Category Archives: Cooking

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A Weekend with the Grands and Greats

Memorial Day weekend spent with the kids – lots of fun and high energy! A huge shoutout to Kat, Ian, Zach and Grandpa for laying the decking on the 12×30′ frame in 5 HOURS! while GG had fun with Colby and Lincoln; and Peter and Greyson spent time with their Aunt McKayla.

McKayla doing what she loves the most.

Fun times and birthday celebrations at camp.

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Cooking Indian

What better past time for a dreary, drizzly day than cooking an Indian feast? With Gunjan Gilbert as our teacher, Nan, Lisa, Jeff, and I prepared: samosas, naan bread, lamb keema, cucumber raita, aloo saag, chicken makhani, mint cilantro chutney and fragrant rice!

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The food of Galicia

I had heard about the amazing food in Galicia long before we even planned this trip. We have not been disappointed! Walking through the market one sees an abundance of freshly caught fish, beautiful beef, lamb and pork and so many different types of cheeses and sausages! Oh! and chocolate, pastries and cakes that are found in the Pasterias! And then there is the olive oil and the wonderful wines! One of the specialty cakes is the St. James’ Almond Cake which is decorated with the St. James’ Cross.

Another fabulous thing in Santiago DC is that a complimentary plate or two of tapas are served with first drink order.

Outside the market this delicious looking octopus (pulpo)  was being cooked in a large tub. It was served on the little wooden plates by cutting into bite size pieces, seasoning with salt and pepper and then drizzling with olive oil! I wanted it so badly, but we were going to have a delicious lunch and I couldn’t spoil my appetite! Ps. I found some on the road to Salamanca and we had it for our picnic lunch!

Our picnic of pulpo, cheese, bread and wine!


We lingered over an amazing lunch at O Curra da Parra.

 

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Family fun

Some of the grandkids, Lucy, Chris and Reuben from England …. so nice to be together for cookout, s’mores and croquet (on a parched lawn)

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Food and Peonies round out June

The peonies have been spectacular this year! Strong, profuse blooms, and very fragrant. Peony perfection!


Maine Fare has grown into a foodie extravaganza! Perfect weather made for a great waterfront event in town. I really enjoyed the cooking demos by well-known local chefs.

Melissa of Primo’s talked about how their restaurant completes the circle of farm to table principles while she demonstrated cutting up a chicken and then prepared a delicious chicken Milanese topped with fresh baby arugugula salad.

Brian Hills, of Francine’s and Shepherd’s Pie made a wonderful dish of grilled fresh grape leaves stuffed with spiced ground lamb on lovage yogurt sauce. (The photo does not do it justice!)Yummy, yummy!

 

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North Carolina wrap-up

We took the 30-minute ferry ride from Fort Fisher to Southport and spent several enjoyable hours strolling the lovely residential streets and downtown. Beautiful old homes, wide streets, sidewalks, live-oak trees all create a very southern setting. The downtown on Cape Fear River with brick buildings and nice little shops makes for a pleasing meander. We enjoyed lunch al fresco at Fishy Fishy Cafe where Lucy could also take part.

A long, long walk on the beach at Freeman Park.

Dinner @ home – grilled red snapper.

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GG and Bampa weekend

A fun and wild weekend with #theboys4 and #dogs2!!!

At the same time – some serious cake decorating going on – Kat did a fantastic job with this volcano/dinosaur birthday cake for a friend’s six-year old!

 

 

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Chiang Mai choices

Riding a red cab…. these can either be hired individually as a cheaper, non-a/c option, or can be caught randomly from the roadside if they are going the route you need.

…..to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep – a ride up and up (on twisty turn roads) out of the city for a good 30 minutes.

Walking the Old City

Markets

Spending a day at Thai Farm Cooking School where we learned many new (to us) techniques and prepared and cooked five courses which we also consumed! It meant no dinner last night!!

Dash Restaurant – a terrific place to eat. The open post and beam house built entirely of teak.

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Christmas services at All Saints Anglican Church – it just wouldn’t have been Christmas without celebrating in church!

Eating khao soi – the specialty of this region of Thailand.

Real-Deal Khao Soi Gai (Northern Thai Coconut Curry Noodle Soup With Chicken)

About This Recipe

YIELD: Serves 4
ACTIVE TIME: 45 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 2 hours
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: wok, large granite mortar and pestle
THIS RECIPE APPEARS IN: Four Essential Northern Thai Dishes to Make Right NowRecipes From Chiang Mai: How to Make Real Deal Khao Soi Gai (Coconut Curry Noodle Soup With Chicken)

Ingredients

  • 1 whole dried Thai bird chili (or 1 whole chile de arbol), more or less to taste
  • 2 whole small shallots, peeled and split into quarters
  • 4 whole cloves garlic
  • 1 stalk lemongrass, bottom 4 inches only, roughly chopped
  • 1 teaspoon makrut lime zest, or 2 whole makrut lime leaves (see note above)
  • 1 (1-inch) knob fresh turmeric, roughly chopped
  • 2 thin slices ginger
  • 1 small bunch cilantro stalks, cut from the very base of the stalks, leaves and thin stems reserved for another use
  • 1 teaspoon whole coriander seed
  • 6 pods Thai black cardamom or 1 pod green cardamom, inner seeds only
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons Thai shrimp paste
  • 1 cup vegetable or canola oil
  • 1 pound fresh Chinese-style egg noodles, divided
  • 2 (15-ounce) cans coconut milk, or 2 cups fresh coconut milk (do not shake)
  • 1 cup homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
  • 2 tablespoons palm sugar (see note above)
  • 4 chicken legs, split into drumsticks and thighs
  • Fish sauce to taste
  • Sliced shallots, lime wedges, and pickled Chinese mustard root (see note above) for serving

Procedures

  1. Place chili, shallots, garlic, lemongrass, lime zest, turmeric, ginger, cilantro stalks, coriander seed, and cardamom in the center of a 12- by 12-inch square of heavy duty aluminum foil. Gather edges up to make a tight pouch. Place pouch directly over the flame of a gas burner and cook, turning occasionally, until aromatic and wisps of smoke begin to rise, about 8 minutes. If no gas burner is available, place the pouch in the bottom of a wok or cast iron skillet and heat over high heat, turning occasionally, until smoky, about 10 minutes. Allow contents to cool slightly and transfer to a large mortar and pestle.
  2. Add a large pinch of salt to the aromatics. Pound until a very fine paste is formed, about 10 minutes. Add shrimp paste and pound to incorporate. Set curry paste mixture aside.
  3. Separate out 1/4 of the noodles (enough noodles to make a crispy fried-noodle topping for 4 bowls) and set the remaining noodles aside. Heat vegetable oil in a large wok over high heat until shimmering. Working in batches, add noodles to oil and fry, stirring and flipping until golden brown and crisp. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Season with salt and set aside.
  4. Discard all but 1 tablespoon oil from wok. Using a spoon, skim 2 tablespoons of creamy fat off the top of the coconut milk and add to the wok. Heat wok over high heat and cook, stirring constantly, until coconut milk breaks and oil begins to lightly smoke, about 2 minutes. Add curry paste mixture and cook, stirring and smearing the paste into the oil, until aromatic, about 45 seconds.
  5. Slowly whisk in the coconut milk, followed by the chicken stock and palm sugar. Add chicken legs and bring to a simmer. Cook, turning chicken occasionally, until chicken is tender and broth is very flavorful, about 30 minutes. Season to taste with fish sauce.
  6. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add remaining uncooked noodles and cook until al dente, about 1 minute. Drain noodles and divide between four warmed bowls. Top noodles with two pieces of chicken. Divide broth evenly between bowls. Top with fried noodles and serve immediately with sliced shallots, lime wedges, and pickled mustard greens on the side.
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Lao fondue

We spent the day wandering the streets of Luang Prabang. What a delightful little town this is, and so manageable on foot. Exactly what we were hoping for after our fast paced tour of Myanmar and Siem Reap.

Our hotel, My Dream, is a grouping of lovely timber built structures on the “other” (south) side of the Nam Khan River ( a tributary of the Mekong which flows on the northern side of Luang Prabang). We can take a rickety bamboo footbridge to the main part of town.

Nearby the footbridge we discovered a little restaurant (Dyen Sabei) where we went for dinner this evening and had Lao Fondue. They bring out a bucket full of red hot coals and then place a round rimmed griddle type thing over the coals. A kettle of broth, a bowl of raw vegetables, a lump of fat, dishes with tamarind paste, hot chilies, raw garlic, an egg, noodles and meat of choice – we had buffalo. It was delicious!!!!

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Early Autumn in Nova Scotia

A road trip to Nova Scotia was made even more enjoyable by a stop in Shediac and spending the evening with Odette and Jerry, whom we met on our Panama Canal/South America cruise in 2008.

A stop for lunch at Le Caveau restaurant in Grand Pre.

Our destination –  Bridgetown, NS – with good friends, Jean and John plus the added bonus of Irene and Arvid joining us from Toronto. We’re having a good catch-up and some good laughs along with celebration of Jean’s birthday on 28th.

Sightseeing on the Fundy Shore with quick visit to J&J’s cabin.

 

 

A drive to Luckett’s winery for lunch (near Wolfville).

To  Annapolis Royal for the Saturday market, then off to shop for lobster. The one Jean is holding is the largest I’ve ever seen – a 14lber!

Back to the cabin to cook and eat the lobster! the most perfect evening possible.