Recovering from Our Time in Dixie

You know, it only takes a good week away from home before you start to really miss the place.

BHE, Donald and I just returned from a long trip down South (read: South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia), where we worked on our tans and attended an extremely beautiful wedding in Asheville. (Congratulations, Tim & Leslie!!)

Now, Maryland is technically below the Mason-Dixie line. But there's the south - and then there's the South. Once you hit southern Virginia, you become distinctly aware that you're crossed over. As evidenced by a van we noticed in the parking lot of our vacation home.

Colons and punctuation, people. Let's remember to use 'em.

That said, we still had a very lovely time. We got to visit my family, where Donald pulled a frozen steak off the counter in my mom's kitchen and had himself a gourmet lunch. BHE and I both acquired fierce tans/sunburns. We bought vacation hats. I didn't touch my straightening iron once. We had BBQ for multiple meals.

Now that's a vacation!

We also engaged in some of the local culture. During the week, BHE and I headed down to Decatur to check out the CDC Museum. Turns out, that was closed while a new exhibit was being installed. Bummer.

Not to worry though as the Fernbank Museum of Natural History is right down the road. And it had a wicked exhibit on Mythological Creatures.

Warning: Boobs and ta-tas ahead.

The Boob I married.

AND it was free hot dog day at the museum! SCORE!

We putzed about the exhibits for a good while rather than strolling outdoors in the 100+ degree heat. Besides, the museum had an interactive floor where you could play with experiments that you probably tried out in your grade school science class.

HBE doing his best weatherman impersonation.

And, of course, there was food. Thanks to a tip from our buddy Pete, we signed up for a Scoutmob account and went on a discounted feeding frenzy in downtown Decatur. The highlight, by far, were the sandwiches at Sawicki's. BHE had a Tri-tip Beef (served with french fries, Primanti's style), while I had the Roasted Pork with pickled red onions and fried lemon slices.

Oh - my mouth is watering at the memory of it.

We also tried some Coco Vino at my parents' house. For those of you unfamiliar with the product, it's a bottle of red wine that's been flavored/mixed/violated with chocolate. The combo sounds promising, but you know they say about good intentions...

Raspberry flavored. Not good. We should have been tipped off by the "governement warning."

We spent some more money on Ninja-shaped cookie cutters and presents for friends and family next door at Heliotrope. Also came with a Scoutmob discount. Woot!

Trying out "the Watson"

We also made our way to the Chateau Elan for a winery tour and tasting. The tour was only $5 and included LOADS of samples. Best. Tour. Ever.

Post sample hijinks.

The wine source.

BHE and I made the decision to come home on Saturday so we could have a day to recover before returning to work. Sunday consisted of pizza, appeasing some bitter cats who had to stay home during the week, a trip to the cinema to check out X-Men First Class (totally worth the hype, btw), and of course, some QT at the dog park.

Like I said, it was just long enough to make us miss home.

While we here at Tattoos & Champagne are done travelling for a few weeks, Jordan over at Oh Happy Day! has pulled out all the stops and is offering 2 lucky people a trip to check out Paris.

Yes, THAT Paris.

To enter, visit Jordan's site and leave a comment after her post about the contest ( http://ohhappyday.com/2011/06/goes-to-paris). There are chances for additional entries as well, but you'll have to visit her post to find out the details.

Check out her other posts as well. The woman's kind of a mad genius.

Best of luck! And until next time, Enjoy!

The Happiest Place on Earth (if you like kimchi)

It's no secret that I grew up munching on a variety of Asian dishes. (Still do, in fact.) However, it can be difficult to find a decent Asian foods store. I mean, come on now- any corner store can carry soy sauce and long grain rice. I'm looking for something more substantial. I want some Bao, damn it!

So you can imagine my near-giddy delight when my friends Margi and Jared offered to take me to the mecca of Asian grocery chains: H Mart.

It's a little slice of heaven.
(Or Nirvana.)

H Mart is only located in a few cities in the US, so I was ecstatic when I found out that there's one located just outside of the city. The only kicker is that because it's the only one in a 50-mile radius, the place is PACKED. And for good reason: H Mart has one of the most extensive produce sections I've ever come across. Exotic fruits and veggies for days, man! There was a kimchi counter and a woman making the stuff right there in the store. I hate kimchi (I think it tastes like feet), but couldn't help but be impressed by it all.

The store carries durian fruit. I almost bought it, but I really like not throwing up at the smell of my food.

Margi handling some extra-impressive zucchini.
At least I think that's what they are.

We spent a good amount of time trolling around the aisles, looking at this and that when I came across a box of something I'd never seen before:

A bit weird, right? Turns out these tribble-looking beauties are a type of friut called rambutan. I have never encountered these before (I thought they might be lychee at first), but a woman behind us went all kinds of nostalgic at the sight of them and described how you pick, prepare, and eat them when you want a sweet snack. (Apparently, you cut off the spikey husk and eat the flesh inside.)

I picked up two to try later.

This photo makes my husband giggle every time.

Unfortunately, the rambutan got lost in the shuffle of holiday leftovers, and I wasn't able to get to them in time.

After I spent a good 10minutes making a selection from a wall of soy sauce options, my ride and I picked up some frozen odds and ends and then made it back to the city. I was in Hello Panda heaven the entire trip home.

And now, for your recipe.......

A while ago I decided to use up the last of some farmer's market apples with a recipe I had come across on the Darjeeling Dreams site: Skillet Apple Cake.

It's very easy to make, though I feel the cake part could be a little more moist. However, the dryness in my attempt may be due to the size of my skillet. I suspect the portions in the DD's recipe are intended for an 8-in skillet. Mine is 12in. Next time, I think I'll double the batter.

You can check out the recipe by checking out Darjeeling's site here.

Winter has officially come to Baltimore after sneaking in the back door, so this week it's all about warm foods, spiked cocoa, and stockinged feet. Possibly some crochet projects. In the meantime, I suggest you buckle down, catch up on past episodes of The Walking Dead if you've haven't yet, and then enjoy the musical stylings of Adele's latest single, Rolling in the Deep.

Enjoy!

Palm Leaf Plate Bonanza: Shrimp with Corn and Basil, Zucchini Parm Crisps, & Interesting Moments at the DMV

August is proving to be an odd month, full of various forms of travel, my husband's impromptu decision to buy a used pickup, and just plain randomness around the city.

Case in point: The DMV really, really, really messed up the spelling of my name and the VIN number on my car title, which in turn really, really messed up my loan with my bank. It was an easy enough fix, but it required a 2hr stint at the Baltimore City DMV to complete (and by complete, I mean wait in line for) my amended paperwork.

I remember remarking to a friend once - after watching a small child lick the entire front side of the glass door to the waiting area - that it seemed like the most random (see?!?) mix of individuals were always sitting at the DMV. To which my friend noted that it wasn't so much that the crowd was random as much as it lacked anyone who might be considered "normal."

I wonder if that includes me?

Anyway, the DMV in B'more, in an effort to make the glacial-speed passage of time more tolerable, has introduced the MVN: The Motor Vehicle Network. The red and black digital notice board has the techno-savvy of a game of Frogger, but the flashing news alerts do provide at least a temporary distraction. In addition to news and current events, it also flashes random bits of trivia and miscellany:

Here's a close-up shot.
That's right. The MVN did a bit on the RPS Society. Of which my hubby is a card-carrying member. (No joke.)

But life can't be all about long queues and road trips. Sometimes, life throws you a little break every now and then. This time, said break came in the form of a product review and free sample.

Ah, the life of a blogger. It rocks (at times). Case in point: the good folks over at Marx Foods, who specialize in fine foods in bulk, sent over a sample of their new Palm Leaf Plates to try out. Palm Leaf Plates are earth-friendly (read: biodegradable and compostable) disposable dinner ware for the trendy and/or eco-conscious set. As a person with pseudo-hippie leanings (as Tony likes to say), I was intrigued.

I received a large set of square salad plates and round dip bowls and soon put them to use. First up: a picnic in the park. Now, green space may not be the first thing to come to mind when one thinks of Baltimore, but the area known as Patterson Park is really very charming. There are tennis courts and softball fields, plenty of spaces to walk a dog or two, and even an ice skating rink in the winter. Tony was having a bit of a week, so I decided to pack up some fried chicken and bubbles, and then we hopped in the truck and set off for a picnic date.

I gotta say, the plates held up very well. Though the palm leaves look...grainy(?), the plates and bowls never splintered or split. And none of the grease from the chicken soaked through the plate, sparing our clothes. We just sat back and enjoyed the fried food and people & dog watching for the afternoon.

Test run No. 1: Success!

We still had some samples left over, so I decided to try a hot plate this time instead. A weekend trip to the farmer's market left us with several pounds of zucchini in need of eating. So, I decided to try out a recipe posted by a college chum (Thanks, Tracie!): Zucchini Parmesan Crisps.

The dish is more a less a healthier version of fried zucchini, but with less prep work and cleanup.

To pair with the veggies, Mary's take on Shrimp and Corn with Fresh Basil from One Perfect Bite. I find that shrimp-based recipes usually don't provide enough shrimp (what's up with that?), so I simply doubled the shrimp to 2 lbs and upped the butter from 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup. Paula Deen would have been proud.

You can check out Mary's shrimp recipe here. For the zucchini, head over here. The only adjustment I made to that recipe was to bake the zucchini slices on a cooling rack that I set inside of a sheet pan. That way, both sides were able to crisp up nicely!

Once again, the Palm Leaf Plates held their own. The shrimp dish produced quite a bit of liquid, but none of it soaked through. And the plates were cool enough on the bottom to rest on my lap, despite serving the meal straight from the stove top. Also, while I could tell that the plate was softening up a little from the combined heat and liquid, my fork never pierced it or pulled up bits of food-soaked pulp. No need to double layer paper dishes for once!

I decided to put the last of the bowls to good use and served up dessert. Fresh Peaches & Berries with Drunken Crème Fraiche. HO-LY CRAP was this dessert good. Tony fell asleep in between courses, and I honestly came thisclose to eating it all myself. The bowl proved more than able to handle two quickly digging spoons attacking its contents. And some subsequent bowl-licking afterward.

All in all? The Palm Leaf Plates are definitely worth an investment. They're durable, practical, elegant, and (bonus) eco-friendly. And unlike, say, those compostable Sun Chips bags, you can use them without waking the neighbors. (If you've had an encounter with the Sun Chips bag, you'll know what I mean.)

Think of it as giving Mother Earth a really fashionable, culinary hug. You can order a set for yourself, including flatware and utensils, or just find out how the hell they make these things at the Marx Foods site here. While I think the price could be a tad more budget friendly, the product definitely holds up to some hefty standards of form and function.

Palm Leaf Plates: 4 1/2 out of 5 spatulas

Great Gift For: Outdoor entertainers, BBQ enthusiasts, Hungry tree huggers, Trendy environmentalists, & Picnic lovers.

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Fresh Peaches & Berries with Drunken Crème Fraiche

2 large peaches, sliced
1/2 cup blackberries, raspberries, or blueberries
1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp vanilla extract
1/3 - 1/2 cup crème fraiche
1/8 cup (approx 5 tbsp) brandy or Bailey's Irish Cream

1. Toss the peaches and berries with the brown sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. Set aside and let the bowl sit for roughly 30 minutes.
2. Mix together the crème fraiche and the brandy or Irish Cream.
3. Layer the fruit with the crème fraiche. Drizzle the rendered fruit juice over the top.

GAH! NOT COOL!

Should you feel the need to purchase your own night terrors online, you can pick up this little darling here. I've included a description from the page below the image.




"Long before Chucky, there was Talky Tina, star of one of the most spine-chilling episodes of The Twilight Zone ever aired. In the show titled "Living Doll" that also starred Telly Savalas, Tina kept coming back and coming back, no matter what he did to try to destroy her. If you remember that frightening episode, you may think twice before ordering this item. But don't worry. After all, she's only an innocent, 6 1/2-inch tall, talking resin bobble head… or is she?"

Talky Tina speaks the following phrases:
"My name is Talky Tina, and I love you very much."
"My name is Talky Tina, and I don't think I like you."
"My name is Talky Tina, and you'd better be nice to me."
"My name is Talky Tina, and you'll be sorry."
"My name is Talky Tina, and I'm going to kill you."

My Friend, The Artist

My good buddy Joe, teacher/artist/new dad, has just put out his first album for purchase on iTunes and Amazon.com.

Check out the Threshold Circuit and you, too, can say, "I knew Joe back when..."

Serious Online Goodness

This isn't my Conan update, but rather an announcement about some serious online awesomeness.

Sweeteeth (the confectioner I mentioned in a previous post) has opened their online shop! You can actually buy some A'Chocolypse and Cinnapsis bars of your very own!

DO IT!! Do it now!!

[And remember to thank me for it later :) ]

Seriously, check it out at https://sweeteethchocolate.com/shop.

Enjoy!