{Over the Weekend} Moving Prep, Shop Love and Curried Shrimp

After a long week of this:

Sunday-Friday

We needed a little of this:

Of Monsters and Men Concert on Wednesday Night

And this:

Friday Evening Happy Hour

Before trying to sell this:

Saturday

and pack up the basement, attic, guest room, etc. {See Moving Sale updates here.} We spent Saturday and some of Sunday chatting with our Dad's for Father's Day, moving items to the storage area in our new apartment {more on this later}, and getting a few odds and ends for the move.
We stopped in The Strip District for a jar or two of spices for our Sunday night dinner, and were drawn into Roxanne's Dried Flower Shop. 

It's a wonderful shop to explore, and they sell everything from terrariums to arrangements. 

Yes, they have "fresh stuff".

What a lovely shop!
They have classes, too. If you want to learn how to make a terrarium, they're teaching a class this coming Thursday (6/27) from 6pm-8pm for $35. All supplies, lecture and light refreshments included. What a deal! Call 412.281.6950 to make your reservation.

We then made out way over to Shadyside to do some errands. Soba now has a patio area! These tables accompany their new space in the corner building. Who wants to go check it out with me?

We ended the weekend with a curry.

This is a peppercorn shrimp curry with a coconut milk sauce, from the 660 Curries cookbook. 

It features chunky peppercorns, tumeric, coconut milk, and curry leaves. Good stuff.

I served it with a saffron and cumin spiked polenta, reminiscent of shrimp and grits. Can't take the Southern out of the girl...

It made enough for class night dinners and lunches. Perfect.

{Peppercorn Shrimp with Coconut Milk}

Adapted from 660 Curries

Ingredients

2 T Ground Tumeric

6 garlic cloves, chopped

1 lb large shrimp

2 T canola oil

2 t Mustard Seeds

1 can light coconut milk

1/4 c fresh curry leaves

1 T lightly crushed peppercorns

salt

Instructions

Combine Tumeric and garlic in a resealable plastic bag, and add shrimp. Toss to coat, then marinate for at least 1 hour, but preferably overnight. Heat oil in a large skillet, add mustard seeds and cover. Let them pop for about 30 seconds, then add shrimp. Sear on each side for 30 seconds. Pour in coconut milk, curry leaves, peppercorns and salt. Cook for 1 minute for flavors to begin to meld, then removed shrimp to a warm plate. Continue to cook the sauce until reduced and thickened, 2-4 minutes. Arrange shrimp over rice or polenta, then spoon sauce over top. Serve!

How was your weekend? Did you get any relaxing time in with your Dad? 

{Recipe} Soy and Ginger Glazed Chicken with Baked Crab Rangoons

After many requests {via Twitter! Instagram! Facebook!}, I'm posting my recipes for our Asian-American Sunday night dinner from this past Sunday evening.  I served this meal with a small scoop of brown rice and lime wedges.  I'll warn you - this is no culinary achievement, only an attempt at healthy, delicious food. Enjoy, and you're welcome!

Check out #SundayNightDinner on Instagram for other meals.

PGH Dining: Smiling Banana Leaf

Last Friday night Husband and I were wanting to celebrate my success with all of the interviews I've been having {answers should be coming soon!}, but we've been going out A LOT lately. We decided on Smiling Banana Leaf, because of it's great reviews on Urban Spoon, it's close-by, and it's affordability. AND, it's Thai. Can't go wrong with that combination.

Located in Highland Park/Morningside, which is a hop-skip-and-a-jump away from us in UpLa, Smiling Banana Leaf is somewhat hidden in a residential area. After eating there, I might consider moving! 

We parked alongside the restaurant, and walked in to notice it's a TINY place. There's probably only room for 20 people to have dinner. We were asked by the hostess if we had a reservation {No?}, then were seated almost immediately in the only open table available. The one waitress came over shortly, and handed us one page, front-and-back menus. We proceeded to order two appetizers: Wonton Soup and Thai-Style Samosas.

Wonton Soup

The soup was filled with good-sized pork-filled wontons. They were cooked perfectly, and were complimented by the meaty broth. The mushrooms in the soup were particularly good, and weren't super normal or of the expected type. 

Look at that goodness!

The Thai-style samosas were MUCH smaller than I expected, as I was used to the pea and potato variety that are the size of your palm. These, however, were dainty and small. Their flavor was much more subdued, without the heavy spices of the normal samosa. These were still filled with potato, but were lighter. They were served with a sweet cucumber sauce, but were great with or without it. I wish there were a few more on the plate, because of the price {$5}.

For our main dishes, we ordered the massaman curry and the pad ped talay {Stir-fried mixed seafood with garlic, chili paste, onion, Kaffir lime leaves and green beans}.

Massaman Curry

The curry was "the best I've ever had," according to Husband. He's had a few curries in his time, and this one is his favorite, mainly because of the creaminess and the richness of the spices used. We could detect cinnamon, star anise and clove. Outstanding dish.

I took charge of the seafood dish, and ordered it very spicy. The plate was overwhelmed with tons of calamari, scallops, shrimp,  and fish fillets. Everything was cooked well, and nothing was hard and rubbery. The sauce itself was the essence of what Thai food tastes like to me: spicy and complex. You might only be able to pick out 3 of the blended ingredients, but you know it takes many to make it delicious. The green beans were such a nice surprise, too!

The portions were large, as expected, and we had enough for a lunch the next day. I cooked a generous portion of sushi rice, and poured the containers over top. 

Smiling Banana Leaf is one of our new favorites, and we can't wait to go back for more. One word of caution - for those that like to eat their Thai food with chop sticks, you have to ask for them! The tables are outfitted with forks only. {*Update: I've been privy to some information about chop stick availability...It's not typical for Thai cuisine to be served with chop sticks. I just prefer it!} Take your next date to have Thai food, and dine in a cozy restaurant!

PGH Dining: Food Blogger Dinner at Braddock's American Brasserie

Pittsburgh is steadily growing into one of my favorite cities of all time. This week, it got a good foothold, and is rising in the ranks. For the second time ever, Pittsburgh is having a Restaurant Week, January 16-22, but you wouldn't be able to tell it's so green. More than 30 restaurants are participating! I was lucky enough to be invited {after putting my name in the hat, of course!} to the Food Blogger dinner last night at Braddock's American Brasserie. Being a lifestyle blogger primarily, I was happy to be included. Food is a passion of mine, after all. {Could you tell?!}

via tablemagazine.com on Facebook

Table Magazine was there to cover the event, and happened to snap this photo of Husband and me. {Prior to the lipstick coming off, thankfully.} We started the meal with drinks {a scotch for Husband, and a Malbec for me}, then moved on to a chef's tasting of three items: kielbasa with sauerkraut, a short rib-stuffed pierogi, and potato gnocchi with lobster claw. What a welcoming sight! 

I particularly enjoyed the pierogi, even though it was more like a meat pie. 

The lobster claw was cooked perfectly, and went nicely with the creamy sauce from the gnocchi. 

As for the kielbasa and sauerkraut pairing, I was somewhat apprehensive in trying. I don't like sauerkraut. There's something about the fermented taste of the cabbage that doesn't sit well with me. However, this set from Braddock's was nice because it only tasted lightly pickled, rather than other krauts I've had. 

Gorgeous plate!

 Then, I was able to talk with the other bloggers around the table, over some bread and coarse salted butter. 

I met Heidi from The Steel Trap, a brother {Adam} and sister {Alissa Matthews of PASA}, Lou of Pittsburgh Happy Hour, and the gentleman who brought us Bloggers together, Brian of Pittsburgh Restaurant Week and The Pittsburgh TasteBuds. It was wonderful to meet you all!

After the chef's tasting, Husband took the 'high road' and ordered a soup and a salad. Smart man. I, however, was not so wise, and ordered the prix fixe menu.    

Husband's Onion Soup

Braddock's American Brasserie Prix Fixe Menu

First

Warm Goat Cheese Tart with Grilled Vegetables & Balsamic Reduction

Second

Grilled Petite Filet over Whipped Potatoes, Buttered Asparagus & Herb Demi-Glace

Third

New York Colossal Cheesecake with Fresh Raspberries 

Goat Cheese Tart 

 My second course was preceded by a delightfully heavy knife, and I {HAD} to post a photo. Good choice, Braddock's!

 

Yes, I was "That Girl" and took a photo of the knife.

 Husband's salad came out, topped with seared scallops. The dressing was the perfect combination of tart and creamy. Success.

 My {MAN}steak was cooked perfectly to order, a deep pink medium rare. Just how this Texan likes it. 

  For dessert, I was scheduled to have the colossal cheesecake. And they weren't kidding. 

 I couldn't even think about finishing my half, and Husband did his best to eat his portion. Across the table from me, Adam ordered the apple crumble. How adorable is this plating!?

The meal ended on the cheesecake, which was not the best dessert on the table. The show-stopper was the apple crumble, and the taste winner was the peppermint white chocolate creme brûlée. 

My favorite dish was of course the chef's tasting, and the rest of my meal was very good. Husband wasn't overly thrilled with his meal, but he couldn't find anything specific to critique. {I think he was just jealous of my choices!} Braddock's American Brasserie offered a great meal and I loved briefly meeting the Chef de Cuisine, Brian Volmrich. He and his team did a great job!

 Afterwards, I coerced Husband into taking outfit photos of me, citing all of my readers. I knew y'all would want to see what I wore! {Again, forgive the romantic restaurant lighting!}

Necklace: Modcloth | Sweater: Merona/Target | Skirt: J Crew
Belt: Target | Tights: J Crew | Heels: Steve Madden

It was a fun night, and I'm so glad we were able to go! I can't wait for the next one!


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