It’s been a while since I linked to WIWW. I’m linking up again and excited to see what other fashionistas are wearing out there:)
WIWW
Month: November 2011
Thanksgiving Dinner
We had Thanksgiving dinner at my Parent In-law’s house. As usual the food was great and it was fun to spend some time with my husband’s family:) We prepared a green bean casserole and a cheese plater!
Biko (Filipino sweet sticky rice)
I asked my Hubby what he wanted for his birthday, and he said he wanted me to make Biko. I’m not a big fan of Biko, but whatever my husband requests for his birthday then that’s what I’m going to make. He’s been requesting this since we got married and I ALWAYS have an excuse not to make it! I didn’t have the nerve to say NO today!hehe… So I checked online to look for the simplest Biko recipe I could find. This one was the simplest, with only 4 ingredients and an easy procedure. The result was pretty decent:).
Ingredients:
3 cans (14 oz. can) coconut milk
4 cups sweet rice (sometimes called glutinous rice)
2 cups brown sugar, lightly packed
1 cup coconut cream
Pour coconut milk and about a cup of water into a pot and let it come to a simmer over medium heat. When simmering, add in the rice and stir constantly to prevent burning. Lower the heat if necessary. Preheat oven to 350F.
When rice is sticky and almost dry (it will look like risotto), about 10-15 minutes, add 1 cup brown sugar. Stir well and take off heat. Pour into a lightly buttered 9×13 pan and smooth the top. Mix the remaining 1 cup brown sugar and coconut cream until smooth and pour it over the rice.
Bake for about 1 hour or until topping is dark brown and has thickened. Cool slightly before serving.
Happy Birthday Ga!
Today is my husband’s birthday! Happy Birthday Ga, Thank You for everything! You’re the best:) We love you!!
Grateful!
Happy Thanksgiving All!! Every day I thank God for all He has given me:) I’m truly blessed and I do not take that for granted. I’m so grateful for:
1.)The knowledge of Jesus Christ, accepting Him and for that my life is forever changed!
2.) My husband
3.) Family
John Howie Steakhouse!
My parent In-Law’s gave us a gift card as part of their birthday gift and we immediately used it at this restaurant! I’ve only been here twice because the place is really pricey (but in fairness the steaks are superb) and we always have a nice experience. I was excited to have my sister with us because she had some good steak experiences in New York and I’m glad that she said “John Howie’s was the best steak of her life”. As part of our birthday celebration we got free dessert:) I love their creme brulee!
Guacamole
My favorite Guacamole recipe so far by the Barefoot Contessa herself! I love Ina Garten and her ALWAYS delicious recipes:) Thanks to my hubby who prepared this while I did the eating part!
Ingredients
- 4 ripe Haas avocados
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 lemon)
- 8 dashes hot pepper sauce
- 1/2 cup small-diced red onion (1 small onion)
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 medium tomato, seeded, and small-diced
Directions
Cut the avocados in 1/2, remove the pits, and scoop the flesh out of their shells into a large bowl. (I use my hands.) Immediately add the lemon juice, hot pepper sauce, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper and toss well. Using a sharp knife, slice through the avocados in the bowl until they are finely diced. Add the tomatoes. Mix well and taste for salt and pepper.
Who Loves Ya Baby-Back?
My Husband has been craving some baby back ribs lately, and I like ribs and the eating part but to make it from scratch is such a pain! It’s so time consuming from the marinating, smoking, brining, 24 hour process cooking! That’s so not my kind of cooking, so Hubby did all of it and I prepared the side dishes. I made grilled veggies and smoke gouda mashed potatoes! We invited our In-laws to share in the yummy goodness:)
Ingredients (Recipe By Alton Brown)
- 3 whole slabs pork baby back ribs
Dry Rub:
- 8 tablespoons light brown sugar, tightly packed
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon jalapeno seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon rubbed thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Braising Liquid:
- 1 cup white wine
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
Directions
Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
In a bowl, combine all dry ingredients and mix well. Place each slab of baby back ribs on a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil, shiny side down. Sprinkle each side generously with the dry rub. Pat the dry rub into the meat. Refrigerate the ribs for a minimum of 1 hour. In a microwavable container, combine all ingredients for the braising liquid. Microwave on high for 1 minute.
Place the ribs on a baking sheet. Open one end of the foil on each slab and pour half of the braising liquid into each foil packet. Tilt the baking sheet in order to equally distribute the braising liquid. Braise the ribs in the oven for 2 1/2 hours.
Transfer the braising liquid into a medium saucepot. Bring the liquid to a simmer and reduce by half or until of a thick syrup consistency. Brush the glaze onto the ribs. Place under the broiler just until the glaze caramelizes lightly. Slice each slab into 2 rib bone portions. Place the remaining hot glaze into a bowl and toss the rib portions in the glaze.
*This recipe makes several batches of dry rub. If more rub is needed, it can be extended by any amount, as long as the ratio of 8:3:1:1 remains the same.
Birthday Dinner!
Last Sunday we had an advanced celebration for our Birthdays (sisters’ bday 11-15, my bday 11-16, Hubby’s bday 11-26). It was my parent In-Law’s bday treat to us:). We had dinner at my fave chinese restaurant here in Issaquah, and it was delicious. We had peking duck and my favorite shrimps in sweet spicy sauce(I always have this whenever we have dinner here!) After dinner we went to my In-law’s house to open gifts and have our birthday cake! Carrot cake was YUM!! Thank You to my In-laws for the wonderful Birthday treat:)
Weekend Fun!
The weather this weekend was so nasty that we decided to stay at home (we wanted to watch the movie J. Edgar!). I’m a real homebody, so I really don’t mind spending my weekend like this:). It doesn’t mean we didn’t do anything, we finished watching season 4 of Breaking Bad (mind-blowing Finale,if you ask us!). We enjoyed some wine, guacamole and chips (hubby made the Best Guacamole, thanks Ina Garten). Saturday morning was brunch at Ihops, we chose not to count the calories and just enjoyed some pancakes:). Then Sunday evening we had dinner at my fave chinese restaurant here in Issaquah, and celebrated our birthdays with my In-laws(they’re the best!)
