Spring Rolls Two Ways & A Birthday Picnic

Oh my, sometimes the best things we put on our table are the simplest. I was craving some deluxe spring rolls, fresh not fried.


potential fillings: cucumber, cilantro, romaine lettuce, avocado, mango, carrots, scallions, and peanuts. Sauce options: a delicious tamarind shoyu sauce from 101 Cookbooks & some peanut sauce from a bottle (very god actually--Whole Foods brand)

You can't seem to find fresh spring rolls anywhere around here. If only I could be as lucky as my friend Amanda who lives right down the street from the best Thai place ever: Jasmine.

Making spring rolls at home is easy and fun, though. We really should do it more often. I like to make a big platter of potential fillings and everyone (in this case it was just me and Mark) builds their own, so to speak. On this particular evening, Mark opted for massive spring roll burritos, filling them to their breaking point, which required the use of many napkins. I had trouble rolling mine as well, so I chopped everything up and ate with a fork thinking of ways to turn it into a salad. I guess it had been a while since I had printed the sauce recipe, because it is actually for a salad!

The sauce was incredible and I think it'd be a great one to have around for a stir-fry.
Tamarind Dipping Sauce
from 101 Cookbooks

2 tablespoons natural sugar, preferably maple sugar or evaporated cane juice
6 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon tamarind concentrate
1 tablespoon shoyu
1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon finely slivered seeded red serrano or Thai bird chile

Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan, and warm over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Remove the pan from the heat and mix in the lime juice, tamarind concentrate, and shoyu, stirring until smooth. Let the mixture cool slightly, and then stir in the cilantro, garlic, and chile. The sauce should be tangy and slightly sour. The sauces will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 5 days.

Makes 1/2 cup.

When Bethany invited us to her birthday picnic at Arrington Vineyards, I knew I wanted to make the salad with the roasted shallot peanut sauce mentioned in the original post. Bethany's birthday parties are always a good time. Last year we had a picnic at a winery in Shelbyville and fabulous meal prepared by Dylan. I'm still thinking about that Thai Basil ice cream!

Anywho, here's what this year looked like:




Israeli Couscous salad prepared by Dylan


Lentil Salad


My interpretation of Heidi's Spring Roll Salad with Roasted Shallot Peanut Sauce


B'day Cake

Today was not a good day for a picnic as it was 56 degrees and raining, but it was a nice set up as they had outdoor heaters at the winery. I'd definitely like to go back on a nice day. This winery was very picturesque. Not to mention it's owned by Kix Brooks...oh, Brooks & Dunn, you've been good to us.

old + new friends + muscadines - (as much) verbage

Saturday was just dreamy.



Bethany’s birthday celebration rocked my socks off. We toured a small winery in Shelbyville, tasted their wares (I agree with Bethany that most were ridiculously sweet, but I bought a few bottles to give as gifts this Christmas. The red muscadine was my favorite), and had a small picnic outside under a tree. I tried and liked smoked gouda. I purchased some blackberry jam and spread it on bread with some brie...it was like buttah.



While we were all having a gay old time, little Dylan Thomas Mackin was working away in the kitchen back home. A word about the couple: Dylan and Bethany are definitely a force to be reckoned with. They both know what's up. Dylan is currently working a The Five Senses as their dessert chef.

We used to cook dinner together quite often when I lived next door to them 4 years ago. First of all, Dylan Thomas is named after Dylan Thomas, the poet, and Bethany has been one of the best friends I've ever known. She's an encouraging type. She was and is a sweet baby...& you have no hope in beating her at Scrabble.

Dylan produced a veggie dish and a fish dish. We decided to get one of each so we could try everything. Here's the set list:



The main course was simple and amazing: Salmon, or crusted, mixed-mashed bean fillets, with asparagus, mashed potatoes, and buttery melted tomatoes. The salmon was amazingly cooked, just rare enough but not too much. The texture couldn't be beat. It, also, was like buttah. The bean fillet tasted like the best meat loaf I've ever had. The crunchy outside combined with the crunchy peppers and onions inside in a beautiful way. The texture was 100% perfect on both plates. Sometimes I think that's the most important part of a meal for me.



And DESSERT!!! Oh my. Thai Basil Ice Cream with a dab of caramel on cranberry apple cobbleresqueness...





This meal was truly sexual to me and I felt as if I just needed to lie on the couch and cuddle afterward...However, there were games to be played.

Mark's here with the commentary:
I have to say, our team was pretty stacked - Wendy, James, and myself. Wendy was a real sleeper competitor, providing clutch answers to my charades performances: what other team could guess "short-order cook" and "Queen Elizabeth" in less than 10 seconds? James provided great spatial intelligence skills, rendering very effective drawings, with or without sight, that enabled us to take an early lead - Yes, I'm still gloating. We won, and hopefully Bethany will send us the photos of our victory poses soon.





Overall, the night was sweet. I made fast friends with Bethany's new bandmate Susan. Every so often I meet someone and I feel as if we are kismitly (now an adverb!) linked. We made up a very successful (in my opinion) conceptual dance involving a windmill motion and a rolly chair. I hope I get to see them all again soon.


This may be my favorite pic of the night.