grass of the gods

LEMONGRASS!!

i try and look on the bright side of things. about twice a year i work @ different trade shows in southern california. the most recent happened to be produce specific. this can be ridiculously boring and the crowd is made up of conventional grocery store buyers...men, lots of them. and not the cool type you might find employed @ a whole foods. i'm talking corporate vons and albertsons men.

i used this time to put my cultural anthropology skills to use. basically, it's great people watching. back to the bright side of things....i always walk away with a bundle of FREE produce and flowers. right now my house is covered with bright color.

this time around i also scored one of my favs, lemongrass. i've got a lot of it so i've been hunting for tasty recipes to try. this one comes from Donna Hay magazine (think Australian Martha Stewart but cooler). this will be din din tomorrow night.

spiced coconut prawns

• 1 stalk lemongrass, very finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 2 large mild red chillies, finly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons desiccated coconut
• 1kg green prawns, peeled, veins removed, tails intact
• sea salt and cracked pepper
• lemon wedges, to serve

Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the lemongrass, ginger, chilli, garlic and oil and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Add the coconut and cook for 1 minute or until toasted. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the prawns, salt and pepper to the pan and cook for 2–3 minutes or until cooked through. Return the coconut-spice mixture to the pan and toss with the prawns. Serve warm with the lime. Serves 6–8

and some pics of my tradeshow flower score:

notice the S?! love this vase ala mi madre








that little light bulb looking device is something that was passed down to me from mi padre. when the sun hits it, the little flags inside spin due to the heat transfer. radness i do say.