It must seem like I’ve done nothing in Dallas but eat, but I swear I’ve done other things…just nothing interesting enough to photograph (but do pop over to the ODJ link to see my new pictures). So here we go, let’s see what’s on the menu today!

For lunch we ate bo bia, which is yet another variety of spring rolls. We begin by quickly sauteing the sliced carrots and jicama and then adding the julienned eggs:

 

Then we glaze some small dried shrimps, chop the roasted peanuts, wet the rice paper, clean the greens (lettuce, cilantro, mints–the usual suspects), and prepare the rolling station:

 

That brown sauce you see is hoisin sauce blended with hot sauce. The softened rice paper is layered with, in this order, lettuce, mints, cilantro, hoisin sauce, carrots/jicama, dried shrimps, peanuts, and then rolled tightly:

 

And then in the belly it goes! Miam! It’s a great, light snack/lunch:

 

But lest you think I only eat healthy meals, we’ve also been busy making peanut brittle, one batch with real sugar and the other with Splenda for my mom. Here’s how it went down (in the pictures where the caramel looks dark, it’s with real sugar):

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And then, tadah…

 

I can already hear my dentist crying, but sometimes I have to indulge the sweet tooth. I sure hope I’ll be inspired to blog about something unrelated to food tomorrow, but I already know the eating binge won’t end till I get on the plane to go home later this week. Not that I’m complaining!