could I even BE any more culture confused at dinner?

pastries at The Gourmet Shop and

MORE pastries! 

Go to  www.thegourmetshop.net for the full skinny on all they have to offer (my fave place to eat and peruse food in Columbia - they also have an EXTENSIVE assortment of packaged chocolates in bars, bonbons, and novelties)

I made butter chicken, curried coriander cauliflower (braised then baked version) puppadums, mango chutney,green tomato pickle, and smiles all around.

I actually cheated tonight. I used a jarred mango chutney .

Hey - no leftovers… I must have done something right.

Everygirl is home for spring break , so I am cooking my brains out.  Baguette slices are perched to dry on the counter for tomorrow’s french toast breakfast, and I have a Honeybaked ham ordered for Sunday dinner… I cannot decide between shrimp and asparagus broil or mixed squash and pepper grill for dinner tomorrow…

peace.

Okay - so I made a healthier version of the Southern Dinner - I made brown rice instead of white (sans gravy), steamed the collard greens with olive oil and sea salt instead of boiling them with fat back, and exchanged Canadian bacon for the usual salt-cured ham. (get it, Mog?)

Those butterbeans were THE SIZE OF HALF DOLLARS> dang.

This dish begins with whole-wheat penne pasta - already good for you!

First, sautee’8 oz. sliced mushrooms(1 dry qt.), 1/2 c. diced prociutto, 1 small diced onion, garlic, and 1/4 tsp. sea salt  in 3 Tbsp. good-quality olive oil.

While you are sautee’ing, go ahead and cook the penne (not too long! al dente is best!)

Add the spinach to mushroom/prociutto pan and stir/fold continuously until wilted but still with body (if you sautee’ the spinach too long it becomes slimy and begins to taste of earth). Don’t panic if the spinach overfills the pan at first - it shrinks very quickly!

Toss drained pasta in mushroom/prociutto/spinach pan, adding 3 Tbsp. pine nuts. Sprinkle each serving with a grating of nutty parmesan or dry asiago.

I also like to add sun dried tomato strips , but ALAS! - I didn’t have any. 

This is good hot or cold, with a good dense bread and fresh fruit for dessert.

Caio!

Chicken Adobo (Phillipines)

double-fried ‘spring rolls’ with some unidentified delicious creamyish filling(Chinese)

fried sweet paneer-filled dough balls in syrup (India)

Vegetable pakodas(Another indian tent)

Italian sausage with peppers, onions, and tomato (Italy, but really the Rotary Club)

fried plantains (Carribean)

German pastries

Thai Chicken curry

Obviously we were all sharing around - a few bites of this, a few bites of that- but still I ran out of tummy room before I could go for the Cajun , Japanese, or Greek food.  There was also a funnel cake trailer but I knew better - that is FAIR fare, not for the International Festival!

I did take a camera - I simply chose to focus on the eating and enjoying and left the day un-photodocumented.  Sue me.