Day 78: Surf and Turf

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While my wife and I miss our girl when she’s at school, it makes us treasure the time we spend together during her breaks. Tonight we showed her how to play Ticket to Ride and Zombie Dice (she won both games, so college is already paying off), then went to the new Korean BBQ restaurant in our neighborhood. It’s an all-you-can-eat place and we happily indulged in several servings of meats, seafood, and banchan (side dishes like kimchi, daikon, radish, etc.) After we stuffed ourselves silly, the manager came by to chat and gave us some complimentary food.

Maybe tomorrow we’ll have family bonding time at the gym.

Day 77: Wordless Wednesday

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I like the hashtag #WordlessWednesday on Google+. There are a lot of great photographers that share their pictures, which are always beautiful and inspiring.

For my #WordlessWednesday contribution tonight, I’m going with my mango empanadas. It’s the second time I’ve made them in a week, thanks again to Marvin Gapultos‘ wonderful The Adobo Road Cookbook. The photo might not be as beautiful or inspiring as others on Google+, but I’m sure it tastes better than the others.

Day 76: St. Patrick’s Day

Pan-Crisped Pork Belly

Pan-Crisped Pork Belly

I haven’t gone out for St. Patrick’s Day in years, but tonight my wife and I couldn’t pass up the all-night happy hour at Fleming’s Steakhouse. We met our friends in the bar area and eventually moved to a table outdoors on the patio. It was nice being able to catch up with everybody over cocktails and excellent appetizers. There were plenty of laughs and it was a nice early break in everybody’s week.

Best of all, I was able to indulge a little tonight, sharing the pan-crisped pork belly with sweet onion chutney and goat cheese grits. It wasn’t your typical St. Patrick’s Day food, but it was much more delicious.

Day 68: The Mall

De Cafe Baristas

De Cafe Baristas

I was in Monterey Park the other night, with about an hour to kill. I had a few things I wanted to get done for work, so I Yelped coffeehouses in the area and stumbled upon De Cafe Baristas in the Atlantic Times Square Plaza. A few minutes later and I had scored a parking spot (not easy to do, apparently) and wandered through the outdoor mall.

It’s a great space and I was instantly impressed. It has a city-like feel to it, with apartments towering above the retail and restaurant spots. As I walked to the coffeehouse, I was excited to see the eating options: 101 Noodle Express, Curry House, and Lee’s Sandwiches, to name a few. Having been to so many malls and shopping centers with the typical Sbarro/Panda Express/Jamba Juice food courts, this was like a breath of fresh air. Just thinking about the beef roll and scallion pancake at 101 Noodle Express makes my mouth water.

And, yes, I loved De Cafe Baristas. Read more in my Yelp review.

Day 67: Seafood Sunday

Adobong Pusit

Adobong Pusit

I always use my mom’s recipe for adobo and it’s either chicken or pork. After a successful dinner last week from The Adobo Road Cookbook, though, I decided to try its recipe for adobong pusit. My wife and I love squid so cooking it adobo-style would fit right in during Seafood Sunday, which is what I decided to call today.

I’m happy to report that I’m now 2-for-2 in delicious dishes from the cookbook. Kudos to Marvin Gapultos for providing good eats that are easy to make. Although I felt there was a bit too much sauce (mom’s recipe is still the best, obviously, lest I be struck down by lightning), my wife and I were totally happy with the meal. Of course, the real test comes tomorrow, after the flavors have melded overnight. The best adobo always tastes better the next day, so I’m eagerly waiting round two of the meal.

Day 66: Thoughtful

Fugetsu-Do peanut butter mochi

Fugetsu-Do peanut butter mochi

My stepdaughter was in town today, paying us a quick visit before heading back to school. Pictured above is a thoughtful gift she gave us: the sublime peanut butter mochi from Fugetsu-Do, a Japanese confectionery in Little Tokyo. I love the history of the store (the Kito family has owned it since 1903; yes, it’s a 112-years-old business) and even though I’m not the biggest mochi fan, their peanut butter mochi is one of my favorite desserts. My stepdaughter introduced me to this particular flavor and whenever we’re in the area, we’ll try to score a few packages.

My wife and I were excited to see her; it’s been almost two months since she was home. She arrived late last night and we all chatted until the early morning hours. Every time she comes back during her breaks from school, it’s like a new person is talking to us. She’s still the same person, obviously, but personality-wise she’s an adult now. Since I’ve known her, she’s been mature for her age, and the person she has become (and is still becoming) is intelligent, lovely, and a pleasure to know. Of course, I’m biased when I say she’s a cool kid, but I don’t care. She is.

I love hearing about her college experience, from the daily goings-on with her roommates to what she’s learning in her classes. I love discussing social justice with her and I’m so proud to see her committed to making positive changes in the world. It’s people like her that give me hope for the future and I know the world is in good hands with her around.

 

Day 65: F Is For Friday

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Belly Buster in Alhambra, CA

 

Three Fs for Friday:

1. F is for Five K: I hit up the trail this morning with my wife for our latest craze: 5K Friday. Not sure if it’s a trending hashtag, but this is our way of getting our weekends off to the right start. It always feels nice to put in a few miles at the end of the week.

2. F is for Farmer’s Market: We bought fresh fruit and veggies today at the farmer’s market. The oranges we scored were local, organic, and delicious. The veggies will be used for smoothies: my wife is a genius when it comes to making sure I get my daily dose of fruits and vegetables.

3. F is for Flashback Friday: All of the healthy living and eating today was in anticipation of my return trip to Belly Buster Sandwich Shoppe in Alhambra, CA. I haven’t had a Belly Buster sandwich in over 20 years and I’m happy to report that they still taste the same: delicious. It’s not the best sandwich I’ve ever had, but it’s comforting to know that nothing has changed over the years. Their menu still consists of the cute names for the various sizes of the sandwiches: Belly Buster, Belly Button, and Dimple. Back in the day there were several Belly Busters at Southern California malls, but they’ve been whittled down to the original location in Alhambra. I’m not complaining one bit, either. As much as I love the Belly Buster (truth: I got the Belly Button), my waistline can’t handle these gut-busters that well these days.

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Day 60: Bradbury Building

The Bradbury Building

The Bradbury Building

Pictured above is one of the coolest buildings in Southern California: the Bradbury Building. It’s easy to miss as you’re admiring the architecture in this part of Los Angeles (read my Yelp review here). I love stopping here whenever I’m downtown; it’s free to gawk and take photos, but you can’t go past the second floor or ride the elevators. Movie fans will recognize the interior from Blade Runner and 500 Days of Summer.

Many moons ago I worked nearby and it’s nice seeing how they’ve revitalized the area; downtown is much cleaner and hipper these days. My favorite thing about the Bradbury Building? It’s right across the street from the Grand Central Market, where you’ll find a bevy of culinary treats, including the amazing carnitas at Las Morelianas.

Trust me on this one: checking out a historical landmark and and chowing down on pork tacos is an excellent way to spend a day date with your significant other.

Day 59: Pancit Molo

Pancit Molo

Pancit Molo

My first attempt at pancit molo (Filipino wonton soup) was a success, thanks my wife’s copy of The Adobo Road Cookbook by Marvin Gapultos. Hardcore food truck fans might recognize the author’s name: he was the founder of Southern California’s first Filipino food truck, The Manila Machine. For those lucky enough to have eaten there, The Manila Machine served wonderful versions of Filipino favorites like adobo, sisig, lumpia, and more. I’ll never forget their delicious sliders (on pan de sal, of course) and ube cupcakes.  Sadly, the truck is long gone, but this cookbook does have a few of its recipes; I can’t wait to make the sisig using pork belly, among dozens of others.

The recent rains put me in the mood for soup. I had planned on making sinigang na baboy, but we had it earlier in the week at one of our favorite Filipino eateries. I love my mother-in-law’s pancit molo and after a quick search in Gapultos’ cookbook, I found the recipe.

It wasn’t a difficult recipe to follow; it was labor-intensive yet strangely relaxing. In fact, I learned that making dozens and dozens of dumplings was a nice way to spend a rainy late afternoon. The soup and the dumplings were delicious and, more importantly, they passed the does-my-wife-like-it taste test. And since I used more shrimp, ginger, and patis than the recipe called for, I decided there was only one name for my version of pancit molo: Pancit YOLO.

Lots of labor required for the dumplings, but totally worth it.

Lots of labor required for the dumplings, but totally worth it.

Day 56: Healthy Hump Day

Fettucine Cauliflower Alfredo

Fettucine Cauliflower Alfredo

As much as I loved last night’s abundance of pork-based Filipino dishes, tonight my wife and I got back to our healthier eating. She made her excellent cauliflower alfredo sauce with fettucine and baked green beens. It’s a simple meal and I’ve been surprised how much I enjoy the cauliflower dishes she’s made (my other favorite being her mashed cauliflower “potatoes”). As for the greens beans, I’m a big fan of garlic and slivered almonds, which certainly weren’t lacking in this dish.

The only problem with tonight’s dinner? No leftovers.