Curried Lamb Shanks

I broke Leonard's dutch oven while making this one. I used his recipe from the Globe and Mail, and it WRONGLY said "heat oil over medium-high heat in dutch oven" as one of the first steps. I thought that was odd, but I followed it anyway. So I browned the lamb shanks in the dutch oven as written, put them on a plate, turned the heat off, and the dutch oven then cracked into three big pieces. I called Leonard at work to tell him what happened, and he calmly said, "It broke because you're not supposed to use the dutch oven on the stove." Stupid recipe. I then had to rush off to Canadian Tire to buy a new dutch oven so I could make the meal before he came over for dinner. The lamb turned out very nicely at the end, even though we had to eat at 9pm because of the delay!

Butternut Squash

Butternut squash with porcini mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, basmati rice, rosemary, and toasted pine nuts.

Another Jamie Oliver recipe - this was pretty labour intensive and I had to start this one at 9:30 to get it ready for lunch!

Roast duck

Roast duck with rosemary, thyme, tarragon, lavender, and sage, and leftover spaghetti.

Leonard and I agreed that this was the best meal we have had together, including restaurant meals. So delicious, for an $11 frozen utility duck!

Fennel and Salami Spaghetti with Toasted Breadcrumbs

This Jamie Oliver guy is a genius.

Swallow Tail Supper Club

Swallow Tail Supper Club is a "secret" supper club - it's held at Chef Robin's cellar, and I have read accounts of her hunting her own game and foraging for mushrooms in the wild! I attended the Winter and Whiskey Feast, which consisted of rabbit, elk, and deer. It was an experience.

Note: I attended a Swallow Tail event in 2011 for Rae's surprise birthday party. It was at a secret location, which ended up being a plant store. Robin explained to me that the "supper clubs" are held at her house, whereas the dinners with special chefs are held at secret locations. I'm eager to go to another one!

Old Market

Fresh meat, no refrigeration...

Biking around Siem Reap

Crocodile Farm

Crocodiles like to lie on top of each other!

 

This monkey tried to attack me as I was walking towards the crocodiles!

Lake Tonle Sap

The floating village sits on Lake Tonle Sap - during rainy season, the water rises all the way up to the top of the stilts.

A boat ride among the flooded forest of mangrove trees.

More Angkor Temples

Angkor Ruins

Siem Reap, Cambodia was a side trip for my family vacation in Manila. It's a town overrun with tourists, as it is the biggest tourist destination in Cambodia due to its proximity to the Angkor temples, the most famous and biggest one being Angkor Wat. The temples were ruined from centuries of war, but the government has been reconstructing them slowly. I was here two years ago, and certain areas where I had taken photos previously are now different because of the ongoing reconstruction!