Delicious mojito at havana, walnut creek. With amazing company i might add.

Around the World

Recently (as in very recently) I made dishes from two distinct culinary regions. The results were, well, delicious.

On Thursday I got to see Marett for the first time in...about 5 months. As always, she was good company. She and I decided to invite our friend Tessa and her newish boyfriend over for dinner. Not only were they great company, they did the dishes!

Il Menu
(oops, I didn't think to take pictures)

Antipasti
Bruschetta with roasted red peppers (I've been reminded it's pronounced brew-sket-uh)
~also toasted baguette with an olive tapenade

Primi
Penne con pesto fresco

Segondi
Maiale alla grilla con pepe (Grilled pork and peppers, marinated in rosemary)

Dolci
Salame di cioccolata (yes that is chocolate salami, very healthy. I'd be happy to provide you with a recipe to this or any other dishes)


Then this morning I got a voicemail from my mom telling me that we had fresh Thai basil in the fridge and that I should use it, or wrap it in tinfoil. Being the foodie that I am, I decided on the latter and made dinner for my brother and I.

Flipping very nonchalantly through our Thai cook book I found a dish my parents have made several time called Gang Dang Gai.

Note: the book is called Crying Tiger by Supatra Johnson from St. Paul, MN, which features the title recipe a northeastern Thai dish as well as more than 100 other recipes. It also has a guide to ingredients and equipment and a kids cooking section. Supatra also has a restaurant in St. Paul.

Supatra's Thai Cuisine 967 West 7th Street, Saint Paul, MN. 55102 651.222.5859

At first I thought since I would be cooking Thai food that it would result in three things: 1) a big mess, 2) a significant time commitment, and 3) a whole lot of tedious work. It was none of these.

Recipe:

Gang Dang Gai (Red Curry with Chicken)


1 can coconut milk (13-14 oz, don't shake the can)
1/3 cup red curry paste (can buy pre-made at most grocery stores)
1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces (ok to sub chicken breasts)
2 cups water (or more coconut milk for milder curry)
2 tbsp. palm sugar (sub. brown sugar)
2 tsp. sea salt
1 cup sliced bamboo shoots (~1 can)
4 kaffir lime leaves (optional, but worth finding)
3 tbsp. fish sauce (found at most grocery stores)
1/2 cup Thai basil (bai horapha)
*It is essential to use Thai basil - it is sweeter and has a very different taste than regular basil. It is getting much easier to find in the fresh section of most groceries, try Lund's or Byerly's.

1. In a soup pot over medium-high heat spoon out the thickest part of the coconut milk from the can (if you didn't shake it it will be the thick white part on the top of the can) and bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Add the red curry paste and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add chicken and stir-fry 3 minutes.

2. Turn heat to high and add remaining coconut milk (the rest looks like a clear syrupy liquid), water, palm sugar, salt, fish sauce, and bamboo shoots. Boil 8 min. stirring occasionally. Meanwhile chop Thai basil finely. Remove from heat and stir in chopped Thai basil and whole Kaffir leaves. Serve hot over jasmine rice. ~ 4 servings

How was it? Try it yourself, it really is very easy. The rice is harder than the dish.

New Life Part II

Yesterday I finally begun putting in my first seedlings. So far we've done the parsley (flat italian and curled) and oregano. I got helped and also distracted by Marett's return home from Italy (and Austria, and Germany, and Spain, and France, and the Netherlands and...I'm sure I missed something). I finished turning over and breaking up the soil on one side of the garden and was impatient/Marett looked bored so we grabbed plantings and got to work.



These pictures don't show plantings, but they show two other things: where in the yard the garden is at, and how much work it was to de-sod the area in order to make it available for planting (whew!)

Gotta run or I'll be late for work.

Sure Enough...

... my life got busy and I fell behind here. Don't worry I haven't lost my touch. I'll be posting soon - tomorrow I finish turning and plant (hopefully on the second part) my garden. Keep checking!

"Holy freakin elephant music burning my ear drums with the sounds of death. Good beer clearly comes at a cost." - Brittni, a minute ago

How grows it?

It's not even worth getting up before noon on a lazy day. Anthony Bourdain - no reservations isn't on til noon.

Discoveries on the Internets

I've added a couple bookmarks to my folders lately that I figure might be interesting to share.

For the Duluthians (and anyone that loves Duluth or wants to come!)

Perfect Duluth Day | Duluth MN Blog, Events, News and More
A community web-log of happenings in Duluth. Categories range from Restaurants, Music and Outdoors to Bitching, Creepy Stuff, and Overheard in Duluth.

My Favorite Minnesota
A collection of lists, videos and posts from people of Minnesota. This is really cool and a potentially a fun way to share with friends and strangers alike. I might have to think of some favorites..

The Great Outdoors

Ah yes, it's that time of year. Time for mother nature to repeatedly trick me into thinking I am getting return to warmer times.

Last Friday was beyond unbelievable. It was summer. Isaac let me know in the afternoon that he and Rufio were planning on going frolfing. I immediately snatched the offer up and we made our way to the course nearby the mall and LSC. It was truly a beautiful day, and a fantastic time in the sun.

Later, I went over to a friend of Rufio's (and a bunch more of my friend's) place for some lawn games, hot dogs and a couple beers. We played the first teste toss ("ladder golf") of the season, so far I'm 1-1.

Even later I had a bunch of friends (and I mean a bunch, especially later) come over for a bonfire in the back yard. Thanks Adam for the firewood. It was great to see lots and lots of old and new friends. I hope everyone had fun, I know I did ;).

Coming up... Saturday night in Chetek at Liz's cabin/amazing house. B - I still need pictures.

Back on the Juice

Yes, you read it. I'm drinking coffee again, albeit with a little less gusto. And though I can realistically get it year round there is something that I am very excited about.

At there Minneapolis Farmer's Market there is often a stand that caters to my biggest morning demand = coffee. White Rock Coffee Roasters of St. Paul, Minnesota may not be the "best coffee in the world" but their slogan sums it up for me - "A legend since 5am".

Follow the link to their website here:

their slogan sums it up for me - "A legend since 5am".

*Oh no, I just found out that they have free delivery to MN, IA, WI, ND, and SD

Testing

Testing out blogger's mobile service. Remind you of Twitter anyone?

New Life

Yesterday I made a trip up to Home Depot for some spring gardening supplies. It's officially time for me to start my own garden (at my parent's haha).

I bought a seedling starter, hand trowel, 7x 6" terra cotta colored plastic pots, one 20"x~6" planter, some MiracleGrow potting soil and, of course, a variety of seeds including:

Herbs
-Sweet Basil
-Garlic Chives
-Cilantro
-Oregano
-Parsley
-Rosemary
-Spearmint

Peppers:
-California Wonder Bell Peppers
-Carnival Mix (Green, Purple and White) Bell Peppers
-Habanero
-Jalepeno
-Hot Mix (Anaheim, Ancho, Long Slim Red Cayenne, Jalepeno, Hungarian Wax)

Vegetables:
-Green Bean
-Carrot
-Cucumber
-Lettuce (Simpson Black Seed)
-Sugar Daddy Pea
-Scallion (Green Onion)
-Summer Squash (Zucchini)
-Watermelon (not a vegetable but fits best here)

I spent ridiculous amount of time creating a beautiful planting and care guide for each type of seed I bought. I probably could have spend some of that time on homework instead but what's done is done.

I then carefully planted each type of pepper into the ~1"x1" seedling starter squares, covering the tray with the clear "greenhouse" plastic lid. Peppers apparently have a somewhat longer yield time than other vegetables and are very good with transplanting. I also planted all of the different types of herbs into the 6" round planters. It was recommended to me by the wondrous internet that I also plant the peas early and indoors due to these plants break in yield during the hot peak of the summer.

So now I cross my fingers and wait. Hopefully my thumb is green.

Over the River and Through the Woods

To grandmother's house I go.

I love my grandma's cooking. I'm part Belgian. My mom's side of the family is Belgian. As my mother once put it, "We're food people." We love food. It is the center of every gathering. This weekend meal times were some of the few times all 14? of us got together at one time.

Typically my mother's side of the family doesn't get together for the Easter holiday, Christmas and the Fourth of July are the major holidays that the majority of the family makes the trek to my grandparent's place for a big gathering. This year was an exception. Many (but not all) of my mom's family including my aunt, uncle and cousins (and my cousin's wife since last August) gathered for nights spend playing poker and enjoying each others' company.

So back to the important stuff. Friday and Saturday night dinners consisted of the perch fish fry and venison stroganoff dinners at Coun's C Club and my grandma's kitchen respectively. The greasy fish fingers and potato wedges are always a welcome resort after a long day's drive across Wisconsin. Similarly, my grandma's venison Stroganoff is probably my favorite meal that she makes. This is good home cooking at it's finest. And as always, it fed the entire crowd with nothing but apreciative mmm's.


On a more recent note, after my long Monday I decided to watch the end of the Twins game with my classmate-fast-becoming-good-friend Wade over a Surly CynicAle beer (Brooklyn Center, MN). I've had this beverage before and as always it did not disappoint. A true craft beer with "French malted barley, English oats ... Belgian yeast ... [and] lively Slovenian hops" the taste is a sum of well balanced, moderately sweet and slightly spiced flavor that reminds me that there is a world beyond Pabst, Leinenkugels, Grain Belt and other locally produced lagers.

Got the Bug

Today I woke up late, (as is a new tradition on my Tuesdays "off", which I assure you is not laziness, but instead my one day weekend - work and school take up my real weekends) and was immediately hit with the foodie bug. Laying in bed I thought to myself about what ingredients I had in the pantry. What came to mind was the large bag of red potatoes Eric and I bought about a week and a half ago.

As some of you might remember I decided to make potato chips as part of my spread for a get-together Brittni and I hosted this past New Year's Eve - a part of my attempt to legitimize the mandolin slicer that I bought myself as a Christmas gift. What a great idea for a massive amount of potatoes just getting bored on the shelf, desperately trying to avoid growing sprouts and walking off.

Deciding to take a slightly different approach to this session of chip making I got out the necessary ingredients, this time including much more olive oil than last since I would be frying instead of baking.

Collect:
Potatoes (I used large red)
Olive Oil
Salt
Black Pepper
Smoked Paprika
Chipotle Chili Powder



I heated the oil in my fry pan to medium high heat on our range. Then I carefully dropped slices of potato between 1/8" and 1/16" that I had cut using the mandolin kitchen slicer into the golden liquid that I had already prepared with S&P along with the paprika and chili powder. Then came the tricky part (one I have not yet completely mastered), evenly cooking the chips
to a crisp but not burned texture.

When they have reached the point where they both appear and feel a stiff, they go onto a paper towel lined plate. Batch after batch of chips starts to get boring. Trust me. Really boring.

After I yielded a large bowl of chips I decided to switch to another flavor - balsamic vinegar. DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT ever add balsamic to hot olive oil (something tells me my common sense should have seen this coming). The result is a very violent reaction, which I imagine would be very similar to adding cold water to the oil. Luckily I quickly turned the gas off.

Somewhat disheartened I returned to my previous method of baking the chips in the oven, however after burning the first batch, I decided that the rest of the massive pile of sliced potatoes I had accrued would be better in a cheesy, scalloped & baked format.

So later in the day after a little homework and a much longer StumbleUpon session, I visited my preferred culinary website Epicurious (visit!) for a cheesy scalloped recipe: Scalloped Potatoes with Three Cheeses.

This recipe includes cheddar, Bleu and Parmesan cheeses. I added a little bit of cubed ham on top. The result was a long awaited, but thoroughly appetizing late dinner, complementing the end of the Twins game.



I am also enjoying a new (to me) beer in honor of the new baseball season (GO TWINS!, I can't believe they came back for a win!) and as a complement to my meal: Breckenridge brewery of Denver, CO's Small 471 Batch Double Hopped India Pale Ale. This was a much stronger beer than I anticipated.

It brings a hefty amount of hops, beautiful caramel color and a strong punch.

More than one or two of these beers will put you in a dizzy.

A Quiet Night In

Recently I have been reading a lot of Ernest Hemingway. I received both The Sun Also Rises, and The Old Man and the Sea for Chritsmas (Thanks Dad!).

As it has been brought to the attention of many that have studied Hemingway he was always known as a big drinker - and the characters in his books make this no secret.

So at the risk of saying this, I was inspired by the array of drinks that I've never heard of to peek into a drink I recall from my own travels of Europe.

While traveling in Spain I found myself in Barcelona. Since we had not experienced a very wide variety of Spanish food since being in the country (kebabs are just so cheap at Pita Hut) Megan Pettit and I headed down to the pier to search for a delicious meal. We found a place that offered a three course meal for two for under 10 euro!. We got a carafe of wine, appetizer, entree, desert and even an apertif.

Which brings me to what this post is all about. I recall that Megan and I were confused that they brought out the wine carafe and two bottles of spumante (fizzy water) at the same time. Being at a local spot our servers did not speak any English and I spoke broken Spanish, we had no chance of being able to clearly ask what the meaning of this was.

Looking around we discovered that the other patrons were making themselves a cocktail I now know as "Tinto de Verano". This is literally watered down red wine, made in order to keep the drink refreshing for the hot Spain summer. The end result is a very effectively refreshing summer wine.



As you can see, when I enjoyed it last week it was not yet summer. Nonetheless it was a very refreshing and light drink, even on a cool day indoors. One distinct advantage, as I discussed with my mom this weekend is that since it is half strength, you can have a couple of these cocktails without drinking too much.

In the Beginning...

As you can see from my profie, I'm a 22 year old guy from Duluth, MN. I'm just finishing up my undergrad degree in Health Care Management from UMD. I've never had a blog, and I fear that I won't keep up with this one, but I'm making it kind of a personal goal to begin being more creative and to start writing more.

My plan is to start sharing everything food related with as many people as I can starting today. I hope to include words, pictures, recipes, drinks and experiences and anything else applicable from my life. Also, I really like to travel, and enjoy all kinds of music (especially live) so anyone that actually follows my life will be sure to run into these topics as well.

Starting with today:

So this morning, I enjoyed sleeping in a little (I worked the overnights this weekend and have class until late Monday - Tuesday morning is my time to catch up). Laying in bed I finally woke up before my alarm as I usually do. I remembered that there was supposed to be a pretty decent snow storm overnight and quickly scrambled over to the window to draw open the shades and see where we were at. Old Man Winter (Spring?) was at it again. While I heard it's supposed to be raining in the Twin Cities area, we're getting several inches of the white stuff.


When winter strikes what is the logical thing to do? Make some food (or in some cases warm up to a cozy living room with a good beer, but 10:30 am is a little early for me). I made my way down to my little kitchen to see what was in the fridge. Bacon and eggs stared back at me, so naturally they were included in my morning fare. But bacon and eggs is boring, and I've been trying to hone my omelette-making skills. So I got out an onion and green pepper and began to prepare a Denver-ish omlette. Though pretty mundane in nature, the final result was probably one on the more beautiful omlettes I've made in recent history. Worthy enough for a picture.



Of course the flavors were simple but effective. Perfect accompaniment was an Irish breakfast tea. This morning: so far so good.