Green Curry

We had a bunch of friends over for dinner the other week and I made this green curry and everyone approved and said how delicious it was. People were like, "Whoa, what did you put in this? It tastes so good!" Unfortunately, I can't eat it because it has plenty of things on my cannot eat list. Sigh. But, I'm super glad everyone liked it because there was some things I didn't different from the recipe because either I didn't have it or I used something different.  

Easy Thai Green Curry with Chicken Recipe | แกงเขียวหวาน

By The Thai-Foodie: Recipe Here

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. cooking oil of your choice
• 2 cans of coconut milk (14 ounces), the Chao Koh brand is my fav
• 1 c. water (I used my homemade bone broth, which I know made the biggest difference)
• 3-6 tbsp. Thai green curry paste, Mae Anong is a good one
• 1.5 lbs of pork or chicken breasts, thinly sliced
• 1 c. frozen or fresh shelled peas, or small pea eggplants
• 1 lb. small Thai eggplants, cut in quarters, or 2 long Asian eggplants cut into bite-sized pieces
• 4 fresh kaffir lime leaves
• fish sauce to taste (used Red Boat Fish Sauce = the best, yes good fish sauce matters!!)
• 1-2 tbsp palm sugar, or brown sugar, to taste
• 1 c. fresh Thai sweet basil with flowers, or sub with other basil you have on hand (Used my friends fresh basil she is growing)

Instructions

1. Add cooking oil to large pot and warm it.
2. Be careful not to shake up your coconut milk because you want the thick cream to stay on top. Spoon out the thick cream from each can into the large pot and heat over medium-heat.
3. Reduce until it looks bubbly like melted marshmallows.
4. Add curry paste and fry for a few minutes until its fragrance soothes your soul and makes you smile.
5. Pour in the rest of the milk, and water and bring to a boil.
6. Add the meat and pea eggplants, if you somehow found them (I never have). If using fresh or frozen peas, don't add them yet or they will disintegrate, lesson learned.
7. Return to a boil.
8. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes uncovered.
9. After simmering, add the Thai eggplants, frozen or fresh peas (if using) and kaffir lime leaves.
10. Taste the curry. If you think it needs more salt, add fish sauce to taste. I like to add palm sugar because I like my curry a bit sweeter since coconut milk lends itself to that.
11. Simmer a few more minutes until the eggplants and peas are tender.
12. Stir in the basil and cook one more minute and turn off the heat.
13. Serve with steamed jasmine rice.
14. Enjoy!

Notes

I think curries always taste better the next day because all the herbs got to mingle and get to know each other over night. If I'm having guests over, I like to make green curry the night before and warm it up before they arrive.

This recipe is adapted from Kasma Loha-Unchit's wonderful cookbook, "It Rains Fishes."

Enjoy Enjoy!!

Baked Corn Dogs & Purple Potato Salad

The kids love it when I make Homemade Corn Dogs!

With my youngest, we whipped up the batter, rolled out the dough, wrapped up the hot dogs, and stuck 'em in the oven.

Then before you know it their sitting on a stick ready to eat. 

Yum!

Baked Corn Dogs

By Meagan "The Baker Mama"

Ingredients

• 1 cup Gold Medal® white whole wheat flour
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground mustard
• 6 tablespoons butter
• ½ cup non-fat milk
• ¼ cup honey
• 7 lean beef hot dog franks, cut in half
• 14 wooden sticks
• mustard & ketchup, for serving

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and ground mustard. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two forks until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the milk and honey with a wooden spoon or your hands until well combined.
3. Place dough on a lightly floured piece of parchment paper. Sprinkle some more flour over the dough and top with another piece of parchment paper. Roll dough to ¼-inch thickness.
4. Push a wooden stick up the center of the cut end of each hot dog half. Place the dog on the dough and cut a square that is big enough to wrap around it. Form dough around each dog sealing both ends and any open areas. Place corn dogs on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes or until they start to brown. Serve with mustard and ketchup for dipping.

*I use Applegate's Organic Uncured Grass-fed Beef Hot Dogs which I prefer, or National Hebrew: Kosher Beef Frank Hot Dogs. 

I also whipped up some Purple Potato Salad and had it sitting in the fridge from the day before ready to go.
Because you know Potato Salad is always better the next day!
:)

Navajo Breakfast Burritos

My Shimasani (Grandma) came for a visit and she made some Naaniskadi, Navajo Tortillas, for breakfast burritos!

All the kids gathered around her, just like I did with my other cousins when we were little, and she let them help her make the Naaniskadi.

I cooked the potatoes, eggs, and of course spam!

Top it off with some salsa because my kids like it with salsa and I had to get a picture fast before they were all gone!

Grandma's Naaniskadi is the best. I definitely can't get mine anywhere near hers yet!

The Party Plate: "Corn Chip Pie!"

Today's lunch plate was a leftover leftover party!!!

In lieu, of the awesome chili recipes, we put all our leftovers from the last few days on this plate, thus the party plate!!...

Frito Corn Chips on the bottom, leftover homemade veggie chili, mixed w/ our leftover Annie's Organic Mac&Cheese and black bean soup, and green beans. Then topped with sharp cheddar cheese and our salad!

Oh yeah, who doesn't like a party plate and lifesaving leftovers all in one!

My kids sure enjoyed the party :)

Cornbread Chili Casserole

While searching for Chili recipes the other day I came across Wolf Brand Chili Classic Recipes Ideas and whoa, they've got some awesome Chili Creations!! Since I had some homemade veggie chili in the freezer I had to use it and try this one...

Cornbread Chili Casserole

INGREDIENTS

1 pkg (8.5 oz each) corn muffin mix

2 eggs

1 can (11 oz each) whole kernel corn with red and green peppers, drained

1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream (or plain yogurt)

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 can (15 oz each) Wolf® Brand Chili Lean Beef With Beans

1 cup shredded reduced fat Cheddar & Monterey Jack cheese

Makes: 8 servings (about 1 cup each)

DIRECTIONS

• 1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray 8x8-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray; set aside. Stir together corn muffin mix, eggs, corn with peppers, sour cream and sugar in large bowl.
• 2. Spread batter in bottom of prepared dish. Spoon chili evenly over top of batter, up to 1/2 inch of sides of dish. Sprinkle with cheese.
• 3. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until bubbly and edges are browned.

And the best part about it is that its super easy to put together and the kids did most of the work. 

They also helped me steam some green beans and make a fresh salad. 

The Fish Fam definitely loved this meal! 

Chili Taquito Casserole

So this was a totally random look in the pantry and fridge to see what foods we have meal!

We've been traveling and haven't gone grocery shopping so come Sunday I looked around and came up with this meal. 

Interesting, but the Fish Fam loved it. 

I had lots of canned Chili in the pantry that my husband bought on sale last summer to take camping and we still have lots left. 

So, then to help my creative juices get flowing I looked up some canned chili meal ideas and walla...

I had some frozen organic hash browns, which I fried up, then put at the bottom of a casserole dish. Topped the potatoes with the heated up canned chili and then bake at 375deg in the oven for 15mins while the taquitos also baked. At the same time those were in the oven I steamed some frozen corn and green beans.

When the time was up I pushed some of the chili to one side of the dish and then added all the taquitos and then pushed the chili back over them. Then topped it with the corn and green beans, with some fresh tomatoes and green onions.

Yum! Well at least they said it was yum!

Chili Creations...

We've been enjoying some yummy summer Chili Creations....

Chili Taquito Casserole

Cornbread Chili Casserole

Corn Chip Pie

Check 'em out!

Father's Day Breakfast

Our Daddy sure did enjoy his Father's Day Breakfast...

Drop Biscuits & Sausage Gravy

Ree Drummond Recipe

aka The Pioneer Woman

Biscuits and Gravy was a favorite of mine growing up. When my Grandpa lived with us for a few years he frequently made this yummy breakfast. I know he was smiling down on me while I was making it! We were staying with our good friends on this special day and all six boys helped us two moms prepare in one way or another!

Biscuits Ingredients

• 3 cups All-purpose Flour
• 2 Tablespoons Baking Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1-1/2 stick (3/4 Cup) Cold Butter, Cut Into Pieces
• 1-1/4 cup Buttermilk

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Add flour, baking powder, and salt to the bowl of a food processor (or a large bowl.) Add butter pieces and pulse until butter is completely cut into the flour mixture (or use a pastry cutter if using a bowl.) While pulsing (or stirring) drizzle in the buttermilk until dough just comes together and is no longer crumbly.

Drop in clumps on two baking sheets, then bake for 15-17 minutes, or until golden brown. (Optional: Brush with melted butter when biscuits first come out of the oven.)

SAUSAGE GRAVY

• 1 pound Breakfast Sausage, Hot Or Mild
• 1/3 cup All-purpose Flour
• 4 cups Whole Milk
• 1/2 teaspoon Seasoned Salt
• 2 teaspoons Black Pepper, More To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Brown the sausage over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Sprinkle on half the flour and stir so that the sausage soaks it all up, then add a little more until just before the sausage looks too dry. Stir it around and cook it for another minute or so, then pour in the milk, stirring constantly.

Cook the gravy, stirring frequently, until it thickens. (This may take a good 10-12 minutes.) Sprinkle in the seasoned salt and pepper and continue cooking until very thick and luscious. If it gets too thick too soon, just splash in 1/2 cup of milk or more if needed. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Spoon sausage gravy over warm biscuits and serve immediately!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2013/03/drop-biscuits-and-sausage-gravy/

We also made her Best Breakfast Potatoes Ever and some scrambled eggs.

Enjoy because our dad's sure did!!!

Fried Rice Nori Wraps

My little 許家庭 Xujiating could eat this for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They love it and I love to be able to just throw together whatever I have in the fridge that needs to be used! Easy peasy. 

But of course, as in anything moderation is best! Here's what I used Leftover...rice, small baked chicken, some organic frozen veggies mix, and fried egg, seasoned with soy sauce, sesame oil, and ginger. 

Then use some Nori to wrap it up or slice it. The health benefits of Nori or seaweed are so good! Being that it's a sea vegetable it's filled with tons of vitamins and minerals, such as iodine. Read up about it here and here.

To seal the seaweed just get your fingers wet and run along the edge of it and gently press it closed. 

Enjoy :)

Green Chicken!

This is Nom Nom Paleos amazing recipe called...My Sister's Phenomenal Green Chicken that I made for dinner. Which was the closest thing we did to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, last week being that we were going to be traveling. 

All my hubby says is,"Wow, Wow, Wow. This is so good." While eating it. Others have enjoyed it a lot too. The flavors are just too excellent to not!!

From her website...

Here’s what I gathered to make enough grilled drumsticks to feed 4-6 people:

• 1 medium sweet onion, peeled and coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 cup packed cilantro leaves and stems
• 1 1/4 cups packed basil leaves
• 1/4 cup packed mint leaves
• 4 tablespoons of  Red Boat fish sauce
• 3 peeled garlic cloves
• zest of 1 lime
• plenty ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon of Aleppo pepper
• 2 tablespoons of apple juice (or 1 teaspoon of maple syrup if you’re not on a Whole30)
•  Kosher salt
• 3 pounds of chicken drumsticks or thighs

Directions:

Put everything in the blender, except the chicken. Put the chicken in a ziplock bag and pour the marinade in. Let it marinate for at least an hour, but overnight up to a day is best. I like to poke the chicken with a fork all over to get more of the flavor soaked in. 

Cook it up on a grill or to bake it out it on a wire rack and cook for 35-45mins at 400 deg F. and flip the chicken at 20mins. *I keep it in the marinade and bake in a dish. 

The cilantro and basil go great together, but I think one of the secret ingredients is the fish sauce, especially the Red Boat Fish Sauce she recommends. We love cooking with fish sauce and if you do you'll know that...It smells soooo bad, but tastes soooo good!

Enjoy!