Thai Recipes

I'd hardly call these authentic.

But since moving out to the country, I have been able to master making my own pizza (much healthier versions), my Mexican is decent.  But I still crave Thai and up until now I have had the hardest time creating good Thai flavor.

To run into town to pick it up is just plain silly- it takes an eternity and is cold by the time I get it home.

And dragging the whole fan-damily into town for dinner isn't an option.

Soooo.

I'm sharing my recipes that I turn to for a decent Thai flavor.

Enjoy!

Thai Barbecued Pork

Serves 4/30 Minutes

From November 2011 Sunset Mag

From a woman in Olympia!  Karen Fukui

 

1 stalk fresh lemongrass, stem and coarse leaves trimmed, cut into chunks

1 Tbsp sugar

2 Tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce (I use Kikoman Tamari)

1 Tbsp fish sauce (I bought lucky brand at the Asian store)

1 quarter sized slice fresh ginger

1/4 tsp pepper

a few cilantro sprigs plus more for garnish

1 Tbsp Thai red curry paste

2 cloves garlic

2 Tbsp canola oil

1 lb port tenderloin, cut into 1/2 inch slices (I used the pork roasts from Costco and sliced it while it was still firm when defrosting)

 

1. Heat grill to high (450 to 550 degrees).  In a food processor, pulse all ingredients except pork into a paste, adding a bit of water if needed.  (I did).  In a medium bowl (I used Ziploc baggie) mix pork with paste.  Let sit 15 minutes (I did overnight).

2. Grill pork turning once, until browned, about 6 minutes total.  Serve with rice, vegetables, and cilantro leaves.

 

I put over Asian salad for lunch.  Would be yummy with lime cilantro rice like from that yummy Mexican place at the mall (it's late and my mind is gone).  Also, I used my Cuisinart grill/panini press set between hot and sear.

 

And this delightful dish from my friend Robin.

 

And peanut sauce from a blog I can't talk enough about  http://cookwithwhatyouhave.com/tag/peanut-sauce/ (she was a sorority sister and had the coolest ever Watson Fellowship).

Buon Appetito

Tomboys

I took my girly girl for granted.

I assumed all little girls loved tights and skirts.  Pink and purple and sparkles.

That was until Miss Elsa came along.

I see her playing with superheros more than anything else.

God forbid you tell her she looks pretty,

or cute,

or adorable.

She prefers awesome,

or cool.

She was discussing colors with her Nonna the other day.

I wish I could have captured the look on her face when she said, "pink" and "purple."

It was like she'd just thrown up in her mouth.

(Her preference was black and red).

The other day she even went so far as to say that she wanted to trade her vagina for a penis.

Oh lord, the Freudians would have a heyday with that one.

Talk about penis envy.

I guess to her, it must be way cooler than a vagina.

Her brothers get to stand up and pee.

Theirs wiggle when they jump (our bath times are pretty open...)

Whatever.

But today I was delighted when I saw her walk up to a friend's arrangement of Christmas ornaments in a hurricane lantern.

She called it...

"pretty."

That's a word I never thought I'd hear out of her mouth, spoken with reverence.

Ever.

Then tonight she stunned me by playing baby dolls with her sister!

She had her baby in a baby backpack, carting him everywhere.

Of course she was looking everywhere for a boy baby (which we do not have) but she settled for a frilly, pink girl.

It's the little things that cheer this mama's heart.

I have a tiny glimmer of hope that my little tomboy,

who prefers her brothers' and cousin's hand-me-downs to anything else,

who would wear tighty whiteys if I let her,

who wants to be called cool and awesome over pretty,

who plays with action figures,

and runs more like a boy than most boys her age

might one day style her hair and put on a dress of her own accord.

Maybe even one day she'll let me call her pretty.

Which she is, even in "I do my own stunts", batman, and firefighter t-shirts.

Even if she doesn't, she's still a special little person.  And I'll love her just the same.

Look out world, our little Elsa Jane is going to blaze a spectacular path, full of surprises.

Pinterest

Darn that pinterest.com.

It's sucking my every last second of spare (and not so spare) time.

It's ADDICTING!

So many creative people out there.

So many people with such great eye for beauty.

Tempting recipes,

crafts,

quotes.

You name it, they've got it.

And, I'll admit, more smut than I expected.

I need to tame this addiction (not because of the smut you dirty minded folks- because of the wasted time)  Sheesh!

Twirling Hair

I remember when I was dating Mark (ages and ages ago).

We were in his old house, hanging out talking, when his mom came into the kitchen.

I remember watching him mindlessly twirl her ponytail, thinking:

a) it was cute that she, an old woman {sorry nonna but perspective here- I was 17 at the time} still had a ponytail and

b) that Mark did it without realizing what he was doing.

Fast forward a million years.

Tonight I was laying in Carl's bed with him on one side and Charlie on the other reading bedtime stories.

For some silly reason they both picked up locks of my hair and sat there twirling while I read to them.

Made my heart go pitter patter.

And I'll admit I was thinking, "please don't let those locks fall out in their little hands..."

Gross Confession

I have an odd belief... that eating boogers is innate survival instinct. 

Why else would every single child on earth have this disgusting habit?

I'm sure I did it when I was a kid.

I've witnessed each of my four kids doing it.

And yesterday, walking through the parking lot with one of my children, I noticed a little dangler from that child's nose.  I didn't say anything, since I didn't have a tissue to use to correct the situation.

Next time I glanced down at this child I saw the booger getting picked (it was a good one too).  Knowing that I had no tissue, and not wanting to wipe it on me (which I HAVE done in the past- the inside of the bottom of many of my pants has been a secret kid booger spot for years), I just watched the scenario play out.

Pick.

Examine.

Then into the mouth.

I'll admit as soon as I saw it get close to the mouth I had to look away.

My gag reflex is pretty strong.

Elsa Reads Jungle Book

Tonight, as much as it was driving me CRAZY that she would NOT go to SLEEP (!) it was awfully adorable that Elsa read her Jungle Book story to me as only a 3 and a half year old with a chapped little face can.

I know Grandpa Watson would have loved singing the Jungle Book songs with her.

Since I can't get the video to embed into my blog (maybe because it was needs to be rotated- I keep forgetting that for videos you can't turn the camera) but here's a private link to YouTube.com where it's posted.

Enjoy:)

Laundry 2

How can there possibly be ANYTHING left in dresser drawers or hanging in closets?

That's a king size bed under there that I have to dig out from under all that clean laundry.

Before I get to crawl into it.

And miles to go before I sleep...

No, I'm not whining- I'm venting.

Sweet dreams all you lucky ducks caught up on the laundry monster.

And yes, that is my safety vest from my days of working for Baugh Construction.  Not sure where my hard hat ended up but that baby was in a secret compartment of the now departed Pacifica.  Wonder where the vest should end up next.  Dress up box?

Cars

I'm not a big car girl.

I want something practical, comfortable, that looks decent.

Maybe if I could pick ANY car it would be something cool like a vintage Mercedes (with functional a/c and heat:).

But in my life I've had 4 cars, well 5 if you count the truck.

The SR5, a crazy little Toyota that was both Tercel and Corolla hatchback.  It was poo brown with brown plaid interiors.  I bought it with money earned in one summer babysitting for a neighborhood family. 

My brother-in-law Kirk took me shopping for it and while it wasn't pretty, the price was right and it was a great buy. 

I bought it with 60,000 miles on it for $1,200.  I drove that thing from the beginning of my junior year in high school through graduate school and put over 100,000 miles on that thing. 

I fit my cheer squad in there one crazy night (we barely made it up Black Lake hill). 

And I drove many, many, many miles between Walla Walla and Wenatchee, then Walla Walla and Olympia, then Eugene to Olympia to see my hot stuff boyfriend (now my husband).  That brown plaid interior heard a whole lot of Indigo Girls.

My brother-in-law maintained it for me- adjusting the clutch and other minor repairs. 

It was a great car and I traded it in for $1,200 for the "Honda Car" which evolved to Mark's "commuter car" now our second vehicle.  Due for a good scrubbing and couple maintenance items...

When Mark was hired with the fire department, he waited until his probation was over then bought his brand spanking new Ford F350 pick up.  Poor guy had been driving his cool looking Bronco (which leaked when it rained and he was constantly replacing cotter pins.. for what I don't recall- brakes maybe?) then my dad's beater truck with a big old cattle rack on the back.  He was due for a comfortable vehicle and that one was good to us.

We brought our first two babies home from the hospital in it.

It was instrumental in building two houses and a pole barn.

It was key to many family camping trips and boating adventures.

And my first brand new car was a Pacifica (gag).  It was practical and had enough seat belts to fit each member of our family.  It looked too much like a mini-van for me (which I SWORE I would never have- even though I admit it would be practical).

That vehicle also brought two babies home from the hospital.  AND it also saw the most vomit of any car in our family.  Gross!  I even found remnants while scrubbing it down to trade in...  Ewwwww!

Now both Pacifica and the truck are gone.

We're entering a new era of vehicles for our family.  Also practical, though I cringe a bit- in a time when I'm trying to be more environmental (trying not to use Ziploc baggies, less paper towels, no more paper napkins, far less paper places and plastic cutlery) but the fuel consumption is supposed to be similar to the Pacifica, so we're not worse in that sense...

The Silver Bullet (a sweet friend nicknamed it already).

It's big. 

Which I hope will accommodate the 4 pairs of legs that are only going to grow longer.

And provide space for 2 friends.

And the stuff for trips.

And yippee no more setting up the goddamn dvd players on long road trips!  Hallelujah!  4 stinking dvd players and 4 little souls wanting to change it up entirely too often = parents needing a good rest after a long road trip.

This guy has one built in screen in the roof and we're toying with adding screens built in the headrests.

Either way it HAS to be better than the old system.

Plus, I can run to Costco with all 4 kids and have room for the purchases!

I'm not sorry to see the Pacifica go- it's good bye and good riddance.

But I'm sad to see the truck go.   

Silly to be sentimental about cars.  But I guess I am (heck, I don't turn them over very often).

Here's to a new era of an active family and our new vehicle.  May it perform well, tow the travel trailer nicely, and escort us to many fun family adventures!

And if you see me trying to park it, steer clear!  Thank goodness for the backup camera on this tank!

That Time of Year Again

Brrrrrrr...

Triple brrrrr.

We really try not to use our furnace to heat the house so it's a whopping 60 degrees in this place while I not-so-patiently await the fire to get hot enough to start warming the house up.

I'm really not very patient.

As I stand here in my coat, scarf and wool slippers, nose dripping because it's so FREAKING COLD!

But the heat of a wood fire is so nice, I guess it's worth it.

And soon enough I'll be sipping on a hot toddy.  Well, not soon enough for me.  But I know that when I do get it later this afternoon it'll warm me right up!  Recipe to follow...

The funny thing about wood fires is how many different times it warms you up (according to my mom).

The first time stacking it.

Next, hauling it up to the house (I added that part- hoisting a wagon full of wood up the back porch steps is not for sissies).

Finally, when it's burning.

Yay for good old fashion warmth.

Now, if only I could get excited about the winter cracked hands.  Man do they come on quick and ouch how they sting!  Maybe I should invest in some good rubber gloves...  It just seems like such a cumbersome process to put them on

and take them off

and put them on

and take them off

every time I wash dishes (which is like a million times a day).

But I have apples and red hots waiting their turn in the oven, the fan has kicked on in the fireplace, and friends from out of town are coming over. 

Should be a good afternoon.
Blueberry Tea
Orange Pekoe or Earl Gray Tea
1 oz Grand Marnier*
1 oz Amaretto

Put in a tea cup and call it tea.  Can't wait to pull out the pretty tea cups and try it for the first time today.  Rumor has it it makes playdates just a little more fun;)

*While the above recipe is delicious, maybe in that potency it should be reserved for after bedtime...  If I were to do it again, I'd reduce the amount to 1/2 ounce each Grand Marnier and Amaretto.  Might leave mama a little more functional for the remainder of the day:)