Panda Manila

While FromCushtoCoral.blogspot.com is on hold.

Musings With Benson

Keep that fire lit, stoke it, and cherish it. Don’t let it ever go out. 

More than any other race, the Chinese are gifted with a yet unnamed name gene that allows them to achieve prosperity in their lifetime.

To my partner who has MPD: I know you better than you know yourselves!

—PandaManila

Firsts

Jenny Gibbs Hey Cush, my daughter is pregnant with my first grandchild, I know its not the caliber of what Sarah and Jason have asked, but, that is the direction I am thinking about……… :-)June 27 at 7:22am · Like ·  1 person

Wait. Did I do this already Jenny? Holy! It’s February 2012 now.

A Random Thought

I love you in the quiet mornings. These moments that come so rare. There is so little now left for us but these quiet, still times.

The Manly Boiled Peanuts Project

Waste not want not goes some first world adage. Must have been sprouted by the guy who first re-purposed some chuck and steak into hamburger.  

A few of the nuts on bed. Didn’t see it at first did you?

Start off: Leftover salty, starchy pasta water

Re-use: Add more water and bring to a boil. Once roiling, use pasta water to quick peel red onions. Throw back tops, tails, and skins once done.

Trifecta: Add more water, salt, and spices and use as a base from which to boil Ilocos peanuts in.

Result: A manly, manly snack.  Complex, fragrant, and texturally sinful.

Spices? Ahem. Star Anise, Chili flake, Brown Sugar, Salt, Coarsely ground pepper, clove, and cinnamon.

Rationale? The Chinese did us a favor by adding spices to their boiled peanuts. I’ve upped the ante.

Here’s the recipe I used as a base. From Chichi Wang at SeriousEats (been following this site for years):

http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/12/seriously-asian-chinese-boiled-peanuts.html 

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/12/chinese-boiled-peanuts.html

Ingredients

yield: 6 as an appetizer or snack, active time 10 minutes, total time 2 to 5 hours, or overnight

  • 1 pound raw unshelled peanuts
  • 1/4 cup dark soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 stick cinnamon, about 3 inches in length
  • 1 star anise
  • 2 cloves
  • 1 dried chili, optional

Procedures

  1. 1

    Wash peanuts in several changes of water to get rid of residual dirt. Add peanuts to 3 quart saucepan with enough water to barely cover. Add soy sauce, sugar, salt, cinnamon, star anise, cloves, and dried chili.

  2. 2

    Place pot over high heat and bring to boil. Lower heat to steady but not rolling boil and cook for 3 to 5 hours, depending on how tender you like your peanuts. Check on pot every hour to make sure liquid doesn’t dry out. Refill with water, if needed, so that level of liquid just covers peanuts. Alternatively, place water, peanuts, and seasonings in a slow cooker and cook overnight.

  3. 3

    With slotted spoon, retrieve peanuts from braising liquid and serve warm or tepid. Store leftover peanuts in their stewing liquid in the refrigerator.

Peanut porn.

Too busy eating to add more in this post. Must explain how good these are—umami and all.  Maybe later. Maybe not. Maybe I should get a beer. Wait. Will get a beer.

Success! 

The Manly Mint Extraction Project

My herb garden is rife with mint: Peppermint, Lemon Mint, Swiss Mint, Chocolate Mint, Moroccan Mint, and Java Mint (best of the lot in my opinion, I grab a leaf to chew whenever I loaf on the balcony). Mint grows quickly and serves as great camouflage for my other ‘herbs.’ I’m sure you know that there are more than 17 varieties of mint—more information on mint here: http://www.mountainvalleygrowers.com/mint.htm. If not, shame on you.

So what to do? Experiment with extractions. Infuse the vodka. steep it in olive oil. Pound it and salt it.  Rub it in wounds.


I almost forgot that I had started this project awhile back. Here are pictures that show the results of a Christmas experiment/bet between Rica and me (Rica did an olive oil steep/Sanka Jar while I did a vodka infusion/Vodka Cruiser bottle) . I cautioned her that olive oil seemed mold friendly and that she should make sure her container was sterilized well.

Not listening.

Her’s on the left, mine on the right. Her olive oil steep actually had great color where the leaves were submerged, whereas mine went to a completely dark British green shade. Another thing, she did not remove the stems—which may have contributed to spoilage. Dirty bottle, dirty product—dirty results.

     

Why hello, mold. 


So I recommend vodka rather than olive oil.  What happens is, after being steeped for a while, you can freeze it to separate the oil from the vodka and use that for whatever oily/incense burner applications or what not. But on the other hand you also end up having a mint infused vodka. You can add more leaves periodically to make the infusion more potent. Make sure to keep these beauties in the dark. In the cold dark recesses of your clothes cabinet by your stash of porn. Or whatever. As long as it’s dark.

Here are pictures of the ongoing, endless loop Manly Mint Extraction Project:

(Left to right) A Lemon Mint vodka infusion (at 3 weeks), a Java Mint vodka infusion (at 3 weeks), and a Peppermint vodka infusion  (at 16 weeks)

Beaker meet beaker: Lemon Mint on left, Java Mint on right (at 3 weeks)

Beakers, meet corks.

So will update this post as the project evolves. Success! 

What happens if you only turn left on Temple Run?

Rough housing is the best way to bond with your children.

—PandaManila

Every Day Carry

Every Day Carry