Archive for "Family"
Birthday Scrabble
Posted on November 29, 2013 by Ching under Family, Games.
Jenni celebrated her birthday at John Barleycorn’s last week. It was a subdued birthday party. We just hung out and played some Scrabble. It was the first time I’d ever played Scrabble at a bar before. I don’t generally hang out at bars, but if they offered Scrabble I’d probably visit more frequently. LOL.
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Farewell Dinner at Longhorn
Posted on November 27, 2013 by Ching under Family, Food and Drink.
Brian’s parents treated us to dinner at Longhorn Steakhouse on Sunday night. It actually should have been the other way around but they insisted.
Brian and I had never been to Longhorn before. This was our first trip. They were off to a rocky start when they asked us to wait to be seated when there were several vacant tables throughout the restaurant. I’m not sure what was going on there.
We had some of their pretzels with the beer infused cheese dip while we waited for our entrees. It was pretty good. What I liked most about them is that they were super salty so I didn’t need to salt them.
I can’t remember what this salad is called. It had apple chips and bacon and a tangy dressing. It was decent, but I don’t think Brian liked it.
I took a picture of the bread because I take pictures of everything, specially if it’s a restaurant that I’ve never tried before.
We should have stopped at the salads. Alas, eating healthy was not meant to be.
Brian and I decided to keep the calories and cost down by sharing an entree.
He had the filet and the baked potato while I had the lobster and shrimp mac and cheese portion of the entree. I had a bite Brian’s steak which I thought was good, but he was unimpressed.
The food was just okay over all. If we’d been there before, I don’t think I would have picked it. It’s just not the kind of restaurant that I would go out of my way to dine at. I do think it’s better than Outback, but I wouldn’t eat at Outback either. LOL.
At least our server Damian was great. He was friendly and attentive. His service elevated our dining experience. If we ever go back, I’m asking for his section.
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MaMac’s Peach Cobbler Recipe
Posted on September 15, 2013 by Ching under Family, Food and Drink.
We had a full day of Brubakers today. First, we had grandma over for brunch. I had a waxing appointment at Beau Monde so I just picked her up from her place on my way home. Brian had our wonderful breakfast spread ready by the time we arrived.
Later that day Brian’s parents stopped by to borrow the pickup truck. We figured they would come back to return the truck so Brian made dinner for us. Donna brought the ingredients for MaMac’s peach cobbler so she could show me how to make it.
It’s actually really easy to make. I’m posting the recipe here for you guys and also so that I won’t ever forget it.
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup self-rising flour
3/4 cup milk28 oz can of peaches in heavy syrup (drain and reserve the syrup because you’ll need it later)
1 tablespoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons sugar
- Place butter in 9 X 13 pan. Place pan in oven approximately 5-7 minutes so that the butter melts. Remove from oven.
- Mix sugar, flour, and milk. The batter will be lumpy but that’s okay. Pour batter into the buttered pan.
- Spoon peaches over the batter. Pour peach syrup over the peaches and batter. Do not mix or stir.
- Mix sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle mixture on top.
- Bake in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes to an hour (or until done). Ovens will vary so remember to check periodically.
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Our Nephews
Posted on July 7, 2013 by Ching under Family.
Our three adorable nephews — Logan (13), Eli (7), and Q (3) — spent the night with us on Friday night. The original plan was to just have Logan and Eli over and Q was going to stay with mom and dad. However, the three boys are inseparable. We were worried that Q would have a fit if he was separated from his older brothers so mom, dad, and Q spent the night with us on Friday night also.
Brian made a chicken pasta dish for the grown ups and the boys had Pizza Hut.
After dinner and swimming it was movie time. We watched Escape from Planet Earth.
The next morning we had bacon and pancakes and scrambled eggs.
It sprinkled a lithe but that didn’t stop he boys from playing with the boat.
Brian does such a good job with the boys. I’m glad that mom and dad were there, though. I’m not sure that we could have handled all three boys by ourselves. Anyway, I wish we had more time to spend with our nephews. Maybe next time we can talk Matt and Jen into letting them stay longer.
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26th Annual Filipino Ball
Posted on June 24, 2013 by Ching under Events, Family.
Brian got some awesome panoramic photos at the ball the other night.
Our entire family got a table to ourselves. It worked out great.
We had a great turnout. Tita Tessie said this year had the best attendance ever. Over 350 people attended. For us, I think this is the first time in eight years that our entire family has attended. It was also Jennifer Cannady’s first Filipino ball.
Here are some more of my favorite pictures from the gala.
My goofy husband (above) and our adorable nephews (below).
Mom and dad.
Eli and Brian.
Logan and Jenni.
The three debutantes.
QQ.
Jenni and mom.
Brian’s barong came off before the evening was over.
Tita Rose and me.
With Tita Tessie and Tita Ellen.
With the two Jennifers. The only one missing was Jen Teves.
I still remember my very first ball. We had just moved to Kansas and I got roped into participating as a debutante. I borrowed one of Victoria’s dresses (one of Tita Lynne’s daughters) so that we wouldn’t have to spend hundreds of dollars to buy a ball gown. Tita Esper, another one of mom’s good friends, was nice enough to volunteer her son Victor as my escort.
The dance floor seemed so huge back then. It’s amazing how things that seem big when you’re young get smaller with age. Kind of like the Big Mac.
Anyway, the dance floor was like a postage stamp on Saturday night. There was barely any room to move. Maybe it’s not just my imagination. Maybe the dance floor really did physically get smaller to allow for more tables because of this year’s record-breaking attendance.
The dancing went on all night. Here’s a picture that Brian took.
Tita Tessie hired The Source. They played lots of contemporary music and did a great job overall. Even when they were on break though, the dancing never stopped. At one point, Brian and I got pushed toward the stage when a line dance broke out. This one woman who I’d never met before (who may or may not have been intoxicated) fell backwards at the edge of the dance floor and grabbed Brian’s jewels. I asked Brian afterwards if that woman copped a feel and we both laughed at the thought. Of all of the places she could grab to steady herself, she decided to grab his crotch. LOL. Brian said she seemed pleasantly surprised rather than startled when it happened. It was more like, “Ooh la la!”
I had forgotten how much fun the balls can be. They used to bore me to tears when I was younger. Now that I’m officially one of the oldsters, I actually enjoy myself more. That could be because I can drink now. That always helps.
Brian and I danced a lot. I’m glad that I brought dancing shoes. I never would have made it halfway through the night if I stayed in my WH|BM heels. By 11 pm we were both danced out and were ready to call it a night. Having both done some drinking, we were grateful to live just around the corner from the Marriott Hotel (yet another unexpected perk of living in the wrong part of town, or so we thought when we originally bought our house; our house is really growing on us though).
Check out my Annual Filipino Ball collection on Flickr for more pictures from the 26th Annual Filipino Ball and previous ones. Enjoy!
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