Pad Thai

If you are not familiar with some of these ingredients, you can get them at a Thai grocery store. You don't use too much, and they will last long in your refrigerator. You can adjust the sugar, chili pepper, fish sauce and lime to suit your own personal tastes.

Ingredients:

1/2 Lime

1 egg

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 shallot, minced

4 teaspoons fish sauce

3 Tablespoons sugar

2 Tablespoons tamarind liquid

1/2 teaspoon ground dried chili pepper

1/2 package Thai rice noodles

3 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

1/4-1/2 lb chicken or shrimp (I do a combination)

1/2 cup tofu-firm or extra firm (I actually rarely use this, and it's still great)

1 cup chinese chives or green onion

3 Tablespoons crushed peanuts, toasted

2 tablespoons minced sweetened radish

2 cups bean sprouts

Soak the dry noodles in lukewarm water while preparing the other ingredients (10-15 minutes). Cut tofu into 1 inch long mathsticks. Cut chinese chives or green onion into 1 1/2 inch long pieces. Rinse bean sprouts. Mince shallot and garlic together.

In a wok or big pan, heat 2 Tablespoons of the vegetable oil and add chicken or shrimp. Stir fry until cooked, and remove from the pan.

Add shallot, garlic and tofu and stir-fry until they start to brown.

Drain the noodles (they should be flexible, but not expanded), and add them to the pan. You need to stir this quickly so they don't stick. Add more water if you find that they stick, but your Pad Thai should be relatively dry.

Add tamarind liquid, fish sauce, sugar, chili pepper, ground pepper and sweet radish. If your pan is not hot enough, you will see a lot of liquid in the pot. Turn up the heat if this is the case.

Make room for the egg by pushing the noodles to the side of the pan. Add the remaining vegetable oil and scramble the egg until it is almost cooked, then fold it into the noodles.

Stir in the chicken/shrimp, green onion, and bean sprouts in that order. Remove from heat. Bean sprouts should be crispy and the noodles should be soft.

When serving, pour the noodles onto your serving plate and sprinkle with the crushed peanuts. Serve the dish hot with the lime on the side and more raw bean sprouts on the side.

Thai Panang Curry

I posted a great Massaman Curry recipe a couple of months ago, and this Panang is another one of my favorite Thai curries. It's good with either chicken or beef, but I typically make it with beef. A great thing with curries, is you can throw in vegetables that need to get used up, so a lot of times, I will just use what vegetables I have on hand.

1/2 lb Beef sliced very thin (I like to use a lean Sirloin Tip roast, and I just shave pieces off of it)

1 Tablespoon oil

1 1/2 Tablespoons Panang Curry Paste (I like Mae Ploy brand)

Coconut milk

Put oil and curry paste in a pan and cook together for a couple of minutes, or until the oil comes to the top. Add the meat and 4 Tablespoons coconut milk. Cook slow until the meat is tender (about 15-20 minutes or longer).

Add the following:

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt (can also use 2 Tablespoons of thin soy sauce)

1 Kaffir Lime leaf torn in half

1 carrot, peeled and cut into pieces

1/2 cup peas (I just use frozen)

1/2 cup sliced red or yellow bell peppers

Cook for 5 more minutes or until the vegetables get cooked. Don't overcook, as you want the veggies a little crunchy, not mushy.

I prefer to have a saucy panang, so I always add the rest of the can of coconut milk at this point.

Fresh Spring Rolls

I got this recipe from the Thai grocery store where I buy my Thai ingredients. At our Thai food dinner party, it was fun to have our friends roll their own spring rolls. That way, they could adjust the ingredients to their tastes. I personally don't love a heavy mint flavor, so I put very little mint in mine. And you guessed it, this photo came from the internet because I didn't take my camera out at the dinner party!

Recipe makes 4 servings (2 each)

INGREDIENTS:

8 rice papers

1/2 Cup Thai basil leaves

16 springs cilantro (cut off the stem)

8 shrimps (peel, clean, boil--I like to boil them in salted water with a bit of minced garlic)

1 Cup rice noodles

4 romaine lettuce leaves

1/2 Cup mint

1/2 Cup grated carrot

1 cup bean sprouts

1 cup shredded cooked chicken

Soak about 1/4 of a package of rice noodles in warm water for 5-10 minutes. Boil some water in a small pot, drain noodles and put in boiling water for 1 minute and drain.

Rinse bean sprouts and cook in microwave for 1 minute, they should be lightly crispy.

Put very warm water into a bowl large enough to dip a rice paper under the water.

Put one piece of rice paper at a time under water for about 10 seconds. Take rice paper out of water and lay flat on a cutting board.

About an inch from one end of the rice paper, layer the ingredients in the following order:

Small piece of romaine

Cooked rice noodles

3-4 basil leaves

2-3 mint leaves (I only do 1)

2 sprigs of cilantro

bean sprouts

shredded cooked chicken

grated carrot

Fold the end over the ingredients and roll 1 time. Fold the other two sides over. Lay shrimp (slice shrimp in half so that one spring roll uses only 1 shrimp, but looks as if there are 2 shrimp) on the rice paper. Continue to fold rice paper to the end.

We like to dip our spring rolls in peanut sauce or Sweet Chili Sauce. I have not made a homemade sweet chili sauce, but I do like Pantai's Sweetened Chili Sauce that I bought at the Thai grocery store.

Thai Peanut Sauce

We did a big Thai Food dinner last night for several friends. It was so good, and there was sooo much food! If you haven't tried cooking Thai food before, you'll be surprised at how easy and affordable it actually is.

Something we like to do as an appetizer is to dip sticky rice in peanut sauce. It's also great to dip spring rolls in it. I love this peanut sauce recipe (but of course I didn't take a photo, so I took this one off the internet):

INGREDIENTS:

1 Tablespoon Masaman Curry Paste

1 Tablespoon oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 Tablespoons chunky peanut butter

2 Tablespoons lime juice

3 Tablespoons Brown sugar

1 1/2 Cups coconut milk

1/2 Cup water

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon paprika powder

Put the curry paste, oil and 2 Tablespoons of the coconut milk in a saucepan and cook for a couple of minutes until the oil starts to come to the top. Add the rest of the coconut milk and other ingredients. Adjust the salt and sugar to your preference.

The sauce will thicken as it cools, making it a great consistency for dipping.

Thai Massaman Curry

I LOVE Thai food, and this Massaman recipe is just as good, if not better, than the Massaman I can get at my favorite Thai restaurant. Love it, Love it, Love it. I made it yesterday, and of course I didn't take a picture, so ignore whatever is green in the photo above, and that's what this recipe looks like! I will almost always double this recipe, cuz really? Who doesn't love leftover curry?

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 lb cut-up Chicken Breast, I like to shave it pretty thin. (Sirloin Tip Roast works with this too)

3 Tablespoons raw peanuts (no salt)

1/2 peeled potato, cut into chunks

1/4 yam, or sometimes I substitute with a carrot, cut in chunks

4 Cups Water

Boil water, then simmer the above ingredients until the meat is tender (up to an hour with beef).

PREPARE CURRY:

1 Tablespoon oil (olive oil works)

1 1/2 Tablespoons Massaman Curry Paste (I love the Mae Ploy brand)

4 Tablespoons Coconut Milk

Heat oil in pan. Stir in curry paste and continue stiring for about 5 minutes, or until the oil comes to the top. Stir in the coconut milk and stir about 3 more minutes until the flavors are mixed in.

ADD THE FOLLOWING:

1 C additional coconut milk

1/4 C water

2 Tablespoons thin soy sauce (or a little less than 1/2 teaspoon salt. I do the salt)

3 Tablespoons sugar (start with 2 Tablespoons and taste to see if you want more)

1 teaspoon peanut butter

1/2 teaspoon lime juice (from fresh lime)

1/4 Onion, cut into pieces

Chunk Pineapple (as much as you like)

Drain water from meat and potatoes and add to the curry sauce. Stir to combine and serve hot over rice.

Gulliver's Corn

Basically a really yummy creamed corn. Great side dish for a barbecue, potluck, whatever.

2 lb Frozen Sweet Corn

2 cups half and half

3 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

parmesan cheese

Bring corn and milk to a boil. Separate, then put milk back on stove and add the butter and flour. Whisk and boil 5 minutes. Add salt and sugar. Add corn, and boil a couple of minutes. Pour into a greased baking dish. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top and broil until the cheese is light brown. Ready to serve!

Tortellini A La Fini

My sister, Trisha, came up with this recipe because she loved the version that Olive Garden used to serve. It's pretty quick and easy to prepare. It's also pretty rich, so I recommend serving with a green salad.

INGREDIENTS:

2 Bags Tortellini

3/4 C Peas

1/3 pound cubed Ham

8 ounces Mushrooms

5 Tablespoons Butter, split

1 Garlic Clove, minced (I actually like to use more)

1 C Heavy Cream

1 C grated Parmesan Cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Cook tortellini as directed on package. Saute mushrooms and garlic in 1 tablespoon butter. Bring Cream and 4 tablespoons butter to boil, then add cheese. Warm the ham and peas with the mushrooms, and combine the tortellini, cream and mushroom mix together.

Banana Sour Cream Pancakes

I made these for dinner tonight, and the girls really loved them. The bananas get caramelized, which is yummy if you like bananas! The recipe comes from Barefoot Contessa, on foodnetwork.com.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup sour cream

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk

2 extra-large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest Unsalted butter

2 ripe bananas, diced, plus extra for serving

Pure maple syrup

DIRECTIONS:

Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones, mixing only until combined.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter on a large skillet over medium-low heat until it bubbles. Ladle the pancake batter into the pan to make 3 or 4 pancakes. Distribute a rounded tablespoon of bananas on each pancake. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until bubbles appear on top and the underside is nicely browned. Flip the pancakes and then cook for another minute until browned. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, add more butter to the pan, and continue cooking pancakes until all the batter is used. Serve with sliced bananas, butter and maple syrup.

Tyler Florence's Ultimate Pizza Dough

I watched Tyler Florence's Ultimate Pizza episode on Food Network, and decided I had to try out this pizza dough. It's terrific. We actually doubled the recipe because we had friends coming over, and we were able to refrigerate the leftovers and have pizza for 2 days!

INGREDIENTS:

1 ounce fresh baker's yeast

1 cup warm water

1 tablespoon maple syrup

3 cups flour (recommended 00--however, I just used all-purpose)

1 tablespoon sea salt (I'm still up in the air as to whether I think this is too much salt. It tastes great once it's baked, but I was a little nervous when I tasted the dough)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F and place the pizza stone on the bottom rack. (I actually cook the pizzas at 425 degrees)

Crumble the yeast in a small bowl then add 1/4 cup of warm water and the syrup. Stir together and leave for 5 minutes to dissolve.

Put the flour and salt in a mixer fitted with a dough hook and give it a quick spin to mix. Pour in the yeast mixture, the remaining war water and the olive oil at the same time.

Spin on low until the flour and water come together and the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Put the ball of dough in a large bowl and drizzle a few drops of olive oil on top to keep it from forming a skin as it proofs. Cover with a towel and leave in a warm place for 30 minutes to let the dough proof. When the dough has proofed, it will double in size and look spongy.

Roll the dough on a floured surface and punch the air out with your hands, then start shaping it into a circle.

Easy Savory Ham and Bread Pudding

This is a great way to use up some of your leftover Easter ham. I think the artisan bread really stepped up the dish. You can also make this the night before, refrigerate, then bake and serve it for breakfast.

6 eggs, beaten

1/2 pound diced ham

6 slices bread, cubed (I used an artisan garlic sourdough)

2 cups milk

1 cup cheese

salt and pepper

1/4 cup minced onion

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 casserole dish. Mix all ingredients well. Pour into prepared dish and bake for 45 minutes.

Red Beef Chili

This chili recipe rocks! It does have a kick to it, so be aware. This is one of Bobby Flay's recipes which I got off of foodnetwork.com. This only makes 6 servings, so if you are wanting to serve more than that, or want leftovers for your husband's lunches, I would definitely double it.

INGREDIENTS:

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 pounds bottom round beef, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 (12 ounce) bottle dark beer

2 tablespoons finely chopped semi-sweet chocolate

1 large red onion, finely diced

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 poblano, seeded and finely chopped

1 teaspoon seeded and chopped habanero

1 Thai bird chile, seeded and chopped (I couldn't find this, and omitted it)

1/2 jalapeno, seeded and chopped

1 tablespoon chipotle pepper puree

1 tablespoon ancho chile powder

1 tablespoon pasilla chile powder

1 tablespoon cascabel chile powder

1 teaspoon New Mexican chile powder

5 cups homemade chicken stock, or canned low-sodium or water

1 16-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained and pureed

2 tablespoons maple syrup, or more, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Season the beef with salt and pepper and saute until browned on all sides. Sprinkle with the cumin and stir well. Deglaze the pan with the beer and bring to a boil. Stir in the chocolate and cook until beer is almost completely reduced.

In a separate pot, add 1 tablespoon of the oil and add the onions to the pan and cook until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the poblano, habanero, Thai bird, and jalapeno peppers and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the chipotle puree, ancho powder, pasilla powder, cascabel and New Mexican chile powders and cook an additional 2 minutes. Add the stock and tomatoes and bring to a boil and boil for 15-20 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender. Puree with an immersion blender. Add the beef mixture back to the pan, reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan, and simmer for 1 hour, or until thick and beef is tender. Remove from the heat and add the maple syrup. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Vegetable Chicken Soup

I have made this soup several times, and always forget to take a photo! I've got to get better with the photos, sorry! But trust me, this recipe is a keeper! It's packed with veggies, and even my kids will eat it!

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 pounds chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces

4 small zucchini, diced

1 onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons Italian seasonings (your choice. I like a mix of oregano, basil, rosemary)

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 plum tomatoes, chopped

56 ounces reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 cup dry white wine

8 tablespoons Quinoa

6 cups baby spinach, packed

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until browned, 3-4 minutes. Put on plate and set aside.

Add zucchini, onion, garlic, italian seasonings and salt and cook until the vegetables are slightly softened, 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes, broth, wine and quinoa. Increase heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer until the quinoa is tender. Stir in spinach, chicken (including any juices on plate). Cook until the chicken is heated through, about 2 minutes.

Herbed Chicken Parmesan

I served this recipe over orzo pasta, and it was so yummy. I got this recipe from Cooking Light.

INGREDIENTS:

1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) fresh, grated parmesan cheese, divided

1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon salt, divided

1 large egg white, lightly beaten

1 pound chicken breast tenders (I just cut up chicken breasts)

1 tablespoon butter

1 1/2 cups bottled fat-free tomato-basil pasta sauce (the Di Napoli Classico from Costco is a great one)

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) shredded provolone cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat broiler.

Combine 2 tablespoons of parmesan, breadcrumbs, parsley, basil, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a shallow dish. Place egg white mixture in a shallow dish. Dip each chicken tender in egg white; dredge in the breadcrumb mixture. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Set aside.

Combine 1/8 teaspoon salt, pasta sauce, vinegar, and pepper in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap; vent. Microwave sauce mixture at HIGH 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Pour the sauce over chicken in pan. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining parmesan and provolone cheese. Wrap handle of pan with foil, and broil 2 minutes or until the cheese melts.

Three Bean and Beef Chili

This is a very tasty chili recipe from Ellie Krieger on Foodnetwork.com. It had a ton of flavor, and even my little girls loved it.

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, diced (1 cup)

1 red bell pepper, diced (1 cup)

2 carrots, diced (1/2 cup)

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 pound extra-lean ground beef (90 percent lean)

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

2 cups water

1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, seeded and minced

2 teaspoons adobo sauce from the can of chipotles

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 (15.5-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15.5-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15.5-ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

DIRECTIONS:

Heat the oil in large pot or Dutch oven over moderate heat. Add the onion, bell pepper and carrots, cover and cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the cumin and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the ground beef; raise the heat to high and cook, breaking up the meat with a spoon, until the meat is no longer pink. Stir in the tomatoes, water, chipotle and adobo sauce, oregano and salt and pepper. Cook, partially covered, stirring from time to time, for 30 minutes. Stir in the beans and continue cooking, partially covered, 20 minutes longer. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Mini Italian Club Sandwiches

This recipe came from Giada De Laurentiis from the Foodnetwork.com website. I made them for a book club group, and they were a hit. Derrick loved them as well. They seriously are fantastic, and now I want to go make them again!

INGREDIENTS:

3 large eggs

2 Tablespoons whipping cream

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 Tablespoon (about) unsalted butter

10 slices bacon

2 (8-ounce) round loaves focaccia bread (7-inch diameter)

8 ounces thinly sliced turkey

4 ounces thinly sliced provolone cheese

1 cup purchased pesto (I actually did 1/2 pesto, 1/2 mayonnaise, as some reviewers of the recipe thought the pesto flavor was a bit too much)

DIRECTIONS:

Whisk the eggs, cream, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl until well blended. Heat a 6-inch-diameter nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Brush the skillet with some butter. Pour 1/4 cup of the egg mixture into the pan, swirling to coat the bottom of the pan evenly. Cover and cook until the egg crepe is just set, about 1 minute and 30 seconds. Invert the skillet over a plate, and allow the egg crepe to drop into the plate. Repeat to make 4 crepes total, brushing the skillet with melted butter as needed and stacking crepes on the plate.

Cook the bacon in a heavy large frying pan until crisp. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain.

Preheat a griddle or grill pan over medium-high heat. Cut the focaccia horizontally in half. Place the focaccia cut side down on the griddle and cook until the focaccia is heated through and golden brown on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Spread the pesto over the toasted sides of each halved focaccia. Cover the bottom halves of the focaccia with the egg crepes, turkey, provolone and bacon, dividing equally. Cover with the top halves of focaccia, pesto side down. Cut the sandwich into bite-size wedges. Arrange the sandwiches on a platter and serve.

Roasted Asparagus

Simple and delicious! I love asparagus!

INGREDIENTS:

Asparagus

Olive Oil

Kosher salt

Freshly Ground Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Break off tough ends of the asparagus. Lay out asparagus on baking sheet, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven at 400 degrees for approximately 20-25 minutes, until tender.

Horseradish Sauce

This is Emeril Lagasse's recipe off of Foodnetwork.com

INGREDIENTS:

2 Cups Sour Cream

1/4 Cup prepared Horseradish, drained

1 Tablespoon minced Chives

1 teaspoon Champagne or white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

Dash hot red pepper sauce

DIRECTIONS:

In a bowl, combine all the ingredients and blend well. Adjust the seasoning, to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Pasta With Escarole

My goal this year is to find some tasty recipes that are on the lighter side. This is a fantastic one I made tonight. It comes from the Food Network magazine from this month. I have never used escarole, but as I'm trying to get to know my greens better, I decided to try it out. This dish turned out to be very satisfying and full of flavor.

Serves 4; Calories 568

INGREDIENTS:

Kosher salt

12 ounces gemelli, fusilli or spaghetti

1 head escarole, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon pine nuts

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

2 tablespoons breadcrumbs

Freshly ground pepper

1/4 pound pancetta, cut into thin strips

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 red jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced (remove seeds for less heat)

2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until just al dente, about 10 minutes. Add the escarole and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 2 more minutes.

2. Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts in a large skillet over medium-high heat, about 1 minute. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, the breadcrumbs, and salt and pepper to taste; cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a plate. Wipe out the skillet, add the pancetta and cook until crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towels and blot dry.

3. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet, then add the garlic and jalapeno and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Drain the pasta adn escarole, reserving 1 cup cooking water, and add to the skillet. Add half of the pancetta and toss, drizzling in enough pasta water to moisten. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Divide the pasta among bowls, top with the breadcrumb mixture, remaining pancetta and the parmesan. Drizzle with olive oil.