We're drowning our sorrows, er, toasting to the end of summer with Filipino Mules.
We've got a little end-of-summertime sadness because it's Labor Day, and we all know what that means: no more wearing white, no more cookouts, and no more three-day weekends.
Instead of lamenting the end of the season, we're going to relive our awesome summer as we enjoy a Filipino mule (skip down to the end of this recap for the recipe!).
June: Seatown Meets Motown
Garrett Doherty from Kraken Congee launched his Kasama Dinner series, and we were the second chefs to be featured. We collaborated on the menu and made tuna and octopus kinilaw, duck confit adobo, ginataang vegetables with sous vide egg, halibut sinagang, beef heart and cheek bistek, and pandan chocolate semifreddo. It was an honor and a privilege to cook with such a talented chef so we couldn't let it end there -- we're bringing Garrett here on the 19th.
At Bacolod Chicken Haus. So.much.food. So.many.baon.boxes.
July: Dorothy's Birthday and a Summer Cookout, Filipino Style
While we started summer off with a bang with an epic collaboration, we kept a low profile the rest of June and throughout July. First of all, it was Dorothy's birthday and she celebrates for as long as she can stretch it out. Mom asked her what she wanted, and she said boodle boodle at Bacolad Chicken Haus, which is on the northwest side of Chicago. There was lumpia shanhai, mussels, chicken inasal, stuffed squid, shrimp skewers, grilled vegetables, fried fish, and a bunch of other stuff (just look at that photo).
We also tested recipes. In July, we held a cookout to unveil some almost famous Sarap dishes, including a smoked chicken adobo and smoked pork ribs, which we adapted from the fantastic recipe by Miguel Trinidad of Maharlika and Jeepney (add this to your Pinterest boards. Do it now!).
This is the rib recipe to end all rib recipes. Photo by Lexi Trimpe.
August: A Wedding Celebration
Lauren and Luis met while Lauren was living in Samar in 2010-12. They got married last year and had a wedding celebration in August in Bay City. None of his family was able to join them in the States for the party, so they wanted Filipino food in their honor. We were just beyond happy to oblige. We made
September: Cheers!
Even though summer is over, we are looking forward to a great fall. We have our pop-up on the 19th, Dorothy is going to Chicago for the Kultura Festival (road trip!), and we are doing another pop-up in Petoskey. Cheers to a great summer and even better fall!
Recipe: Filipino Mule (serves 1)
Ice
1/4 cup vodka
1 tablespoon calamansi juice
3/4 cup ginger beer
In a tall glass, combine all of the ingredients and mix well. Drink. Repeat.