Saturday, March 19, 2011

Day 11: 행복한 토요일

     Today's title is translated to "Happy Saturday" in Korean...you'll understand the Korean thing in a bit. 

     Today I got to do one of my favorite things, and luckily, my favorite thing is something I usually do once a week; Grocery Shop. I know that most are you are rolling your eyes at this because it seems like no one else likes going to the grocery store but me. I wish that there was a way to turn grocery shopping into a living, because seriously, i could go everyday. I have no idea why I like it so much, but I do. I especially LOVE going to the Korean Market in Carrolton, its quite the haul to get out there, but its awesome! Super H Mart is the name, and it is amazing! I am going to post the website, but there isn't much English on it, so just take my word...its worth the drive. http://www.hmart.com/

     Not only do they seem to always have the freshest proteins, produce, and anything else you can think of, the prices are incredibly low! A fillet of salmon, weighing about 1.5 lbs only costs around $7. Go to a chain grocery store and it will cost at least twice as much! Super H Mart not only serves as a grocery store, but there are about 6 different little cafes that serve made from scratch, fresh foods ranging from sushi to Chinese to Korean (I'm not sure they have any American food, except for the sodas). They also have little novelty stores sprinkled about selling anything from Hello Kitty to Suitcases to shoes. I could spend an entire day at this place.

     When you first walk in, you are immediately overwhelmed. There are people everywhere, like little ants with shopping carts. The produce section is what you run into first. Its unbelievable. They sell fruits and vegetables there that I have never even heard of, and the items I have heard of seems to be on steroids. Ever seen a one pound pear? No? Well go to Super H Mart and they sell them for a dollar, as well as their strawberries, blackberries and raspberries. I was used to buying a pound of strawberries for $5.99, but not at this place. Once you weave your way up and down the produce rows, you hit the protein section, which seems to go on forever. 50 different types of fresh fish lay on ice behind glass, while about 10 other kinds of fish are swimming around in fish tanks (including shark sometimes). The have an aisle about 20 yards long full of freshly packed fish, as well as squids, clams, mussels and lobsters. Across the way are the meats, which actually I have never looked through because I am always so enthralled by the fish. Once you make your way through that section you run into the frozen foods followed by 12 aisles of packaged foods. Most everything is in Korean, I'm not even joking. Yes they have little 8 foot long sections of foods from other parts of the world, but that not why you go...you go for the Korean items. Scatter through the market are employees preparing fresh dumplings, Boboa Teas, and even steaming fresh snow crab for sampling. H Mart is definitely a market worth visiting, and I will gladly join if anyone decides to make the trip!

     I had a wonderful lunch today with one of my favorite people on this earth, Miss RJP. We went to Lucille’s and definitely over ate, but it was worth it. I had Eggs Benedict Florentine (served over spinach instead of tradition ham), hash brown, and cheese grits. Lucille’s cheese grits mean business...its more like melty cheese with a bit of grits. They were perfect. RJ had one egg over easy, hashbrowns, sausage, and an english muffin...and cheese grits! : ) Its been a long week for her and she deserved EVERY bite of it! We did both kind of regret it as the waiter removed both our plates almost completely cleaned! Oh well, thats what weekend breakfasts are for, overindulging and catching up with good friends.

     She came over for a bit to see Js house and we watched a couple episodes of Sex and the City (thanks for the marathon E!). She left shortly after and then I went to Tom Thumb, who, by the way, is having some great deals today. Now I sit here writing as J stains the newly stoned front porch (looks amazing) and taking the stickers off the windows around the house (windows that have been up for months...ha). Tonight I am making Spinach Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette, a favorite of Js. He told me that he never really cared for salads until he ate this one, which is always nice to hear. We are having a Big Love marathon for the rest of the afternoon, too. He has never seen an episode and I have seen every season, except the current one, which is unfortunately the last one. If anyone is interested in buying series of TV shows, go to Blockbuster immediately. EVERYTHING they have in the ENTIRE store, including candy and countertops believe it or not, is on sale. We bought season 1 and 2 of Big Love for $18/season...and I bought 500 Days of Summer (one of my favs) for only $5.

I hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful Saturday.

Spinach Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette

Salad
1 Bag of Baby Spinach
10-15 Cherry Tomatoes
1/2 Small Red Onion, Sliced Thin
1/2 C Crumbled Goat Cheese
1/4 C Slivered Almonds
1/4 C Dried Cranberries
5 Strawberries, Sliced Thin
3 Tbsp Fresh Basil Leaves, torn
TT Pepper

Dressing
3/4 C EVOO
1/4 C Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 Pint Strawberries, mashed or blended with an immersion blender
2 Tbsp White Wine (or Champagne)
2 Tbsp Honey
2 Tbsp Fresh Mint
TT Salt and Pepper

Preparation
Place salad ingredient into large salad bowl and set aside.

For the dressing, I used my immersion blender, but a regular blender would work just as well. Put strawberries, balsamic vinegar, wine, honey, and mint into whichever blending apparatus you chose and turn on. Slowly incorporate EVOO until blended together and smooth.
Pour dressing over salad, toss, and serve!
 
*Live by intuition and consciousness*

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