Cherry Clafoutis

Storms. Storms. STORMS! Brad and I, like many others in the Richmond, VA area, have been having these massive thunderstorms that like to knock down trees. Then, these poor trees knock down the poor electric lines. Then, these poor down electric lines make for some sad, poor powerless people. We are some of those people.  When the power  went out last night, at 12:30 am, we noticed that our house generator did not kick on. So we were up until at least 3:00 am fixing it and trying to fall back asleep again.

Slice of Cherry Clafoutis

Waking up this morning, at about 11:30 am, we decided to have a culinary adventure when our power came back. We made a cherry clafoutis (cla-fou-tee) to celebrate electrical power. It is a french dessert that was present in my Illustrated Baking Guide that Brad gave me for Christmas 2011. Basically, a clafoutis is brandy-soaked fruit in a vanilla Yorkshire pudding (also known as a popover).  There is nothing better than having a dessert for breakfast when you are aggravated. The neatest thing about this dessert is that it is not too horrible for you. One sixth of a 10 inch is actually only 7 Weight Watchers PointsPlus.


How to Make a Cherry Clafoutis


Equipment:
10 inch tart pan or shallow ovenproof dish, greased


Ingredients:


1lb 10 oz cherries
3 Tbsp Kirsch (or brandy... we used apple brandy and it worked well)
1/3 cup sugar
4 large eggs at room temperature
1 vanilla pod (optional)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
11/4 cup milk
pinch of salt


The Steps

Cherries Soaking in Brandy

 Step 1:Toss the cherries with the Kirsch or brandy and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Let them soak for 30minutes. 


Brad and I decided to pit our cherries before the soak using a cherry stoner we got on our wedding registry.  We always have a rhythm when we cook together. I pulled the stems out, and he punched the pits out. It went so quickly! We also placed them in the pan we were going to use first so that we knew how many cherries we were going to need.

Our Scraped Vanilla Pod

 Step 2: While the cherries soaking, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Scrape the vanilla beans out of the pod using a really sharp knife.  












 Step 3: Strain the liquid from the cherries into a large bowl. Add the eggs into the liquid mixture and mix very well. After the eggs are mixed, add the vanilla beans, and then the sugar.

Kirsch and Egg Mixture

Step 4:  Add the sifted flour in small increments and beat it until it is well mixed. It should make a smooth paste. Then, pour in the milk,and add the pinch of salt. Then, it will become a smooth batter. 

Flour Paste Mixture

Finished Smooth Batter

Step 5: Arrange the cherries in 1 layer on the greased tart dish. They should completely fill the dish.

Cherries Awaiting the Batter

Step 6: Slowly pour the batter over the top of the cherries. Be careful not to displace the cherries.  

The Unbaked Clafoutis

 Step 7: Bake the clafoutis for 35-45 minutes, or until the top is browned and the center is firm. When it is finished, you can dust it with confectioner's sugar and serve with whipped cream or ice cream!

The Finished Clafoutis

Saigon Pearl Vietnamese Restaurant Review

Sides Served with Bowl of Pho

Saigon Pearl Vietnamese Restaurant
Category: Vietnamese
Rating: 4/5 stars
Wesbite: Saigon Pearl on Yelp

Likes: friendly staff, food, cheap prices, friendly manager, easy ordering of hard to say Vietnamese entrees, non-English speaking people eat here a lot, tasty pho! 

Dislikes: the fish sauce stinks, no hot pots on the menu

Brad and I have been going to Saigon Pearl for years now. They recently just had a management change. It used to be a little bit of a dive. Now, they have new dishes, new table tops, new painted walls, and better food. This evening we went out for a date night dinner and had some of the tasty dishes. 

Steamed Dumplings and Spring Rolls

For appetizers, we get fresh spring rolls and steamed dumplings. The spring rolls always have shrimp in them and other vegetables accompanied by Thai basil. One order comes with two spring rolls and a peanut dipping sauce. The dumplings have sausage and shrimp in them. The dumplings come with THE BEST dipping sauce, with a smoky soy ginger taste. I usually put the left over sauce to the side and use it to dip other dishes in.


Brad ordered the large P3 bowl of pho. Pho is a Vietnamese soup that has meat, broth, and noodles. In Vietnam, they eat it for breakfast. Saigon Pearl's P3 has beef flank and skirt steak in with the noodles and broth. To accompany the soup, it comes with basil, bean sprouts, jalapenos, and limes.  Brad and I believe that it is the second best bowl of pho in the Richmond area (the first goes to Pho 79). For more information on what pho is, check it out at the Steamy Kitchen.

I ordered the vermicelli bowl, V8. The dish features pork, fried egg roll pieces, and a skewer of grilled shrimp. They are placed in a large bowl with noodles, lettuce, bean sprouts, cucumber, carrots, and peanuts. It comes with fish sauce, which I do not particularly care for, but I saved my smoky ginger sauce from the dumplings to put on it. You can also use leftover peanut sauce, too. For both dishes, you can also use sauces on the table. They always keep Sriracha, chili garlic sauce, and hoisin sauce at the end of the table.

Pho soup with sides

Vermicelli bowl with egg roll, grilled shrimp, and pork

Airplane Delight

Tips on How to Have a Nice Flight


Yesterday, I just had the nicest flight that I have ever had in my life. I was flying a one way trip to MIC (Kansas City, Missouri) and immediately leaving MO with my grandmother to move her here. I have had a ton of airplane flights in the past with a lot of complaints afterwards. The air travel industry gets a lot of negative wrath, so I thought it would be nice to share some tips on how I had a really delightful time in the sky.


Tip #1- Book the Earliest Flight Possible: I flew on a 5:50 am flight out of RIC (Richmond, VA). Although it stunk to get up that early, it paid off. Everyone was asleep on the plane. It was quiet. There were no upset babies. Plus, if I were to have a connection problem, there are a lot more possibilities to reschedule earlier than later.


Tip #2- Make Alcoholic Jokes with the Flight Attendant: When getting my beverage order, I told the flight attendant that I wanted a coke"straight up." Although I was being a total sleep deprived dork, she laughed and gave me an extra cookie for making her laugh. I like extra cookies that are "free."


Tip #3- Fly Delta with a Connection in Atlanta: If possible, fly Delta connecting in Atlanta. This was the smoothest connection I have ever had. They actually had screens at the gates showing people where their connections were located. The airport personnel were also friendly. 


Tip #4- Be Courteous When Boarding the Plane: I was sitting on the end seats. This made life easy. However, when I found my seat, I put my personal bag on the seat and stepped into my seating area. I let the people who needed to get to the back of the plane go before I stowed away my carry on bag in the overhead apartment. When we were exiting the plane, this woman let no one but ME in front of her because I had been nice to her.


Tip #5- Pretend to Fall Asleep so the Creepy Dude Next to You Won't Talk to You: Enough said.


After this flight, I was picked up my by my grandma and I drove a little over 500 miles to Louisville, KY because I had enough well rested energy (that was about nine hours!). It was really a blessing.


Please feel free to comment any other happy ideas that you may have! :)

Eat More Produce!: Spaghetti Squash (Number One)

I stole this image from The Steamy Kitchen

This past June, I made a vow to myself that I needed to eat healthier by eating foods that were fresh. I  added in yogurt and more produce to my diet. I got the yogurt down easily. Ben & Jerry's has been replaced by Chobani's for my "Best Love in a Cup" title (not to say that I still don't love some New York Super Fudge Chunk... or Dublin Mudslide... or... any of them). The produce accomplishment is a little bit harder to achieve outside of my once a day banana.

Today, I sat down and was scrounging for lunch. As my state trooper husband is sleeping since he did not come home until 7:30 am from work, I decided to make a spaghetti squash. Brad does not like to eat anything does not come with some form of meat. Quote from Brad: "Anything that does not have meat in it, is a side dish." Vegetarians beware. Therefore, this is a perfect treat for me to eat when he is not forced to partake in my culinary prowess. 

For those of you who are not familiar with spaghetti squash, when it is uncooked, it looks like a solid, normal squash to the eye. However, after it is cooked it takes on a life of its own. The "meat" of the squash shreds away into long, thin strands and looks somewhat like spaghetti. Hence the name, spaghetti squash, you can use it with pasta sauces, such as Marinara, Alfredo, or Pesto sauce. 

I am still exploring the wonders of the spaghetti squash. I had to look it up: "Is it a summer squash? Winter squash? Who knows?!" The real deal is that it is a winter squash because it has a hard skin rind. I find this so odd because the taste feels like summer squash... it's yellow, duh.

Directions for Baking a Spaghetti Squash

1. Preheat oven to 375 F

2. Cut the squash in half lengthwise (this is really the hardest part for me). Get a big knife. Or a big man. Or both.

3. Take each half in turn and scrape out the pulp and seeds in the middle with a large spoon. It will smell like you are preparing a jack-o-lantern.  

In the picture above, the half on the right has been seeded, and the left has not. You will notice that if you scrape too hard, the flesh of the squash will start to peel away in the harder strands. That is the squash itself, so ease up on the pressure.

4. Place each half RIND SIDE DOWN into a baking dish and bake for 30 - 40 minutes.

5. When the squash has been taken out of the oven, I turn the halves over using a large knife and place it in the fridge to cool a little (no more than ten minutes). Once it has slightly cooled, I use a fork and scrape the squash widthwise from the outer edges towards the center. This way, the squash strands will be longer. Put the squash in a bowl, and you're done!

How I Prepared my Squash Today

After I had my baked squash read to go, I scanned by fridge for leftovers and things I could use. I placed the following ingredients into the bowl and mixed it up. 

• 1 Tbsp. butter product (I used Brummel and Brown and stirred it in first before adding the other ingredients)
• 3/4 c.  left over cooked wild rice
• 2 Tbsp. golden raisins 
• 2 Tbsp. walnut pieces
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon

There was enough for two lunches. Paired with a cup of Harney & Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice tea, this was quite a fall meal for one of the first days of summer, but oh was it tasty.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Slayer

The neatest thing about this book was that I got my husband into it. He is very much into the zombie/ vampire/ monster slaying thing. In addition to this propensity for violence, he also is educated. So when I told him that there was a bit about Sir Walter Raleigh in the book, he said, "Well, I guess that's why there was a lost colony. He ate them." Ha! Please read on. 


Summary from Goodreads
Abraham Lincoln was just a boy when he learned that his mother's untimely death was actually the work of a vampire. From then on, he vowed to devote his intelligence, strength--and skill with an ax--to the elimination of the soulless creatures. It was a path of vengeance that would lead him all the way to the White House.


No one ever knew about Lincoln's valiant struggle against the undead... until author Seth Grahame-Smith laid eyes on Abe's secret journal--the first living person to do so in over 140 years. Putting a supernatural spin on revisionist history, Seth has reconstructed Lincoln's true life story--while revealing the role vampires played in the birth, growth and near-death of our nation.

My Review from Goodreads:

I picked up Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter so I could read it before watching the movie when it comes out. Having a fantasy and historical fiction love, I thought that this would be a funny and quick read. It was funny,yes... but not quick! This story intertwines humor, creativity, historical facts, and allegorical political commentary. WOW! It was a handful.

One of my favorite aspects of the novel was the journal entries. Written as though they were in the time period, I recognized historical events, lifestyles, and facts inside the pages. Seth Grahame-Smith stayed true to so much information about Lincoln's life. Other than the fact that vampires exist, the story coincided with the majority of the events and characteristics of his lifetime. 

I had a difficult time rating this novel because I have a deep appreciation of the historical facts blended with the creativity. However, it was slow getting through it. 4 stars is a blend of these two aspects.

My favorite quote in a book that I have read so far this year also occurred in this book. Lincoln arrives in Washington D.C. for the first time. He said it was "a few brilliant beacons in a fog of fools."

So true. So true.

One Day by David Nicholls Review

Summary: It’s 1988 and Dexter Mayhew and Emma Morley have only just met. But after only one day together, they cannot stop thinking about one another. Over twenty years, snapshots of that relationship are revealed on the same day—July 15th—of each year. Dex and Em face squabbles and fights, hopes and missed opportunities, laughter and tears. And as the true meaning of this one crucial day is revealed, they must come to grips with the nature of love and life itself.




My Thoughts in a Letter to David Nicholls 
I love your book. I hate your book. I saw myself in the characters. I saw other people in the characters. At times I wanted to hug the characters because I loved them so much. Other times, I wanted to beat their heads against the wall. It reminded me of parts of my past and made me fear my future. And then I pulled myself together. I will never pick it up again, but am happy that I read it... I think. 

From,
Sara, a distressed reader

... must see the movie next.

Spicy Chicken Taco Salad

Spicy Chicken Taco Salad

This past week, I was motivated by my sister who took a really healthy turn in her diet and started to lose weight. The turn that I was neglecting to do: eat more produce.

Tonight, my husband was working the evening shift, 2-10 pm. This means that we didn't do dinner together, which is sad because we do dinner well together. I came up with a recipe that is healthy and uses more produce! 

To make the spicy chicken to place on top of the salad, I cut it in bite size chunks and rubbed them in a spice blend of the following:

• 2 Tbsp. Low Sodium McCormick Taco Mix (from the packet)
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• sprinkle of red pepper flakes
• black pepper to taste

Then, I sauteed them in a frying pan using Pam. When I was finished, I placed lettuce at the bottom, and then a few squirts of Hidden Valley Southwest Chipotle Salad Dressing. I placed a fist size amount of chicken on the salad and dashed it with some Sriracha. The salad was healthy and super tasty! I didn't need sour cream, cheese, tortilla strips, or any other fattening garnishes for it. I am already brainstorming for other healthy ingredients to place on it for other times. Perhaps salsa.... celery for the spiciness... mushrooms? The possibilities are endless!