Food, Facial, Fedi, Firates and Fancy Free

Last Saturday, hubby and I embarked on a day of beautification. We both had facials and pedicures. We would have gotten manicures too if we had more time. Hubby had a haircut and his back cleaned which we nicknamed, "backcial" (a back "facial"). I got a lot of massages from hubby too. Sheer bliss.

I remember the first time hubby had a facial and a pedicure, I had to coerce him to try them at least once. A lot of straight men do it for crying out loud. From then on, we often have facials and pedicures together. Here he is having a pedicure at our favorite neighborhood beauty parlor (pictured below). When I go to the beauty parlor alone, the attendants would often as me, "Ma'am, si Sir hindi nyo kasama?"



We had lunch at Sai-Bachi in Festival Mall. It's a cheap Japanese restaurant that has decent food. A bento box of shrimp and vegetable tempura, california maki, rice and sukiyaki costs only P199. Not bad. Just don't expect the food to be exceptionally good.



Of course, hubby had to order the futomaki. A staple order in any Japanese restaurant.



For dessert, hubby and I went to Cafe Breton for a mango crepe with manticado ice cream. Comfort food!



On Sunday, we also got to watch the Pirates of Caribbean. I didn't understand half of what they were saying (due to the loud sound effects in the background) but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Very action packed. Orlando Bloom is ssoooo cute. I think they left the ending a bit hanging so that they have the option to do another movie later on.

My in-laws as usual treated us to dinner last night and it's in the walang kamatayan na Teriyaki Boy. Ugh! I'm so sick of their food. We always have it every weekend. All their food taste exactly the same to me now. No kidding. We suggested dining in other places but they love it there so we eat there almost every Sunday dinner.

It's a good thing that we did some eating (at Sbarro) and shopping earlier so we already had fun.

I love weekends, these are the days that I have hubby all to myself (well, almost). Sleep late, wake up late, no cooking, no cleaning, just eating, shopping, malling and long massages provided by one obedient husband.

Is it Saturday yet?

Hodgepodge Dinner

My schedule yesterday were quite full and I knew that hubby and I will be going out this weekend so grocery shopping is out of the question. I had to make do with found "objects" in my fridge.

For starters I had made a tomato, bell, pepper, basil salad of some sort. I didn't have any salad greens left so I plucked some basil leaves from my basil bush from my garden out front. I liked this salad but hubby didn't like it as much. He doesn't care for fresh basil at all. He finds the flavor too strong. Well, at least the salad looks colorful, eh?



I did a tomato, basil, mozzarella salad a while back and he didn't like it too. Anyway, for basil lovers out there you may like this one:

Cherry Tomato, Basil and Yellow Pepper Salad
6 cherry tomatoes, split in half
1 large yellow pepper, julienned
Basil leaves
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Liquid Seasoning

Toss the tomatoes and yellow pepper in olive oil, salt, pepper and liquid seasoning. Roast in a 350 oven until slightly browned. Cool slightly. Place on top of a bed of basil leaves.

For the shrimps, I just steamed it since hubby likes it that way. Served with a vinegar and garlic dipping sauce.



For a healthier dessert, I arranged grapes and apples in a small plate. Be sure to squeeze some lemon or calamansi juice on the apples to prevent them from oxidizing.



This wasn't a very heavy meal. Hubby and I found ourselves having a midnight snack of tortilla chips, salsa and chocolates. Yikes, talk about bad eating habits.

Hamburgers for Grown-ups

Don't you just love biting into those big, juicy burgers with all the trimmings? With the mayo and the juices from the tomatoes dripping down your fingers. Well, hubby and I both love it. We also love the taste of burgers grilled in real charcoal.

I had made a grown-up version of the the typical hamburger for dinner last night. It's takes more effort than a regular burger because of the grilling but the taste is so much more satisfying. Here's my version:

Grown-up Hamburger
1/2 kilo ground sirloin
3 egg yolks
1-2 cloves garlic, very finely minced
Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper
Jalapeno peppers, sliced (optional)
3-4 tablespoons butter, chilled
Mayonnaise
Wasabi paste
Lettuce
Cucumbers, sliced in disks
Cheese of your choice
3 sesame-seed hamburger buns



1. In a medium bowl place ground beef, egg yolks, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and jalapeno (if using). Carefully mix with a fork. Do not squish.
2. Take a medium-sized ball, place a pad of butter in the middle. Roll and shape into your desired patty size.
3. Grill over hot coals for about 10 minutes on each side (for well done), less for medium. (if you like it medium, make sure that your sirloin is VERY fresh).
4. Remove from the grill and wrap in aluminum foil to seal in the juices. Keep warm in a 200 degree oven. Open foil and place cheese on top just until melted.

To make Wasabi Mayo:
Mix Wasabi and mayonnaise. Mix well.

To assemble:
1. Toast the hamburger buns.
2. Spread wasabi mayo on the bottom of a hamburger bun, top with lettuce then cucumber then the burger with cheese. Top with the other halt of the hamburger bun.

Hubby preferred quickmelt cheese over his burger (pictured below). Mine was smeared cream cheese (pictured above).



I decided to serve the burgers with a grilled pepper salad with balsamic dressing. You will need:

Grilled Pepper Salad with Balsamic Dressing
1 large yellow bell pepper, julienned
1 large green pepper, julienned
1 red onion, sliced into rings
Balsamic vinegar
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Mixed lettuce

1. Mix Balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix well.
2. Toss vegetables in the balsamic dressing. Soak for 15 minutes.
3. Grill over hot coals until slightly charred.
4. Remove from coals and put back in the balsamic dressing.
5. Place the peppers on top of a bed of mixed lettuce.

Eating burgers will never be complete without a milkshake. Our choice was an avocado milkshake. Perfect for a hot summer night.



Avocado Milkshake
1 medium avocado, pitted and diced, chilled
1 1/2 cups non-fat milk (or whole milk), chilled
2-3 tablespoons condensed milk (or sugar)

Place everything in a blender. Serve immediately.

Prepare yourself to be stuffed.

Cilantro Night

Cilantro is one of those special herbs that divide people. Those who hate it and those who love it. I belong to the latter. I love dishes with cilantro and I often keep a whole bunch in my fridge on hand. It's fresh taste is always a welcome treat on my palate. The fresh burst of flavor as soon as you bite on it, cools the tongue and instantly reminds you of summer.

All parts of the cilantro plant is edible, from the tender leaves, to the stalks and down to the roots. However, the fresh tender leaves are what's commonly used in cooking. Cilantro is an herb commonly used in Asian, Middle Eastern, Indian and Mexican Dishes. I can't imagine having Mexican salsa without this fragrant herb!

Coriander or Cilantro leaves lose their flavor quite easily when touched by heat that's why it only added at the last minute of cooking or as a special garnish.

Since I love this herb so much, I had made dinner in honor of this herb. Since cilantro is most popularly used in Mexican dishes, I threw a Mexican dinner extravaganza for 2 last night. Well, extravaganza is a strong word.

I came upon an avocado and cherry tomato salad recipe somewhere and I put a twist on it by adding cilantro instead of parsley. This salad is quite refreshing and very healthy.




Avocado and Cherry Tomato Salad (for 2)
1 Avocado, pitted and sliced
5-6 pieces, cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
Juice of 1 lime
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper
1 shallot, sliced
Cilantro leaves

1. Combine avocado and tomato.
2. Make the dressing by combining lime juice, olive oil, shallot, salt and pepper. Pour over avocado and tomatoes.
3. Toss with cilantro leaves. Chill before serving.

As main course, I served Chili Con Carne over baked potatoes. It takes a while to make but it's very easy and it's worth it. You will need:

3/4 cup red kidney beans
2 Baking potatoes
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 white onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 kilo lean ground beef
Cumin
Catsup
Worcestershire Sauce
Chili Sauce
3/4 can diced tomatoes
Cheddar cheese, grated
Sour cream



1. In a big stock pot, place red kidney beans, salt and plenty of water. Boil for 2 hours or until very tender. Keep adding water from time to time for the water will quickly evaporate. Set aside, including the water. (You can used canned red kidney beans, if you prefer)
2. Meanwhile, toss baking potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper. Prick with a fork and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 1 hour or until tender. Slice in half.
3. In a separate pot, saute onions in olive oil until soft, add the garlic, saute until just fragrant, do not brown.
4. Add the lean ground beef and continue to stir until the meat is no longer pink. Add half of the red kidney beans,cumin, catsup, Worcestershire sauce, chili sauce and the canned tomatoes with its juices as well as the boiling liquid used in the beans.
5. Mash the remaining beans with a little bit of the boiling liquid. Add to the ground beef pot. Simmer for 10 minutes or so.

To serve:
Place Chili con Carne between the sliced potato, top with grated cheddar cheese, cilantro and a dollop of sour cream.

For side dish, some tortilla chips with homemade salsa will be perfect. In fact, hubby was munching on it when I was still taking pictures! That's how much he loves the salsa.



Hubby kept calling me the whole day telling me how excited he was with dinner. He loves cilantro and Mexican food too. He came home bearing gifts of Lord Stowe's egg tarts and red plump roses.

The egg tarts were for dessert.



The roses were for the wife, who slaved over a hot oven the whole afternoon :-)

A Diary?

Hmm...after reviewing my posts, it seems that this blog has turned into a food diary of sorts. Ngek!

Bad Tummy Day for Hubby

Hubby's tummy was acting up yesterday and wasn't in the mood to eat anything heavy or extremely fatty.

For breakfast, it was just a BLTC whole wheat sandwiches (Bacon, lettuce tomato and cucumber). I made sure that I baked the bacon on top of a cooling rack (typically used for cooling pastries) to draw out the oil and to keep the bacon pretty straight, then I drained them further on a paper towel. It was yummy. Our sandwiches still had bacon but it was not fatty or greasy.

For lunch we just headed to Recipes in ATC (Alabang Town Center). Recipes is famous for their Fried Tilapia which is filleted and the meat is cut into strips, like french fries and fried together with the bones. It's typical Filipino fare but with better presentation. No more picking out the bones! We took home the fried bones and gave it to our cats. This dish is a hit both for humans and cats alike :-)




I also like their Thai Spring Rolls so we ordered that. The best part of that dish is the home made sweet chili sauce with carrots and cucumber.



Since hubby's tummy has been acting up the whole day, he requested to have some soup for dinner. I made a typical Filipino fare of Nilagang Baka, literally means boiled beef. This particular version is quite weak. For one, I used lean beef (fat removed) and there were hardly any vegetables in it. This is a major hit with hubby since he prefers his nilaga with no fat and a bit bland. Personally, I prefer to use beef shanks and brisket with lots of fat for they give a richer broth.



I also made salted egg salad with no dressing. Hubby and I usually prefer to just munch on the salad sans the dressing. This salad is just made with salted egg, tomatoes and assorted lettuce. The salted egg that I bought were much too salty though. We ended up just eating the tomatoes and the green stuff.



I still had some papaya left that hasn't been opened yet. We had that for dessert. This particular one was sweet and succulent. Almost like the ones from Malaysia.

A Simple Japanese Dinner at Home

For dinner last night. I went with a Japanese theme. I wanted to make something simple, light and yet filling. I bought some edamame from a Japanese store last week and I cooked that in lieu of a cucumber salad which is typical in a Japanese meal. Edamame is a Japanese term for soybeans. It's quite simple to cook.



1. Drop the edamame in boiling water.
2. Wait for the water to start bubbling again to remove the edamame and drain.
3. Sprinkle with sea salt.

The skins are not meant to be eaten. The beans inside are what's edible. My brother tried to eat the whole pod one time and he spent 3 minutes chewing the thing!

I also purchased frozen Tuna Sashimi which hubby loves. After defrosting it, I sliced it in bite-sized pieces. Always serve it with a Kikkoman and Wasabi paste dipping sauce. Both available in most grocery stores under the condiment section.



For our main dish. I made Chicken Tonkatsu. "Katsu" is a Japanese term for breaded fried meat, normally pork. I already had chicken on hand so I used that instead. Here's how simple it is to make:




Chicken Tonkatsu
5-6 chicken breasts, pounded thinly
Flour for dredging
Salt and Pepper
1 egg, beaten
Japanese Breadcrumbs (Panko) for dredging
Catsup
Worcestershire sauce

1. Season flour with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken breasts in flour, then egg then the Japanese breadcrumbs. Fry until golden brown.
2. Drain in paper towels to remove excess oil.
3. For dipping sauce: mix catsup and Worcestershire sauce.

If you get confused with the order of dredging always remember F-E-B (like the month of FEBruary) for Flour, Egg and Breadcrumbs.



For dessert, we just had Red Lady Papaya to wash down everything. We've had this type of papaya in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia and hubby and I kinda miss its sweet and succulent taste. I've seen some in the grocery store and bought some. Unfortunately, Malaysia's variety is much better.