Hi All! I know it’s been a LONG while since the last time I posted, work life got the best of me… My motto is try to not be a cry baby as much as I can, and to see the positive in things. So even though the project I have been stressed about has kept me from learning new dishes and interact with you lovely folks more, but I am glad the project has been keeping me busy and that’s all I am going to say about that!
OK, what else has been going on here? Autumn is finally here at Texas, the leaves are turning a little, this really is my favorite season of all! My husband and I met in October, our first date was going to a Halloween party (He dressed as a pimp daddy, I was a pirate). Our little girl is also born during the Fall season, so as soon as October comes around, every weekend seems to be festive! We also made some great friends in the neighborhood this year, last weekend 3 families went on our very first camping trip together… OK I shouldn’t call it Camping, more of Glamping (Glam Camping). The state park we went to has screen shelters, so the tents were set up inside. My husband brought memory foam mattresses so we can sleep at night, he just wanted to ease little girl and I into the wilderness. We had a wonderful time, and waking up to the following sight while listening to bird songs really made me happy (Maybe being away from the computer was a big part of my happiness factor also, who knows…)
Time to talk about the Fried Squid recipe. Just recently I posted a Vietnamese style Salt and Pepper Calamari recipe. It was tasty, but a little cumbersome to work with. The following method produced better tasting, lighter feeling fried squids, it also seem to take a lot less time in the kitchen, so I’ve decided to use this one from now on, hope you will enjoy it as much as my family and I did!
Oil for deep frying
1 bag squid rings, defrosted
1 c cornstarch
2 tbsp coarse salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Dipping Sauce:
1/2 c Vietnamese fish sauce
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Heat oil to 375 degrees. Combine cornstarch, salt, and pepper in a zippered bag. Mix together dipping sauce ingredients.
Toss 1/4 squid in the bag until well floured then spread on a sheet of waxed paper. Repeat with remaining squid.
Fry cuttlefish for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes in the oil then drain on a paper towel. Lightly salt. (The squid won’t really brown but it will turn out beautifully crisp.) Eat with dipping sauce, Voila!
Recipe From Seriously Good
Weeknite Meals 
Cindy, this sounds easy and so delicious! We all love squid here… I need to go buy squid in my next grocery trip. Haha – Glamping! I’ve been telling Shen that I want camping (I used to enjoy more nature than now), but he’s all reluctant since kids are still “small”… I think they are ready!! I should convince him with memory foam mattress. =) Beautiful picture…now I really want to be in nature!
Hi Nami! Yes this recipe really is simple to work with, if you do make it, please let me know how you like it!
I never thought camping would be enjoyable. Jon has gone on a few trips now with his friends and brother, they just love being one with the great outdoors! Trinity and I do love hiking, kayaking and nature when the weather is nice, so we definitely picked a good weekend to go on our first Glamping trip. The memory foam mattress made a world of difference, we all slept through the night, the only issue were the people in the next camp site partying it up until 1am, but even that didn’t overshadow waking up to the beautiful sight being surrounded by trees!
Welcome back, Jeno! Glad to know that you’ve finally finished your project with absolutely positiveness! 😉
What a great idea of coating the squids in a zipper bag! Fast, easy, well-coated and no mess! Wonder if this method works for other ingredients. 😛
I’ve only camped twice (one during elementary sch and the other during high sch) in my whole life and I love them! 😀
Hi Lyn! Sorry to report the project is not complete yet, but we are almost there and I can feel it! 🙂
The zipper bag method really saved a lot of mess and time, I need to remember that for other recipe that requires coating!
So you are a nature gal huh! Here at Texas we don’t get to enjoy the great outdoors as much as we would like, most of the time it’s too hot and too many mosquito. This is why I absolutely LOVE Autumn!
What beautiful nature … I wish I could have been there!
The recipe looks yum! I love squid! 😀
Your attitude is adorable. Being able to see the positive things in life is the key to being happy, I believe. And I’ve often experienced that things come and go in waves: I sometimes feel very keen about blogging, and then again I feel keen about my psychology stuff and neglect blogging … Just my piano playing stays with me rather constantly, although there are times when I even don’t feel overly keep about that, but rather due to tiredness, not lack of inspiration. I wish I could multiply myself, or at least have a couple more hours every day! Not needing sleep would also be a solution. 😉
Hi Kath! Yes, having a positive attitude and seeing the beauty of everyday is definitely the key to happiness! I am envious of your musical talent, it must be nice being able to play the piano so well! My little girl started her lesson this week, she’s very excited, we like her teacher also her teaching style. I hope it will be a life long thing for her, I’ve told her about you and how playing the piano not only eases stress, it also helps relieve joint pain. She finds that fascinating!
Jeno, I love your squid recipe! It looks so delicious and reminds me I haven’t had squid or calamar for ages and I love them fried! I remember I have tested many fried calamar recipes before I found a good one. The sauce sounds very original.
No matter how long are the breaks between your posts, I am always very happy to see you back with new luscious recipe. I like the term “glamping” 🙂
Thank you Sissi! I am glad to be back also, though it was nice to just read your continuous postings in the last couple of months, I feel like I was not away at all! 🙂
This reminds me of salt and pepper squid which I totally adore….!!! Looks really delicious, Cindy :)!
The last time I went camping (if I could call that camping) was ages ago with my school friends. We camped right in the school building with tents, how weird I know…, but it’s like our school tradition ;).
Thank you CG! My family really enjoys this particular recipe, so did I because it was so easy to prepare!
I can definitely camp more if it’s your type of camping (Indoors!), bathroom access is a big deal and having a clean one near by was what made us enjoy our first Glamping trip. I know my husband will push our little girl and I toward more rustic ones as we get more comfortable with the wild… BYW I absolutely LOVE your blog postings, you are amazing, my girlfriends and I can not believe how beautiful and creative your bento boxes always look!
What a beautiful and delicious dish…
Reminds me of crispy pepper squids I had once…
Lovely!!!
Thank you Reem! We love the Vietnamese style salt and pepper calamari, so this recipe is something I cook quite a bit, hope you will enjoy it!
I’d take fried squids anytime, and your Viet style is amazing, as always!:)
What a lovely month October must have been for you, but it is also now one of my favorite month as I got married recently in October, so it is an incredibly sweet and beautiful month for me, not to mention romantic:D
Congrats again Christy! You definitely picked the right month to get married!
Salt and Pepper calamari has always been a favorite in our household, the problem was we had to drive 30 minutes to get a decent one. Now I’ve figured the recipe out, we can eat them anytime we feel like! 🙂