The Sweet Tea Line
I love stuff like this! Check out the
Sweet Tea Line, which i saw on A Full Belly's post about
Barbecue and Sweet Tea. Like i've always said, we didn't grow up with sweet tea in Northern Virginia!
Cilantro Storage Test Method
This is not an official test as i did not compare 2 or more methods at the same time, with the same cilantro batch in the same refrigerator. What i did was check out one of the recommended methods from the comments from my original
10/13/05 post.
As the anonymous poster suggested, i put the cilantro (with roots on) in a glass of water in the refrigerator with a spoonful of white sugar. I covered the cilantro with a gallon-sized plastic bag and sealed it with a loose rubber band (not airtight). It's been on the bottom shelf of the fridge for about 2 weeks now and it's still doing very well! I've been picking off cilantro leaves as needed, and weeding out the spoiled slimy ones.
So far this method has worked very well so i'm curious to compare it to the aluminum foil one. I will certainly post the results once they're in!
THANKS anonymous poster!
Unified Democratic Party Petition
Last night be created an online petition.
Please check it out and sign here!
To: The Presidential Campaigns of Senator Clinton and Senator Obama
Feb 7th, 2008
As evidenced by the primaries of the past weeks it is clear that the Democratic Party and the nation are excited by the two top Democratic Candidates. We the undersigned ask that whomever wins the Democratic nomination for President in this 2008 primary election pledges to ask the second place candidate to be their Vice Presidential running mate. This Democratic ticket would be the ultimate change ticket for this country. It would signal to the world and the to the people of the United States that the Democratic Party is ready to lead; that it is ready to put aside political and personal considerations and do what the country needs. It would mean hope and experience would be on the same ticket. It would mean that the Democratic party would be united and energized and more important than it has ever been. We ask that both Senator Hillary Clinton and Senator Barack Obama see past the political advisors and pundits and listen to the people that have signed this petition as well as the millions of Americans that would benefit from such a union.
Sincerely,
The Undersigned
Pad Thai #1
To me, Pad Thai always seemed to be something one did not attempt to make at home. Unless you grew up with it, the closest one could get to making it was from a microwavable packet or perhaps with one of those pre-measured complicated kits. I don't really know why it never occurred to me that i should try (especially since an average order of Pad Thai runs $12-13 in Philadelphia!) but when i came across Chez Pim's
Pad Thai for beginners i was immediately inspired.
We headed out to the
Hung Vuong Supermarket in South Philly for ingredients. We found everything we needed after two small snags: there were SO MANY kinds of dried rice noodles we got overwhelmed but chose a Thai brand that seemed to be the right width; and in the pickled jarred things aisle, it was difficult locating pickled turnip but eventually found it. We picked up the recommended Healthy Boy Brand thin soy sauce (instead of fish sauce), palm sugar, tamarind pulp, fried tofu puffs and bean sprouts. I already had crushed Thai chiles, pressed tofu and the fresh ingredients.
Luckily, a few months ago i resurrected by carbon steel flat bottomed wok with a harsh scouring and multiple doses of seasoning with grapeseed oil. I've been cooking with it often and the bottom has turned into a shiny black but the sides are still silvery blue. It's great - the hot steel cooks green vegetables with a great smokey char that a nonstick can't produce. Hopefully in the next few months the whole inside will be seasoned glossy black!
Chez Pim's detailed directions were excellent. The sauce was perfect - super flavorful with a wonderful balance of sweet/sour/salty/deep/hot (i used 2 t Thai chile powder) and the step by step instructions made so much sense. She includes helpful vegetarian suggestions; instead of chicken or shrimp i used fried tofu puffs cut in half with a little bit of pressed tofu cut into slim rods. I didn't add any vegetables besides the recommended bean sprout and scallions.
Overall, the 2 servings i made were shockingly delicious. I was so surprised that my first attempt came out so well! My only criticism was about the rice noodles - they were a bit too al dente so next time i'll soak them in the hot water a little longer. But besides the noodles everything was perfect. The mixture of flavors was great. The crisp bean sprouts, the chewy crispy tofu, the flavorful noodles, the peanuts, the squeeze of lime ... all i can do is thank Chez Pim for the excellent directions! And make more tomorrow!
I cooked up another batch of the Pad Thai sauce to have a jar in the fridge for my attempts later this week. I'll soak the noodles longer next time but besides that, it was totally delicious! Also, up later this week:
Pad See Ew, be's favorite Thai noodle dish!
