Tom Ka Gai Soup

My favorite Thai dish.  A yummy blend of creamy and lime, spicy and smooth.  I could eat a whole bucket of it- and now I can make it instead of shelling out $7 for a measly bowl.

Tom Ka Gai Soup

16-20 oz chicken broth
16-20 oz coconut cream (might be labeled milk, read the label for a 70% or better fat content)
3/4 t salt
4-8 2" long pieces lemongrass, mushed some but still intact (so you can pick them out)
1 heaping t galangal (or ginger from a jar or sliced)
6-8 oz chicken, thinly sliced (cut while still partially frozen)
2 T lime juice
8 oz straw mushrooms, about half a can
1 large tomato, coarsely chopped
1/2 c cilantro, pulled from stems
chili powder/paste/peppers and ground black pepper to taste

Combine broth, salt, lemongrass, galangal and bring to a boil.  Add chicken, coconut milk mushrooms and lime juice, return to a boil and add all other ingredients.  The longer you simmer, the better it gets.

I love this served over steamed Botan Calrose rice.


Adapted from: http://importfood.com/recipes/tcsoupwithcomilk.html

Cindy's Cheesecake Cups

A dear friend told me the other day that she'd never made cheesecake... and I don't blame her.  Spring pans and water baths and all that... it can be daunting.  What most people don't know is that you can make cheesecake without all that fuss.  You just need the right recipe!  Voila!  These are a family favorite.  Dress them up and they're the bell of the ball!

Cindy's Cheesecake Cups
3 8oz packages cream cheese (low fat works well)
3 large eggs
2/3 c sugar (half spenda's ok)
1 T vanilla
1 t lemon zest (optional)
1 box Nilla Wafers
foil muffin liners
1 can pie filling/topping of choice

Beat together eggs, sugar, cream cheese (softened), vanilla and lemon zest.

Line muffin pans with foil liners.  Place 1 Nilla Wafer in bottom of each cup.

Fill 1/2-2/3 full, bake at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes, until tops are drying, but not cracked.  Remove from oven and cool completely on wire racks (cakes can be frozen at this point).

Serve chilled, topped with pie filling.  Makes about 24.

Variation:
Pumpkin Cheesecake Cups
3 8oz packages cream cheese
3 large eggs
3/4 c sugar
1 c pumpkin puree (pack pumpkin)
1-1/4 t cinnamon
1/2 t ginger
1/2 t nutmeg

Follow directions above.

Sour Cream Top:
16oz sour cream
1/3 c sugar
1 t vanilla

Mix well, spread over hot cakes and bake additional 5 minutes.  Cool on wire racks, serve chilled.

Easter Bread

A Russian Easter Bread (round) and Challah (long). They were marvelous! The Challah's tried and true. The Russian Easter Bread is a new recipe but sounded really interesting, from Epicurious.com.  It's dense, and sweet and Granddad's fresh whole wheat flour is what really made it WOW.  Grandmother said that I would have won a blue ribbon on the Challah, it was funny to inform her that I already had!  Hooray for a home-made Easter.
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Process This

Ran across this neat food-processor cookbook while searching bread recipes for Easter.

I think I'll save her Portuguese Farm Bread recipe for another time though.  This year, I think Easter's going Russian. I know how much I love challah bread, so this sounds really yummy!

Tomorrow I have a date with my breadmaker.

Blessing my Family

So, I've learned something that I want to share with all my friends:

HOUSEWORK DONE INCORRECTLY, STILL BLESSES YOUR FAMILY!

And on that note, some confessions:
I have removed my makeup with a cotton pad and then used it to wipe down my vanity.
I have quickly swiped a dusty baseboard with a clean piece of toilet paper (dust flushes)!
I have used my son's worn-but-not-actually-dirty sock to mop up drips from bathtime.
I have scrubbed the toilet bowl without any bowl cleaner.
I have used a piece of dirty laundry to wipe down the top-inside of my washing machine before tossing it in the load.
I have used a baby wipe to clean the inside of my car (not the windows) while at a stop light.
I have used waterless hand sanitizer to get ink off hard surfaces.
I have scrubbed only the bad spots on my floor with the sink sponge before tossing it and getting a new one.
I have used the spent hand towl from the half-bath to wipe down the entire bathroom with just water before laundering it.

And you know what - it's working.  I do what I can in the moment and there's some level of forward movement.  I throw more away.  I keep less.  I give more.  I sell more.  I clean less.  Because, as it turns out, you really can't clean clutter - you can only move it.  So.  I'm chosing to move it right out of my house!

While these specific tips haven't come from flylady.net, the concept has.  You're not behind, jump in where you are.  Fling Boogie.  Fire Drill.  Weekly Home Blessing.  Zone Cleaning.  It has taken time, but I have built some core routines and am proud to say that my sink is shiny, my dishes caught-up, the laundry managed, and the house is closer to being on auto-pilot each week.  I don't feel guilty about the "hot-spots" that still exist, I don't feel the weight of mountains of clutter or laundry, and I don't have CHAOS (can't have anyone over syndrome).  I'm rather quite enjoying coming downstairs for work each morning and seeing my lovely entry table clear except for the lovely vase and flowers on it!

And my sweet hubby and son are joining in, whether they realize it or not.  My behavior (improved attitude about cleaning in general) and routines have rubbed off on them.  Hooray for teamwork and a happy, mostly clean, home.
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Crochet Trim

Ah! Check out my trial run... This is so much fun, I feel like I'm rediscovering a lost art... And in the same translating my current crochet abilities to a new end product (without getting all crazy and making real clothes. which require patterns. phooey.)
Now I need some fun flannel, borrow the serger from my MIL (Get her to do it, actually. I'd be mortified if I broke it.) Baby blanket, burp cloth... I might even jazz up a sweater or t-shirt. Ooohhh... The creative juices are flowing now!

marketing

Heating and Cooling company with temps displayed in the back window of every service van... I love it!

PB Oatmeal Cookies

Pulled this recipe off the Rumsford jar:

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Blend/whip together:
1/2 c (1 stick) salted butter
1/2 c peanut butter (I used crunchy, mmm...)
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c granulated sugar
1 egg
1/4 c milk

Sift/whisk together:
1 c oatmeal
1-3/4 c all purpose flour
2-1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt

Stir butter mixture into flour mixture. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto parchment, use fork dipped in warm water to make criss-cross pattern.  Bake at 375F for 7-8 minutes.  Makes about 3 dozen.

two.sentenc.es

New e-mail policy.


I like this concept.  Treat e-mail more like SMS, assume a character limit.  Instead of trying to track characters, just limit sentences- maximum 5 sentence response.

I love the power of e-mail.  When I started in my current position, I quickly realized that my boss responded to e-mail from his blackberry +90% of the time. I started posing my questions to him in multiple choice; A, B, C. I got responses from him faster than any of my peers, even on complex issues.

p.s. Each of the choices I posed to my boss were answers I was happy living with.  He had control and I always won.

Sailboats (part 1)

So, there's been an utter lack of real posts here lately.  A recipe, a link, a musing... but nothing with substance that's truly my voice. 

Well, in the process of cleaning out my inbox I ran across this conversation with my dear BFF and thought, surely, other people will laugh/cringe with me.  I can't possibly be the only one with this fear.  So, here you go, another piece of me.  (I'll have you know that when it comes to the ocean I am, afterall, that small.)

BFF: Sail boats are very peaceful by the way. I don’t know why they scare you either. Have you really escalated to that kind of control chica that you can’t let go enough to let a boat buoy you up? Lol! What would Dad say? Or is “The Other Woman” different from a Sailboat?

ME: And yes, I am totally, completely, freaked out by sailboats. For that matter, I'm totally, completely freaked out by 3 meter diving boards. A sail boat, a real one that is, asks you to not only conquer that fear, but to grasp it going 30 miles an hour on the open, and unpredictable, sea. Without a seat belt, roll cage, or helmet. I trust mechanical things more than I trust the ocean. If I want to feel the wind in my hair, I'll ride a rollercoaster.


See... I've hit water the wrong way from three feet and it's painful. Pain you don't easily forget, painful. Add speed, and many other variables, and my brain says "run away". So sailing... thanks, but no thanks. The boats are very pretty, and I've even step foot on a lovely catamaran while docked at the long beach boat show and found myself wondering for real if I could give up everything else and live on it. But no. I would want to idle in the harbor. Stan would want to see how fast it could go (and that means I'd be hanging out in the dinghy until he got back to the harbor).

My Dad's boat sorta freaks me out, except that I know that the walls of it are filled with foam so that even if it completely filled with water, it would still float enough for all the passengers to stand waist-high in water - inside of it. Which, funny story... we changed our course on the way back from Catalina once, to check out a whale we saw in the distance. My Dad wasn't paying attention to the waves... he was steering into them (ish) and I was standing in the open front taking pictures (not looking where we were going, he was driving, or so I thought). And a wave came over the bow. Completely. A 4" wall of water, right over the front edge. I was drenched. Shocked and drenched. None worse for the wear, thankfully.

But you must respect the water. The water is NOT your friend. It has no compassion, nor do the critters contained therein. Bah.

If that makes me a control freak, so be it. I prefer my water chlorinated, with high visibility and minimal unknowns.

Now. I'm going to go heat up my lunch and let my blood pressure reduce. Just talking about it freaks me out a little. I'm able to not think about this stupid fear any other day of the week. Seeing a sailboat doesn't freak me out, but having to dissect the fear, that's a little different. I'll just look at the pretty picture. Thanks.

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There's a Hummus Among Us

My favorite hummus recipes... You'll want a food processor for these - borrow one if you have to (or do like I did; piece-meal the individual parts on eBay and pay less than half retail price).

Cilantro-Lime Hummus

Unlike traditional hummus, this is a low-fat alternative, since it does not contain any tahini. Critics of hummus and cilantro have both devoured this recipe. Great with a Mexican menu.  Often found with the label "I'm not Guac." when I share it with friends.

2 15-ounce cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed (peeled if you have time)
1/2 cup low-fat sour cream
1 bunch fresh cilantro (washed, tearing the bunch off the stems in one big twist, discard stems)
1 small garlic clove, chopped - or 1 heaping spoon jarred garlic
3-5 T fresh lime juice (2 medium-large limes)
3/4 teaspoon salt

Purée chickpeas with sour cream, garlic, lime juice, and salt in a food processor, add cilantro and blend until smooth. (peeling the chickpeas will give a smoother end product; grab them with thumb and 2 fingers, point of pea pointing toward the palm of your hand and squeeze, toss the skin into a bowl nearby and trash).

Serve with pita or tortilla chips and carrots. Red bell peppers are also yummy!

Can be prepared 3 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Most people seem to enjoy this best cold.

(Modified from Chickpea Cilantro Dip with Grilled Pita and Carrot Sticks)



Low-Fat Lemon Hummus
This is so fresh and light with all the lovely flavors of a traditional hummus.

2 heaping teaspoons jarred garlic (or 2 large garlic cloves, chopped)
1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
2 T plain nonfat yogurt
2 T tahini (sesame seed paste)
2 T fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin

Mince garlic in processor. Add remaining ingredients; blend until coarse puree forms, occasionally scraping down sides of work bowl. Season hummus to taste with salt and pepper (I like white pepper). Transfer to a small bowl and serve with pitas/ pita chips and veggies.

Can be prepared 3 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving.

(Recipe from Hummus with Yogurt and Lemon)

Pretty Snow

20 worst passwords - and my new favorite toy

A new article showing the 20 worst passwords, and my new favorite toy, Wordle!:

Go... Somewhere!

Picture of the sign for our Go! message series at church.  Very cool.

Tangy Cranberry Meatballs

I love this recipe!  Serve over baked potatoes with your veggie of choice and it makes enough for 2 meals + some leftovers! I've made some modifications from the original recipe, here's my (better) version.  Lovely spooned over baked or mashed potatoes.

Tangy Cranberry Meatballs
400 degrees - 16 minutes

2lbs lean ground beef (or turkey, or a combination)
1 pkg stove top stuffing mix (I like the whole wheat)
1 cup water
2 large eggs

1 bottle (16 oz) barbecue sauce
2 cans whole berry cranberry sauce

In a large bowl, combine meat, stuffing mix, eggs and water.  Roll into 1-1/2" balls and place on foil-lined, greased (spray olive oil) cookie sheet.  You should have about 60 meatballs.  Bake at 400 degrees F for 16 minutes.

While meatballs are baking:
Combine in large pot or saucepan the cranberry sauce and bbq sauce over medium heat, stirring well to melt the cranberry jelly.  When meatballs are cooked, remove from oven and stir into sauce in pot.  Serve hot.

Saving a batch for later: (possibly my favorite part of this recipe)
Reserve half of the sauce and half of the meatballs before combining in sauce.  Put sauce in a quart freezer bag, lay flat.  Place cooled meatballs in gallon freezer bag with sauce bag on top.  To serve: Thaw sauce and meatballs then combine in pot.  Cook over low-medium heat until warm.  Serve.

A Return To Slavery...

One Progressive Step at a Time

Interesting blog post you might check out. 

-Strip away the rheteric, boil it all down; forcing one person to do something for the benefit of another = slavery.  Makes you cringe, right?

-Punishing the young.  Not typical; watch out young people.  Oh, yeah, and you rich capitalist buggars too- but then, you're accustomed to being in the government's sights.

Contact your Senator or Congressional Representative now.  Tell them you don't want their idea of health care reform.  (personally, I'm for tort reform and allowing insurers/policies to travel across state lines instead of this comprehensive hooey - if after 5 years of reform we still don't see improvement, then consider a complete government run overhaul)  See, I'm in that 70% that works for a company that provides really great insurance - and I wouldn't have accepted their offer unless it did.  It's call choice.  Use it or lose it...
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Free eBook - What Matters Now

Thought you might enjoy reading this eBook.  What Matters Now

It's a bunch of 1 page musings on what matters now (Vision, Generosity, Ease, Meaning, Dignity, Fear, Enrichment, 1%, Excellence, etc.) by people like Seth Godin, Jessica Hagy, Hugh MacLeod, Elizabeth Gilbert, Chris Meyer, and a whole host of other big thinkers.  And well, if you don't enjoy it, no loss - it was afterall free! 

Cranberry Apple Compote

This is AMAZING over french toast (egg-nog or other) and has become a staple for Christmas brunch.

Cran-Apple Compote
2 c apple cider
6 t light corn syrup (you could also use maple syrup)
2 T dark brown sugar
6-8 T unsalted butter

3 apples, diced
2 c cranberries, washed and picked over
1/2 c granulated sugar

1/2 t vanilla

Whisk apple cider, syrup and brown sugar in heavy saucepan over high head until reduced to about 1 cup (about 15 minutes).  Add half of butter and whisk until melted.  Remove from heat.

Melt remaining half of butter in large skillet over medium heat, add apples, sauté 2 minutes.  Stir in cider mixture, boil until syrup consistency (about 6 minutes).  Stir in vanilla.  Serve warm.

Executive Presence

Forget Executive Presence, we're talking presence, period.  These are good things for everyone to be mindful of and try to improve on.  Pretty straightforward too:

http://blogs.bnet.com/ceo/?p=3193&tag=content;col1

FABULOUS topper

I know it's just an infatuation, but look at this amazing jacket by Ann Taylor!! 

I love Ann Taylor clothes, classic, streamlined, but not too simple... mmm... now, just how to afford them!  At least window shopping is free.