Stuff and Things

I haven't posted for a while and I have quite a few 'this and that, stuff and things' sort of info to share with you that are food related in some bizarre ways, so here goes:

I was in Minnesota for a conference and had several wonderful food encounters, including this fantastic painting by Severin Roesen at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. He is one of my favorite painters and I'm not sure why. I'm not a big fan of still lifes, but there is something about the way he depicts all of the fruits and vegetation. And I love the way he hides his signature in the tendrils of grape leaves. Amazing.

They also had this fantastic coffee service on display. I desperately wanted it! I love the long spout, almost like a watering can, so you wouldn't even have to reach to refill your guests cup.

And this china from Sèvres is my new favorite. I'll take service for twelve. The original, hand-painted set had almost 400 pieces in it. And those are scattered in museums and private collection around the world. The object at the back of the arrangement is for serving ice cream and everyone knows how much I love a food-specific serving piece.

Here I am at the sculpture park by the Walker Art Center, with Spoon Bridge and Cherry by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen in the background. I love their work and while this isn't my favorite sculpture they have ever done, it's is quite brilliant and has become an icon for the city. On the other side of the park, you get a great view of downtown.

I didn't just look at food art and antique serving pieces, I also had some good things to eat in Minneapolis/St. Paul, including this green coconut curry with mock duck at a little Thai place that was just down the street from my hotel. It was just spicy enough and made me very happy! You should definitely try Ruam Mit Thai if you are in St. Paul.

I had one of the best breakfasts ever at the Downtowner Woodfire Grill which is also right by the hotel. This is a breakfast place, per se, but a very nice restaurant that also serves a very excellent breakfast. I had the veggie version of Moe's Cajun Breakfast which was sauteed onion, pepper and mushrooms topped with hash browns topped with cheese topped with an egg over easy topped with their special Hollandaise sauce. This is a HALF order. Honestly. It was so good.

Back to Terre Haute, we had a lot of fun with Shane and Melissa who were visiting from Kentucky so she could help out with a program the Swope was holding. It also happened to be Shane's birthday, so we picked up a guitar-shaped, Elvis-bedecked container of popcorn from Big Lots. It's also a coin bank once you eat all of the popcorn! No joke.

Jonah made Shane a birthday cake: carrot with cream cheese frosting. We went with a big group to Mogger's for dinner and a few drinks, which was a lot of fun.

Of course, seasonal change means it's time to change up the bar and make it ready for fall. I had the worst time trying to decide to what to use, but eventually decided on the pheasant ice bucket, the Georges Briard glasses with gold leaves, a mix of cocktail glasses and some other gold accents.

And fall also means it's time to tea, so I made the first pot on Tuesday after I caught a chill.

Last night we went to Jimmy and Ellie's for dinner and to watch Top Chef. Jimmy made two bowls of Asian deliciousness, including giant rice balls that were super yummy--and spicy!

Great, now you're all caught up.

TJ

While in Indy, I also stopped by my beloved Trader Joe's--the place that almost makes up for the loss of Central Market. Almost.

I know I've mentioned it before, but Trader Joe's is a chain of small grocery stores that sells speciality items, many of their own production. You never quite know what you'll find, because they are always retiring past favorites while introducing new ones. You vote with your pocketbook. This is frustrating to some, but I try and approach it as an opportunity to be open to the gifts on the universe. In this case: delicious, edible gifts.

Jessie takes the other path and has spent days cursing the name of Trader Joe's to the heavens, pouring ash and bramble on their grocery bags and enacting symbols of vengeance as she drives past their store. And its all my fault.

Those of you who helped me celebrate my birthday this year will remember the lovely and delicious champagne bar, where we had assorted liqueurs and mixers to make a variety of fizzy cocktails. One of those choices was preserved hibiscus flowers: anemone like blossoms that floated to the bottom of the glass, adding flavor and color, plus a little snack at the end of your drink. Jessie was going to do something similar for her graduate thesis exhibition opening and I suggested the hibiscus flowers, which she remembered they stocked at Trader Joe's. But not that day. Not for her party. There was cursing and weeping and wailing, much like the end of days. Luckily, I told Jessie she could find some at Whole Foods, which she did, so the day was saved. But not her patronage of Trader Joe's. And, the problem was exacerbated during my visit to Madison and our trip to the store, where what did she find? You guessed it: preserved hibiscus flowers. Reader, I swear she grabbed the bag of petite petals, threw them on the ground and began to stomp upon them, all the while uttering phrases not heard since the trials at Salem over three hundred years ago. She had to be forcibly restrained and escorted from the store by the manager and her husband, babbling to herself all the while. Thankfully, in Madison not a single person took any notice at all.

Today, as I passed the dried fruit section, I spotted a bag of hibiscus flowers and, thinking of Jessie, made a sign to ward off evil. I then happily bought dried Bartlett pears instead.

What else I got:
Their excellent chocolate
Organic brown sugar
King Arthur's flour
(I'm making brownies tomorrow.)
Tortellini
Precooked brown rice
Precooked beluga lentils
Pomegranate soda
Cider
Citrus body wash
Natural peppermint toothpaste with fluoride (half the price of Tom's.)

Mangez!

Citrus Kind of Season

Right now is the time for citrus and the market is busting with all manner of shapes and colors, all sweet and delicious. I saw some unusual varieties at Central Market and encourage you to try something different. I bought sweet limes which I cut up and put in water for dinner last night. They had a subtle lime flavor with a wonderful fragrance. They are light yellow in color, but more spherically shaped than a lemon.

These Kishu Mandarins are tiny and lovely, but not as small as a kumquat. They would be fun for kids because they would be palm-sized, easy to peal and seedless.

These giants Etrog Citrons look like monster eggs!

There are so many varieties of lemons, but these caught my eye. It's difficult to tell in the photo, but they are pinkish and variegated. I plan on picking some up on my next visit to see what the flavor is like.

Choosy moms choose citrus!

Holiday 2007 Rehash

This year, we did the tour of the 'ahs' for the holidays--Wichit-ah, Omah-ah and Tuls-ah. Here are some dining highlights from the long, long....LONG (but fun) trip.

Wichit-ah
In Wichita, we saw lots of friends. It was a super-fast visit, but we squeezed every bit of friend-time in we could. Sorry if I missed you this visit, but you're top of the list next time I'm in town! Wednesday night we went to N&J Bakery which is one of the best Lebanese restaurants in the city--and there are many. I think they have the tastiest fattoush salads in Wichita, crisp and perfectly seasoned. Barb was planning on having a few people over on the following night and ordered their hummus, homemade pita and pistachio cookies. I love the pistachio cookies, but more on that later.

When we got back to Barb's, we kept her company as she began some of the prep for her Thursday night menu. One of the sweet treats was 'crispy crackers' which involves baking club crackers that have been topped with nuts and a buttery caramel. They are like crack, once you start you are hooked. Barb and I are carefully watching them in the over as they bake.

Thursday morning, Mitchell and I had breakfast at the Beacon Restaurant with an old friend from work and his new bride. The Beacon is the greasy spoon of all greasy spoons. It's located right next to the newspaper office (Which used to be the Eagle-Beacon back in the day) and is decorated with a lighthouse theme. Many of the very artistic items are for sale. If you eat meat and find yourself 'dining' at the Beacon, be sure and order the Beacon Traditional which is an open-face, lightly toasted English muffin topped with 2 eggs cooked to order, your choice of bacon or ham, and cheese melted over the top.

Thursday night at Barb's was fun and we got to hang out with many of our Wichita friends. I even got to have Molly sit in my lap, which is something I really miss being so far away from her. Barb made tons of delicious treats and served her wonderful mulled wine, but I think everyone enjoyed the pumpkin biscuits more than anything else. They're a classic and even better served with the maple pumpkin sauce which Barb had never tried before. Make them, but don't even think about serving them without the sauce!

Recipe: Barb's Pumpkin Biscuits with Pumpkin Maple Sauce
Biscuits 2 ½ cups all-purpose baking mix (like Bisquick) 1/3 cup instant non fat dry milk ¼ cup packed brown sugar 1 ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice ¾ cup 100% pure pumpkin 1 tablespoon water

Sauce
1 cup maple syrup 1 cup 100% pure pumpkin ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Combine baking mix, dry milk, sugar and pumpkin pie spice in medium bowl. Stir in pumpkin and water until just moistened.
• Knead 10 times on lightly floured surface.
• Roll dough to ½ inch thickness; cut into 12 biscuits.
• Place biscuits on ungreased baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
• Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.
• Heat syrup, pumpkin and cinnamon in a small saucepan until warm.
• Spoon sauce over warm biscuits.

Of course, no visit to Wichita would be complete without a trip to the Nifty Nut House. They have all of my favorites, so I stocked up. Plus, it's always fun to be there during the holidays because there is so much electricity in the air. People are crazy for nuts! I bought:

• Double-dipped chocolate covered peanuts (the size of gum balls)
  
• Dark-chocolate covered pistachios
• Bridge Mix (with fruits)
• Yogurt-covered pretzel Christmas trees. (I swear their's are the best!)
  

Omah-ah
Old Town Omaha is filled with lots of great shops and restaurants, and we were sure to hit several of our favorites. We stayed at the Magnolia Hotel (which is in a converted office building and very nice if you're looking for a place to stay in Omaha) and it was easy walking to breakfast or dinner. Plus, the Magnolia has a complimentary continental breakfast, cocktails in the evening and a milk and cookie bar at night. Not kidding. Milk and cookie bar.

Zio's pizza is always a special treat and by the slice. You can order whatever toppings you wish and they're happy to oblige with piping hot slices right to your table. We had broccoli and onion (I won't apologize. I love broccoli on pizza.) and tomato and spinach. They have so many topping choices it will boggle your mind.

Even though we live right smack dab in the epicenter of Indian culture in Austin, TX, that doesn't keep us from ordering it when we're out of town. The Indian Oven, also in Old Town, serves all of your favorite Indian treats and has a great wine list to boot. Cold night? Fresh curries and a glass of wine will warm you right up.

Reader, are you eating your lunch at your desk while you catch up on my blog? Are you using a plastic spoon? I thought so! Do you know how it's made? Well a visit to the Omaha Children's Museum will cure you of that ignorance. Push a single button and moments later, a fresh plastic spoon emerges from the injection machine. Like magic.

Sammy and Jakalee (two and three respectively) were more interested in the car and the balls and the millions of other things you can do at the Museum.

Of course, I had to stop and pay me respects to Quan Yin while I was in Omaha. Driving down the Sorrenson Parkway, you just kind of come across her, perched on a hill and surveying the white, snowy world. The gate was locked, but I hopped it easily and trudged up the snow-covered steps to the top. I guess there were rabbits nesting behind because when I reached the top they ran quickly away in that breathy, panicked rabbit sort of way. I left Quan Yin an offering of four pistachio cookies that Barb had sent us away with, piled at the base of her feet. I didn't stay long because I thought since the gate was locked, some angry Buddhists might come after me from the temple in the distance. I spent the rest of the day with the Smith's song Stop Me if You've Heard This One Before running through my head. "And the pain was enough to make a shy, bald Buddhist reflect and plan a mass murder."

Tuls-ah

In Tulsa we ate and gorged ourselves on Christmas fare at the parents, including our traditional dinner of fried chicken. It's a long story, but tasty nonetheless. We still found time to join Paula, Brennan and Loren for a little pizza at the Hideaway. Probably the best pizza in Oklahoma, the Hideaway is a Stillwater/OSU tradition, but we don't hold that against them. Good pizza is good pizza!

Have you tried...

The poach pod? I haven't yet, but I might pick one up just to see how it works. According to the instructions, you simply crack an egg into each pod, then float them in simmering water until the eggs are done. It seems these would work well and give you a pefectly poached egg, but I'm unsure if the rounded shape would be ideal for preparing Benedicts, etc.

Yes, that's right. They went ahead and made your life a living hell by creating this awful product. What is it? Munchies. One bag of chips that contains a mixture of Doritos, Cheetos, Rold Gold Pretzels and SunChips. In one bag. Apparently, there is a cheese fix mixture (note the use of the word fix), a flaming hot mixture and a ranch mixture. Of course, you could buy four bags of chips and make this yourself, or you could buy this one bag and eat the entire thing in one sitting. That is what I would do if I were stupid enough to buy a bag. Which I'm not.

Eating and Shopping in OKC

Last weekend I made a quick trip to Norman, OK to visit my friend Stephanie and see some other pals. We set off a thrifting adventure, then stopped into Super Cao Nguyen Market for something to eat and got sucked in the most wondrous, amazing Asian market I have ever seen. And I have been in many, MANY Asian markets.

At the front of the store they had an enormous section filled with Buddhas, Virgins, Jesi (the plural of Jesus is Jesi, right? I mean, would you say Jesuses? I wouldn't.) and more Quan Yins than you could count. While this amazing display might look like the altar of the store, it's actually just a display. The more modest resident altar is discreetly tucked away by the entrance. Blink and you'll miss it.

This lovely, lovely Quan Yin (available in various sizes and even in solid pink) has a bisque finish and stands upon a pink lotus flower. The store was packed with them and I wanted to load up the whole basket with every last one.

The beauty of the Asian market isn't found simply in statues and art objects, but in every little packaging detail you encounter. For your consideration: parrot soap, pigeon mushrooms and baby corn.

And stainless steel Chinese soup spoons! These are really one of my most favorite things. They look great on the table and can be used as a conventional utensil or piled high with some savory treat, hors d'oeuvres, or an amuse bouche. If you find these, buy several sets because they are inexpensive and you will grow to love them.

We also encountered lots of French and German items, such as these candy sprinkles in a repetitively dramatic display. Stephanie said her mom had been searching for these and now she knows where to find them.

And let us not forget grooming! The nose tweezers look dangerous, but we were fascinated by the packaging.

Then we did some actual eating. Stephanie had some shrimp spring rolls and I opted for a vegetarian bahn mi which was delicious. Perrier? Well, Vietnam was a French Colony. So bring on the sparkling water, spring rolls and delicious sandwiches on crusty French bread!

Saturday night, Stephanie and I threw together a little meal for some friends. We made my easy, breezy peanut noodles with all sorts of different add-ins, some sauteed baby bok choy, egg rolls from Costco and some dumplings.

For dessert? Delicious, creamy, wonderful cupcakes from Central Market.

Here's the recipe for my peanut noodles, reprinted from a couple of years ago.

Recipe: Spicy Peanut Noodles
1/2 cup peanut butter (I use Peter Pan Plus 8)
2/3 cup tamari soy sauce
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup Oriental sesame oil
4 heaping spoonfuls of minced garlic
2 tsp. minced fresh ginger (lazy me uses the bottled stuff)
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

24 oz. udon noodles (or plain spaghetti works just fine)

Cook the noodles per directions, but you want it a little chewy--not too done. Drain and cool. Meanwhile, combine all the other ingredients in a large bowl (I use an 8-cup measuring cup.) with a whisk until smooth. Place cooled noodles in a large serving bowl, pour sauce over and toss to coat. You want to prepare this a couple of hours ahead and then allow to chill in the fridge-that way the noodles soak up all the peanutty goodness. Bring to room temperature and you may need to add a little warm water to the noodles as you toss to loosen. Garnish as desired. Doubles easily.

MT Supermarket

Last Saturday, Leslie and I went to MT Supermarket. It is the anchor in the new Chinatown Shopping Center on North Lamar, almost to Braker that is also filled with all kinds of interesting restaurants. A visit to MT Supermarket is an amazing experience with tons of things to look at. Problem is that I don't know what to do with most of it. On a visit, here is what you might find:

Kewpie Mayonnaise. Just like mom used to make.

An array of fresh noodles in a variety of shapes and sizes. How yummy! In soup, with sesame oil, sauteed vegetable...and on and on and on.

Soy sauce by the gallon!

Strange purple sweets. Sorry, couldn't do it. You try them and let me know.

Wet One's Whistle candies. There are so many wonderful and weird Asian candies that are available, it's difficult to know where to start.

These are some sort of weird, squid dumpling things that are delicious if you like squid. I do not, but I do adore the packaging. If you go and buy some, save it and I'll put it in a frame.

What did I buy?
Spicy dried tofu (delicious crumbled in salads or slice on a bun.)
Leek buns
A little rice paddle with the Double Happiness pattern on it (they have TONS of great kitchen and tableware)
Green Tea Mocchi
Noodles
Sweet Pepper Sauce
Bee and Flower Soap, Sandalwood Scent

What else? I think that's it. MT is always great to visit, and you'll leave with a bag of new food finds.