Overdue Dad & Daughter Weekend

A few weekends ago, I enjoyed a father-daughter weekend. My mother was in Japan, so it as just me, dad, and our cat, Jiji. The weekend was busy, my father had a lot of work to do and I was doing a thorough cleaning of my room, but we still managed to have a nice time and eat rather extravagantly! 
Jiji asking me for a belly rub

For my first evening home (Thursday), Dad made a reservation at our favorite sushi restaurant, Umeya. We figured, mom will be feasting on delicious sushi in Tokyo, so why shouldn't we treat ourselves?! We couldn't go to Tokyo, so we'll bring Tokyo to us. Such a great decision. 
Dad and I feasted and probably ate our own body weight in sushi! We had such a great time and ended up staying beyond closing hour! A great way to kick off our father-daughter weekend. 

Whilst I was home, I also made sure to spend time with my cat, Jiji. (I call her "the Jijipuss"). She cracks me up. She has a lot of personality and is quite the diva. Mom is definitely her favorite, but she was still rather affectionate towards me and dad. Each night, I would sit in the living room either reading or watching something on my iPad and she would curl up next to me.  It was a very pleasant way to end the night. 
Before settling down, Jiji loves kneading this blanket that I knitted

Friday night, my dad made branzino, which is our favorite fish. We always make this fish in the oven and finish it in the broiler. The branzino was accompanied with sugar snap peas tossed with SmartBalance, and my dad's summer salad (red onion, mango, tomatoes, corn, basil, &  mozzarella cheese topped with balsamic vinegar). It was a really delicious, light, and healthy dinner! Not to mention, the salad was really pretty --- I mean, look at those colors!
Saturday night was also a seafood night, but it was far more luxurious. My dad really spoiled me with lobster! I was beyond excited. I made sure to savor every morsel and did not let any of this treat go to waste! Besides the lobster, we also enjoyed my dad's summer salad. Yum!!!
The Jijipuss curled up next to me and instantly fell asleep

After three luxurious meals, Sunday was a bit more down to earth, but equally scrumptious. Dad decided to fire up the grill and we made cheeseburgers! An American treat. Whilst dad was in charge of the grill, I sautéed some onions and toasted the buns. So delicious!
I love a good cheeseburger

In addition to the cheeseburgers, my dad also made some smoked salmon. It took him nearly half a day to make this, but it was well worth it. Not only did the house smell amazing, the salmon was out of this world! Not too salty, but the flavor was superb. Yum!

I had such a blast hanging out with my dad and with the Jijipuss. Sure, the days were busy, what with dad and I completing our individual tasks, but it was still a lot of fun. We enjoyed some really fantastic meals and being able to just schmooze and catch up was wonderful. We also enjoyed a fair amount of whiskey, which is always fun. Similarly, I enjoyed spending time with the Jijipuss. She was really cute and quite affectionate, which is a bit a typical for her. We played a lot, I rubbed her belly a lot, and we even watched "The X-Files" together. What a great weekend!

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