My Attempt at Cooking Beef With Broccoli

When it comes to beef strips, I only know to cook one type of viand and that's Beef Steak. I've been cooking Beef Steak for 16-17 years. It's the first dish I learned to master.

The other day though, I finally got tired of this and so decided to do something else. In my almost 14 years as housewife, this was the first time I was going to cook Beef with Broccoli.  Never did try to d o this before because 1) I used to not eat Broccoli (I do now); 2) I don't usually buy Broccoli at the store; and 3) I thought it was hard to do. But after watching a couple of videos on Youtube and looking for one that was easiest to follow, this was the result:

P, who stood as the official judge and critique to anything I cook, says I made the mistake of using flour instead of cornstarch for the sauce and my Broccoli was overdone. But I had the flavor down to pat so I guess... I passed this one!

1. Marinate beef in oyster sauce, sesame oil, soy sauce, cornstarch for 20-30 minutes
2. Broccoli --- boil for 3 minutes in water with beef bullion cubes, set side or arrange in the serving dish already
3. Mince three cloves of garlic, saute this.
4. Add marinated beef in the sauteed garlic.
5. When already brown, add more cornstarch dissolved in water for the sauce.
6. Pour in serving dish, it's done.

Sue is here!

Driving her around yesterday after, the husband teased that I sat on the passenger seat with my head held up high, like I was so smug and proud about sitting inside a bimmer. The truth was, I wasn't used to its height. I used to sit on the passenger seat looking down on the road, because 4 x 4's are like trucks to really small people like me. This one feels different. I now have to look up when looking at other cars. And so I had my neck cranked up the whole time we were out driving.

Pogi/Ganda points aside, Sue is still working fantastically. The hubs has been checking around online for care, maintenance and all that shit we need to know about owning a BMW and we're relieved to know this isn't so straining to maintain. All in all, I think we got a really good deal.

Up next....a roadtrip with just the two of us, barring changes in our schedules.

Goodbye, Car! Hello, Sue!

This car, which has been with us since...I forgot, 2005? Is going to its new owners today:

Getting rid of it is bittersweet. This has serviced us quite well the last few years. It has its sentimental value....and some sentiments I'd like to forget or do away without.

We're switching to a four-door sedan which P has named "Sue" (from the characters on the TV series "The Middle" and "Glee"). I have suggested naming the sedan "Genesis", symbolizing a "new beginning" but he didn't like that it sounded so close to the name Jenny. We know people named Jenny.  Sue won.

The sedan is from this family:

Though it's a year older than the previous car (1995) and it is also in a very safe, very family friendly white tone...that I told P, it's good enough to use as a bridal car, we might as well lease it and earn a little extra from it.

And then he's going to have to wear this to drive the bride and groom around:

Haha.

I've got a new phone!

"New" is actually overstating it a bit. This is really a hand-me-down from P, who finally joined the iPhone bandwagon. This phone's been with him for a little under a year.

The thing is, I've been a qwerty-keyboard user for most of my texting life. And it's probably a good thing coz I didn't develop that nasty habit of using text shortcuts; didn't really text people saying, "Dito na me"....(oh gaad I hate that!!!!)

The last two cellphones I've had were big bulky types where I can spell everything out. And I rarely changed phones. This would have to be my third. In the last 8-9 years.

Now, this Nokia keyboard? It is a bit alien to me. I'm having a hard time texting. My fingers can't dance through the keyboard properly yet. I feel so inept right now.

The only thing I completely know about this phone is finding my way through the message archives (haha!). So other than that? I'm going to be a cellphone idiot for a little while.

Although....I like that I can access my online accounts with it since it's wifi-enabled. That's a first for any phones I've owned. This would be quite useful when I'm at the mall and am bored to my wits.

But the best part is I can now take better pictures with this one! No more crappy pictures!!!

Ah wait.....it's still yes to crappy pictures! What am I saying?? I forgot that I don't really have an eye for taking good shots. And this phone would have to emphasize this so clearly now. :P