Spring To-Do List

I follow Julia's blog, Gal meets Glam, and she recently spotlighted her to-do list for spring.  I love this idea. I so frequently take for granted the beauty located just outside my door.   I am going to make an effort to soak up my city this spring.  Truth be told, Wilmington does a pretty good job of showing off this time of year.    

1. Plant an edible garden and/or flower garden.  It is time for me to get all of those herbs in the ground and plant flowers along my walkway.
2. Explore our local botanical gardens - Airlie Gardens is a must, but I think I will head back to the historic cemetery downtown and look around.  I went this winter, but imagine it is beautiful with the azaleas in full bloom. 
3. Plan to visit a local historical point of interest- I am thinking I will go to Ft. Fisher.  I haven't been since I was a child. 
4. Set a date for an evening picnic in the park - check for local Concerts in the Park series in our area.
5. Shop at the local Farmer’s Market for organic fruits, veggies, fresh flowers, local honey and other delicious goodies and crafts for the week ahead.
6. Have dinner at a food truck 
7. Azalea Festival- I am going to participate in as many events as possible this year.  My friends, Randy and Julie, are coming down this weekend and I want them to experience The Azalea Festival in all its glory.
8. Go to a baseball game. Spring is the start of the Major and Minor League seasons.  Charlotte now has a team that plays uptown.  I am hoping to make it home and to a game this spring.
9. Play tennis or golf. Spring usually brings warmer weather allowing for more play time.
10. Clean-out closets, attics, and other places where unwanted and used items tend to get buried and forgotten. Donate at a local charity.  I plan to tackle my closets this weekend.
11. Enjoy some concerts- I am already set to hear The Avett Bros and Willie Nelson., not a bad start to the season.
12. Head to Provision Company in Southport for a late lunch.
13. Plan to take a day hike.
14. Barbecue at home and eat outdoors.
15. Lastly, as always, travel somewhere I have never been before.  I am booking a Miami trip with my sister.  

Mustard Roasted Fish

I made this for the first time last May and can't believe it took me this long to make it again.  My aunt and uncle are lovers of seafood and Janice requested fish for dinner this past Friday evening.  We paired the mustard roasted fish with a buttery chardonnay and some parmesan roasted asparagus.  

Ingredients: 

4 (8oz) red snapper fillets
8oz of creme fraiche
3 Tbsp. dijon uustard
1 Tbsp. of whole grain mustard
2 Tbsp. minced shallots
2 Tsp. of drained capers

Making it happen: 
Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Pat the fillets dry.  Lay, skin side down, on a sheet pan or ovenproof baking dish.  Sprinkle with salt/pepper. Combine remaining ingredients, spoon evenly over fillets. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until fish flakes at thickest part.  This may vary, so check the thickest portion and be very careful not to overcook.  

Lettuce Wraps

I have been following Chrissy Tiegen on Instagram for some time now.  In case you are unfamiliar, she is the supermodel wife of John Legend.  Chrissy is known for her quick wit and obsession with food.  Although unexpected, I follow this supermodel for her culinary insight.  She recently published a cookbook entitled Cravings, which highlights her most favorite recipes, the things she craves on a regular basis.  Cravings is beautiful; each page is filled with a mouth-watering recipe and gorgeous photograph to entice the reader further. In the last two weeks, I have made five of her dishes, these lettuce wraps among them.  I find that Thai/Asian food is great when trying to eat healthy; you eliminate the carbs, but not the flavor.  

Ingredients:

Filling:

1 lb of ground chicken 

1/2 lb of white mushrooms

1/2 cup of diced canned of water chestnuts

1 red bell peppers

1 Tbsp. of minced garlic

1 Tbsp. of minced fresh ginger

8 scallions thinly slice

vegetable oil

2 heads of butter lettuce, separated

Sauce:

3 Tbsp. Thai sweet chili sauce

3 Tbsp. hoisin sauce

3 Tbsp. light soy sauce

2 Tbsp. Sriracha

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 tsp sesame oil

1 1/2 Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar

2 Tbsp. minced garlic (about 4 cloves)

1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger

Making it happen:

Make the sauce: In a bowl, combine chili sauce, hoisin, soy sauce, Sriracha, vegetable oil, sesame oil, vinegar, garlic, and ginger.  In a bowl, mix 2 tbsp. of the sauce into the ground chicken.

In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbsp. of vegetable oil and begin to brown the chicken.  When the chicken has browned, remove the chicken and set aside.  Over medium-high heat, add another tbsp. of oil and scallion whites, garlic, and ginger.  Allow to cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add mushrooms and cook for 3/4 minutes or until they release their juices. Return chicken to pan, adding sauce, bell pepper, and water chestnuts. Cook for about 5 minutes, until flavors have combined. Stir in remaining scallions.  Serve with lettuce cups.

Winter Break 2016

Last week was my winter break.  My favorite thing about my school is the schedule.  It is reminiscent of college.  We have winter break the same time colleges take spring break, but also get Good Friday and Easter Monday.  We also wrap the year up in May, as opposed to the June schedule of public school.  

This year, I spent the first long weekend in Raleigh.  Hayley, my brother-in-laws' cousin, was in town.  I adore her and was looking forward to a ladies night out to catch up.  We headed to Gonza Tacos in north Raleigh.  The tacos and "tequila" were delicious. 

The second half of my break was spent in Summerville, a small town located outside of Charleston.  We went down to visit my aunt and her family.  My mom headed down on Thursday night and we met her down there Friday afternoon.  On Friday evening we headed to the tennis courts.

Saturday morning we watched my cousin, Caroline, compete in her soccer game. 

Finally, we headed into Charleston.  We walked around the marketplace and took a private carriage tour.  The weather was gorgeous, perfect for my new trench coat.

Bida Manda

Bethany and I had dinner out, without the kids, twice last week.  It is rare to get alone time these days.  We both have a deep and abiding passion for food.  In fact, there are few things we love doing together more than cooking or trying a new restaurant. We had been hearing rave reviews for Bida Manda, a Laotian restaurant located in downtown Raleigh.  Bethany's friend, Kam, brought her takeout from here a few months back, but she had not had the opportunity to go.  Our affection for Thai food has only grown in recent years and so when deciding on a dinner location, we knew we had to try this spot.  

It was freezing outside and my leather shorts were doing little to keep me warm.  Few occasions in Wilmington call for leather shorts, so dinner out in the city seemed a justifiable reason to wear them.  To warm my bones, I started with the Hazelnut Manhattan, which was divine.  Shrimp chips served as a complimentary starter.  

We chose the lettuce wraps, Thai wings, and spring rolls for appetizers.  The lettuce wraps and wings were delicious, but the spring rolls left something to be desired. 

The star, however, was this soup! We decided to split the Crispy Pork Belly soup for our entree. The portion below was the "half" portion.  Y'all, I almost licked the bowl, it was that good.  In this bowl I found everything I love about Thai food: it had noodles, fresh herbs, flavored ground pork, crispy pork belly, all swimming in my favorite curry broth.  My all time favorite curry is "Jungle Curry" at Indochine in Wilmington.  This was that exact curry flavor, except better, because this dish had the noodles and pork and crispy pork belly. I will be dreaming of this soup until we meet again, which with any luck, will be sooner rather than later.

Biscuits and Gravy

My marriage produced three things of value: the mother of all life lessons, my girl Gidget, and this sausage gravy, courtesy of my mother-in-law and made even better by my homemade biscuits; she used canned.  I have been working on perfecting my biscuits for years and finally seem to have them mastered. I make two kinds. These, passed down to me from my Papa, are the perfect vessel for this gravy.  They are amazingly light and fluffy.  I also make these biscuits, which I love, but they, in my opinion, are too thick for this gravy. They are more suitable for honey and jam. But lets be honest, there are few things more comforting than a biscuit, so make whichever ones strike your fancy. 

Ingredients:
1lb sausage 
1 can of evaporated milk
Salt/pepper
Flour, about three heaping tablespoons
1 cup or more of Milk- Whole or 2%

Making it happen:
Ground the sausage in a cast iron skillet. Drain out "most" of the grease in a colander and put sausage back in the pan.  Add the flour and salt/pepper, creating a roux.  On medium heat, slowly add the entire can of evaporated milk, stirring continuously.  Let the evaporated milk incorporate and thicken.  Add some of the regular milk, until your gravy is the consistency you like. Allow gravy to bubble away.  At this point, I usually taste the gravy for salt/pepper.  If your gravy becomes too thick, simply add more milk.  Once the gravy is the consistency you like and properly heated, spoon it on your perfect little biscuit and enjoy!