4th of July Feast by Chef Sonnie Jay
Posted on July 6, 2012 by Ching under Family, Food and Drink.
My cousin Reuel’s wife Sonnie Jay, who is a trained chef in Norway, prepared a scrumptious feast for us on the 4th of July. I think this had to be the fanciest prepared meal I’ve had all year.
Sonnie Jay made ceviche with mangoes, ginger, and bass. I don’t really eat ceviche so I didn’t have any, but mom and Jenni both said it was very good. She prepared it the night before so the fish cooked in lemon juice overnight.
She also made glazed whole carrots and steamed asparagus.
The pork chops, which marinated overnight, were the most flavorful pork chops I’d ever had. I didn’t really get to eat much of it for dinner that night because I was still full from stuffing my face at Abuelo’s, but I had some for lunch the next day at work. It was even delicious microwaved. So delicious that it made me wish I could go back in time and eat two whole pork chops at dinner the night before.
Sonnie Jay also made a couple of dessert dishes, the first of which was a fruit merengue made with fruits that mom already had. Sonnie Jay was actually going to make whipped cream from scratch until she realized that mom bought pre-made whipped cream. Way to ruin it for the rest of us, mom! LOL.
The second dessert she was leche flan. It’s the Filipino version of the popular Mexican dessert. Mom didn’t have vanilla extract, so Sonnie Jay improvised by using lemon zest. She couldn’t flip it over because the glass baking dish was too big and we didn’t have anything large enough to transfer it to, but the flan turned out with perfect consistency. No bubbles or air pockets. It was dense and delicious. The lemon flavor actually worked well and gave the flan an unexpected twist. Possibly the best flan I’ve ever had, hands down.
Later that night, Brian, Reuel, and Sonnie Jay tried their hand at flying dad’s foam RC plane. Having spent some time flying RC planes with dad on this trip, Reuel was starting to get the hang of it. Sonnie Jay, on the other hand, crashed the plane several times. LOL.
When it got dark, we had an excellent view of the fireworks that everyone was blowing up. The fireworks were going off all around us, in Derby, Haysville, Mulvane, Rose Hill, Wichita, etc. We had 360 degree views. Well, almost. Mom and dad’s house and the trees beyond their house were kind of in the way. There were fireworks everywhere you looked, though. We got to enjoy watching everyone else’s fireworks and didn’t have to buy any of our own. It worked out perfect! Looking forward to doing the same thing again next. Hopefully, Sonnie Jay and Reuel can come visit again. It won’t be the same without her delicious food.
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Post Aqua Zumba Feast at Abuelo’s
Posted on July 6, 2012 by Ching under Food and Drink, Zumba.
I managed to talk Brian into hanging out at the Genesis (Rock Road) pool while I took Aqua Zumba on Wednesday. Neither of us had to work since it’s the 4th of July (Independence Day here in the US).
He didn’t really feel like hanging out at the pool at first, but then he changed his mind. I think it was the cute lifeguards in skimpy bikinis that did the trick. He was like, “As much as I enjoy hanging out at our pool, the view here is so much better.” Spoken like a man. Although it’s usually just the two of us hanging out at the pool at our apartment complex, so what does that say about me? LOL.
Speaking of insecurities, I love Andrea but I absolutely hate standing next to her. She may stoop so that I don’t look like a midget, but I still feel like a heifer. I guess I should consider it motivation. Note to self: workout more and watch nutrition better.
It was fun hanging out with Hideki and Andrea. The four of us went to Abuelo’s after because I was craving a sangria and they had cheap pitchers. Much to my disappointment, I found that as of July 1 restaurants can no longer serve pitchers of mixed drinks. Blech. Bad news for me, but good news for the restaurants because they can make more money selling drinks by the glass. In this case, a glass of sangria is $7 but pitchers used to be $16 (I think at one point it was only $12, talk about cheap tasty drinks). This change was part of the whole “happy hour” thing. We were all so focused on “happy hour” that they snuck this one rule in there without anyone noticing. At least I didn’t. Otherwise, I would have protested. I want my pitchers of sangria, darn it!
The funniest part is that our server, Dale, felt bad for breaking the news to us. I bet he’s had a few unhappy customers because of the change. He had a good sense of humor about it, though. When Brian asked about bottled beer, Dale told us they pretty much had every beer. Brian asked for Stella and he was like, “Except that.” So Brian asked for Sam Adams and again Dale was like, “And that.” They only have Sam Adams on tap. No bottles. I gave Dale a hard time for batting a thousand. LOL.
Brian ended up drinking Budweiser. Thank God his tolerance has increased enough to the point that he can drink almost any beer these days. He used to only be able to safely drink Sam Adams.
Anyway, I’m pretty sure you’re expecting food pictures so here’s my Durango Burrito covered in queso with papas and rice on the side.
Hideki had Pasta La Paz.
Brian had Huevos Rancheros. Egg fried hard, of course.
Andrea got some kind of platter with a ton of food in it. Her plate was enormous. LOL. And, to top it off, she ordered margarita pie for dessert. I don’t know how she does it. Some people are just blessed with good metabolism, I guess.
So I still like Abuelo’s even though they no longer serve pitchers of sangria, which used to be my favorite drink there. It’s not as good as the blackberry sangria at Carrabba’s or the sangria at Bonefish, but the pitchers were cheap. No more pitchers, though. However, they still make good food and I really like their chips and queso. Brian and I usually add taco meat to our queso, which almost turns it into a meal in itself. I have to be careful not to get full on it, though. The proximity of the restaurant to our place is another added bonus. If we get tanked (which we’ve never ever done) but, if we did, we could always walk home.
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KEYN Summer Concert Series
Posted on July 5, 2012 by Ching under Date Ideas, Things to Do.
Tonight was the final night of the Bradley Fair concert series for the 2012 concert season but, fear not, for another one is starting. The KEYN summer concerts start tomorrow with King Midas.
These concerts are held at WaterWalk every Friday from July through mid-August. And people complain that there’s nothing to do in Wichita. Tsk. Tsk.
P.S. the judging event for the Kansas Firefighter Calendar is also happening tomorrow night at the Drury Inn Broadview. VIP tickets are $30 and general admission tickets are $10. Magic Mike‘s got nothing on these guys!
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My Patriotic Earrings
Posted on July 4, 2012 by Ching under Outfits.
I should have worn my patriotic earrings today. If only I knew where I stashed them. Don’t you just hate being so organized that you can’t find stuff? LOL.
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Taste & See with the Family
Posted on July 4, 2012 by Ching under Family, Food and Drink.
When we found out that mom, Jenni, Sonnie Jay and Reuel were having lunch at Taste & See on Tuesday, Brian and I immediately checked our calendars to see if we could join them. Why? Because we love, love, love Taste & See and I figured mom was buying. I take free food whenever I can get it. LOL. Although, even free food is never free. You pay for it by getting fat. Blech. I’m going to have to hit it hard at the gym after today.
Anyway, I’m sure you’re looking for food porn so here you go…
This is my chicken pabellon wrap.
Sonnie Jay’s Philly is on the left and mom’s SSB is on the right.
Brian’s hamburguesa, which looks so yummy I wish I could reach into the computer screen and take a bite. I didn’t get a picture of Reuel’s Cubano, but you all have seen what those look like. It’s what Brian usually orders when we go.
Jenni had a Philly also, but they put it in a to-go box. She arrived late and mom didn’t know that she had taken the afternoon off. Mom thought that she’d have to immediately return to work and wouldn’t have time to eat lunch with us. Thus, the to-go container.
For dessert we had a couple orders of noodlini, which threw me for a loop because it doesn’t look like noodles at all. I’m not sure who came up with that name. LOL. It’s basically a deep fried banana spring roll, kind of like the Filipino turon but with a twist.
We also had cuatro leches cake, which I could eat an entire pan of in one sitting if left to my own devices. Brian would never allow that, though. Cuatro leches is like the tres leches dessert that you get in many Latin American restaurants. It’s almost a dessert staple or must have on your restaurant menu because people will inevitably ask for it. Anyway, Chef Jason uses cuatro not tres leches because he just has to one-up everyone. Ha ha ha ha!
I’m really glad that Sonnie Jay and Reuel got to experience Taste & See because it is one of our favorite places to eat in Wichita. Plus, every trip to Taste & See is an experience because of the whole open kitchen concept and the TV screens all over the place that show the chef’s every move. The whole Taste & See concept is so perfect for Chef Jason’s personality. He is a natural showman.
Sonnie Jay said the concept might not fly so much where they’re from in Norway because most chefs like their privacy. Not Chef Jason, though. He enjoys being the center of attention. You can’t hide this guy in a closed kitchen. It just wouldn’t happen.
Anyway, from what I’ve heard of Scandinavian food they cook pretty weird stuff like antelope and horse and other things that I wouldn’t even think of eating. I’m not sure I really want to see those dishes prepared. LOL. Perhaps a closed kitchen is the best way to go for some cuisines.
Mom, thank you for buying all of us lunch! It is always appreciated. And thank you to Chef Jason for making such delicious food! Brian and I will be returning for dinner sometime soon for sure.
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