On Home-Cooking "Pinakbet" and At Totoy's for Lunch

On Home-Cooking "Pinakbet" and At Totoy's for Lunch

From the fridge, I brought out

frozen veggies for my "pinakbet"

also a pack of beef stew from the Commissary

which I decided to cook first

the way pork "adobo" is prepared

although not marinated to taste.

Something is lacking, I found out

one of the ingredients is missing

to complete my kinda "pinakbet"

aha, that slimy okra we don't have

that I badly need for my dish for dinner.

Once the beef stew was almost "boiled"

I separated the broth from the beef

and saved the broth for my "pinakbet"

the, I added chopped onions and garlic salt

and extra virgin olive oil to my beef stew

and simmer it for a minute or two.

Once the beef stew was cooked 

I set it aside, got ready to go

buy the missing ingredient for my recipe

okra, that is, to complete my "pinakbet."

On the road with me was Tintin

who graduated from college in May

this year, but is still looking for a job

one that she's not sure what it entails.

But we stopped by at Totoy's

where we ate lunch with delight

 truly a fine Filipino dining facility with a style

so contemporary yet cozy and warm

I mean, with kind and warm hospitality 

and quality customer service from Lynn.

With full stomach, and with leftovers to go

we bid Lynn goodbye so we could go

to store next door to buy okra for my "pinakbet"

but we said out prayers before and after lunch

that's just but proper and the best thing to do

for all the goodness and blessings from Above.

Now that I have it all

what I needed for my dish

at home, I didn't waste time at all

but cooked one of my favorite dishes 

of all time, my Ilokano "pinakbet"

that's always the favorite of all my clan.

The table is ready

are you ready, my friends?

"Bon apetit, mi amigos y amigas"

My "pinakbet" has steamed shrimps in it

along with beef stew to add flavor to it!

It's a nice eat, my friends, you won't regret

for it has squash, string beans and eggplant

with ginger and "ampalaya" and, of course, okra

with tablespoon of oyster sauce and olive oil

that's my Ilokano "pinakbet," you know

it's simple to prepare, and easy to cook 

yet tasty, yummy, and healthy for the body!  

(c) 2012 by chris a. quilpa

 Note: I don't own the above video that I embedded with my blog post. No copyright infringement intended. I thank YouTube and the uploader of the video. Thanks to Google and Blogger, too. Thanks to you, dear folks and friends. CAQ