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Duck and Bamboo Vermicelli Noodle Soup / Bún Măng Vịt

Duck and bamboo vermicelli noodle soup or bún măng vịt is a permanent fixture at my parent’s weekend dinners. This simple and rich vermicelli soup is a dish that one will not find at a restaurant. This is comfort food at its core. A whole duck is boiled for 45 minutes to create a fragrant and rich broth. The duck is then cut into bit size pieces and ready to be dipped in a garlic ginger fish sauce. The bowl of noodle soup is topped with bamboo shoots simply sauteed with some seasoning and a salad of lettuce, cabbage and mints. This is a meal that is best served with family and friends as you’ll guarantee to fight over the meatiest parts of the duck.

This dish takes 1 – 1.5 hours to prepare. The recipe serves approximately 8 portions and is rated medium in difficulty.

Ingredients:

1 whole duck

1 package of dried bamboo shoots (If you don’t have this, you can use the can version.)

8 tablespoons of fish sauce (for broth and sauce)

1 knob of ginger (enough for 8 large slices)

3 tablespoons of mushroom seasoning (for bamboo shoots and broth)

3 ½ tablespoons of sugar

2 tablespoons of rock sugar

½ tablespoon of minced garlic

2 red Thai chili (optional for sauce)

Ground black pepper

Kosher salt

1 to 2 limes

3 stalks of spring onion

1 head of lettuce

1 head of cabbage

A bunch of mint

If you cannot find dry bamboo shoot, you can used the can version.

Directions:

A. Cook the duck and season the broth

In a large stock pot that can fit a whole duck fully submerged, boil 6 liters or 1.6 gallon of water. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of rock sugar to the water.

When the water comes to a boil, place all the duck innards and the duck into the pot.

Boil for 45 minutes. Skim off the fat and any residue that floats to the top. If the water evaporates too much, add more water back to the original water line.

Remove the duck after 45 minutes of boiling in the water. Do no leave it longer in the boiling water as the meat will dry out. The objective is to have the meat tender and chewy. The duck will be finished when you poke a hole into the duck meat and the liquid comes out clear. Remove from the broth and let it rest.

Once the duck is removed, add 5 large slices of ginger into the pot.

Skim off the excess fat and impurities until the broth is clear.

Add the the white ends of the scallion to the broth. Season the broth with 1 tablespoon of rock sugar, 4 tablespoons of fish sauce and 2 tablespoons of mushroom seasonings.

Keep the broth on low boil while you are serving the noodle soup.

Using a cleaver or a heavy knife, remove the wings and legs. Split the duck body in half and thinly slice the breast meat. Cut the remaining bony part of the duck into 2-3 inch pieces.

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B. Sauté the bamboo shoots

Soak the dried bamboo shoot in cold water for three hours or until they become softened.

Shredded the bamboo shoots into thin threads and cut the strips further in half.

Marinate the bamboo shoots with ½ tablespoon of sugar, ¼ teaspoon of ground pepper and 1 tablespoon of mushroom seasoning.

Heat a small pan on high and add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Dice 1 stalk of green onions. Add the green onions to the oil and sauté for 1 minute until the onions become yellow and crispy.

Add the bamboo shoots and sauté for approximately 5 minutes.

Add in 3 tablespoons of the duck broth into the pan and cover with a lid for another 10 minutes on medium heat. Set the bamboo shoots aside.

C. Cook the noodles

In a separate pot, boil vermicelli noodles according to the package instruction. Rinse with cold water thoroughly to ensure the starch has been removed. Set aside.

D. Make the ginger fish dipping sauce

Combined in a bowl and stir in 1 direction until the sugar has dissolved.

2 tablespoons of minced ginger, ½ tablespoon of minced garlic, 4 tablespoons of fish sauce, 3 tablespoons of sugar, 2 small Thai red chili pepper (diced) for some heat

E. Make the salad accompaniment

Thinly slice 1 head of green iceberg lettuce and red cabbage.

Add a bunch of mint to the mix and toss well.

F. Garnish

Thinly dice three stalks of green onions (the green portion) and thinly slice the white portion lengthwise.

Rough chop the cilantro

Cut the lime into wedges to serve with the soup.

G. Serve

Place a handful of noodles to the bottom of the bowl and top with a few slices of duck and bamboo shoots. Fill the bowl with the broth and garnish with cilantro. Serve the soup with a handful of the salad, a wedge of lime and a side of the garlic ginger fish sauce.

When you are ready to eat, add a handful of the salad to your bowl and give a small squeeze of lime to brighten up the rich broth. Dip the duck slices into the sauce and eat them with a spoonful of noodles and bamboo.

For more recipes, visit our EAT page or Recipe Index.

Authors: Susan Tran, Thai-Anh Hoang and Chau Hoang

Words for Thought

Published by La Vie Partagée

Heart vs Mind

Source: Instagram

Must Do’s: My Virginia Beach Experience

Published by La Vie Partagée

I remember going to Virginia Beach for the first time when I was in elementary school. Back then, the oceanfront boardwalk did not even reach its current length and there were only a handful of upscale hotels. The city has invested heavily to make VA Beach a family beach destination. I have fond memories of my parents giving us a few dollars to take the trolley up and down Beach Street USA, to window shop along the main street stores and to watch the free entertainment on the other side of the beachfront properties. The boardwalk expanded to its current 28-feet wide and 3 mile long pathway with a separate bike lane over the years. Each night, one could hear live music from the various venues along this pathway. It has become a tradition to have our family reunion in VA Beach for the last 20 plus years. There are a few things that my family love to do and this is my list of the Must Do’s in VA Beach.

Activity:

Wake up early in the morning and catch the dolphins swimming off the beach.
Lay out in the sun around 7th street. This stretch of the beach is near the older end of the boardwalk and I find it less crowded and cleaner than the newer parts. There are also umbrella and chaise rentals if you do not want to haul them to the beach.
Rent a bike and bike along the 3 mile bike path. It is the best way to get around.

Check out the free firework that occurs weekly at 10pm (July 20, 24, 27, 31 / August 3, 7, 10, 14, 17, 21, 24 / September 4, 8)
Stroll Beach Street USA at night as there are live performances every few blocks and certain blocks have hourly shows such as magic, juggling, etc. You can check out the calendar for more information.

Visit Virginia Beach Amusement Park. This is a small amusement park that is good for half to one hour of strolling around with the kids. They also have vendors selling deep fried Oreo and funnel cake.
Try out the water sports at Rudee Inlet. You can go on a fishing trip, rent a jet ski, go parasail, etc. There are so many things to do here.

Kayak in the salt marsh habitats. You can easily rent a kayak and explore the various waterways around the marsh that takes you out to ocean.
Try indoor skydiving at iFly VA Beach. It is safe and a lot of fun for the whole family.

There is also an Adventure Park where you can buy a ticket for 3 hours to try out the 15 trails, 21 zip lines, 6 challenge levels and almost 200 bridges. The ticket for the 3 hours general admission is $55 for 12 years old and up. We were only able to do 3 green and blue courses in one session. It is a fun and challenging workout.

Try go-carting at Motorworld. You can try out many different tracks depending on the level of difficulty.

Practice putting at Jungle Golf. This is an institution in the area and guaranteed to be fun for all ages at night.
Spend several hours golfing. There are many community golf courses nearby and the rates are generally very cheap compared to courses around the tri-state. There are a few nearby golf courses including Bow Creek, Kempsville Greens and Red Wing Lake.
Take a family souvenir photo at Old Time Photo where you are dressed in costumes from a historical period. My family has funny photos of us as gangster, flappers, cowboys, etc. over the years.

Try your luck fishing or crabbing at the Virginia Beach Fishing Pier by 15th Street.

Check out the classic and new arcade games at Flipper McCoy’s.

Get frighten at the Nightmare Mansion. This haunted house has been around since I was in elementary school. They have live actors that jump out at you as well.

Eat/Drink:

Many of the hotels on the oceanfront are suites with a kitchen. My family is spread out among the various hotel properties and all of them have kitchen and dining space. We do not end up eating out as much. When we do go out, we rely on these choices.

Brunch at Doc Taylor’s. This restaurant is located in a converted house right off of Beach Street. There is always a long line, but the brunch is worth it. Come early and put your name on the list.
Happy hour at Mahi Mah’s. This is my family’s to go place for afternoon eat. They have the best happy hour menu on the boardwalk from 3pm to 6pm which includes 50 cents clams, wings or oysters with daily drink specials.

Eat at Waterman’s Surfside Grill. The restaurant has very good seafood for a reasonable price.
Enjoy cocktail and fusion tapas at Pacifica.
Have a fancy dinner at Catch 31 and Salacia located at the Hilton. These two restaurants are considered upscale and are for when you have something to celebrate.
Have drinks at Catch 31 bar and catch live music right outdoor. They even had Bruce Springsteen jamming on the boardwalk last year.
If you have access to a kitchen, you can buy fresh crabs at the outdoor market by The Shellfish Company to prepare at your hotel. It’s fresher and much cheaper than eating at the restaurants.

For related articles, visit the TRAVEL page.

Author: Chau Hoang

Fish Taco with Tumeric and Dill

Published by La Vie Partagée

Tacos are very popular in the states and the trend has been to mix the Mexican traditional taco with Asian ingredients. This combination have been a huge hit with a fusion of Korean bbq and Mexican food. This trend inspired me to create a Vietnamese version of the fish taco based off of a traditional northern dish comprise of fish with turmeric and dill or chả cá thì là. This recipe change the traditional sauce and the accompaniment to create a fusion fish taco. I tested this recipes on 4 teenagers and they could not get enough of it. This is a bonafide crowd pleaser for your next gathering.

This recipe serves 6 and is rated medium in difficulty. This recipe takes approximately 30 minutes to prepare and require marinating the fish for at least 1 hour.

Ingredients:

2 pounds of tilapia filet or any other firm white fish of your choice

2 large bunches of dill

3 stalks of spring onion

1 tablespoon of lemongrass

2 tablespoons of minced garlic

½ of diced yellow or red onion

1 tablespoon of potato starch

2 tablespoons of Galangal powder (you can use fresh galangal is you can find it)

3 ½ tablespoons of Fish Sauce

1 can of coco rico soda

½ teaspoon of turmeric

Fresh ginger- enough to get ½ tablespoon of juice

1-2 red thai chili (optional for heat)

Spiracha

Salt

Sugar

Ground black pepper

Vegetable oil

White cooking wine

Roasted peanuts for topping

Shredded icebeg lettuce for topping

Shredded red cabbage for topping

1 package of soft corn taco

Directions:

Rinse the fish filet with ½ cup of wine and 1 teaspoon of salt to remove any fishy smell. Rinse again with water to remove any wine and salt.

Slice the fish into 2 inches pieces.

Marinate the fish with the following ingredients:

2 tablespoons of Galangal powder, 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder, ½ tablespoon of fish sauce, ¼ teaspoon of salt, ½ teaspoon of sugar, 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon of potato starch, 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, 1 tablespoon of lemongrass, 1 tablespoon of diced onion and ½ tablespoon of ginger juice (ground the ginger and squeeze out the juice)

Dice a handful of dill and add 1 tablespoon of dill to the fish and let the fish marinate for 1 hour.

Cut the dill into 2-3 inch segment and set aside.

Cut the 3 stalks of spring onion into 3 inch segment. Cut each segment lengthwise into quarters.

Heat a pan on high and coat the surface with oil. Brown 1 tablespoon of diced onion and add the spring onions to fry once the diced onion become translucent. Fry the springs onions until it becomes soften, but not completely wilted. Add the dill and toss to wilt the dill. Remove from the pan.

Wipe the pan with a paper towel and heat the pan with enough oil to pan fry the fish. Once the pan is heated, add ½ tablespoon of minced garlic and 1 tablespoon of diced onion. Pan fried the fish until it is cooked. This should take approximately a few minutes on each side.

Make the lime fish sauce by combining the following:

1 can of coco rico, 3 tablespoons of fish sauce, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of minced garlic , 1-2 red thai chili diced (for heat), 1 teaspoon of spiracha and 1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice

Warm up the taco in a pan or oven. Place a piece of the fish on the taco, add some dill, onion mixture, the lettuce and cabbage mix, and a drizzle of the sauce. Enjoy this fusion fish taco with a cold beer.

For more recipes, visit our EAT page or Recipe Index.

Authors: Susan Tran and Chau Hoang

Words for Thought

Published by La Vie Partagée

Source: Instagram

Weekend Unexplored: Lisbon, Portugal

Published by La Vie Partagée

I recently had an opportunity to visit Portugal for a long weekend this past May. Portugal, over the years, has steadily become a travel destination for those that have visited other major parts of Europe and are open to explore smaller capitals. Lisbon is an easy destination to get to, especially with the increase in low cost carriers that service it. I had the weekend planned for good weather; unfortunately, I arrived into Lisbon on Saturday morning to torrential rain. I rearranged my schedule accordingly and had a good first visit to Lisbon despite the weather. These are the highlights of my 1.5 days in Lisbon.

Day 1 (Saturday): Arrived in Lisbon to pouring rain

Lisbon International Airport is a small international airport so it was not difficult to get out of the arrival terminal. My sister met me there and found a Starbucks right at Arrivals (outside of customs) with free Wi-Fi to wait for me. This is also a great spot if you need to meet up with other folks flying in from other destinations. We left the airport and easily got a taxi at the taxi stand. (*Taxis in Portugal do not take credit card so make sure you have enough cash.) Our experience with the taxi was not great. Our accommodation was situated on one of the many small side streets in the “Old City” part of Lisbon. Our taxi was old, and the driver did not speak English nor knew where he was going. I later found out that Uber was available in the city which made it much easier to get around.

Once we found our accommodation, which was located a few yards from the Castello de S. Jorge in the Alfama district, we settled in and waited out the pouring rain. We later made our way to the main street along the Tram 28 track and hailed a taxi to Cantinho Do Avillez located in Chiado. This is a casual bistro from the renowned Chef Jose Avillez of Belcanto that serves contemporary Portuguese food. Everything was delicious and the service was attentive. I highly recommend getting a reservation for this restaurant before you get to Lisbon. We also tried to make a reservation to Belcanto, arguably the most famous 2 Michelin rated restaurant in Portugal, but that required a reservation weeks/months in advance. A trick is to get a reservation to Becanto is to make one for lunch.

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After the dinner, we walked along the Rua do Arsenal toward the Museu Do Design E Da Moda (“MUDE”) and along the Tram 28 path. We passed the Lisbon Cathedral which is a serene site at night.

Lisbon Cathedral

Along the way, we stumbled onto bars and restaurants with live music and fado. Fado is a Portuguese version of folk singing. We ended the night with a gorgeous view from the Miradouro das Portas Do Sol in Alfama. This “balcony” has the view of Old Portugal from St. Vincent Monastery to the National Pantheon and the Church of St. Stephen. Lisbon is very safe to walk at night, especially along the Tram 28 line which runs along the main lively road in Lisbon.

Miradouro das Portas Do Sol

Day 2 (Sunday): Windy

We got luckier with the weather on Day 2 when it was only windy. We started the day early and headed over to Castello de Sao Jorge. This castle has been a symbol of Lisbon for over a millennium and is situated on the tallest hill in the city. This allows for breathtaking views of Lisbon as we walked around the ramparts. We also purchased some coffee and egg tart, a specialty of Lisbon for breakfast. The most famous bakery for pasteis in Lisbon is Manteigaria and there is always a long line around the block.

Pasteis or egg tarts that are served for breakfast with cofee

Path leading to Castello de Sao Jorge

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Castello de Sao Jorge

ramparts overlooking the city

Lisbon from Castello de Sao Jorge

We passed along this Casa do Seluco XVI which is the one of the oldest building in the city dated from the 1500s.

Casa do Seluco XVI

As we wandered around, we saw the outside of the Church of Sao Vicente of Fora and the adjoining monastery that are open to the public. The church houses the world’s largest collection of baroques tile art, but we did not get a chance to wander in due limited time. Instead, we then walked along the Tram 28 pathway toward Miradouro das Portas do Sol for a day time view of Lisbon and its harbor. Along the way to the Cathedra de Lisboa, we stopped by the picturesque Miradouro de Santa Luzia. This lookout point is considered one of the most romantic place in Lisbon due to its terrace, fountains and flowers draping over the area.

Miradouro de Santa Luzia

Tram 28

Along the way, we shopped at A Arte da Terra which had premium Portuguese crafts and souvenirs. We purchased some really lovely ceramic tiles and dishes to take home with us.

We then walked toward the Cathedral de Lisboa and explored its Romanesque-Gothic style. An interesting house façade called Casa do Bicos is located nearby the cathedral. The façade of this house built in 1523 is covered with 1000 diamond-shaped stones. We continued on our way to the Arco da Rua Augusta which is also the entrance to the Praca Do Comercio. Arco de Rua Augusta was designed to symbolize the gateway of Lisbon back in the late 1700’s. The Praca do Comercio has a monument of King Jose I in the center of the square and various cafes and shops in the surrounding buildings.

Arco da Rua Augusta

Praca do Comercio

We also had a chance to explore the outside of the Museu do Design e da Moda (MUDE) which is Lisbon’s design and fashion museum. While we were visiting, the museum was closed for renovations. The architecture of the building and the surrounding area was still worth walking around and admiring. We made our way to check out the fame Elevador Santa Justa which links the Baixa / Downtown area with Chiado at the top of the elevator. It is an interesting and elegant landmark but we opted not to wait in line just to take the elevator up. The surrounding area has many clothing shops as well.

the elevator bridge in the distance / Baixa -Downtown

Elevador Santa Justa

Our stomachs started growling and our feet demanded that we stop and rest for lunch so we headed over to Mercado da Ribeira for the Time Out food hall. The Mercado da Ribeira is Lisbon’s main food market since 1982 and was taken over by Time Out Lisboa magazine in 2014. The biggest attraction here is the food court which has stalls from top chefs with different brands, local food and drink stalls. We sampled a few food stalls including Chef Alexandre Silva, Chef Miguel Castro Silva and Miguel Laffan- Chicken All Around. You definitely needed to have a partner as the food court gets insanely busy. It took me half an hour to find a table while my sister went to wait in line for the food. You get these electronic beeping medallions that will ring when the food is ready to pick up. It is an interesting way to sample many different food at one time if you have time constraints.

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After a lunch that took over 2 hours due to the long wait time for food and a table, we headed to Mosteiro dos Jeronimos. This 16^th century monastery has impressive cloister showcasing the intricate stonework. It is easy to get lost along the hallways admiring the cloister and the walkways.

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Mosteiro do Jeronimos

After wandering around for an hour, we made our way across the street and park to the Padrao dos Descobrimentos, a waterfront monument in the shape of a caravel heading into the sea. This area provided a sweeping view of Lisbon harbor and the 25 de Abril Bridge. The bridge is very similar to San Francisco’ Golden Gate Bridge as they shared the same building company.

Padrao dos Descobrimentos

A different view with the Tesla car show in the background

We walked along the pier to get to the Torre de Belem. Unfortunately, we were derailed by the wind and the dropping temperature so we aborted our attempt. We only had 1 hour before the Museu Nacional do Azulejo (tile museum) closed so we hailed a cab and dashed to the museum. Portugal is renowned for its tile and the museum presents the history and evolution of the ceramic tile in a converted convent from the 1500s. We were caught off guard by a golden church and a small Mannerist cloister located in the middle of the museum. It was a unique experience and a great way to end a very tiring day.

A mural at the Museu Nacional do Azulejo

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the glorious church inside the museum

At the end of our 2^nd day in Lisbon, we treated ourselves to 100 Maneiras which is considered one of the top restaurants in Lisbon. The chef, Ljubomir Stanisic, created dishes from ingredients that are available that day. One of his standout creation was the dried cod hanging on a clothes pin. The meal was a gastronomic feast without the explosive budget. The tasting menu is 60 euro and is worth every penny. You can make reservation via email on their website. The wine list is also very good at a reasonable price. We really appreciated the creativity and playfulness of each dish on the tasting menu. The whole experience can be sum up as a gastronomic adventure.

We were able to see just enough of Lisbon to get excited for future trips back to this exciting city. The adventure became an unexpected surprise where the history, architecture, culture and food captivated us. We highly recommend Lisbon on your next trip to Europe.

For related articles, visit the TRAVEL page.

Author: Chau Hoang

Featured photo: Milica V at Flickr

Lobster Curry Bouillabaisse

Published by La Vie Partagée

Lobsters is a treat anytime of the year, but more so in the summer when they are abundant. I grew up eating lobsters boiled and served with butter. As I got exposed to more cuisines such as New England seafood stew and French bouillabaisse, I can’t help but play with lobster and the Vietnamese flavor profile. My mom and I came up with this recipe using our love of lobster and traditional curry soup blend with some western influences. Try out this crowd pleasing lobster curry bouillabaisse at your next gathering.

This recipe is rated easy and take 30-45 minutes to make.

Ingredients:

2 lobsters (1.5 lbs each)

1 14 fl oz can of coconut milk

1 14 fl oz can of chicken broth

1 teaspoon of minced ginger

3 teaspoons of soy sauce

3 tablespoons of Madras curry

2 tablespoons of sake (Kwang Tung Miju – Chinese Sake)

2 large shallots (4 halves)

4 Scallions

2 tablespoons of red onion

1 tablespoon of minced garlic

4 red Thai chili

4 yellow sweet peppers

1 lime

Sugar

½ teaspoon of ground pepper

Cilantro for garnish

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Directions:

Prepare the lobster by cutting the live lobsters into a few pieces (see picture and video). *Warning: this can be a bit graphic for the squeemish.

The alternative is to have the store cut up the lobster for you and cook it as soon as you get home. Lobster meat does not taste good if it is not cook right away.

Lightly crack the claw with a heavy knife or meat tenderizer so the lobster meat can absorb the broth.

Pull apartthe lobster head and discard the brains and guts from the lobster head.

Discard this part of the lobster. Keep the shell.

Remove the roe and set aside for later.

Using the knife, cut apart the body of the lobster (the part with the tiny legs). Remove the lungs and discard.

Discard the lungs

half of the lobster body cleaned

Rinse the lobsters part thoroughly.

Prepare the minced red onion, garlic and ginger.

Cut the yellow sweet peppers into 4 parts and the scallions into three parts.

Heat a wide and deep pan/pot with enough olive oil to coat the pan. Add 1 tablespoon of minced garlic and wait for a few seconds before adding 2 tablespoons of diced onion. When the onion and garlic are brown, add the 1 teaspoon of minced ginger.

Add the lobsters and 3 tablespoons of curry. Mix well.

Add 1 cup of coconut milk.

Stir, cover with a lid and lower the heat to medium for 2 minutes.

Add 3 teaspoons of soy sauce, sugar, roe and 2 cups of chicken broth. Stir to incorporate the ingredients. Turn the heat to high. Add shallots and Thai chilies. Cover to boil for approximately 3 minutes.

Add the bell peppers, 2 tablespoons of sake and ground pepper. Stir to incorporate the ingredients.

Add scallions and turn off the heat.

The lobster should be served hot and right off the stove.

You can also prepare this dish in advance and just cook the lobster right before serving.

For more recipes, visit our EAT page or Recipe Index.

Authors: Susan Tran and Chau Hoang

Words for Thought

Published by La Vie Partagée

Source: Instagram

Inspiration: Airstream Makeovers

Published by La Vie Partagée

Airstream is an iconic American brand of luxury campers. The shape of an Airstream dates back to the 1930’s and was immensely popular in the 1970’s. It has been recently popular to see Airstream converted into permanent second homes in the country. In today’s post, I will share two amazing makeovers to inspire everyone to rethink the old Airstream’s potential.

I first saw this video on this Airstream makeover in 2015 at House & Home website and was amazed by how this 210-feet trailer transformed into an enviable weekend getaway. The owners bought an old Airstream and gutted it down to the frame. After they proceeded to paint everything white and streamlined the decor in a modern aesthetic. They used this camper as a sleeping quarter and built a huge deck to house their outdoor living and entertaining space. There was even a shed that served as a guest bedroom.

Airstream-Makeover-exterior-overall-HH_JL15

Source: House & Home

I did more research on this topic and found Auto Camp, a boutique hotel made of renovated 1960’s and 1970’s Airstreams by Hoffman Architecture. The company was able to fit a full size bathroom and hotel amenities into each of the trailer. The modern aesthetic combined with luxury materials that are more often seen in a hotel room create an interesting and livable combination.Their trailers redefine what a luxury camper can look like.

Source: Auto Camp

This camper has a small workable kitchen and a hang out space. There are also skylights to allow for more light into this small space.

Source: Auto Camp

This small kitchen counter includes a one burner induction stove, sink and eat in bar.

Source: Auto Camp

The sink is built into the quartz counter and slopes downward toward the wall. The plumbing fixtures are mounted to the wall for a seamless look.

Source: Auto Camp

The wall of shelves create additional storage and hides the electrical unit.

Source: Auto Camp

This futon folds out into another guest bed.

Source: Auto Camp

The sleeping area is at one end of the bed and smartly uses the wide windows and sky light to create a sense of open space in a small area.

Source: Auto Camp

The soaking tub even has a jacuzzi function and does not look like it belongs in a camper.

Source: Auto Camp

These Airstreams function as a sleeping space and a side kick to the star: nature. I hope this post inspires you to take another look at what small space living can become with some ingenuity.

Source: Auto Camp

For related posts, visit our DESIGN page.

Author: Chau Hoang

Featured photo: Auto Camp (http://autocamp.com/)

Provencial Lamb Chops & Grilled Tomatoes

Published by hoanth01

One thing I learned while living in France for a year is this deceptively simple and delicious recipe for grilled lamb. Herbes de Provence is a mixture of dried herbes that is typical of the Provence area in France. The mixture can be found in any market and includes savory, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, oregano, lavender and other herbes. I was inspired to write up this recipe from my recent trip to Provence where I purchased the most fragrant fresh bag of Herbes de Provence right from the source.

This recipe is rated easy and takes half an hour to prepare and serve 2 – 4 people. The marinade time is for 6 hours.

Ingredients:

1 pound of lamb cuts (shoulders, blades, etc…)

1 teaspoon of wild honey

2 teaspoons of Herbes de Provence

1/4 teaspoon of either khosher or sea salt

1/4 teaspoon of pepper

2 garlic cloves finely minced

1 red onions thinly sliced

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard

a few heirloom tomatoes or any type of hearty tomatoes that could hold up to the grilling

Direction:

Wash and dry the lamp chops.

Combine the following ingredients to make the marinade:

1 teaspoon of wild honey, 2 teaspoons of Herbes de Provence, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, 2 garlic cloves finely minced, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard.

Pour enough marinade to coat the lamp chops. Reserve some marinade for the sauce and grilled tomatoes.

Add some the thinly sliced onions to the top of the pan.

Allow for the marinade to do its thing for at least 6 hours in the fridge.

Prepare the grilled tomatoes by slicing the tomatoes in half.

Salt and pepper the tomatoes. Using the leftover marinade, brush the marinade over the tomato.

Prepare the grill. Once the grill is hot enough for a nice sear, add the lamb. Be careful not to over cook the meat. Depending on the cut, it should be approximately 3 minutes on each side for medium rare.

Line the cooler part of the grill with the tomato, cut side down. Cook the red onion on a grill plate.

While the lamb chops are cooking, take the remaining marinade and reduce it down for a thick sauce. This should take approximately 15 minutes.

Take the lamb chops off the grill and let the meat rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Pour the reduced sauce over the lamb chops when you are ready to serve.

This recipe is also great for steak and chicken. You will need to add more seasoning when you cook the chicken as chicken tend to have less flavor than the lamb.

For more recipes, visit our EAT page or Recipe Index.

La Vie Partagée

life is more interesting when experiences are being shared

Latest Posts

Duck and Bamboo Vermicelli Noodle Soup / Bún Măng Vịt

Ingredients:

Directions:

A. Cook the duck and season the broth

B. Sauté the bamboo shoots

C. Cook the noodles

D. Make the ginger fish dipping sauce

E. Make the salad accompaniment

F. Garnish

G. Serve

Authors: Susan Tran, Thai-Anh Hoang and Chau Hoang

Words for Thought

Must Do’s: My Virginia Beach Experience

Activity:

Eat/Drink:

Author: Chau Hoang

Fish Taco with Tumeric and Dill

Ingredients:

Directions:

Authors: Susan Tran and Chau Hoang

Words for Thought

Weekend Unexplored: Lisbon, Portugal

Author: Chau Hoang

Lobster Curry Bouillabaisse

Ingredients:

Directions:

Authors: Susan Tran and Chau Hoang

Words for Thought

Inspiration: Airstream Makeovers

Author: Chau Hoang

Provencial Lamb Chops & Grilled Tomatoes

Ingredients:

Direction:

Authors: Thai-Anh Hoang