Archive for the year 2014
Eating Out
Posted on June 7, 2014 by Ching under Food and Drink.
We really have to get our eating out under control when we return home. Here are some pictures from dining out over the last few days leading up to our vacation.
These are from Old Mill Tasty Shop. We had to get a turtle!
The next day Cari roped us into Bang Wednesday at Bonefish.
We had to get dessert of course. It’s not everyday that they offer strawberry shortcake. I just can’t resist dessert.
We have to buckle down once we’re back in Wichita, though. I look terrible in my clothes and my thighs are so much bigger than they have been in the last couple of years. I know it’s all the eating out and all the desserts I’ve eaten catching up to me. It’s time to get serious!
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Filipino Food Feast
Posted on June 2, 2014 by Ching under Food and Drink.
We hosted a dinner party at our house on Saturday so that I could introduce my new friend Kristine to Brian and mom and dad. I met her at Wichita Business Journal’s BizWomen Mentoring Monday event several weeks ago. She emigrated from the Philippines also so we instantly connected. We met up for lunch once day and decided that we should get together on a weekend so that our families could meet. She is married and has two beautiful daughters.
My friend Jan was able to join us also so that was a real treat. I hadn’t seen Jan in months. It was nice to be able to catch up.
Of course, I got pictures of all the food but forgot to take pictures of people. Oh, well. Maybe next time. I’ve already decided that I want to have another one of these parties and I want to bring all of the Filipino people I know together so they can all meet. I think that would be fantastic. We could have Zumba party in the driveway and really drive our neighbors crazy.
Speaking of, the house next to us just sold. I think it went on the market on Thursday and it’s already sold so it wasn’t even for sale for a week. I hope the new neighbors are nice or, at the very least, tolerant. Brian and I can be kind of odd.
But I digress, here’s the food pictures with brief descriptions.
Kristine made Filipino spaghetti. You can always tell Filipino spaghetti from regular spaghetti because we add red hotdogs. The sauce we use is also very sweet compared to regular spaghetti sauce.
She also made chicken tinola. I hadn’t had chicken tinola in years. It was very good.
We had some chicken tenders mostly for Kristine’s six year old or anyone else who might have wanted some American food. I think we meant to get chicken nuggets at the store for the kids, but somehow ended up with chicken tenders because that’s what we had in the fridge but we kept referring to it as chicken nuggets all night. LOL.
Mom made kinilaw with salmon. I couldn’t tell you what it’s like because I don’t eat that stuff. It’s probably very good, but it’s just one of those dishes that I grew up avoiding. I’m convinced that I don’t like it through, to be perfectly honest, I wouldn’t really know because I’ve never tried it.
Mom made lumpia. We didn’t end up with any of it left here at home. When we took some food to grandma she was really disappointed that we didn’t have any leftover lumpia for her. It’s her favorite Filipino food.
Brian made apricot pork roast in the crockpot. I felt really bad because I didn’t know (or if I knew, I forgot) that Paul couldn’t have pork or beef. Beef wasn’t really an issue because we don’t eat much beef in our household but we eat a lot of pork.
We had Reby, Aaron, Jay, and Becca over for dinner a few weeks ago and we served our creamy chicken dish that we eat with rice. After the party Brian and I agreed that had we known about the pork situation we could have served the pork to Reby, Aaron, Jay, and Becca, and then made the chicken dish on Saturday night. I guess we’ll know to plan better for next time.
I made fruit salad with coconut. It’s one of my most favorite desserts. I’d eat a gallon of it in one sitting if I could. Of course, I wouldn’t because that would be very bad. Even though the dessert is made with fruit, it’s not the healthiest choice. It’s got heavy cream, cream cheese, and sweetened condensed milk so it’s got a lot of sugar.
Kristine made buko pandan, which I’d never had before. It consists of coconut and gelatin cubes. She said you would normally use green gelatin but the store ran out of green so she used red. I wouldn’t have known the difference.
This dish is great by itself but I had the brilliant idea to mix it with my fruit salad and it was amazing. The red gelatin turned the fruit salad pink and added an interesting texture. I think it made it ten times better. I’m thinking next time I make the fruit salad I’m going to add gelatin cubes.
That’s pretty much it for the pictures. I hope someone reminds me to take pictures of the guests next time. Pictures of food are great but they get old after a while.
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The Cheesecake Factory
Posted on June 1, 2014 by Ching under Food and Drink.
Brian and I took advantage of the three-day weekend to do an up-and-back to Kansas City. We were looking for some shoes to take on our upcoming trip. Not much success on the shoe shopping, but at least we got to eat at the Cheesecake Factory. It was a nice day for dining outside.
Here are some pictures of our food.
We shared crab cakes as our starter.
I had the miso salmon. It was delicious!
Brian had the breaded chicken sliders. Had I known he would get three sliders, we probably could have just split his meal. I was glad I got the salmon though, because it was very good. Anyway, we intended to get dessert also but got too full. We may need to remember to skip the appetizer and just share a meal next time. Or maybe just have an appetizer as our meal. The Cheesecake Factory menu is so vast that you just can’t help but order several things. I could eat there everyday for a month and not have to eat the same thing twice. Not that I would because it’s bad for the diet and bad for the wallet, but just saying. Everything I’ve ever had there has been delicious.
I wish we had a location here in Wichita. Perhaps it’s for the best that the closest one is three hours away. Then it won’t be so tempting.
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Are You Ready for Hoopla in Doo-Dah?
Posted on May 29, 2014 by Ching under Events, Things to Do.
Are you ready for the Wichita River Festival? It starts tomorrow so I hope you are. Here’s a list of the street closings. This is important information if you work downtown like Brian and I do.
CAPITOL FEDERAL FIREWORKS
Friday, May 30, 2014
Noon to 11:00 p.m.
1. Douglas from Water to Sycamore (Noon to 11 p.m.)
2. 2nd/1st from McLean to Waco (5:30 to 11 p.m.)
3. McLean from 1st to Maple (5:30 to 11 p.m.)
4. N. Civic Center Place between Douglas and 1st (noon to 11 p.m.)
5. Willis Coroon Dr. between Douglas and 1st (noon to 11 p.m.)
6. Waco from Douglas to 1st (5:30 to 11 p.m.)
7. Sycamore from McClean to Douglas (noon to 11 p.m.)SUNDOWN PARADE
Friday, May 30, 2014
Staging: 5:30 to 9:00 p.m.
1. Main from Central to 11th
2. Elm from Water to Market
3. Pine from Wichita to Market
4. Wichita from Murdock to Central
5. Wichita from Murdock to 8th St. (both ends)
6. Water from Murdock to Elm
7. 8th from Water to Market
8. 9th from Water to Market
9. 10th from Water to Market. Central stays open for cross traffic for as long as practical.
Parade: 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.
1. Main from Central to English
2. 2nd from Market to Waco
3. 1st from McLean to Main
4. Waco from Douglas to Central
5. 3rd from Riverview to Market
6. Central from Market to Nims
7. Greenway from Central to Waco
8. Douglas from McLean to Market
9. William from Market ot Main
10. Murdock form Waco to Market
11. Water form Douglas to 3rdAny traffic exiting the Core Area or to/from the Broadview Hotel, CII personnel and Hyatt Service will access via Doguals from McLean. Northwest portion of 1st and McLean intersection remains open for traffic. WPD ultimately controls the actual times of street closings and openings.
KANSAS HEALTH FOUNDATION RIVER RUN
Saturday, May 31, 2014
4:00 to 11:00 a.m.
1. Lewis Street, McLean Boulevard to Waterman Street
2. Waterman Street, Lewis Street to Washington Avenue
3. Wichita Street, Dewey Street to Lewis Street
4. Water Street, Waterman Street to Main Street
5. Main Street, Lewis Street to English Street
6. Market Street, Lewis Street to Douglas Avenue
7. Broadway Avenue, Lewis Street to First Street
8. Topeka Street, Lewis Street to First Street
9. Emporia Street, Lewis Street to Douglas Avenue
10. St. Francis Street, Waterman Street to Mead Street
11. Commerce Street, Waterman Street to Mead Street
12. Mead Street, Waterman Street to Douglas Avenue
13. Douglas Avenue, Washington Street to Sycamore Street
14. Main Street, First Street to Williams Street
15. Waco Street, Douglas Avenue to Ninth Street
16. First Street/Second Street, McLean Boulevard to Wichita Street
17. Second Street, Wichita Street to Riverview Street
18. Third Street, Wichita Street to Waco Street
19. Central Avenue, Main Street to Greenway Boulevard
20. Murdock Street, Water Street to West Stackman Drive
21. Eight Street, Waco Street to Backbay Boulevard
22. Backbay Boulevard, Eight Street to Ninth Street
23. Ninth Street, Backbay Boulevard to Bitting Street
24. Jefferson Street, Eighth Street to Oak Park Drive
25. Oak Park Drive, Bitting Street to Eleventh Street
26. Bitting Street, Tenth Street to West River Boulevard
27. Forest Street, Oak Park Drive to Eleventh Street
28. Eleventh Street, Oak Park Drive to West River Boulevard
29. Briggs Street, West River Boulevard to Litchfield Street
30. Litchfield Street, West River Boulevard to Faulkner Street
31. Faulkner Street, West River Boulevard to Buffum Street
32. Buffum Street, West River Boulevard to Carter Street
33. Carter Street, West River Boulevard to Riverside Avenue
34. Riverside Avenue, West River Boulevard to Nims Street
35. Nims Street, Franklin Street to West River Boulevard
36. Wiley Street, West River Boulevard to Murdock Street
37. West River Boulevard, Eleventh Street to Murdock Street
38. Stackman Drive, Murdock Avenue to Central Avenue
39. Nims Street, Riverside Park Drive to Central Avenue
40. Spaulding Street, Murdock Avenue to Stackman Drive
41. Gilman Street, Murdock Street to Buffum Street
42. Buffum Street, Stackman Drive to Faulkner Street
43. Faulkner Street, Stackman Drive to Pine Street
44. Pine Street, Stackman Drive to Sim Park Drive
45. Sim Park Drive, Stackman Drive to Central Avenue
46. Central Avenue, Nims Street to Seneca Street
47. Seneca Street, Central Avenue to McLean Boulevard
48. McLean Boulevard, Seneca Street to Taft Street
49. Sycamore Street, McLean Boulevard to Maple StreetKENNEDY PLAZA EVENT AREA
May 27-29, 9:00 to 10:00 p.m.
May 30, 9:00 a.m. to May 31, 1:00 a.m.
June 1, 8:00 a.m. to June 2, 1:00 a.m.
June 2-5, 2:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.
June 6, 7:00 a.m. to June 9, noon
1. Douglas between Waco & Water St.
2. N. Civic Center Place between Douglas and 1st
3. Willis Coroon Dr. between Douglas and 1stWATERWALK EVENT AREA
May 28, 9:00 a.m. to June 10, 11:00 p.m.
1. S Wichita St. between Lewis St. &the Hyatt Driveway
2. S Water St. between W Waterman St. & W Dewey St.
3. Waterwalk Plc/W Lewis St. between S Wichita St. & S Water St.
Wednesday, June 4, noon to midnight
Saturday, June 7, 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
1. Lewis St (including Lewis St Bridge) between S McLean Blvd & S Wichita
2. S Wichita St between Lewis St & W. Dewey St.A SALUTE TO AVIATION
May 31, 10:00 p.m. to June 2, 3:00 a.m.
1. Douglas between Water & Main St.
2. Water between Douglas & First
3. Main St. between Douglas & Williams
4. Main St. between Williams & English
5. Main St. between English & WatermanTOUCH A TRUCK
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
3:00 p.m. to midnight
1. Waterman (including Lewis St. Bridge) between McClean & Hyatt Driveway
2. Wichita between Waterman & Dewey
3. Water between Waterman & Dewey
4. Lewis St. between Wichita & WaterMARKETPLACE
Saturday, June 7, 2014
5:00 a.m. to midnight
1. Douglas between Water & Main St.
2. Water between Douglas & 1st St.
The big events on opening day are always the Sundown Parade, Twilight Pops Concert, and fireworks. There’s also an opening ceremony at the Keeper of the Plains in recognition of the 40th anniversary of the dedication of this iconic symbol of the city of Wichita. The opening ceremony starts at 11:30 a.m. and only last 15 minutes so you don’t want to be late.
Saturday is the day of the River Run. There’s a 10K, a 2 mile family fun walk, 2 mile and 2 mile wheelchair. There’s also the tot trot, a fun run for kids ages 2 to 7 years. Check your booklet or the web site for the schedule because the events start at different times and locations.
Don’t forget Wichita’s world record attempt at the longest line of bicycles. This event meets at WaterWalk Pavilion at 1:00 p.m. Another thing that dad may find interesting is the RC airplanes flying around all day at Century II. Hot air balloons launch from WaterWalk at 5:30 a.m. and return for a glow in the evening from 6:00 to 9:00 pm.
For sporty and outdoorsy types, there’s softball, dodgeball, tennis, tug of war, jet ski racing, biking tours, canoes & kayaks, and paddle battle kayak races.
Sunday is all about planes. There will be planes on display on Main Street (South of Douglas) from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm; a Wichita aviation display, RC planes, and paper airplane drop at Century II; B-52 simulator; and meet famous aviators (tent behind the Wichita Public Library). Hot air balloons will launch from WaterWalk Pavilion at 6:00 p.m. to celebrate this day of flight.
There’s so much to do! That’s the best part about Wichita River Festival. There’s something for everyone. I wish I didn’t have to work and could participate in all of the activities. Well, maybe not all of them. Perhaps next year I can talk Brian into volunteering for stuff and even doing some sightseeing. People watching at Riverfest is always the biggest spectator event. It even has its own Facebook page. Making a mental note of scheduling vacation during Riverfest week. If I forget, remind me!
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Brian Gets Balls, Bowls 172
Posted on May 26, 2014 by Ching under Family, Hobbies.
Brian inherited a couple of bowling balls from his late grandfather a few years ago, but he never got them drilled. He just kept bowling with them even though they didn’t fit properly. It wasn’t really a big deal when we were only bowling occasionally (as in, once a year, if that). Since we recently joined a summer bowling league with mom and dad, we figured it was time to get the balls properly fitted.
We left the two bowling balls at the bowling alley’s pro shop and they said to just come 30 minutes early the following Sunday to pick them up. For the first time ever Brian switched to a finger tip grip. When he tested the balls, he got three strikes and a spare. He was hesitant to go from conventional grip to finger tip grip at first, but now I think he’s sold. LOL.
With his brand new bowling shoes (only worn twice so far) and newly drilled and fitted bowling balls he was probably feeling pretty legit. He actually bowled better than the rest of us on his first game.
Mom, dad, and I cleaned house last week when we were supposed to be sandbagging and then totally tanked yesterday. Well, dad did alright. Mom and I didn’t live up to our averages. Needless to say, we lost to the opposing team. Blech.
The men carried us last night. It as a little disappointing but at least the other team was nice about it. They didn’t gloat like we would have if we would’ve won. LOL. I’m kidding! We wouldn’t have gloated. We are good sports too. Anyway, congrats to both Brian and dad for bowling above their respective averages.
As for me, I plan to bowl my first 200 game of the bowling league (and my first one of the year) next week. Stay tuned!
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