Watermelon Steak

The most amazing thing I have eaten. EVER. It's like a rainbow arching down from the sky and landing on my taste buds. The fantasticallity of this dish comes from the surprise and unexpectedness of it. I would not have thought to bake watermelon, and more so, I would not have anticipated such an outcome.

Its easy to make too. Here's a link to the recipe. I recommend a side of baked potato to balance out the sweetness of using cream sherry on a watermelon.

Potatoes + Oranges

Two things that don't go together right? Think again. This was the best week ever for experimenting with two foods. First of all, nothing came to mind at first when the two ingredients were put forth. Then, like a Singaporean rainstorm, they came out of nowhere flooding my mind. So I still have some other ideas I want to try out after this. It was quite successful and really really REALLY sweet. Less sugar next time.



What's in it? Mashed sweet potatoes, sugar, butter, vanilla, one egg, orange juice, and orange rind mixed together and baked in a orange peel topped with pecans and brown sugar, baked in a casserole dish at 350 degrees. Sadly, I didn't come up with the exact recipe. I found it online by accident after I had thought of something quite similar, though not as elaborate. Having the side of Mashed Carol Potatoes was fortunate as it helped to counter the sweetness of the sweet potatoes.

Eggs & Bell Peppers

... served inside the egg shells. A fancy little trick that makes an ordinary omelet seem, a little extra ordinary. There's nothing to this other than taking the extra time to plate the dish. It does have an interesting effect on how you eat the eggs and bell peppers though. It forces small portions, and the with the small whole basil leaves, enhances the act of tasting the flavor in the items present. Additionally, having the eggs extra runny contributes to the plating of the dish, in which I don't think my eggs were as runny as they could have been. I was attempting to make the bell peppers look like the yolk of the egg. I think I might want to consider just cooking the egg whites next time to enhance this even more.

Looking at my photos, I realize I need to learn how to photograph food to make it look appetizing. Every little bit helps, and I feel like I'm falling a bit short. I was thinking a little moisture on the basil leaf. A bit more shine on the entire dish actually.

Saturday Market

I went to the Portland Saturday Market today, for the first time. A sad fact considering I've been here for almost three months now (I've been to the Thursday market numerous times though). I was in search of some red and orange bell peppers in preparation for tomorrows meal. Luckily they are in season, though were found fewer and far between compared to other items. I ended up buying a one pound bell pepper, which is pretty massive compared to anything I could get at the grocery store.

I still ended up going to the grocery store afterwards, they don't sell milk at the farmer's market (not this one at least). I actually went twice in fact, something not to uncommon of me, especially on the weekends. It's not that I forgot anything, there's just not enough space in my messenger bag, and I have yet to go back to the bicycle store and get a rack so that I might use my panniers to carry goods to and fro. Milk, eggs (always an adventure when packed in a messenger bag) yogurt, cottage cheese, sugar and flour. I only wish I needed more vegetables so that I might have made use of my trip to the Saturday Market. Eggs and Bell Peppers tomorrow, I'm excited.