Catch-up

Oof, one thing after another and suddently it's 10 days later. There's a name for this...slow blogging..and I wrote about it on GTTSB. So let's just say I'm trying to guarantee quality blog. Here are some pics from the last couple of weekends at the store. We also had the first couple of episodes of B&P's Discussion Sections, but maybe I'll talk about those in a couple of days.


First up, Bath Fizzies with those Dodges of Double D's B's. Simple to mix (oil, scent, baking soda, citric acid), delightful to use. We combined, compressed and took them home as gifts. Eamonn loves them, but is frustrated that they don't just fizz for the whole bath time--just until they dissolve. He kept trying to sit on one in tonite's bath, so now his can smells like cranberry. Could be worse. A lot worse.

Next up was Truffle Making, in kid-(grand)parent teams. The class was lead by Jinjer Miller, who is has great truffle-expertise. We rolled coffee-flavored, vanilla, almond and peppermint. They were all very pretty, but I thought the almond rocked (secret ingredient: Watkins Almond Extract). Delish.

Last, but not least, was Shrimp Three Ways--as cocktail, proscuitto-wrapped and in gumbo. We were a small, but dedicated bunch and Chad even broke out the crab cakes as an extra treat. Chocolate, seafood, last weekend was rather decadent.

Entertaining with Seafood

We were a boisterous bunch last Saturday. A few dates, a girls' night out, some of the regulars. Chad Measner of South Padre Sea Foods (and the B&P chef, btw) demonstrated how to peel and boil shrimp for cocktail, sauteing for scampi and searing sushi-grade tuna. He even whipped up a couple of sushi rolls using the raw tuna--a treat for some, a (scary) adventure in eating for others.

Watching Chad, with some assistance from Erich, it occurred to me how loose one should be when cooking. A dash of salt, a squirt of dressing, a splash of oil...there was very little measuring, but lots of tasting and adjusting that went on as we watched. I guess it pays to have quality ingredients within an arm's reach so you can just add a bit of this and that (and have the confidence to mix whatever flavors are on hand).

Anyway, it was quite tasty and the Crane's Lake Chardonnay and Brut were respectable matches. Cheap, but not headache-inducing. We were all pleasantly surprised by the Brut--bring on the bubbly!