Hubby's Thai Food Tests

Thanks to my thoughtful friend C, I recently visited a Trader Joe's near her and purchased many fun treats for my family.  One item was meal ready green curry thai sauce.  Thanks to my husband, who wanted to make Thai food and loves to experiment in the kitchen, we had a wonderful homemade Thai meal.  He offered us green curry shrimp and/or red chili shrimp over jasmine rice and pad thai noodles.  I know my Mother would have loved tasting this!

  
Green Curry Shrimp
a bottle of Trader Joes green curry sauce, warmed
add in some whole peeled prawns
serve over rice
Note:  Even in our small town we can find Thai Kitchen products and great recipes on the internet, so to make something similar to us with out a Trader Joe's, we can use Thai Kitchen green curry paste and a 14 oz. of coconut cream.  


Red Chili Coconut Shrimp
1 14 oz. can coconut milk
3 T Thai Kitchen roasted red chili paste
2 T Thai Kitchen premium fish sauce
1T  white sugar
Stir ingredients together, simmer on medium low heat for 7 minutes. 
Add 1/2 cup frozen green beans sliced asian style  
1 water chestnut, diced and optional
1/4 cup frozen peas
Continue to simmer for 3 more minutes.  Turn off heat.  Add 7-10 cooked, peeled prawns or 1/2 cup smaller shrimp and serve as soon as warm over white jasmine rice.  


Note: You may use chicken or pork of course, but one of our son's announced 2 weeks ago that he is not vegetarian, but will eat fish -- thus this further exploration in the kitchen. 

Toronto Pad Thai

Ingredients

• 1 (8 ounce) package pad thai rice noodles
• 1/4 cup tamarind paste (To substitute for tamarind paste, blend equal parts dried apricots, prunes, dates, plus lemon or lime juice. Use 2 tablespoons of this mixture for every teaspoon of tamarind paste.)
• 1/3 cup boiling water
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2 limes, juiced
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 tablespoon chili paste (sambal oelek)
•  
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 pound firm tofu, drained and cubed
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 3 cups bean sprouts
• 1/2 cup coarsely ground peanuts
• 5 green onions, thinly sliced

Directions

1. Place the rice noodles in a large bowl, pour in enough very hot tap water to cover, and let them soak for 30 minutes. Drain the noodles, and set aside.
2. Stir together the tamarind paste with boiling water in a bowl until well mixed, and let the mixture stand for 15 minutes. Press the paste mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to strain, and discard any fibers or seeds. Combine the strained tamarind paste with the ketchup, lime juice, soy sauce, sugar, and chili paste in a bowl.
3. Heat the vegetable oil in a wok over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers. Cook and stir the garlic and tofu until the tofu begins to show brown edges, 3 to 4 minutes. Pour in the eggs, and scramble for 30 seconds, then add the noodles, tamarind mixture, and bean sprouts. Cook and stir until the noodles are separated, heated through, and covered with sauce, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with peanuts and sliced green onions.

Southwestern Chicken and Rice

I just tried this quick, simple recipe and our whole family loved the taste.  The taste of course will depend upon what flavor of salsa and seasoning packet you use.  It's perfect for one of those kid taxing driving nights.  Give it a try!

Southwestern Chicken and Rice

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small chunks
1 cup salsa
1 package taco seasoning
2 cups water
2 cups raw Minute Rice
1 cup Cheddar cheese, grated
Sour cream

Bring chicken, salsa, seasoning mix and water to boil in a large skillet.
Cover and simmer 10 minutes.  Return to boil.
Stir in rice and sprinkle with cheese and cover.
Cook on low heat 5 minutes.  Top with sour cream.

Valentine's Day Lunch

Happy Valentine's Day to you!  This photo is an example of the type of menu and table setting my Mother would set -- this time for Valentine's Day.  She was instrumental in the start of this holiday in her homeland when she returned as a goodwill Ambassador later in her life.  It's called Friendship Day there.  Today on Valentine's Day or Friendship Day we will receive the public to honor her life as she passed away earlier this week.  Happy Valentine's Day Mommy.  I love you always and forever.

Quick Sugar Cookies

Over at our house tonight we have the 12 and 13 year old Young Women over making Valentine sugar cookies.  They have decided to give them to the family of our ward member who died in an avalanche.

Peggy's "quick" sugar cookie recipe

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

cream together

2 tsp baking powder

3 c flour -- add 1 cup at a time

400 10-12 minutes

Derek's Frosting

A ton of powdered sugar (like a cup and a half)

A capful of vanilla
While stirring, add 2 tablespoons or caps full of milk at a time until consistency
Add 2 drops of food coloring to get a light color.

Fudge Brownies

My Dad bought that new brownie pan that separates your brownies for you.  So, I'm trying this basic brownie recipe my brother liked so much when we were growing up.  They aren't fancy and we not frost them.  They are simple.  

Fudge Brownies
1 cup butter or margarine
2 cups sugar
3 squares chocolate
2 cups flour
1 cup nuts, optional
2 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs

Melt the margarine and cocoa together.  Beat eggs, sugar and vanilla.  Mix with cocoa and margarine.  Beat thoroughly, but don't over beat because brownies aren't as good then.  Add flour and nuts.  Mix well.  Bake in jelly roll pan or in this case the "new brownie pan"  Bake at 350 for 15-30 minutes depending on which pan you  use.