so we stopped and ate there!  I have realized that hubby likes milkfish(bangus) our national fish in PI.  Don’t ask me why we always have “national” for almost anything (national fish, plant, tree, dish, you name it PI has a national title for it! lol). Then we had sushi after church and beef brisket for dinner! yummy food for our weekend!

We’re suppose to be in Seattle tonight to watch a performance of the Seattle symphony but hubby is just too tired and still has so much work to do!  What a waste of tickets, but I’d rather not watch something than be with someone who will just sleep the entire performance of the show!!  Anyways, I’ll just post some foodie recipes we prepared these last couple of weeks ( I’ve been slacking in updating my food blogs last week, so I’m trying to catch up).  So, Chicken Adobo is so popular in the Philippines, it’s considered to be the national dish in our country.  I prefer “humba” over adobo, because whenever I make adobo I can never get it right(either too vinegary or salty) and I’d like to think that people like my humba a lot!  haha..I got this recipe on food network ( search for filipino chicken adobo).  Very easy and yummy recipe this one:-) Here are the ingredients:

• 4-5 lbs. chicken thighs
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns
• 3 bay leaves

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Cover and marinate chicken for 1-3 hours. Bring to boil, then lower heat. Cover and let simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover and simmer until sauce is reduced and thickened, and chicken is tender, about 20 more minutes. Serve with steamed rice.

Zach’s company had a dinner party in Seattle’s Space Needle today!  So much fun to see his co-workers and their families, it was such a fun evening.  Yummy sushi and spring rolls for appetizers, tacos and pasta for dinner and cheesecakes, chocolate mousse, custard and flan for dessert,and bottomless drinks too( beer,wine,sodas).  I didn’t take pics during our dinner to provide privacy ( we don’t want to announce that anyone ate 4 tacos, 5 salmon rolls, 2 cheesecake, etc!).  I just love Seattle during this time of day.  We got lucky that the weather was nice too so we got to see the beautiful city (puget sound, lake union). They also played some games like Roulette and Blackjack!  It’s such a blessing that my husband works for a good company!  To know that people value his contribution and appreciate his work…what a wonderful night…

I’ve been slacking with my blog since last week and I realized I have a couple of recipes/dishes I have to post here!  Here’s another Alton Brown recipe that I used when I prepared the simplest meatball recipe out there.  This is my first time to make meatballs and although the result is not as yummy like my father in law Phil’s meatball recipe, I’m happy with the result of this one ( I didn’t use ground lamb and spinach here!).

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 1/2 pound ground lamb
• 1/2 pound ground round
• 5 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained thoroughly
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
• 1 whole egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs, divided

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the pork, lamb, ground round, spinach, cheese, egg, basil, parsley, garlic powder, salt, red pepper flakes, and 1/4 cup of the bread crumbs. Using your hands, mix all ingredients until well incorporated. Use immediately or place in refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

Place the remaining 1/4 cup of bread crumbs into a small bowl. Using a scale, weigh meatballs into 1.5-ounce portions and place on a sheet pan. Using your hands, shape the meatballs into rounds, roll in the bread crumbs and place the meatballs in individual, miniature muffin tin cups. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

Hubby wanted to have a healthy snacks this weekend,so he made  this sauce to accompany his veggies! I just wish I had some gyro meat,so I can fully enjoy this sauce.

Tzatziki Sauce: (Alton Brown’s recipe)

16 ounces plain yogurt

1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped

Pinch kosher salt

4 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

5 to 6 mint leaves, finely minced

Place the yogurt in a tea towel, gather up the edges, suspend over a bowl, and drain for 2 hours in the refrigerator.

Place the chopped cucumber in a tea towel and squeeze to remove the liquid; discard liquid. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the drained yogurt, cucumber, salt, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and mint. Serve as a sauce for gyros. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.

Yield: 1 1/2 cups