Thai Curry Chicken

The Greek had an accident at work many years ago and nearly lost his nose. You can't tell by looking at him, who ever the surgeon was did a great job, but he lost most of his sense of smell. We've recently determined that he can taste sweet, sour and spicy better than anything else. That explains his love of chocolate, pickled anything and peppers.

Lucky for him, my boys are getting used to the spicy thing. Rabbit can eat things almost as hot as I can and Horse tolerates a little bit of heat now. Gives me a wider range of things to cook. This week it was...

Thai Curry Chicken

1 T Oil
1/4 c Thai curry paste (I like either red or masman), more if you like it hotter
6-8 chicken thighs
2 T brown sugar
2T fish sauce
1 can coconut milk

I buy it in a big tub, you can get it in little cans too.

Heat oil in a heavy pot and add the curry paste. Saute until bubbly. Add chicken thighs, brown sugar, fish sauce and coconut milk. Bring to a boil and cover. Reduce heat to a low boil. Cook for at least 45 min, stirring once about midway. If you like the sauce a little thicker, boil with the cover off for a few minutes.

Serve over rice. You can also add any veggies you want during the last 10-20 min of cook time. I added bamboo shoots but potato, carrots, broccoli, bell pepper, snap peas all work well too.

Treats From Over The Border

Whenever I move to a different city/state, there is usually something I miss and can't get in the new location.  This is always true for Hawaiian specialty foods but applies to other things as well.

Di moved up to Canada almost 2 years ago and there are things she can't get there, like See's candy.  I promised her a box when I finally move to Arizona since there aren't any really close to where I am now.  i send her occasional care packages with goodies.  I'll show you what is in the current one as soon as she gets it as i don't want to ruin her surprise.

We are finding that even the same products will have different variations in Canada as they do in the US.   For instance Activia dessert comes in strawberry, cherry, vanilla and lemon for our northern neighbors.  The US flavors are peach cobbler, vanilla bean, blueberry cheesecake and strawberry cheesecake.

 I also have another friend in Canada who sends me goodie boxes for special occasions and I get to try out different things from over the border.

I think I wrote about US Smarties vs Canadian Smarties.  US Smarties are small tart disks, like pressed powder.  Canadian Smarties are closer to M&M's but with a thicker candy shell.  This is a bagful that my friend sent for the boys.

These may look like Cheetos but they don't taste like them.  They have the same type of signature orange cheese powder but Cheesies are harder and have more of a corn flavor.  I enjoy having a bag now and then, too bad they don't come in a baked version.

My friend has talked about this for a long time.  She calls it sticky finger chicken.  It's Shake and Bake but in a honey garlic flavor.  They don't sell this in the US, I haven't found it in any store nor is it on their US website.  I tried this on chicken wings recently and I'm hooked!  I told Di to check on how much it was at her local Walmart and I would send her money to send a few boxes.  The kids will love them and it's an easy meal for me.

Do you have things that you make your family or friends send you from another state or country?  I'll tell you about some others another day.

Chicken Verde

Cinco de Mayo was on Thursday and I had two corn tortillas with a bit of cheese and canned chili on top.  Not a very satisfying meal.  We had some tomatillos I had purchased to try and duplicate this salsa verde we had at a restaurant here that The Greek loved.  I figured he could wait for his salsa because I wanted something really good and well, what I want comes first ...right?  At least when the kids aren't here.

So I put the tomatillos and a couple of jalapeños in a roasting pan and drizzled them with a tiny bit of oil.  Rub them all over and put the pan in a 400 degree oven.  I don't remember how long it was but until they are browned (maybe 30 min).  I took them out and let them cool off.  I pulled just the stems out of the jalapeños but if you don't want it too spicy you can take the seeds out too.

Then I threw it all in a blender, including the liquid.  I added 2 big cloves of garlic and a whole onion cut in chunks.  Blend until pureed.  Then I added 1 tsp of salt and about 1 cup of fresh cilantro.  Blend again until well pureed.  I put in the fridge overnight but you can use it right away if you want.

I took chicken thighs (8) but any amount is good.  I browned them slightly in a big pot, then threw the tomatillo mixture in along with about a heaping tsp of dried oregano.  Add water if you need to but not much. Bring to a boil and turn down to a gentle boil and cover.  Cook for about an hour, stirring occasionally.  Add more water if you need to OR if it's too thin, partly uncover the pot and let it boil down a bit.

You can serve it as is, with veggies or rice on the side.

Or wrap it in tortillas.  I LOVE good corn tortillas.

You could use pork in this dish also.  It turned out really well and satisfied my Mexican food craving!

Cream Chicken

There are certain things my boys request me to cook every time they come.  The main one we call Cream Chicken or Cream Porkchops.  The basic recipe is the same, I either use chicken thighs or pork steaks.  I devised this recipe during one of my low carb phases.  It is simple and doesn't use exotic ingredients.


Creamed Chicken
8 chicken thighs (more or less)
1 clove of garlic, crushed
A little oil for the pot
1 can of chicken broth (or 1 1/2 cups of water and a bullion cube)
1 1/2 c of heavy cream (whipping cream)
Seasonings of your choice:   Pepper, sage ( I love this one), bay leaf, oregano....(not all at the same time, unless you want to)
Salt, maybe

Heat oil in a big pot or very large skillet and add garlic clove.  Stir for a minute then lay the chicken skin side down and brown, then turn over and lightly brown the other side.  You may need to do this in batches depending on how big your pot is.

Put all the chicken back in the pot and pour the chicken broth over it and add any seasonings you would like.  Don't add any salt yet.  Bring to a boil and turn down the heat.  When you lift the lid, the broth should be bubbling enough to nearly cover the chicken, if not turn it up a bit.  If it wants to boil over, turn it down.  Cover.  After 30 min, move meat around so that any pieces on top are now on the bottom.  Cover and simmer for another 30 min.  Take the lid off and boil the liquid until most of it is evaporated.  There should be between a quarter and a half cup.  Stir in the heavy cream and bring to a boil again.  If it's not as thick as you want (it shouldn't be too thick)  boil for a few more minutes.  Taste, I usually don't need salt but correct the seasonings as you see fit. I serve this with rice or couscous.  If I'm low carbing, mashed cauliflower or even steamed or sauteed shredded cabbage is awesome to pick up the sauce.

Not a pretty plate unless you are the one who gets to eat it!

I tried to make this a little healthier for those not on a low carb diet.  After boiling and reducing the stock, skim off any excess oil.  Add a can of evaporated skim milk and bring to a boil again.  Mix half a cup of cold water and 2 tsp of cornstarch and add to pot.  Stir until thick then turn off.

To my kids, this is Momma's cooking and Momma is always happy to make it for them.