Lunch at E Noodles and Co.

We had a lot of errands to run today. Knowing we would be finishing up one set of tasks in around lunch time, I googled 'Asian Restaurants in Myrtle Beach'. E Noodles and Co. popped to the top of the list of those with high reviews. But when we pulled in the empty parking lot and looked at the somewhat dated exterior, Bruce shot me one of those "Are you sure you want to eat here?" looks.  I figured, the outside needs some work but I am not here for ambiance, and the place got great reviews for their food, so what the heck, let's try it. 

 So glad we did! As we soon discovered, the food more than makes up for what the decor is lacking. The appetizers, noodle dishes, and entrees are an interesting combination of Chinese, Japanese and Thai foods. Bruce was pleased to discover that they have a wide variety of GF items . We had a chicken stuffed mushroom appetizer to share, I had Pad Thai noodles and BJ chose a Singapore Curry Noodle bowl. All three items were excellent. Our waiter was attentive and  friendly, and was very careful to make sure we were offered all the options that came with each dish. Our food arrived at our table quickly and was both hot and fresh. We couldn't have been more happy with the meal and the service.

So if you're in the neighborhood , do yourself a favor and stop. The staff are great and the food is really, really good.

For directions go to:  http://www.enoodlesco.com/

Black Porridge for Breakfast: 7 '16

Bruce had the funniest look on his face when I served him Korean Black Porridge for breakfast this morning. But once he tried it , he really liked this nutritious, nutty flavored  rice and black sesame dish.

Here's the recipe for Vegan Black Porridge:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup short grained rice 
• 1/3 cup roasted black sesame seeds ( you can also use white sesame but they are less nutritious than black seeds)
• 5 to 6 cups of water
• 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp Mirin* or honey ( I used Mirin* a sweeten rice wine vinegar available in the Asian section of many grocery stores)
• 1 tsp salt
• Optional honey or agave

Directions:

• Soak rice in water for 1 hour or more and drain.
• Rinse and drain sesame seeds. 
• When the rice is fully soaked, finely grind the rice with 1 C (out of 5) of water. Depending on the power of your blender, it may not come out fully smooth right away. If you see large rice chunks pulse the rice until it is evenly ground into a corn meal like consistency or finer. Set aside. 
• Finely grind the black sesame seeds in the blender, once ground blend the ground sesame withh 2 C of water.Instead of adding all of the water at once, start blending with less water (more like 1/2 to 1 C) and gradually add more.
• Mix the blended rice and black sesame seeds in a pot. (NOTE: because I blended my rice and sesame mixture really finely, I just cooked everything together directly in the pot. If your blended mixture is coarse, you may want to separate the solid rice and sesame bits and their liquid by straining. Mix and cook the two liquids first (just for 2 min) and then add the solid rice and sesame bits later).
• Turn on the heat to medium high and keep stirring until it starts to boil. Stir in the Mirin , the sesame oil and the remaining 2~3 C of water as it cooks. Cook at low heat for 10-15 min. Make sure you continue to stir (I used a wooden spoon) to prevent any rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Consistency will be similar to a thick pudding. If you like yours to be a little more thin, add more water (up to 1 C - totaling 6 cups) . 
• Season with salt (1 tsp) to cook's taste, or you can just serve the porridge with the salt on the side for each to add to their individual taste.  ( Note Do NOT add salt early on while it’s cooking as salt can solved the rice making it mushy.) 
• Garnish with some toasted sliced almonds or pine nuts and of course, sesame seeds. 
• Optionally, you can add agave or honey or serve it on the side!

Spanish Patatas for Lunch: 7 '16

Lunch today was another Spanish dish called 'Patatas' which we adapted to be Gluten Free from one of our non-GF cookbooks.  

Ingredients:

1 large boiling potato per person peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
1 beaten egg for 2 potato used
1/2 c cornstarch per 2 potatoes
1/2. c dried GF bread crumbs per 2 potatoes ( depending on what you are using as bread crumbs you could need more)
1/2 ts salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder
3 tbsp peanut oil ( or olive or avocado oil if you prefer)
1 cup of chicken or vegetable stock for each potato used
1 heaping tablespoon finely diced garlic ( fresh or store-bought)
Juice of 1 lemon ( about 2 tablespoons)
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 chopped green onions
Optional 1  large fresh egg per person (for additional protein)

Directions:

• Put  beaten egg in a  small bowl
• Mix cornstarch, salt pepper, onion powder, and breadcrumbs in another bowl.
• Dip each round of potato in the egg, then into the flour bread crumb mixture coating each side thoroughly.  Put each breaded  piece aside  on a paper towel until all slices are coated.
• Heat the oil in a frying pan large enough to let each slice of potato touch the bottom of the pan.
• Fry the slices for about three minutes on each side until both sides are golden brown.
• Add the garlic and half the parsley and onions to the pan.
• Add the broth making sure to push the potatoes back into the fluid.
• Add the lemon juice
• Let simmer uncovered  on medium low heat for 30 minutes
• Optional: During the last ten minutes scoop small hollows between the  potatoes and drop in an egg. Let it poach for 10 minutes or until the yolk has set but is not solid.
• Sprinkle with the remaining fresh parsley and spring onions and serve immediately.

Spicy Spanish Clam Stew with Chorizo: 7 '16

Bruce is becoming quite an accomplished chef.  For dinner tonight,  he served a delicious Spicy Spanish Clam Stew  made with Garlic, Tomatoes, Potatoes, and Chorizo ( and a lot of herbs from our garden).   To die for!

Home made Ethiopian Feast: 7 '16

CC just couldn't resist trying her hand at making Ethiopian Food.

  For dinner tonight, we had:

• Doro Wot (Red Chicken Stew): One of the most popular dish of Ethiopia
• Alicha : Red split lentils cooked with garlic, onions, green pepper, ginger root, oil, seasoned w/ turmeric & other tasty herbs and spices. Mild
• Kik Alicha:  Yellow split peas cooked with garlic, onions, green pepper, & ginger root, seasoned w/ tasty herbs and; spices. Mild. 
• Gomen: Collard greens cooked with onions, garlic, ginger root,  well-seasoned with herbs and spices, but not enough to cover the greens’ flavor. 
• Atkilt Alicha : Potatoes, and; carrots stewed with ginger root,and garlic, then seasoned with tasty herbs and spices. Mild. 
• All served on Injera: a thin sourdough Teff grain crepe that is used to pick up and eat the items with.

The Injera recipe could use a bit of tweaking.  They came out a bit denser than the ones we were served in the Ethiopian restaurant last month.  But all things considered, everything tasted really good.

Korean Kimchi Hot Pot for Dinner: 7 ' 16

This is a quick main dish which is great when you have a lot of left over kimchi and / or cabbage needing to be used. We had both so it made a quick and easy meal to prepare  while waiting for the DNC to begin this evening. 

Korean Kimchi Hot Pot.

Ingredients
4 ounces of pork cut in chunks ( I used a small pork loin roll) *
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon of Korean Gochujan chili paste (may be omitted if you prefer a milder hot pot)
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup Daikon radish cut in small cubes ( optional)
2 cups fresh Napa Cabbage cut into bite sized pieces
1 cup kimchee (any brand) cut into bite size pieces
4 oz of firm tofu cut into bite size pieces
1 to 2 cups of water
 2 green scallions and 1 tsp sesame seed for garnish
* Vegans may prefer to double the amount of tofu used and eliminate the pork

Directions:

• Heat a 3 quart non-stick pot  to medium heat on stove top
• Add the sesame oil, and pork and stir until pork is lightly cooked on all sides.
• Add chili paste, onions and garlic, continue stirring over medium heat until onions are softened.
• Put the white stems of the fresh cabbage  and the radish into the pot ( reserving the softer cabbage leaves).
• Add the kimchi and kimchi juice and enough water to make about 2 cups of fluid in the pot.  Cover and let simmer for 15 minutes .
• Add remaining soft cabbage leaves and tofu. Cover and let simmer for an additional 15 minutes.
• Serve into bowls and garnish with scallions and sesame seed

This dish can be eaten alone or with a small side of steamed rice.

Home Made Merguez Sausages: 7 '16

Last year, my neighbor, Marie Paule LeClerc, introduced me to her spicy home made lamb sausages called Merguez. We fell instantly in love with  these North African lamb (and / or  beef) sausages. They are are loaded with spicy and earthy flavors, making them one of the tastiest sausages around.  

We made them for dinner tonight accompanied by a citrus flavored couscous, and a fennel olive arugula salad on the side.

The price of all that wonderful  flavor is that it takes a significant amount of time to get all the spices measured, roasted, ground, and mixed in with the meat. Once the seasonings have blended with the meat, the cooking time is insignificant. Knowing this, we decided to quadruple the ingredients. ( Told ya we really liked this stuff.)  Whatever sausage mix was left over from this evening's  meal was formed into uncooked kabobs, patties, and sausage links, which were  then shrink wrapped and frozen for future use.

If you'd like to try making your own Merguez, I  recommend you get all of the ingredients assembled in advance.  Also, unless you really love hot foods,  you may also want to taste the Harissa before you add the full amount called for.  It can be too strong for those who do not like hot pepper tastes.   Bon Appetit!

Here's the link to the  recipe I followed:

http://moroccanfood.about.com/od/beeflambandgoatrecipes/r/Merguez-Sausage-Recipe.htm

Staying Young Together, Dinner at Rustic Table:: 7 16

We ended our  date night  with a delicious  Southern meal at the Rustic Table in Pawleys Island,  Bruce raved to the waitress about  how creamy the grits were  The next thing we knew, the chef was at our table giving us a lesson on how he  prepares stone ground grits.  What a treat.   We can't wait to try his technique at home.

Staying Young Together, SAG Open House: 7 '16

Had a nice visit with our many artist friends at the Seacoast Artists Gallery Open House this evening.. Light hors d'oeuvres,, wine, and soda were being served, and Jef Sturm was demonstrating his artistic skills by creating a new work of art during the Open House.

Staying young together, Star Trek movie 7 "16

Star Trek Beyond is not the best of the Star Trek movies produced and it is not  the worst.. The special effects  and aliens were not as creative  as they have been in some of the series  other movies, but the action scenes were exciting enough to keep me involved.  Having met most of the cast  in two previous films , I found  myself more familiar with  their characters and more  emotionally invested in this cast's survival.  than I had been in their previous  two film.  Perhaps it is just that the female cast member's were finally given  their fair share of kick-ass roles, but  the characters seemed more believable in this movie , and there was more interpersonal  humor in their interactions. While it might not be your favorite  Star Trek movie, it definitely deserves the loyalty of  all Trekies.

B'stilla,food for a royal feast 7 '16

The traditional b'stilla is an chicken and almond pie wrapped in golden paper-thin phyllo pastry leaves. It was once of the favorite dish of Moroccan royalty. Today, the dish is the national dish of the city of Fes in Morocco, and is served as a starter at the beginning of special meals.

Like all Moroccan cooking spices play a big part in this elaborate recipe, and to properly blend the seasonings it is best to start preparing the filling the day before the dish is to be served. It is possible to make this dish as individual servings of B'stillas, but since the process is involved, I opted to make one big pie.

For those who have the time and desire, here's the recipe:
http://www.feastmagazine.com/cook/main_courses/article_0584e0f6-886d-11e3-9169-001a4bcf6878.html

Kat on the Bed: 7 '16

I'm allergic to cat dander so Ms. Kat is not allowed on the furniture. She follows the rules  when we're  at home, but  she loves to sleep on our bed  when we're not home;  apparently it makes her feel safe.

 Rather than locking her out of the room, I decided to compromise a bit

 by putting  a white towel down to catch the cat hair.

Notice where she is choosing to sleep  each day?

Apparently she is not in a mood to compromise.

Visiting With the Neighbors, Green Tree Frog: 7 ' 16

We've met this gal before.  Ms. Tree Frog  likes to sit on our storm door and  tease Ms. Kat while shes waiting for her lunch to fly by.

Visiting with the neighbors: A Baby Anole 7 '16

Do you like babies?

  We do!

This tiny baby Green Anole was taking a stroll through our herb garden this morning.

Look how small his head is compared to a single parsley leaf.

His body was no wider than a blade of   garlic chive

So cute. 

Visiting with the Neighbors, Imperial Moth 7 '16

Bruce spotted this Imperial Moth on the wall next to the Food Lion entrance. It's one is one of our biggest moths and also among the most spectacular, bright yellow with large purplish-brown patches and speckled with smudgy black spots.

For more about the species see: http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/bfly/moth2/imperial_moth.htm

Secret Lives of Pets 7 '16

We saw "The Secret Lives of Pets" yesterday. It is a cute summer flick with such an endless variety of zany animal characters, I found it hard to decide who the stars were. If I had to pick it would come down to a toss between:

Gidget, ( Jenny Slate) the love-sick Pomeranian, with black ops training,

and

Snowball (Kevin Hart), a cute and very psychotic bunny who detests any “scent of domestication” and heads up an underground movement to take down mankind.

Staying Young Together - Ethiopian Lunch Date: 7 '16

We often set aside  Sunday afternoons for some sort of local adventure, so  today's lunch date was already built into  both our schedules.  However, the specifics for today's outing only began to formulate last night after watching an Anthony Bordain "Parts Unknown" TV show about Ethiopia. The food shown in the show fit right in with the North African theme meals we have been eating all week long. We decided, if there is an Ethiopian restaurant in the area, we would have lunch there.  It turns out there is one in Myrtle Beach.  (And as far as we can tell, it may well be the only Ethiopian Restaurant in all of South Carolina.)

Redi-et is a small, not too fancy, family run place in the older business section of Main Street. The place is clean, and the service was fast and friendly when we walked in. Initially, we were the only customers there, so we had our choice of seating from its twelve tables. (Another family did come in just as we were leaving).

We could tell from the decor, and the lack of customers, that this was not going to be a five star dining experience. Redi-et is a no-frills spot. Sparsely furnished, with lots of odd green and red colored curtains, the restaurant has the kind of look that might make some diners wonder if they should stick around. We’d say yes. What Redi-et lacked in décor it definitely makes up for on the plate. 

Since BJ and I  were both looking forward to trying some authentic Ethiopian food, we ordered a platter with several traditional items to share. We  had:

• Beg Kei Wat: Tender lamb meat stewed with onion, garlic, ginger root, spiced butter & red chili pepper powder (Berbere). Hot*. 
• Misir Alicha : Red split lentils cooked with garlic, onions, green pepper, ginger root, oil, seasoned w/ turmeric & other tasty herbs and spices. Mild
• Kik Alicha:  Yellow split peas cooked with garlic, onions, green pepper, & ginger root, seasoned w/ tasty herbs and; spices. Mild. 
• Gomen: Collard greens cooked with onions, garlic, ginger root,  well-seasoned with herbs and spices, but not enough to cover the greens’ flavor. 
• Atkilt Alicha : Potatoes, and; carrots stewed with ginger root,and garlic, then seasoned with tasty herbs and spices. Mild. 
• Ensalata: Fresh lettuce, tomato, onion salad, tossed with  home-made dressing. Served cold. Mild
• All served on Injera: a thin sourdough Teff grain crepe that is used to pick up and eat the items with.

All of the items were very fresh and all were delicious.  We were however, disappointed in the lack of heat in the Berbere seasoned lamb.  For a dish that was listed as "HOT", it seemed milder than many of the dishes we regularly eat at home.  After talking to the waitress, we found out that the chef had  decided to deliberately lower the heat on our dish when he prepared it.  It seems that in his experience, Southerners don't like spicy food. Live and learn.  Next time we go to an unfamiliar ethnic restaurant,  we'll know to tell the waitress  that that we really like hot  spicy food.

Shakshuka : 7 '16

All week long we have been eating dishes prepared from Recipes in one or the other of CCs two favorite middle eastern cookbooks:

 Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi, and Plenty by Sami Tamimi,

This morning's breakfast was a North African ( Tunisian) egg and tomato dish called Shakasuka whose spiciness is sure to get your heart pumping.

I used the recipe in Jerusalem which called for 2 tablespoons of a pre-made spicy garlic chili paste called Pilpelchuma or Harissa. Having made, and used,  this paste earlier in the week, I knew 2 tablespoons would be too fiery for our American palates, so I cut the Pilpelchuma paste down to 1 heaping teaspoon (which still infused a lot of heat.)

Since most of you won't have Harissa or Pilpelchuma paste in your pantry, I am providing a similar Kosher recipe from Tori Avery's blog post about the Dr Shakshuka Restaurant in Jaffa which lists out all the individual spices used rather than calling for Harissa or Pilpelchuma paste.

Shakshuka  

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 medium brown or white onion, peeled and diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 medium green or red bell pepper, chopped
• 4 cups ripe diced tomatoes, or 2 cans (14 oz. each) diced tomatoes
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp chili powder (mild)
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• Pinch of cayenne pepper (or more to taste-- spicy!)
• Pinch of sugar (optional, to taste)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 5-6 eggs
• 1/2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley (optional, for garnish)
• Note  added a heaping tablespoon of Greek Yogurt which helps  to balance the spiciness

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Total Time: 30 Minutes

Servings: 5-6

Heat a deep, large skillet or sauté pan on medium. Slowly warm olive oil in the pan. Add chopped onion, sauté for a few minutes until the onion begins to soften. Add garlic and continue to sauté till mixture is fragrant.

Add the bell pepper, sauté for 5-7 minutes over medium until softened.


Add tomatoes and tomato paste to pan, stir till blended. Add spices and sugar, stir well, and allow mixture to simmer over medium heat for 5-7 minutes till it starts to reduce.

At this point, you can taste the mixture and spice it according to your preferences. Add salt and pepper to taste, more sugar for a sweeter sauce, or more cayenne pepper for a spicier shakshuka (be careful with the cayenne... it is extremely spicy!).


Crack the eggs, one at a time, directly over the tomato mixture, making sure to space them evenly over the sauce. I usually place 4-5 eggs around the outer edge and 1 in the center. The eggs will cook "over easy" style on top of the tomato sauce.

Cover the pan. Allow mixture to simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the eggs are cooked and the sauce has slightly reduced. Keep an eye on the skillet to make sure that the sauce doesn't reduce too much, which can lead to burning. Some people prefer their shakshuka eggs more runny. If this is your preference, let the sauce reduce for a few minutes before cracking the eggs on top-- then, cover the pan and cook the eggs to taste.

Garnish with the chopped parsley, if desired. Shakshuka can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. For breakfast, serve with warm crusty bread or pita that can be dipped into the sauce (if you’re gluten-intolerant or celebrating Passover, skip the bread). For dinner, serve with a green side salad for a light, easy meal.

See Tori Avery's full post at:
http://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/2010/07/summer-2010-travel-blog-shakshuka/#8Ks7mfPLXZy57tLR.99

Visiting with the neighbors, Horseshoe Crab: 7 '16

Bruce, Stinky, and I were taking our morning  walk around the plantation  when we spotted the largest horseshoe crab we have ever seen in the Pawleys Island salt water marsh .  Look at the size of this behemoth compared to the liter size plastic bottle caught in the cord grass near it.

Seafood Dinner: 7 '16

 I told Bruce we were having seafood for dinner tonight.  You should have seen the look on his face when I served him octopus.  I don't think that is quite what he had in mind.

Breakfast Time: 7'16

With so much of their habitat destroyed, we have seen an increase in hungry squirrels waiting for the seed  the birds drop from the feeder.  Bruce decided to take pity on them this morning and threw some extra seed on the ground for the squirrels.  As soon as BJ left, KAT planted herself  next to the seed.  Guess she was hungry for breakfast too.

Fourth of July, Salute from the Shore: 7 '16

This year marked the 7th annual Fourth of July "Salute from the Shore". The Salute is a military flyover by military aircraft of the entire length of South Carolina’s coast.

Those two little black dots  in front of the cloud are the F16s

Two F 16s lead the Fly-by. Truth be told, the jets were easier to hear than see, and they were gone from view almost as fast as they appeared.

But patience prevailed, and we were soon rewarded with a string of vintage aircraft that were more impressive as they flew a lot closer to the ground and a lot slower than the jets.

While the fly-over can be viewed from the beach, it is often difficult to find beach-side parking on a holiday.  We opted to join with friends, neighbors, and their families to watch the event from the Pawleys Plantation causeway to the thirteenth green.

Causeway Repair Nearing Completion: 7 '16

It looks like the repairs to sinkhole on the causeway to the 13th green

 are nearing completion.

Bruce tells me they fixed the problem of the collapsing dyke, by digging a deep hole behind the old existing pilings, and driving some new ones into the soil behind the old dyke.  This lifted enough of the pressure off of the old timbers that the soil could be refilled to its original level. Note however the timbers of old  dyke now jut out about four  feet past where they originally stood.  What can I say ITS ( Its the South).

Yesterday they were working on replacing the stairs to raised  grass.  Once that is completed, all that will  remain is to put down some new sod.

Myrtle Beach Board Walk 7 '16

Boardwalk looking South at The Sky Wheel

Bruce and I were in Myrtle Beach  today, running some errands.  When our work was done, we decided to  take a stroll on the Myrtle Beach Board Walk.

Boardwalk Arcade Section

To our surprise, the Board walk, its arcades, and even its  food concession stands were relatively empty.

Very scarce shade near the band stand

That's because the air temp was in the upper 90's  and unless one could find some  shade, the reflected heat bouncing off of the walkway was well over 100 degrees.

Looking South

What was not empty was the beach.  With water temps in the mid 80s, and free beach chairs and umbrellas for hotel guests, The Grand Strand was wall to wall people as far as one can see in both directions.

Looking North