I am not a patient one – no, no and no. Wish I were… but no. For that, I have Tom. I’m the one who has to cross the street when there is no traffic coming while red; why the he…ck would I wait; other than to miss the diminishing sound waves from the father standing on the corner with his young daughter, informing her that “the woman crossing the street is a law-breaker” (oops, well, something to consider in this town, perhaps).
I am the one who has her foot on the gas pedal the second the light turns green. I am the one that looks from line, to line, to line at the grocery store and quickly changes lanes if there is a person down the way that might have one item less than the person ahead of me… and I am definitely the one that wishes she could wiggle her nose to make “the problem” (insert one from long list of problems) go quickly, very quickly, away.
At home, most “problems” can be fixed by trying it for myself first (yet failing). Trying it again, with more urgency and frustration (yet again, failing), then quickly, very quickly, calling for Tom to help. Problem solved. Tom always has the magic touch and almost always makes the problem go away… find my black long sleeve cotton shirt; the one that I got at Istina’s, not Betty Blue. Put the drawer back in the track (which is now slightly broken from my effort). [Tom here – Whaaaaat is this?] Untangle the necklace that will surely never untangle again. I can’t get this d*mn drawstring back through the waist of my pajama pants (problem solved), well, you get the idea.
Lately, I have been having a battle with the computer modem wifi thingy. Oh, how it likes Tom, but so does not like me. I wake up earlier than him on a weekend morning (Ginger makes sure of that). I shuffle (err… drag myself) out to get coffee and my mobile devices, plus take care of Ginger and Buddy’s needs, I climb back into bed, ready to tuck in and get some work done. Problem. No connection. Now I have to get back out of bed, go deal with the connection and hope for the best. Well, I can hope, but hope is never a reliable solution. Unplug… 1… 2… 3… re-plug. Should be good, right? Wrong. Again. Nope. Once more (for Tom), damn, T o o m m m m m, h e l p? He has the Midas touch.
Uh, oh. I forgot to factor in the what-happens-when-Tom’s-gone, solution. He has been traveling and it didn’t cross my mind, until it did. I came home from work, ready to get back to work. Problem. No connection and Tom’s Midas touch is in Boston, not Seattle. I muster up a good deal of positive thinking and go in for the fix. Nothing. I go back, slowly, breathing calmly and trying to channel Tom. I unplug the thingy Tom said to unplug (not the yellow one, which I couldn’t figure how to make release anyway) and count to four (1-2-3). Then plug it back in. Nothing. I continue this scenario, changing the count times, the position of the device, and the time between tries. Nothing. I contemplate, again, about the yellow thingy and should I give that a try? No, it still will not budge from it’s slot. I give up several times, going back to my iPhone (which always has a cell connection at least) but quickly cave and go back in for more.
Uncountable tries later, I began wondering if unplugging it and running around the room with it in my hands a few times would in fact help. I picture this in my mind and begin feeling a bit silly. Back to giving up. Okay, seriously, what is it I have to do? If I started jumping up and down begging for cooperation, would that work? It didn’t. Tom was not responding to my emails or my texts (pesky 3-hour time difference). Not sure what it was I thought he could do from Boston (I don’t think there’s an app for that, yet).
I was in my final round of coddling the device when I realized not even a single white dot of light was shining (there are three dots). Did I break it even further? Panicking (just a little), I started pulling at all the cords and moving it around in every direction it would allow while it still hung on by the yellow cord. The furthest left connection (as opposed to the middle connection with which I had misunderstood needed the unplugging) was slightly ajar and as I flitted about, I inadvertently shoved it back into place. All three lights lit up and (sky opening up, singing hallelujah) sent me skipping back to my seat to give my devices a try.
Ironically, as I sat down and picked up my phone, I saw a text message waiting. It was from Tom and said this, “Unplug far left grey round cord of white Airport for the count of 4 (1-2-3-4) (NOT I,000) and plug back in. Give it about 3-4 min to reset after to see signal.”
So it turned out, I had been unplugging the wrong cord all along. This time though, I figured it out all by myself (sort of).
So, as for dinner, calamari (fried this time) to start… since he’s not here.
It’s blurry cuz I was inpatient and worked up (or hungry?).
And a quick finish because I used up my patience.
Ahhh… Peace at last (and buttery smooth scallops over lentils, arugula and balsamic).
So, here it is Friday again and rather than jump up and down, I decided to whack, whack a shell, put the lime in the coconut and fill it up with shrimp. Heading over to Fiesta Friday with a little Island delight.
Coconut prawns with mango mustard
I think it is essential to treat yourself to a big swig of coconut water, fresh from the shell, as you cook these. Ginger and Buddy enjoyed a bowl of it too while I sipped on my coconut infused gin + tonic.
This is a personal favorite of Tom’s (to do with his love of Hawaii and all things tropical island) so to let him know I care, this one’s for him but we hope you enjoy. Happy Friday to all. Head over to Angie’s for more good food, friends and fun.
INGREDIENTS (for prawns)
1 lb fresh prawns
1 cup white whole wheat flour (or all purpose flour)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
A few shakes of cayenne pepper
3/4 cup soda water
1 cup Shredded coconut (unsweetened)
Canola or peanut oil for frying
PREPARE (prawns)
Peel, devein and clean the prawns. Pat dry, well.
Combine the flour, baking soda and powder, salt and cayenne in a medium bowl. Add the soda water and whisk until smooth. Let sit for 10-15 minutes, or up to several hours before proceeding. The batter will be enough for at least 1 lb of prawns and possibly a little more. Discard any unused portion.
Lightly dust the shrimp with flour, then dip into the batter. Start with 1/2 cup coconut on a plate and press each prawn onto the coconut shreds, each side. Add more coconut shreds as needed.
They can be prepped to this point several hours in advance.
Fill a heavy pot with enough oil to cover the prawns. I use my deep cast iron skillet and fill it a few inches deep (you can cook in batches if you need).
When the oil Is quite hot, add the prawns and let cook until golden and cooked through (approximately 3-5 minutes), be careful not to let them burn or overcook. Remove with a slotted spoon or metal tongs. These are best served right away.
INGREDIENTS (for mustard)
1/2 cup course chopped, peeled champagne mango (sweeter than a regular mango)
1 TB Dijon mustard
1TB lemon juice
PREPARE (mustard)
Put all ingredients in a food processor and blend. If it is too thick, add a little water and continue to process.
TO SERVE
Divide the mustard into little sauce cups. Cut off the diamond tips of a Thai coconut, poke a hole in the top and drain the water into a cup (to drink later). Crack open the coconut and tear it in half. You can clean it of it’s meat now or wait until you have finished your appetizer (in which case you might want to line it with a wax paper square, folded).
Fill each coconut half with prawns, a lime and tuck in the small sauce bowl.
So, “put the lime in the Coconut” and have yourself some fun,
very cool and very fun
Fun if you clicked on the coconut song link (bottom of post)? Nothing like a song to bring the party on.
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Oooooooh….looks great.
I think I’ll line my large molcajete with a waxed paper square, nestle a sauce cup in the center surrounded by the prawns and let the feeding frenzy begin. Having all this prepped ahead of time is a real bonus. Yum!
What a great idea. Wish I were on my way…
Hope you clicked the link to the coconut song – to set the mood?
Yum, yum. We should make these for outdoor movie night this year.
Did you all sing and dance to the coconut song link? Disappointed if not (from the musicians)!
You are hilarious, Stacey! Haha, I was laughing all the way through your post. Tom sounds so patient and loving. What a catch! As for your recipe, I love that you use unsweetened coconut for the shrimp! And those coconut bowls? Love that, too! 😀
Thanks Patty, always nice to have a good laugh. I am pretty lucky to have Tom, it’s true.
I find sweetened coconut makes the shrimp too sweet. The fineness of the shred can also make a difference in the taste and texture. I like both a flaky shred and a fine shred but they result in a completely different looking shrimp. Do you prefer one over the other?
On the coconut bowls, I found it helped to scoop out the meat, then rinse the inside and dry them in a 250 degree oven for about an hour. This made the house smell great and made the inside turn a beautiful, toasty color. I also put the coconut meat on a pan and dried it out in the oven alongside the shells which produced a yummy coconut treat for Ginger and Buddy.
Bailey says Ginger and Buddy sure are lucky to get coconut treats! As for me, I think I lean toward a fine coconut shred, but I like the flaky version in certain preparations like cake and desserts! I just love coconut, period. 😀
Well, Ginger and Buddy say they are happy to share. I agree, on the fine shred (which I used here) but the flake is nice too.
Sometimes the texture of the flakes is a bit too much for me. 🙂
They do love their coconut, those two. I buy it for them in the store, packaged just for pups but ironically it tastes similar to that for us. Makes sense because there should be equality in value.0
This prompted me to make a version of my own (totally different but oh so good!)
I like both flaky and fine, for different reasons,so don’t think I could choose one for the other.leaning towards fine.
Making your own is always better! And not to mention fresher. 🙂
Oh Stacey – you are so much like me (though I usually wait for lights to change)! But I am definitely technology challenged. And like you, I can usually figure the problem out if I take the time – but why get my blood pressure up when it would be so easy for somebody else to do in two minutes? What I can’t understand though is, if the computer is just a machine, how does it know to always break down when I’m stressed or in a hurry?
On to today’s recipes: I have cooked hundreds of scallops in my lifetime, and tried every method of preparation, but I never get that beautiful glaze on them. What is the secret?
Lots of love,
Mom
Hmm…you might have even less patience than I; are you sure you always wait for the light to change? “Stressed” or “or in a hurry” always invite malfunctioning technology. Every time I have a deadline, the plotter doesn’t function properly, just like clock work.
The key to a nice sear on a scallop is simple. The scallop must be very dry (pat dry with paper towel), the pan + oil must be very hot (but not smoking) and once down, the scallop must remain seated, undisturbed until the brown crust forms (typically 2-3 minutes).
At that point, I sometimes add a small pat of butter and leave the scallop undisturbed until the butter has melted (10 more seconds or so). I then flip the scallop over, turn off the heat and squeeze in some lemon juice. Within 1 minute, the scallop should be removed from the pan so as not to overcook; this might need to be done right away if it is already cooked through (you can tell by pressing on it to see how much spring it has). A nice brown crust does the scallop no good if it is over cooked because then it has a rubbery texture. It should be slightly rare inside, which results in buttery smooth.
As for seasoning the scallops before cooking, I rub a flaky sea salt between my finger tips over the top of the scallops, grind over a bit of fresh pepper and sometimes sprinkle over a few (just a few) grains of natural sugar which helps the scallops brown.
Come to Seattle and we can cook one together.
Great name and delicious looking recipe! 🙂
Thanks, Tom agrees.
Great party recipe and presentation. Thanks for sharing the music too. It is really amusing – and the dancers.
Well, you would know, our fabulous co-hostess. Glad you listened to the song.,.circa planet of the apes (love that song myself). Means a lot, thanks.
so much to like here! Harry Nisson for one 🙂 Great food for another. Enjoyed reading very much. Love your style.
Nilsson, Harry Nilsson 😉
Ha, I knew what you meant. You are a good egg! Love your Blog.
Thanks. Good to know you caught on to the song – good stuff.
Lol, you crack me up! Sounds almost like you were describing me and what happened to me! Not the law-breaking part, oh nooo! Would never have done that; I’m an upstanding citizen everywhere, all the time (haha, that’s like our school’s motto). Only the modem part. 🙂
Excellent recipes, too, btw! 🙂
Of course, of course, would never think you to be a law-breaker, you. Please forgive me my delinquent behavior.
That d*mn connectivity thing seems to be going around.
Good to have you back, but the idea is that you don’t have to socialize to all your guests upon return or else you did away with the rest (zzzz’s).
😀 The scallops and shrimp are making me drool. Great post! By the way, I sooooo have the impatience gene too. I can’t imagine what it would be like if my husband were the same way…
Thanks. Ha, know what you mean. If Tom were inpatient too, it would be a bit tricky.
That’s great! they had to be amazing!
Well it is hard to go wrong with shrimp battered in coconut. I just saw our mango fennel salad with the like and it sounds delicious too.