Summertime and the preserved radish is jumping

Maybe this post should be titled, “How I spent my summer vacation.” But preserved radish is on my mind.

I’ve been watching the Deadwood series free on Amazon Prime. I loved it, but the series ended abruptly, leaving me between books and stuck with a lackluster watchlist. I settled on the old Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, Flower Drum Song. I was astonished to discover I knew most of the songs.

old Movies

The movie is dated, and I suspect the Asian community would find it a stereotypical caricature at best. I originally thought it was an all-Asian cast, but I recognized Madame Liang as the same person who played Bloody Mary in South Pacific. Turns out she was African-American. The music and dancing was a great escape that kept me from brooding about the state of the nation as I drifted off to sleep thanking God I am not Trump’s type.

art

My art endeavors have taken a back seat since we transitioned to summer. I’ve been spending more time golfing and swimming. Maybe art will be a seasonal thing for me? Dale always said I needed a winter sport to get through the dark, cold and wet months. As if making pot pie is not a sport.

reading

In theory, I’m reading a history of the California Gold Rush, but I’ve had to accept a harsh truth. I prefer historical fiction. I’m not proud, but there you have it. I like rollicking stories loosely based on fact, which should put me in good stead with the current administration.

golf

Golf is my little crack cocaine of hobbies. Although I am in a women’s golf group, it’s quite regimented, and I’ve discovered I often prefer going out by myself. It feels more like an adventure. Like, ooh, look at me, I’m exploring this lush landscaped universe with strangers and a ball – who knows what will happen? As opposed to, “Ladies, there is an 8 a.m. shotgun start, and all players will be in place at that time.” Way to spoil a party.

cooking

Meanwhile, I’m thinking about food. We both love to eat, but more importantly, we both love to cook, which is a great retirement hobby. You have time to explore recipes and shop for ingredients. You can squander an afternoon making an obscure dish from your travels. You will likely eat well, save money and improve your health.

After enjoying a particular food in the U.S. or overseas, Dale and I often figure out a way to make the recipe at home. Among successes that regularly appear on our table are schnitzel from Germany, stacked enchiladas from New Mexico and Greek salad from Crete.

The Greek salad we enjoyed in Crete is different than what you might typically get in a restaurant. You need summer tomatoes, which we have yet to see this year. Do you have any yet? Soon, I believe. When they come on, we will be ready. Tomato sandwiches! Tomato pie!

As for the salad, coarsely chop tomatoes, cucumber and onion and arrange on a plate. Top it with a hunk of feta cheese, sprinkle with oregano and garnish with Kalamata olives. Serve olive oil and red wine vinegar on the side so everyone pours their own over the salad. Don’t forget crusty homemade bread for dipping.

I’m gearing up for a couple of dishes that are on the waiting list to try. One would be Shrimp & Grits and the other is Pad Thai. I bought stone-ground grits and made jalapeno cheese grits as a trial run – figuring why waste shrimp until I know what I am doing? Good thing, because my grits were too thin. Grits, damn you, life was easier when I thought you were cream of wheat.

The Pad Thai is a new recipe from the Washington Post. I ventured off to the exotic food store for ingredients we didn’t already have. For us, that store would be 99 Ranch Market, which is truly amazing. It’s like a Viewer’s Choice Chopped basket gone wild.

I visited 99 Ranch on Sunday. I’m still in the hunting and gathering stage for Pad Thai, so I didn’t buy any fresh ingredients for the dish. My list included:

• Rice noodles
• Palm sugar
• Dried shrimp
• Sweet preserved radish
• Tamarind concentrate

The only thing I couldn’t find is sweet preserved radish. I could make the recipe without it, but what fun is that? I spent forever in the store looking for the radish. Dale, proud Luddite, even charged up his phone to see if I would call home … that’s how long I was gone. I came up empty-handed.

Easy solution. When I got home, I ordered it from Amazon. It should get here today.

How’s your summer going?