Valentine's Day Lots to tell.

Yesterday I met with Carrie Sommer of Sommer Designs for a little antiquing, thrifting and eating in Old Towne Orange, my local antique district. It was really a fun day and I have to say, Carrie is certainly inspiring. So with that said, I’m planning on blogging more about more topics and hoping to feature products by fellow indie designers that I acquire.

Let’s start out with the Lavender Drawer Liners by Sommer Designs which Carrie so thoughtfully presented me for Valentine’s Day. Thanks Carrie! I’m a lavender lover and used to have a lavender plant at my old house and don’t now. I really miss it. Now I can enjoy the smell of lavender anytime I want. These liners are amazing and filled with “3 heaping cups” of lavender, each! I loved the packaging too; rolled up in cellophane with a pink ribbon. It was too irresistible.
http://sommerdesigns.com/lavenderliners.htm

After shopping, I headed out with my son to Mizuwa Marketplace; a Japanese market to get dinner for Valentine’s Day. I was in awe. I never had been there but my son and I agreed that Japanese candy is so much more interesting. I left him in the candy aisle and began my search. I decided to get fish for sashimi amongst other things. I chose Yellowtail (hamachi), Albacore which was tataki style (seared), salmon and an assortment of already made sushi because it was cute, and cheap. I also got fresh pompano which I ended up having to gut and decided to poach it in foil in the toaster oven at 400 degrees for 20 min. I made various plates and kick myself for not photographing them. I bought seaweed and made sushi rice so my kids could roll their own rolls in the sushi mat and add salmon. They loved it. I also made coconut rice and put it in individual little espresso mugs. Wow, that was decadent. Here’s the recipe:

Coconut Rice from “Take Home Chef” show recipes on TLC
1 cups uncooked basmati rice
1 ¼ cups chicken broth
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
¼ teaspoon salt
Dried sliced coconut, lightly roasted for garnish

Method: Rinse the rice in a sieve under cold running water until the water runs clear from the rice. Drain.Combine the stock, coconut milk and salt in a heavy-based, large saucepan over a medium-to-high heat and bring to a near boil. Reduce the heat to low. Add the rice and stir constantly for 1 minute.Cover and simmer over low heat without stirring for 15 minutes or until the rice is almost tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from the heat and let the rice to stand covered for 10 minutes or until the rice is tender and all of the liquid has been absorbed.Lightly fluff up the rice with a fork. Transfer the rice to bowls. Garnish with the toasted coconut and serve.

I’ve been craving roasted pineapple for some time now and with the addition of Malibu rum, a coconut rum, I had to do this. So for dessert I made the following:

Roasted Pineapple with Malibu Rum

Serves 4
Ingredients:1 small pineapple, peeled, halved and cored

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1/4 cup Malibu rum

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Method: Preheat the oven to 400°F/204°C. Melt the butter in a large heavy ovenproof pot over medium heat. Place the pineapple halves in the pan flat side down. Cook until the butter begins to color and become pale golden, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle the sugar over the butter and stir for 3 minutes, or until the sugar melts. Place the pot in the oven for 15 minutes, or until a caramel sauce forms. Using pot holders, remove the pot from the oven. Add the rum to the sauce in the pot and turn the pineapple halves over. Return the pot to the oven for 20 minutes, or until the pineapple is tender. Transfer the pineapple halves to a platter. Add the cream to the sauce in the pan and stir over medium-high heat until the sauce thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Pour the caramel sauce over the pineapple halves and serve.