September 9, 2008

One thing I know Hubby loves about being in the US is that suddenly, there is an abundance of sporting events that he can watch on free tv in real time.  When we were in the Philippines, he had to constantly check with ESPN for sports updates or wait for the delayed telecast on tv, if there is even a telecast. You see, Hubby is such a sports fan. He loves basketball, baseball, American football, soccer, tennis, golf, everything! His enthusiasm for sports has rubbed off on me (a little) and on Abby (big time!). Thanks to Hubby, I have better appreciation for sports now.

If you’re anything like my husband, you’re going to love Sportsviews.  It’s a social networking website where you can be among your fellow sports fans.  It is a free community, like most social networking websites and I’m sure you are a member of at least one.  Members can browse through and rate videos, pictures, bets and blogs and create and share their own videos, pictures, bets and blogs.

What?  There’s online betting?  Oh, don’t you worry.  You’ll only be betting with Sportsviews Dollars. :D  You earn Sportsviews Dollars by inviting friends, winning bets, etc.  You can then use the Sportsviews Dollars you earned to trade and acquire your favorite pro athletes and themes.  It’s like on-line Sports Monopoly, if you ask me.

If you can’t get enough of sports and there’s no one to share your enthusiasm for sports with, then there’s an entire on-line community who shares your passion.  You can bet your Sportsviews Dollars on that!

How many countries have you visited?  And/or which countries would you most like to visit?

I’m blessed to have visited 16 countries, some of which I was able to visit more than once.  My Mom was my constant travelling companion.  We were together in all 16 countries.  I’d love to revisit all of these countries with my husband and my daughter Abby…and my Mom, too. :D  Italy will be on top of my list and the rest of the world can take 2nd spot.

That’s my answer.

My family just absolutely loves seafood. I miss being able to eat the freshest seafood practically anytime, whether at home or in restaurants.   We don’t need fancy ingredients or over-the-top cooking to enjoy seafood. In fact, we are quite happy to just have them steamed or grilled, with the barest of seasoning…usually just salt and lemon.

When I found out about The Great American Seafood Cook-Off, I was a little thrilled. I wanted to see how chefs from different states will be able to showcase seafood that is readily available in their locality in their own unique way. This year the cook off, which is on it’s 5th year, was held on Aug 2-3 at the New Orleans Morial Convention Center within the Louisiana Foodservice EXPO and the Gulf Coast Seafood Pavilion.  Out of 14 chefs, 5 were chosen to be the top finalists.

Easily, my top picks are the recipes from Chef John Currence (the winning chef!) and Chef Mark Holley.  I liked Chef Mark, first and foremost because he’s from Texas (Howdy, Texas!) and 2nd, because I love shrimps!  We’ve had the chance to taste the Texas Gulf Shrimps before and they are sooo good!  I could actually do away with the heirloom tomato relish and prickly pear gastrique.  But that’s just because I won’t be able to hold off my craving for the shrimps, long enough to make the relish and gastrique!  Hee hee!

On the other hand, I love the Chef John’s winning recipe because it comes with Seafood Dirty Rice!  What can I do?  I’m Asian!  Hee hee.

I appreciate the premise behind this annual cook-off, which is to make use of readily available domestic seafood.  Check the contest website when you have time.  You might want to test the recipes in your very own kitchen!

Soon, we’ll be signing Abby up for swim lessons.  She’s ready.  She can now go in the water for brief periods without a floater.  :)  Woot woot!   We’ll just have to find a way to squeeze swim lessons into her schedule.  As it is, she’s already a very busy 4-year old.  She spends half the day in school everyday.  Plus, she has gym, dance and religious education classes.

Here are Abby’s latest swim pics, taken on September 1st…