PhotoHunt: Entertainment

Pink Cashmere, Adore, Call My Name, When Doves Cry, 1999 and Kiss . . . .


I think Music is a great form of Entertainment! And nobody writes, performs and entertains better than Prince! This is a photo of my cool souvenir tambourine that a friend bought for me during one of his very memorable summer tour concerts in 2005! I just love it! :)


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Slow Travel Sunday Salad Sampler # 14 (7/26): Thai Beef Salad (Yam Neua)

This week's selection was made by Maria, My Place in the Sun. After reading Candi's blog (Candi's Corner: Wanderlust and Passions) about her wonderful trip to Thailand,I was anxious to try Maria's salad. Maria just returned from a recent visit with her family in Atlanta to celebrate her Mom's 90th Birthday. Welcome home Maria and Happy Belated Birthday wishes to your mom. I'm so glad you were there to celebrate this very special occasion with your Mom and family.

While in Atlanta, Maria's niece, Isabel, who grew up assisting her Thai mom in Atlanta Restaurants, shared this recipe with her. Isabel prepared two versions of this salad, one with beef and the other with shrimp and Maria posted her recipe and the photos of her salad on the Slow Talk Gold Star Food Forum.

I made the dish today even though it wasn't Sunday. Told you I was anxious. :) I found it very delicious and so easy to make. I loved the combination of ingredients and although it was a sizzling day today, I added a bit more chili. I followed her recipe, using Serrano chili and choosing baby spinach. I mixed some minced garlic and pepper with some olive oil and basted my shrimp as they cooked on the grill. Yum!

Thank you so much Maria! And please thank your niece, Isabel, too for sharing her delicious salad recipe with us. I am definitely going to make this again!


And here is Maria's detailed instructions for her wonderful recipe:

This salad is one of the favorites in restaurants and home kitchens alike in Bangkok and Central Thailand. This version was given to me by my niece Isabel who for many years assisted her Thai mom in Atlanta-area restaurants.

Ingredients:

1 lb tender beef steak, such as top sirloin (I used shrimp)

For the salad:
1/2 red onion thinly sliced
1 tomato, cut into wedges
1 cucumber, peeled, cut lengthwise in half and thinly sliced
1-2 Thai bird’s-eye chilies or according to taste (I use 1-2 serrano chilies)

For the sauce:
1/4 cup Thai fish sauce
1/4 cup lime juice
2 - 3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
1/4 cup chopped scallions

Grill beef until medium to well-done. Slice thinly on the bias and set aside. Combine all the salad ingredients and add the sliced beef. Make the sauce by mixing together all the ingredients and toss with the salad.

Serve over a bed of green lettuce (e.g. Romaine) whole or chopped, or place individual servings over a large lettuce leaf.

Variations - Mint and sliced shallots can be added to the salad. Grilled shrimp or calamari may be substituted for the beef. Instead of lettuce, the salad may be served with a wedge of fresh cabbage. Palm sugar (or any other sugar) may be added for a slight touch of sweetness.

This salad uses many of the same ingredients in Jerry's Thai Chicken Salad. So the same seasoning guidelines posted for his recipe can be followed for this salad: Adjust the seasonings – there should be a balance of hot, sour, and salt. To adjust seasonings in Thai food follow these rough guidelines . . . if it is too sweet add more fish sauce . . . too salty add more sugar . . . not tangy enough - add more lime juice . . . not hot enough - add more chili

PhotoHunt: Utensils

Just as I did for Garbage week, I just found this week's theme much more interesting when I took it on the road. So, here is my yummy collection of the most important Utensil of all, the Spoon! This theme has a "Spanish" influence! :)

A delightful spoon full of cheesecake in Malaga (I was so anxious I took a bite before I took my photo! :) . . . .


Here's one spoon handle in Ronda, looking beyond to the "New Bridge" . . .


Tapas bars in Spain are fantastic and very reasonable. Here, they have all the plates lined up with their spoons already on them . . .


Here's one exception to the spoon (he, he). . .




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Music: More than just notes on a page . . .

Since I started traveling more regularly about 4 years ago, I have a growing interest in listening to different international artists like Zucchero and Lara Fabian. And it just makes sense that the two passions in my life seem to go so well together! :)

And here's what I love about music and why I think it is the ultimate universal language. Although I can't understand the words, I can feel the emotions of a song when they are performed so beautifully by an artist. Here are two of my favorites.

Italian, Zucchero . . .



French, Lara Fabian . . . .



Spanish, Lara Fabian . . . .



And since I'll be headed to Scotland . . . Runrig!

Slow Travel Sunday Salad Samplers # 13 (7/19) Israeli Salad

This week's selection was made by Slow Talk member and Moderator, Teaberry. I really loved this salad. It was very delicious, easy to make and was cool and perfect for a hot summer day in Southern California. I followed her recipe, even using an English cucumber for the first time. The only thing I forgot at the grocery store was one of the recommended toppings, but that's okay because I know that I'll be making this salad again soon! Thank you Teaberry for sharing your delicious salad recipe with us!


Here's Teaberry's detailed instructions:

I first ate this salad when I visited Israel, where they love eating fresh vegetables cut up small like this for breakfast! Almost every Israeli knows how to make an Israeli salad, and there are probably as many variants as there are Israelis.

This variation is actually from Molly Katzen's book, The Enchanted Broccoli Forest, which was an early standard for me. I'm not vegetarian, but I do love vegetarian food, and she was a real groundbreaker in that cooking genre. Her original recipe includes 1/2 cup of minced red onion, which I omit because I am not a fan of raw onions, but please feel free to include it if it suits your fancy. You can make this several hours ahead of serving time.

Israeli salad

1 large English cucumber, or 2 6" regular ones (the English cucumbers have fewer seeds)
2-3 medium-sized ripe tomatoes
12 radishes
1/2 cup pimiento-stuffed green olives
2 scallions
1 large Kosher pickle
1 medium green pepper
3/4 cup (packed) fresh parsley
1/4 cup olive oil
juice from 1 large lemon
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Cut the cucumber and tomatoes into small cubes and place in large bowl. In your food processor, place the radishes and olives; pulse until roughly chopped. Add to the large bowl.

Place the scallions, pickle, and green pepper in the food processor and mince. Add to the large bowl. Mince the parsley in the food processor; add to large bowl. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper to your salad, and toss everything together gently. Chill.

Optional additions: feta cheese on top, or you can serve with yogurt or sour cream or little cubes of cream cheese on top.

PhotoHunt: Rock (s)

I was so tempted to do a theme about Adam Lambert "Rocks" the American Idol Summer Tour! :) But then I took one look at these set of Rocks in the small village of Vernazza, Italy looking out into the beautiful Mediterranean ocean early one morning and well even that was too much for Adam to overcome! :)




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Slow Travel Sunday Salad Samplers # 12 (7/12): Ceviche

This week's selection was made by Candi, Candi's Corner: Wanderlust and Passions. Candi selected a wonderful summer Ceviche Salad, which I have never had or tried before. Her recipe was so easy to follow and simple to make. I just loved the flavors of all the ingredients. I went with a nice piece of Halibut fish and followed her recipe. I like things a little spicy so put a little extra hot sauce in my salad and served it on a hard tortilla shell. It was so delicious and I loved it! I know that I'll be make this salad again for sure! Thanks so much Candi for this wonderful salad recipe!


Here's Candi's instructions to her very delicious Ceviche Recipe:

Ceviche is a great summer salad that is popular in South and Central America, as well as Mexico,in many variations. It is traditionally fish "cooked" in lime juice,where the acids give the fish firm, cooked texture by breaking down the proteins over time. I chose a version of Ceviche that poaches the fish to reduce cooking time, and also for food safety reasons.I got the recipe for the book Ageless Face, Ageless Mind by Nicholas Perricone. I adapted it a bit to add more flavor.Here is my adapted recipe:

Ceviche:

Prep time:15 minutes plus time to chill. Cooking time:10 minutes. Serves 6.

To cook the fish:
3 cups of water or chicken broth
1/2 cups white wine
juice of two limes
1 jalapeno or Serrano chili sliced in half
3 gloves of garlic,crushed
I Tbsp Old Bay seasoning
1/2 lb firm white fish fillet(halibut or the like)
1/2 lb large shrimp,peeled and deveined

Coat the fish and shrimp with old bay. Bring the broth,wine, lime juice, chili and garlic to simmer. Add fish and shrimp and simmer(do not boil) until fish is opaque(about 5 minutes) and shrimp is pink(about 2 minutes). Remove from poaching liquid and cool in the refrigerator.

To make the salad:
2 large tomatoes,diced
1/2 white onion, diced
1 jalapeno,seeded and diced(or more if you wish)
juice of two limes
1/4 cup cilantro, diced
hot sauce to taste
sea salt and cracked black peppers to taste

Mix tomatoes, onion, jalapeno,lime juice and cilantro together. Season to taste with hot sauce,salt and pepper.

When the fish is cool, cut shrimp in half and fish into bite-sized pieces. Mix into tomato mixture. Chill for at least one hour and up to four hours.* I think it lasts longer than that in the fridge. I've had leftovers the day after and still thought it was good,just hotter after sitting in the hot sauce for so long.

Time to let go . . .

Do you ever find yourself hanging on to things for years and years . . . Clothes, books, bags . . . . well that's me! Over the weekend, I had a yard sale and I watched as people from all walks of life came by to look at all the things that I have accumulated over the years which apparently I grew not to have much use for. Now they were looking at them and contemplating whether they had a need for them.

So here's how my big weekend project went:

First, there were the 20 pairs of old running shoes that were worn out and why I kept them I have no idea. I wanted to throw them out, but my friend convinced me to sell them at the yard sale. I asked who would want to buy them? She said people will buy them! Well, she was right! I sold all the pairs of shoes. Of course I only sold them for a dollar :), but still they were among the first to go! Reminded me of Candi's photohunt picture and the old saying, "One Man's (or Woman's) Garbage is another Man's Treasure."

Next I had a huge box of these beautiful planter shells (brand spanking new)which my mom loved and left behind at my house. I could never bring myself to part with them, but with boxes of these shells and my decision to start as Annie said decluttering, I finally decided to let go! My goal was not to profit from them, but to make sure that someone who would appreciate them bought them. I sold them for $1.00 each. Three ladies came by and bought all 20 of them. And what was cool is they really loved them and thought they were so beautiful. Their delight made me feel so much better about letting them go.

And then, there were these two ladies that came by and they spent about an hour going through all my clothes. My friends and I were getting hungry so I went and got two pizzas and some salad and chicken wings and invited the two ladies to have lunch with us while they went through my clothes. It turns out that they were homeless only 4 years ago and the one lady is currently getting chemo and radiation for what was diagnosed as an inoperable cancer. My heart sunk and at that point I didn't even want to take their money, but I also didn't want to make them feel like they were a charity case either which I think would make them feel bad. So whenever they asked how much something was I told them it was a quarter. They were really nice and were so happy with the things they bought. And I was happy too.

And lastly, there were these two neighborhood girls who came by in their scooters who bought my brand new water fountain therapy thing for a dollar. They were so lively and I thought at that young age why would they need something that is meant to relieve stress? I had to remind myself that people just have different needs and look for different things. Maybe she just liked the sounds that a water fountain makes.

All in all, my big decluttering weekend made me $400.00, decluttered about 95% of what needed to be decluttered and reminded me of two things: First, life is way too short so live your life each day to the fullest, because you just never know what the future will bring. And secondly, although there are some things (special mementos, photos, etc) that I have to keep forever, there are also some things which I felt was time to let go of.

And the money I made . . . well, it will be going directly into my travel fund so I can use it doing something that I love to do, Travel!

PhotoHunt: Garbage

When I think of the word Garbage, nothing beautiful or very cool came to mind. Up until I looked through my travel photos that is. Here is my beautiful collection of Garbage can photos. And I decided to post more than one because once I got started on my hunt, I couldn't stop. :)

In the beautiful Old Town Square in Prague . . .


Near a beautiful lake in Halstatt, Austria . . .


A total of three in this beautiful and quaint little campo in Venice . . . .


Next to a stage full of beautiful flowers during an annual Celebration in Madrid . . . .


An overstuffed Garbage holder in the Latin Quarter in beautiful Paris . . .


Tucked in the corner of a small walkway in the beautiful Italian town
of San Gimignano . . .


Next to a coffee cart in front of the beautiful architecture of the Westminster Abbey in London . . .


And to keep things clean and beautiful here at home . . . .




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Slow Travel Sunday Salad Samplers # 11 (7/5/09): Watermelon Salad

This week's selection was made by Nancy, A Winelover's Wonderings. Nancy selected a Watermelon salad to coincide with the 4th of July weekend. Although I wasn't able to make it yesterday, I love watermelon and was excited to try one of her recipes today. Btw, everyone's salad looks very delicious this week.

Nancy was so kind to test several recipes, posted them on her blog and then gave us the option to make our own selection. She also posted this great link, Watermelon.org, for more recipes.

I decided to follow her third test recipe. It was so easy to make and very delicious. A really wonderful summer salad. Annie posted a tip on Nancy's thread on Slowtalk about soaking the red onion in the lime juice for about 30 minutes, which she said would mellow out the onion and provide a tangy taste. Great tip! The only thing I forgot to buy was some watercress, which the recipe called for but my mistake didn't seem to distract from the wonderful flavor of this salad. Thank you so much Nancy for all the wonderful Watermelon Salad recipes. I will definitely make this salad again and also give the other recipes a whirl too.



Here's Nancy's recipe and easy to follow instructions:

I "practiced" with several different recipes for Watermelon Salad. I am going to give you the various lists of ingredients and let you make a decision on which to choose. My favorite is the last one with the full recipe.

My first "test" had the following ingredients:
Watermelon - Cut into bite-sized cubes or balls
Cherry Tomatoes
Red Onion - Sliced very thinly
Kalamata Pitted Olives - I left them whole
Feta Cheese - Flavored or not
Chopped Basil
Olive Oil - Not a lot

My second "test" had the following ingredients:
Watermelon - Cut into bite-sized cubes or balls
Red Onion - Sliced very thinly
Kalamata Pitted Olives - This time I cut them in half
Feta Cheese - Flavored or not
Chopped Cilantro on this one
Olive Oil - Not a lot

Is the third time a charm? We shall see. Ingredients were:
Watermelon - Cut into bite-sized cubes or balls
Red Onion - Sliced very thinly
Kalamata Pitted Olives - About 10 olives chopped
Feta Cheese - Flavored or not
Basil & Mint - Chopped
Watercress - About a cup
Lemon Juice - To taste

Blue Watermelon Walnut Salad
(From watermelon.org)

Makes 6-8 servings.

For the walnuts:
1 cup walnut pieces or halves
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon soy sauce

For the reduction:
2 cups inexpensive balsamic vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 sprig fresh rosemary

For the Salad:
3 or 4 ounces fresh baby greens
2 seedless oranges, peeled and sectioned
4 cups seedless watermelon cubes
2 cups seedless grapes, halved
2 cups fresh, trimmed and sliced strawberries
1 cup crumbled blue cheese

Heat the walnuts in a seasoned wok or heavy non-stick sauté pan over medium for a minute and stir in the sugar and soy sauce. Adjust heat to prevent burning while constantly stirring the nuts until the sugar melts. Continue to stir and cook until the nuts begin to stick and the mixture is getting sticky. Spread the nuts over a sheet of waxed or parchment paper and cool. Break apart into small pieces and crumble. Set aside.

Heat the vinegar in a heavy non-corrosive saucepan over medium heat and stir in sugar. Continue to stir and adjust heat to bring the mixture to a simmer. Add the rosemary sprig to the pan. Continue to simmer until the contents of the pan reduces by 1/2 its original volume. Set aside.

Divide the greens among 6 or 8 salad plates and arrange the orange sections, watermelon, grapes and strawberries over the greens. Drizzle the balsamic syrup over the fruit and the cheese crumbles over that. Top with the candied walnut pieces and serve.

PhotoHunt: Pink

I took this photo near where I live. It is a route on the way to my grocery store and every spring this entire hill is covered with pink flowers. Makes going on errands a pleasant experience! :)


And I just couldn't resist adding my pink house photo that I took while visiting the island of Burano in Italy!




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Happy Belated Canada Day and have a Happy 4th of July tomorrow to everyone!