8/26/13

Beersheba Springs Arts and Craft Festival

We're always looking for new places to explore or hike, so when friends suggested the Beersheba Springs Arts and Craft Festival this Saturday, we were in.
Brochures and pamphlets of Beersheba Springs
Beersheba Spring Hotel, now the United Methodist Assembly
Overlook from the old hotel
About an hour north of the marina in southeast Tennessee, Beersheba Springs was a posh summer resort, complete with a hotel, log cabins and cottages. In the 1850s, well-to-do families from the Chattanooga area made their annual trek here to escape the summer heat. After the Civil War (1861-1865), the number of visitors declined considerably. The Methodist Church acquired the resort in 1940 and used it for retreats and summer camps. The camp is now home to the arts and craft festival. Beersheba Springs saw its population (less than 500) ballooned this weekend, what with over 150 vendors offering a variety of original arts and crafts and home-produced items. 
Dining room, where we had lunch
There were food vendors galore, but we opted to eat at the inn's dining room. You had to purchase the $10 meal ticket in advance. It was family-style (or cafeteria-style) where you're served the main course. Saturday's lunch featured meat or vegetarian lasagna served with a slice of bread.  The sides include a nice salad bar and banana pudding for dessert. For drinks, we had sweet tea and coffee. We enjoyed the simple but delicious fare, in the cool air-conditioned dining room, its walls adorned with nice pictures and historical artifacts.
Carpenter Bee catchers
Fall is around the corner ...
For the artist gardener
Arts anyware!
Bird feeders
rocking chairs outside the dining room
How was your weekend?

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8/19/13

Sichuan Eggplant or Eggplant with Spicy Garlic Sauce (鱼香茄子)

Updated: 9/8/23
If I remember correctly, Szechuan or Sichuan cuisine didn't appear in Chinese restaurants in the U.S. until the 80s. Before that, chop suey and Polynesian-style Chinese restaurants (remember Pu-pu platters and drinks called Zombie and Mai Tai?) were popular. Then came Joyce Chen, who single handedly changed the landscape of Chinese cuisine, elevating it to a more gourmet level. 

For those who don't know, Joyce Chen is the Julia Child of Chinese cooking. She owned several Chinese restaurants in Cambridge, taught Chinese cooking, and had a show on PBS. In fact, she shared the same set as Julia Child's The French Chef in the studio of WGBH, Boston's local public TV station. Joyce Chen introduced not only Americans but also Chinese to Northern Chinese (aka Mandarin) cuisine. My first experience eating Peking Duck and Moo Shu dishes served with pancakes was at Joyce Chen, a restaurant I also worked during my college years. I absolutely loved the dumplings (or Peking ravioli) and the hot and sour soup. Competitors took notice. Soon, other Asian cuisines appeared on the horizon. There were Hunan and Szechuan, followed by Vietnamese, Thai, Cambodian, and in the last dozen years Malaysian and now, Korean.

If you've been to a Chinese buffet, chances are you've had Szechuan food. Most dishes are cooked in a brown sauce, packed with spices or hot chili peppers. Kung Pao chicken, Mapo Tofu and Sichuan eggplant (also called Eggplant with Spicy Garlic Sauce) are some popular Szechuan dishes.

We love spicy food, and Sichuan eggplant is one of our favorite Chinese dishes. I've made it a couple of times this week with the eggplants I picked from the garden. Previously I used the pack of seasonings made by the iconic Chinese brand Lee Kum Kee (李錦記). Later, I found and tweaked an easy recipe with ingredients I normally have in my pantry. Here's the updated version. These days you can find most Asian ingredients in the local supermarkets (Walmart, Publix, Kroger, to name a few). Enjoy!
Japanese eggplants

Sichuan Eggplant or Eggplant with Spicy Garlic Sauce (鱼香茄子)
[Print Recipe]
Serves 4

Ingredients
3 Japanese eggplants

8 oz ground pork (or pork tenderloin, cut into thin slices)
dash of sugar
½ tsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp Sesame oil
2 Tbsp water

3 cloves garlic, minced
1” piece of ginger, thinly sliced
2 green onions, cut into thirds

2 Tbsp chili bean paste 
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
¼ cup chicken broth

2 Tbsp Sesame oil
2 Tbsp Canola oil

Instructions
1. Cut the eggplants on an angle into 1½ " wedges. Place the eggplant pieces in a large bowl. Add cold water to cover and stir in ½ Tbsp salt. Weight the eggplant pieces with a plate to keep them submerged. Soak for 15 minutes, drain and pat dry with paper towels.

2. Marinate the pork with sugar, cornstarch, 1 Tbsp sesame oil, and 2 Tbsp water.

3. Prepare the sauce. In a small bowl, add chili bean sauce, soy sauce and rice vinegar. Set aside.

4.  Heat your wok over medium-high heat. Dry fry the eggplant for 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp sesame oil around the perimeter of the wok. Stir fry for 2 more minutes, then sprinkle 2 Tbsp water. After 5 minutes, sprinkle another 2 Tbsp water, and stir fry until the eggplant is soft. Set it aside.

5. To a hot clean wok or saucepan, add 2 Tbsp Canola oil. Add garlic, ginger and the white part of the green onions. When fragrant, about 2 minutes, stir in pork. Cook until the meat turns opaque, about 5 minutes. Add the bean sauce and chicken broth. Bring it to a boil. Stir in the eggplant, lower the heat to low. Cover and simmer until the eggplant is just tender, about 7 to 10 minutes. Uncover, and stir in the remaining green onions. Transfer to a serving plate. Serve with white rice.

Cook's NoteSoaking the eggplant in salt water helps reduce bitterness, and also helps to reduce oil absorption.

This post is shared on Skywatch Friday and Image-in-ing.

8/11/13

Preserving summer's harvest, and a recipe

This weekend, we went to the garden to pick some more produce. Most of them - squash,  cucumbers, pole beans and tomatoes - are done for the season. The banana, Cayenne and Thai hot peppers are still flourishing. As are the corn and the Japanese eggplant. We were pleasantly surprised to find not one but two rabbits in the field. One was munching on the leaves of the Cayenne pepper, and were totally oblivious to us bystanders.
Leisurely munching away
Help yourself, dear bunny rabbit

Hot Cayenne pepper
Back at the marina, our buddies got busy canning tomato sauce and salsa, blackberry apples and delicious Georgia peaches. We didn't grow the latter, but they came from a farmstand near Dahlonega, Georgia.
Salsa, tomato sauce, blackberry apples, dried squash
beautiful Georgia peaches
Gorgeous and yummy canned peaches
Years ago, we used to patronize this Taiwanese restaurant in Boston Chinatown. One of our favorite dishes was the spicy pork and Poblano pepper. I've always wanted to create this dish, and recently found a recipe that is somewhat similar, and simple to make. Since we had harvested so many Jalapeno and Cayenne peppers, I used them in the recipe instead of Poblano. You can also add a green bell pepper to mix.
Ingredients for pork with Jalapeno peppers
Pork with Jalapeno peppers(豬肉片炒辣椒)

Pork with Jalapeno peppers (豬肉片炒辣椒)
[Print recipe]

¾ lb marbled pork, cut into thin slices (beef is a good substitute)
dash of rice wine or Sherry
salt and pepper to taste

2 Jalapenos, 4 Cayenne peppers, cut lengthwise, seeds removed.
4 green onions, cut into 2” strips
3 tablespoon Canola oil
4 tsp Kim Lan or Kikkoman soy sauce, 1 tsp Golden Mountain soy sauce
½ tsp sugar
½ tsp. rice vinegar
2 tsp sesame oil

Marinate pork slices with a dash of wine and salt and pepper.
In a small bowl, mix both soy sauce, sugar, rice vinegar, and sesame oil; set aside.

Heat a large, sturdy frying pan on medium for one minute. Add 2 tablespoon Canola oil. When the oil is hot, about 3 minutes, add the pork slices, and let it sear for a few minutes. Turn them over and cook until they turn golden. Remove pork from pan and set aside.

Wipe pan clean with a paper towel. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Stir in both peppers. After 1 minute, add the green onions. Cook until the pepper and the onions are soft, about 2-3 minutes, then add the pork back into the pan. Add in the seasonings, do a few quick stir and transfer to a serving plate. Delicious with plain white rice.

Cook's Note: To avoid choking and tearing, make sure your windows are open when you are cooking the peppers or cook outside if possible. When cutting and removing the seeds from the pepper, please use gloves. If you like it hot, by all means, leave the seeds in. You can use 1 brand of soy sauce. Just be aware that some are saltier than others. You can get the soy sauces from any Asian grocery stores. 

If you've tried this recipe, we'd love to hear what you think.

Updated: 9/14/21

This post is shared on Our World TuesdayImage-in-ing, and My Corner of the World.

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8/4/13

Exploring Vancouver, British Columbia

Our family reunion at Shuswap Lake last July ended on a sweet note, with a cherry picking outing at a u-pick farm in Kelowna. We then split and went our separate ways. I followed a sister and her family to Vancouver while the rest of the family stopped at Banff National Park on their way back to Calgary.

My last visit to Vancouver was thirteen years ago; incidentally, the occasion was also a family get together. I had wonderful memories of  Granville Market and Gastown, so they were the places I hit as soon as I got the chance. As someone who loves a good firework show, I regret missing the Celebration of Light fireworks festival (one of the world's most prestigious fireworks competition and this year's festival ended yesterday), but we were just too tired to brave the crowd at English Bay.
Looking at the Vancouver skyline from Lonsdale Quay
Gastown
I couldn't resist :-)
Signs at Granville Island

a
Granville Island, a bustling boating community
Vancouver is the quintessential cosmopolitan city, albeit a little more congested these days, but very pedestrian friendly. Not so friendly with the currency exchange rate. I was taken aback when I  purchased something, and learned that  the U.S. dollar was worth only 90 cents Canadian! (What have you done, Obama?) I was shocked and embarrassed. Today, I'm glad to report that the greenback has returned to a more normal rate; at last check, it's worth $1.04 Canadian.

I'm sure many will agree with me when I say Vancouver offers some of the best Chinese food outside of Hong Kong. From dim sum, seafood, baked goods to all sorts of Chinese delicacies, you can find just about anything here, and they are all superb! On the weekends during the summer months, you can hang out at the Chinatown Night Market, a vibrant outdoor market dotted with food vendors, shops and entertainment, similar to the ones you find in Asia. It's like a farmer's market, only it's at night, and instead of fresh produce, myriad vendors await to serve up some fabulous food. The varieties run the gamut from Malaysian to German. You will definitely enjoy the sights and the food in Vancouver.


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