Christmas 2011

We hosted Christmas at our place for the very first time last year. My mom and sister came over on Christmas afternoon and we had a simple  meal together. It was a meal of firsts, we served dishes that neither of us had made before. Thankfully, it turned out well.

Christmas tablescape. I'm trying to let the wax build up gracefully on the candlesticks but that's not going so well.

As an appetizer, we served roasted Brussels sprouts and beet salad with fried goat cheese. I only started liking Brussels sprouts this year so I was a bit hesitant to make it. I might have overcooked it a smidge but it was still good. Confession, I baked the loose leaves separately to make Brussels sprouts chips and I ate it all before the guests arrived.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

The salad was good but the cheese didn’t hold its shape. We’re going to have to read up on the proper method for frying goat cheese.

Salad with Roasted Beets and Fried Goat Cheese

As an entree, V made squash risotto. This turned out nicely too but V and I disagreed about the garnish. He’s in a sprinkle-everything-with-chopped-herbs phase and I’m in a make-it-look-modern phase.

Squash Risotto

For dessert, we served my second attempt at Brazo de Mercedes. I modified the recipe a bit and we were able to roll it this time!  We didn’t quite achieve the log shape but I think it’s close enough.

Brazo de Mercedes

After the meal, we opened gifts and took a siesta. Then we woke up to a Christmas miracle — all the dishes had been washed while we were asleep! It was a good Christmas.

Baking fail

The goal: Brazo de Mercedes, a traditional Filipino dessert

My reality.

Looking back on 2011

2011 has been a good year. I already wrote about some of the major changes in our life in a previous post so I thought I’d recap 2011 a little differently.

January

I planned to adopt my sister's cat but my mom decided to to adopt him instead. Unfortunately, Shadow passed away from anemia in October. He was a good cat.

February

Hosted our annual Super Bowl party. I used felt to create a table cloth that looked like a football field.

March

I visited London and Edinburgh. I spent time with one of my best friends and even met up with a classmate from Montessori school!

Vik’s Chaat Corner

V and I “discovered” a new restaurant this weekend. Vik’s Chaat Corner has been around for years and I’ve known about it for a while but never seemed to get around to it.

But this weekend was THE weekend.

Vik’s offers foods that are typically found by street vendors in India so it was different from all the Indian food I have had in the past. But it was really good! I love street food. I feel like I got to see a whole new side of Indian cuisine. I can’t wait to go back and try the other dishes.

This was called “uttapam.” When I first saw it, I thought it would be pizza like in taste with the tomato and onions. But the “crust” wasn’t naan-like as I expected, it was actually made with a rice batter.

Of course, I had to order samosas. Mmmmmm.

V ordered the lamb roti, that was good too.

I really enjoyed the different sauces that came with the food. I can’t wait to go to India and eat the authentic stuff! Maybe in the next three years I’ll be able to make it there.

Second quarterversary

This Saturday will mark the sixth month of our marriage. Woohoo! Interestingly enough, we will be spending the evening at a wedding reception held in the same restaurant where we had our Cambodian reception. I’ll get to wear the custom-made Cambodian dress that I was supposed to wear at the reception but didn’t because it was misplaced.

Our Cambodian reception involved a flurry out outfit changes (I think 7 total), an eight-course banquet, 300+ guests, lots of dancing and overall, lots of fun. My one regret is that we didn’t get to taste all the courses because some came out while we were going around greeting the guests. But maybe they’ll have some of the same dishes at the wedding this weekend.

Killing Me Softly

Over the weekend, I finished wrapping and freezing my garlicky veggie eggrolls for our Super Bowl party. I cooked a couple for V and myself for a taste test and I want more! There are 40 yummy eggrolls in the freezer and it’s killing me knowing that I can’t eat any until Feb. 7. There will be around 12 people at the party and I want to make sure we have enough for everyone. I don’t know whether to hope the guests like it and clamor for more or that they don’t like it, leaving more for me.

I use a very basic recipe and I was worried that it would taste too plain for V. But he liked it so score one point for me in my quest to learn Filipino cooking.

K’s recipe for garlicky veggie eggrolls
2 lbs frozen mixed vegetables (I use the mix with peas, carrots, corn, lima beans, green beans)
1 pack Menlo egg wrappers (you have to buy reliable wrappers, some are too fragile and rip too easily during the wrapping process)
1.5 heads garlic
1 tsp salt

1) Pick out the green beans from the frozen vegetables and throw them away. I dislike green beans. (optional)

2) Chop the garlic finely and toss with the veggies.

3) Add the salt and mix.

4) Mix the veggies occasionally while wrapping to ensure even distribution of the veggies.

5) Wrap the eggrolls. I like fat eggrolls so I put two spoonfuls in each eggroll.

6) If you’re pan frying the eggrolls, fry over medium heat. The wrappers brown easily and you don’t want it to brown before the veggies inside are fully cooked.

You Can’t Leave Empty-Handed

If you’re Filipino or Cambodian, you can’t leave your parents’ house empty-handed. No matter how old you are, your parents will still send you home with food. This was our recent “loot” from V’s parents – persimmons, guavas, longans and avocados. V’s dad also sent along some special beef.

Cultural Lessons

As promised, pics of the contents of my Balikbayan Box.

The box is really heavy, which is a good sign. Heavy gifts are always better. I added some clothes to the box too, but those aren’t in the pictures.

Cultural Lessons

This week I introduced V to a Filipino tradition – the Balikbayan Box. A lot of Filipinos who immigrate to the US (or to other non-impoverished countries) still have family members in the Philippines. Immigrants often send Balikbayan Boxes back to the Philippines filled with food, clothes and other gifts.

Lesson One: What goes in the Balikbayan Box?
When selecting items for the box, you have to think of some things.

• Does the recipient have a refrigerator?
• Do they have a stove?
• Items must be in unbreakable containers.
• Package weight isn’t a factor. Cargo services have no weight limit as long as everything fits in the box.

Balikbayan Box staples include:

• canned meat (e.g. corned beef, Vienna sausages, tuna)
• beauty items (shampoo/conditioner, lotion)
• canned fruit (fruit cocktail for Filipino fruit salad!)
• pasta
• canned veggies (tomato paste/sauce)
• spreads (peanut butter, jam)
• powdered drinks (Tang, cocoa)
• chocolate, candy

Once I’m done buying all the items for this year’s box, I’ll post a pic.

*Opinions on Filipino governance purposely not expressed