My Thai

Summer break is always a welcome event! Lazy mornings sipping coffee, checking house projects off of "the list", and one of my favorite parts...getting to try new recipes! In the busyness and stress of the the school year, I often slip into the "same old, same old" routine of spaghetti, tacos, eggs, stir fry, and maybe a new dish surfaces on the weekends. During the summer I am able to spend some time reading new recipes, experiment with new flavors, and hopefully put some great food on the table for Tony and friends!

Here's this week's favorite...Thai Chicken Tacos (from Better Homes and Gardens, June 2011)

1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut in 1/2 inch pieces

1 lime, halved

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 large shallot, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp fish sauce

2 tsp. soy sauce

1/2 to 1 tsp crushed red pepper

1/2 to t tsp hot chili sauce

2 tbsp vegetable oil

8 corn tortillas, warmed

1 recipe Cabbage Slaw (recipe follows)

Juice one lime ; cut remaining half in wedges to serve with tacos.

In bowl stir together lime juice, cilantro, shallot, garlic, fish sauce, soy sauce, red pepper, and chili sauce. Add chicken, cover and refrigerate 1 hour.

In large skillet cook chicken mixture in hot oil over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked.

To serve, layer two tortillas. Top with chicken and Cabbage Slaw. Serve with remaining slaw and lime wedges.

Cabbage Slaw: In bowl toss 2 cups shredded cabbage, 1/2 cup shredded carrot, 1/2 cup chopped red onion, 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro. Add 1/2 cup rice vinegar and toss.

My Return...and Strawberry Preserves

So some friends have noticed I haven't blogged for a while. I guess in a way it's nice to know people were actually reading my blog once upon a time when I was regularly writing. Now that the craziness of school in the spring has come to an end, I have some time and energy to cook, create, and even think creatively again! Hallelujah!

A couple weeks ago, I had the pleasure of picking strawberries with my dear friends Jocelyn and Maggie. Berry picking always brings me back to my childhood...my family picked just about anything that grew on a tree, bush or vine. Then we would take all the bounty home and preserve it, freeze it, or eat it. And in following that tradition, Jocelyn and I proceeded to can 14 jars of Strawberry Preserves and Strawberry Rhubarb Jam. The process was quite long, but the kitchen smelled delicious, the company was delightful, and the finished products are quite beautiful (tasting and looking!).

Here are some highlights:

Beautiful berries

Cooking down the fruit
Separating the juices from the fruit
The finished jars!

My Mel

Happy Birthday to our furry friend Sweet Melissa (aka Mel). While I agree that children will someday totally change our lives, I would also say that Mel has totally changed our lives. She claims a spot on both the couch and the bed as her own. She expects not one, but two, walks a day. And she protects her bones even in her sleep. But how can we complain...we have gained an instant snuggling companion, a constant reason to get outside and exercise, and the bone thing...maybe that just provides us with some cute pictures?

In Mel's honor, here is her favorite recipe...from scratch.

Peanut Butter and Honey Oat Crunchies

1/4 cup honey

1 cup peanut butter

2 cups chicken broth

1/3 cup peanut oil

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup oat bran

3-4 cups oat flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a saucepan, combine honey, PB, chicken broth and oil. Heat to a simmer and then remove from heat and add oats and bran. Gradually add flour. Roll in batches 1/4 inch thick. Cut with cookie cutter and place on cookie sheet. Bake 30 minutes and flip. Bake another 30 minutes. Cool in oven overnight. I found they can be frozen and last for several months. (Makes a ton of treats!!!!)

My Mistakes

Last night we enjoyed the company of great friends, the smells of delicious Italian cuisine, and the taste of some of the best bargain wines available. It was an exceptional evening...with two exceptions. My assignment was to provide an appetizer and a dessert. Here's what I learned:

1. When it says to let dough rise in a warm place...put it in a warm place. Over a cold stove is not sufficiently warm.

2. Follow directions carefully. My Cream Puff filling went into the trash after reading "slowly add one third of the egg mixture into it" rather than"slowly add one third of it into the egg mixture". Curdled filling is gross. Jello Pudding to the rescue!

Sometimes creating from scratch is more fun, but you have to be willing to accept the higher risk of failure involved. I had a 1/3 success rate for recipes this time...but I would say the event was a huge hit!

Here's the only successful recipe...fill these delicious pastries with pudding, whipped cream, or ice cream :)

1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet. In a medium saucepan combine water, butter, and salt. Bring to boiling. Add flour all at once, stirring vigorously. Cook and stir until mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat. Cool for 10 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well with a wooden spoon after each addition.
2. Drop 12 heaping tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden and firm. Transfer cream puffs to a wire rack and let cool.
3. Cut tops from puffs; remove soft dough from inside. Fill with whipped cream, pudding, or ice cream. Replace tops. If desired, sift powdered sugar over tops.
4. Makes 12 cream puffs

My Walk

My Grandma Rena loved to walk. The summer days we spent with her in Washington always included long walks. Sometimes we walked around the neighborhood. Sometimes we walked in a local park. Sometimes we walked by the ocean. These were great walks, filled with stories, conversions, and laughter.

It has been a beautiful day in Nashville and a walk was a must. As soon as we arrived home from church, I put on my sneakers, plugged in my ipod, hooked up the dog and was off. The thing about these walks is that it's not about how fast you go or how long. It's about the walk. I decided to just head in one direction and go where the spirit moved. I guess I could call it a walk...from scratch :) Mel and I walked through our neighborhood, new neighborhoods, a park, and even by a river (nothing like the ocean, but Mel appreciated a swim). These kinds of walks are good for my soul...I believe Grandma Rena would agree.

The best part of my walk...when I arrived back home, I walked past my mailbox and saw tulips and daffodils sprouting out of the ground!

My Valentine

If anyone could say that their relationship was made from scratch, I would say it's Tony's and mine. I mean seriously, we met in 5th grade and had to build our relationship on the basics...addding a little bit at a time. He was my middle school crush, my high school heartbreak, my college romance, and now my forever partner in life. Thanks for every step along the way Tony...I love you!!!

And here's my attempt to make a Valentine's Day inspired dish. Tonight I made whipped SWEET potatoes :)

2 Sweet Potatoes (peeled and sliced into equal sized chunks)
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup half and half
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Steam potatoes along with above ingredients until soft (15-20 minutes)

Add
2 Tbls Butter
2 Tbls half and half (or more if potatoes seem dry)
Salt and Pepper as desired

Whip with electric mixer and enjoy!!

My Panamanian Salad

Tony and I will be heading to a Panamanian dinner tonight...and I signed up to bring a salad. Now, at first, I thought it could be funny to walk in with a Caesar Salad or Greek Salad...but no, I had to research Panamanian Salads. I perused the Internet a bit, asked my brother who lives in Nicaragua for inspiration, and settled upon a mango, avocado, and candied pecan salad. Here's to hoping it fits the theme sufficiently.

Candied Pecans:

1/4 c brown sugar

1 T olive oil

1 T balsamic vinegar

1 cup pecans

Stir sugar, oil and vinegar over med. heat until sugar melts and syrup bubbles. Mix in Pecans. Stir until covered and toast about 7 minutes. Allow to cool on parchment paper.

Dressing:

5 T olive oil

2 T balsamic vinegar

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp honey

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

pinch of cayenne pepper

Whisk together and set aside

Combine 6 cups washed baby spinach, 1 mango (peeled, pitted and cut into pieces) 1 avocado (peeled, pitted, and cut) and cooled pecans. Pour dressing over salad and season as needed with salt and pepper.

¡Que aproveche!