Keith left me last week. He didn’t leave-leave me, but he went away for an extended business trip that meant he’d be at a motel in Vermont for his birthday. If that isn’t wretched enough, in an unfortunate twist of fate, I came down with an incredible self-induced illness caused by accidentally inhaling an aleve pill into my lungs. Ka-plunk. (That’s the sound it made as it plopped into the soft tissue normally dedicated to taking oxygen to my bloodstream). To give you an idea of how inhaling an aleve pill affected my body: I lost 6 pounds in 2 days and within four days developed aspiration pneumonia. This is the kind of miserable illness that makes you wonder if you’re going to make it to see another day, let alone make it long enough for your sweetheart to come home a week later. I don’t know about you, but when my snuggle buddy is nowhere in sight and my three year old still needs lots of active play, despite me being nauseous, sweaty, and full of …
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“It smells good in here.” That’s what Keith said as he wandered by. I was leaning in, photographing spoonfuls of spices that I’d later mix with yogurt for beautiful tandoori marinade. There was sweet, grassy coriander and bright lemon juice. Tangy yogurt and earthy garam masala. The ingredients slid together into intoxicating deliciousness – not without a bit of sass thanks to the fresh ginger and spicy garlic. Tandoori is enjoyed from Pakistan to India … even, as we learned this week, as far as the tiny island country of Palau, way out in the Pacific. To eat proper tandoori, you need a tandoori oven. These cylinders of shimmering heat create addicting char-grilled flavor while retaining perfect moisture. At home you can approximate the flavor of good tandoori in your regular oven or on the grill. Try this marinade next time you bake or grill fish (and even chicken). Your house will smell like an exotic market. Amazing Town. Ingredients: 3-4 lbs fish like cod, salmon … or even chicken Tandoori Marinade 1 cup yogurt 1/4 cup …
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Someone help me, but up until a few days ago, I was not a lover of mussels. I blame those times when, as a little girl, we dug them out of the sand in Cape Cod and drove them in the summer heat all the way back to Boston. The drive took over an hour and half. I don’t think I need to tell you the rest. It’s a shame, really, because good mussels are sweet, mild, and tender… a bit of romance for your mouth. But we’re here to change perceptions, and I knew I had to give them another try. (we can’t move forward if we don’t keep trying and learning). So I grabbed a bag a the store, zipped home as fast as possible, and got to work. Funny thing? There really wasn’t a lot of work to do thanks to this Palauan trick of tossing them on the grill and brushing them with a dab of barbecue sauce. You need two simple things. 1. Barbecue Sauce I went with our Homemade Ginger …
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Way out in the Pacific ocean sits a bumpy, bumbling little island country called Palau. From what I hear, the fine people (20,000 strong) slather barbecue sauce on just about anything. Fish. Chicken. Even mussels. Some say it’s the American influence on their cuisine, but I detect a nod to the rich gingery-garlic barbecue sauces of Asia as well. I immediately knew that I had to make homemade barbecue sauce to experience our Palauan Global Table to the fullest. And if I was going to take inspiration from anywhere for the sauce, it would have to be from one of my favorite food blogs, Joy the Baker. Joy recently made Bourbon Orange Coriander BBQ Sauce. Hello, there’ s bourbon in her sauce. As I went along, however, I realized I needed to make a few changes …. of the whimsical, I-can’t-leave-well-enough-alone variety. For starters, I wanted to add peaches since I had a bunch to use up from the late summer’s harvest (oh… an Oklahoma peach is a divine thing indeed). Once there were peaches in the …
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My door handle stopped working the other day. The one in my car that lets me get out. It just snapped off. Around the same time I inhaled a pill into my lungs. Yesterday the doctor told me I have aspiration pneumonia. All this has happened in the week that Keith’s been away on business. It’s a bit much. I’m hoping that’s it for now. Luckily I cooked all this food before the drama rolled in, so I have plenty of good eats for you… but Panama? Well, I might be in bed for most of that meal. And rather light on recipes. I hope you’ll forgive me. To make it up to you, this giveaway is extra epic (see after our yummy Palauan menu) All recipes and meal review will be posted throughout the week Grilled Mussels Dabbed with Barbecue Sauce [Recipe] One of the most elegant dishes to serve but so, so simple. I had no idea. Fire up the grill, friends. We’re eatin’ island style. Ginger Peach Barbecue Sauce [Recipe] A little …
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Let’s sink into the sea. Let’s swim with the jelly fish. Snorkel with me to Palau. From deep below her waters (where divers will find barrier reefs and wrecks from World War II), to the top of her lush forests, this island nation is a dream. From overhead she looks less like an island, and more like mossy bumps of land popping up from the ocean. A closer look reveals bridges snaking across these bumps and puffs of island, as well as stones carved out by the sea that, ironically, look like bridges themselves. Trees also overhang the turquoise waters – shading places with names like “Jellyfish lake.” The food is typical of the Pacific islands- you’ll find taro, pandan, and pumpkin. But there’s also an incredible love for Japanese food (especially sushi and sashimi). American food is everywhere. Barbecue sauce [Recipe] makes it’s way on everything from grilled chicken to mussels [Recipe]. To get a better picture, read these words from Emma Krasov of Art and Entertain Me, who traveled there: Palau absorbed culinary influences of Japan, …
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