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• Wesley Jensen

  

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  October 15, 2007 10:45 PM PDT

  I'm glad I could brighten up your guys' day
  
• Terri Hartley

  

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  October 16, 2007 4:22 AM PDT

  M3R1IN said:
  I got 2 hotplates, 2 pots , 2 pans, a kettle, a toaster, a rice cooker and soon to come will be a microwave.

  uhm, where is the caffeine cauldron?  The java jumpstart device? Do they have Mr. Coffee's there? 
• Gina Fish

  

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  October 16, 2007 4:41 AM PDT

  Perhaps M3Rl1N is to young and wise to have been sucked in by the coffee vortex? :D
• Terri Hartley

  

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  October 16, 2007 4:51 AM PDT

  Or, since he got a kettle, he's a tea drinker.  Or an instant man.  heh he, instant man.... funny. 
• KitKat G

  

  • 5035 posts
   

  October 16, 2007 6:18 AM PDT

  :D thartley, Sorry to get off subject, but where did you find your new smiley's?
• Terri Hartley

  

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  October 16, 2007 10:49 AM PDT

  KitKat said:
  :D thartley, Sorry to get off subject, but where did you find your new smiley's?

  My little coffee guy was buried in the food and drink section of our FireFox extension file.  :)
• Wesley Jensen

  

  • 654 posts
   

  October 17, 2007 5:35 AM PDT

  The kettle is for "alternate" hot drinks, i dont consume tea or coffee anymore.  I like to drink things like Milo, or hot chocolate and some things like Pero and Caf-lib.  It also comes in handy for instant noodles.  "Ramen" as you Americans call it... we call it Ichiban in Canada, which is wierd because Ramen is a brand name most popular in the U.S. and Ichiban is the brand most popular in Canada.  I used to live in the U.S. for about 18 months so ive had this conversation many times.
  
  
• Terri Hartley

  

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  October 17, 2007 2:46 PM PDT

  Guess I will be getting my own cauldron, then.  ;D
• Wesley Jensen

  

  • 654 posts
   

  October 20, 2007 7:33 AM PDT

  AT LAST MY KITCHEN IS COMPLETE!!! I went and bought a microwave today, i cant stand not having one anymore.  It cost around $65 so it was the second cheapest one at tesco.  it seems fairly decent, i havent used it to cook in yet, but i will be adding another recipe to the thread tomorrow: Chinese haystacks.  But here are some pictures of the microwave. It opens up so many possibilities, and PK was actually happy to have it...amazing, i think he should be able to use this one even though it comes with no keyboard or mouse, it has fancy new-fangled knobs and dials!!! WOW. What will they think of next?  i hope u like it Gina and Thartley, use it well.
• Gina Fish

  

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  October 20, 2007 10:28 AM PDT

  I know why PK likes the microwave...the fourth food group of all *cough* 'minimalist' is Microwave Popcorn!! Great for movies and feeding large groups of students in the ILC. ;D
• Terri Hartley

  

  • 5130 posts
   

  October 20, 2007 10:55 AM PDT

  Our microwave at work broke, so we've bought a new one.  Its maddening.  Everytime your food is done warming or cooking, it play "Oh Susanna" and no one seems to be able to make it just be quiet.
  
  :-X
• Wesley Jensen

  

  • 654 posts
   

  October 20, 2007 11:01 AM PDT

  maddening indeed, hey heres somehting that really gonna make you craxy.  I found pancake mix at Tesco, but for the life of me i cant find any syrup!!! what the heck?!  I mean every box of pancake mix there has a picture of pancakes with syrup on them...hello? take a hint, stock syrup too.  I guess that one's over their heads, so u might wanna bring syrup or have it sent to you.
• KitKat G

  

  • 5035 posts
   

  October 20, 2007 6:27 PM PDT

  Thanks M3R1IN for the new microwave. I can't believe there's a kitchen now and the future volunteers will be able to cook. Have fun cooking and thanks for keeping us posted on your meals at the ILC. That's really strange that they don't have syrup, strange, but not surprising. :D
  Always expect the unexpected, right??
• Wesley Jensen

  

  • 654 posts
   

  October 22, 2007 12:18 AM PDT

  so i cooked again last night and i have some pictures of it this time.  Its called, "Chinese haystacks"  I will post the recipe later, although this recipe isnt exact because i couldn't find one of the ingredients so i had to find something similar, but here goes anyway. ok then thats all i have of it.  My friend, Pan, says it is "Ah Roi!!" which is thai for Delicious so it must be good.  This one is easier to make than manicotti because theres less things to cook and its not complicated. 
• Terri Hartley

  

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  October 22, 2007 4:54 AM PDT

  Blue Guy says he's ready to cook something.  He's missed having his picture taken.
• KitKat G

  

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  October 22, 2007 4:57 AM PDT

  M3R1IN said:
  so i cooked again last night and i have some pictures of it this time.  Its called, "Chinese haystacks"  I will post the recipe later, although this recipe isnt exact because i couldn't find one of the ingredients so i had to find something similar, but here goes anyway.

  Merlin, Your photo sparked my curiosity, so what are the ingredients? It looks sap!, sap!,(also, thai for delicious).
• Wesley Jensen

  

  • 654 posts
   

  October 22, 2007 5:33 AM PDT

  I've just got a second here so i will write down the ingredients quickly.  Ingredients:
  Rice
  Diced Chicken breast
  Garlic salt, green oinons, onion salt
  Campbells cream of chicken soup as a sauce base
  milk
  black pepper
  Farkay chow mein noodles crushed on top
  you can use crushed ramen if you cant find the chow mein noodles or something with a similar taste and texture.  Peas, celery and cashews or sesame seeds are also nice for additional flavor
  Here in Nongkhai i cant find chow mein noodles so i use some wierd kind of Thai snack instead, it has the same taste and texture but theyve got a hint of barbecue flavour to them so i used them this time instead. That snack is whats on top in the pictures.  The english on the package says, "Stick biscuit" so thats not correct but whatever.
• Wesley Jensen

  

  • 654 posts
   

  October 22, 2007 6:41 AM PDT

  ok I guess i might as well write that Recipe now
  I just finished teaching the adult class how to write recipes and it went really well after some grueling cooking verbs like, "saute", the difference between frying and deep frying and words like mash and whip/beat they were able to dictate a recipe for Som Tam(papaya salad) to me so it went well.
  Anyways heres the recipe.
  
  M3R1IN's Chinese Haystacks
  
  Ingredients:
  2 liters (8 cups) cooked rice
  1-1.5kg (2-3 pounds) chicken breast(skinless)(diced)
  5-6 fresh green onions washed and minced.
  2 cans Campbells cream of chicken soup for the sauce base
  250ml/1 cup milk
  1 package Farkay brand chowmein noodles (make sure you get the uncooked crispy kind) or Ramen noodles crushed or something that has the same taste and texture
  Black pepper to taste
  Onion salt to taste
  Garlic Salt to taste
  Sesame seeds, cashews or peanuts, peas and celery (optional)
  30ml/2 Tbsp olive oil
  
  Method:
  
  1. Cook the rice in a rice cooker with 1 part rice to 1 and 1/4 parts water for dryer rice or 1 and 1/2 parts water for moister rice.  set it to cook. usually takes 20 mins or so.
  2. Add the olive oil and chicken to a large skillet and cook over medium heat until the chicken is well done.  Season to taste.  Using a lid helps the chicken reach a higher internal temperature and keeps it more moist.
  3. Wash and mince the green onions and set aside.
  4. Add the milk to the Cream of chicken soup and mix well until the soup thins out and reaches a better sauce consistency.  You may add more milk if you like a thinner sauce.  you may also add seasonings to the sauce.  Heat the sauce in a pot or in the microwave until it its hot.
  5. Place the onions, sesame seeds, nuts, peas, celery and chow mein noodles(or equivalent) in seperate bowls.
  6. Have your guests assemble their haystacks in the following manner: plate or bowl a bed of rice with chicken on top of that and spoon out sauce on the chicken.  Sprinkle nuts, seeds, peas, onions and celery on top of the sauce.. everyone should use the green onions as it adds a distinct flavor and some color to the dish. Then take the chow mein noodles(or equivalent) and  slightly crush them in your hand and sprinkle them on top to finish the dish off.  The noodles look like hay stacks so thats where the dish gets its name. Enjoy!
   
  
  
  
• Gina Fish

  

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  October 22, 2007 10:55 AM PDT

  WOoHoO! Sounds pretty simple and like something my kids would eat. Especially with the fun name. :)
• KitKat G

  

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  October 22, 2007 12:20 PM PDT

  The recipe really sounds delicious. I was wondering what the crunchy thingies were on top?
  I can't believe you found Campbells Cream of Chicken Soup in Nongkhai! :o It's a recipe I'll want to try and very soon. :D
  
• Wesley Jensen

  

  • 654 posts
   

  October 23, 2007 12:06 AM PDT

  kit kat check the post before the recipe where i list the ingredients, the crunchy things on the top are a thai snack that tastes kind of like uncooked ramen noodles but with a bit of barbecue flavor on them.  I couldnt find the proper chow mein noodles here which is wierd considering how many chinese families live here.
• KitKat G

  

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  October 23, 2007 4:14 AM PDT

  Thanks M3R1IN, Tesco's snack section is incredible. :o I remember walking through it and seeing the hundreds of snack chips, every flavor under the sun. ;D I wish I'd made a list of the flavors, but unfortunately most were in Thai. :D
• Wesley Jensen

  

  • 654 posts
   

  October 30, 2007 11:17 AM PDT

  kitkat, if you thought the Thai Potato chips are odd, try walking through a canadian supermarket, there are probably 50 different flavors, the more odd ones being things like roast chicken, buffalo wings, hickory smoke, ketchup, dill pickle, taco, steak and onions thats one thing i miss when im living in another country... ketchup chips mmmmm so good.  Yes the flavours here are insane, things like seaweed and crab and shrimp and squid and that, i did find nacho doritos the other day holy poop i had to splurge and get a few bags, unfortunatley they only come in the little 4oz(85gram) bags so  thats not good, they arent as good as the ones in the states and canada they dont taste quite the same but whatever, beggars cant be choosers... oh yeah i am used to getting really fresh chips because there is a Hostess frito lay factory in my hometown so i can get them really fresh. 
• Wesley Jensen

  

  • 654 posts
   

  October 30, 2007 11:28 AM PDT

  Oh one more thing, I cooked again today, i cooked beef stroganoff but i use a hybrid recipe between beef stroganoff and beef burgundy and its i modified it again this time.  It turned out really well but it took me about 3.5 hours in all because i couldnt find a really good cut of beef here so i had to hand butcher out all the fat and connective tissues and stew it for 2 hours to get the meat to tenderize.  Oh it was so bloody good i didnt expect it to turn out very well but it was exquisite, im tooting my own horn here but sometimes i surprise myself.  I am too sick of cooking and what not right now to write out the recipe or take pictures of it but i will be having some for lunch tomorrow so i will post pics of it then. 
• Kirk Gillock

  

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  October 30, 2007 11:31 AM PDT

  M3R1IN is a real chef. You can tell because he chopped up two onions and not a single tear was shed. ;D