NOLA for My Mom's Birthday!

While this post is a few weeks behind schedule, I figure it's never too late to talk about my mom (or me in Vietnamese)! The weekend after Christmas we celebrated my mom's birthday by going to New Orleans for the weekend! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

Me, Micah and my mom haven't been to NOLA since before Katrina -- that's too long of a time! 

My two cousins also joined us on this trip and it was fun to share the city with them since they've never been. I much prefer to visit NOLA during the winter time rather than the sticky stench that is summer.

In front of the Christmas tree across from Jackson Square

I made the biggest mistake on this trip: I forgot to bring my camera! I fail at life. Thankfully everyone else in my crew took some photos for me!

On our first night, we celebrated my mom's birthday with dinner at Jacques Imo's. My boss told me about this place and the 1000+ reviews on Yelp indicated this place would be a fun place for dinner. I made a reservation a few weeks in advance and the only time they had open on a Friday was at 5 p.m.! We showed up at 5 p.m. and it was already packed!

While our food was good, nothing was AMAZING, except for the cornbread. That cornbread must have a stick of butter in each bite! The watermelon mojito was also a treat -- I think I'm stealing this drink for my next summer party! For my mom's birthday, they brought out a fabulous bread pudding that had great texture and wasn't overly sweet (which some tend to be).

On the second night, we ate at Deanie's Seafood in Bucktown. I've actually been to this restaurant before and really enjoyed it. Their BBQ shrimp is so decadent and flavorful. My mom loved the sauce so much that she poured it over a bowl of white rice! So Asian.

We also had breakfast at the Ruby Slipper in Mid-City (food was good but the service was mediocre and slow)

Of course we had cafe au lait and beignets at Cafe Du Monde!

Cigar shop and a big ol' daiquiri

Walking around the mid-city area

Flight at NOLA Brewing. My face is not indicative of their beer offerings... it's just my face.

We were able to check out NOLA Brewing, which is in an industrial area southwest of the French Quarter. The NOLA beers we had at restaurants weren't very good but the selection at their actual taproom was great! We ordered 8 samples and settled in with some Jenga and Scrabble. Micah's fave brew was their Brettanomyces IPA. If you want a little dessert while you're there, they even have root beer floats!

We were also able to check out WINO, which was really close to our hotel. It's one of those self-serving wine bars (which we loved when we visited Paris). They have several dozen wines available and the prices are fairly reasonable. Unfortunately, we didn't love any of the wines they had on their roster.

Our favorite cocktails were had at Bar Tonique. Micah dragged us all the way over to this side of the FQ and I was going to be really annoyed if they didn't have good cocktails, but to my surprise, they had great cocktails at a very reasonable price! Everything we had was good: pimm's cup, moscow mule and several cocktails they made up on the fly! You can't beat that!

On our last day, Micah and I visited the Old New Orleans Rum Distillery. It's $10 per person for the tour and tasting. They start you off with a lovely rum tea cocktail while you wait for the tour to start. While I'm not a huge fan of rum, I thought it would be fun to check out what the place had to offer.

Their spiced rum is very popular and it is indeed spicy!

They also have this new product, Gingergoo which is a rum cocktail mixed with ginger. It's already premixed so just add ice! If you like ginger beer, you would love this product!

Walking along Magazine Street

After being away from NOLA for so long, it was a great weekend trip to celebrate my mom's birthday and to revisit the city that has so much to offer! 

Where We Stayed:

I booked the Le Meridien Hotel -- which used to be the W Hotel. They just went through a renovation and now the rooms are super modern and stylish. I got a deal during Cyber Week at $100/night! The hotel is right across the street from the Harrah's Casino. I knew my mom would find her way to the casino, so I figured I'd make that slightly easier for her (not sure that was the smartest idea).

Cage, Stake or Sprawl?

It's been one year since I've had my little garden growing in the backyard! Remember when I told you how Micah and his parents got me a raised bed as my 30th Birthday gift? It's a milestone because I've actually kept up with the gardening and have grown some decent stuff over the past 12 months. 

Obviously last summer's okra was a big hit and they lasted well into early fall -- I am growing okra again this year (obvious). In the fall, I removed the summer plants and put in broccoli, kale, cabbage, spinach and green onions. The broccoli seeds never took, but the kale, spinach and green onions did really well. The cabbage heads grew, but they were itty bitty -- probably the size of a medium-sized grapefruit (definitely not like the ginormous ones you see in the regular grocery stores). 

Back in March, I went to a garden sale hosted by Sunshine Community Gardens. They had a slew of tomato plants so I picked up a couple of Cherokee tomatoes, a hybrid one, a cherry tomato plant, and an heirloom one. I planted them in early March and sure enough, there was a slight freeze in early April! Amazingly enough, my plants all made it through the freeze with no issues! I didn't even put a tarp over them. 

I bought so many tomatoes thinking "surely one or two will die, especially with my luck." But fast-forward two months later and the tomatoes are creeping all over the garden! I placed cages on 2-3 of the tomato plants but I didn't cage the cherry tomato one and now it's taking over the whole garden! 

I tried to put some new cages in last week but this plant isn't playing by my rules. Some of the limbs will stay in the cage, the rest is just chilling on the grass.

But how cute are these little tomatoes?!?! I can't wait to eat them!

  

My Cherokee tomato plant is doing really well. 

 

The tomatoes are forming and these two are the biggest ones of the bunch. I hope they're not going bad with those marks on them! I can't wait to see them turn purple!

Here's hoping my tomatoes do well this season! I think I'm off to a better start than I was last season, for sure!

I also decided to pick up a couple of pepper plants at the garden sale and I currently have these babies forming: 

Jalapeno peppers

Thai Chili! I'm sure I'll be giving most of these peppers to my mom. 

I'm also trying yellow squash again. Last year, I had tons of blossoms and a couple of actual formations, but then everything died. 

They seem to be growing well right now. Fingers crossed!

 

I have the following herbs growing:

Basil

Cilantro (although it already decided to flower and try to go to seed) and flat-leaf parsley.

My green onions are still going strong. They're so big that they start sprawling too! I just trim what I need and I've given several whole bunches away to my neighbor but they're still taking up room!

 

Here's hoping this season will be a fruitful one! What are you growing your garden??

Calily, Calily, quite contrary, How does your garden grow?

Ok, so it's not quite as catchy as "Mary, Mary, quite contrary," but at least my name ends with a Y!

As a gift for my 30th Birthday (crazy!), Micah and his parents decided to gift me with my own veggie garden! It's really the gift that keeps on giving, isn't it?

I've been talking about starting a garden for quite some time now, but never committed due to time, energy, and excuses. Now, I have no excuse but to turn my brown thumb into a green thumb... or else we won't be feasting on anything this summer.

The dirt in our backyard is not the best stuff to garden with, so we decided to get this raised garden bed and fill in with nutrient-rich garden soil (from Garden-Ville in Georgetown). The bed measures: 42 x 84 x 8. It's not huge, but it fits perfectly on the side of our house. If I like it, I can always get another garden box in the future.

{Garden setup: I have a soaker hose to regulate the water. This area of the house was basically a dead zone when it came to grass, so we decided to put the garden here. The area also gets FULL sun, hence why it's been so hard for the St. Augustine grass to grow. Why is it green now? Well, because that is leftover zoysia sod from our newly sodded front yard.}

 Once we got the dirt hauled in, Micah's parents helped me with the most important part: what to grow!

1. Plant in the left foreground is yellow bellpepper. The two other plants next to it are green hatch chiles. I guess I will be making tons of green chile this summer!

 

2. Yellow Squash! I thought this plant wasn't looking that healthy in the store, but wowzers, it's blooming like crazy! Squash blossoms!

 

3. Several rows of okra! I love okra and okra loves SUN so this was a perfect fit. Fried okra, stewed okra and tomatoes, okra in soups, okra in gumbo... so many options! Micah's parents gave me the good tip to leave the okra plants in the container they came in for one week before transplanting them to the garden. This gave the little guys a chance to get a little bit stronger before I shocked them into the garden.

4. Tomatoes! The one on the left is heirloom variety, the one on the right is a zebra tomato plant. The one on the left has some yellow leaves, so I put some extra compost around it and hopefully it gets more nitrogen. I hope it survives! The one on the right is a beast! I can't wait to cut into the juicy tomatoes!

5. Honeydew! This was the last plant to go in -- almost two weeks after the other items were planted. Micah chose this one. The plant hasn't been the strongest, but I think it's stronger and definitely growing. I wonder how the melon will turn out?

Here's hoping to a good growing season! I can't wait to have a bounty of veggies to cook with this summer!

The Birthday Boy!

I have a confession to make.

I never crave Indian food.

There, I said it. I know, how can I not LOVE Indian food?! I like everything! I've tried to explain it but I can't. I will eat it and enjoy it from time to time, but I won't go seeking it. I'm a weirdo.

On the flipside, Micah loves it.

Thankfully, there is a Masala Wok near us. It's a Chinese-Indian fusion place -- which placates both of us. He can have his Indian while I have a noodle dish (I can't help it, I crave noodles).

Because I'm such an awesome girlfriend -- oh, and the fact that today is Micah's BIRTHDAY! --  I decided to make chicken vindaloo (Micah's fave dish) as a pre-birthday dinner. 

I used this recipe from the Food Network but subbed chicken for the beef and added tons of veggies. I thought the recipe was a good base but since Micah likes his vindaloo a tad bit more tomatoey, I think I will add some tomato paste next time.

Chicken Vindaloo from Foodnetwork.com

Ingredients

Wet Masala (Spice Blend):

• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 (1-inch) pieces cinnamon bark
• 6 whole cloves
• 4 whole black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
  
• 2 teaspoons paprika
  
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne (more if you're feeling feisty!)
• 1 heaping tablespoon Ginger Garlic Paste, recipe follows, or 6 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped and 1-inch thumb fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
  
• 1 medium red onion, sliced very thinly
• 1 serrano pepper, sliced in half
• 2 pounds boneless beef top sirloin, trimmed of all excess fat, cut into 1-inch cubes
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

 

For the wet masala: In a small skillet over medium-high heat, toast the cumin seeds, cinnamon bark, cloves, and peppercorns until fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour into a spice grinder and process until powdered. In a small food processor or blender, combine the toasted spice mix and the rest of the wet masala ingredients. Process until smooth.

 {L: Dry spices ready to mingle; R: Wet masala}

Place a large (preferably nonstick) pot over high heat and add the oil. When the oil is shimmering, add the onions and serrano pepper. Stirring frequently, saute the onions until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Don't let them burn! Turn the heat down to medium-high if they're starting to burn.

{red onions, serrano pepper, and I added some dried red chiles for a little extra heat}

Add the ground wet masala, taking care because it will sizzle wildly and steam up your glasses, if you wear them. Stir quite vigorously and turn down the heat if it's bubbling too furiously. Don't wash the food processor bowl yet. Keep stirring, with short pauses, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the masala comes together as one mass, about 2 minutes. Also, you may see little droplets of oil on the perimeter of the masala. That's a good sign!

{your house will smell like this pot for a few days}

Quickly add the meat and stir, coating the meat in the masala. Stir and cook about 5 minutes until the meat browns.

 {I added 3 red potatoes, 1 bell pepper, 1/2 onion, and 1 diced tomato to the pot two minutes after I added the cubed chicken} 

Remember that dirty food processor bowl? Fill it with 1 cup of hot water (from the tap is fine), swirl it around so it picks up any leftover masala, and pour that into the pot. Add salt and pepper, stir, bring the curry to a boil, and then turn it down to a simmer. Cover and cook 30 minutes. Then cook with the lid ajar for another 10 minutes to thicken the gravy slightly. Check the meat at the end of the cooking time; it should be tender and not chewy at all. Adjust the salt if you like, and serve over rice or with chapatis (whole wheat griddle bread).

{hot and spicy! just the way Micah likes it!}

Happy Birthday Micah! Cheers!

Grill it! *Bobby Flay not included*

While other girls get diamonds and flowers for their birthday- it takes a little more to woo someone like myself! I need something super shiny and something that gets super HOT!

Something like this:


Check out the early birthday gift Micah got for me! I know, it's usually the other way around - men usually want the manly grill! What can I say, "I got's balls!"

The new beauty is a Char-Broil Gas Grill. Micah said he couldn't pass it up because the deal was so phenomenal! $200 (includes tax/shipping)! It was a deal at shop.ingdirect.com.

This baby has 4 burners with a side burner as well! I'm stoked that I won't have to start a charcoal grill anymore!

Behold, our old grill:
This thing lasted for about 5 years! Byebye! We actually put this on our curb since it's Brush Pick-up Week and sure enough, in less than a few hours, someone already snatched it up! Ahh... San Antonio!

The new grill actually came like this:
So Micah and I spent the next hour putting it together (1st pic). Putting together stuff like this with an engineer is a bonding experience! :-)

So now that I have an awesome gas grill, what should I make for the inaugural event??