Christian, Wife, Mommy, Homemaker, Retired nurse, Fur-mama,living a simple and minimal life!
A couple of weeks ago, our friends Faye and her husband Roger invited us to their home for dinner. They made oven roasted pork belly (lechon belly) and it was so good! We will probably make this at home because sometimes the lechon we get at the Asian market is really dry and not as good. It was such a great night with them. We were so full from eating filipino food that playing Xbox/Kinect tennis was a good idea afterwards! Thanks Faye and Roger for inviting us to your home.
Hello November! I can’t believe the Holiday season is here. I’ve been to the mall these last couple of days and it’s starting to look so festive with decorations all over the place. Halloween was just last Friday and although we personally didn’t do any partying or dressing up I always have Riley (our dog) wear a costume. This year he was a Cow. I got the costume at Walmart because it’s cheap and it’s not worth the money after he’ll have it for 2 minutes (then he’ll destroy the whole thing).
Saturday night we had Sushi at our favorite local restaurant, Aji Sushi. We love it because the sushi selection is decent and it’s like 4 minutes drive from our house.
We also went to Hobby Lobby , Walmart, Bath and Body works, Bed Bath and Beyond, and Church this weekend. Our Sunday afternoon was spent napping and cuddling with our fatty Riley! He is loving our fireplace so much. I have to turn it on in the morning and late evenings. He is so spoiled! We also finished a TV series on netflix called “The 100”. We are thinking of watching Gotham next.
For our last night in Cancun, my sis and I decided we wanted to go out and have a nice dinner. We went to Plaza Caracol (the Coco Bongo area), it’s where the touristy restaurants and shops are located. Carlos n Charlie seemed to be a fun restaurant so we decided to have dinner there. We had no expectations at all so it was like “whatever” this looks decent. Personally, I did not like it at all! 5 minutes after we got our seats, the waiters are too much! Their “in your face” kind of serving is too much for me. Someone will offer tequila jello/shots and she is so persistent. I hated that I caved in to her pressure.Lol! The place was super loud, so we had a hard time talking to each other. So if you want a quiet conversation during dinner, do not go to this one. The food was decent, our server recommended some food (she always recommend the most expensive dish too) and I caved in. Her choices was decent, but it wasn’t the best I had. After dinner we just walked around, window shopping and checked their night life (but we didn’t go to any shows).
Here’s the part 2 of my Cancun trip with my little sister. We spent a day at the Mayan Ruins (Chichen Itza) on a group tour. Honestly, I didn’t really join the group listening to our tour guide because it was so hot that day and I started having a headache and I just had to stay in the shade of a tree for most of the time. I still have to google and read about the history of the Mayan Ruins/Chichen Itza because all I know is that it’s part of the 7 wonders of the world. The whole place was pretty amazing and I’m so glad we did the tour. It was such a LONG day(13 hours total to do the tour) but worth it in my opinion. It’s not everyday we get the chance to see one of the 7 wonders of the world. Sis and I also checked out downtown Cancun (reminded us of the Philippines), swam at IkKil Cenote park, had dinner at Carlos and Charlie (so pricey!!) and the Mextreme restaurant (because we wanted some authentic mexican food,it didn’t disappoint!), we played tourists at the Coco Bongo Area, and the rest of the time we spent soaking in the sun and enjoying the beach. Their beach was really amazing, the water had a beautiful array of blue shades. We are so grateful that we got to do this, we know that not all are given the chance to experience Cancun. Thank you, Lord! Warning Ahead: Picture Overload! Enjoy:)
I know it’s been a while since my last post! It’s just been a little busy here so my little blog was “sacrificed”. But the major reason is that I just got back from Cancun with my younger sister,Rosell, last Sunday morning so I’m still (sort of) in vacation mode. I really had no plans to join her on her Mexico vacation but when she asked if I wanted to join her (she already paid for the hotel) and I mentioned it to Zach, he happily said YES! I was expecting a different answer especially since we plan to go somewhere next month, but he thought it was a great opportunity to spend some time with my sister and a free trip to Cancun (why not!),although it’s not totally free because my plane tickets were not cheap:(… But anyways, this is my first time to visit Cancun (I’ve been to Cozumel and Playa del Carmen) I really liked it, they make it easy for the tourists. I observed that they really clean their roads, maintain the tropical ambiance (Hotel Zone). You can tell that Tourism is their main livelihood. I can totally see myself visiting Cancun again, but I’ll have to bring my husband this time. Thanks to my sis for the Cancun treat!
I will make a part 2 of our trip because (still so many pictures to share) and we visited the Mayan Ruins,swam in Ik Kil (Cenote), dinner at the Coco Bongo area! I took so many pictures and wish I can upload everything here! Hope you enjoyed the part 1 of our vacation pictures!
Our weekend was wet and quiet! Fall is here and it’s been a rainy weekend here in the PNW! We didn’t do a lot because Riley is still healing from his surgery so we didn’t want to leave him alone for a long time so we mostly stayed here at home. We did watch the movie “The Maze Runner” because Hubs read the book series so he wanted to see if they did them justice. He said the movie wasn’t so bad compared to the book! I enjoyed it too despite me not reading the books. After the movie, we ate at the Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant because it was close to the theater and we’ve been wanting to try it. The place is like a sports bar, lots of big TVs all over the place and college football playing everywhere while we dined. The wings were good too, meaty and flavorful. I really liked my order. I had the chicken wings with parmesan garlic sauce. The Hubs had the traditional chicken wings (buffalo hot sauce) and he said it was just OK. We also shared their fried cheese curds (my first time to have it) and it was the BOMB! I will probably go back just for that alone!
After church this morning, we had lunch at Genki Sushi at Factoria Mall because the weather is cold and wet and I “needed” some Ramen in my system!
Hope you had a great weekend family and friends! I’m off to spend some time with my Hubs and my lovey Riley!
Riley had a surgery last Wednesday to remove a small mass in his shoulder (we are still waiting for the analysis). We decided to have his teeth cleaned too because they gave him general anesthesia so might as well do that while he is under the meds. We’ve known about this mass for a while now,so we are prepared financially (it’s so pricey!) and we thought the mass was starting to get big. Riley is family so he is worth it! We want to make sure that he is healthy and will have many more years with us, thus we want to do all the preventative care we can for him. Right now he is recovering very well and taking pain meds and doggie antibiotics for his incision. He is back to his normal bouncy and playful self (2 days after his surgery). He is one little brave schnauzer!
We went to the Washington State Fair this weekend (it’s their last weekend) and it was a fun afternoon! The Hubs didn’t really want to go but I convinced him, after all we only go to this event once a year. The junk food is always a must when we go! I always get the oily curly fries and corn on the cob, even if I’m full, I gotta have it, because it’s been a tradition! We had fun watching the “Wool Riders Only”, where kids 4-7 years old ride sheep. We also toured the barns to see the cows, goats, pigs, etc. Despite the crazy hot afternoon and long lines we survived! Till next time WSF!
We had this Clam dish a couple of weeks ago, and my Hubs, Zach, cooked this for us. Although I did the prep thing, like cleaning the clams (you have to make sure you really clean the clams because who wants “sandy” broth to dip their bread in?), Zach is the one who makes this for us. I just assume that whenever we have steamed clams, he’s cooking. This is such a simple and quick recipe, I think that’s why he doesn’t mind it! Anyways, Hubs tweaked this recipe by Robert Irvine from food network. Hubs found some bargain priced moscato de’ asti that we paired with our meal!
Steamed Clams (recipe:Robert Irvine)
6 dozen fresh clams (littlenecks or middlenecks, your choice)
3 tablespoons grapeseed oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup white wine
2 cups clam juice or water
Chopped parsley leaves
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup melted butter (1 stick)
Directions:
Wash the clams thoroughly and remove any blemishes. They should have no odor. Heat oil in a large saucepan (with a cover) over medium heat and cook garlic and onion until translucent. Add the wine and let cook for a couple of minutes to combine the flavors. Add the clams and clam juice (or water) and cover the pan for about 10 minutes until the clams open. Discard any clams that do not open and remove clams to serving bowls. Season the juices in the pan with salt and pepper to make a sauce. Pour the sauce and melted butter over the clams.
I made this brûlée last week because it’s been a while since I’ve made cream brûlée and “saffron” sounded so decadent to me that day! This recipe was just OK for me, I still prefer the Vanilla cream brûlée, I’m still glad I tried the recipe though! My Hubs liked it and so did my Father In law, so maybe I will make this next time for them.
Saffron Brûlée (recipe: Sara Lewis)
Ingredients: (serves 6)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup light cream
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
8 egg yolks
1/4 cup superfine sugar
1/4 cup superfine sugar,to finish
Procedure:
1. Pour the heavy and light creams into a saucepan, add the saffron threads, and slowly bring almost to a boil. Take off the heat and allow to stand for 15 minutes for the flavor to develop.
2. Use a fork to mix together the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl. Reheat the cream, then gradually mix it into the yolks, stirring continuously.
3. Place 6 heatproof ramekins or custard cups in a roasting pan, then strain the custard into them. Pour warm water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the dishes. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 F for 20-25 minutes, until the custards are just set with a slight softness at the center.
4. Leave the dishes to cool in the water, then lift them out and transfer to the refrigerator for 3-4 hours to chill well. About 20-30 minutes before serving, sprinkle the tops with the remaining sugar. Caramelize with a blowtorch, then leave at room temperature until ready to serve.