Day: August 28, 2011

Sunday Night Dinner: August 21, 2011: Oh, egg of my heart…

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I’ve really been cutting back on the amount of meat I eat. It’s a personal choice for various reasons. For years (and sometimes still do) fix my veggie husband a different meal than my meaty one, but it’s so much nicer to share the same meal when you eat together. I do partake in a little chicken, turkey, and fish from time to time, but not very often. I very rarely even think about it anymore. When we visited mom and dad last weekend I had wonderful homemade meals of the poultry variety, but it was more meat than I’ve eaten in a month! So our returning home dinner was simple: Matzo Eggs, veggie sausage, broccoli, and a buttery croissant from Whole Foods Bakery.

My belly was so happy. Matzo eggs (which I’ve posted before) are so comforting. There’s something soft and subtle about their taste and texture. If a scrambled egg could give you a hug, this would be it, so it’s a good thing to eat when you’re missing your parents. And yes, the idea of eggs hugging you is weird…I know that. Lyn, I think this goes with all the egg lovin’ you’ve been doing lately…yes, weird again.

For dessert we got to bring some of mom’s chocolate cake home with us. We topped it with cool whip and sprinkles just like her. It’s so light and fluffy, although I’ve never had a second piece, I always think about it.

Thanks for the leftovers, Mom!

Matzo Eggs Recipe: (2 servings)

Ingredients:

2 eggs

2 Matzo crackers (salted or unsalted depending on your taste)

2 tablespoons of butter

1 colander

1 bowl

Frying pan

Fork

How-To:

Set your colander in your bowl and crush your Matzo crackers in the colander.

Remove the bowl and rinse your crushed crackers in water until damp and set aside.

On medium-low heat, start to melt your butter in the frying pan.

Meanwhile, mix your damp crackers and the dry bits together in the bowl.

Crack your eggs into the same bowl and give it a good stir with your fork. Your ready when every thing is coated with egg.

Your butter should be nice and foamy/bubbly by now– you don’t want it to brown, so keep and eye on it!

Pour the cracker egg mixture into the frying pan and increase your heat to medium high. Stir constantly with your fork for 4 or 5 minutes. The egg mixture will start to clump and resemble scrambled eggs.

After 4 or 5 minutes you are ready to eat– so get ready for your egg hug.

 

 

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Springfield Style- The Farris’s return to Leong’s Teahouse

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A couple of weekends ago when we took family friend, Emily, to visit mom and dad, we went to the new Leong’s Teahouse.

This dish made of deep-fried chicken, brown oyster sauce, green onions and cashew nuts was created by Mr. Leong as a way to appeal to local tastes. The popularity of fried chicken meets chinese culture recipe helped put chinese restaurants on almost every busy corner of the city. There are so many “cashew chicken” restaurants in Springfield that you can get a lunch special for under $4.00 (with crab rangoon included). As most Springfieldian’s are (I’m sure Brad Pitt included), I was shocked to find that Springfield style wasn’t widely available outside of southern Missouri. If it was on the menu, there were often “additions” or “subtractions” that just didn’t make it Springfield style. The first time I ordered Cashew Chicken in Kansas City I was floured that it wasn’t deep fried. I just had no idea there was any other way to eat it! A family fight over the original recipe closed the first Leong’s. Now due to Springfield Style fate, a son of the originator has officially opened a new Leong’s. This being Emily’s first trip to the area, we had to go.

Crab Rangoon, of course

East meets West again. They now serve BBQ as well, so John had salad and fries.

 

The original!

Mom and Emily trying it out.

 

Dad ordered sweet and sour chicken.

 

Honestly, most of the meal was spent discussing how the new Leong’s just wasn’t as good as Hong Kong Inn. I know, you would think we would be totally blown away by the originator, but the years have changed our taste buds and we prefer the Springfield style we grown to love in Leong’s absence. We were actually more of a Jade East family when I was little because they were close to our house, but Hong Kong Inn reigned supreme during my middle school/high school/ college years, and let’s face it, they’re still on my speed dial.

I’m glad we got to taste the real deal once again and share local cuisine with a new friend, but alas, all we can say is , Thank You Mr. Leong for creating this deep-fried delicacy and inspiring others to do so too.