Food 2: Chew Harder • Page 90

Only been up there once to visit a friend at UVM freshman year and it was a really cool campus.

Slightly scary drive there though. My friend who drove was low on gas and apparently like every gas station along the way in Vermont is not open 24 hours lol. It was like 10pm and we took so many different exits trying to find anything

 

I once had to white knuckle it down the entirety of 89 from Burlington back to Portsmouth in the middle of the winter in my old '08 corolla during a blizzard. Saw a couple cars completely overturned on that drive. Maybe the scariest experience I've had driving anywhere.

 

The Arby’s near here closed down on Sunday, and apparently the two old school Arby’s big hat lights that it had are two of like less than 100 still used today by the chain. Bummer.

 

They recently closed the iconic one on Sunset Blvd to make way for a Raising Cane's and people were pissed, there's talks of them moving the sign to a new location.

 

Everything about this looks and sounds amazing.

 

Made some seared tuna lettuce wraps for dinner and topped them off with this hot sauce and some Thai basil I’m growing. Going to be a summer staple.

 

I have family in New Hampshire and had some of that brand the last time I visited. It was the spicy blueberry maple syrup. Very good. I'll look for this particular flavor next time I'm back as it sounds great.

If you're growing Thai Basil, I'd recommended drunken noodles. A classic.

 

Hell yeah drunken noodles my favorite dish

 

This is my favorite recipe for it though it's always best made by the pros. One day I'll eat it on the street in Thailand with a crisp cold beer.

Thai Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao)

 

I order drunken noodles probably once a week lol. So good.

 

Never tried making them before but I think I’ll give it a go soon. Best drunken noodles I’ve had were from a place called Thai Rice Noodle in Framingham, MA. When you ask for the highest spice level they actually make it hot. Nothing worse than asking for extra spicy and getting something that’s still fairly mild.

 

theres a place in Northampton MA that I like called Thai Thai, they spice it up for me

 

I get mine from a place called Khaophums in NH and it's great. But even their mild is sometimes too spicy for me. It's like a 50/50 shot of being tolerable or too much spice for me, but I chance it every time haha. Their medium is a great way to clear your sinuses.

 

I love Khaophums, glad to hear they’re still open

 

Yeah they're great, I only discovered them this year! Previously had gone to Thai Smile and found out it's significantly worse than Khaophums imo

 

Just wanted to share the last two meals I made which have been maybe some of the best I’ve ever made.
First is chicken tikka masala which I got a lot of authentic spices for and followed traditional recipe techniques. Then my own take on a chicken katsu. I used one of those Japanese curry blocks but I cooked it with caramelized onions, garlic, and a blended tomato.

 

Was there a specific recipe you followed for the tikka masala? That looks incredible

 

Those both look fantastic.

 

I made some penne all'amatriciana the other night and it was awesome. I couldn't find guanciale so I had to use pancetta, which still works really well. I always make mine with an onion, san marzano tomatoes, two glasses of white wine (one for me), and crushed red pepper or calabrian chilis. I couldn't find pecorino either so I used parm. Really simple and great dish if you've never made it. Comes together quickly too.

 

Big food weekend this past weekend. Friday was taco party in the neighborhood where I made birria and carnitas tacos with street corn, Saturday our neighbors from Nepal invited us to their son's bday party and had so much amazing homemade food, and last night I made sailor-style mussels and oysters. I obviously didn't take any pictures of anything.

 

what is sailor-style?

 

For those Roman pastas I actually prefer the taste of pancetta and parm. I know that’s blasphemous but what can I say?

 

I totally get it. Guanciale can be such a strong flavor, and I am a sucker for both cheeses.

 

The Best Moules Marinières (Sailor-Style Mussels) Recipe
White wine w/ garlic broth. I just copy this recipe more or less

 

Ah, okay. I see what you mean. Solid recipe. Now I want to cook some mussels.