Khao Soi {Chiang Mai Curry Noodles}

There are some meals you just can't live without. The first time you encounter them, it's love at first bite and you wondered what you got excited about eating before. Khao Soi (known as Chiang Mai Curry Noodles to some) is one of those dishes!

We were introduced to Khao Soi when we lived in Chicago and frequented the most excellent and wonderful Opart Thai House in Lincoln Square. (Side note: If you live in Chicago, stop reading and go there right now. You can thank me later.) It was so ridiculously good we ordered it time and time again, salivating as we awaited its delivery. This dish is such a perfect combination of some of the best ingredients out there: noodles, coconut milk, curry (that isn't spicy), cilantro, lime, garlic, shallots, and green onions. Where could you go wrong with that line-up?! It is seriously perfection in a bowl.

When we moved to Chautauqua County, NY where the Thai scene is...well...nonexistent, we dove into my dad's copy of Quick and Easy Thai which I had bought for him many moons ago.  Lo and behold, Khao Soi is the dish on the book's cover and the recipe seriously hits the jackpot! Not only is it to die for, it is eeaassyy to make.

If your grocery store has a halfway decent international section, you should be able to find all of the ingredients you need for this winner. If not, Amazon does. When choosing Asian ingredients to cook with, it's best if you can purchase brands that are - shocker - from Asia and your dishes will taste more authentic. Sometimes we don't have that luxury, but sometimes we do.

The recipe is below, but you basically boil your Chinese egg noodles (set aside after boiling), saute the garlic, red curry paste, and chicken, then throw in the coconut milk, broth, and other spices and let the baby simmer for 10 minutes. THAT'S IT! Once the soup is ready, you'll place the noodles in your bowl, ladle on the curry, top with the best garnishes known to humanity and enjoy, one savory and splendid bite after the next. You think I'm bring dramatic and going overboard, but it's one of those meals you eat and say to yourself, "this is the meal I was born to eat!" I prefer to have the garnishes and all ingredients ready to go from the beginning because it doesn't take long to prepare and before you know it, you're ready to feast.

I hope you'll try this recipe and I hope you'll love it as much as we do in our house. Even if you are under the impression that you don't like curry, you might be pleasantly surprised with this one. If it's new to you and you make it, I'd love to hear what you think about it. If you've made it before, I'd love to hear if you have other ingredients you add or if your method is different. Enjoy!

Khao Soi {Chiang Mai Curry Noodles}
Ingredients
1/2 lb. dry Chinese-style egg noodles (or 1 lb fresh)
2 TBSP red curry paste or panaeng curry paste
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into bite-size strips)
2 TBSP vegetable oil
1 TBSP chopped garlic
1 can coconut milk
1 3/4 cup chicken stock
2 tsp curry powder
2 TBSP soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 TBSP lime juice
1/2 cup cilantro (chopped)
1/3 cup green onions (chopped 1/3 inch)
1/3 cup shallots (diced)

Directions
1. Heat vegetable oil in a saucepan/skillet (that has a lid to use later), and then add garlic. Toss well and add the red curry paste, mashing and stirring to soften in the oil, about 1 minute. Add the chicken and cook 1 to 2 minutes tossing now and then to brown it evenly and mix it with the curry paste. add the coconut milk, chicken broth, curry powder, soy sauce, sugar, and salt and stir well. Bring to a gentle boil and adjust heat to maintain a lively simmer. Cook about 10 minutes, until meat is cooked through. Stir in lime juice, remove from heat, and over to keep curry warm while you prepare the noodles.

2. Cook the noodles in a large pot of rapidly boiling water, until tender but still firm, as little as 2 minutes for fresh and 7 minutes or more for dried. Drain, rinse well in cold water, drain again, and divide noodles among individual serving bowls. Ladle on hot curry, and sprinkle each serving with the shallots, cilantro, and sprinkle each serving with the shallots, cilantro, and green onions. Serve hot.

3. (Optional) For some extra crunch and intrigue, you can make ahead some fried noodle nests to top off your soup. Using 1/2 pound of fresh egg noodles, heat about 2 cups vegetable oil in a wok to about 375 degrees. Carefully add a handful of noodles, let sizzle and brown a few seconds, then transfer to a platter to cool. Serve on top of soup.

5 Benefits of Budgeting and Planning for Meals

Oh, hello. Remember me? I'm slowly but surely emerge from the fog of having a newborn while wrangling a three year old and not living in our own place. We've been busy around these parts...up to our ears in diapers, house-hunting, three-year-old adventures, and living the daily grind. I won't make excuses as to why I haven't been blogging (because the Lord knows no one probably even cares), and I'll do my best to get back into the swing of things.

My "contribution" to our current living situation with my parents is that I plan and prepare a majority of the meals we eat each week. This has been a good practice for me, since before we moved we basically were in limbo between the post-college-we-eat-frozen-pizza-most-nights-or-go-out phase and the responsible we're-33-years-old-and-have-children-who-need-to-eat-something-remotely-healthy phase. In my mind I had built up meal planning to be some sort of skill that took practice and science...it was certainly a hidden knowledge of which I was lacking. Budgeting for meal planning was something I had repeatedly told my self I didn't know how to do as well.

Here's how to successfully budget and plan for meals: Get an envelope and put cash in it. Get a piece of paper and write down each day of the week and what you want to eat (don't forget your veggies). Go to the store and buy what you need with the money you have. It's really not that complicated and it's actually quite a competence-inducing activity. Some of the benefits I've observed include the following.

1. You will eat and be able to prepare a variety of foods. Meal planning has given me a way to use tried-and-true recipes and at the same time has given me the space to force myself to try new ideas. All those recipes you have pinned and waiting to be used can be put to the test. The cookbooks making your kitchen shelves look pretty while they collect dust can stop whimpering each day that goes by while they remain untouched. When you live in a small town like we currently do and the Thai, Mediterranean, and (___insert any food besides pizza and subs you like___) restaurants are non-existant, you learn how to make some pretty good ethnic dishes of your own. I'd venture to say our house is one of the best places to get Thai food in at least a 50 mile radius and I'm not kidding. Necessity is the mother of invention.

2. You will waste less food. I can't even begin to try and count the pounds of food that have spoiled and been thrown away over the years because of good intentions I had on a whim at the grocery store. When you plan for meals, you buy what you say you're going to buy and you eat what you say you're going to eat. It's that simple. We usually plan a night of leftovers as well to make sure food that was bought is eaten and doesn't go bad. If we bought too much, we eat leftovers until they are gone...if that's not enough to force realistic expectations of what to spend and make, I don't know what is. Once I got excited, went overboard, and made way too much chicken chili and we were eating it night and day for nearly a week. Lesson learned and now I know how much to make in the future.

3. You will eat healthier, more whole foods. Now this does require planning for food that is somewhat healthy, but even if you're making unhealthy meals chances are you are eating real food that is not full of preservatives and that has less calories, fat, and sodium than you would be eating at your average restaurant. Meal planning on a budget will force you to eat less pre-packaged food as well. Less fake equals better...it just does.  

4. You will save money. Keeping a budget allows you to know exactly where your money is going. This might seem like an obvious point, but to so many clowns (myself included) in my generation this is not something we really "get." I don't know why, but we don't. Knowing how much cash you have for food and what food you'll buy means you're not flippantly spending money every day figuring out what to stuff in your face. You'll spend less money on gas making last minute trips to the store and you'll spend less on impulsive buying once you're there. You also will have groceries in your home that need to be eaten (since you planned meals around them) so you'll be less likely to eat out as well. To stick to your budget, get an envelope and put the cash in it you plan to spend...not complicated.

5. You will feel competent in the kitchen. I'm no 50s-wanna-be-housewife but I'll admit I feel a sense of competence at a home-cooked meal that I made for my loved ones with only a small amount of stress included. I think anyone would! Planning your meals on a weekly basis allows you to know what is in your fridge at all times (aside from the random Matchbox car or toy train your toddler hides there), it allows you to know what to expect for the week, and it allows you to become a better cook (see #1). All these things combined enable you to not find yourself grasping for ideas at the last minute and either a) making a hellish meal concocted of random ingredients where you're second guessing your every move (i.e. "green onions can go with syrup, right?") or b) throwing in the proverbial towel and just going out to eat because you "don't know how to do anything in the kitchen." With meal planning, you will be the master of your kitchen instead of feeling like a foreigner who doesn't belong there.

Growing up, instead of "practice makes perfect," my mom always said "practice makes better," and she's right.  If you believe that meal planning and food budgeting would be helpful for your roommates, family, or yourself, I encourage you to just start! It's not complicated. You'll learn tricks along the way for what works best for your home, but you won't get better at it if you don't do it.

Now that I've droned on and on, I'll let you go. As a parting gift I'll link you to a great menu planner/grocery list all-in-one from Real Simple. Here it is, but you don't really need it. All you need is a piece of scrap paper and something to write with. Just do it. Go forth!

Muddy Puddles!

One of Sawyer's favorite show is Peppa Pig. She's a British pig who lives with her "mummy, daddy, and little brother George," and if there's one thing Peppa loves to do it's jump in muddy puddles! This, in turn, has turned Sawyer on to the idea and - to be honest - I couldn't be happier! It's a delight to watch him get dirty and have a marvelous time of it.


After it rains, he practically knows the puddles are out there, ready and waiting for him. Along with a few choice phrases he now pronounces with a British accent (including "hAHppy Christmas, gARage, bubble mixtEAH, and fAHthah Christmas), he's also memorized Peppa's favorite line, "If you jump in muddy puddles, you MUST wear your boots." At least the girl is practical!


It's rained a lot lately, so we've had ample time to get out in the mud...and we've also palled-around with Grandma who's been finishing up some last minute gardening prep before winter. Sweet kid!!!

Potted Christmas Tree

I don't have one, but I want one. Our Christmas tree this year is a bit of a wreck, so I'm not even going to bother posting about it...it's uninspired, rather bare, and a bit ragged. Undoubtedly, any Christmas tree is a wonderful, soul-soothing site to behold, but this year's tree has got me to thinking about what kind of tree I really want. (All images from Martha Stewart.com)

I'm not ready to give up the traditional tree for the holidays, but I've become enamored with the idea of a living, potted Christmas tree. I'm sure it's been all the rage, but I just didn't know about them until now.

Imagine a small tree or two spaced throughout your house, decorated with love, and smelling up the place with an evergreen, perfect scent of Christmas. Imagine with me after the season is over, planting your Christmas tree(s) in the old backyard instead of throwing it out with the wrapping paper and other holiday waste. It's kind of ludicrous to think that every year we discard such a symbol of the season with the rest of the trash.

What I need is a backyard though. For now, this city slicker will have to settle for a rosemary plant to scratch my living Christmas tree itch. Anyway, aren't they pretty?

#1 Dad

Chicken Stock

We've been trying to save money around here, or at least not waste what we've got. Sometimes we are successful at this and sometimes we're not. The other day after making a delicious batch of Chicken Tamale Casserole (click here for recipe), I decided it would be wise to suck it up and make some chicken stock with the left-over carcass.

Just saying the word "carcass" creeps me out, so this really was an attempt on my part to be a resourceful and frugal consumer. Here are the bones. Yuck.

While I'm not a fan of handling the innards and skeleton of my food, I did feel a sense of pride as I watched my water and bones simmer after having spent zero dollars and zero cents. It was all very frontierswoman. I'm sure there are more interesting stock recipes, but this one worked fine with just salt and pepper and was free.

After simmering for about 4 hours, the stock should be ready and you can strain it. A word to the wise....if you use an old juice container to keep the stock, remember to tell your spouse it's not "Simply Apple."

Type.Face.Lift

I'm a huge fan of Scrabble. My mother-in-law and I discovered "Bananagrams" together and now have an standing tournament that will go on into infamy. Like I've said in the past, I'm a puzzle girl.

I'm also a font girl. I can't say it's to a level of snobbery or ridiculousness, but I've got my preferences and appreciations. When my friend Aune sent this info my way, two worlds collided! Puzzles and typography combined into one glorious amusement.

Check out the A1 Scrabble set, designed by Andrew Clifford Carpener. LOVE! I hope it will actually be available post-haste. It's when things like this come out that you just kick yourself for not having come up with the idea first.

Peeko & Aardy

I've had my eye on this particular brand of stuffed animals since before Sawyer was born. They're from Jellycat and you can find them online here or in less traditional toy stores. I just think they're so stinkin' cool.

This is Peeko. He got his name from hiding behind things and saying "peek-oh!" when he would show his face and surprise this cute little boy he was playing peek-a-boo with. It's my guess that Peeko is the kind of elephant who's a little timid, but can muster up courage when it's needed and can have a good time with his buddies once he knows there aren't any mice around or anything else that would frighten him.

Meet Aardy. He's an aardvark if you couldn't tell and to me he seems like the wiser of this pair. A little older, maybe a little more experience under his belt. I'd imagine he's got good ideas and often finds himself patiently convincing Peeko to just relax.

Oh these two...I can tell they're going to be kindred spirits. Don't they just look like good pals? I'll stop with what's now seeming to be the ramblings of a madwoman about plush toy personality traits and go talk to some real people. Some adults.

Birthday Party for a One Year Old | Part 2

And what birthday is complete without a personal-sized cake for the guest of honor? I bought some 6-inch round pans, found some blue food coloring, and went to town. A sweet little cake for a sweet little boy.

In classic form, he started off cautiously intrigued and eventually ended up covered in cake. What a sweet little love!

Birthday Party for a One Year Old | Part 1

How can my little buddy almost be one whole year old? HOW!?

We decided to have an intimate family gathering to celebrate Sawyer's first year of life since he can tend to be more of a small-crowd kind of guy. I had a vision of various blue tissue paper pom poms gracing the dining room for a classy birthday bash. I figure I've only got a couple years (or less?) before Buzz Lightyear and Lightening McQueen invade my party planning sensibilities.

Here are the instructions if you'd like to make your own.

Under the Chestnut Tree

Have you done a puzzle recently? I mean, like a good old-fashioned jigsaw puzzle? My sister-in-law spent her Christmas devouring them and reminded me of their joys and merits. And now I'm hooked.

As a general rule, I consider myself to be a formidable competitor when it comes to puzzles. Race me in a crossword or Sudoku and I'll probably make a bold statement and with confidence claim that I'll be able to win. Crosswords, cryptograms, Tetris, Mahjong, whatever...you name it, I'll solve it. Honestly, it's what I'm good at.

When Jessica told me about her puzzle-filled holiday weekend, I recalled the jigsaw puzzles I owned, but had never opened. I thought of them sitting alone and fragmented in my closet, wishing with all their might to be connected to their bona fide neighbors, asking someone who cared to solve them.

I broke out this good old country scene called "Under the Chestnut Tree." 1000 pieces is a nice challenge for someone who hasn't done a jigsaw puzzle since they were in high-school. The chestnut tree was a real doozie, since all the pieces practically looked the same.

At the risk of sounding like a total and complete loser, doing a jigsaw puzzle is a really good time. I love the patience it takes and the satisfaction I find in figuring out just the right place for each piece. I love being able to leave it and come back as I wish. I love that there was no technology involved and nothing plugged in while you work on it. I love knowing that it's just being solved for fun and that when you're done, it will just be taken apart and put away.

Onto my next puzzle which my husband got me last year. It's Da Vinci's "Last Supper" which has little contrast throughout and is broken into 2000 lovely pieces. This one might take a while.

Christmas Quilt

Something about being a mom convinced me that I needed to make a Christmas quilt for my growing family. You know, wrapped in it's warmth, sipping hot cocoa, listening to sounds of the crackling yule log on cable.

Usually, Christmas fabrics don't do it for me, but this line from Michael Miller couldn't be more full of classy yuletide style!

I did randomly colored wonky stars with a pure white background. I may or may not finish quilting this before Christmas...chances are very slim, but it IS the season of hope!

Wall Zoo

It feels good to dust off a few canvases and open up some acrylic paints that have been wasting away in your basement. It's been so long since I've done a good wholesome project I almost forgot the thrill of making something crafty. How embarrassing.

I fell in love with this wall art form Dwell Studio, but wasn't willing or able to fork over the green. It seemed like a pretty straightforward project. A brown and green palette fit Sawyer's room a little better, so we changed up the colors.

The canvases now reside above the crib and hopefully can give the poor boy something to look at when he's daydreaming in his bed. It's a step up from the plain old beige wall that was completely uninspired. They may not be originals, but they were made with love. And were a heck of a lot cheaper. HECK of a lot.

Pure Purées

As I enter the world of baby food and the nutrition needed for sustaining a healthy and growing child, I have been confronted with the cold hard truth that I have not practiced healthy eating habits for some time. I don't know a thing about vegetables or nutrients. This is no surprise to me, but now someone else's life is in the balance.

In an attempt to give my boy the good life he deserves, I've committed to put forth my best effort to do what I can to help him develop a healthy and open relationship with food. There is much to discover when it comes to what vitamins are found where and what they do for a growing body. As we start solids - once we establish a lack of allergies - variety will be the name of the game. He may end up being a picky eater, but I'll try and expose him to lots of tastes and textures early on to at least give the kid a fighting chance.

I'm trying my hand at making my own baby food so that we can save cash and know what's really being fed to junior. First on the menu are carrots, summer squash, sweet potatoes, peas, apples, avocados, and pears. Whipping up a few purées and freezing them has proven to be worthwhile, and at the end of the day saves some major time and cash.

I can't imagine the new world my boy is about to encounter. Sure, mother's milk is great, but sweet potatoes are pretty delish too. Bon appetite!