Chao Siam Fried Pork Snout

Does fried pork snout sound gross to you?  It does yah.  But it's ono.  Wendell and Landon are so into this right now.   BTW, in case you noticed it, the bag in the lower right corner is half eaten.  We didn't get gypped. 

It's on sale at Longs this week for $2.00 off.  Even with the sale price it's kinda expensive for a tiny bag.

Going with the Flow

My favorite QOR watercolor paints have a special binder in it that makes it very "flowy".  I played around with the paint the other day.

Dd's Greek Shrimp Pasta

 

GREEK SHRIMP PASTA

 

¼ # pasta, cooked according to package directions, drained

6-8 large shrimp, peeled, deveined

½ tsp. oregano

Garlic salt, freshly ground black pepper

1 TB butter

2 TB + 1 TB olive oil

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

½ small red onion, chopped

2-3 TB sun dried tomatoes, coarsely chopped

½ c. artichoke hearts, drained

¼ c. kalamata olives, sliced

½  tsp. red pepper flakes

4 oz. feta cheese

 

Generously season shrimp with oregano, salt and pepper. In a skillet over medium heat saute shrimp in butter and 2 TB olive oil until cooked through. Remove from skillet; set aside. 

Into skillet sauté garlic and onion 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, artichoke hearts, olives and red pepper flakes. Stir in pasta until combined well.  

Divide among serving plates. Decoratively place shrimp onto pasta; top with cheese. Drizzle with remaining olive oil. Serves 2.

Homemade Watercolor Sketchbook

I'd been wanting to make a watercolor sketchbook for awhile, but it remained in the thinking-about-it stage for the longest time.  I envisioned using 100% cotton watercolor paper which I got from Ross awhile back.

I finally gave it a try last month.

For the cover I splattered some white ink onto cardstock.

Here's the ink.  Also, this is the washi tape that I used to cover the side binding. 

Here's what the stitching on the binding looks like.  This is actually a test book that I made using scrap lightweight cardstock. 

I used this tofu press that I got at the swap meet to press the pages together after I applied glue. I usually use the press to make scratch paper pads.

Here's a quick look showing the inside of the sketchbook.

This is the YouTube tutorial that I followed.

I've actually made a few more books.  I used to wonder why people would go through the trouble of sewing pages together when you can just buy already-made books for pretty cheap.  I realize now that it's fun to do!

Haggling at Ross

Do you remember the table that I got from Ross for $19.99 around 3 months ago, the Day of the Line Cutter?  Well, Landon's been making good use of it, and Wendell is thinking he could use one as a pupu table for after softball games. 

I've been pretty much only staying at home lately, but now I had a mission.  So I went to several Rosses a few days ago.  There was just one table at the Kahala branch, but it had a pretty big crack in it.

I asked the gal on the floor if they would lower the price because of the crack.  I said that I would pay $10 for it.  She immediately called her manager using her headset thing (so fast nowadays, yah).

Unfortunately, the answer was no, it was too much of a discount.  Shucks.  

Now I'm curious.  I wonder what they do with items that don't sell.

Wendell's Roast Duck

Wendell saw this recipe in the Crave section of the Star Advertiser a few weeks ago and decided to make it.  It came out soooo goooood, but Wendell said that he didn't think he'd make it again because it was pretty humbug.

Wendell bought the duck frozen from Foodland.  It was about $$$$28 for a 5-pounder.

I ate mine like this.

 

Crisp Roast Duck

Ingredients:

1 (5 to 6-pound) whole duck

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons black pepper, freshly ground

2 large garlic cloves, finely grated, passed through a garlic press or finely minced

1  tablespoon chopped thyme or rosemary leaves, or a combination, plus more sprigs for the cavity

1 tablespoon lemon or orange zest, or a combination, finely grated

1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander or a spice mix, such as garam masala or baharat (optional)

Directions:

Bring a full kettle or medium pot of water to a boil (at least 2 quarts). Meanwhile, remove giblets and neck from the duck cavity and reserve for another use. Trim any excess fat from around the duck cavity and the neck. Place duck, breast side up, on a rack in the sink. Pour half of the boiling water all over the top of the duck to tighten the skin. Flip the bird and pour remaining boiling water over the back.

Once the duck is cool enough to handle, using the tip of a very sharp paring knife, prick duck skin all over to help release the fat, especially where the skin is thickest, and be careful not to pierce the meat. It can be helpful to hold the knife nearly parallel to the bird. After piercing the skin, use the knife blade to score the duck breast in a crosshatch pattern (making deep cuts into the skin only, and not into the breast meat). Flip the bird and score the back as well (you don’t need to prick the back). You may need to sharpen your knife along the way, as it’s much easier to make clean cuts into the skin with a sharp knife. Using a clean kitchen towel or paper towels, thoroughly pat duck dry, including inside the cavity.

Season the duck all over, including cavity, with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, combine garlic, chopped herbs, citrus zest and coriander, if using, and make a paste. Rub garlic paste all over duck, inside and out. Place duck, breast side up, on rack in a roasting pan, stuff cavity with herb sprigs and refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.

When it’s time to cook the bird, heat the oven to 450 degrees. Roast for 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and carefully prick duck skin all over the top of the bird using a sharp paring knife. (You don’t need to prick the back of the duck.) Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue roasting until skin is golden brown and crispy, and the internal temperature at thickest part of the thigh reads 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 1 hour to 1 hour, 45 minutes longer. Using tongs, gently tip duck to drain any liquid from the cavity. Transfer bird to cutting board to rest for at least 10 minutes. Carve and serve.

Total time: 2 1/2 hours, plus at least 4 hours resting; serves 4.

Backwards Rain

It wasn't the wisest thing to do . . . videoing in the rain with an umbrella in one hand and my new phone in the other.  But I just couldn't resist trying to film raindrops falling into a pool of water.  

I tweaked the footage in iMovie so that everything goes backwards in slow motion.  I thought it looked cooler that way. 

Wendell's Pork Butt with Kim Chee

Wendell made this for dinner the other night.  It was super tasty.  

I ate it with tofu (instead of rice) and they went well together. 

Here's the recipe that he followed.  He said that he put in 2 pounds of pork belly instead of 1.  

The recipe is from this DLS cook book.

Art Supplies at Ross

Ross had a whole bunch of brands-that-I-like art supplies yesterday.    

Here's what they had:

Liquitex Basics Acrylic Paint (Metallics and Iridescents) - $8.99  (Amazon - $11.00)

Liquitex Acrylic Ink (Iridescents) - $24.99

Liquitex Basics Acrylic Paint - 48-piece/$49.99, 36-piece/$39.99, 5-piece/$9.99

Liquitex Heavy Body Acrylic Paint - Classic 6-piece/$29.99  (Amazon - $22.85)

Liquitex Heavy Body Acrylic Paint -Mixing 4-piece/$24.99

Winsor & Newton Calligraphy Ink - $21.99  (Amazon - $21.30)

Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolor Palette - $49.99  (Amazon - out)

Winsor & Newton Promarker set - $49.99  (Amazon - $63.75)

Winsor & Newton Promarker Black set - $14.99  (Amazon - $25.45)

Winsor & Newton Promarker Metallic set - $19.99  (Amazon - $21.06)

Conté à Paris Pastel (12 set/portrait) - $14.99  (Amazon - $23.88)

Conté à Paris Pastel (18 set) - $14.99  (Amazon - $21.69)

Koh-I-Noor Artist Set - $11.99  (Amazon - $17.95) 

Artesano Rolls

 Landon got these Sara Lee rolls from Safeway to make steak sandwiches, and I liked it a lot.

He first lightly toasted it with a bit of butter in a frying pan and then inserted some sliced prime rib and onions.  He also made a horse-radish sauce to go with it.  The bread was light and airy with a bit of a crunch on the outside.  Soooo ono!!