Clean

My hands are so dry from cleaning the bathroom yesterday. I was tired and wanted to just take a nap but I ended up having a really bad nightmare and I was scared to go back to sleep so I decided to do some chores instead and keep myself distracted. I figured I’d do the laundry since I’ve been meaning to do it for awhile now and there were already 3 loads to do. So I hauled all of our dirty clothes to the wash (I had to make 2 trips... we had so many clothes to wash and I couldn’t carry everything including the detergent, fabric softener and bleach in a single trip). After letting 2 washing machines run, I went back upstairs and started cleaning the bathroom. It took me 2 hours to finish because I wanted it to be thoroughly clean. I realize there really isn’t any graceful way of cleaning the bathroom... you have to be on all fours, scrubbing everything and reaching high and low just to make sure everything is spotless. I kept having to run back downstairs to check the laundry...I actually realized I had the left our front door open so many times. By the time I finished cleaning the bathroom, the entire apartment smelled like Vim. I took the fan from our bedroom, opened the bathroom windows and just let the fan blow out all of it. Since I was still waiting for the laundry to be done, I decided to do some sweeping and vacuuming. I also tidied up the living room a bit. I was tired after doing all the chores but it felt good knowing that I accomplished a lot for the afternoon. When Steve got home, he started making dinner and then we went out for a walk to Blockbuster to rent a video. We also passed by Baskin Robbins on the walk back home so I could get a tub of ice cream...Yum!!

Dinner turned out nicely – roasted chicken with potatoes and corn cob on the side (omg I’m beginning to sound like a housewife). Steve’s such a good cook... I wish I could cook that well. He’s patiently teaching me so hopefully one day I will master the dishes he makes. I’ve already mastered his Greek salad, ribs and mashed potatoes (they’re easy dishes to make). I attempted to cook Tortang Talong once but it turned out bland and not quite the way my mom makes it. I haven’t attempted it since but Steve’s traumatized (I think) from that cooking experience so it might be awhile before I make a second attempt. JR says I’ve ruined the dish for Steve permanently and that he wouldn’t be surprised if I ruin Filipino food for him for good because I make such horrible dishes. I take him to Filipino restaurants once in awhile and he has his favourites like Beef Kaldereta, Menudo (only if it there’s no liver in it) and pork barbeque (he absolutely loves it). He actually once Googled the recipe for Beek Kaldereta and we attempted to make it from home. It turned out okay but I still think my mom’s recipe is better. Steve loved his version though.

I want to make Tinolang Manok, Tortang Ampalaya and Pinakbet because I haven’t had them for a long time. I don’t think Steve will like tortang ampalaya because last time we were at a Filipino restaurant, I made him try it and he said it was too bitter. He doesn’t mind Pinakbet so I think that’s a safe dish to make. I’m also craving this dish my mom makes which has squash and gata (I think). I think Filipino recipes are better learned from family members... the ones that have been passed on from generation to generation. For some reason, they just don’t turn out as good if the recipe came from the internet.

Last night after washing the dishes, I thought about halo-halo... I think I’m going to go on Google and look for any Filipino restaurants that might serve it here in Toronto. All this talk about food is making me hungry!