Thai Spice Thursday

I would love to have such doors at home

I am making the most of my slightly less hectic month of February since it will be March madness for sure. Willy Wonka the musical will be opening, I will be doing an all week catering and add to that accompanying for a couple of literary competitions, and playing at 3 concerts. With no appointments scheduled all day today till Willy Wonka rehearsal at 6:30pm, I made plans for an excursion to Peachtree City and Newnan with Jane. I also needed a few ingredients for my Miso soup for Empty Bowls on Sunday. I figured I could pick those up at Oriental Marketplace in Newnan on the way to Peachtree City. Oriental Markeplace is my new favorite place to get all manner of Asian groceries and also a quick bite to eat. They serve really delicious Bahn Mi and many delicious flavors of Bubble Tea and best of all, it is less than 30 miles from our house.

"macaroons",my latest addition

Our first stop today, Target and TJmaxx in Newnan to see what kinds of deals could be found. Jane and I were about to walk out of TJMaxx empty handed when I spotted a Macaron book!!, another one for my collection.

At Oriental marketplace , I enjoyed a Vietnamese iced coffee with bubbles added while shopping. I drank it so fast, I forgot to take a picture of it. I found all my Miso soup ingredients, a few treats and stocked up on some noodles and seasonings.

Fresh Shitakes, plump and fragrant!

Miso!!

These are freshly made and oh so delicious, a super deal at 3 for $2.50

crunchy, not too sweet, light and airy

With my "chore" done, it was on to the highlight of our trip, Williams-Sonoma and lunch at Thai Spice. Not much was on sale at Williams Sonoma but I did score some yummy snacks for 75% off and picked up a new tea to try. I have read a lot about this certain tea and decided to see what the fuss was all about. Stay tuned for future blog post about it.

The tin is pretty, let's hope the TEA taste good too

Shopping done, it was lunchtime! Thai Spice in Peachtree City is one of the few restaurants I have eaten at that is consistently good. I have never been disappointed.

Spring Rolls and Basil Rolls

coconut soup

Not only does Thai Spice have delicious food and wonderful service, the atmosphere is lovely too. It is an airy space, not overly decorated and the lighting is just right.

very comfy booths and the carving is a lot larger in real life, probably about 8 feet tall

my "art" camera bag looks right at home at Thai Spice

Pad Woon Sen

Pad Thai

Sticky Rice with Mango

We both had enough leftovers for supper tonight and also took additional orders of Massaman and Pad Woon Sen home and it all cost less than a meal for one at Woodfire Grill, what a super deal!

Spring greenery I could not live without from Pike's today

 

At Pike's garden center after lunch, I tried my best to resist plants and items that were not on my shopping list. I picked up indoor plants I came for and some seeds for Spring and early Summer planting. I had to remind myself that there was still a threat of frost for another month or two and hoped my Spring Fever antibodies were working hard.

I will try to get these planted before this weekend is over

Dallas fern and Golden Spike Moss

Dallas fern is one of the ferns recommended by Southern Living for hardiness indoors so we shall see. I like how the fronds are rather small and it forms a compact mound.

Spring Promises

I moved the Lilies of the Valley to the porch since the weather was mild

The forecast for today was sunny skies and comfy temperatures. I made an extra effort to get up early to get some much needed yard work done. After a quick breakfast of toast and soft boiled eggs, it was a mad dash out into the garden to get as much done as possible before an afternoon of piano lessons followed by choir practice.

Farm eggs!

 

It was a most productive morning, I got 3 gallon containers of white Dutch Iris(A Birthday gift from 2010) planted and moved an entire bed of Roof Iris. I pruned the big "Martine Guillot" rose bush and also cut back all the butterfly bushes and some of the ornamental grasses. While working in the yard today, I could see that for every task I accomplished, there will be two more to be done. I re-potted some succulents and also pruned the dead wood off the Daphne.

"Martine Guillot" rose, Late Spring 2010

"Martine Guillot" rose, Late Spring 2010

The most exciting discovery I made while gardening this morning was the emerging shoots of "Honey Hill Joy" Helleborus. These plants had done well in the last few years but suffered a stampede when the roofers came last Fall. More trampling ensued when we repaired woodwork on the house and a third stomp when the house got painted.

In a year or two with some care, I hope to return them to their former glory

"Honey Hill Joy" Helleborus, March 2010

 

I also noticed the "Thalia" Daffodils I planted in the planters in front of the house finally peeking out of the soil. These will surely be wonderful blooming alongside the Dusty Miller and Violas.

planter in the late afternoon

While I gardened, Raleigh continued clean up in the garage, he found the garage floor(I almost forgot we had a floor in there) and also Filbert's long lost "genuine rhinestone" studded leather collar with vaccination tags. I decided it was time to quit when the heap of garden clippings I made on the street was as tall as the mailbox. Phew!!

Another exciting event today was the arrival of our order from Nashville Wraps: containers to send dinner guest home with leftovers and also boxes for macarons.

take out boxes came pre-assembled, macaron boxes needed assembly but were easily put together

Green candy boxes were 60 cents a piece, perfect for a gift of macarons,

Take-out containers, about 30 cents a piece

Socrates anticipating the arrival of piano students

The piano students were on their best behavior today and choir practice was uplifting as usual so in conclusion, an excellent "Working Wednesday"

Radishes, Rutabagas and Roast Beef

Helleborus in the garden this morning, the first to open this year

Since it was rather breezy and not too cold today, I decided to make pot roast. I like to be able to open the windows when making it since it does get stuffy in the house when the roast is browning. When it comes to meals during the week I try to keep it simple.

5 ingredient pot roast!

Step 1: season chuck roast with salt and pepper and coat with flour

Step 2: brown both sides of beef in some oil

Step 3: After beef is nicely browned, remove and set aside, add 1 sweet onion

Step 4: When Onions are fragrant, return beef to the pot and add red wine(enough to come up half way of roast). Bring to boil and then reduce to a simmer and cook covered for 3 to 4 hours, till meat is falling apart

While the beef simmered, I went about the rest of the afternoon. I finally got around to getting the "white icicle" radish seeds planted. They will be lovely in a spring salad if successful. Also planted a couple of $2 Parsley plants I got from Publix last night.

For an afternoon snack, I made Korean Glutinous rice balls with pecans. Another easy dish to make since it starts with a mix.

To the mix is added some water, and egg and pecans

shape into balls

Bake at 350F for about 40 minutes, YUMMY

The cats were happy to have the windows open, they spent most of the afternoon parked in the bedroom window watching me work in the yard

"cats behind willow"

To go with the pot roast, a simple Rutabaga puree and steamed Haricot Verts

mmm cream...

Tender and succulent after cooking in the wine for 4 hours

Dinner is served!

And for the simplest dessert, sliced Asian pear, sweet, juicy and crunchy.