Butterfies Drop In

No, I didn't Photoshop it!

I found three huge butterflies around the lantana. They didn't seem to be afraid of me, letting me get really close to them and take pictures. There was an orange one, too, but I couldn't take a picture. It is nice to see them stop by our yard to check out what flowers are in bloom. My hubby and I always say hi when we see them in the yard, and our dogs have lots of fun chasing them. Although, it is more like the butterflies are laughing at our dogs. One of those heartwarming moments.

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Grilled Shishito Peppers on a Stick

Splash lemon before eating

When I sowed the seeds of the shishito peppers this spring, I had this picture in my head of making the yakitori-style shishito peppers on a stick with a slice of lemon on the side. Typical yakitori restaurants should carry this item to accompany your grilled meats on a stick. If you could get hands on gourmet salt, like flavored salt or special sea salt, this simple grilled peppers will become fancy small bites for your next party. If you prefer, a drizzle of soy sauce instead of salt can make them just as tasty.

Today's harvest from our garden

Grill them on a dry pan till brown

Plum-flavored salt

Some people like a plate of cheese and meat with a glass of beer. I choose the grilled shishito peppers on a stick over that any day!


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Earrings for Summer Fun

Sometimes when I add a few extra embellishments to a set of earrings, later those embellishments become the main element of another set of earrings. This set of earrings is just that. Turns out, those little "umphs" can hold on their own as a decent set of earrings. How about that for re-purposing?

They are not just supporting actors anymore

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Vegetable Garden Updates (26)

Tomato salad with four different varieties from our garden, Super Fantastic, Golden Jubilee, Black Prince and Black Cherry. Drizzle olive oil, balsamic vinegar and rock salt. Basil is also from our garden. The colors are so bright, you just know that you are eating something healthful!

Yellow, red and purple tomatoes

I used the bottle of blood orange balsamic vinegar and Hawaiian rock salt. Tomatoes call for a lot more salt than you may think. Rock salt has that intense flavor when you crunch, perfect for the tomato salad like this. 

Balsamic vinegar with a hint of orange

Pink colored rock salt

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Simple and Elegant Earrings

To go with the "simple and elegant necklace" I made earlier, I came up with two sets of earrings. They are both made with the same purple-gray crystals.

These look more casual

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Shrimp Gumbo with Andouille Sausage

What do you do when you have too many tomatoes and okras? Make a pot of gumbo, of course. 

A small cup of gumbo is very satisfying

Shrimp Gumbo With Andouille Sausage 

1 link (about 7 oz) andouille sausage, sliced
1 cup small-medium shrimp
1 small onion, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
5 large tomatoes, diced
8-10 okra, diced
1 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp oregano
2 bay leaves
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp old bay
1 cube chicken bullion 
Dash cayenne pepper
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
Dash hot sauce
Dash cumin
1/3 cup vermouth or sherry
Salt and pepper to taste
2 stalks green onions, chopped

Brown andouille sausages in olive oil. Add onions, green peppers, celery, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper and keep cooking. Sprinkle flour in the pan and coat cooked sausages and vegetables. Add tomatoes and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Tomatoes will start to caramelize on the bottom of the pan. Deglaze it with vermouth. If tomatoes are not very juicy, you may want to add some water or chicken stock. Toss in a chicken bullion, worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, chili powder, cayenne pepper, old bay, cumin and bay leaves and stir. Add shrimp and okras. 

In a soup bowl, pour some gumbo on the bed of cooked rice and garnish with green onions. Some people prefer putting the rice on top of gumbo. How do you like to eat your gumbo?


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Simple and Elegant Necklace

I've had the idea of making this necklace for awhile. I wanted it to be rather short, almost like a choker, made only with single color crystals in different sizes. I wanted it to be in a simple design and let the crystals be the main element. It would look great with a white shirt with a pair of jeans or a fancy little black dress. It's simple and elegant.

Almost gray-like purple in gradations

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Fried Green Tomatoes with Dill Aioli

A real southern treat

With two green tomatoes from our garden, I made fried green tomatoes. I combined some Italian bread crumbs with yellow cornmeal, and since I didn't have buttermilk, I mixed skim milk and Greek yogurt to coat the tomatoes. It worked. They turned out just fine. 

Before... 

... and after

Fried Green Tomatoes With Dill Aioli

2 green tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 cup skim milk
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
Dash salt and pepper
Flour for dredging
Olive oil for frying

Dill Aioli
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp ketchup
1 tsp horseradish
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp lemon juice
Dash hot sauce
1 Tbsp fresh dill

Dredge sliced tomatoes with flour. Dip them in the skim milk and yogurt mixture and coat both sides. Coat them with the bread crumbs and cornmeal mixture. Fry them in oil till golden brown. Sprinkle salt and pepper while hot. Combine all the ingredients for the aioli and mix well. Serve it on the side of the warm fried green tomatoes.


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A Special Guest With A Tail

We welcomed a special guest to our home yesterday. She is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel just like our dog, and she is going to stay with us for awhile. We really like her. Our dog has been showing her around the house, what to sniff and look for in the yard. And she is showing him how to be a really adorable dog who can win anyone's heart.

"First of all, I will show you where I saw a rabbit."

"Follow me. I will introduce you to our neighbor, Tiny."

"This is where you spot a mailman everyday."

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Vegetable Garden Updates (25)

Shishito peppers

I picked the first several shishito peppers today. There will be more coming. Two Golden Jubilee tomatoes were ready, too. Okras and cherry tomatoes are consistently producing daily.

I can see you!

Golden Jubilee

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Sautéed Broccoli with Black Olives

A friend of mine made this dish long time ago for me, and I remember being so inspired by it then. So when I went back to Japan, I made this same dish for my family, and they loved it, too. The aroma of olive oil is really important in this dish, so use a good bottle of olive oil. One time, I made it with the olive oil infused with black truffles, the kind you can see the bits of truffles in the oil, and it was heavenly! I personally like regular black olives for this dish, but I used kalamata olives this time. If you've never been a big fan of broccoli, this might just change your mind. 

Red chili peppers will give you a little extra umph!

Sautéed Broccoli With Black Olives

1 bunch broccoli, cut into small florets
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/4 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp black olive, chopped
Sprinkle of red chili peppers
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/8 to 1/4 tsp salt, adjust to taste

Blanch broccoli al dente in boiling water, for about two minutes. Slowly sauté garlic, black olives and chili peppers in olive oil over medium low heat. When the oil gets fragrant, add broccoli and salt to the pan. Toss to coat. Adjust the amount of salt depending on how salty the olives are. Kalamata olives are usually saltier than the regular black olives that come in a can. I like this dish on the saltier side. Splash lemon juice and serve warm.

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Cucumber and Green Tomatoes in Honey-Lemon Dressing

Some of the cucumbers have grown quite big. You can only consume so much cucumbers if eaten raw, but you can pickle them for a day or two, and they will make a great condiment or a side dish. I also added a few green tomatoes that had fallen off the vines before turning red. It's a nice summer flavor that makes you think of a cold glass of lemonade.

Honey adds a nice touch

The cucumbers, the green tomatoes and the fresh dill are from our garden. There is something satisfying about cooking with the veges from your own garden, isn't there?

Cucumbers And Green Tomatoes In Honey-Lemon Dressing

3 cucumbers, peeled and seeded 
3 small green tomatoes, about the size of cherry tomatoes, sliced
2 slices lemon
2 Tbsp pickled jalapeño peppers, sliced
1/4 red onion, sliced thin
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
1/4 tsp dry tarragon
1 Tbsp fresh dill
2 tsp honey
3 Tbsp sushi vinegar
1 tsp lemon juice

Slice cucumbers and sprinkle salt. Set aside for 15 minutes to draw excess water. Rinse salt off the cucumbers with running water and gently squeeze water out. In a bowl, combine cucumbers with sliced red onions, pickled jalapeño peppers, sliced green tomatoes, sliced lemon. Add vinegar, honey, fennel seeds, tarragon, dill and lemon juice. Stir to coat well and chill in the fridge. Tastes even better the next day!


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Vegetable Garden Updates (24)

Look at this ginormous okra! I think I left it on there too long. It will be most likely too tough to eat, but I thought I would share the picture with y'all. 

This can be used as a weapon

Another thing that's enormous is this Super Fantastic Tomato. It is still slightly green but within a few days, it will be ready. The tomato plants are getting so heavy with the fruits and also the vines are getting bushy, we had to get a metal reinforcement pole to support them. 

It's not as big as our dog, just an optical illusion!

The gigantic pepper finally turned red on the kitchen counter. It is a beautiful bright red pepper. We can feed an army with this pepper!

Compare to my hand

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Vegetable Garden Updates (23)

I found some baby shishito peppers this morning. They look great. Judging from the number of flowers on the plants, we will have abundant shishito peppers this season. I can almost taste the grilled shishito peppers on a stick with sprinkles of sea salt. Mmm.

Flower and pepper side by side

They are tiny, about pea size

Shiso is growing vigorously in the planter. Just love what I can do with them. Such a clean flavor and a nice aroma!

Shiso leaves

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