So long my Friends

We are mourning the loss of 2 of our favorite cichlids. The top is a Bumblebee cichlid and the bottom is a Yellow Tail Acei. They were doing fine the day before but when we came home last night we found both of them at the bottom of the tank, lifeless. I know they're just fishes they're not the same as losing a dog but still, with the short time that they were with us, they gave us hours of enjoyment. We'll miss you guys.

... Interment will be at our lavatory, everybody is welcome to join us in our grief.

Another Day at The Cheesecake Factory

The Cheesecake Factory is one of our all time favorite restaurants here. We love the ambiance and the overall dining experience but what really keeps us coming back is the food.

Here's a thought...Don't you hate it when you go to a restaurant, you're given a huge menu without any pictures of what they're serving? Unfortunately, The Cheesecake Factory is one those places.I know that the description is detailed and you have the waiter at the ready when you have questions but I am a very visual person especially when it comes to food and I want to see what i'm ordering before I stuff it in my mouth. 

We've been lucky with our food choices so far but hopefully we'll get to show you what we've had so you can be prepared the next time you come over.

Bang Bang Chicken and Shrimp
"A Spicy Thai Dish with the Flavors of Curry, Peanut, Chile and Coconut... Sautéed with Vegetables and Served over Steamed White Rice" 

This dish is more sweet than spicy with the veggies sliced thinly and topped with lightly toasted coconut. I really enjoyed this dish a lot, very creamy and the veg still has a bit of a bite to it but it can be a little sweet because of the coconut so keep that in mind when you order.

Pasta with Meat Sauce
"Rich Meat Sauce Slowly Simmered with Garlic and Herbs"

Shian loves to order this when she has that urge to eat spaghetti. The sauce is cooked just right with a good amount of ground beef and the herbs are perfectly balanced. Don't forget to have the fresh Parmesan grated fresh at the table.

Week 2 - Spring Daisy Project

A few weeks ago we purchased a cute Daisy Grow Pot Kit from a local store to test our green thumbs. Now it's week two in our Spring Daisy Indoor Garden Project! We didn't know how long before the seeds will begin to sprout but to our surprise, we see some start to peek through the soil! Yey! 

Eyjafjallajökull Time Lapse

Here's a beautiful timelapse video of the volcano in Iceland that singlehandedly stranded thousands of people in Europe. Makes you realize how beautiful and awesome nature is when she gets angry.



Iceland, Eyjafjallajökull - May 1st and 2nd, 2010 from Sean Stiegemeier on Vimeo.


Source: Sean Stiegemeier

StarWars Trilogy in 2 minutes. Pure Awesomeness!!!

The StarWars Trilogy as told using lego's. One of the best and funniest I have seen on the web. 

Spring Daisy Indoor Garden Project

Now that Spring has been going on for a few weeks here in the north east we decided to give indoor gardening a try. Shian always wanted to fix the outside garden for a while but we kinda got overwhelmed when we tried last Spring. This time, we'll try to take baby steps and start inside. 

We picked up this Smith & Hawken Daisy Grow Kit from our local Target. Loved the design of the pot. At least we'll end up with a nice container for future projects if this doesn't work.

It comes with potting soil and a Daisy seed packet from Buzzy. Buzzy's site (Buzzyseed.com) is a good resource for beginner growing kits and you can usually find their products in your local gardening/ home improvement center. we might try the Tomato Ceramic Grow pot if this works out. :o) 

Buzzy Seed number 93282 - Daisy May Queen

All you need to do is transfer the potting soil into the ceramic pot and use luke-warm water to moisten it. Then evenly scatter the seeds in the soil. 

Our pot is currently living in our bay window and we'll be waiting with baited breath and see how it works out. Of course we'll update you guys each step of the way! 

Pasta Salad

Last week we made a very nice pasta salad for dinner. This is one of the dishes that we picked up when we got here in the US that was alien to us and found that it is very refreshing and super easy to make. All you need is veggies, pasta and some kind of vinaigrette. Hope you guys enjoy!


Displaced Pinoy Trivia: Back home (Philippines) we never ate our broccoli or cauliflower raw (or at least my family never did). Imagine our surprise when we attended a party and they had a veggie/dip spread with raw broccoli and cauliflower in it. It was an interesting experience, but now we love it!


Ingredients:
1 package of Barilla tricolor Rotini (any short pasta available)
1 cup sliced/pitted olives
1 cup broccoli florets (frozen)
1 cup sliced asparagus (frozen)
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
crumbled feta cheese (any sharp cheese)
Ken's Balsamic and Basil Vinaigrette


1. Cook the pasta and frozen veggies as directed
2. Mix everything and add the vinaigrette according to taste
3. Top of with the crumbled Feta and enjoy!


Note: You can use any vegetable or dressing you like!