Fighting With My Dinner

When seafood is concerned, there is only one acceptable way to cook it... COOK IT LIVE. No if's and but's. L-I-V-E is the word to remember.

And boy, my Monday dinner plans got a bit more L-I-V-E-L-Y than expected when this guy jumped out of the bag.

I had to fight off this villain to have a scrumptious dinner. Look at those claws.

"Come any closer and you can kiss your iPhone away, Toots!".

It's generally a bad idea to leave any electronic devices near the stove or on a busy kitchen counter, as this photo demonstrates.

Anyway, I got him and his other buddies in a steamer pot with a bit of lemons and salt. Alas for the furious five!

And in 15 minutes... Voila!

I guess the fight's over. So much for being on top of the food chain. Hehehehe!

Zees leetle pyggie.

I found this guy over at World Market two Sundays ago when I was buying a potting bench for my Mum for Mother's Day. Oh my... I've had an affinity with a few pigs in this lifetime (a couple of piggy banks and the faceless salt pig sitting on my kitchen counter, that one which my friend from NY covets). But this one takes the cake. It was love at first sight. I just had to have this porker. Though at the time, I had to resist the urge to buy him and take him home with me as I knew my that I wouldn't have the time in my hands to use him and properly break him in. I was mildly heartbroken when I left him in the store that day. :(

Yesterday, I decided to end my week long pig-obsession, swine-cyberstalking and telling my Mum how great an addition to her garden this little guy would be. I went back to the store after work for my weekly gourmet food and equipment retail therapy and picked him up. Yes! Together at last... I could hardly contain my excitement as I drove home and found myself daydreaming delicious thoughts. It made my mouth water with anticipation.

But, what is zees lyttle pygg anyway?

I present...

Tadah! Kari (pronounced Carrie, with a NY twang, because this is also one hilarious inside joke), the cutest and latest addition to my kitchen. It's a Terracotta grill in the shape of a pig, can only grill two steaks at a time and can sit comfortably on an average tabletop. It's absolutely perfect for grilling those little Asian street treats on a stick which I would devour with a passion when I'm vacationing in the Far East. It uses charcoal, which is an additional plus for that smoky flavor.

I have a gas grill which I rarely use. I find it too big for the volume of food that I cook at home. That also means gargantuan grill = gargantuan mess = gargantuan clean up action. It's a no go for a meal for two.

And this here is Kari working real hard to get my Chicken BBQ dinner cooked to perfection. Hehehe!

All in all, this is the best $25 I spent since I came back from vacation. Zees lyttle pyggie rocks my culinary socks and I'm loving it!