Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Mmmmmm..... Marmalade



We went camping last week and I came home to a bowl of oranges that were on the edge of being tossed. Well, it's not in my nature to waste anything. I knew a little stove top loving would preserve the poor mandarin oranges. All I would need is sugar and a lemon. Check and check.

This recipe yields 20 ounces.

5 Mandarin oranges (or whatever kind of orange you have on hand)
1 Lemon's grated zest and juice, remove the seeds
2 cups of water
3 cups of sugar (you can add another 1/4 cup if you'd like it sweeter)

Use a mandolin to slice your oranges and then cut up any pieces that are larger than bite size. Combine the water, oranges, lemon zest, and juice. Then bring the fruit to a boil and reduce it back down to a simmer for about 30 minutes. The fruit should be soft. Bring the fruit back up to a full boil and then add the sugar. Keep stirring and boiling for 15 minutes. The marmalade should darken a bit.
To test that it's the right consistency, spoon a small amount of hot marmalade onto a plate and chill it in the refrigerator. If it is too runny, continue cooking. If it's too hard, add water.

This preserve came out beautifully and really delicious. It's sweet and a little bit bitter. Add it to a bagel with cream cheese or to your tea instead of honey.

Many people like to jar what they've made but I only make enough for a couple of my Tupperware containers and then I store them in the refrigerator. If you are interested in jarring or canning, check out this site for tips.


Enjoy!


Monday, August 22, 2011

World Curry in PB

World Curry is this super casual, little restaurant on Garnet Avenue in the beachy neighborhood of Pacific Beach. I used to go there years ago for take out. So, when I received my Living Social email offering me 50% off, I figured it was time to go back.

I always have to try something new. I feel like I could be missing out on my new favorite if I always order the same thing. Fortunately for me, they offer a worldly variety to choose from. I ordered the Caribbean curry. It was sweet and spicy and hearty and delicious. Also, not a bad price. Only $7.49 for the regular size portion which ends up being enough to take home.We also ordered a side of their garlic naan bread, fantastic.

We'll be coming back more often but I don't know how I'm going to choose what I try next. The Japanese curry or maybe the Northern Thai curry?  Hmmm...

Oh, and be sure to order the Thai iced tea, especially if you like your food super spicy.
Black beans, corn, tomatoes and pineapple slow cooked in a Columbo curry mix. Yum.