Chicken Inasal

I had to work late tonight and was dreading the thought of coming home to a sink full of dishes (I was running late this morning so our breakfast dishes were not done). Also, a late night at work usually means a hurried dinner of either sandwiches with a variety of cold cuts or a can of soup heated in the microwave.

Tonight, I got the shock of my life. As I pulled up our driveway, Jojo was standing on our porch already welcoming me home. I followed him into the house and saw he had tidied up. The mail had been put away. The sink was clear (not a dirty dish in sight) and he had dinner almost ready.

And by dinner, I don't mean the usual sandwiches and canned soup ... he had actually made one of my favorite dishes ever ... chicken inasal. Yes, CHICKEN INASAL! He had researched on the internet how to do it and had bought the ingredients the last time we were at the supermarket. All with the intention of springing this surprise the next time I had to stay late at work.

Jojo is amazing. He got home exactly 1 hour and 20 minutes before me but he managed to clean up, wash the dishes, cook the rice, marinate the chicken and was actually grilling it in our backyard when I arrived. I only had time to wash up and change into pajamas before he called me to dinner. This is what we had:

Let me tell you that even if that chicken tasted like cardboard, I would have eaten it up because (number one) I was starving and (number two) my husband went to so much trouble to prepare the meal. But the icing on the cake was the chicken tasted really good. And I'm not just saying that because Jojo is going to read this post. It really was good! Juicy, succulent and tasty. Not exactly like the original Chicken Inasal from Bacolod ... but definitely an original Chicken Inasal from Torrance =)

Today is our 5th year and 5th month wedding anniversary (and our 11th year and 9th month anniversary since we started dating) ... but he still manages to surprise me and make things interesting!

Thanks, Ni! You are AWESOME =)