Does "yee haw!" translate in Spanish?

Because that's how we felt when we found a decent Mexican restaurant in Manila!  Yeehaw and wahoo!!  It wasn't anything fancy but it was affordable and super yummy.  Definitely a suitable substitute for Chipotle and the best part??  All the different hot sauces.  We were happier than a pig in ...well, a tortilla! (although I guess a pig might argue that point.)

Z, of course, had a burrito and I had carnitas with black beans (technically considered one of their "arroz platillos").  It was all fabulous so I gotta kick my shout outs to Orale!  I give it a 4.5 out of 5 sombrero rating!  Only thing that keeps it from getting a 5 is that they were a tad stingy on the meat for my meal.  I would have rather had more carnitas and less rice.  But then again, they're not called the "carnitas platillos".

Orale Location (the one we went to anyway): The Fort Strip, corner of 7th & 28th St in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, Fort Bonifacio

Check out the new hood....

....which I'm happy to say is not a hood whatsoever.  We'll be living in the Salcedo neighborhood which, best I can tell, is a community within a community within a community.  Manila is HUGE but strangely enough, it's only the second largest city in the Philippines.  First is Quezon which is slightly larger by area and population but if the whole dang region is called the Northern Capital Region aka Metro Manila then let's just keep it simple and I'll reiterate that this place is HUGE.  So it's basically got what you'd consider counties and towns and suburbs and I guess Salcedo is basically a suburb of Makati and kinda similar to Shirlington where we lived before and which was I guess a suburb of Arlington.  Confused much?  Me too.

Point is, it's a cute little area that's close to a lot of fun things to explore and every weekend there are TWO community markets within walking distance.  The closest one to us (as in 10 feet from our lobby door) is the Salcedo Community Market.  We won't actually be moving into our place until probably July but Salcedo is within walking distance of our current hotel so we decided to check out our new "hood" this past Saturday.

So the sign must have lied, they DO allow dogs....

There are a lot of things to love about living in a tropical climate.  We have access to fruits people in the States will never see (because they're too delicate to ship), there's NO need for coats or any fabric heavier than cotton (woot!), and flowers....lots and lots of beautiful flowers.  I can't wait until we're moved into our permanent place so we can have them ALL OVER the apartment. 

Bessie has seen better days....

But not to worry, she was put to good use.  :)  Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I am still weary of the food here.  Something about this market though, made me feel more at ease.  Perhaps it's because it's in a "clean" area of town or maybe it's the fact that I could literally see the food being prepared.  It was too early for lunch so we didn't try any of the food the vendors were selling but maybe next weekend.  All I know is that every time I've tried something that looked "normal" (read, American), it has been awful.  I am a pretty adventurous eater but I've been taking it slow here.  Maybe the real trick though is to dive right into local fare?  I dunno.....I'm torn.  Canned chicken is gonna remain a staple for a while me thinks.  :)


Definitely buying some of this honey when we move in our place.  Doesn't get any fresher than that!

I know - the picture taking gods will be horrified.  Lighting is awful, husbear looks like a ghost.  Can I claim I did that on purpose and get a pass?  Truth is, I didn't really want this to turn out that great because then you might have noticed how far our place is from being ready.  The floors were super dusty and when they said they were renovating the bathrooms and kitchen, they weren't kidding.  I thought maybe that meant, a fresh coat of pain or some new appliances but no...whole walls were missing and concrete was everywhere.  Need I say how worried I am that our early July move in date was just some far fetched quote and nowhere near reaching reality?  Sigh.  At any rate, the place is huge, the view is great, and it's situated in just the sweetest part of town so I'm not complaining (too much). 

All in all, it was a very nice introduction to the neighborhood.  I sorta wish that we had waited a couple more weeks before trying to get a sneak peak.  Now I'll just sit around and KNOW what I'm missing.  On second though, maybe I should go pack and take more pics so I can get super anal about pre-planning furniture arrangement and wall painting......

Deep in the Heart of Texas

"Some folks look at me and see a certain swagger, which in Texas is called walking." -George W. Bush

My mom will be a tad irked that I used a G-Dubb quote but it was so appropriate, I couldn't resist.  


I heart Texas, it's pretty obvious.  And even though my fanaticism has waned somewhat over the last few years (only because I have someone to keep me company now and I don't spend ALL my hours thinking about all my loved ones back home), I still am pretty loony about the Lone Star State. 

I've been thinking a lot about home lately.  Not so much because I miss all my peeps there (although I really do) but because the climate here is remarkably similar to Texas.  That got me to thinking about all of the things I love about Texas and since I am incredibly vain, I thought you might care...whoever you are...

So, here, in no particular order are a few things that remind me of my very favorite State:

Texas country music.  Yes, there IS a difference!

Bluebonnets, I'm glad there's a law against picking them dammit!

Our CHAMPIONS!!!  The Dallas Mavericks!  What a great season!!

Armadillos.  This dearly departed Armadillo's name is Earl Wyatt ArmeDadillo.  Cassie loves him..so should you!

A rapidly vanishing bit of our heritage...the horned toad.  Want to help his cause?  Go here: Horned Lizard Conservation Society

America's Team!!!

Big Tex:  "Well Howdy Pawdnah!"

Wide open skies and the storms you can see for miles away because there's nothing blocking your view

Hole in the wall Mexican joints

Big Hair, Big Fun!

There's NO BBQ like Texas BBQ!!

Shredded BBQ Chicken and Roasted Brussels Sprouts

 A tasty alternative to regular old BBQ.  Not that I have a problem with regular old BBQ....I just have had a LOT of pork lately :).  I know lots of peeps don't care for Brussels sprouts but these turned out really nice.  I think I will roast my sprouts from now on.  If you're luke warm on sprouts, add some "real" Parmesan for extra flavor and make sure not to forget the garlic.

I have NO complaints about how the chicken turned out.  The main course was to die for, seriously.  It was so yummy I almost don't want to brag about it because hubs will be pissed he was out of town.

Oh, I almost forgot...with every good meal comes a good cocktail:

Pretty, yes?

As always, check out the Hindsight is 20/20 paragraph at the end for some tweaks. 

 Roasted Brussels Sprouts

1/2 teaspoon Parmesan (I used fat free...shocking, I know)
1 clove Garlic
2 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt (please use Kosher or it will be TOO TOO salty!)
1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper
Sprinkle of Dash old bay
Sprinkle of ground ginger -- I know that sounds strange but hear me out.  Brussels sprouts are known to be gastrointestinal er...challenges.  Ginger is known to help in digestion (as is hot sauce).   Trust me and sprinkle just a touch in the mix.  You'll thank me later :)

Pre heat oven to 400 degrees.  Cut off hard ends of Brussels sprouts.  Slice large sprouts lengthwise (the goal is to make all of the sprouts uniform so if some of them are small, don't cut them in half).  Toss sprouts with all ingredients.  Place the sprouts cut side down on a cookie sheet.  Cook for 20 minutes.  Turn off oven but LEAVE THE SPROUTS IN THE OVEN FOR ANOTHER 20 MINUTES.   This will ensure they're crispy on the outside but cooked all the way through.

This is at the 20 min mark.  The sprouts will be pretty crispy but don't be scared...leave them in there!

After another 20 min of sitting in the oven.  Parts will look burned but that's ok...it's like the Long John Silvers crispies...yum!

Shredded BBQ Chicken (Sandwiches if you wanna....)

• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 3/4 bottle Mexican beer (drink the rest!  wahoo!)
• 3 pieces, 6 ounces each boneless, skinless chicken breast (sorry about the odd number but, once again, I'm flying solo and only want enough for one night of leftovers)
• 1 and 3/4  tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 Jalapenos (if you wanna) finely chopped
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, eyeball it
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce (Texas Pete, Tabasco, whatevs)
• 1 and 1/2  tablespoons Montreal Steak Seasoning
• 2 and 1/2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1/2 can tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup of favorite BBQ sauce (I like Sweet Baby Ray's but I'm using the Mac's Speed shop BBQ sauce until it's all gone!!)
• Split buns or multi grain bagel thins if you're feeling healthy

Bring chicken stock and beer to a simmer in a small to medium skillet and slide in the chicken breast meat. Gently poach the chicken 10 minutes, turning once about after 5 minutes.  I used tongs to flip the chicken every so often. 

While chicken poaches, heat a second medium skillet over medium low heat.  Add extra-virgin olive oil and garlic and onion (and jalapenos if you used them) and gently saute until chicken is cooked.

Combine the Worcestershire, hot sauce, Montreal Steak Seasoning, brown sugar, BBQ sauce, and tomato sauce in a medium bowl and reserve.

When the chicken has cooked, add 2 ladles of the cooking liquid to the reserve bowl to combine with the sauces, spices, brown sugar and tomato paste.

Remove chicken, slice it, and transfer to the medium bowl. Using 2 forks, shred the chicken and combine put it in the bowl with spices/liquid. (I added just a wee chopped tomatoes but that's only because they were sitting there staring at me!)

Add the shredded chicken to the onions and garlic in the skillet and mix well.  Simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes, using extra cooking liquids to make your chicken as saucy as you like.

Serve with split rolls, toasted bread, or all by itself...however you like your BBQ.

Watch out for premature bubbling! ;-)  It looks like it's simmering because of the beer but wait until it's actually simmering to add the chicken.

It's not in the recipe but I added some bell peppers.  Those greens aren't ALL jalapenos....just to be clear :)

Saucy!

Cluck cluck cluck

Shredded chicken never looks very appetizing all by itself does it?

Starting to look better now!  Added about a half of a fresh tomato...just for grins.

This is about when I knew this recipe was gonna be MONEY!

Yum!  Makes me want to eat it all over again! 

HINDSIGHT IS 20/20:

• BBQ:  No real earth shakers here this time.  I really really really like the way this turned out.  That said, if you're looking for a more BBQ flavor, lighten up on the Montreal and KICK UP the BBQ sauce.  This was a pretty peppery BBQ sandwich and I attribute that almost entirely to the Montreal.  I thought it tasted fantastic though!  
• Sprouts:  Lighten up on the salt if you like your veggies fairly plain.  I liked the "doneness" but if you want yours a little less brown, I would recommend cooking the sprouts for 15 min and letting them sit in the oven for 15 minutes (vice 20 and 20).