The Book of Mormon

Steve and I just got back from seeing the Book of Mormon.  We saw it for the first time in 2013 when it was part of the Broadway Series.  This year, it was an extra, in the larger State Theater, and we paid for better seats.  Still amazing.  Go see it!

Try The World: Japan

Hi everyone!   I know it's been a while, but our new Try the World Box arrived and we finally had time to eat some of its contents!  This time, the country is Japan.  Admittedly, it's a little less exotic for us because we are already familiar with many foods from Japan.   Still, it's worth the purchase price.

I love the packaging of the boxes.  It's like getting a present.

The playlist for this box was already up and running on Spotify.   Nice mix of modern music and traditional melodies.

The first item, okonomiyaki flour!   I've made it a few times with standard flour, but this was a real treat.

Steve and I buy these gummy candies regularly.   Yummy!

Ginger paste.  I'm not sure what I'm going to do with this.  I usually toss out the ginger when I have sushi.

Soba noodles.   I'll probably go and purchase some cold dipping sauce for these.

Seasoned seaweed snack.  This will go nicely on its own or with some rice.

These are soft caramels.  I've never had these before.

Lastly, blueberry matcha tea.   This dissolves completely in hot water.  This will be different.

We decided to have the okonomiyaki.   Here are the instructions in the packet:

It comes with tempura crunchies, seaweed garnish, and the flour and yam paste.

I forgot to buy the scallions, but the recipe still turned out delicious.   We used bacon and mushrooms as our toppings and garnished with spicy mayo and hoisin sauce.   Next time, I'l going to purchase soup stock, standard Japanese mayo, and okonomiyaki sauce.

The instructions ask for a pan with a lid.  Fortunately, we have one.

This is the finished product:

It's not that difficult and very delicious.  Infinitely customizable, a Japanese pizza as it's often called.

Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella

Steve and I just got back from seeing Cinderella at Playhouse Square.   I was really expecting to dislike it.  I don't have a very good history with Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals.  Steve and I actually met because of mutual rejection of a famous production.   This new production is absolutely delightful!  It takes the classic music from the 1960s production and combines it with a new book that gives the work a wonderful depth.

I grew up watching the original television musical.  The new book makes it extremely accessible and endows it with snarky wit.  There is an addition of a new character and a subplot.   It really reflects today's cultural paradigm.

The quick costume changes truly seem magical.  There are three of them to look out for.   I recommend binoculars if you are seated in the balcony.  I could easily watch this show again.

Fear's Confections: Brownies and Peanut Butter Sponge Candy

I stopped in to Fear's Confections today because I wanted chocolate.  Mmm.   Pictured above are the new peanut butter sponge candy and a biscoff cookie coated with chocolate and caramel.

I got three brownies.  For Steve, who loves coffee, I got the Graveyard Shift flavor.  It has espresso and almonds.   The green one is new to me, Pistachio!   I managed to get a corner piece too!  Yum!   The After School Snack (PB&J blondie) is for later.

Looks so great on a plate!   For those of you outside of Cleveland, Fear's Confections does online order fulfillment.  Check out the geek chocolates!   I've had the Doctor Who set several times.

Mango Brie Grilled Cheese

I know that many of you wonder if I ever eat at home with the dizzying number of restaurant posts that I have written.  Yes, I do.  I just don't cook very much.  What I cook is very specialized.   Pictured above is my mango brie grilled cheese.

Grilled cheese sandwiches are wonderful.  There are so many ways that you can vary them.   Some people stick with American cheese and white bread.  That's fine, but I prefer to be more adventurous.

I use Trader Joe's Multigrain Country Bread.  I like the bits of oatmeal and other grains in it.   It also keeps very well in the fridge.   When we buy it, we put it right in the refrigerator.

Belletoile is my favorite brie.  It's extremely rich, a triple creme rather than the usual double creme.  I like snacking on it but it makes for an indulgent grilled cheese.

My family brings these dried mangoes home from the Philippines.   They are by far the best I've had.   The ones you can buy at the Asian grocery stores and Trader Joe's are okay, but these are just sweet and perfect.

To make this sandwich, turn your stove top to medium and use your favorite frying pan. While the pan is heating, slice the brie and arrange onto the bread.   I don't cover the entire surface because it can get very runny when heated.  I leave about a half inch margin all around the perimeter of the cheese free.   Cut the dried mango into bite sized chunks and arrange with the cheese.  You can leave it in strips, but you'll find yourself pulling them out whole when you bite into the sandwich.   Cutting it with kitchen scissors works best.

Put a small pat of butter in the heated pan and disperse over the surface.  Immediately add your sandwich.   Brie doesn't take long to melt, so it shouldn't take more than 2 minutes.   Transfer the sandwich to a plate and put another square of butter in the pan.   Repeat cooking on the other side.   The surface should be golden brown.

The sandwich goes very well with a glass of milk or a glass of white wine.  Enjoy!

VooDoo Tuna: Part 2

We just got back from VooDoo Tuna.  It was another good time.   We ordered things that we wanted to last time.

Here are the lobster nachos.   It has lobster, guacamole, and rice as a dip with large fried noodles around the side.  It's drizzled with a sweet soy sauce.   The chips are brittle, so I recommend using the spoon to serve the dip.   Very yummy!

We ordered the banana eel rolls again and tried the crab rangoon rolls.   Those were nice with cream cheese, crab, tempura, and scallions. Our favorite definitely is the banana eel though.

This is the Voodoo Ramen.   It's nicely spicy.  We didn't eat it right away, so the broth soaked into the noodles.   I loved the roasted chicken while Steve preferred the andouille sausage.   Compared to traditional ramen bowls, the soup content was less, but it was still wonderful.

This place is quickly becoming one of our favorite restaurants.  I can't wait until they have a dessert menu!

Cowell & Hubbard

Last night we went out for dinner at Cowell & Hubbard in the Playhouse Square district downtown.   That was fun.   There was a lot of variety.  Pictured above is my order, smoked porchetta.   It's basically pork belly served with a very savory polenta and red cabbage.   Extremely rich and delicious.  I got to have the rest today for lunch.

Steve had the skate wing.  It was supposed to have artichokes, but they ran out.  Still, it was good.  I can't remember what they did as a substitution.

They serve their bread with olive oil and pink salt.   It's more of a crusty type of bread, but with large bubbles of air in the center.

It was nice to try someplace new.  Maybe we'll stop by the next time we see a show.