++Pear in a Bottle++

When we were home for Thanksgiving my dad gave us a bottle of pear brandy that he had been holding onto for something like 30 years(!?). We cracked it open and it was quite the tasty treat. Apparently this is not that common anymore but it used to be that they would put the bottle on the pear tree branch and let the pear grow inside the bottle. I kid you not.

This is the box it came in. Fancy yet retro at the same time.

~{ Chinese New Year }~

This past Supper Club was Chinese food cooked by Sean. He used some of the ingredients that he bought at the Asian Market the weekend before. It also happened to be the Chinese New Year and my birthday weekend. Chris surprised me by hanging a Chinese New Year banner and getting everyone to sing "happy birthday" in Chinese. Pretty sweet, don't ya think? The food was awesome and as usual we had a blast.

The appetizer was my contribution and I made yuba rolls. They were really good, if I do say so myself.

Crazy mushroom!

Chris with the Chinese "happy birthday" song cheat sheet.

Soup that Depal made. Yummmm...

The Chef du jour.

The Coolest Birthday Gift Ever!

Check out this photo of the second coolest birthday gift I received yesterday: breakfast made by my sweet husband, Chris. He hates to cook but loves art and has proved it in this very artistic arrangement of eggs, grits and grapefruit. It really hit the spot though. Yummy and super thoughtful! What was the #1 coolest gift you say? You have to go here to see....

A Crock of Kraut

I've been meaning to try my hand at making sauerkraut ever since I made my first batch of kimchi a couple of years ago. I have no idea why it's taken me so long!

Did you know that (homemade) sauerkraut is chock-full of good bacteria for your belly and immune system? I'm hoping to keep a crock of kraut going constantly and eat a little bit each day to keep me healthy. I'm excited!

Have you ever made any fermented foods?

The 888

Yesterday I went to Kansas City to the 888 Asian Market with my buddy, Sean. It was incredible. The selection was overwhelming. There was everything from pickled lotus root to duck heads to bulk pig's blood. It was a sight to see and I definitely bought a few things that will sit in my kitchen cabinet for a while. It's hard to resist canned fried mackerel. I know. We'll see. Some day.

Fresh jackfruit. Check out my feet for scale!

Yes, that's bulk jellyfish.

It was aisle after aisle of this. Bright colors!

Sean bought one of these Honey Basil Seed drinks. It tasted like perfume. Blek.

Medicinal herbs.

Incense.