Libyanas and Libyanos Get-together Dinner

I grew up in a small country in North Africa called Libya... I lived there for 16 years! And I miss that place...Met all my friends there.. but a few was not entirely communicating...

so...me and my childhood friends / classmates in Libya wanted to have get together dinner... and of course Me being the uber excited person that I am, offered my place to have the dinner... even offered that I'll be the one responsible for the cooking and drinking.. since I'm the cook among the barkada...

so what's for starters? i gave them a Tuna Pate Platter with Wheat Bread and also Cheese Kebabs...

this is one of my favorite appetizers... mixed tuna, mayo, spring onions, paprika, salt and pepper..

cheese and tomato... enough to wait for the main course..

They couldn't wait for the real deal...

i wasn't expecting to be that good though, it was my first time to use egg for Carbonara, so here i am i tried it and it was ok... used a real pork for it and then green peas.

Broiled Cream Dory with Cherry Tomatoes and Olives. its the best there is. it was the best thing they ever tasted. cream dory, cherry tomatoes and green olives....

and my personal favorite... Roast Chicken!

We were all full!! I was even happier when not only my friends from Libya came but also my friends here in the Philippines. I love it! After dinner we all went for a few bottles of beers and bonded more!

i missed our days in Libya.. it was funny because way back in Libya... My house was also know as the Meeting Place or the Landmark for some events or occasions. We always wanted to meet at my house. and now leaving in Manila brings back memories...

my Libyan Family with my two lovely sisters...

Jessica and Joseph with my sisters again...

CHEERS FOR THE LIBYANS!

ENJOY..
EAT HAPPY EVERYONE!

Fat Girl's Recipe : Beef Binagoongan

one of my favorite filipino dishes is Pork Binagoongan but since yesterday we had pork already why not make it beef... im not sure what it might taste like at first but i had to know..

BEEF BINAGOONGAN

Ingredients:
1 kilo beef cubes, (might be cool if you could get the ones that we use for caldereta, with bones)
2 cups bagoong alamang (im using Connie's Kitchen DULONG-Anchovy Fry)
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 head of garlic, minced
1 big onion, minced
2 chili peppers, minced
½ cup vinegar
4 tablespoons brown sugar
½ cup water
Procedure:
Use a pressure cooker to softened the meat.
When beef is tender, put in on the side and sauté (use the corn oil from the Anchovy fry with a little butter) garlic, onion, and chili peppers then mix.
Add in the bagoong and cook while stirring for 5minutes.
Add in the tomato paste.
Pour in the vinegar and stir well.
Add in the sugar and let simmer for 10 minutes or until cooked.
Season to taste.

You're probably wondering why there's tomato paste.. its because my sister (jheii) doesn't eat bagoong. so i figured to put tomato paste since she eats practically anything, as long as its cooked with tomato paste. And the reason for using Anchovy instead of Shrimp, is because beef is more tender and the more it can absorb the saltiness of the anchovy fry and the more you can work out with the dish itself. when you use pork its better to pair it with shrimp paste. and plus I've never used it before. hahaha! Anyways.. It tastes delicious. Pair it with Plain rice and you're good to EAT!

Enjoy!
Eat Happy Everyone!

Molten Chocolate Cake

I got to blog about this...

Me and my friends and sisters went out for my Dad's birthday.. So what better way to do it, is... to go to Starbucks..


Compared to Max Brenner's and California Pizza Kitchen, I still choose Starbucks' Molten Chocolate Cake. Its so amazing.. The first bite is like a heaven of a very moist chocolate cake with the melted sugar and whip cream. yummy! as you dig in the caramel syrup just breaks out like a lava in a volcano. then you can't get enough sweet in your mouth you make it as a sauce for the cake! (geeezz!!!!! im hungry..)



please try them! i guarantee you're gonna flip!

Eat Happy Everyone!

Japs for The Fat Girl!

Kon'nichiwa!

A very special person in my life loves Japanese Dish. So while strolling along the Midtown Mall with my friend and was very hungry we figured to stop by at Tempura Japanese Grill. There was a host that was kind enough to seat us, although she was hesitant to put us in one of the Tempura Smokeless Yakiniku Tables, since we were only two. But knowing me as the very "mapilit" girl. We went ahead and sit.

Honestly I hate their service, but I'm not up for their services, I'm there because of the lovely food.

A photo taken from Diningcebu.com

this is their seafood ramen - it has a kick to it. probably the ginger and the power of saltiness from the sea shells. the veggies were cooked enough that there's still a crunch to it. the soup was warm and delicious. me and my friend loved it!

there are two maki rolls in this plate, we wanted to put it in one plate so we could occupy less space. the first one is Uncle Sam's Maki - practically its composed of shrimp, Philadelphia cream cheese, cucumber strips topped with bacon and mayo. it tastes really good actually.. wasn't expecting the cream cheese and bacon though. Its like have a bacon and cheese sandwich except instead of bread you pair it with rice. anyway i liked it!
the other maki roll is called the Tamago Roll - tamago means egg, its rolled with egg then rice then nori sheet then mango, cream cheese and crab meat.

so this is the Ebi Tempura (Prawn Tempura) - a regular dish that is ordered most of the time. I liked the taste, but it was a bit oily for me.

So lets get back to those tables that i was saying.. these are the Smokeless Yakiniku Tables. So basically you just lid them up then wait for it to heat up, then you order the meat you want to grill. We tried the Tori (chicken) and the Gyu (beef). and both of us were excited to grill.. lol First they are served raw then its up to you to cook it.
Gyu (beef) Tori (chicken)

We were so full that we couldn't get up! It won't be the last. I'll visit you guys again!
ENJOY Everyone!
Eat Happy!

Birthday desserts...

HAAGEN DAZS

After watching a movie. We wanted to eat desserts. So the only Dessert that first came in mind was Haagen Dazs.

with my sisters...

Fruit Passion
this is my sisters' pick. layers of ice cream with different fruit flavors. with slices of strawberry and chocolate sauce and nuts.each has a division of crispy waffle, which tastes good as well. they also have those whip cream which became the glue for every ice cream. how to eat? you pour the chocolate sauce the slightly crack the waffle then get a small amount of ice cream then you eat them all... hahaha! ENJOY!

Afogatto
this is a very hot espresso as you can see in the picture. you the tea candle to keep the espresso hot. then the vanilla ice cream is on another bowl. when you think of espresso its bitter and strong in taste but when combined with vanilla ice cream.. BOOM! there's go your perfect espresso!

Crepe with Vanilla and Coffee Ice Cream
there's something in that burned crepe that doesn't taste burned at all.. and it even gets better with those two different scoops of ice cream. with those caramelized bananas. with a whip cream in the middle. when you take small portion of the crepe and the bananas then topped with ice cream... Its like fireworks in your mouth!

ENJOY!!!
EAT HAPPY EVERYONE!

my birthday at Arya..!

It's The Fat Girl's Birthday! yey!!! I always wonder what it would feel to eat at Arya-Persian Restaurant. So on my birthday I've decided to have a try. I've been reading blogs about it. And notice that they have one in common order. And its the Bareh koobideh.

Bareh Koobideh
this is a lamb sausage with basmati rice, the lamb has a lot of flavors.. its like a "longganisa" but its not pork, its lamb. you can taste the garlic, the fat of the lamb.. and its flavors really come out. i liked it,my sisters didn't though.

Another blogger ordered an Arya Dip Platter so I also tried those.

Arya Dip Platterhummus, salsa, sesame and cucumber dip. It's four types of dips;Hummus,Salsa, Cucumber and Sesame. I liked the Cucumber dip and Salsa. Not so much of the Hummus and Sesame. It Comes with A basket of Egyptian Bread. Still warm. I Love EAT!

Basket of Bread
Egyptian Bread

The Arya Salad. Please TRY EAT! IT'S a MUST TRY SALAD! I loved it.

Arya Saladdelicious greens, swirl pastas, crunchy bread sticks, olives and a ceasar dressing like.. Last but not the least.. this is the Kebab Platter. I forgot what its called but its different kinds of kebab, chicken, beef and lamb. Everything taste delicious.

Kebab Platter
beef, lamb and chicken kebabs

They also have a special sauce that goes very well with these kebabs. The owner fondly calls it Dr. Shin's Tomatoes.

Dr. Shins Tomato It’s basically peeled tomatoes, cucumbers, a pinch of salt, a lot of pepper, some hot sauce and a dollop of yogurt.

I Loved the food, the service and of course it was a my very special day. Everything went fine. After Lunch we watched Tanging Ina, Last na 'to. Then went home. Rested for a while, we waited til 8pm so we could go to Kwagos Grill and continue Celebrating. I had fun. Although not everyone was there, I still enjoyed my day. HAPPY 23rd Birthday to the FAT GIRL!

Eat HAPPY Everyone!!

Kwaizz miya miya!!

Yours Truly,

Zielle a.k.a Fat Girl

Ice Cream for the Cold Weather

After eating dinner and a very tiring Christmas Shopping. My sisters wanted to eat Ice cream and a perfect choice was Haagen Dazs.

Fondue
its actually a platter of 3 types of ice cream and some varieties of fruits then stick-o , cookies and cakes
then you dip it in a chocolate fondue all is worth 850PHP

my sisters enjoying...