Thanksgiving Dinner at Zuni, Greenbelt 5

I always accompany PD to Thanksgiving Dinner.  She said, when she was growing up in the US, they always celebrated Thanksgiving.

It was her beading students who recommend Zuni to us.



Thanksgiving Menu:

Trio Salad Provencale with sauteed escargot, shrimps and shiitake mushroom drizzled with house dressing.



Essence of Wild Mushroom Consomme with spinach and herb dumpling. (No picture)

Roast Tom Turkey with apple-bread stuffing in giblet gravy and cranberry sauce.  Served with Sweet potatoes fries and creamed corn-spinach.



Pumpkin Gelato with gingerbread sablee Breton, candied pecan nuts and caramel paper.



I do not like turkey so I just ordered the Foie Gras Salad.



I had plans of going to another Thanksgiving dinner party.  Bibo invites me every year! But since I had to celebrate Thanksgiving with PD, unfortunately, I was not able to attend.... again.

Bibo!!! Please do not get tired of inviting me to your celebration!!!  I will be able to eat all the delicious food you prepare for your family and friends one of these days.

Welcome Home, Mimi and Sammy!

Mimi and Sammy are cousins from Vancouver and they just arrived in the Philippines to be with their parents.



I invited them for lunch and cooked Filipino food.

I also invited Mona, Marianne, Sarita. and Catherine.



I made Kansi,



a Visayan soup made with Batuan as a souring agent which I bought in Boracay last week.

I was so glad Marianne was able to join us because she loves Kansi! The last time I posted a picture in FB, she mentioned she wanted some!

I cooked Binagoongan Baboy and used the bagoong alamang Mayette gave me from Bataan.



I also baked the Tamarind Chicken which I learned from Mayette when I attended the birthday celebration of Kiel and Joy.

Baked Tamarind Chicken



1.2 K. Magnolia Chicken
1 T. rock salt
freshly cracked peppercorn
200 g. fresh tamarind pods
1-2 T. olive oil
1 bunch fresh tamarind leaves (Mona got them from her neighbor in Alabang.)



Rub salt and pepper inside and outside the chicken.

Stuff with tamarind pods and leaves.

Scatter the remaining tamarind pods and leaves around the chicken in the baking pan.

Drizzle with olive oil.

Bake at 350F for an hour.

Increase the heat to 400F and brown for 10 minutes or so.

Let chicken rest for 20 minutes before chopping.  I used a pair of kitchen scissors to cut up the chicken.



Mash the tamarind in the baking pan and pour the juices over the chopped chicken.

I also made Chicken Breast Relleno.



I did not want to make the whole chicken relleno because I already have the baked chicken.  Jing said, I should take pictures to show the procedure.  Sorry, I cannot share the recipe because it is in Lia's Food List.

Debone and flatten the chicken breast.  Marinate the chicken over night.  Lay the chicken skin side down on a well-buttered foil.

Spread the filling on top of the chicken breast.



Roll like a jelly roll.



Mimi and Sammy brought goodies from DECS....

Smoked Duck



Kikiam



Buco Pandan

They also brought the crispy liempo from Chooks to Go.



Mona made Ginataang Mais and everybody loved it!



Catherine brought the shank for the Kansi.

I am very happy my guests enjoyed the food!



Well .... I hope they did!  Hahahaha! I was too busy eating I did not notice!

Welcome Home, Mimi and Sammy!

Bad! Bad! Bad! Lia!!

I went to Landmark Supermarket and became very, very bad!

You can now buy the Chicharabao at Landmark, Makati!

I got the Hot and Spicy and Onion and Vinegar.



I will serve it to my Canadian balikbayan friends on Wednesday.

I was checking out the chocolate aisle when I saw this pack of Peanut Butter Snickers!!!



I know it is so bad for me but I just have to try it!

A little bit too sweet for me but it will not stop me from hiding it from everybody! Hehehe!

Happy Birthday, Tita Josie!!!

We celebrated the birthday of Tita Josie Yao today at Hai Shin Lou, Pasay Road.  I was with my Senior Citizen friends.

L-R: PD, Tess Colayco, Josie Yao, Lia, Mita Ampil and Butchie Ayuyao

Tita Josie's birthday is not complete without Peking Duck!!!

Beautiful!!!!  

In the previous years, she has always treated us at Peking Garden, but the duck at Hai Shin Lou today was also good.



Had it cooked 2-ways.





Wintermelon with Dried Scallops Soup



We also had a shrimp dish ...... for Tita Mita who does not eat Peking Duck and other seafood dishes.  If I have to guess.... I think it was .... Prawns with Sweet and Chili Sauce.



Seafood Home Made Beancurd in Hot Casserole



Watercress with Crabmeat



Beef Hofan



Fried Rice



and .... home made Tauho for dessert.



We always enjoy our get-together.  We have not seen each other in a while!!!!  Lots of stories and "chismis".  
We already set the date for the next lunch!!!

Thanks Tita Josie for the Birthday Lunch treat!!!!

Happy Birthday, Kiel and Joy!

There was an impromptu pre-birthday celebration tonight.  Joy just got home from Davao this morning and decided to have a small gathering with friends and family.  It was also the birthday of Kiel, her son, last November 16.

I got a very nice text message this morning from Mayette!  She said there was going to be lechon!  I already felt bad I was not able to attend the 7th birthday party of Lance, her other nephew, yesterday.  There was also Lechon and crabs.

I was not feeling well this morning so I drank liters and liters of water to flush out the salt from my body which is one of the causes of vertigo.    I could not drive yet so I took a cab all the way to Pasig!!!  I did not want to miss the dinner this time around.



Ohhhh I was not disappointed! The little pig was so plump and crunchy!!!!



I got about a quarter-of-a-sheet size of lechon skin and ate the ribs to my heart's delight.  I did not eat the meat, just my favorite parts.



Mayette cooked this very delicious spareribs and then she grilled it!



I did not eat much of the lechon because I also concentrated on her ribs.



Tita Letty made Lasagna.



Noy, their cook, taught me how to make shells with Tausi.



There was also grilled boneless bangus....



grilled oysters....



Ohhhh and I have to try this at home ... Mayette's Lechon Manok with fresh tamarind and tamarind leaves!



The meat was so juicy and tender!!!

There was Chicharon Bituka from the lechon company.



For those who wanted healthy food ... there was green leafy salad.



Of course, that was not a resident of my plate.

Most of the X-factor kids were there .... good friends of Kiel and Bees.

Belated Happy Birthday, Kiel!!!  Happy Birthday, Joy!



Thank you, Joy, for always inviting me every time you have Lechon!!!