Thai Grilled Chicken with Coconut Milk Marinade
Whenever we make a trip to Costco, I always stop to browse the books aisle, and every once in a while I come across some finds that make their way into the cart. Earlier this summer I found a big paperback book simply called Thai & Asian by Deh-Ta Hsiung (previously published as Thai and South-East Asian Food and Cooking). With a plethora of gorgeous dishes from Thailand, China, Vietnam, Japan, and Korea, as well as over 100 pages of information on ingredients and proper Asian cooking gear, this book was a no-brainer and a bargain at US$9.99. My memories of the food I enjoyed on a trip to Koh Samui and Phuket in the mid 90s are imprinted in my head, and I’ve enjoyed introducing my family to the wonders of Thai flavors over the years. Perhaps someday I’ll get a chance to go back to Thailand; I would so enjoy a trip to Chiang Mai, but until then I’ll have to keep cooking Thai at home.
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Pasta with Chicken, Garlic Scapes, Tomatoes, and Basil
June 28, 2010 by Andrea
Filed under Grow Your Own, Main Course, Pasta, Poultry, Vegetables
The garlic only has a few more weeks in the ground, then it will be time to dig it up, and if the flavor of the scapes is any indication, we are in for some spicy garlic this year. We harvested the scapes over the weekend and made three different things with them: pesto, cannellini bean dip, this pasta with chicken, tomatoes, and basil. We saved the pretty flowers and curved parts for the pasta and use the stems for the pesto and bean dip. Read more
Chicken Stir-Fry with Asparagus and Snow Peas, and My Thoughts on Carbon Steel Woks
May 11, 2010 by Andrea
Filed under Asian, Main Course, Poultry
My carbon steel wok is 13 years old and a treasured part of my kitchen gear. I found it for $5 on a clearance table and snapped it up, and that little bargain has proven invaluable over time. It wasn’t my first wok as I had given the nonstick woks a try, but after going through two of them and throwing them away due to peeling, I decided to go with carbon steel, which seasons over time similar to a good cast iron pan. It’s on the smallish side, about 12 inches across, but the size has been perfect for our family, up until recently. Read more
Chipotle Chicken with Creamy Spinach
April 29, 2010 by Andrea
Filed under Main Course, Mexican, Poultry
Towards the end of April into the early part of May, Mexican food takes center stage in our home for Cinco de Mayo. We think about all our favorite dishes and try out new things, but it’s always a little awkward with the way the seasons work because in my mind Mexican food goes hand-in-hand with summer. Some of the best produce for Mexican food–tomatoes, peppers, tomatillos—are all hot weather garden items, and we won’t harvest any until August. Read more
Slow Cooker Paprika Chicken
April 22, 2010 by Andrea
Filed under Main Course, Poultry
Though the days are getting warmer and the summer daylilies have just started to bloom, I still feel the urge to pull out the slow cooker on cool spring mornings. When most of our days are swirling with activity, it gives me a sense of accomplishment to get a meal going in the slow cooker. I know that dinner will be ready later and I can focus on the boys and their needs or the endless to dos and errands and avoid the rush to get something ready for dinner at 5 p.m. when they are all standing around the kitchen telling me that they are starving. Read more
Roasted Tomatillo Soup with Chicken (Sopa Verde con Pollo)
March 24, 2010 by Andrea
Filed under Grow Your Own, Poultry, Soups & Stews
We had one last bag of green tomatillos in the freezer, but I didn’t want to use them because it meant there would be no more tomatillos until late summer. After our final harvest, we froze about 12 pounds of tomatillos last fall then over the winter I experimented with soups using those frozen tomatillos, and this was our hands down favorite. Of course you can also make this with fresh tomatillos. Read more
