To be a Mother, I once heard it said, is to go around forever wearing your heart on the outside of your body. Truer words have never been spoken. I also concur with the old adage: "Time is the enemy of a mother." Raising girls is the most amazing experience of my life--and I am certainly learning more from them than I will likely ever teach. Isn't life funny that way? One of the best lessons they have for me is to SLOW DOWN and to find adventure in the every day. To that end, we are forging our own path together; taking the road less-traveled, knowing that there is more to this life than what it seems. And do you know what fosters togetherness and peace in our hearts and household more than anything else? Dinnertime--together and at the dining table. No distractions, no exceptions. I think if more families would sit down together for dinner at least a few nights a week, it would change our world for the better. So raise a glass and toast the lost art of dinnertime. Won't you join us?

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Next Stop... Thailand!

Once we had conquered Israeli cuisine, I was determined to give myself a country off. I mean, Thai food? Let's go check the shelf. Yep, no Thai cookbooks. I have to admit that I do have more cookbooks than I can count--each well-loved in its own right... or it will be just as soon as I get around to reading it. My collection reflects my ecletic foodie passions: half a dozen or so on Italian/Mediterrean/Tuscan cooking (Mangia!), one procured at the local Greek Festival (Opa!), 2 from the country of Louisiana (love me some cay-jawn), 5 or more general purpose, old school cookbooks (thanks, Mom), a number of Texian tomes, and likely a dozen or more cookbooks of Southern variety. Of course, these include 2 Paula Deens (butter!), one Virginia Hospitality (ham!), one Civil War cookbook (cornbread and beans!) and one Gone With the Wind cookbook. You know, I might have checked that one for a Thai recipe, but I think Scarlett preferred sushi...


Once again, my sister-in-law (who is very supportive of my adventure) came to the rescue with some delicious recipe ideas. I also found inspiration vis-a-vis Rachel Ray, whose "Fall Football Faves" included an easy recipe for Thai appetizers. So, for the eating of Thailand, we indulged on grilled chicken and beef satay (See below photo. Note the metal skewers... major loss of points on presentation, but I forgot to soak the bamboo ones ahead of time, and we all know that catching one's kabobs on fire kinda puts a damper on the fun. So we went with metal. Which get hot on the grill--brilliant!)








Here are the recipes:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/chicken-satay-with-peanut-sauce-recipe/index.html
(I did modify his marinade, using sour cream instead of yogurt. It was delicious. Grating fresh ginger was something new to me, but is easier than it sounds, and it added a lot to the flavor. Also, didn't bother with low-sodium soy sauce. If you know me, nothing labeled "low" or "less" or "reduced" resides in my residence. (I'm sure you likely picked up on that with my affinity for Southern cooking...)

http://www.rachelraymag.com/recipes/rachel-ray-magazine-recipe-search/appetizer-starter-recipes/beef-satay
(This was tremendously good. Plus, the kids got to try the leftover coconut milk with dinner!)

I also served noodles, peanut sauce and snow peas. Yes, again. Reinforcing the new vegetable and using up the rest of the bag before move onto Europe... a continent with which I'm much more culinary-ily comfortable. Or so I thought...
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