I have finally started exploring more Asian dishes as promised in my comments on Asian inspired blog post. The dish pictured is more well known in Chinese cuisine, but the recipe I followed has an added Thai element, Thai Sweet and Sour Pork. And of course with my own touch of maple butternut squash and snow peas on the sweet side addition. The pork had more of the sour tone to fit my mood a few days ago.
Do you find you cook according to your mood about thirty percent of the time? All the rest is about cravings? What we do each day reflects our food choices. Like stress. Eating a bag of chips, skipping the gym, so we can tweet all afternoon kind of mood.
Social Media is taking up so much of my time these days. Therefore not enough time for planning healthy menus for home meals, I feel a little sweet and sour today. Top me off with some salt, like a snail creeping up the front porch. I drop, melting into the pavement, but I still manage to crawl over the thresh hold of my door frame. Home, finally home.
"You have to get into Facebook and Twitter if you blog" I was told by an experienced New Jersey blogger over a year ago.
Geez! I thought I was slowly moving into retirement when I left the professional kitchen full time. I began doing this to relax and 'play' in the kitchen. Ha! I stuck with that plan re-starting my wine club and cross your fingers will have a new kitchen very soon.
Finally my friend and partner in wine, Adrienne talked me into setting up Tweet Deck. Now I am on facebook less and less. I juggle three social networks, work, cook at home, keep house, and say hello to hubby now and then. What was his name gain? I thought having kids made my life flash by. Who has time to relax? I want the sweet parts of life more often. Is it vacation time yet?
Which leads me to the sour part of my post- do you ever wonder why people do not leave comments? Do they really come over and read out posts from Twitter? I am okay with this, I have researched the statistics, and whys? of how it all works. We adapt. If someone likes what you have to say they will come back. I quickly glance, read, and if time I leave a sincere comment. Google analytic tracker (others as well) is available for your site. Great way to keep track of traffic.
I would rather have no comments than have negative remarks left on a piece. Believe you me we all get them. There are those out there that feel they do it better than me, and feel they have to point out mistakes. Blog police, trolls, attention seekers, cyber stalkers, the list goes on.
Having a bad day? Please purchase a punching bag, and if you feel the need to add my photo or blog post to make yourself feel better, please do. I may have beat you to the punch.Ahhh venting feels almost as good as my Thai Sweet and Sour Pork tasted.
Since I started using twitter on a regular basis, my hits have gone up tremendously, and I have met so many great people. My comments have stayed the same. New blood replaces old, but its all good. I do this because I enjoy sharing what I have learned, as well as what I feel was a good food experience.
Relax and be yourself. Contrary to conventional wisdom, you don’t have to fit in. Like it or not most recipes for a good life are sweet and sour, even a little salty. There are no bad dishes out there. In reality we are doing this for our selves.
Something Sweet: I have received a box of assorted salts from My Spice Sage, and the extra box they sent me is yours if you do these following things-
Follow Me:
Food ~ Wine ~ Fun, Partners In Wine Club, and CookAppeal on Twitter
Retweet this post on Twitter, and Facebook- with @myspicesage @cookappeal attached in message
Leave a comment on how you would use your set of salt during the month of March!
The winner will be announced the first week of April, on Wine-Down Wednesday.The names will go into a hat, my 'inherited' grandfathers Irish cap in honor of St. Patrick's Day!
I will be posting various recipes and information on each salt included in my set! Murry Sea Salt was used in the above recipe for Thai Sweet and Sour Pork. Psst! There are at least 12 bottles, large bottles of salt!
The Murray River is the greatest of Australia's rivers. The source of its water is the snowy Australian Alps. Salt is a natural feature in many Australian landscapes. The Murray-Darling Basin’s low rainfall and high evaporation have combined to concentrate salt in the groundwater. This salt is produced naturally from the underground brines in the Murray Darling Basin. A red pigment, carotene, is secreted from the salt tolerant algae. The underground saline waters have been laying dormant for thousands of years. By utilizing these waters the environment is improved and a beautiful salt is produced.