Okay, I just had to yap about this. I'm so excited!! I finally remembered what sparked the topic of conversation the night this idea was born. It was not only our meal, but a shopping trip we had made to the 1st Oriental Supermarket in Orlando. Wow. That place was amazing.
Well, tomorrow I'm going on another shopping trip to another specialty market. This week's Passport Dinner (ya like that? I just came up with it) is from Tajikistan. Tajikistan is a country in Central Asia, bordered by Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgystan & the People's Republic of China. Hey, I'm re-learning world geography!!
So, anyway, I'm shopping at this place I've heard of, International Food Club. Supposedly, they have an excellent selection of Mid-East items, which should cover some of the things I'm looking for. Next week is the country of Tonga. It'll be back to the 1st Oriental for that dinner. This is looking like more & more fun!!
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
My First Two Dinners on This Trip
Okay, so I should've posted last week, but hey, life gets in the way. So tonight is catch up night. Hang on, this is gonna be a long post.
Last week's country was China. Okay, I thought, we have a friend from China. I'll contact her. But, I didn't. I never made the time to simply email her. Instead, I found recipes for White Cut Chicken, Deep-Fried Bok Choy, and Sponge Cake. Okay, I should've emailed her. The chicken was easy to make, but didn't have a lot of flavor. It tasted like, well, chicken. But it was moist. One point to the chicken. The Deep Fried Bok Choy was surprisingly good. I do advise making this in a deep fryer that has a basket & a lid. I didn't bother to dig mine out and simply set up a stainless pot of oil on the stove. Yeah, let's see how many droplets of hot oil I can be splattered with before I can get the lid on the pot. It actually ended up not being too hard to do. You do have to watch the bok choy closely, as it can be overcooked quite easily. But, it was crispy & the sweetness of the sugar was surprisingly good. Jeff liked it a lot, as did Devon. Sarah just liked the chicken.
Maybe I was just tired that night. Maybe I just wasn't into cooking that night. Whatever. But I ended up not making the Sponge Cake. I still plan to, I just don't know when. I'll get back to you on that. In the meantime, here's a picture from last week's dinner.
Now, on to this week. This week's journey took me to Canada. I've always wanted to go there. I have a close childhood friend who lives there. I have another friend who used to live there. Maybe I should live there? Yeah, Jeff would have to be dragged kicking & screaming. Love you, honey! So, anyway, this week turned out to be easy to plan. The menu included a Tourtiere, Maple Apple Baked Beans and Nanaimo Bars.
First, let me say, if you're on a sugar free or low fat diet, do not try these recipes at home. Wow. Talk about bad for your health. But, hey, it was worth it.
The Tourtiere was really good. I wasn't too sure about how the spices called for would taste in an entree like this, but it was really good. It also seems like one of those recipes you can tweak as you desire. We did end up lightly salting the dish at the table, just to awaken the various flavors.
Next came the Maple Apple Baked Beans. First, I was surprised at using apples to top this dish. Next, when I realized how long it would take to make this, including cooking & standing time, I realized dinner would be late tonight. But it was worth it. Wow. I now have a new favorite recipe for potlucks. The bacon fell into pieces when I served this dish. The beans were soft, but not mushy. The apples added just a hint of flavor, but it was enough. The sauce was such a wonderful blending of flavors. Outstanding.
Okay. Now for the sinfully rich dessert. The Nanaimo bars. Oh, and it's pronounced na-NY-mo. Just learned that tonight. These were easy to make, as long as you are careful not to scorch the butter/chocolate mixtures. This particular recipe called for walnuts, and apparently a lot of variations call for coconut. But, we don't particularly care for either, so I did change the recipe a bit. Bad girl. I'm supposed to be making authentic dishes. Sigh. Anyway, these were so good. I thought Jeff was going to melt right out of his chair. Devon's eyes were as big as saucers at his first bite, and Sarah even ate more of her dinner, just so she could get a second piece of dessert. Success!! The down side to these is that the recipe makes a 9x13 pan. As rich as they are, and as small of pieces as we can tolerate at one time, it'll take forever to finish the pan.....Not!!
So, there ya have it. Tonight's dinner and dessert. I have to admit, I was quite proud. Jeff & I cleared our plates, Devon ate almost everything on his plate, and Miss Picky Sarah ate quite a bit as well.
What's on tap for the next two weeks? Hmmm...it's a surprise. Why? Because I enjoy mysteries? Because I like to make people wonder? Or simply because I totally forgot to get Sarah to spin the globe & make the decision? Yup, that's the reason. Bad mommy. Anyhoo, stay tuned to see where our journey takes us next.
Zai Jian & au Revoir!
Last week's country was China. Okay, I thought, we have a friend from China. I'll contact her. But, I didn't. I never made the time to simply email her. Instead, I found recipes for White Cut Chicken, Deep-Fried Bok Choy, and Sponge Cake. Okay, I should've emailed her. The chicken was easy to make, but didn't have a lot of flavor. It tasted like, well, chicken. But it was moist. One point to the chicken. The Deep Fried Bok Choy was surprisingly good. I do advise making this in a deep fryer that has a basket & a lid. I didn't bother to dig mine out and simply set up a stainless pot of oil on the stove. Yeah, let's see how many droplets of hot oil I can be splattered with before I can get the lid on the pot. It actually ended up not being too hard to do. You do have to watch the bok choy closely, as it can be overcooked quite easily. But, it was crispy & the sweetness of the sugar was surprisingly good. Jeff liked it a lot, as did Devon. Sarah just liked the chicken.
Maybe I was just tired that night. Maybe I just wasn't into cooking that night. Whatever. But I ended up not making the Sponge Cake. I still plan to, I just don't know when. I'll get back to you on that. In the meantime, here's a picture from last week's dinner. Now, on to this week. This week's journey took me to Canada. I've always wanted to go there. I have a close childhood friend who lives there. I have another friend who used to live there. Maybe I should live there? Yeah, Jeff would have to be dragged kicking & screaming. Love you, honey! So, anyway, this week turned out to be easy to plan. The menu included a Tourtiere, Maple Apple Baked Beans and Nanaimo Bars.
First, let me say, if you're on a sugar free or low fat diet, do not try these recipes at home. Wow. Talk about bad for your health. But, hey, it was worth it.
The Tourtiere was really good. I wasn't too sure about how the spices called for would taste in an entree like this, but it was really good. It also seems like one of those recipes you can tweak as you desire. We did end up lightly salting the dish at the table, just to awaken the various flavors.
Next came the Maple Apple Baked Beans. First, I was surprised at using apples to top this dish. Next, when I realized how long it would take to make this, including cooking & standing time, I realized dinner would be late tonight. But it was worth it. Wow. I now have a new favorite recipe for potlucks. The bacon fell into pieces when I served this dish. The beans were soft, but not mushy. The apples added just a hint of flavor, but it was enough. The sauce was such a wonderful blending of flavors. Outstanding.
Okay. Now for the sinfully rich dessert. The Nanaimo bars. Oh, and it's pronounced na-NY-mo. Just learned that tonight. These were easy to make, as long as you are careful not to scorch the butter/chocolate mixtures. This particular recipe called for walnuts, and apparently a lot of variations call for coconut. But, we don't particularly care for either, so I did change the recipe a bit. Bad girl. I'm supposed to be making authentic dishes. Sigh. Anyway, these were so good. I thought Jeff was going to melt right out of his chair. Devon's eyes were as big as saucers at his first bite, and Sarah even ate more of her dinner, just so she could get a second piece of dessert. Success!! The down side to these is that the recipe makes a 9x13 pan. As rich as they are, and as small of pieces as we can tolerate at one time, it'll take forever to finish the pan.....Not!!
So, there ya have it. Tonight's dinner and dessert. I have to admit, I was quite proud. Jeff & I cleared our plates, Devon ate almost everything on his plate, and Miss Picky Sarah ate quite a bit as well.
What's on tap for the next two weeks? Hmmm...it's a surprise. Why? Because I enjoy mysteries? Because I like to make people wonder? Or simply because I totally forgot to get Sarah to spin the globe & make the decision? Yup, that's the reason. Bad mommy. Anyhoo, stay tuned to see where our journey takes us next.
Zai Jian & au Revoir!
Monday, July 11, 2011
Forgot to mention...
Hubby just mentioned that I didn't specify who Devon and Sarah are. Devon is my wonderful son, age 9. Sarah is my diva of a daughter, age 5 1/2. I'm happily married to Jeff, the man of my dreams. All three have so far been willing guinea pigs to my cooking experiments. Let's see if they continue to participate!!
Sunday, July 10, 2011
In the beginning...
I've never had a blog before. So, bear with me. The idea for my adventure, and this blog, came about one evening at dinner. The family was gathered around the table, enjoying our usual casual conversation. Somehow, the topic was turned to what "type" of meal we were having; i.e. Mexican, Italian, etc. I forget what that evening's meal actually was, but the question got us started on discussing the different cuisines we've had over the years.
Well, that got me to thinking. I've seen the movie Julie & Julia, about the woman who sets out to prepare every recipe in Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" book." The journey she embarks on, as well as Julia Child's journey in writing the book. What about a journey of my own? I love to cook. I love to try new recipes. My family enjoys trying new foods. Supposedly, I'm a decent cook. As far as I know, I've never killed anyone with my cooking. So, what about a journey around the world in the kitchen?
I started thinking about how many countries there are, how many different cuisines. How many recipes I can find online or through friends from those countries? Well, let's find out. This week we'll begin. I plan my menus two weeks at a time. So, every other week either Devon or Sarah will spin the globe & thus decide part of that menu. Ready to travel Around the World in the Kitchen? Let's go.
Well, that got me to thinking. I've seen the movie Julie & Julia, about the woman who sets out to prepare every recipe in Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" book." The journey she embarks on, as well as Julia Child's journey in writing the book. What about a journey of my own? I love to cook. I love to try new recipes. My family enjoys trying new foods. Supposedly, I'm a decent cook. As far as I know, I've never killed anyone with my cooking. So, what about a journey around the world in the kitchen?
I started thinking about how many countries there are, how many different cuisines. How many recipes I can find online or through friends from those countries? Well, let's find out. This week we'll begin. I plan my menus two weeks at a time. So, every other week either Devon or Sarah will spin the globe & thus decide part of that menu. Ready to travel Around the World in the Kitchen? Let's go.
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