Friday, March 17, 2006

beef shish kebab

I usually pack my lunch (well it was Irvin doing it for me these past 3 weeks) but won't you agree with me that sometimes you just want to have something else... a different taste... or just consider it as a treat to yourself!

And so I went with my co-workers to this restaurant called Persian Grill for lunch. It wasn't my 1st time there but only now that I thought of blogging about it. That place is very well known for its kebab which is defined as "grilled meat". Kebab comes with green peppers and onions... everything grilled. When served, they give you more onions and tomatoes. It usually comes with yellow rice but they also give you the option of having just veggies...zucchini, eggplant, and mushrooms in addition to those I just mentioned. The food is so filling and sumptuous. The serving is big. What else can you ask for! You can never go wrong.

Well I wasn't able to take pictures of it earlier. I got this one from the web...



And maybe we can also make this at home...

Sheesh Kabab - Shishlik or Shish Kebab

Ingredients: (6 servings)
fillet of lamb or beef, 1 kg
small onions, 250 grams
large onions, 250 grams
green peppers, 250 grams
butter, 100 grams
medium tomatos, 1 kg
Saffron Liquid to taste (optional)
salt and pepper

Directions:
Also known as Kabab-e Hosseini this dish uses thin wooden or metal skewersi. Skewers should be 10-15 cm long. Wash green peppers and cut into 4 cm long and 3 cm wide pieces. Cut meat into 4 cm long, 2 cm wide pieces. Peel small onions. Push each skewer through one cut of meat, one small onion, and one piece of green pepper, and repeat until full. Add salt and black pepper to the meat.

Peel and slice large onions. Also slice the tomatoes. Choose a pot large enough for the skewers. Cover the bottom with a layer of sliced onions and tomatoes. Place a layer of skewers on top. Add a few thin slices of butter. Follow with more slices of onions and tomatoes on the skewers, and repeat this process until no more skewers are left. Cover and cook over low heat until there is no juice left. If meat is not sufficiently cooked, add a bit of hot water and continue cooking.

Monday, March 13, 2006

march 12th, 1930

HaPpY bIrThDaY, Tatay!

I know you're happy and already at peace wherever you are right now but I still want you to know that you're always remembered. You will never be forgotten. Your love and kindness will always be cherished and will stay in my heart. Your wisdom that you unselfishly shared will remain an inspiration. Your advices will always be my guide to a better life.

Sometimes I still wish you are here... I love you so much, Tatay...

Thursday, March 09, 2006

all at once...

It’s been a week since I last blogged. Read on to have an idea of what has transpired over the past few days…

feb. 28th
Irvin arrived at the JFK International Airport with Manang Ani (my landlady’s sister) around 830pm. He has asked me to bring the camera long before his arrival. I had it with me but I forgot to check the battery. So there weren’t any pictures since the battery was dead. While at the airport, I dialed my in-laws in the Philippines to let them know that Irvin is already with me.

‘Bulalo’ and ‘egado’ welcomed them for dinner, had a little chit-chat and then off to our room to fix his things. Mama sent some ‘pastillas’ and ‘polvoron’ from Goldilock’s, (Thanks, Ma!). Ate Irmee also sent some ‘polvoron’. Irvin brought some chips, ‘boy bawang’, ‘ensaymada’, empanada royale, and knorr cubes. He also had with him the charcoal portrait of our wedding picture. It was nicely done and I like it so much! The wedding album from Mimi & Karl is nice too…very elegant looking! They really did a very good job. Thanks, guys! Then, there was endless chatting which lasted till almost 2am.

mar 1st
We woke up at around 11am, had some ‘ensaymada’ and went to see the Cunningham Apartments. A preliminary application form was filled up. We were also given the floor plan for the studio apartment and the list of documents we need to provide should we decide to apply for it. I showed him the other apartments as well and he liked the apartment by Zara Realty the most.

We had cheese pizza and shrimp parmigiana for lunch the day being Ash Wednesday. I took him to 34th St. in Manhattan to return some shirts to Steve & Barry’s. We’ve been also looking for a pair of shoes for him. I don’t think his shoes are good enough to fight the cold weather.

mayabang na din kami...


Later that night (730pm), we attended the mass at Incarnation Church.

mar 2nd
It was 1030am when we got up from bed. We went to the office of Zara Realty to apply. A money order was purchased in payment for the credit check. We were told we’ll know the result the following day. We had lunch at Jade Garden Restaurant (Chinese food). He said the hunan beef, fried chicken wings and general tso's chicken were all good!

mar 3rd
We went to Flushing to meet Jaime, Ate Irmee’s friend and gave him the ‘padala’. He showed us around his neighborhood for some apartments as well.

I upgraded my plan with T-mobile so I could get Irvin a cell phone.

Also, there was winter clearance sale at Modell’s. We bought some shirts and pajamas for him. I got him a New Balance sneakers and Timberland casual boots. I called up Zara to follow up on the application and was told to call back on Monday.

mar 4th
We went to Manhattan despite the chilly weather. He was feeling ok anyway. We got off at Rockefeller Center (47th-50th Streets), took some pictures and walked down to Madison Square Garden (33rd Street). I also showed him St. Patrick Cathedral, Times Square Garden, Madame Tussaud’s, and Port Authority Terminal. Lunch was at Yoshinoya.





more pictures here...

mar 5th
It’s Irvin’s parents’ wedding anniversary! Happy Anniversary Daddy & Mommy!!!

mar 6th
I went back to work. Kuya Nel and Irvin dropped me off at work. At least Irvin got to see where KMC is at. We stopped by George Washington Deli to buy some breakfast. Kuya Nel took Irvin to the movies with Lester. And…I got approved by Zara. Yey!

mar 7th
I cut a check and asked Irvin to cash it so we can make the security deposit for the apartment. But the bank wouldn’t cash it since he doesn’t have an account with them. So I took a half day off, went to the bank for the money, inquired on how Irvin can have access to my bank account and learned that TIN would not be of use at all. They’ll accept his passport and driver’s license (Philippines) though. Then, we’re off to Zara, made the payment and we were given a checklist of the additional documents that we need to provide them.

mar 8th
Busy…busy…busy…at work. I made copies of the documents for Zara so Irvin could bring them today.