The Adventures of a Calamari Queen – Page 33 – Christian, Wife, Mommy, Homemaker, Retired nurse, Fur-mama,living a simple and minimal life!

In laws Bday celebration!

Hello everyone! We celebrated my in-law’s bdays 2 weeks ago. We decided to do a late celebration due to previous commitments and other Holidays (Mother’s day). We ended up spending mother’s day this year with my husband’s grandmother. The b-day celebration dinner took place at a local steak house in our neighborhood (Jaks Grill) and my MIL requested that my husband bake her a chocolate cake for her bday. After dinner we had the cake and coffee at home, just hanging out and relaxing. Happy Birthday (belated one!) to my MIL and DIL, I’m so grateful for what they both do for our family.

2016_05_23_DSC_7552 — Ina Garten recipe!

2016_05_23_DSC_7557

2016_05_23_DSC_7536 — Auntie Puss and Riley Puss

2016_05_23_DSC_7540 — Mom In law Kathy and her havanese dog Lexi lulu!

2016_05_23_DSC_7548 — with our fur babies!

Vancouver Eats!

Hello friends! This post is a continuation of our Vancouver trip. We had a quick getaway so we weren’t able to dine at some of the restaurants we wanted to try (poor planning on our part too).

Our first night we had dinner at Lupo Restaurant (it’s an Italian resto) and just walking distance from our hotel (so convenient for us). According to our research it’s one of the top 5 places to dine in Vancouver. So off we went! We ordered Burrata and it was amazing! So creamy and out of this world goodness. We loved it so much that we asked our waitress where they get it (so we can go to that store and hoard burrata for ourselves), she said they get it from a supplier which gets it directly from Italy! It crushed our burrata dreams! We ordered ravioli and gnocchi (for the hubs) it was good food but pricey!

2016_05_01_DSC_7394 — Burrata with fresh tomatoes and balsamic glaze.

2016_05_01_DSC_7396 — Ricotta Gnocchi with pork cheeks (this sauce was pretty acidic)

2016_05_01_DSC_7398 — Mascarpone Polenta

2016_05_01_DSC_7399 — This was their special that night, ravioli with short ribs!

2016_05_01_DSC_7400 2016_05_01_DSC_7403

2016_05_01_DSC_7405 — ambiance was cozy, feels like you’re having dinner at a friends house!

2016_05_01_DSC_7407

Nero Belgian Waffle Bar

We had brunch in this small waffle place located at Robson Street. We kinda get lucky because the line wasn’t crazy when we got there, once we were seated the line got really crazy! If you’re in to waffles this place is a must! Just be ready to wait and be patient because this place is amazing and people line up.

2016_05_01_DSC_7449 2016_05_01_DSC_7450 2016_05_01_DSC_7453

2016_05_01_DSC_7454 — I had the Banella waffle

2016_05_01_DSC_7458 — Brie Cheese waffle with walnuts and honey!

Cafe Crepes

The Hubs and I also wanted to eat some crepes before checking out Gastown. The crepes are tasty here, but the service took forever. I don’t understand why, it’s not like they’re serving steaks or complicated dishes. Good thing the crepes were really good!

2016_05_01_DSC_7414 2016_05_01_DSC_7415 2016_05_01_DSC_7418 2016_05_01_DSC_7419 2016_05_01_DSC_7420

We also visited a Japanese restaurant that I honestly forgot the name of:

2016_05_01_DSC_7525 2016_05_01_DSC_7526 2016_05_01_DSC_7528

Had Ramen one late night!

Tried Vancouver’s best cheesecake:

2016_05_01_DSC_7439 — the famous Soft Peaks at Gastown!

2016_05_01_DSC_7443 — I kinda agree that this is one of the best cheesecake I’ve had!

Footo Croissant and Tim Hortons before coming home!

Till Next time Vancouver!

Vancouver, Canada!

Hi friends! It’s been a while since my last post, got a little busy here and did a little get away with the Hubs to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Two weeks ago, we spent 4 days in Vancouver, Canada. It’s just 3 hours drive from our place (plus more depending on the traffic). We’ve been to Vancouver a couple of times before. We really like the city. It reminds us of Seattle, but a lot bigger. We mostly relaxed and did a few “touristy” things like visited Gas town, Stanley Park and window shopping at Robson St. We stayed at Rosedale on Robson. We really liked the location because it’s so accessible to downtown Vancouver. Till Next time Vancouver!

2016_05_01_DSC_7391 — we had a mini kitchen!

2016_05_01_DSC_7388 2016_05_01_DSC_7392

2016_05_01_DSC_7431 — The famous Steam Clock at Gas town!

2016_05_01_DSC_7435 2016_05_01_DSC_7437

2016_05_01_DSC_7467 2016_05_01_DSC_7485 2016_05_01_DSC_7491 2016_05_01_DSC_7493 2016_05_01_DSC_7502

2016_05_01_DSC_7512 — Forgot the name of the place, but this is where their soccer games are held!

2016_05_01_DSC_7513

Gotta have Tim Hortons when you’re in Canada!

8 years of Married life!

Hi Friends! Happy Wednesday! Yesterday, the Hubs and I celebrated 8 years of married life. Wow! It seems like it was just yesterday that we had our simple and intimate wedding at a Chapel in New York City (less than 25 family and friends were there). I’m so blessed to be married to a guy that I don’t just love but actually really like. I like spending time with my Hubs, and planning our future together. I just can’t imagine life without him. I’m so grateful to the Lord for the gift of a Christ centered marriage ( we strive to have this) and a loving husband, I don’t take this blessing for granted because I know not all marriages are like this. Successful marriages don’t just happen, it takes works! Thank you, God!

I told my Hubs,not to get me flowers because I’d rather have food. HA! He stopped at Costco to get us pizza and sundae that we shared during lunch. The Krispy kremes were a personal request from me! We didn’t do any grand celebration (just dinner at our fave place) but we plan to have a little road trip later this month to have a fun get away and “celebrate” the special occasion.

For dinner, we went to our local fave restaurant Flat Iron Grill. We really didn’t want to go to Bellevue or Seattle just for dinner. The traffic isn’t worth it. We like Flat Iron Grill because the food is great and the service is even better. It’s always a bonus when we can support our local businesses too.

Top sirloin steak with goat cheese polenta (pretty Good!)

Happy Easter!

Hi friends! Long time no hear from me (it’s been a busy March here). Anyways, Happy Easter! As a Christian, we celebrate today as resurrection Sunday. The day that Jesus rose from the grave. He is Risen! He is Risen, Indeed! Thank You Jesus for what you’ve done for our sake, we are so unworthy yet you died for us all. The greatest love story that the whole world will ever know!

After our easter service, the Hubs and I together with our In laws had brunch at Embassy suites hotel (a Hilton affiliated hotel) we’ve been going to this brunch buffet for a couple of years now except last year (they had to renovate, so they closed the buffet section). The buffet had a decent selection but I was disappointed today because their meat (their beef, and lamb) was really dry. Their bread wasn’t very good too. Poor Hubs and Dad In law, they both love bread. The ambiance and the service was great though!

I hope that you had a lovely Easter weekend with your family and friends! I’m off to watch College basketball here. The Hubs is enjoying his Sunday nap, together with our fur baby, Riley! Have a great evening friends.

What’s for Dinner?

Hello friends! It’s Tuesday evening ( almost midnight) but I can’t sleep because it’s so windy and it’s freaking me out! I decided to just post our meals for the last couple of weeks in the month of February. Can you believe it’s already March? Where did the time go?! Anyways, back to our meals. I didn’t go to the grocery store in the last week of February but I got some Smith brothers delivered. I’m under budget this month (not by much though), so this made me happy. A little savings is always good!

We’ve already consumed the clam chowder and chocolate milk!

Crispy pata (deep fried pork hocks) a Filipino recipe

we did a couple nights of take out these last two weeks (especially Friday and Saturday nights). Chilling out with good food and watching some good T.V. / Netflix is one of our fave weekend things to do. We got a generous gift card from my In laws to one of our fave local sushi places so we used that. We also had Italian for dinner, courtesy of the In-laws. Thank you God for such a generous family!

Vitos in Seattle! My In laws treated us!

Weekend Fun!

Hi Friends! I hope you’re all having a great Saturday! It’s been a rainy weekend here in the PNW and we’ve stayed inside most of the time. I wanted to share some pictures of our weekend fun a couple of weeks ago. We watched the ballet version of Romeo and Juliet! It’s funny because this was our second time watching this ballet and I honestly don’t remember watching it the first time and neither did my husband. The show was good, but it was kinda slow for us. We will most likely not watch it again.

We had Mexican for dinner after the show! We really like our local Mexican place, authentic Mexican food and reasonable prices. They have the best Carne asada for me.

Today, I got up early and convinced the Hubs to get breakfast at Chick fil-A. If he had a choice he’d rather sleep in than eat! We almost didn’t make it before their breakfast hours ended. They were changing their menu when it was our time to order! I ordered their sausage burrito but they gave me a chicken burrito instead. Unfortunately we were already on the freeway when we realized the mistake. Oh Well! I didn’t like it:( No chicken burritos for me in the future for sure!

After breakfast my Dad In law dropped by to give us this maple tree (Hubs said it’s going to be pretty during the fall season.)

I’m kinda sad my favorite Filipino romcom show is over! “On the wings of love” is the only filipino show that I’ve watched from start to finish. They had a live viewing of the Finale and I was able to watch it live! I had to set the alarm for 5 am! HA! It was worth it though, I was so KILIG! Honestly, I don’t like most filipino drama/comedy shows personally. I subscribe to the Filipino Channel mainly because of the news, I still want to be updated in whats going on the Philippines.

Hubs and the puppy napping on this rainy Saturday afternoon!

Mexican dinner at La Casita (a new Mexican place for us)

Have a great evening friends! Off to watching the NBA game right now!

Whats’s for Dinner?!

Hi Friends! How’s your day going? I hope it was a great one. Mine was awesome! I did my grocery shopping today, I usually do it after my Ladies Bible study on Tuesdays but it’s winter break this week at our local school (the church follows the school district schedule, so no study for us this week). I got some good deals at the grocery store but the cashier forgot to scan some of the coupons (I only noticed it when I got home) that were on the products. $6 worth of savings 🙁 I’m not really sure if it’s worth going back to the store tomorrow, we’ll see. Anyways, the first 2 pictures are of my grocery hauls last week, I’m thinking that I probably don’t need to go grocery shopping for the rest of the month because we’re pretty stocked up. Maybe I’ll just buy some fruit (we have frozen veggies that I really want to use) and we’re good. I’m excited because if I’m going to stick to my “plan” I will be under budget this month. It’s always a good thing when I’m under budget with my grocery money! Happy cooking, eating and savings friends!

Meal Plans this week:

Tuesday/tonight: Lobster,asparagus

Wednesday: Roast salmon, veggie fried rice

Thursday: Beef stroganoff (and egg noodle)

Friday:Not sure (maybe Pizza or Take out)

Saturday: Not sure/out with friends

Sunday: meatballs and spaghetti

Meals/Dinners last week:

Filipino breakfast (for dinner). Dried fish, eggs,rice

eggplant omelet (we had this for lunch last week)

roast chicken (plenty of leftovers for lunch this week)

Valentine’s 2016!

Hi Friends! Happy Hearts day to you and I hope it’s one lovely day with the special people in your life. On Valentines evening, we had dinner with my In laws at SEASTAR restaurant and raw bar (Bellevue location). Originally we wanted to do the Canlis restaurant but it was fully booked (I guess you have to book months in advance for this kind of place). Seastar was also a good recommendation from my In law’s friends so we didn’t mind (especially since it is also owned by Chef John Howie). I was looking forward to this dinner because based from what I’ve read it’s one of the BEST restaurants in Bellevue. It was our first time, so I kinda had high expectations when it comes to a Chef John Howie restaurant. Anyways, the place was spacious, ambiance was great, our server was very knowledgeable she answered every question my DIL had. We enjoyed our appetizers, they were all amazing especially the deviled eggs. Our entrees were good (nice presentation too) but to be honest VERY pricey for the portion we got. I guess you have to bring LOTS of money dining here. We’ll be back again for sure.

Some pictorials while waiting for the In Laws!

OOTD action going on: Loft dress, F21 coat, kate spade bag, target booties

Deviled eggs:salmon gravlax,wasabi tobiko,tangerine,dill. We also got the ahi tartare,bacon, roasted onion,truffle oil.

Maytag blue cheese pear salad (this was good)

I ordered: Sesame-Peppercorn Crusted Ahi (jasmine rice cake,snow peas,ginger soy reduction,wasabi creme)

My DILs order: Cedar Plank roasted wild King Salmon (Chef Howie’s famous salmon rub,smoked broccoli,citrus rice with wheat berries

my MIL and SIL ordered the same thing: seared scallops with beet risotto

For Valentines day we had a casual and lazy time, watched Kdrama (thank you Netflix!), did some errands and had dinner at our fave local Italian place.

Normally we don’t give Vday gifts to each other but this year Hubs and I gave each other gifts. He got me a Henri Bendel bag (my fave bag brand!) and I gave him massage “coupons” worth 4 hours, which he already availed 1 hour of it (way before VDAY!!)..HA!!

Riley thought it was one busy VDAY weekend, and he needs his beauty sleep!

What’s for Dinner?!

Hi Friends! How’s your Friday night going? The Hubs and I are watching a Filipino show (On the Wings of Love), I’m so sad it’s going to end soon:(. We’re also watching some NBA games, and maybe Netflix later! We are staying home because the weather is crappy tonight. Windy and raining and Riley is not loving it.

Anyways, I wanted to share my groceries this week. I’m really trying to save in this area because food is getting expensive and if I don’t monitor this it’s so easy to blow the budget in this area. So far our January food expenses have been under budget. I want to continue this trend in February.

Our groceries this week! I also got some milk that I put in the fridge right away.

Tomato soup,grilled cheese and Pork belly with shrimp paste (Filipino dish)

Home made version of Chicken bowl burrito

Was out and about this week and I stopped at Ross and found these Skechers shoes. I have a similar slip on pair like this gifted by my sister and it’s really comfortable. Once I tried them on the shoes had to go home with me! I’ve been wearing them nonstop!

so comfy (it’s like you’re wearing flip flops made with a yoga mat!)

I got a new rug for our dining table from Overstock.com!

I’ve been watching the Gilmore Girls on Netflix this week. I’ve seen the first 2 seasons years ago (I was still in the Philippines). So far I’ve been enjoying it.

Have a great weekend friends! Happy Superbowl weekend too! The Seahawks are out so I will be rooting for the Denver Broncos.