Amazing, amazing concert. Did I say amazing? Phenomenal! Brilliant!!! I got this little clip of No Light, No Light at the show. I don’t have the best video recorder so bear with me).
What makes this evenings performance so special, so breathlessly phenomenal?
There are so many reasons, but these are at the top:
I haven’t been this play-it-all-the-time obsessed with a musical group or artist for years.
Florence has a deep and fluid magical-ness about her spirit that is absolutely magnetic
My daughter sang “Cosmic Love” with her vocal teacher for the 1st half of the year
The above sparked my desire to make this her “first concert” experience
My son decided to come along too (his first concert, also)
My best friend also joined in the experience (bonus, bonus, bonus)
HARP!
Florence + the Machine at Wells Fargo Theater
Could a night out get much better? The fact that this was going to be my kids’ first concert was pretty amazing in and of itself. I had a feeling it would probably go down in their lives as something they would remember FOREVER. That was what tipped it over the top for *me*. I knew Florence would put on a great show. She has an amazing voice, and I just KNEW, this would be one magical moment in time (you know, one of those moments that will be a finalist for the flashes-before-your-eyes-upon-death images). Yes, this will be one of those.
My son was not actually on-board for coming to the show at first. It was kind of an “OK, if you really want me to go” kind of thing. I knew he’d love it more than he thought he would, but there was one little bit of me that was worried he might just sit down the whole time waiting for it to be over. Hardly probable, I thought, but possible.
Our seats were split up so my BFF Chris and Case sat up in row 17 while Clarisa and I sat down in row 3 (deceptive in its title because there were 20 rows of pit seats in front of us so, not nearly as good as it sounded. But still better than not being there at all!).
Then – about 40 minutes into the show, I got the following text from my son:
::epic sauce::
Being a man of few words, I knew this performance was Blowing. His. Mind.
And, I’d be lying if I said it didn’t make me tear up a little bit – seeing that text. Being so overwhelmed myself at watching an artist I appreciate so much. Seeing my daughter being wholly caught up in the moment. Knowing that both my kids were enjoying, and appreciating this on the same level that I was. Well, what a powerful moment for me. I will cherish and treasure that memory for the rest of my days.
This is great video – it’s not mine, because my version loses sound a minute and a half in (and that is just a crime). So enjoy this version from the concert the night before at Red Rocks. Dog Days are Over…
Side note: I was really hoping Florence would sing “What the Water Gave Me” because my daughter Clarisa is named after Virginia Woolf’s main character from her novel, Mrs. Dalloway. My Clarisa spells her name withonly one ‘s’, to be different. [Side-Side Note: Clarissa is also Agatha Christie's middle name, so double win-win in my literary baby name inspiration game].
But back to Virginia Woolf. I studied her and the novel Mrs Dalloway in college a couple years before Clarisa was born, and the name sort of stuck out in my head. I know What the Water Gave Me was inspired by Woolf’s suicide:
Lay me down
Let the only sound
Be the overflow
Pockets full of stones
and I love it because it reminds me of Claire – and not in a morbid way. In a ‘six degrees of separation’ kind of way. When Flo actually did perform What the Water Gave Me last night, it was magical for both of us.
Florence running to the back of the auditorium to interact with the far-away crowd – TWICE
Florence commenting on how beautiful Colorado is – TWICE
Florence saying she wished she could live here for a little while so she could get “bigger lungs” from the altitude acclimation process, then she’d REALLY have BIG lungs (because her lungs already are pretty big).
Florence looking at Clarisa during one of the songs, made my baby girls day!
Case saying he was tired from dancing so much (love it!), and saying “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I didn’t want to come to this.”
Finally the bookend post for the ending of our marvelous trip to New Orleans. On Day 4 we walked to the National World War II Museum on Magazine St. And luckily for your I’m skipping our morning breakfast tale because it highlights with a lady puking neon pink in front of the window in which our table sat. I just think we’re lucky that only happened once on this trip. I saw a lot worse the first time we hung out on Bourbon St. Anyhow, back to the museum…
National WWII Museum
We spent hours here getting lost in all the history. The collection is AMAZING. The movie is definitely worth the price so you will definitely want to add that on to your admission price. Go early and expect to be tired by the end. Take a tour through the gift shop too and talk to the volunteers who work there. We had a wonderful conversation with a gentleman who worked there who was a vet and an eagle scout (my son is in boy scouts so this was particularly cool for him). Then when you can take standing on your feet no longer, get a coffee and some ice cream at the attached soda shop. Great service and really yummie items. We can recommend the shakes in any flavor.
We hiked back to the French Quarter and window shopped through Royal Street’s gems (including my favorite little shop Erzulies Authentic Voodoo).
Keys to the Imagination
Pieces of Eight
Beautiful Art
We ended up back at our condo just in time for (yes) more po boys from the Verti Marte. Obsessed with these sandwiches? YES!
Chad and I went back out and hit up Jean Lafittes one last time. Swung by the Dungeon for some good ‘ol goth/industrial tunes (was a little more metal than I’d like but still enjoyed myself enough to stay a few hours). The best part was the bathroom hidden in the bookshelves. The worst part? The bathroom hidden in bookshelves (yuck). We didn’t go to the Dungeon’s dance club area (around the corner) because we were tired early birds and ended up home between 11 and midnight since we had to return home in the morning.
Day 5 – packing, tidying the condo, getting ready for our flight home – and saying a special goodbye to our dear cousin Bill. This was the hardest day because leaving a great city is never easy, but it was double hard for us because back at home we were missing our cousin Bill’s memorial service. We all walked down to the River and said some special words (Chad had a very eloquent speech he gave, I know Bill would be proud) and we set some flowers loose to travel down the river. For Bill. Miss you and love your forever – you are an amazing soul.
Penny, Chad (holding baby Case), Tammy & Bill in 1998
For our third day in New Orleans we decided to do as much around the French Quarter as possible. First stop (what else) beignets at Cafe DuMonde! We walked around and saw a bunch of the sites including these vegetables at the Market on Royal. Don’t laugh, my first trip out I could not find veggies to save my life!
Chris, look! It’s veggies
From there we went and took a peek at the artwork around Jackson Square. Every trip I go I find something I love but never end up buying it. I’m always super remorseful for doing so. Mental note, next trip to LA I will bring an empty suitcase along just to fill with all the art I’ve ever wanted.
Next we took one of the carriage tours and saw the sites. The mule was a real sweetie and I gave her a carrot as thanks. We saw all the historic locations and learned a few things (though I think the info the driver had regarding the LaLaurie House was not accurate. He said Johnny Depp owned it, but it is owned by a lawyer instead).
Beignets
Marie Laveau’s Tomb
Mardi Masque
Cart Tour
Napoleon House
Jean Lafitte’s
Mardi Baubles
Cornstalk Hotel
Cathedral ala Trees
Next we took a stroll up to St. Louis #1 – a historic cemetery just outside the FQ. We visited Marie Laveau’s tomb (and I left her a gift). And admired a lot of old burial architecture. I would have loved to have bookended this visit with the Lafayette Cemetery in the Garden District, but we did not make it over to the Garden District this time around.
After the Cemetery Tour we went to Congo Square which is known as Armstrong Square today – it’s gorgeous. We spent some time there before heading back to the Quarter for lunch. We ate at The Gumbo Shop on Jackson Square. We had traditional foods – gumbo, red beans and rice, and po boys. And they have very good drinks, I might add. One of three places that actually had Hendricks Gin.
From there we headed up to Rev. Zombie’s Voodoo Shop to meet up with our host for the Haunted History Tour. The kids got gelato on the way. Chad and I grabbed Guiness from the Irish Pub next door (not Pat O’s) and we were ready to go! I have to give grand kudos to our tour guide, Mideon, who did a superb job of keeping us all entertained. I love the Haunted History Tour crew, I’ve done three or four tours with them and have not been disappointed once. Mideon showed us some historic places and told us some wicked ghost stories, including a LaLaurie Mansion tale that was a lot more info packed and credible than the one we heard in the morning. We took a pit stop at my favorite little bar, Jean Lafitte’s, where I got to talk to a great local named Glenn. He was chatty and hilarious.
Gumbo Shop
Congo Square
Preservation Hall
By the water
Park View
Best Welcome Msge Ever!
Rev. Zombies
Tourists
Tourists pt. 2
We ended the tour back at the Cathedral, tipped and thanked Mideon, and headed back to our home away from home on Bourbon. It didn’t take me long to realize that I had blisters on my feet (darn you cute new sandals that I just had to wear!!!) and a nice new sunburn to round out my outdoors-ey day. We cooled off by playing some board games back at our condo for a little while.
Around 7pm Chad and I got the kiddos some grub at Verti Marte and headed out for a romantic adult only dinner at Irene’s that night. We had to wait a while for a table, but it was no hardship since they had a pretty good piano man playing for us while we sipped cocktails. The food was excellent, the night was sweet. We strolled around by moonlight for a while before stopping in at MRBs for another drink. Here we met more locals – didn’t’ catch the guys name but he was quite a talker and a really nice guy. He told us all about the places to go and not to go around town. He gave us a few stories about Lenny Kravitz (his former neighbor) and hanging out with the actors from Treme during location shoots. One of the coolest things about vacationing is meeting genuinely down to earth people.
That’s how we ended our third day in town. Check out Day 4 coming up next!
Day 2 in New Orleans, we headed down to the coffee shop to get java’d (and sugared) up for our day trek out to the plantations and swamps. I’d been to the swamp tour on my first visit to Louisiana, but this was going to be Chad and the kids first gator adventure.
It would be a serious crime to not mention our HIGHLY ENTERTAINING bus driver for this trip. Oh my god, was he a character or what??? I cannot remember his name now, shame on me I know. But he gave us all some pretty flavorful tales, one in particular was of his friend stealing a rolex. He also enjoyed the scenery (and by scenery I mean pretty young girls walking by). And he would talk to tricky traffic situations as if they could consciously hear him and it was the “uh uh uh’s” and the verbal coaxing that got him out of tight fitting turns and squeeze bys. To his credit, he did not seem condescending to the ladies (he truly appreciates each and every one he sees), his story telling was masterful, his laugh is indescribable (one of a kind), and he handled the bus in the French Quarter’s busy streets like a dream. Here’s a joke he told us all:
Three cab drivers get into a car accident all at the same time, no one makes it out alive. Upon arrival at the pearly gates, St. Peter says “Look down upon your funeral proceedings and tell me what you wish for someone to say about you at your service. I will grant you this and you may pass into heaven.”
The first cab driver looks down at his funeral and says – “I would hope they would say about me: ‘He was a proud father and loving husband.”
St. Peter said, “May it be so.” and allowed him to pass through the pearly gates.
The second cab driver looked down and said – “I hope that people will remember me as a reliable volunteer who gave greatly to his community.”
St. Peter again waved the man through saying, “This shall be.”
The third cab driver looked down at his own funeral and said, “I want them to say – “Oh my god, LOOK! He’s BREATHING!”
lol
So we had a lovely drive out to Vacherie, LA to our first stop the Laura Plantation. The staff there are super friendly and very likeable. Our tour guide was wonderful, both with story telling and with moving everyone in our group through the rooms and outside stops with efficiency. The story of the Laura plantation is special in that it was run by women. Generations of women, which is almost unheard of in the south at that time. Here’s a little video about the plantation and tour:
There were so many gorgeous photo ops here (see below), I highly recommend this tour to anyone who comes to visit. It’s close to the city and is a very gorgeous and historically rich landmark. Disney’s Brer Rabbit and Brer Bear get their birth at this plantation. Learn more by reading about the plantations amazing history.
Laura Plantation
The old oak tree out front
On the porch
Laura’s Fireplace
The Laura Garden
Out buildings
Slave Quarters
A ghost?
Beauty
Next stop after Laura Plantation was Oak Alley Plantation. Now, if you are looking for a haunted plantation, Oak Alley is the tour you will want to take, though most people say they enjoy the historic story of the Laura Plantation more. I like both, and say do both tours if you can. (Also, look at my pictures, Laura may have her ghosts too!)
The Alley of Oaks
Historical Marker
By the levee
We didn’t get to spend as much time at Oak Alley as we did at Laura, but it was enough to take some photos.
When we got back home I found this fun video of the Ghost Hunters visit to Oak Alley Plantation -
We ended the day with a trek to Barataria, LA to a Swam Tour. Kudos to our tour guide who was an amazing host full of great knowledge and a wonderful guide to his part of Louisiana. We saw so many aligators this time around. Two years ago we saw maybe two or three gators, this trip we saw upwards of 10. It was amazing. Definitely take a swamp tour when you visit New Orleans. It’s a must do addition to your vacation plans.
This trip was two years in the making. It started the moment I got back from the great city of New Orleans on my first venture there. It was in 2010, and my best friends and I went there to celebrate turning 40. That was my first time in Nola, and I fell in love with her (flaws and all) and knew that I wanted to come back soon and share the experience with my family. Ironically, it was a difficult re-visit to plan. We had surgeries and other family events play a hand at making us reschedule a couple of different times. We eventually were able to set our sights on the spring of 2012 as our planned venture, and even though we still encountered unique circumstances, we were able to get there. Sometimes I wondered if the trip was cursed. Were we not supposed to go to New Orleans? Even if the odds were stacked against us, we made it and this is a journal of our Big Easy Adventure.
Day 1 in New Orleans – March 6th, 2012
At the Airport (never the most fun part of traveling)
Day 1 of any vacation is widely known as travel day, and it bookends with the last day of the trip – return day. It’s become a sort of unstated ritual that we begin every trip to Denver International Airport with a breakfast burrito from Burrito Express in Lakewood. Sidenote: if you haven’t tried their food, you really need to. They are a little subdued family run place, much like a quickie fast food place, but they have the most amazing food. I can recommend the rellenos combo wholeheartedly, and the chimichanga is also a yum-buster. Their breakfast burritos are a real treat too, and per our usual way of doing things we grabbed a couple of these on our way out of town.
United Airlines was having some computer issues since they’d recently combined forces and systems with Continental causing some delays in the check in system. We arrived early and had no issues at all. The plane actually had to be powered down on the run way and started again due to computer issues (I’d be lying if I didn’t think at that moment that maybe our trip wasn’t supposed happen) but when powered back up, everything worked fine and we were off. Finally!
Flight went well, overall. Claire and I had a blast browsing through the Sky Mall magazine and coming up with matches of who in our friend and family circles would benefit from some of the more ridiculous products. They boys had upgraded seats in economy plus with tons of extra leg room and no one in front of them. Bonus – we got to see an episode of “Big Bang Theory” on the way there. We met a group of ladies who were headed out for their annual girls trip. One of the ladies was sitting next to me, and she asked me what we planned on doing in New Orleans with children? She seemed mighty perplexed.
I explained, how our kiddie care plans kind of fell through after we had booked the trip nearly a year in advance. We had purchased cheap non-refundable seats, and changing them to a date that would work for our family to watch the kids ended up costing us only $200 shy of what it would cost to bring them along. So that is how we changed our romantic getaway for two into a family fun trip for four. I noted that while Bourbon Street proper is *not* a place for the young ‘uns, that New Orleans actually does offer a lot for families – museums, history, plantations, WWII history, so many walking tours, the garden district, steamboat trips, food, Audubon Park, the insectarium, the IMAX theater, and so many other thing that we would be hard pressed to even scratch the surface on those available items.
It’s true. The drinking is fun. I enjoy walking my ‘big ass beer’ from one street to the next. But really, New Orleans is so much more. And I think that is why, in my heart, that I truly love the area. There is so much going on beneath the surface of the all night frat party. But don’t get me wrong. The bars are great. The night life is unlike any other. The fun is multifaceted and there are many deviant ways you can spend your free time dabbling in debauchery. We just scaled that back a little this time around
So we touched down on Louisiana soil around 2:00 in the afternoon New Orleans time and made it to our condo near 3:00. Two things I love about the trip from Louis Armstrong Airport to the French Quarter – 1) The view of the above ground cemeteries you get from the highway about half way there and 2) The point when you head off the highway and you make that turn into the Quarter neighborhood, you know that turn, once you make it you see about four to six amazing old french style houses on the left hand side. They are opulent and decorated with flags and wrought iron, and sooooo beautiful. When you see these, it’s your first taste of being in the French Quarter. You know you’ve just arrived.
Back at the condo, Steve greeted us, gave us the nickel tour, and left us to get on with our vacationing. My first trip in ’10, the girls and I stayed at Down on Dauphine, a wonderful little condo a block away from Bourbon on Dauphine St. It’s a marvelous place for a couple or a group of adult friends and I have nothing but great things to say about Brad (the owner) and his adorable place. This time though, we needed a place that catered to kids. Our kids are not small, they are early teens, but still we needed a place not so close to the action at night, but close enough to everything we wanted to see in the daytime. Steve and Dawn’s place on the residential end of Bourbon fit the bill perfectly. They are gracious and kind and their two BR two Bath condo with kitchen and laundry facilities was exactly what we needed. I’d recommend that place to any one with or without kids that needs the extra space, or needs a kid friendly rental. I’m lucky that all my VRBO experiences in New Orleans have been super positive. Goes to show that the people there are just wonderful.
Anyway, back to the trip. It’s now roughly 4:00 and we head out to see what we can see before it gets too dark. We head straight for the Mississippi Riverwalk. We met our first scammer (a dude who shined Chad’s tennis shoes for $5, really?! He said the fee was for the enjoyable banter – ok, he had a couple of good lines, unfortunately all I had was a $10 and the guy didn’t have change). Sigh. Welcome to New Orleans. Remember to not be so nice to fast talking slicksters. Check.
We walked along the riverwalk. We got to see one of the steamboats and the Calliope show it performs daily. Pretty cool! Sorry for the wind intrusion on the audio below. I forgot how windy it was the day we got into town.
Then we walked to where I remember getting these amazing huge walk-up Hurricanes with the girls, but that restaurant was gone. Wow. Things change in only two years. We headed back over to Decatur and stoped at DuMonde’s for beignets. #1 on the kids’ must see “to do” list since I’ve been raving about them for the last two years. Mmmmm, the kids were covered in powdered sugar and smiles after that.
We cut back through Jackson Square and up Pirates Alley to see the Cathedral and the Cabildo as the sun started to wane. We figured it was time to locate some grub and get the kids back to the condo by dark.
Now, one thing I have to tell you is that Steve and Dawn’s condo is perfectly situated right between my favorite bar (Jean Lafittes Blacksmith Shop) and my favorite mini mart (Verti Marte). We headed straight to the Verti Marte and – I kid you not – got some of the most amazing sandwiches there. AMAZING! Recommendations? Get the French Fry Po Boy, the oyster po boy, the muffuletta, or their signature sandwich All that Jazz! Orgasmic. Allways get your sandwich “dressed” – means it comes with lettuce, tomato, and sauce (usually mayo, but the po boy came with Louisiana hot sauce and the All that Jazz came with their special sauce). Go, and go often. We did. You will not regret it. Keep in mind though, the VM is cash only. But they are SO worth every cent (only $9 which is a steal for a meal in the city). And they are HUGE. I can eat a lot, and could only finish half my sandwich. But was able to save the other half when midnight munchies hit or to have for breakfast. Yum!
So we ate god-sandwiches in the courtyard while the sun went down and spent some down time hanging out. The kids settled in for the evening and Chad and I went out to see Bourbon St. at night. We did the standard stuff, had a hurricane at Pat O’Briens, got a Big Ass Beer (for only $6 the best economical drink deal there probably). Passed by all the street performers – the break dance team had the biggest crowd by far, there was a guy ‘climbing a ladder’ which looked hard, but more people found the ‘glowing alien on stilts’ more entertaining. I thought the skeleton faced guy with a bone sticking out of his crotch (get it? Think about it) and the frumpy guy in drag were my faves tho. Pure entertainment ala Bourbon St. lolz
We ended back in our area of Bourbon and stopped at Jean Lafittes. I love this bar, was my favorite place to drink last time probably because it is dark and mostly quiet. They sometimes have a piano man singing. But somewhere between March of 2010 and now they acquired a jukebox. Ugh. Having horrible juke tunes squelch the dark and ominous ambiance kind of sucks, but that night only one or two bad songs played, otherwise it was good and just like I remember it. Candle-lit and homey. We had the bartender point out the writing on the wooden post above the bar. I’d heard about this and wanted to see for myself (check it out, I have a photo in my gallery). Legend has it that Jean Lafitte himself wrote it (it’s in Portuguese, I believe) – it says something to the effect of ”Love passes time, and with time love passes.” It was really cool to see this. I got chills! Even if Lafitte himself didn’t pen it, it still dates back to the late 1700′s or early 1800′s aka – a whole heck of a lot of time ago.
Jean Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop
Next, we ended up out on the patio outside for our final drink (mine was a Pimms Cup, Chad had the Abita on tap – both are highly recommended IMO – I’m not a beer fan but I adore Abita in several different flavors, but Lafittes is known for their Hurricanes. I just can’t have more than on sweet drink and the O’Briens Hurricane put me at my sugar limit). Now, according to our Haunted History Tour guide from two years ago, it’s not the fireplace in the building that is haunted as many tourists are led to believe, but it’s the courtyard outside where most unusual sightings and experiences happen. Now keep this in mind, you’ll hear more about the non-haunted fireplace later.
Chad and I had a great quiet time outside, taking pics, getting a nice buzz, and enjoying the beautiful quiet spring night in New Orleans. Did we get some ghosts in our photos in the courtyard, or inside the oldest bar in the U.S.? View my photo gallery and see what you think.
Next up — New Orleans Vacation Diary: Day 2 — we’ll explore swamp land, plantations, ghosts and more of the sultry beauty that New Orleans has to offer.
Remember how cool snow days were when you were a kid?
I remember just begging the universe on several occasions to send us a bona fide slam dunk blizzard to keep us out of school and in our homes for hours of cartoon reruns, sledding, hot cocoa and comic book reading!
I think snow days went more like — clean your room, do some chores, shovel the drive way, and then. Maybe. You could go play.
Well, this friday the fair city of Denver was blanketed with a marvelous storm. I happened to have the day off in advance, so did my husband, and school was called by 7pm the night before so we knew we were in for a REAL snow day. Usually one of us has to work on snow days, and this is actually probably the first real snow day we’ve all had off together in a very long while (thinking back to the blizzard of ’06).
While this day was not exceedingly spectacular in and of itself, I think I will remember this day as “The Best Snow Day Ever” for the Smith family. We managed to cook all our meals together, we shoveled ourselves out, and our neighbors (+ a Rogue stuck in a snow drift on the corner). We chatted with some friends (honestly, I don’t think I’ve seen and/or talked to that many neighbors at once since our block party 5 years ago). We played board games. We built a fire. And we watched movies together.
Just like a Hallmark card, or a poster child for the happy suburban family that we are – we laughed, had fun, and enjoyed this brief shut down of the hassle and bustle that is our daily lives on any other Friday. We enjoyed each others company and I will be forever grateful that I got a day like this to spend with those that I love more than anything else on this planet. Sappy? Sure it is, and I love it!
Here’s video of the family dog that I shot in the morning. She’s chicken of rain and snow. She hates going outside when there is any kind of weather event happening. This snow day she utterly refused to even give it the old college try.
By day #2 of the storm, our drifts had doubled, we shoveled more driveways (but didn’t have to push out more stuck cars), and we tried knocking drifts off the eaves of our house. I had a Homer Simpson moment and took a drift to the head in my efforts (snow in my shirt, pants, hat, ears, etc… you get the idea). But all in all a successful storm. Thank you El Nina weather patterns for a little together time!
I was lucky enough to have been invited to a fabulous foodie event at a friends house this weekend. It was a 7 course Chinese New Year dinner extravaganza! (Plus 3 appetizers, means I did not entirely stick to my diet this weekend, but bah! With food this good, who can diet??!!)
I’m sharing two of my favorite recipes with you from the evening. PLUS a bonus vegetarian entre that I found while researching these other dishes, that just screamed – ADD ME TOO!
Here you go, happy new year!
Red Cooked Chicken in a Crockpot
1/2 cup dry sherry
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoonChinese five-spice powder
3 cloves garlic, crushed with press
1 bunch green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces (white and green parts separated)
3 pounds bone-in skinless chicken thighs
1 bag (16-ounce) fresh veggies for stir-fry (snow peas, carrots, broccoli, red pepper, etc.) – optional
In 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine sherry, soy sauce, sugar, ginger, five-spice powder, garlic, and white parts of green onions. (Coarsely chop remaining green parts; wrap and refrigerate until serving time.) Add chicken thighs and coat with sherry mixture. Cover slow cooker with lid and cook as manufacturer directs, on low 8 hours or on high 4 hours.
If adding optional veggies, add the final 10-15 min of cooking time right before serving. Add to top of crockpot dish to steam them.
Serve with rice or udon noodles, sprinkled with green onions.
Orange Flower Water Oranges/Tangerines
3-4 oranges (mandarins, tangerines or Clementines)
¼ cup orange flower water
1-2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
1 tsp cinnamon (add more if you prefer a stronger cinnamon kick)
Combine water, sugar, cinnamon in a large bowl. Add oranges (peel small oranges like clementines or mandarins and keep whole, or slice larger oranges if you prefer).
Chill 1-2 hours before serving.
Alternate recipe –
Use recipe above, but layer orange slices in the water and chill/marinate for 1 hour. Serve on a plate and sprinkle with powdered sugar and cinnamon.
Tangerine Seitan
1 lb seitan (cut into strips)1 red bell pepper (sliced into strips)
Combine seitan, bell peppers, garlic, ginger, crushed red pepper, soy sauce, rice vinegar, worchestershire sauce and sherry in a slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 hours. The last 30 minutes add the broccoli. Mix in tangerines and green onions before serving. Serve over brown or white steamed rice.
