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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
The week has gone by so fast has it not?? I am happy to have the weekend and I am sure there are some that feel the same way! Ryan and I have stayed busy preparing for the upcoming Tulip Time festivities in Holland. We are beginning to have more days driving to Holland and rehearsing our musical numbers with our small groups and our whole ensemble. What are we performing?
Well, Holland Chorale usually puts on a show for Tulip Time that is completely different stylistically and musically. It focuses more on Broadway and show tunes to 60’s and popular tunes. Another different thing is all the choreography. It is very organized and people get really gung hoe about it, but the downside of this is not being in the comfort of your own home. No offense to all the folks to allow is to stay in their homes but there is something about preparing your own foods and waking up in your own bed and not hurrying to some rehearsal. YES, I know. It is all a part of being a musician and I love it, but sometimes it gets to you. We are coming to the point where the end of the season is at its closing point so summer will be here to give us a break.
Spring has been here to add to the cheery mood! I enjoyed taking pictures of beautiful tulips. Which one is your favorite?
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Sigh….Spring is beautiful is it not? My grandmother and sister are flying in in a few weeks to see these beautiful flowers and Festival. I am so excited! It is nice when friends and family come in for a visit. I try to convince people to come and visit this beautiful state! It is gorgeous during this time and even in the summer!
So enough of the weather, how about some food? I am up late blogging to prevent my going to sleep on a semi-full tummy of yummy goodies. We had a wine and cheese fundraising event tonight where I happened to be singing. It was funny how people approached me and said how sorry they felt that I could not eat the cheese at this event. I was not sorry, since I know what happens to me when I had cheese….ha ha ha. I did enjoy, though, the lovely wines that were offered from local wineries. I think I settles on a blended white wine that was delicious. I usually like to stick to blended reds more than whites but this was lovely. I am sorry I do not have pictures, but the set up was nice. I had some wine but not much since I had to sing, even though it was one number.
I sang “If I Love You” from Carousel. I think I was very warmed because 1.) I had a voice lesson earlier and 2.)the wine helped a bit (wink wink). After I sang my piece I tasted some more wines but not to much since I hardly had had anything to eat except my tofu scramble from the morning, and apple and a LARA bar. NOT good, I know. Needless to say, we did go out to dinner after the fundraiser to a nice Italian restaurant we had YET to try called Pereddie’s. What a funny name, eh?
They make all their food from scratch, from their pasta down to their pizza. I ordered a portabella mushroom with a Greek dinner salad without any feta. Their salad was huge and VERY delicious. It had capers, 2 kinds of olives, artichokes, pickled peppers, pepperocini peppers and lots of lettuce. I barely ate half my salad but scarfed the mushroom. I am starting to have more fun ordering from menus at restaurants.
On another note, this week I tried a new way of eating bok choy. While meandering through my favorite Asian market, I decided to buy 2 pounds of their baby bokchoy. I started to brainstorm on the different ways I could use these little babys but I had one recipe in mind. The Kind Life suggested a nice recipe using Ume Plum vinegar with Gomasio, which is toasted black sesame seeds, then grounded in sea salt.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
This is such a EASY recipe and can go with any dish you make. Eden Foods makes the Ume Plum vinegar using umeboshi plums and pickling them with sea salt and shiso(beefsteak)leaves.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
It is a salty vinegar so you can use it in dressings or sprinkle it over steamed veggies, like I did in this recipe.
Ryan tasted this vegetable for the first time and really enjoyed this recipe. He told me he thought it was VERY gourmet for such a simple recipe. You too can make it in your own home. You can use baby bok choy, medium bokchoy or chop some regular sized bok choy and enjoy the recipe the same way. I think I am going to stick to the baby bok choy since they are SO cute! Enjoy this quick recipe!
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Baby Bok Choy with Ume Plum Vinegar and Gomasio
serves 2
8 to 10 baby bok choy, washed
2 tsp Ume Plum Vinegar
1 1/2 tsp Gomasio
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil (or sesame oil)(optional)Wash your baby bok choy and set aside. Add water to a medium pot and place in a steamer basket in the pot. Boil the water until steaming.
Add bok choy to steamer and steam for 3 to 5 minutes or before getting too limp. remove bok choy with tongs and place on a plate. Drizzle the vinegar, and olive oil and sprinkle with the gomasio*How to make Gomasio
makes 1/4 cup
4 Tbsp black sesame seeds
1 Tbsp sea salt
Toast salt in a cast iron skillet or non-stick on medium heat until the salt turns a little light brown color. Remove from heat and add to a mortal. Grind salt to a powder.
Toast seeds in a dry skillet until they just begin to color. Use medium-low heat and shake the skillet often. Watch toasting closely. Remove from heat after 5 to 7 minutes and pound fine with a mortar and pestle. When crushed, add salt and pound again.
