Did I mention it's the LITTLE things that make life so wonderful?

Of COURSE I did.  It's what this blog is all about after all.  Simple pleasures.  Life's little gifts.  Things that make me/you/us smile, laugh, snicker, ponder, wonder, cry, shout, question and just generally appreciate the seemingly diminutive moments and things that make every day worth living. 

So the subject of today's little thing?  Arugula.  

You heard  me right Arugula is the source of my joy today.  Wanna know why?  (Here's another thing that's great about blogs.  You can answer the question above any way you see fit but no matter what you say or think, I'm gonna keep right on typing.  So it's a win/win.  Navigate away or keep reading....we all get what we want.)  

Oh lord - I can tell digression is going to be central to this posting.  It's been WAAAAY to long.  So here's why Arugula keeps making me grin.....

My sister and I (and any number of other family members who shall remain nameless) were recently thrust into a very emotionally tumultuous event.  While tugging on each other's bootstraps in the midst of a number of melt downs and frustrating moments, my sister and I shared not one...but several moments of bliss centered around a humble little edible plant -- arugula -- also known as eruca sativa, rocket plant, rucola, and  rocquette. 

Let me back up just a bit so that I can confess a total lack of knowledge regarding the vast variety of leafy bits that make up our salads.  I eat A LOT of salads and generally speaking, before now, I could really only point out a couple them by name: iceberg, romaine, cabbage, etc.  Every Saturday I go to the market across the street from our condo.  One particular Saturday not too long ago, I picked up some very large leafed (is that even a word?) arugula.  I felt confident I had arugula prior and it looked innocent enough -- but really, who puts a taste value on leaves?  I mean, don't we all judge a good salad by the OTHER things on the salad?  Nuts, chicken, dressing, raisins, eggs, etc?  Well, no more my friends!  Because now I know the greatness of arugula and have started what seems to be a cult....of two.  

I enjoyed my salads so much the week after I picked up the arugula at the market (oh, btw, try arugula in a rice wrap....AH-MAZING!), that when my sister and I were shopping for some groceries for our mom, we bought a HUGE case of baby arugula.  That afternoon, my God-fearing sister became a worshiper of a new God....the God of lettuce everywhere.....ERUCA SATIVA (or to us simpletons...arugula).  Yes, I've gone off the deep end and no, I don't mind if you come with or visit occasionally.   I tell you what though -- I think my sister was way ahead of me in the "gone off the reservation department"....talking about eating it by itself as a snack...and how fabulously nutty it is.  I think she told her poor daughter no less than 17 times how great arugula is and how central to her life it had become in just a few short days.  Preach on sister! My niece? NOT impressed with our new found devotion to the leaf.  We will have to work on specific initiation rituals before she is allowed into our cult.  Perhaps arugula-laced banana shakes???

For my sis' benefit and anyone else who gives a whooey, here are some wunnerful qualities of arugula.  One point of contention though, the below article describes the taste as peppery but I'm with sis on this one....nutty...through and through.

Health Benefits of Arugula

And if you really want to annoy people with your expansive eruca sativa knowledge, take a looky loo at this: 

the language chef - arugula

2 Wriggly worms, 1 suckly slug, and a partridge in a pear treeeeeeee

Another reason I will always miss America?

Let me hear you say, "I heart pesticides!"  You would if you saw little creepy crawlers while you were innocently cleaning your veggies from the market.  I know it's natural and all (they live in the dirt...helloooo!) but I had a series of ick/shudder/heeby jeebs moments while cleaning my Saturday  morning market finds.

And this is why I will always wash my produce thoroughly.  Don't go thinking grocery stores are any better.  I've seen what appeared to be maggots on perfectly good bell peppers at a store that will remain unnamed but rhymes with Shandmark.

And yes, those are gloves I'm wearing.  I always wear them when cleaning (food or otherwise) and I couldn't have been more relieved to have them on this fine Saturday.

One Pot Chicken and Vegetables - so easy, it's a little embarrassing

(Original recipe can be found at The Daily Dish.)

This is how mine turned out (and it was fabulous if I do say so):

I made some minor tweaks to the recipe for personal taste and based on what we had on hand.  You don't have to have a Le Creuset but using a dutch oven is what makes this such an easy recipe.  Being able to move the pot from stovetop to oven is a huge time saver!  My changes are in blue.

1 c. flour - I don't think you need near this much.  I used less than 1/2 c.
1 t. freshly ground black pepper
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. paprika
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 c. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 stalks celery, chopped
5 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces I had 2 large carrots ....tomAYto/toMAHto
Turkish Bay Leaves (4-5 medium sized)
6 small potatoes, halved or quartered (depending on size) - I used two medium potatoes sliced into about 1 inch pieces
1 T. Herbes de Provence - I am meh on buying Herbes de Provence since most of us have the contents in our pantries.  I used thyme, oregano, basil, and marjoram. You can find Emeril's recipe for Herbes de Provence here.
1/2 t. dried rosemary, crushed in hand Omitted (didn't have in pantry)
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 1/2 c. low sodium chicken broth

The directions can be found on the original recipe site.  I didn't really change a whole lot in that regard.  I put the Turkish Bay leaves on top before baking.  Used my 4.5 quart Le Creuset Doufeu which is basically a dutch oven with a top that fits a few pieces of ice (putting the ice on top while baking supposedly keeps the meat more tender while cooking).  The potatoes weren't quite done at 30 min so I let the oven go the full 45 min.  Chicken and veggies turned out perfectly. Z liked this recipe a lot so I'll be using it again - he's my biggest fan and harshest critic so I tend to listen when he says anything about my food.  Ugh - that's sorta hard to admit now that I think about it.  Anyway, you should give this a try.  It was an easy and savory meal that didn't require a separate side item.

Unusual Fruit Tuesday - Bitter Gourd

First of all, I want apologize to a fellow blogger for stealing her idea but honestly, even though she has written countless reviews of unusual fruits in her "weird fruit diaries" - I thought for sure she would have steered clear of this one.  For one, it's not really what you'd think of as a fruit in the first place and secondly, she has kids and there's NO WAY they would try this.  Buuuuut, I was wrong....at least partially.  I am still pretty sure her kids didn't try this but I also don't think think she was aware that it's technically a fruit.  Needless to say, I didn't find it when I searched "weird fruit diaries" and "bitter gourd" so I thought I was safe. 

And now my justification for continuing with this post?  It IS a fruit and I cooked it differently so hopefully this won't count as outright theft.  If you want to check out her take on the bitter gourd, please do!  She even came up with a catchier title-- the bitter truth

I picked up my bitter gourd from the market across the street and when I asked how bitter it was, the lady said, "Not really bitter."  She's a liar.  It's bitter...supah bitter. 

There she is - in all her bitter splendor. 

The inside is a weird spongy mess.  Scoop all that out!

Ready for a fun fact?  When the fruit gets real real ripe, it looks like this:

WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!?!?!  I am not sure I would have carried on with this experiment had I seen that ahead of time.  It looks like something from a fruity horror flick. 

In addition to scooping the spongy goop out, the key to reducing bitterness is slicing the gourd super thin.

Ok - so...admittedly, taco seasoning is not what most would consider a "go to" item when cooking bitter gourd but this was before our HHE (and pantry contents) arrived so it was the best I could do.

And the really real for real key to reducing bitterness?  Adding Rice Vinegar.  Some would consider this cheating and it would certainly change the flavor of whatever you're cooking WITH the bitter gourd but there is no way I would find this a pleasing experience without it.  So, I doused and then soaked my chopped gourd (does that sound dirty to anyone else?) for about 15 minutes.

I had some shredded pork, chickpeas, diced tomatoes, and onions leftover from an earlier concoction so I just threw it all together.  The result?  I can honestly say it wasn't bad.  I had husbear try a bite and he said it basically tasted like a pickle.  So....I guess it could have been worse.  I realize it doesn't look appetizing and you probably shouldn't have to work so hard to make something taste....edible - but I guess that's what makes discovering new things fun eh?

And for the grand finale?  People are so wackadoodle that they've made a drink out of this phallic disaster.  Oh dear...I think this post has turned ugly. 

(Nasty horror shot and bittermelonman photos courtesy of every blogger's friend, Wikipedia;  Everything else by yours truly.)

Tamarind - looks like poo, tastes delicious!

Careful now, you might actually learn something if you read the following but don't worry, I promise to add some mind numbing commentary that I probably think is hilarious and makes you think I'm just plain weird. 

As I've mentioned before, one of the greatest things about living in the Philippines is direct access to all of the exotic fruits and vegetables.  With a market right outside our building every Saturday, I literally have no excuse not to try everything.  Now, admittedly, I did not acquire this particular batch of fruit at a market and this is technically my second box (it's THAT good) but I haven't had Internet for a week....so sue me.  

TAMARIND is a pod-like fruit that grows on a tree native to tropical Africa.  The name "tamarind" comes from tamar hindi or "Indian date" which is fitting since the tamarind tastes a bit like a sweet and sour date. 

Full grown Tamarind tree:

Photo Attribution

And here are the pods still attached to the tree: 

Photo Attribution

Now you are starting to understand the poo reference, no?


Most of us have had tamarind without even knowing it....ever eat Worcestershire sauce?  Tamarind is one of the main ingredients.  Who knew?!  It's also used in all kinds of seasonings (especially in Southeast Asia), chutneys, curries, etc.  In the Yin/Yang philosophy that is applied to many Asian dishes, the tamarind would be considered a "Yin" food because of its slightly acidic yet cooling qualities. 

Though it has some of the highest sugar content of any fruit, it also has some pretty substantial health benefits.  It's high(ish) in dietary fiber and has a significant amount of tartaric acid - which is apparently a very powerful antioxidant (and no, I didn't know any of this prior to 5 minutes ago, wikipedia, and a google search).  Tamarind is also a good source of iron, calcium, and thiamine.  It is used as a mild laxative, a digestive and as a remedy for bile disorders (ew!). 

If you like dates, I think you'll like the tamarind.  You kinda never know what you're going to get until you crack open the shell.  Sometimes, they are very sweet (more mature) and sometimes, super sour (younguns).  If they're dry, don't eat them.  Also, if they're covered in dead maggots (don't ask), I might shy away.  I like them in the shell because eating them is more like an activity.  If you're a fan of peanuts in the shell or peel and eat shrimp, you know what I mean.  Eating a tamarind isn't just good because they taste great but it's entertaining too. 

Having said ALL that, you must get over the appearance of the tamarind to enjoy the fruits (pun, as usual, fully intended) of your labor.  

You can see what I mean: 

 

Look at that!  Even with special lighting and all of the photo fixes Picasa could muster it still looks like Mr. Hanky the Christmas poo. 

The similarities are uncanny.  And btw, anyone else bothered yet slightly excited that there is a Mr. Hankey bobble head??

Sadly, I think tamarind is pretty hard to find in the States so you may be out of luck.  Then again, given above Christmas Poo reference, you might not be in the market for tamarind....like....ever. 

Check out the new hood....

....which I'm happy to say is not a hood whatsoever.  We'll be living in the Salcedo neighborhood which, best I can tell, is a community within a community within a community.  Manila is HUGE but strangely enough, it's only the second largest city in the Philippines.  First is Quezon which is slightly larger by area and population but if the whole dang region is called the Northern Capital Region aka Metro Manila then let's just keep it simple and I'll reiterate that this place is HUGE.  So it's basically got what you'd consider counties and towns and suburbs and I guess Salcedo is basically a suburb of Makati and kinda similar to Shirlington where we lived before and which was I guess a suburb of Arlington.  Confused much?  Me too.

Point is, it's a cute little area that's close to a lot of fun things to explore and every weekend there are TWO community markets within walking distance.  The closest one to us (as in 10 feet from our lobby door) is the Salcedo Community Market.  We won't actually be moving into our place until probably July but Salcedo is within walking distance of our current hotel so we decided to check out our new "hood" this past Saturday.

So the sign must have lied, they DO allow dogs....

There are a lot of things to love about living in a tropical climate.  We have access to fruits people in the States will never see (because they're too delicate to ship), there's NO need for coats or any fabric heavier than cotton (woot!), and flowers....lots and lots of beautiful flowers.  I can't wait until we're moved into our permanent place so we can have them ALL OVER the apartment. 

Bessie has seen better days....

But not to worry, she was put to good use.  :)  Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I am still weary of the food here.  Something about this market though, made me feel more at ease.  Perhaps it's because it's in a "clean" area of town or maybe it's the fact that I could literally see the food being prepared.  It was too early for lunch so we didn't try any of the food the vendors were selling but maybe next weekend.  All I know is that every time I've tried something that looked "normal" (read, American), it has been awful.  I am a pretty adventurous eater but I've been taking it slow here.  Maybe the real trick though is to dive right into local fare?  I dunno.....I'm torn.  Canned chicken is gonna remain a staple for a while me thinks.  :)


Definitely buying some of this honey when we move in our place.  Doesn't get any fresher than that!

I know - the picture taking gods will be horrified.  Lighting is awful, husbear looks like a ghost.  Can I claim I did that on purpose and get a pass?  Truth is, I didn't really want this to turn out that great because then you might have noticed how far our place is from being ready.  The floors were super dusty and when they said they were renovating the bathrooms and kitchen, they weren't kidding.  I thought maybe that meant, a fresh coat of pain or some new appliances but no...whole walls were missing and concrete was everywhere.  Need I say how worried I am that our early July move in date was just some far fetched quote and nowhere near reaching reality?  Sigh.  At any rate, the place is huge, the view is great, and it's situated in just the sweetest part of town so I'm not complaining (too much). 

All in all, it was a very nice introduction to the neighborhood.  I sorta wish that we had waited a couple more weeks before trying to get a sneak peak.  Now I'll just sit around and KNOW what I'm missing.  On second though, maybe I should go pack and take more pics so I can get super anal about pre-planning furniture arrangement and wall painting......

Ford's Fish Shack

 Yes, that's right...yet another restaurant we ate at while in limbo.  I swear we've eaten out more in this "transition phase" then we did over an entire year.  It seems like it would be great but honestly, I miss cooking and I miss not stuffing myself silly.  Having said that, I really enjoyed this meal at Ford's Fish Shack in Ashburn, VA.  Clearly the location is nothing remarkable.  Like a lot of things in Northern Virginia, it's located smack dab in the middle of a strip mall.  Right next to a nail salon, a chinese restaurant, and...well...you get the idea.  But don't let the facade fool ya...good food can be had inside and it's worth at least one trip.

We've been to Ford's before but this time was better.  I think it was because this time we were just going for a quick bite...perhaps my expectations weren't as high?  We arrived at 6:55 pm which gave us about 5 minutes to order from their happy hour menu.   They have some pretty good deals for happy hour.  Dollar shrimpies, dollar oysters (I think they were a dollar), 3 dollar drafts and 3 dollar wells.  We ordered a couple of beers and 10 jumbo shrimp.  And let me tell you, even though I forgot to take a picture, these shrimp were monsters and well worth a $1/each.

We both opted for the fish tacos (mahi mahi).  Zach had them the last time and said they were great and sure enough...they were.  I got the sauce on the side so I could at least control something but the fish was seasoned perfectly and the tortillas were perfectly cooked...warm and crispy but not falling apart.

It was a Wednesday night but they were still on a wait...I think they pretty much always are.  We ponied up to the bar right away though and were in and out in less than 40 minutes.  The service was friendly and the prices (probably in part because of the happy hour) were absolutely reasonably.

I wouldn't go to this place every week but it's a nice change of pace from our typical kabob/burrito/kabob/burrito rut. 

Neither of us had this but I am including someone else's picture because I coveted the corn.  If we ever make it back there, I am definitely ordering the corn on the cob...even if it doesn't come with my meal.  mmmmm.....

By the way, the waitress only charged us for 6 shrimp. Niiiiice :)

Chicken, Mio amore!

Italian Baked Chicken

Marinara

1 TBSP olive oil
1/4 onion finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 bay leaf
5 TBSP tomato sauce
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp dried oregano
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
3/4 can rotel (diced tomatoes)
pinch salt
(p.s. if you're short on time, just use canned marinara)

Chicken

4 chicken breasts
1/2 cup parmesan
1 cup italian style bread crumbs (or regular bread crumbs with italian seasoning mixed in)
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs beaten
1 to 1 and 1/2 TBSP olive oil

Marinara:  Saute onion and garlic in olive oile.  Add tomatoes and remaining ingredients.  Stir for 2 minutes.  Remove bay leaf.  Put half of sauce on the bottom of a  buttered baking dish and set remaining half aside.

Chicken:  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Combine bread crumbs and cheese.  Dip each chicken breast in flour, then eggs, then bread crumb/cheese mix.  In a large pan, heat olive oil.  Saute chicken on medium high heat for about 2 minutes per side.  Move chicken to baking dish and top with remaining sauce.  Sprinkle with Parmesan.  Bake for 30-35 minutes.  (I pounded out my chicken until they were uniform and a little bit thinner.  Thirty minutes was plenty after tenderizing.)

You can see why I had to flatten some of the cluckers.  They weren't very uniform.

There wasn't very much to coat the bottom of the pan but you don't really need a ton.

The dredging trifecta

Color me flavor locked!  Don't they look yum already!?!

Before baking

After baking

GET...IN...MY....BELLAY!!!

Couscous Stuffed Chicken with Curry and Dijon Glaze

HEY HEY HEY!!!  Happy weekend everyone!  I decided to make one last recipe for the week after all and..oh...my...lord!  I am so glad I did.  This turned out verra verra nice.  I was pleasantly surprised.  There are plenty alterations you could make to this so don't be skerred.  That's what EBKS is all about after all!  We're here to clean out cupboards people!! Waste not...well...just waste not ok?!?

Cous Cous 

• 1/4 cup uncooked couscous
• 3 TBSP tomato, diced
• 1/2 cup chicken broth, low sodium
• 1 Jalapeno, diced
• 1/2 cup canned green peas
• dash salt
• dash pepper
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1/2 garlic clove

Coat skillet with cooking spray and saute jalapeno and tomato until slightly brown.  In a small sauce pan, bring chicken broth to a boil.  Add couscous, jalapeno, tomato, and remaining ingredients to pan.  Remove from heat.  Cover with lid.  After several minutes, fluff with fork and let sit while preparing chicken.

Chicken with Curry and Dijon Glaze

• 2 (6 oz) Chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup Honey
• 1/4 cup Dijon
• 1/3 TBSP dried curry
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1/4 TBSP olive oil 

Heat oven to 400 degrees. 
Glaze:  Mix honey, Dijon, curry, black pepper and red pepper in a small dish and set aside. 
Place chicken breasts between two sheets of wax paper. Pound to 1/4 inch thickness.  With a basting brush put a light layer of glaze on the inside of the chicken breasts.  Put a layer of couscous mixture on top of the glaze and roll into croissant shape, using toothpicks to secure chicken.  Lightly glaze tops of chicken.  Heat olive oil over medium high heat in oven safe skillet.  Add chicken to skillet and let cook for approximately six minutes.  Remove toothpicks and gently turn chicken to other side.  Lightly baste tops of chicken and cook in oven for 5-8 minutes, or until cooked through.

Whatever would I have done if I hadn't picked up tomatoes and jalapenos at the farmer's market last Saturday?!

Glaze

Cooked couscous - pre fluffing ;-)

Chicken wrapped in wax paper or a dead body...hard to tell in this house

Glaze me glaze me!!  I swear it's good...you can't use too much of it if the mix is right

Peas peas try the peas!  They made this a very pretty finished product. (and they were tasty too of course)

Wrap me, glaze me, cook me up!  whoa!  um..sorry...got a little carried away

6 minutes on medium high.  Don't flip...you'll burn your toothpicks and make a mess

Smack it up, flip it, RUB IT DOWN...oh nooooooo :)  (gotta love the early 90s)

Careful with your pans here ladies and gents.  Not all pans are oven safe, k? k!

Can I eat them both because seriously, it's been about an hour and it STILL looks good.

See!  I told you!!  Look at those peas!  They look like pieces of asparagus or something. 

This is the picture where I cut you off.  They're gonna make sweet sweet chicken love in my belly.  Can't you tell by the vignette that's been created.  When the mood hits your eye like a big pizza pie...that's....NOM NOM NOM!

Hindsight is 20/20:

• Chicken turned out perfect so don't mess with the cooking times too much
• You can, as always, omit the jalapeno if you want
• Olives and feta would also be good mixed in the couscous...I just didn't have any
• You can play with the portions on the glaze as long as the proportions are fairly uniform
• This was very tasty and would be nice with a side of green beans.  I didn't feel like I needed another veggie since I added peas to the couscous.  A salad with olives and feta would also be yummy.