Tea Time Adventures and Other Food Exploits: bread

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Saturday, May 17, 2014

Day 7 Molokai

Today was the first day at our new camp. After a stellar dinner made on the campfire last night, we broke our fast with Molokai pineapple coconut bread with a goat cheese spread and a side of fruit. Delightful! We were up early to get to Halawa. Our fingers were crossed we'd get to do the hike to the falls today. Molokai Fish and Dive is a great place to get local info (and they have snorkeling/scuba trips). We booked our hike to Halawa Falls there and we were lucky. You can easily find a guide to the falls, but our tour came with a healthy dose of Hawaiian Culture. One of the family members who lives in the valley begins the hike with a traditional greeting in Hawaiian. Then you get to hear about his life growing up in the valley. As the last living survivor of the Tsunami that crushed the Halawa Valley on April 1, 1941 this Hawaiian Elder is extremely knowledge and willing to teach about his culture. After our culture immersion we started our hike. Remember that Tuesday there was a flash flood? Today the river was pretty high, but we forded it and only got a little damp. Our hike included stories about the plants and trees the Hawaiians use and explanations of the ancient customs and the ruins left behind. The waterfall was worth walking through the squelchy mud! We got to take a cool swim and after lunch (leftovers+fruit) we felt refreshed and ready to hike back to the modern life. If you come to Molokai, plan to do this hike on day one or two, then you can pick your guide's brain for local tips! We got a lot of answers for questions we'd been pondering as well. The road back was awesome, beautiful and sunny. Apparently the weekend starts on Thursday here on Molokai since everyone was out at the beaches and on the water. After a quick stop in town to get apricot bread we started back to our camp. Mentally ready to swim, sun and eat we were stopped short in our day dreams by rain. Wet, wet rain. At the campground we reconoitered and then headed back into town making a beeline to the laundromat. After a consolation dinner and mope at the Cookhouse (mixed plate with beef/veg stir fry, teri chicken, fries and mac salad with a slice of chocolate mac nut pie for dessert) we ventured back to our original campsite. Now we're ensconced in our dry tent, making new plans for tomorrow. We were going to hike to Kalupapa, but we don't want to slide down the cliffside. There is an option to take mules down the hill, but we don't want to pay that much when it will be more adventurous to hike it. Hopefully we'll be able to go on Saturday.

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Chocolate for lunch! Cook the Book July

If you know one thing about the Tea Time Adventurers it should be that we Love Chocolate*. So lunch this month shouldn't be a surprise. I will admit that this months tome is the most daunting one we've perused for Cook the Book thus far. First of all, Gran Cocina Latina: The Food of Latin America is big (even the name). Oversized and Thick. This plus the fact that the print is sepia tone (not a sharp contrasting black) and there are few full color photos meant I had to delve deeper to find recipes that spoke to me. But they are there!!

You'll see from our photos below that we ate well and heartily. Our drink from Costa Rica (Costa Rican Hibiscus Wine p339), our meat from Argentina (Short Ribs in Black Sauce with Chocolate and Cacao p713), San Salvador style pupusas (Basic Pupusas p402), Rolls inspired by tropical flavors (Garifuna Coconut Bread p593/4), and a cocktail "dessert" from Mexico (Spicy Prickly Pear Cocktail p376). Stephanie rounded out our meal with a Shrimp Louie salad and Gabi brought some wine. The four of us talked and ate, savoring both the meal and each other's company.

Ribby Ribs Ribs. Chocolate Ribs! Lots of tender meat with rich flavorful sauce perfect for dipping.

HIbiscus wine

Coconut bread rolls baked, not grilled.

Frying up the cheese Pupusas--second batch

I learned several things cooking these recipes. Highlights below:

1. Meat can be expensive! (but there was lots of leftovers for lunches)
2. Pupusas fry better after the batter has set up for a while. (I made the rest of the batch after our meal had ended and the rested batter did not leak the cheese like the first go round.)
2a. Latin America makes some good cheese. (Also, I am glad to have the big bag of Masa, because making pupusas is so simple, just add cheese/veggies, fry, eat!)
3. The Hibiscus wine recipe will go in my recipe file so I can use it to mull my wines and make sangrias! (This recipe is a keeper!!)
4. I have now "mastered" the cactus plant as food. Next challenge vegetable please! (Last month we ate the leaf and this month the fruit as dessert.)
5. I like an unknown cookbook to have photos. (This seems not to apply when I buy them from library book sales or thrift stores though–perhaps it is a time frame connundrum?)

Lunch plated pre salad.

I was particularly excited to try this Prickly Pear "cocktail," but I decided to serve it as dessert instead of an appetizer (Maricel E. Presilla, the cookbook author, suggests serving this with a shot of aged tequila.) I felt like it needed a little jazz added in order to pass the dessert muster, so I garnished the martini glass with fresh ripe blueberries and a dollop of honeyed greek yogurt. The sweetness of the blueberries and the smooth dairy contrasted perfectly with the slightly spicy, slightly crunchy, and very limey cactus fruit. This dessert would be great for a special occasion as it's simple to prepare, but looks beautiful. If you wanted to add a Mexican cookie I think it would be a tasty addition too.

Dessert 2.0

Dessert

We've become the ladies who lunch, thanks to Cook the Book. Are you ready to get together with a group of friends over food? Do you plan potlucks or take turns hosting the meals? You can join us in cooking the book next month if you need some food for thought and inspiration!

Welcome!

Grab some salad and a glass of wine.

*Although considering our recent eating habits, perhaps we should rename our blog "Anything Fried with Cheese is Good" Opinions?

Monday, April 29, 2013

The New Bi-Rite-Get your Ice Cream fix NOW.

It is So the time to get some Bi-Rite! Luckily for you (and us!) there's a newish Bi-Rite in town, over on Divisidero. Prepare yourself for a roomy and bright store, but with the same knowledgeable and helpful workers awaiting on your every whim. The *only* thing we could even consider suggesting is for them to steal a meter spot and make a parklet for people to sit out and enjoy the treats/eats they get from the store. Of course it isn't that far to Alamo Square or even Golden Gate Park. However, sometimes when you've got that cup or cone in your hand you just want to sit down and Enjoy. This amazing summerish weather may not last, so grab your scoop while you can!

J.K. usually gets a scoop of chocolate and a scoop of peanut butter, but this time she couldn't resist the roasted banana, while Angela tried the dynamic duo of honey lavender and salted caramel ice creams.

I scream, you scream, we all...

Similar looking, but not the same!

Roasted B with C

Maybe you need it to take home?

It's worth the line!!

J.K. and Angela grabbed their scoops, but we still got seduced into taking home a few other things to try as well. Angela chose Acme walnut cranberry bread, which she paired with Soft Italian Taleggio cheese. J.K. found a new chocolate bar to try (of course) and also got some of her favorite citrus. The Sumo has an extremely short season and looks like a tangelo on steroids. Angela was quite tempted by a cake they were sampling in the store, but since we'd just had ice cream she reined in her sweet teeth and refrained from putting that cake in her basket. Phew!