dirty thai stir-fry // houghton, wa.

continuing with asian cuisine, today we have a quick & easy thai dish.

- slice to your liking: red bell pepper, red onion, crimini mushrooms.

- mince garlic and ginger, combine with peanut butter, soy sauce,

crushed red pepper, black pepper. shake in a closed container.

- sautee on high heat in skillet, stirring occasionally. towards the

end throw in soy peanut mixture and toss till combined.

- for a healthy and earthy touch, serve atop a brown rice blend.

- garnish with fresh basil and bean sprouts.

- meditate on the beauty of buddha as you enjoy good health.

indo-indian eggplant // redmond, wa.

i really really love indian and southeast asian cuisine. feeling a

bit inspired the other day, i embarked upon a journey of culinary

discovery. please light up some incense and behold:

indo-indian eggplant (with brown rice and naan triangles)

- par-bake 1 eggplant, cubed, salted, sweated, and drained.

- dice 3 cloves garlic and 1/2 a yellow onion, sautee with olive and

canola oil. toast black pepper, paprika, and curry powder in the pan

with the aromatics.

- dice 3 large organic tomatoes while you wait for the heavenly smell

to fill the kitchen.

- cook the rice a bit ahead of time, it can wait covered to the side.

- toss the par-baked eggplant into the pan and let it achieve a golden

brown. in fact, let the edges blacken a bit.

- toss in tomatoes and let it all cook and caramelize slightly. lower heat.

- stir in one can of coconut milk and combine to a saucy consistency.

- stir in chopped basil and cilantro, salt & pepper to taste.

- plate on top of brown rice and garnish with Naan bread triangles.

- garnish further with fresh basil and cilantro for a fresh bite.

- enjoy in the late evening, as the sun sets on a warm day.

peugeot salt & pepper grinders // france

I was reassembling my kitchen when I realized I had no black pepper.

This of course is a necessity for any culinary enthusiast, and I'm trying to

eat out less and cook more at home. I splurged a bit and sprang for a set

of Peugeot grinders. I'm very happen with them. They give a pretty fine

grind. I'm usually a fan of a coarse grind but the way they feel is smooth

and solid to say the least. I'll probably have them for life so I'm happy I

made the nominal investment. Thank you Sur La Table for the courteous

& cute salesgirl. She offered me coffee before I left. I declined, letting her

know I was a tea drinker. She said "there's always room for growth," I

laughed and realized at once I should have taken her up on the offer...