Elementary Chef

I’ve had requests before for Thai recipes. Requests that I have largely ignored. Because by and large Thai food is NOT elementary. Is a complicated affair with lots of chopping and LOADS of steps involved to create the special curries and sauces you expect.

Recently, though, I saw a box of Thai Pavilion’s Green Curry with Noodles at the grocery store. I wasn’t sure about this Hamburger Helper version of Thai, but I thought it would be worth a try. Well, we finally tried it tonight, and I’m going to give is a less than enthusiastic thumbs up.

What I liked: It was super easy to prepare. First, you boil water and add the rice noodles. You simply let them simmer while preparing the meat. I already had half of a roasted chicken left over from the other night. So I picked the meat off of it and threw it in the wok with a little oil. Once the chicken had re-heated and fried a little, I turned down the heat and threw in the curry. I tossed the then-done noodles with the curry and chicken, and voila! The meal was ready.

What I didn’t like: The flavor is good, but not as good as our local Thai restaurant. The curry is somewhat oily to my taste.

All in all, we liked it. Not a gourmet meal, but this was a good alternative to eating the chicken as left-overs!

I served Thai tea with the curry, which is a must-have for us when we’re eating Thai food out. To properly prepare Thai tea, you need Thai tea leaves. These are CHEAP — like about $2.00/package. They come as loose tea, and they infuse to a reddish color.

Thai Tea
4-6 t Thai tea leaves
6 c boiling water
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk

In an 8-cup teapot, mix all ingredients. (I use a large infuser so I don’t have to strain off the tea leaves.) Serve over ice. The tea is a peach-color and wonderfully sweet!

Thai tea, curry, recipes

And of course, with a name like “as-seen-on-tv.info”, you KNOW they must be trustworthy! (Hey, at least they were smart enough not to run the name together…!)

Highly Touted One Touch Can Opener Found to Be Hazardous by As Seen on TV.Info, Inc.

You saw it demonstrated on TV. Business Week announced in the July 30, 2007 issue that they had awarded it a gold medal for design — “but we doubt that the judges opened a can with it,” said Norris Goff, founder of As Seen on TV.Info, Inc.

“When we tried it, everyone present immediately expressed alarm at the sharp edge of the can that was left exposed. The promotion for One Touch Can Opener makes a point that ordinary can openers leave the lid of the can with sharp edges — but the lid is of no further use and is disposed of at once. The promotion is silent about the sharp edge of the can, which must
be handled repeatedly as its contents are removed and it is subsequently washed for recycling.

“We recommend against it.”

“Our evaluations are available at http://www.As-Seen-On-TV.Info.”

You folks know how I love a great new product, and this handy new Glad product has me all excited. I love my veggies. I love easy ways to fix them even more! This new concept from Glad lets you cook them in your microwave with very little preparation,
while maintaining lots of vitamins and good stuff. Check it out:

With 90 percent of Americans not eating their recommended amount of vegetables(1) and most needing to almost triple
their intake to meet USDA dietary guidelines(2), The Glad Products Company today introduces GLAD(R) SimplyCooking(TM) Microwave Steaming Bags. The bags are specifically designed to steam vegetables in the microwave in a
healthy, safe and convenient way.

Steamed vegetables, like those made in GLAD(R) SimplyCooking(TM) Microwave Steaming Bags, retain more nutrients as well as their natural flavors and colors than vegetables that are boiled. Vegetables turn out crisp, yet tender, and are ready in minutes without pots and pans.

Delicious vegetables are three simple steps away:

– Fill: Open the bag and place pre-washed vegetables inside. No water is necessary.
– Seal: Press the zipper firmly closed to seal.
– Cook: Stand bag in microwave and follow the timetable on the bag and package that provides cooking times for a variety of vegetables and other foods. Wait 30 seconds before opening. Each bag can cook three to four servings of vegetables.

Veggies, Glad, microwave

The folks at Knorr have saved family reunions everywhere! What a nifty new idea for a potluck dinner!

ASIAN NOODLE SALAD

1 package Knorr Sides Plus Veggies - Teriyaki Noodles with Asian Style Vegetables
1/4 C rice wine vinegar
1 T Creamy Peanut Butter
1 t vegetable oil (optional)
3 C coleslaw mix
1 C thinly sliced red bell pepper
1 C thinly sliced cooked chicken or pork
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1/4 C thinly sliced red onion

Prepare Knorr Sides Plus Veggies — Teriyaki Noodles with Asian Style Vegetables according to package directions; cool.

Stir in vinegar, peanut butter and oil. Stir in remaining ingredients.

Chill about 1 hour before serving.

Asian Noodle Salad, recipes

I love Greek food. Anything with feta cheese added to it is okay by with me. Add to that the joys of an easy recipe? Sounds like a recipe for Monday to me! Check out this one from the fine folks at Knorr.

GREEK CHICKEN WITH RICE

2 T Olive Oil
1-1/4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 t dried oregano leaves, crushed
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 bag (10 oz.) baby spinach leaves
2-1/4 C water
1 package Knorr Sides Plus Veggies - Roasted Chicken Rice with Harvest Vegetables
2 T lemon juice
1/4 C crumbled reduced fat feta cheese (optional)

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and cook chicken about 5 minutes, until chicken is thoroughly cooked, stirring occasionally. Remove chicken and keep warm.

Add remaining olive oil to skillet and cook onion, red pepper and oregano over medium heat about 4 minutes, until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add spinach; toss to coat.

Cover and cook about 2 minutes, until spinach is partially wilted, stirring occasionally.

Stir in water and Knorr Sides Plus Veggies — Roasted Chicken Rice with Harvest Vegetables. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook covered about 10 minutes, until rice is tender. Stir in chicken and lemon juice. Sprinkle with cheese.

recipes, chicken, Greek

I LOVE this idea! I’m not much of a beer drinker, but I remember a college boyfriend thinking Grolsch beer was cool. I think because it sounded German. Grolsch has unveiled a new mystery marketing campaign that lets YOU play along! Over 21 only please!

Check it out!

A scoundrel would never flaunt his crime for everyone to see — or would he? Mysterious, intriguing, and altogether groundbreaking, premium imported Grolsch Lager now brings you an online mystery that will have you searching for clues and racing to save the dame with the legs that won’t quit!

Taking its inspiration from 1950s film noir hit movies, Grolsch Gardens, an interactive online mystery that is one of the first of its
kind, debuts today at http://www.grolschgardens.com . Delivering delicious jolts of excitement via a truly innovative point-and-click experience, the Web site drops visitors into the middle of a film noir adventure and challenges them to untangle the complicated plot and save the beautiful Miriam Minx from the villains.

The mystery starts when Miriam, a lady in distress who needs to lay low for a while, leases a room with a view at the luxurious Grolsch Gardens Apartments. It’s not too long before Miss Minx is in love, and in trouble, again! Soon there is a missing lover, a painting has vanished, and a mystery only you can solve. The interactive site features a “rear window” that looks out onto the Grolsch Gardens complex and invites guests to peek into their neighbor’s windows in the search for clues.

And this isn’t the end of the road for our young heroine — the next installment of the Grolsch Gardens story is due to be released in fall 2007.

Groslch, beer, mystery

One of the fun things about writing this site is that occasionally, I get something fun to try and review for you. Yesterday, a box of True Blue Blueberry juice showed up at my front door. Now, you know from previous posts that I am a fan of blueberries. They’re high in antioxidants, generally good for you, and I like the way they taste.

True Blue was no disappointment. I was afraid that the blueberries would be an overdose and it might be bitter. Not so! The juice was sweet, but not too sweet. And it’s blended with grape juice, which made it all the smoother.

The box arrived on a good night. Last night was book club at my house, so we had additional victims to try this new stuff on. It was a hit with everyone. In fact, I lost one of the bottles to a guest! I have yet to try this juice IN anything — we just drank it straight last night (and made our way through a whole bottle, I might add.) It’s a refreshingly different taste that I didn’t tire of after a few sips.

But don’t take my word for it! Go try it. And check out http://www.trueblueberry.com for a coupon. (I love coupons.)

blueberries, true blueberry, juice

The strawberry industry announced that we are all in luck! Thanks to the craziness that late winter produced, weatherwise, the strawberry harvest is better than usual. I love strawberries. Especially with cream and champagne. Or chocolate. Or plain. So while I’m in a strawberry mood, I’m going to post an early recipe for your kid-friendly cinco de mayo celebration! Cheers!

This particular recipe comes from Ruggles ice cream, but since we don’t have Ruggles in the South, I’m not going to suggest any particular brand loyalty!

Ruggles Strawberry Frozen Moo-garitas
4 cups Ruggles Strawberry Premium Ice Cream
1 10-12-oz can Frozen, non-alcoholic margarita mix
1 quart Strawberries, thinly sliced
8 Whole strawberries, set aside from quart, for
garnish
1/2 Lime, thinly sliced, for garnish
1/2 cup Coarse sugar, to coat rims of serving glasses
Mix slightly softened Ruggles Strawberry Premium Ice Cream with 1
cup frozen margarita mix. Cover and put in freezer until needed.
Set aside eight nice, whole strawberries for garnish. Thinly slice
remainder of strawberries and combine with remaining frozen margarita mix.
Cover and chill in refrigerator.
Coat the rims of serving glasses with coarse sugar to resemble salt on
margarita glasses: Rub rims with a cut lime or dip the rims in a little
lime juice or water. Then dip in the sugar. Set aside.
To serve: Layer strawberry mixture with ice cream mixture. Thickness of
layers will depend on the type of serving dish. You may substitute any
parfait glass or ice cream sundae dish if you prefer not to use margarita
glasses.
Garnish with a fresh strawberry and/or a very thin slice of lime.
Makes 8 servings.

strawberry, ice cream, margarita

I love it when great products release easy recipes! I’m a big fan of the Simply Potatoes line of ready-to-fix potato products. The following recipe is one they’ve released for Easter brunch. I don’t think I’ll wait that long to try it!

Cheesy Hash Brown Pie
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Baking Time: 35 minutes
Serves: 8

Ingredients:
— 2 cups Simply Potatoes(R) Shredded Hash Browns
— 1/2 pound ground Italian sausage
— 1 small zucchini, cut in half crosswise, thinly sliced lengthwise
— 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
— 1 cup (8 ounces) AllWhites(R) Liquid Egg Whites
— 1 cup milk
— 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
— 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Sharp Wisconsin Cheddar cheese
— 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Wisconsin Asiago cheese

Instructions:
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter bottom and sides of 9-inch glass pie
plate.
Firmly press Simply Potatoes(R) on bottom and sides of pie plate. Bake
for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cook Italian sausage in 10-inch skillet until browned. Drain
fat. Layer cooked sausage, zucchini and red pepper over pre-baked
crust. Combine AllWhites(R), milk and mustard in large bowl; mix well.
Pour AllWhites(R) mixture over sausage and vegetables.
3. Return to oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until center is set.
Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 1 to 2 minutes or until cheese is
melted.

hashbrowns, brunch, recipes, cooking

I’m one of those folks who believes that having a fabulous sauce or seasoning at your disposal can absolutely MAKE a meal. It’s that well-stocked kitchen philosophy. Case in point? The fabulous sauces offered by Buckhead Gourmet. I have been a loyal fan of these folks since I first met them at my neighborhood Costco a couple of years ago. Since then, I’ve used these at home, bought them for teacher gifts, and included them in wedding gift baskets. I snagged the picture of their onion relish, because my husband’s favorite dish is grilled pork chops with this relish on top!

The site has a number of recipes, but I’m a big fan of just using the grilling sauces on pork chops, chicken, and fish. And I ADORE the Thai Chile Ginger sauce as a finishing sauce for… well, anything! I even like it for chicken fingers! So, go explore! I have yet to taste a sauce I don’t like from them. They also have a fabulous array of recipes! I’ll be trying the Pork-based Southwest Chipotle Chili this week!

Cooking, Sauces, Grilling, Chipotle, Pork Chops, Recipes, Southwest

Pernod Ricard has released a couple of yummy-looking drink recipes to offer us all (thank God) a St. Patrick’s Day alternative to green beer. YUCK! Note that these recipes are only intended for our over 21 elementary chefs!

Malibu Pot O’ Gold
1/2 part Malibu Rum
1/2 part Malibu Pineapple Rum
1 part pineapple juice
Shake and serve up in a martini glass; garnish with a lucky shamrock
(widely available in craft stores).

Kahlua White Leprechaun
2 parts Kahlua
1 part Jameson Irish Whiskey
2 parts half & half
Shake well with ice and strain into a rocks or martini glass. Garnish with
fresh mint and vanilla bean.

Beefeater Emerald Isle-tini
2 parts Beefeater Gin
1 part simple syrup
1 large mint leaf
Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled martini glass.
Garnish with sprig of mint.

Tezon Shamrock Shooter
1 part Tequila Tezon Blanco
1 part Jameson Irish Whiskey
1/2 part melon liqueur
1/2 part orange juice
Juice of lemon wedge
Serve either over ice in a highball glass or as a shooter. Garnish with a
single shamrock.

St. Patrick’s Day, cocktails, cooking

We tried something new today, and I can’t resist writing about it. My 3-year-old son and I were walking through Costco, in search of REAL tomatoes, and they were sampling “FruitaBu.” Now for those of you who are uninformed — as I was — FruitaBu is this new version of fruit leather. It follows along the lines of a fruit roll-up, but it’s made of “organic smooshed fruit.”

At Costco, they were handing out 1-inch strips of this smooshed fruit, and admittedly, 1-inch of smooshed fruit is tasty.

12-inches is not tasty. Or rather, it’s still tasty, you’re just very tired of it by the end.

My son asked for a roll as soon as we got to the car. Sure! No problem! It’s organic fruit, right? He made it through about a quarter of a roll before announcing it was “yucky.”

If you’re a HUGE fan of dehydrated fruits or fruit leather, then you’ll probably love this. As for my family, we’re sticking with fruit roll-ups!

My teenage daughter and I tried something new today — a CocoaVia chocolate almond snack bar. I can’t say that I blown away, but I was happy to eat something that did taste like chocolate and was only 80 calories for a bar. While this is NOT chocolate for foodies, for health-conscious chocaholics, this is worth a try. (For foodies, is there anything in the world that surpasses Lindor Truffles???)

According to Mars, the corporation behind such American favorites as M&M’s and Snickers, CocoaVia uses flavanols to help lower cholesterol and promote heart health. Like I needed an excuse to eat chocolate..!

The CocoaVia press release claims:

It may come as a surprise to chocolate lovers that it’s not the “milk” or “dark” chocolate that influences the amount of potentially heart-healthy cocoa flavanols in chocolate, but it’s the way the chocolate is processed. A common misconception is that only dark chocolate with a higher percentage of cocoa is rich in flavanols. However, Mars, Incorporated has researched cocoa for more than 15 years and found that it is the level of flavanols in the cocoa used in the chocolate, not the percent of cocoa, that truly matters.

Through its research, Mars, Incorporated has found a way to keep both milk and dark chocolate lovers happy this Valentine’s Day by pioneering a new technology to retain much of the naturally occurring cocoa flavanols. CocoaVia milk chocolate products have the same levels of cocoa flavanols as CocoaVia Dark Chocolate products. All CocoaVia milk and dark chocolate products contain at least 100 milligrams of cocoa flavanols per serving, the natural compounds in cocoa beans that help to promote heart health.

Further, Mars conducted a study to figure out how we actually FEEL about chocolate. Are you kidding me? Here are some of their findings.

— Chocolate knows no gender - men and women might differ on many choices but chocolate preferences are not one of them. Milk chocolate is preferred by 41 percent of women and 47 percent of men, while dark chocolate is preferred by 25 percent of women and 26 percent of men.
— Chocolate preferences might have something to do with your age - Milk chocolate is preferred by 62 percent of 18-24 year olds but when people reach the age of 35 years, 45 percent of people prefer dark chocolate to milk chocolate.
— There’s no need to debate over the great gift this Valentine’s Day - it turns out that chocolate is the number one gift to receive, beating out flowers and cards.

Hmm… Not sure how I feel about that last part. I love chocolate as much as the next girl, but I’d rather be given flowers. I will happily buy myself chocolate!

Of course you do. It’s almost impossible to cook without milk, although I do have some lactose intolerant friends who do wonders with liquid coffee mate… But for today, I want to answer another question — this one about milk.

If you’ve looked at the dairy case at the grocery lately, the selection is a bit intimidating. The most popular milks are sold based on the percentage of fat they retain. In addition to these stand-bys, you find a number of milks marketed by their additives. I typically keep both 2% and skim milk in my fridge. While I opt for skim milk for drinking, adding to coffee & tea, and cereal, I frequently cook with 2%. I just like the creamier consistency in a lot of my recipes!

Whole Milk retains the full fat value of milk. The actual fat percentage of whole milk hovers around 3.25%, but is slightly variable.

Reduced Fat Milk comes closest to retaining the taste of whole milk, but contains only 2% milk fat.

Low Fat Milk, when you can find it, contains 1% fat. For those who just can’t drink skim (like my husband!), this can be a good compromise.

Very Low Fat Milk, often harder to find, contains 1/2% fat. This has become a popular milk for marketing with additives.

Skim Milk is fat-free and very diet-friendly. Some people complain that it tastes like water, but I honestly can’t stand anything else, I’m so used to it. It also steams very well for lattes.

Half-and-Half is a blend of half cream and half milk, used mostly for coffee and tea, although I also use it in place of cream in heavy soups (like potato or cheese.)

Sweet Acidopholous adds acidopholous cultures and vitamins A&B to lowfat milk. Many people swear by this stuff, which is supposed to help prevent yeast infections and reduce gas (!!)

My daughter points out that I’m skipping a whole list of her favorite milks — like orange cream (yuck!) Suffice it to say that flavorings are added for just that — flavoring. An elementary-stocked kitchen should always have a gallon of fresh milk ready. A well-stocked kitchen should add cream or half-and-half and powdered milk.

Got milk?

I do love it when I get questions from readers. It makes my job so much easier! I got a question this afternoon about how to properly “zest” citrus fruits. Most commonly, a recipe will call for zest of lemon or lime. Sometimes (like in a recipe I plan to share just in time for Valentine’s Day!), the zest will be from an orange or some other citrus fruit. Regardless, the idea is the same, and you need a tool.

When you have properly zested a piece of fruit, the outer, colorful peeling will be gone, and you’ll be able just barely to see the white of the fruit. I have two favorite tools for this. My VERY favorite tool was a Christmas gift this year from my mother-in-law — the Microplane Zester. It’s INCREDIBLE, but God forbid you get your skin anywhere near it! This booger is SHARP! But it’s worth the danger. It does a fabulous job — just keep it covered and away from the kids. You can find these beauties at http://www.microplane.com, and they are well worth the investment.

My other favorite zester is for a different purpose. While the Microplane is fast, efficient, and oh-so-sharp, Pampered Chef makes a nice little zester for making “curly-cue” zests. These take a little longer, but they’re VERY cute — when you care about cute. This zester is available from Pampered Chef consultants — they do parties in your home — or online at http://www.pamperedchef.com.

Now, assuming you’re in a pinch, or not willing to invest in a good zester yet, you can use your cheese grater for this purpose. Just keep in mind that you want to keep the zest chopped fairly small (for better flavor) and you want to avoid getting the white rindy layers in your zest (it’s bitter.) So, opt with the smallest grater you own, and enjoy the citrusy goodness zest adds to all your dishes.

Can’t find a use for zest? How about these: on cupcakes, on broiled fish, in creams (whipped or other!)

Happy zesting!