Have you ever BEEN to a botanical garden?

China claims to be a blog reader, but when she makes statements asking us if we’ve been to a botanical garden, it’s clear she hasn’t. I mean, 2010 was clearly the “year of the flower.” And even though we’re in 2011, it hasn’t changed our interest in all things flora. We had some time to kill after dropping Thatmom off at the airport before our flight later in the afternoon. Since the Phoenix Botanical Garden was close, had free parking, and Toxicesq was a member, we thought it would be an excellent way to kill a few hours. China wasn’t in total agreement. Luckily we live in a democracy, and a 3 to 1 vote meant we were off to explore cacti and succulents.

(Poor China, she’s such a good sport. I swear we drag her to a million places she’s not interested in.)

When we arrived at the gardens we were greeted by their Chihuly installment. TMIL is a HUGE Chihuly fan. She has prints, books, she ventures to visit exhibitions as often as possible.

Personally, I’ve never really “gotten” it. I mean, I like glass as much as the next guy, and I’ll never turn down an opportunity to watch a glass blower at work. (I’m sure they have a fancier name than glass blower, but this way you all know what I mean.) But squiggly colored glass just doesn’t send me flying. The Chihuly at the botanical garden though was just PERFECT. I loved it. It’s my favorite of his pieces. Mostly because I love the imitation/contrast of putting it against the natural counterparts.

The green spikes perfectly reflect the spikey palms growing beside. It is both completely organic and completely artificial.

We weaved through the garden, examining the various types the cactus in much the same way as the “party game” Thatboy came up with. It involved partygoers trying to weave their way between tightly planted cacti. The person with the least amount of needles stuck in them would be the winner. I don’t see Milton Bradley contacting us anytime soon.

This guy is honestly called the "old man" cactus. How adorable is he? He's like the cute little old man who lives around the corner. Not the creepy old guy who sometimes forgets to tie his robe.



It was too early for most of the cacti to be in bloom, but this one is an early riser.



Thatboy was amazed by how big these barrels were. They look like cushions to me!



Century plants take 100 years to bloom, and then they die. I'm still trying to figure out if that's a good deal or not.

And in honor of the end of our Arizona trip, this Southern-at-heart girl gives you a twist on the typical southern grit. Cheese grits are a quintessential Southern treat, but stir in some green chiles and you've got the perfect combination of creamy with a kick. Like the Chihuly, it's a little bit spikey, and a little bit natural, and oh so perfect in its environment.

Phoenix Grits
1 cup grits
3 cups milk
1 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten
6 Tbsp butter
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped green chiles

1. Preheat oven to 350. Heat the milk over medium high heat in a saucepan.
2. Stir in the grits and salt, stirring often so the milk doesn't burn. When it is thick, remove from the heat.
3. Add the eggs and 1 cup water, stirring.
4. Return to heat and cook until thickened again.
5. Stir in the butter, cheese, and chiles. Spread in a casserole and bake for 30 minutes.

Wine and Song

I don't think I've ever shown you guys these. THESE are our favorite wine glasses. TSIL got them for us a couple years back. I actually tend to use our stemmed glasses more, but any time Thatboy opens a bottle of wine, somehow we end up with these on our table. I think he loves them most because he gets to write fun things on them. Things like "Cat" and "Dog" or "Cake" and "Ice Cream." It's one of his quirks.

I'm also going to continue on with our lobster trend. This time with timbales. Now, when I hear timbales I think of tambourines and gypsies. Maybe something a little like this:



But really, timbales are cuban drums. More like this:

Which is why you'll probably all be surprised when I show you that the lobster timbales have NOTHING to do with music. They look more like this:

Weird, right? Who came up with this name? Somehow, someone along the way must have decided that timbales = "anything baked in a ramekin." Either that, or thought of timbales is music to your ears. (See what I did there?) In fact, Shakespeare did say that "if music be the food of love, play on." So there is obviously a connection between music and food. Maybe because they are both a way to win someone's heart. And if music is the food of love, what better way to celebrate the day of love than with a musical feast!

This is very much like a lobster custard with the addition of cream and egg. Because the egg whites are whipped, this is much lighter and fluffier than you would expect. Light enough where I though I would add to it by serving it with something fried. This is actually a great leftover meal. Because it calls for cooked lobster, you can throw an extra one in to boil. Then take your leftover grits and fry them up. It's a completely new meal, but will take hardly anytime to throw together. And that my friends, is music to MY ears.

Lobster Timbales (From the Fannie Farmer Cookbook)
1/2 Tbsp butter
1/2 Tbsp flour
4 Tbsp milk
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup cooked lobster meat
5 Tbsp heavy cream, beaten stiff
1 egg white, beaten stiff

1. Preheat oven to 350. Butter 2 1 cup custard cups. Fill a shallow pan with hot water and place in oven. Melt the butter in a saucepan.
2. Stir in the flour, blend until smooth, and slowly stir in the milk and salt.
3. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until the sauce is smooth and thickened. Beat a spoonful of sauce into the yolk and return the yolk/sauce mixture to the saucepan.
4. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in lobster.
5. Pour the lobster mixture into a bowl and fold in whipped cream and egg white. Spoon mixture into the custard cups and place in the pan of hot water in the oven. Bake 35 minutes.

Fried Grits
1 cup cooked grits
3 Tbsp butter
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
1. Spread grits in loaf pan, refrigerate overnight.
2. Cut grits into 1/2 inch slices. Melt the butter in a large skillet.
3. Dip slices into the egg and then into the crumbs, coating both sides completely.
4. Place in the skillet for 3 minutes on each side or until hot and golden brown.

Things White People Like: The Thatgirl Edition

1. Cupcakes.

But not just any cupcakes. They have to be cute. Either in fun shapes or covered in glitter. Thatboy especially likes those covered in glitter.

2. Farmer's Markets. I love that we have Farmer's Markets year round. And I definitely take advantage of it.

This weekend I dragged Thatboy with me. And got him some coffee from Joes on the Nose as an incentive. Which completely worked. I didn't hear any complaints. Buying him further treats didn't hurt either.


3. Fancy dress up parties. This weekend was my friend Harvard's birthday party.

His birthday was actually in November. But Harvard has been bicoastal for work lately, so he had to postpone his birthday till this weekend. He wanted it to be very grown up, so he hosted a cocktail party. Complete with a couple of bartenders! It was fun to put on our fancy clothes.

It was even more fun to play catchup with some old friends. Because man are we all getting old.

Harvard is the first in our group to turn the big 3-0, and it's all downhill for the rest of us.


4. Fancy Schmancy Lobster Dishes.
I've been blogging about lobster dishes in preparation for Valentine's Day since we all know that lobsters are the true symbol of love. This one is super fancy schmancy because it has a French name. And the French pretty much invented love. Or so I hear.

This is another recipe that calls for killing a live lobster. And I'm not an idiot. I wasn't going to play that game twice. Instead I stuck the lobster in the freezer for a couple of days and it was D-E-A-D when I cut it into 8 pieces. The sweetness of the lobster is balanced by the cayenne - and by the way, did you know the chemical that makes cayenne spicy is also an aphrodisiac? It's true. I wouldn't lie to you. I paired this silky smooth lobster with something equally silky smooth. And I'm not talking about my just waxed legs. Just some nice easy grits. I told you I was a southern girl at heart.

Lobster a l'Americaine (From the Fannie Farmer Cookbook)
1 large lobster
2 Tbsp oil
3 Tbsp butter
1/2 bay leaf
1/2 tsp thyme
2 Tbsp chopped shallots
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/4 cup dry white
1. Kill and split a live lobster. Or if you're me, don't. Freeze the lobster for several days until you're sure he won't be moving ever. Then cut him in to 8 pieces and remove the liver and coral (but save them).
2. Heat oil and butter in large skillet. Add the lobster, bay leaf, thyme, and shallots. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Mix the cayenne pepper, tomato paste, and wine in a small bowl. Add to the lobster and stir with the juices in the skillet.
4. Cover and simmer another 10-15 minutes. Take out the lobster and remove the meat.
5. Strain the liquid and return it to the pan with the liver and coral. Blend.
6. Add the lobster meat and heat through.

Hominy Grits
1/2 cup grits
1/2 tsp salt
1. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil and slowly stir in grits and salt. Cook 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.