As I mentioned in my previous post, it was A's birthday last Monday and I wanted to celebrate his birthday last Saturday and for that reason, Saturday found me almost running (driving, actually) like an almost headless chicken.

I had so much to do to prepare the surprise that I had to put my timeline in a piece of paper. My scheduled allowed me to travel from one point to another for 30 minutes only despite the heavy weekend traffic and I only had 30 minutes to one hour to be at each place I had to go to.

You see, the main event of my surprise (there were other mini events which I shall not disclose) was cooking a dinner for A. This is a huge deal as I hate cooking. So I wanted to make it extra special by cooking him a Japanese dinner.

(Toni, this is my first "wifely" step and this post is in honor of your blog)

Appetizers: Salmon Sashimi and Tuna Sashimi (I cheated. I bought 1/4 kilo each at the Dampa near Metrowalk.)

Main Course: Beef Yakiniku and Chicken Teriyaki

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1/2 beef loin (Have it thinly sliced at the grocery or beef sukiyaki meat will do)
1tbsp grated apple
2 tbsp soysauce
1 tbsp grated garlic
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp sesame seed (optional... I didn't put in mine)

Mix all ingredients together (except the beef). After mixing, put the beef in and marinate it for 30 mins. Heat a frying pan on high heat and stir- fry the beef.

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Okay, it's pretty simple, don't you think? While making the marinade, I accidentally put in 2 tablespoons of sesame oil so I had to double my recipe!!! But I think it was okay since there was a lot of meat. Oh, and I had the worst fiasco! I bought the meat last, last Monday at Shopwise. I specifically asked for Beef Loin and to have it thinly sliced. It was when I was about to marinade the beef that our cook told me it wasn't Beef Loin that I bought but Pork Loin!!! Urgh! Stupid me for not double checking the price tag! I was running out of time but I had no choice so I ran to Rustan's and got Beef Sukiyaki meat instead. Luckily, thinly sliced beef cooks fast. Oh, and also, while making the marinade, our cook and I thought that the Sesame Oil was just too strong. Apparently, once cooked, the Beef Yakiniku turns out perfectly!!!

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Chicken Teriyaki

2 chicken breasts (cut into smaller chunks)
2 tbsp sake (rice wine)
4 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp mirin (sweet rice wine)
2 tbsp sugar

Mix all ingredients in the bowl (excecpt the chicken). Once mixture is done, marinade the chicken chunks for 30 mins and place in the refrigerator. Heat a pan and pour in 2-3 tsps of vegetable oil. Place the chicken chunks in the pan and fry in low heat. Turn the chunks over to fry both sides. Turn off the heat once done and add the marinade. Start the heat again and simmer on low heat until sauce gets thick.

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It took me a couple of months to gather the ingredients. I had trouble finding the sake and mirin. I got mine from Shopwise and only got the sake and mirin after inquiring at their customer service. Once, I asked about mirin and a few weeks later, they had it in stock. I didn't buy it on the spot and I figured I could come back for it the following week. After all, mirin was probably not in demand, right? How often to Filipinos cook Japanese food anyway? I was confident. Why, the following week, it was out of stock! I had to wait for a couple more weeks! The same goes with the sake. Nobody knew what sake or rice wine was. They asked their stockmen to search in their wine section and I told them it was used for cooking. Finally, two weeks before A's birthday, the stock came in and I bought a bottle right away!

I got all my recipes at this site and I didn't even make a dry run of the recipes to see if it would turn out well. Who knows if they left out some secret ingredient, right? But the Beef Yakiniku and Chicken Teriyaki was soooo goooooood!!! I was never prouder of my cooking! (My only regret was not being able to take a picture!)

Beverages: C2 Green Tea in Iced Tea Flavor and Louis Chatel Red Wine

Dessert: A bottle of Loaker Neopolitan Hazelnut Spread eaten straight from the jar while watching a movie.


After dinner, A had to work (and by working, I mean, brainstorming and thinking) so we sat on the couch. I watched tv while he came up with concepts for his latest project. Occasionaly, he would ask for ideas and inputs and takes advantage of the fact that his girlfriend has a tiny background in Advertising (hey, I took up IMC in UA&P after all). I had shuddering flashbacks when he showed me the creative brief. Fozzy, help!!!

But the highlight of my night was when we were lying on the couch side by side while watching "A Love Song For Bobby Long" and he had his arms (and one leg) around me to keep from falling off the couch. And because I was soooo tired from running (driving, actually) like an almost headless chicken the whole day, I fell asleep in his arms.

And because I channeled my inner Domestic Goddess (i.e. cooking for him) and fell asleep in his arms while watching the movie, we were both transported forward in time and had a tiny glimpse of the future we will be having.

And all I can say is, I can't wait. I just can't wait.



To the best man I could ever love, A: 25 years and 9 months ago, you were made just for me... Happy Birthday!!!