cold thai salad w/ homemade peanut sauce

Best Ever Peanut Sauce

1 c. peanut butter

2 limes, zested and juiced

5 tsp. sesame oil

2 T. seasoned rice wine vinegar

4 T. soy sauce

6 T. honey

4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

2 T. minced ginger

1 c. roughly chopped cilantro, stems and all

1 c. vegetable oil

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

4 tsp. sriracha chili sauce (or more if you want more spice)

6 T. water

Add all ingredients to bowl.

SInce I don't have a blender (but I do have a magic bullet) I had to split my mixture in two batches to blend. 

Makes about 4 cups.

Serve over cold spaghetti. I use thin spaghetti and usually cook noodles and prep veggies the day before. I also grilled some chicken and chopped it up and placed in fridge to get cold. 

Julienne carrots, cucumber, wash bean sprouts, cut red bell pepper, wash and trim snow peas and garnish with fresh cilantro. 

Drizzle peanut sauce on top and enjoy.

This recipe has been made twice in the past week and I have served it along with the Gin Bucket on two seperate occassions in the last week. Delicious! 

This is a new staple in our house. 

I keep the extra sauce in this container in the fridge. 

Recipe adapted from here.

Soup for the soul

It has been awhile since I last posted a recipe. 

I chose to make a double batch and it filled my crock pot to the brim.  Jay brought over a batch to Amanda and we had dinner and leftovers and still some leftover for lunches. This was delicious. 

Mexican Minestrone

click here for recipe 

The following pictures are where the soul part come into play. 

Thank you to a new graduate from Devon's Picking School, Nicole. 

Her parents were cleaning house and looking to send these pieces to a new owner and Nicole jumped on that and sent them my way. Jay and I took a nice drive out to Alki this morning and and picked them up. I am so excited to paint these and bring them into the shop. 

What color should I paint these beauties? 

Look at that detail work, gorgeous.

Thank YOU Tracy, Jim & Nicole!! 

Ginger Ale Pulled Pork

Are you in need of a delicious, super easy dinner?

You need to try this.  In fact make it for dinner tomorrow and invite the neighbors, it is that good. 

I have made it a few times and each time it just gets better each time. 

Crock Pot Ginger Ale Pulled Pork 

4 lbs. pork roast {shoulder}

2 large onions {i usually use 3}

1 c. ginger ale

1 {18 oz.} bottle Sweet Baby Ray's

Slice onions & place half of them in the crock pot.

Place roast on top of onions and cover with the other half, pour ginger ale over, cover and cook on LOW for 12 hours. 

Remove meat, strain and save the onions. 

Shred meat and return to crock pot. 

Stir in Sweet Baby Ray's and cook another four hours on LOW. 

Serve on sesame bun with shredded cabbage for a nice cool crunch. 

Our new favorite is to steam chunks of sweet potato and a little pat of Melt butter.  We decided we could eat that every night, it is so sweet. 


P.S. Josie whopped me twice in Sequence Dice tonight. 

Thank you mom for sharing that kitchen secret.  

Beef & Asparagus Curry and a White Glass Pig

Beef and Asparagus Curry

Found this delicious recipe in the April issue of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine.

serves 4

total time : 30 minutes

chopping and all!

1 can (13.5 oz.) unsweetened coconut milk, shaken well

1/4 c. red curry paste (cheap at Uwajimaya)

3/4 c. low sodium chicken broth

2 tsp. fish sauce

1 tbsp. light brown sugar

1 red bell pepp, thinly sliced

1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into one inch pieces

1 pound sirloin steak, trimmed and thinly sliced against the grain

In large wok or skillet, heat 1/2 cup coconut milk over medium-high, stirring, until shiny and thick, 2 minutes. 

Add curry paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 minute. 

Add remaining coconut milk, broth, fish sauce, and brown sugar and bring to a simmer.

Add bell pepp and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. 

Add asparagus and cook until crisp tender, 3 minutes. 

Add steak and cook, stirring, until just cooked through, 2 minutes.  

Serve over white or brown rice. 

Add cilantro or lime wedges if desired. 

Moment of honesty here:

I failed to remember to add the chicken broth and we thought this dish was really good but a little spicy. Had I used the chicken broth it might have helped with that. Martha said to serve over rice noodles, but we prefer rice, (brown usually, however I was being lazy and used minute rice.)

We will definitely be making this again! 

Let me know if you try out this recipe and what you think of it. 

This sweet little pig came from West Elm and he was my Christmas present from Josie. He has been on backorder since mid December.  

Love this little guy! 

Friday Finds and Dinner

What a looong week it has been. 

So grateful that I get a 3 day weekend, I have a lot to do. 

I needed a fix tonight so I stopped in at my favorite watering hole, the local thrift shop and scored BIG time! 

Sitting by itself on the shelf I spied this fella.  A HUGE gray Fiesta platter!  I was practically running to the cashier. 

For those of you that are new to this blog, I must confess that I am a bit of a Fiesta addict.  I should probably dedicate a post to that soon. 

I had to show you just how big this was so I placed a dinner plate and a smaller salad plate on top.  

Jay was also excited to see my find, bless his heart.

What were they thinking?

Winnie the Pooh fabric? Yuck! 

I can't wait to rip this off and repaint this stool. 

Vintage books are another weakness of mine. 

This guy was begging to come home with me. 

A fresh coat of white and he will be as good as new.

What I made for dinner tonight:

Lemony Olive Chicken

1 tbs. vegetable oil

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 can cream of chicken 

1/4 c. milk

1/2 tsp. lemon juice

pinch of pepper

1/2 c. sliced black olives

4 - 6 thinly sliced lemon slices

4 c. hot cooked rice

Heat oil in skillet.  Add chicken until browned. Add soup, milk, pepper and olives.  Top with lemon slices.  Heat to a boil, cover and cook on low heat another 5 minutes or until done. 

Serve over rice.


This is a family favorite at my house.  

Cincinnati Chili

Cincinnati Chili

2 lbs. ground round

2 c. chopped onion

1 c. chopped green bell pep

1 can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic &oregano

1 1/4 c. H2O

2 tbs. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground allspice

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 can light red kidney beans, rinsed & drained

1 (6oz.) can no salt added tomato paste

5 c. hot cooked spaghetti

handful shredded cheddar cheese

handful diced red onion 

1. Cook beef, onion and green bell pep over med - high heat until browned, stir to crumble. Stir in diced tomatoes and next 9 ingredients.  Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat, simmer for 30 minutes. 

2. Divide cooked spaghetti among serving bowls. Spoon chili over pasta; top with cheese and red onion. 

Verdict: Family thought it was a little weird at first to have chili over spaghetti but they ended up liking it.  The chili portion would be delicious over a baked potato. I will be making this again. 

Pork and Potato Skillet

Here is your dinner idea for tomorrow. 

Trust me you will not be disappointed. 

And you can't ask for an easier recipe.

I present to you....

Pork and Potato Skillet

Coat a skillet with cooking spray and place over medium - high heat. Add 1/2 c. chopped onion, 1/8 tsp. each of salt and pepper.  {Feel free to add more pep if you like, i did.} and 1 tsp. minced fresh garlic, saute 3 minutes. 

Add cubed pork lean pork {i bought a pack of 3 pork chops from the butcher}; saute for 3 - 5 minutes. 

Add 1 1/2 cups cubed potato, 2 c. broccoli florets, and 1/4 c. chicken broth and cover with a lid.  Cook over medium high heat until potato is tender. 

Feel free to add more or less pork, broccoli, potato or onion.  I also would watch the last step closely, I did need to add a little more broth until the potato was cooked all the way through. 

I have now made this twice in the last two weeks and we love it.  We served it with a green salad.  

Let me know if you try this recipe and what you thought of it. 

Curry and a happy teenager

Thank you Maya Kaimal. 

You have made Josie love Curry.

She is even willing to branch out a bit and try some Thai and Indian food.  

Costco carries this delicious Indian Curry, about $8.

I can easily split this into two meals. 

First I brown some chicken, cut into cubes. 

Then add some onions and saute for a few minutes. 

Once all cooked, add half the tub of the cocnut curry and simmer for 5-10 minutes. 

I also stem some fresh broccoli and carrots and make a pot of basmati rice. 

Fast, Easy and delicious. 

AND .... Josie loves this meal!  

She has even requested that I make it for her birthday dinner. 

Josie also felt like baking and she whipped up a batch of letterpress cookies.  

These were very fun to make and one of the best recipes for sugar cookies we havve ever tasted. 

See below for recipe. 

Fred's Recipe for Sugar Cookies:

1 c. unsalted butter

1 c. sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 c. flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350.

In standing mixer, cream butter & sugar until light and fluffy.

Add egg and vanilla. Mix well. 

In seperate bowl, whisk dry ingredients together.

Add dry ingredients a little at a time to the butter mixture.  Mix until flour in completely incorporated. 

Split dough in half, and roll each half between two sheets of parchment paper to desired thickness and chill for 30 minutes. 

Remove from fridge, and carefullylift off one sheet of parchment, then lightly dust the dough with flour.  Replace the parchment, flip over and repeat. 

Bake on an ungreased baking sheet (or better yet a Silpat) for 8 to 10 minutes or until cookies begin to brown around the edges. 

Today's letter is...

B. 

For broccoli and butter.

Not together, although that is good.

I have a Costco sized bag of broccoli florets that I need to use up.  Lucky us, today school was cancelled for Josie and we have quite a bit of snow at our house that I didn't want to chance driving to work (yes I am not a fan of driving in the snow) so I decided to start baking.  It is 10:32 a.m. she is still sleeping, snow is still falling and I have my first broccoli dish in the oven. I scoured through recipes to find one that I had all the ingredients for and or that I could improvise a little. 

Here is what I made:

CRUSTLESS BROCCOLI Quiche

1 tbsp. plain dry bread crumbs 2 tsp. butter 1/2 c. onion, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped broccoli, thawed & drained 4 eggs 2 c. skim milk 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 1/4 tsp. salt 1/8 tsp. pepper 8 oz. sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded 3 tbsp. flour Grease 10 inch quiche dish or other baking pan. Sprinkle with crumbs. Set aside. In a nonstick skillet, melt butter. Add onion and garlic and cook over medium heat, stirring often, for 3 minutes. Squeeze broccoli dry between paper towels. Add to skillet. Cook, stirring often, 1 minute longer. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Beat eggs lightly in a large bowl. Slowly stir in milk. Stir in Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper. Add cooked vegetables. Stir to blend. In medium bowl, mix cheese and flour. Stir into egg mixture. Pour or spoon into quiche dish or casserole. Bake 40 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes. Serve.

Butter.

Melt. 

The other day Jay and I were grocery shopping at Fred Meyer and were looking for a better butter.  The color and packaging of this product immediately drew me to it.  It was reguarly $5 on sale for $3.48 so we decided to buy one.  Well we loved it.  Jay went online and found a $2 off coupon which would make it $1.48 - so being the good price shoppers that we are we went back the next day and bought 4 more.  Lucky us we found that you can freeze these.  So now we have 4 frozen.  

It is made of all the 'good fats', coconut, flaxseed, palm fruit, canola and sunflower.  All organic and rich and creamy.  

If you are interested in trying out this product  go to their Facebook bage, like them and you can also receive a $2 off coupon.  I also saw that QFC carries this butter as well. 

Snow & Pot Roast Stew

Happy Martin Luther King Day!

It also happens to be a snow day here in my neck of the woods. 

I spent my morning cleaning and organizing our two spare room closets, making a delicious smelling Pot Roast Stew in the crock pot, finished the laundry, washed all the dishes and now waiting for Jay to get home so we can go and pick up Josie. Oh and maybe hitting a goodwill up. 

Here is a shot of all the ingredients I used for the stew.  See below for recipe.  

Pot Roast Stew

Cooking Spray

1 1/2 pounds boneless chuck roast, 

trimmed and cut into 1 in. cubes

1 1/2 c. water

1 can beef broth

2 1/2 c. cubed peeled red potato

1 3/4 c. sliced peeled carrot

1 tbl. Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. salt and pepper each

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 large onion, cut into 1 in. pieces

1/4 c. flour

1/4 c. water

1 tbl. thyme

1. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Place over high heat until hot, add beef.  Cook 5 minutes or until browned. 

2. Place beef in crock pot.  Add water and broth.  Add potato and next 7 ingredients, stir well. Cover with lid, cook on high 6 - 8 hours. 

3. Now add the 1/4 c. flour and 1/4 c. water to a bowl, stir with whisk until blended. Add flour mixture and thyme, stir well.  Cover and cook oh high for the final 20 minutes. 

Makes approx. 6 servings. 

*Update* This was very good.  We will 
definately be making this again.

Dinner Time

Are you running out of ideas for dinner?

Looking for some new healthy recipes. 

I stumbled upon this blog and made three recipes from it this weekend alone. 

My whole family loved each and every one.  

This was the first that I made, 

Chicken Taco Chili

Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili

 Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 10 • Size: 1 1/4 cups • Old Points: 3 pts • Points+: 5 ptsCalories: 203.7 • Fat: 1.4 g • Carb: 33.3 g • Fiber: 10.0 g  • Protein: 16.9 g

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 16-oz can black beans
• 1 16-oz can kidney beans
• 1 8-oz can tomato sauce
• 10 oz package frozen corn kernels
• 2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes w/chilies
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 24 oz (3-4) boneless skinless chicken breasts
• chili peppers, chopped (optional)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Combine beans, onion, chili peppers, corn, tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder and taco seasoning in a slow cooker. Place chicken on top and cover. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Top with fresh cilantro. Also try it with low fat cheese and sour cream (extra points).

White Chicken Enchiladas

Who is hungry?

If you are looking for a new twist on the ole enchilada recipe you have, please give this one a try.  I found this Pioneer Woman recipe and changed it up a bit. We had our old favorite neighbors over for dinner on Sunday evening so I decided to make a double batch.  The following recipe is for a regular 13x9 single batch.  Trust me you might want to double, this recipe is just that good. 

~~~~~~~~

You can cook your chicken any way you like. My favorite way is to place your frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts in the crock pot with half a jar of Pace Picante Salsa and let cook on high for 6-8 hours. 

Start with 3 cans of Whole Green Chiles, drained and diced. If you prefer you can buy the already diced ones. 

Next I grabbed a handful of the white corn tortillas.  You actually only need about 16 to fill a 13x9 pan. Add about 3 tablespoons canola oil to a small skillet over medium-high heat. 

 Fry tortillas about 15-20 seconds and then place on a papertowel covered dinner plate.

 I usually place about 4 tortillas on the paper towel and then layer and repeat.

Next add one large diced onion and 1 tablespoon canola oil to a medium skillet over high heat for about one minute.  Just enough to saute. 

Then you will add your shredded chicken and half of your diced green chiles and 1/2 teaspoon paprika, stir to mix well.

Pour in 1/2 cup of Heavy Cream and stir, allowing the chicken mixture to get hot and bubbly. Turn heat off and set aside.

I added a can of corn, drained. Give it another good stir. 

In a seperate large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter. 

Once butter is melted sprinkle in 2 tablespoons flour and whisk together over medium heat for one minute.  

 Next pour in 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth, whisk together for another minute. Then add the remaining half of your chiles and reduce heat. Add 1 cup sour cream and mix well.

Finally add 1 1/2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese or pepper jack (I used a mix of both)and a 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Stir to melt over low heat.  Season as you wish with salt and pepper. 

Looks delicious right?

Now the fun part begins. 

Spoon chicken mixture into tortilla.

Top with plenty of cheese and roll up. I call this the fold and load portion of the recipe.

Place seam side down in a greased 13x9 casserole dish. 

Looks good, but just wait. 

Now you can pour the cheese sauce you made over the top of the enchiladas.  I topped with the extra cheese I had left. 

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. 

I topped with Tapatio and fresh cilantro.

Feel free to add sour cream, avocado and salsa. 

I served with mexican rice and a salad. 

This was so creamy and delicious.  I will definately make this again. 

Let me know if you tried this recipe out and if you made any changes to it. 

See you tomorrow!