Today's Adventures

[ysabetwordsmith]

We up to visit my parents today, and had a lot of fun.  We stopped at Harvest Market on the way up and got some blue cheese hamburgers.  I'm not actually a fan of blue cheese, but I do like trying new things.  It's more of a cream cheese flavor, and thus agreeable.  We also went to Home Depot.  Special thanks to the folks who recommended a mold-killing product for our back bathroom; we found something that should kill mold, mildew, and bacteria.  \o/  They also had a moisture-absorbing packet and quite a nice selection of carpet sprinkles, which we also bought.

For supper we went to Red Lobster.  It's Lobsterfest right now, so by all means catch it if you can.  I got the Lobster Truffle Macaroni and Cheese, which is delicious.  You can actually taste the cheese, garlic, truffle, and lobster all distinctly.  Most highly recommended.  Doug recommends the New Orleans Salmon with Cajun spices.  We were too full for dessert, so decided to stop in Champaign for that.  This is a good thing. 

Afterwards, we stopped at Paris Super for dessert.  This place makes crepes and Thai ice cream.  It was mind-blowing.  This is the kind where they spread the batter on a coldplate and scrape it into curls.  Eventually.  It starts with fresh whole ingredients, which I wasn't expecting, and the performance was $6 worth of entertainment before we even got the ice cream.  You get to pick toppings, but they weren't what I expected either.  The graham crackers were in sections, not crushed.  The pocky sticks were whole too.  Someone else ordered the marshmallow that was not the fluff I expected, but a whole marshmallow that the cook pulled out a blowtorch to crisp.  So I will be ordering that another time!  The whole toppings are then used to create little miniature sculptures, very artistic, instead of just dumping piles of things over ice cream.  I continue to be impressed by the way Asian cultures take a slapped-together piece of junk food and turn it into edible art. 

And then it was delicious ice cream, too.  We got the banana nutella flavor this time.  (I am curious about the taro.  They have freaking durian too, but I'm not touching that.)  We will assuredly go back for more.  I did note that this ice cream is very stiff at first, difficult to cut with a plastic spoon and get out of the bowl.  It was still good, but after a few minutes it softened to a more normal consistency, which I liked better.  If you don't care for stiff ice cream, just wait a bit, it'll melt down to something more malleable.  Most highly recommended.

Now thoroughly stuffed, we wandered around campustown for a few minutes browsing other restaurants.  There are many new ones added recently, and it's been a while since we walked through there.  We have about half a dozen we want to try.  Several had things I've only ever read about, like grass jelly.  There's a lychee smoothie that I covet, as lychee is a favorite fruit.

All in all, it was a most gratifying day!

Comments

[gatheringrivers]

...we found something that should kill mold, mildew, and bacteria...

What did you end up getting, and have you used it yet? I'll probably need something like that in the near future.

Re: Marshmallows - "Back in the day" (when I was MUCH younger) I always thought the best part about marshmallows on campfires was lighting the little buggers up like a torch, then blowing it out and chowing down on melted goo. :) It seems marshmallows are one of the few things I like to eat once it's been crispy-burned. :)

[technoshaman]

I will admit to being a purist about marshmallows, and taking *forEVer* to get that perfect golden brown ....

(Oh, a culinary torch is a VERY cool piece of kit! Creme brulee, cherries jubilee, bananas foster... and a nice steady flame for toasting marshmallows.)

Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Same here. I look for coals, not flame, because I want the outside bubbly and golden, not black. For some freak reason, charcoal tends to upset my stomach rather than soothe it.

Re: Yes ...

[technoshaman]

For some freak reason, charcoal tends to upset my stomach rather than soothe it.

I have the same problem with cannabis. :(

Re: Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

That sucks. Be a little careful with catnip, because it's got some overlap there.

From Marjoram's stock of first aid teas, that Nebuly finds very helpful:

Gypsy Moon Tea
12 parts chamomile flowers
8 parts lemon balm
4 parts catnip
4 parts marjoram
4 parts passionflower
1 part American ginseng
1 part hop flowers
1 part St. John's wort
1 part valerian root

Peaceful Evening
This tea has a light, floral flavor with green and grassy undertones. It is soothing but not soporific -- good for unwinding after work or as a very mild sleep aid.
6 parts linden flowers
3 parts sweet marjoram
2 parts cornflower petals
2 parts elder flowers
2 parts lotus petals
2 parts mimosa flowers
2 parts red clover flowers
1 part bergamot
1 part catnip
1 part chamomile

Melodious Mood
This tea has a sweet floral flavor with a little spice. A combination of uplifting, soothing, and adaptogenic herbs buffer the mood.
4 parts oatstraw
3 parts lemon balm
2 parts rose petals
2 parts hibiscus
2 parts lavender
1 part jasmine white tea
1 part holy basil
1 part milk thistle

Re: Yes ...

[gatheringrivers]

RECIPES!!!!

Thank you! I'll have to order in a few more things to my larder but I definitely appreciate some options. :)

....also, didn't know Catnip has cannabis effects? Pity I can't get a buzz off catnip tea... o.O

Re: Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> RECIPES!!!! <<

Marjoram is a recurring character in the Officer Pink thread. Search for her name on that page, and I think I posted more of her recipes. I have a bunch that I haven't even posted yet. Once I got a peek at a couple of hers, I started looking closer. She popped open her book for me -- it's no competition in a different dimension -- and I copied down what I could, then cross-referenced it against sources about medicinal herbs. They look like damn fine recipes to me: similar to what we have here, but often with very clever refinements.

>> Thank you! I'll have to order in a few more things to my larder but I definitely appreciate some options. :) <<

*bow, flourish* Happy to be of service. I write for Llewellyn's Herbal Almanac so this is familiar territory for me.

>> ....also, didn't know Catnip has cannabis effects? Pity I can't get a buzz off catnip tea... o.O <<

Catnip has a few of the same chemical compounds as cannabis. For most humans, it is just mildly soothing. For many cats, it is quite recreational. A few humans seem to get some of this effect. It's usually a mellow buzz, rarely more.

[gatheringrivers]

a culinary torch is a VERY cool piece of kit!

Less so when it's butane-fueled, more so when it's...MAP? gas.

Weirdly, I can taste the butane, and it's not pleasant for me. I'd rather light something on fire than use a butane torch.

Hmm ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Now I'm even more curious. I like the smoke flavor of a campfire. It's possible that I could taste butane. I'll try and remember to search for it when I get the marshmallow.

Huh. I wonder. Years ago, we had an experience with truly terrible duck. It had obviously been cooked too fast by a desperately rushing restaurant. I said, "It tastes like lighter fluid." It really did. So now I suddenly wonder if someone literally took a kitchen torch to it.

Re: Hmm ...

[gatheringrivers]

I would say it's very likely. That nasty butane flavor is part of the reason I started requesting the torched items to be put under a salamander instead and that I was ok with whatever extra delay that entailed. :)

We did find MAPP gas at the DIY store - if you want to experiment with it yourself, start there. $40-ish I think? We tried to make some sugar-coated ham last spring. As far as the flame of choice goes, it was a rousing success. Happily will do that again. :) I've just never watched the fancy ham people do it in person, so the results weren't as "picture pretty" as I would have liked. :)

Re: Hmm ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> I would say it's very likely. <<

Maybe someday I'll find out.

>> That nasty butane flavor is part of the reason I started requesting the torched items to be put under a salamander instead and that I was ok with whatever extra delay that entailed. :) <<

Fascinating piece of equipment, thanks for sharing.

Re: Hmm ...

[gatheringrivers]

You're welcome! :)

[technoshaman]

Hmmm. And a MAPP torch would be (a) hotter and (b) easier to refuel; just change the cartridge/bottle instead of fussing with nozzle adapters...

Thank you!

[gatheringrivers]

You're welcome! As I mentioned in a different reply (wasn't directly to you so I don't know if you see that), check your local DIY store for MAPP stuff. I think our box ran around $40 maybe? We still have some of the cartridge contents left after haphazardly flaming a couple bone-in hams, so I don't know how much flame time you get out of a cartridge.

[mercybuckets]

Sounds delicious!

My fav rolled ice cream combinations are matcha ice cream with fresh strawberries or black sesame with condensed milk!

[technoshaman]

I like cherry cheesecake. cheesecake flavoured ice cream (I don't know how they do that), cherry pie filling, crushed graham crackers.

And I LOVE the cross-lingual pun that is your username! :)

Well ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

They have a cheesecake flavor that we'll probably want to try.

To make cheesecake ice cream, you can:

1) Combine the recipes for cheesecake batter and ice cream batter, then freeze it.

2) Drop chunks of cheesecake into ice cream batter.

Re: Well ...

[technoshaman]

I'm guessing 1) probably gives you a better texture. 2) is how cookie dough ice cream is made... which is fine, but you know you're getting chunky. Cheesecake wants to be creamy... and straight-up frozen cheesecake is chunky and crumbly. Probably not what you want.

Re: Well ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Since I watched them put whole chunks of things into almost every recipe, and cut them up with spatula knives to create a smooth blend, that's my first guess at this establishment. Were I making it at home, I'd probably use the smooth batter version.

Hmm ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

I do like green tea ice cream, and yes, strawberries are available as topping. They have a matcha on the menu. :D

But next up, Doug wants to try the caramel, so I'm thinking oreo ice cream for that; and I really want to try the fruit ice creams after that.

Re: Hmm ...

[technoshaman]

from a "traditional" standpoint, give me a scoop of really good strawberry or peach and a scoop of butter pecan...


oooooh. hard-serve banana split: A scoop each of strawberry, butter pecan, peach, with ... hmmm. Some combination of strawberry, cherry, caramel, dark chocolate syrups... or maybe orange over the peach... ooh, orange might go with butter pecan, too; I have a favourite pancake house that serves a Georgia Pecan waffle with a citrus syrup... Oh, Em, Gee...

[paynesgrey]

Glad you had a great day! <3