COVID-19: DAY 41 SHELTER IN PLACE APR 26 2020

I have accepted that this is the new normal and I don't want to go back to how it used to be.  Today I feel resigned that this is life and we are facing a future so vastly different from the past.  

I have not been sleeping well.  I slept at 4 am today and woke up at 8.  I'm trying to stay awake and resisting the bed's call for me to take a nap so I distracted myself and made mango sticky rice from scratch.  If it was warm enough, I'd grow the mangoes myself.  I have plenty of time.

On our trip to Chiang Mai, Thailand last year, we took a full day cooking class at an organic farm where we learned to cook 5 different dishes, each person can choose the 5 dishes they would like to learn to cook.  On the top of my list was learning how to cook Pad Thai and Mango Sticky Rice. We were picked up by our local guide at our hotel and taken to the local market where the cooking instructor gave us an introduction to the most common ingredients used in Thai cooking.  Since I grew up in the Philippines, I was familiar with about half of the ingredients she showed, the other half, I was familiar with because I just like to cook.  She asked me, 'Are you a chef?'  My daughter answered for me and said, 'Yes! She is a chef'.  Ok, I'm a chef.  The kid sometimes has more faith in me than I do in myself.  I'll take that title, thank you very much.  

Zabb E Lee Cooking School Chiang Mai

Picking Butterfly Pea Flower Shoots

Learning to cook Pad Thai

The cooking class was a fun and memorable experience.  We learned about ingredients and made curry paste the traditional way, with mortar and pestle.  Even my husband, who really isn't much of a cook, enjoyed the experience and even used the skills he learned to whip up a Thai dish for us a few months ago.  

  

Today, I made Mango Sticky Rice for the first time since our trip. I should have used more butterfly pea flower to make the rice a richer blue/purple color.  I bought the pea flowers during that trip to the market because it was anew ingredient that I have never used before.  I also bought Kafir Lime Leaves but left it it Manila when I  checked customs and realized I cannot bring the leaves to the USA. 

Cooking this today really lifted my spirits.  I do not draw, I only play a little bit of piano and a sprinkle of guitar.  Cooking is my creative outlet, and gives me so much joy when the people I love get to enjoy the dishes I make.

  

Liholiho Yacht Club

Paul and I went out to Liholiho Yacht Club tonight.  I've heard about this place for a couple of years and I have been extremely eager to try them out.  So when the reservation was about to open up for today's date, I booked right away and snagged a 5:30 pm reservation.

We arrived a little early for our reservation but we were seated right away.  The restaurant has an open kitchen right in the middle and a contemporary vibe to it.  Our server was pleasant but a little distant, which was fine for me.  Servers that are too perky make me uncomfortable (I know, I'm weird!).  

Our server suggested we order 3 items from their small plates/appetizer section and 1 from their entree section as their dishes were designed for sharing.  We started with tuna poke, then moved on to beef tongue steam buns (my favorite), grilled short ribs with boned marrow and escargot, and a fried rice with bay shrimp, abalone mushroom, and... spam!  They make their own spam in house, not the kind that we buy from the supermarket.

grilled shortrib, escargo,
bone marrow, mushrooms

Surprisingly, the weakest dish for me was the short ribs.  It was tasty but I would have done the plate differently.  Maybe I was just not too happy with the bone marrow stuffed with escargot and covered with breadcrumbs.  When I order bone marrow, I like to taste the marrow, that delicate fattiness that coats your mouth.  But the bone marrow ended up tasting like escargot and bread crumbs; they are not bad flavors, but the marrow's flavor was just to weak to stand up against the other flavors present.  The short ribs was cooked perfectly but I felt like it was missing something that I just couldn't put my finger on.  

Don't get me wrong.  The short rib dish was still good.  Just not as good as the other dishes we ordered.  The tuna poke was perfectly fresh, served on a crispy seaweed.  My favorite dish was the beef tongue served with kimchi, pickled cucumber, in a poppyseed steam bun.  So delicious!  I'm going to try to replicate this dish at home and add it to my repertoire! =)  The fried rice was good and went really well with the short ribs that we ordered.  

beef tongue with kimchi, cucumber and poppyseed steam bun

fried rice with bay shrimp, spam, and abalone mushroom

It might seem like a lot of food but we had room for dessert!  We ordered the Baked Hawaii and it came with a little sparkler for the evening's celebration.  I saw this dessert on yelp and knew it looked really pretty but I had my reservations because I'm not a big fan of meringue (I don't like that eggy taste).  I'm glad I took the plunge with this dessert!  The meringue was perfect!  Not eggy at all! It was light and creamy and not overly sweet. 

baked hawaii - caramelized pineapple ice cream
vanilla chiffon
doesn't it look so pretty????

I would love to go back and try some more of their dishes.  But to be honest, I could just order those beef tongue buns and a glass of beer and be perfectly happy.  =)

french food

this post has been sitting in my drafts folder for a while now...but one word describes the food in france. 

DELICIOUS.

DELICIOUS!

the food is really, really good!  we enjoyed everything we ate in paris...from the breakfast at the hotel (continental only), to the lunch and dinner at various places, the food was good.  I had my foie gras fix while in paris because it is now banned in California (living here has its pros and cons and no foie gras is a con!!!!!).

even michelle who doesn't have the same appreciation as I do about food was really very pleased with everything she ate...that or maybe she just gets really really hungry when walking 10 miles every day.  it's weird because she would eat food that she wouldn't normally eat at home, e.g. escargot or mushroom sauce.  she didn't love the escargot but she tried it, which, if you're a mom of a 7 year old, is a big leap already!
we always went to the café just across the street from our hotel (café republique) because it was convenient, affordable, and delicious. 

 

 





just looking at the pics and thinking how good it was makes my mouth water and yearn to go back! (someday!)

london food

one of my favorite things about traveling is trying the different kinds of food.  Nando's has been on my list since i heard about it several years ago and it did not disappoint.  think of it as a spicy version of chicken inasal (a type of bbq chicken from Bacolod, Philippines).   it was delicious! 

no photos of the food because we were so hungry and we just ate it all!  

wagamama is also winner in my book. I had the curry with shrimp over rice.  paul wasn't too impressed with his ramen and wished he ordered the same dish as mine. 

shrimp with curry

fried calamari

my favorite out of the food/restaurants we tried in London was shake shack.   when we were in new York city last year, we missed out on trying the food at shake shack.  well, we missed out a lot on that trip to NYC.  it was unbelievably hot so we always had to wait until it gets a little cooler before we stepped out of the hotel.  we finally got our shake shack opportunity while in London and my goodness was that burger good!  some of my girl friends are in new York this week and before they left, they asked me what I wanted from new York, I said, 'well, if you're arriving early enough, I want a burger from shake shack.' unfortunately, their flight lands at 11:30 pm Pacific so no shake shack for me. =(

i still dream about this burger

of course we had our fill of fish and chips.  we tried the fish and chips at Jamie Oliver's Union Jacks and at the Wellington Pub.  I liked wellington's fish and chips more than Jamie's.  it was cheaper, too.  I also enjoyed the mushy peas with a hint of mint.  it doesn't look very good but to me it went well with the fish and chips.   

pizza, she always gets pizza

the mussels were alright

pork belly, he can't say no to pork belly

fish and chips...i actually enjoy the mushy peas

fish and chips at the wellington; better than jamie oliver's

if there is no pizza, mac n cheese is michelle's next choice

so in summary, my top 3 London restaurants are:
1. shake shack
2. nando's
3. wagamama

christmas party menu

we will be hosting our annual barkada christmas party here at home.  it's potluck. but being host, and a domestic diva wanna-be, i want to make a bulk of the dishes.  here is what i have planned:

Carmelized Onion and Gruyere Tarts

Linguini with Clam Sauce

Zucchini and Yellow Squash Gratin

Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding

i'll modify the recipes a little bit so they can be a little bit more festive and colorful.

I'll also make some festive cocktails, maybe something with pomegranate, like this:

have i told you how much i love christmas?  =D

date night

paul and i went to dinner to celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary two fridays ago.  we had originally planned on going to napa to have lunch at morimoto and go to wine tasting at cheateau st. jean, but michelle was sick for almost a week so we had to cancel our plans. 

we decided to eat at baker and banker a week later... it was voted to be one of the best restaurants in the san francisco bay area in 2011.  it was a small restaurant that seats maybe less than 50 people at a time.  the pastry chef (lori baker) and the chef (jeff banker) came out to greet the diners which i think was a very nice touch. 

 House smoked trout, potato latke, horseradish cream, pickled beets, shaved fennel

Grilled gulf prawns, fresh shelling bean, oven dried tomato and baby artichoke salad, Castelvetrano olive tapenade

Soy and mirin braised black cod, foie gras-shitake sticky rice, grilled bok choy

 Slow roasted pork shoulder, pan friend semolina spaetzle, sweet corn, black mission figs

                                                       Jonathan apple crisp, white cheddar streusel, bacon brittle ice cream

the food was great!  i loved all of the dishes i ordered...paul was not too happy with his order especially after he had a taste of my entree.  the cod at baker and banker is one of the top 5 dishes i've ever had in my life.  yes, it was that good! 


i would love to go back in a heartbeat!  the price was not too bad...paul and i each had a glass of wine.  i could have had two but i didn't want to look like the 'big drinker' at our table.  =D  paul hardly and rarely drinks.  i drink enough for the two of us.  =D

strawberry jam

strawberries were on sale at safeway so i bought more than what michelle and i would normally eat.  since these berries spoil really quickly, i decided to make home-made strawberry jam so they wouldn't go to waste.

recipe:

1 1/2 pounds of strawberries

1 cup of sugar

3 tbsp water

1 tbsp of kalamansi juice (or lemon or lime...but kalamansi taste the best)

directions:

combine all ingredients in a pot and bring to a slow boil, stirring frequently and scraping the sides.  do this for 45 min to 1 hour.

i promise you...this will be the best tasting jam you will ever have.  i told paul i'm never buying jams from the store anymore.  i'll start making my own using fruits that are in season.  

i'm just waiting for the jam to cool and i'll make me some toast!!!  =D

(image taken from ms. evinrude's flicker page http://www.flickr.com/photos/evinrude/2655340763/) mahirap na hindi mag cite ng source, baka ma-manny pangilinan pa ako no!

james beard nominated SF restaurants

below is a short list of james beard nominated sf restaurants.  i crossed out the ones i've visited.  the rest, i want to visit soon.  i'm really itching to try jardiniere.  maybe for our anniversary in september. i want to try the french laundry, too, but getting a reservation there is next to impossible.

gary danko is by far my best meal in the city.  i've only been there once because it burns a giant hole in the wallet for simple folks like you and me.  it was truly an unforgettable meal!  maybe soon i can go there again, kailangan munang pag ipunan. 

Outstanding restaurateur

Pat Kuleto
Boulevard, Epic, Farallon, Jardinière, Martini House, Nick's Cove & Cottages and Waterbar -- San Francisco, California

Outstanding chef

Gary Danko
Restaurant Gary Danko, San Francisco

Charles Phan
The Slanted Door, San Francisco

Outstanding restaurant

Boulevard, San Francisco

Rising star chef of the year

Timothy Hollingsworth
The French Laundry, Yountville, California

Best new restaurant

Flour + Water, San Francisco

Frances, San Francisco

RN74, San Francisco

Outstanding pastry chef

Nicole Plue
Redd, Yountville

Outstanding wine service

A16, San Francisco

Restaurant Gary Danko, San Francisco

teaching michelle to eat balut

i love balut!

i remember as a kid growing up in the philippines, street vendors were out from dusk til dawn, yelling, 'ballllllluuuuuuuuuuuuuut!' i would go up to my dad and ask him if we could buy some and he'd say, 'sige tawagin mo yung tindero.' (go ahead and call the [male] vendor). i'd run out of the house and yell 'ballllllluuuuuu!' to get the vendor's attention. he'd look back and hurry towards our house where my dad and i would be waiting.

when we moved to the states, the local asian markets carried them so i can still get my balut fix. every once in a while we would buy some and my childhood balut memories would come flooding back.

we bought some balut over the weekend and i've been teaching michelle to eat this stuff. she loves egg, but balut is not quite the egg she's used to eating. she drinks the sabaw but when she sees the rest of the stuff, she goes, 'eew!' i am dismayed!!! kainis! so i would reprimand her and tell her that i wouldn't eat it if it wasn't good and that ever since i was her age, balut was one of my favorites. she had a small piece of the yellow part and duck embryo part. she left it in her mouth without chewing. however, she finished all of the sabaw inside the egg. then she told me, 'mommy i'm finished with this' and she points towards her mouth. 'no, you have to chew it and swallow it.' her eyes opened wide, but she knew i was serious. she chews and shudders as she swallows. my mom and i started cracking up at the sight. it really was funny.

i asked her how it tasted, and she said it was ok and i knew she'll grow to like it. part of my struggle as a filipina(/american) mom (filipino by birth, race and heritage, but american by citizenship) is how i could raise my daughter the filipino way, in every way, and encourage her to embrace both her being filipino and american. it's hard. she speaks english almost 100% of the time even if you talk to her in tagalog and understand every word you say in tagalog. like this evening, my mom instructed her and said, 'michelle, tawagin mo ang lolo mo sabihin mo magsisimula na ang tanging yaman.' she went to her lolo and said, 'lolo, lola is calling you she said tanging yaman will start soon.' haaaaay! a trip to the motherland is really in order!

she does know how to say po and opo which i'm happy FINALLY picked up as i have been trying to teach her this ever since she learned to speak.

for paul's birthday at the end of the month, we plan on cooking isaw...and again i'll teach her to eat that.

it's fear factor in our fun little household!

sabado night

since friday afternoon, i've been telling michelle that the next night, i would be going to a fundraising and i couldn't take her with me. she only let me go after i promised her that i would have a surprise for her when i got home.

so to prepare, i went to target to get her a little something. i did't want to go home empty handed which has happened many times before. i don't want to disappoint her again this time. mahirap pala maghanap ng panuhol sa anak! but i found something that i was sure would lift her spirits.

saturday night, me, chel, t, claire, lai, ed, ron, perry, pastora mona and dorcas went to st. thomas more school for their cioppino night. seafood heaven!!! we all prepared for this evening, eating next to nothing the whole day so that we have enough room and appetite for this tradition. we ate soooooo much seafood! bakit naman kasi hindi?? this dish has crab, clams, mussels, and shrimp. we all dug in, bibs around our necks and devoured our food. our boy scout server gave us 2 helpings of the mussel appetizer and 4 servings of the cioppino. i kept telling myself, 'mie, hindi lang lobo ang pumuputok!' just to stop myself from eating. dessert was amazing, too, but unfortunately, i was not able to enjoy it too much dahil talaga puputok na tiyan ko.

we didn't like much of the items up for auction so we didn't bother bidding. or siguro our attention was just too focused on the food. =)

i took home 10 balloons for michelle from the school. feeling 'UP' ako while carrying them out of the gym. =D She was aleep when i got home, sayang. But at around midnight, she opened her eyes and asked, 'mommy what's your surprise for me?' i said, 'look up'. Her eyes opened wide and she flashed a big smile 'Balloons!' she said. And she fell back to sleep, still with a smile on her lips. haaaay! those little things make me so happy to be a mom. =D

btw, i got her a bubble machine at target as my real surprise for her. since the balloons were available, yung muna ang binigay ko. she's taking a nap right now and given that it is a gorgeous day outside, i told her i have another surprise for her when she wakes up from her nap. =)

family valentine's day dinner

tri-tip from morton's
(sold at costco)

clambake by me!
(recipe from the barefoot contessa)

hungry husband sold separately

buy one husband, get a daughter for free!

chez papa

3 words for ya...

kobe beef tartare

sarap!

kung iisipin mo, since when did raw beef become tasty??? i don't know who invented this beef tartare dish, but he/she is a genius! genius!!!

paul and i truly enjoyed our meal. sa sobrang enjoy namin, nakalimutan na namin kunan ng pictures yung mga pagkain. sarap. i would go back any time. one of my favorites and not overly expensive.

naalala namin to take pics of the food, half way through each dish na. sayang kasi ang ganda ng presentation ng food. here is the best we could do...

kobe beef tartare

alaskan cod

steamed PEI mussels