The temperature started dropping here just a few days ago, too. It's warm enough during the day that I'm still donning tank tops and flip flops, but cool enough once the sun descends that I needed a sweater this evening when J and I went for a post-dinner walk.
Speaking of dinner:
It all started sometime last week, when I made your stirfry for dinner. J ate two bowlfuls of it over rice, then reminisced about a period of his youth making daring and delicious stir fry, apparently inspired by this TV show.
Naturally, I told him to put his money where his mouth was. As an aside, [begin rant] I really hate that turn of phrase. It makes me think of putting dollar bills that have passed through so many hands they're all grimy and wrinkled, and maybe some of them have even been tossed on the stages (at the very least) of strip clubs, or thrown down during a street dog fight, or have been stuck in the sweaty back pocket of some gross dude who favors chili cheese fries over bathing [end rant]. Who wants to put that in their mouths? [obligatory "that's what she said" here]
So, ahem, as the above photograph shows, Tia Fia got served. Literally. Get it? Ha. Ha.
Sigh. Working on my Fulbright application is making me stir crazy. Or is it stir fry crazy? Groan. Anyway, it was pretty delicious. He says he:
Took thinly sliced chicken breast and tossed it with two minced garlic cloves, the seeds of a serrano pepper (courtesy of our friend Keith's garden), one tablespoon each of soy sauce, canola oil, and marsala cooking wine I bought ages ago.
While it was marinating, he sliced a bell pepper and a handful of green onions lengthwise, and pulled the ends off of a handful of snow peas.
He then heated the wok on high until it was "really, really hot," added oil, threw the chicken in, seared it, then turned the heat down. He then added the onion and bell pepper until they were "soft but not soft," followed by the snow peas. During the whole cooking process, he kept adding oil and soy sauce and more cooking wine to keep it "liquidy." When the peas were cooked but still crisp, he threw in a pinch of cornstarch, then served it over white rice.
Since I'm a glutton for punishment, I drizzled my already spicy pile of chicken and veggies with Sriracha. Is there anything better than a numb tongue, watery eyes, and sniffling to accompany your dining experience?
Speaking of dining experiences...that pork chop looks amazing, the flowers beautiful, and the tomatoes incandescent. The only way that streudel experience could be improved is if it were accompanied by a heaping spoonful of Nutella, which, I too cannot keep in the house.
Nature's Way looks like the kind of place I wish was right around the corner from us. J and I are joining a CSA this year, and I'm excited to exchange ideas with you for cooking all the different Fall vegetables. I'm definitely going to be asking J to stir fry at least some of them.
I'll miss you too if we end up going to Bangladesh. If we do, I hope y'all will come visit. Think of all the culinary adventures we'll have! In terms of the Fulbright application: sigh. It's going to be a much longer process than I thought. Basically, over the next few weeks, I have to submit my application at least three times to VCU's Fulbright committee for feedback, and then I have to revise per their suggestions. The nice thing is that VCU takes this process seriously. The lame thing is that I won't be done with the whole damn thing for another month or so.
This has turned into a much longer letter than I intended. What's the most interesting ingredient you've ever cooked with? I've been watching a lot of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations...
-TF
Naturally, I told him to put his money where his mouth was. As an aside, [begin rant] I really hate that turn of phrase. It makes me think of putting dollar bills that have passed through so many hands they're all grimy and wrinkled, and maybe some of them have even been tossed on the stages (at the very least) of strip clubs, or thrown down during a street dog fight, or have been stuck in the sweaty back pocket of some gross dude who favors chili cheese fries over bathing [end rant]. Who wants to put that in their mouths? [obligatory "that's what she said" here]
So, ahem, as the above photograph shows, Tia Fia got served. Literally. Get it? Ha. Ha.
Sigh. Working on my Fulbright application is making me stir crazy. Or is it stir fry crazy? Groan. Anyway, it was pretty delicious. He says he:
Took thinly sliced chicken breast and tossed it with two minced garlic cloves, the seeds of a serrano pepper (courtesy of our friend Keith's garden), one tablespoon each of soy sauce, canola oil, and marsala cooking wine I bought ages ago.
While it was marinating, he sliced a bell pepper and a handful of green onions lengthwise, and pulled the ends off of a handful of snow peas.
He then heated the wok on high until it was "really, really hot," added oil, threw the chicken in, seared it, then turned the heat down. He then added the onion and bell pepper until they were "soft but not soft," followed by the snow peas. During the whole cooking process, he kept adding oil and soy sauce and more cooking wine to keep it "liquidy." When the peas were cooked but still crisp, he threw in a pinch of cornstarch, then served it over white rice.
Since I'm a glutton for punishment, I drizzled my already spicy pile of chicken and veggies with Sriracha. Is there anything better than a numb tongue, watery eyes, and sniffling to accompany your dining experience?
Speaking of dining experiences...that pork chop looks amazing, the flowers beautiful, and the tomatoes incandescent. The only way that streudel experience could be improved is if it were accompanied by a heaping spoonful of Nutella, which, I too cannot keep in the house.
Nature's Way looks like the kind of place I wish was right around the corner from us. J and I are joining a CSA this year, and I'm excited to exchange ideas with you for cooking all the different Fall vegetables. I'm definitely going to be asking J to stir fry at least some of them.
I'll miss you too if we end up going to Bangladesh. If we do, I hope y'all will come visit. Think of all the culinary adventures we'll have! In terms of the Fulbright application: sigh. It's going to be a much longer process than I thought. Basically, over the next few weeks, I have to submit my application at least three times to VCU's Fulbright committee for feedback, and then I have to revise per their suggestions. The nice thing is that VCU takes this process seriously. The lame thing is that I won't be done with the whole damn thing for another month or so.
This has turned into a much longer letter than I intended. What's the most interesting ingredient you've ever cooked with? I've been watching a lot of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations...
-TF
Something else to do with that marsala - I sprinkled it over the tomatoes in the tomato pie (I would have mixed it in but had the idea too late). I've always have a rule to put wine in anything with tomatoes- and that science guy on FN (Alton?)confirmed that something special happens chemically between tomatoes and wine. Oh! and I mixed black olives w/ the cheese/mayo. It was so totally yum and was even good the next day when nuked. BTW you might not want to buy "cooking wine" as it is salted to keep the cook from drinking it. Love you both and love this blog.
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