soup for take-out pot-luck dinner party
I was inspired to create this soup because I had a nearly full can of coconut milk, less only 2 tablespoons, that I’d used for this recipe.
Ginger-Lemongrass Coconut Soup with Chicken
- 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, roughly chopped
- 3-inch piece of fresh lemongrass, smashed
- Cheesecloth and kitchen string
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup coconut milk (regular or lite)
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/2 pound sugar snap peas
- 6 large basil leaves, divided
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced on a diagonal, divided
- 1 cup finely shredded breast meat from a rotisserie chicken
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 small red chili, thinly sliced for garnish
- 1 lime, thinly sliced for garnish
- Cilantro sprigs
August 31, 2016 2 Comments
roast and toast
Happy Memorial Day! I hope you and your loved ones are spending a relaxing and reflective weekend together.
Aw, finally! The day has arrived, I am posting the last recipe from my Friday the 13th Dinner Party. I’m just happy I was able to squeak it in before the first of June! The lucky element in this final recipe is the coconut.
The tradition/superstition is that eating any round fruit on New Year’s brings luck and good fortune. In the Philippines, 13 is considered a lucky number so the custom calls for eating 13 round fruits. Whereas, in Europe and the States, we eat 12, which represents the months in a year. In both cases, their coin-like shape and their sweetness are what bring luck.
This is similar to the earlier mentioned belief that when you eat 12 grapes at midnight of New Year, it will bring you wealth and more luck for the next 12 months of the coming year.
A few pointers before we get to the recipe:
To hull the strawberries, you can use a paring knife, a strawberry huller (similar to little tweezers), or a straw. I’m all about the straw method. It’s quick and fun.
I bought the mold for the ice pops HERE on Amazon.
The sticks tend to float up when the molds are filled. I fixed that by placing the empty box the mold came in on top while the pops were in the freezer. Problem solved.
To store the frozen pops; lay down or stand up in a tight-sealing container with pieces of parchment paper in-between each pop.
May 30, 2016 1 Comment
not perfect, but still perfectly beautiful
I spotted this cake all over the Internet in the weeks leading up to Easter and I knew it was the dessert for me. It has so many things I love!
- Coconut – check
- Malted milk – check
- Malted milk balls – check
- Cuteness Overload – check and Yes Please!
Now, I could just send you to the LINK at Country Living from where the recipe came. But then I couldn’t tell you all of my little trials and frustrations with it and pass along a few hints and tips that might make it easier for you in case you decide to make it.
First, let’s review the differences between the various liquid coconut products available:
- Coconut water is the clear natural juice found when you crack open a coconut.
- Coconut milk has the consistency of dairy milk and is made by simmering one part shredded coconut with one part coconut water.
- Coconut cream is much thicker and much richer than coconut milk. It is made by simmering four parts shredded coconut in one part coconut water. If there is a bit of cream that rises to the top of a can of coconut milk – it is also considered coconut cream.
- Cream of coconut is sweetened coconut cream. It has a thick almost syrupy consistency and is most often used in desserts and mixed drinks, such as a Piña Colada.
The frosting calls for cream of coconut. I accidentally pulled out a can of coconut cream, took photos with it along with the rest of the frosting ingredients, opened it, and only then realized I had grabbed the wrong product.
Here you can see the difference in the look and consistency of coconut cream vs. cream of coconut. Happily, once opened, coconut cream will keep, transferred to another container, covered and refrigerated, for about a week, so I used it to make a chicken curry a few days later. If you can’t find the cream of coconut in the baking section of the grocery store, look in the liquor area or just ask.
Next, let’s once again look at the lovely photo from the Country Living website for this beautiful cake. My frustration in trying to get my frosting to look like my robin eggs was tremendous. Just look at how perfectly their frosting coloring and speckling match their eggs. Seriously, it’s as if they are cut from the exact same cloth.
April 8, 2016 9 Comments
coconut cream pie
For the past six weeks, Connor has been working at Mark Tarbell’s The Tavern. He is the dishwasher and although they feed him dinner, he has not gotten the one item he sees that he really wants… the coconut cream pie.
So of course, I made it for him. That’s what moms do.
He gave it a thumbs up.
I have plenty of photos to accompany the crust-making part of the recipe. But my dad was here while I was making the filling. He can be very distracting, so no photos of that part, sorry.
April 15, 2014 No Comments
thanks Jenny!
This quick, easy, and delish recipe comes from my Illinois BFF, Jennifer. My girl knows how to throw together a fabulous dinner like no one else! With three busy sons, who run her ragged, she is the master. Love you, Jenni-Jen! xoxo
February 10, 2012 3 Comments
crunchy banana
As promised – here is the recipe for the crunchy banana muffins. If it looks like a whole lot of flour, sugar, and butter… well, it’s because this recipe makes a boatload of muffins…. 30 anyway, and that’s a bunch from one recipe. Enjoy!
January 9, 2012 3 Comments
the Pig-tailed Macaque
I love the flavor of coconut. It doesn’t matter if it’s fresh, sweetened flaked or shredded, coconut milk, or cream of coconut, I love it all. And I recently discovered that the male Pig-tailed Macaque like coconuts too.
In Thailand and Malaysia, they are trained in special schools to harvest coconuts, and competitions are held annually to find the fastest harvester.
This coconut chicken is a cool and refreshing dish, makes me think of a beautiful cool day in the tropics sitting on the beach, drinking a Pina Colada, and watching the little primates work away…
July 2, 2010 No Comments
“almond joy’s got nuts, mounds don’t – because…”
Now that’s one of those jingles that just gets stuck in your brain and won’t go away – “because, sometimes you feel like and nut, sometimes you don’t!!!” Almond Joy candy bars are my absolute favorite, OK well, those and Kit Kat bars (“gimme a break, gimme a break, break me off…” Alright, enough already!).
So with Halloween a few days behind us, why am I still craving an Almond Joy, even though I did have a couple of the minis? I need to bake a batch of cookies for a charity donation, and since I can’t stop thinking about Almond Joy, I’ve come up with this recipe to recreate that wonderful taste blend of chocolate, coconut, and almonds. It honestly turned out to be more the consistency of cake than a cookie, but still a tasty treat.
The filling layer includes cream of coconut, which is a thick and sweet concoction made from coconut milk and sugar and is found in liquor stores or in the liquor section of the grocery store. Although it is sometimes used in baking it is most commonly used in mixed drinks such as Pina Coladas, so look for it near the mixers and such.
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November 4, 2009 3 Comments