Baltimore

We are really getting very close to the end of our American adventure now with little over a week to go. With this in mind we have been trying to get back out there to see a little more of this vast land before our forthcoming departure. 

The only thing is the weather was mostly not on our side. On the first day of Spring we had a snowstorm and the average temperature was around 5° C. This lead us to sadly postpone and eventually cancel our Niagara Falls and Lakes district road trip.

The first time we postponed the trip we dropped in for a last minute visit to my sister's house in DC. On the way back home we stopped off at Baltimore in the late afternoon. We went straight to historic Fell's Point after reading some descriptions on Tripadvisor on the way there. I made Tim park about 5 or 6 blocks away in a panic that there wouldn't be parking closer. True, there were closer spots but where we parked was free and the other spots weren't so he didn't complain about it.

 

We arrived at a bit of an awkward hour, around 3 or 4 pm onto South Broadway. I was sad that the Broadway Markets were closed on Sundays and I hoped that there would be other things that were open. Walking on, we found the quirky little Cafe Latte'da which had some nice cappuccinos. 

With our coffee in hand we walked down the increasingly pretty street on towards the harbour. It has a very UK vibe to the place, which reminded me somewhat of St. Andrews in Scotland but with wider streets and a striking lack of Gothic architecture and highlands. 

I was already happy to have come to such a cute little place and that was before I found the boutique Poppy & Stella. Just as a little side story I got it into my head that I needed to buy certain wardrobe staples before I head back to Australia but I never seem to find the perfect white blouse. And voilà! I found one at this shop as well as a cute little bag. Oh happy days for me ☺

So after triumphantly strutting out of the shop with my coveted loot in hand, we just meandered around some more. It's honestly a nice place to just stroll, shop, eat and drink. We decided that we actually could do with another coffee, and lucky we did because the The Daily Grind was more than decent enough, it was quite enjoyable actually. Sitting outside was also a great place for people watching. Although about 50% had to have been dog watching as that was what the ratio was closer to. The inside of this café was also cute with a bit of an Italian alley / piazza vibe going on. 

After all the coffee we were a little peckish and decided to try the highly rated Tapas Adela for a some delicious Spanish fare. While on the pricey side of things this restaurant was lovely. We sat at the window with a great view of the water and the street. The Sangria was very nice and so were the tapas. All in all a great half day stop!

Marinated Pork Tenderloin With Asian Greens

This was one of the best things I've ever cooked, or so Tim thought!
It's super easy to prepare, but bursting with delicious flavours. 
This recipe can be easily adapted based on your taste or what you have on hand! That is what I did myself actually. The original recipe that I drew my inspiration from can be found here. But I think mine turned out better ;-)

Marinated Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients

1 medium sized pork tenderloin

1 small bunch shallots, sliced (half for marinade, half for serving)

1 bunch fresh coriander, chopped (half for marinade, half for serving)

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup coconut oil, warmed (or other oil as preferred)

2 tablespoons Zhenjian Black Chinese Vinegar

2 tablespoons chilli garlic sauce (or preferred spicy sauce)

1 tablespoon cracked black pepper

2 tablespoons brown sugar

Method

1. Trim excess fat from pork.

2. In large plastic ziploc bag mix all the other ingredients together, reserving half the shallots and corriander for serving. Mix well.

3. Place whole pork tenderloin in bag and seal. Let marinade in the fridge for 8 hours or overnight for best results (I have done it for as little as 2 hours). Turn occasionally so as to coat both sides. Do not worry if coconut oil clumps, it will melt in oven. 

4. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

5. Once heated, place pork on a greased pan together will all the marinade and cook for approximately 35 minutes, so that it does not bleed when poked with a knife. 

6. Let rest outside of the oven for approximately 10 minutes.

7. Slice the pork into thin slices, served drizzled with the pan juices and topped with fresh chopped shallots and coriander. 

We serve it on a bed of rice with a side of delicious Asian Greens.

Quick Asian Greens

Ingredients 

1 bunch bok choy (or preferred Asian greens)

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon chilli garlic sauce

1 tablespoon coconut oil (or preferred oil)

Method

1. Wash and dry bok choy thoroughly, chop in half lengthways.

2. Heat oil in a large fry pan or wok. Sauté the garlic and ginger for 1 minute, or until fragrant. 

3. Add the bok choy, soy sauce and chilli garlic sauce to the pan. 

4. Mix thoroughly until combined and cook until vegetables are just wilted but still have some 'bite'.

Serve and enjoy!

Lychee Beef Stir Fry

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I love it when you get a good idea and you just know it is going to work. Sometimes I get these little stokes of creativity and I just HAVE to do them.

This is what happened with this recipe. I was looking through the pantry cupboard and saw a can of lychees that I had bought at the Asian supermarket in Philly with my sister. I had a can just like this one in Sydney that I had purchased on impulse but never gotten around to using. I was always hopeful about it though. I guess that is what compelled me to buy a can to replace that one I had to give away when I came to the USA.

So there it was sitting in my cupboard minding its own business when I spotted it and suddenly BAM! I had an idea. Now it's happened to me before that I come up with what I think is a great idea except that when I tell someone about it, it turns out that it is already a 'thing'. An idea is no good if it's already spread around this internet thingy. So I got smart about it and googled it. Can you believe that there was nothing like it! This did deter me momentarily as I wondered why no one else had done it or at least shared it, maybe the flavours wouldn't work together? But then I just knew it would be delicious and so that is how this recipe came to be. 

So here it is for you to enjoy!

Recipe: Lychee Beef Stir Fry

Ingredients

250 grams beef mince

6-8 small shallots

2 garlic cloves

1 yellow capsicum (any colour is ok, this is what I had in the fridge ;-)

1 can of baby corn, fresh is good too

1/2 a can of lychees, drained. If fresh peel and de-seeded.

1/2 - 1 tablespoon of ginger

1 small fresh chilli (optional)

1 lime
1 small bunch of coriander, leaves only, chopped

1 tablespoon of oil

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Salt 

Method

Wash and finely dice the shallots, discarding the roots and the top floppy green part.

Peel the garlic discarding the tops and ends, and slice finely.

Wash and finely dice the capsicum, discarding the tops, seeds and white pith.

                               

Open the canned baby corn,discard liquid, rinse and chop into bite sized pieces. 

                  

 

 Open the canned lychee, separate and keep the liquid (it's delicious and can be used in many recipes) and put aside the reaming of the fruit for future use. Shred lychees using a knife or your hands.

Peel and finely slice the ginger.

Finely slice the chili

 In a large fry pan or wok heat the oil. Once heated add the capsicum and allow to softened, about 1-2 minutes. Then stir in the half the shallots, garlic, ginger allow to soften and steam for approx 1 minute.

                 

    

At this point, add the minced beef. Break up and stir fry the meat.

Add the cumin and some salt and mix well

 Once the meat had browned add the corn and the lychee, cook until softened 

 Squeeze half a lime over the dish.

Serve each plate topped with the chopped coriander and a small lime wedge and some chopped shallots.

Enjoy on its own for a light lunch or with rice as a heartier meal at dinner. 

Cinnamon Popcorn

Cinnamon Popcorn

So good, you'll wanna make it again!

The other night my husband and I were having a little movie night and he asked if I would make him some popcorn. He has a weakness for late night snacks which I try to stay away from. Making some fresh popcorn is a nice healthy alternative which we can both enjoy together, plus it's so yummy!

I decided to surprise him with this little creative twist to a regular favourite. 

Let me just say that this is his new favourite flavour :-) 

The first secret ingredient is Coconut oil. This adds a beautiful hint of coconut flavour and is also a healthier alternative to other oils. It also gives the popcorn a fluffy texture which is just delicious.

The second secret ingredient? You guessed it: Cinnamon! Again a delicious twist to the regular popcorn flavour but with added health benefits of cinnamon (here is a link to its benefits: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/1002.html#Description). 

Besides making you feel good about yourself for making good choices and staying away from trans fat of buttered and high salt popcorn, it is also very scrumptious, really, you should try it. 

There are of course lots of ways to make popcorn. But for me the technique that I find best infuses the flavours and gives the best texture is to make it in a pot. We have tried the popcorn makers and making it in the microwave but it is just not for us. 

Here are some pics of testing the oil. This is a crucial step as if it is not hot enough when you put the kernels in they will not pop properly. 

When it sizzles and spins, pour it all in :-)

Also, when using  the stove top method you need to make sure that you have a tight fitting lid so that the popcorn can cook properly. And don't overcrowd the pan with too many kernels- it's a recipe for disaster! 

Recipe: Cinnamon Popcorn

I have not given amounts as it all depends on how large the pot you are using will be. Make sure that you choose a pot that has a tight fitting lid and only pour in enough popcorn the cover the bottom of the pot in a single layer. Also this is a forgiving recipe :-)

Shake it, shake it, shake it, shake it like a polaroid picture!

Ingredients

Popcorn kernels

Coconut oil

Cinnamon

Salt

Method

Place pot on stove onto medium high heat. Place approx 1-2 tablespoons of coconut oil into pot. When dissolved the coconut oil needs to cover the bottom of the pot. 

Once the oil is very hot test the heat by placing a single kernel into the pot. If the heat is high enough then the kernel should spin slightly. Once this occurs the oil is ready. 

At this point slowly pour in enough kernels to cover the bottom of the pan in a single layer and immediately cover the pot. 

Using oven mitts place one hand on pot handle and the other hand on the pot lid to make sure it does not move. In this way shake the pot until the kernels all pop. Do not stop shaking the pot until the popcorn has all popped and you remove the pot from the heat. 

Once cooked, pour the popcorn into a large bowl and sprinkle lightly with half a teaspoon of salt or to taste. Sprinkle with a tablespoon of cinnamon or to taste and mix well before serving. 

It is now ready to be enjoyed!

Nom nom nom