Happy Birthday Mommy!

I was caught up with a lot of things lately, and so I haven't had the chance to update my blog as often as I want. I know I have been saying this for the past few months, but yes, I still have a lot of backlogs piling up, most of which I haven't even started to draft, but I thought I shouldn't let this one pass. :)

Last Friday, August 5, was my mom's 48th birthday. I immediately hurried home after my shift at work and good thing I was able to arrive just in time for the celebration. And I'm sure you know what happens during special occasions in our family, right? :p Yes, we had yet another scrumptious feast courtesy of course of my dad. :)

Mommy's birthday feast :)

During special occasions like this, my dad always makes sure that he cooks different kinds of viands so as to accommodate all of our guests' food preferences.

For the health conscious, here are veggie dishes:

Garden Fresh Salad - shredded carrots and jicama plus corn kernels, sliced cucumbers, and pineapple chunks on a bed of lettuce.

Garden Fresh Salad

Fresh Lumpia - shredded carrots and jicama, plus baguio beans sautéed with garlic and onions. Other veggies may also be added in, but what makes this dish stand out is my dad's special peanut sauce, which up to now I don't know how he does. :p

Fresh Lumpia

Pancit Bihon-Canton - bihon and canton noodles with cabbage, carrots, squid balls, fish balls, and tofu.

Pancit Bihon-Canton

For the seafood lovers, daddy prepared:

Steamed Tilapia - fresh steamed tilapia with mayonnaise and fried garlic bits.

Steamed Tilapia

Prawns and Crabs in Coconut Milk - fresh prawns and crabs sautéed in garlic, onions, and coconut milk.

Ginataang Sugpo

Ginataang Alimango

For the Chicken dishes we had:

Chicken Feet - fried chicken feet sautéed in garlic, onions, and oyster sauce (i think) plus star anis.

Chicken Feet

Crispy Fried Chicken - breaded chicken fried to perfection. Perfect for the kids and kids at heart. :)

Crispy Fried Chicken

For those who really love to eat and doesn't really mind all the cholesterol here are what they can choose from:

Lumpiang Shanghai - fried ground pork with minced carrots, onions, garlic and seasonings wrapped in rice wraps.

Lumpiang Shanghai

Lechon Kawali - or Bagnet as what we Ilocanos call it, pork cheeks boiled until tender and then fried to perfection.

Lechon Kawali

Sizzling Pork Sisig - fried (or grilled) pork ears, cheeks, and liver with minced onions and chilis, perfect when paired with a cup of hot steamed rice or a bottle of ice cold beer. See recipe here :)

Sizzling Pork Sisig

These next dishes are my mom's favorite, and would also be a hit for beef lovers:

Kare-kare - beef stew in peanut sauce with a variety of veggies like eggplants, puso ng saging, string beans, and pechay.

Kare-kare

Beef Caldereta - tomato-based beef stew with potatoes and chick peas.

Beef Caldereta

And who wouldn't love desserts? For those with sweet tooth, here are what we got:

Classic fruit salad - fruit cocktail out from the can with thick cream and condensed milk.