In the Kitchen

[Ginafish]

That really looks delicious! Is that the cashew chicken? And what is the green dish?

[PK]

Yes, it was Chicken and Cashew and it was GREAT!

[KitKat]

The Cashew Chicken looked delicious and I'm sure it was. Great job! I know it wasn't easy cooking in a kitchen without an oven.   
Ming, did, you know who, eat his veggies? 

[thartley]

Laurie took some pretty good pics from the Cashew Chicken night as well....   

       

Jennie and Ming said the green dish was called Morning Glories.  I called them delicious....there have not been enough green things eaten around here....   

[Sean]

One of our students brought this over tonight.  She asked if I had tried "sticky rice and mango" about 2 months ago to which I replied that I hadn't, I had totally for gotten that she had said she would bring some haha.  Out of the blue she brought some over.  It was really really good.   You pour a sweet coconut milk over the sticky rice and eat it with a small piece of mango...Delicious.

 

[Ginafish]

Sounds delicious! In the South, for breakfast we sometimes combine rice with sugar, milk, and butter. I think the coconut milk with mango would fit right in here.

What's the weirdest and best food you've eaten over there, Sean?

[Ming]

Ginafish : The green dish was fried morning glories.

Kitkat : It surprised me this time cause PK ate lots of vegetables. I tried to steal one from him but he didn't allowed me

That's a great job Sneaker. She was encouraging us the whole time we were cooking. We're happy everyone said the food was delicious. (or they think this will be the last dinner that they will say yes to  )

I guess Sean like Pad Thai the most and the food that he is never wanna talk about is seafood, worst food ever for him.

But something that really surprised me is that Sean, Jennie, and Sneaker love spicy food!    (Young Farangs )

[thartley]

Hey thartley, you're going to Thailand to lose weight? Is this a new diet plan?
Please keep us posted. I didn't really gain a lot of weight when I was there, it was coming home that put on the pounds. 

Yes, I think its entirely possible between the heat and my inability to tolerate spicy food, I may actually drop a few pounds.   

Just so ya know....I have lost close to 15 pounds since I've been here and can fit my whole arm down inside my pants while wearing them.  That is both good and bad.  haha!!!!

[KitKat]

  thartley, 15 lbs. that's very good news. So tell us more about your Nongkhai weight loss program.  I'd love to lose 20 lbs., maybe I could pretend I'm in Nongkhai and eat here what you're eating there.   Does that make any sense?? 

[thartley]

Well, first you have to have weather that is approx 113F, as it will be tomorrow here.

Next, you have to drink about 1.5 to 3 liters of water a day.

And last, EVERYWHERE you go, you must either walk or pedal a bike.

As far as food, learn to live on tomato and cheese sandwiches and spicy red curry.  (What doesnt kill you flies right thru ya)

 

[Ginafish]

Sweet! Arkansas summers get that hot with heat indexes. As for the biking everywhere, can I take my bike in the car to the nearest town, then ride everywhere? I can't  see my self riding 20 miles to get to town first, it'd take me 2 or more hours! And as for the tomato and cheese sandwiches...I'll try my best!

[KitKat]

Thanks for the great diet advice. Like Ginafish, I'd have to take my bike (if I had one)
into town and then ride around. As far as the tomato and cheese sandwiches, I lov'em!
I'll have mine with mayo? 

[thartley]

I like to pretend I'm having mine with a nice bowl of Kitkat's pasta salad from wayyyyy back in this thread... the one with dried cranberries and sliced almonds and hearts of palm.....

[Ginafish]

that was a good sounding salad. I never made it but the weather is getting warmer and is great for salads!

[thartley]

Someone wanted to say hello....and he is sorry he was so delayed in making an appearance.   

[KitKat]

Welcome to Thailand ~ little Isara Blue Man!  It's good to see you again! 
I'm so glad you haven't melted.

[Ginafish]

Grape jelly? Is there a more local mango jelly would be tasty? Do only farangs eat jelly? And the blue man looks somehow fresher, brighter! Is it the Thai light or new playdough?

[thartley]

Very observant, Ginafish!  Yes, I was able to find some new modeling clay at Lotus yesterday.

[thartley]

You guys are NOT going to believe this one.....I left my car in a hot metal storage room for the time i was in Thailand and I forgot my little clay Blue Man sitting in the little space under the emergency brake lever between the front seats.  When I went to check on things shortly after getting back, Blue Man was still holding himself together!  Granted, he was sweating blue bullets, but he was not a melted mass of blue goo.  I couldnt believe my eyes.  Glad to see him again. 

I also thought I might tell ya'll about the first thing I cooked when I got back.  No pictures, sadly.

angel hair pasta tossed with sauteed summer squash, zuchinni, plum tomato, onion, snow peas, and basil pesto.  I threw some sliced fresh mozzarella in it for good measure.

With the leftovers, I made an awesome omlette by warming up just a half serving of the pasta dish in an omlette pan and then pouring two beaten eggs over it all, covering the pan so the heat would cook the bottom and the top (I didnt have a spatula to flip it with to cook both sides properly).  Then you just invert it onto a serving plate and it looks like a little quiche thing.  Tasted wonderful!

[thartley]

With the cooler temperatures we have had here in the last week or so, its awakened my inner winter comfort food cravings.  I walked to the grocery store this morning with my insulated mug of butterscotch coffee and bought the fixins for a delicious roast chicken dinner.  I will post a pic later when I take it out of the oven.  But basically, you take a nice sized (however big you want) fryer chicken, squeeze a large lemon over it, then stuff the lemon halves inside the chicken cavity (why dont they just go ahead an call it a corpse?).  Then brush the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with creole seasoning.  Then layer whole baby carrots, quartered potatoes, and onions around it in the roaster, put a little water in the pan, I season the whole shebang with a little coarse ground salt and fresh ground peppercorns and then I bruise or crush fresh rosemary and sprinkle it over everything.  Cook it for about 45 mins to 1 hour for a 3-lb chicken.  I am cooking a 4.5-lb chicken today (it was the smallest one I could find), so it will take a little longer.


It was funny when I put the lid on the roaster...I had so many vegetables in there, I could hardly see the chicken! 

Oh, and I always roast my birds breast side down.  The breast portions tend to turn out much juicier and more flavorful than when cooked breast side up.

Anyone else getting in a cooking mood?  The holidays are coming up.  Now is the time to be trying out those new dishes!   


Ohhhhh, this is good....

[Ginafish]

that looks delicious! We roast a lot of chickens since it's less expensive than buying just chicken breasts. How about instead of me getting in a cooking mood, you just move to Arkansas and cook for me??

[KitKat]

     Thartley, your roasted chicken sounds delicious!!    Guess what I'm having for dinner tonight?

[thartley]

Tonight we'll be having kingfish caught right here where I live.  Someone else will be doing the cooking, so I am feeling VERY weird.  Me, not cooking...and yet I will be eating a homecooked meal.  I can't even imagine what that feels like.   

[Ginafish]

Kitkat? What did you have? I made Indian chicken thighs with zucchini and rice. It was alright, but I enjoy it more when hubby cooks it.

Enjoy the experience of someone else cooking, Terri! Take pictures!

[KitKat]

Kitkat? What did you have?

  Ginafish, tonight I'm cooking T.'s Roasted Chicken.     Last night I got home late from an out of town trip so I had a bowl of cereal for dinner.