Bon Appetite Part 2- Thai soup

Can you say Tom Kha Gai three times fast? I sure can't but it's fun to try! ;-)

Anyway, I have these fabulous friends whose names are Matt and Melissa. Oh, and they have this fabulous little guy named Caleb. Once you see their pics, you will think them to be super fab as well. ;-)

The other night we had a soup called Tom Kha Gai. It was absolutely delicious! It consisted of bite sized chicken cooked in a mixture of chicken broth, coconut milk, spices and lemon grass. They also added sliced carrots and onions. This soup is to die for people. You really need to try it if you like Asian food. Oh, and did I mention the tiny little jalapeño peppers that pack a huge wallop of heat in them? Yup,they were thrown in there too.


Here is the recipe for those who would like to take a cooking adventure.
Ingredients:
4 cups chicken broth
8 large slices peeled fresh galangal or 4
slices peeled fresh ginger
1 large lemongrass stalk, cut into 2-inch pieces,
crushed
16 fresh kaffir lime leaves, torn in half, or grated zest of 1 large lime
2 cans (each 14 oz.) coconut milk
1/4 cup lime or lemon juice
2 to 3 Tbs. Thai fish sauce
2 Tbs. light brown sugar
1 Tbs. red chili paste
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into
bite-size pieces
1/2 lb. fresh white mushrooms, brushed clean and
thinly sliced
5 small fresh red or green chilies, sliced
crosswise paper-thin
Fresh cilantro leaves for garnish
Directions:
In a large saucepan, combine the broth, galangal, lemongrass and lime leaves. Place over medium heat and slowly bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute.

Reduce the heat to low, add the coconut milk, stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Add the lime juice, fish sauce, brown sugar and chili paste; mix well and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the chicken pieces and simmer until tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and simmer until tender, about 1 minute more.

To serve, ladle into warmed bowls. Float the chili slices and cilantro leaves on top.
Serves 4 to 6.

Here is a picture of Matt pounding the life out of the Lemon Grass. LOL!


Little Caleb wondering what the heck is daddy doing and, by the way, where is MY food?


Matt did a great job cutting up that chicken.


Melissa did a great job cutting up the onions and carrots. They both make a great team.


Melissa ecstatic about eating her soup. Teee heee! ;-)


Awe, Caleb finally got his dinner. Num Num...


The finished product. Bon Appetite!

Bon Appetite-Part 1--Iron Chef

So, there are 3 events that I am covering today, but I will do them in installments.

Event #1: Girls Pampered Chef night.
Here is how we do it. Everyone agrees on a main ingredient, and then brings all of their items to make the dish at one location. No one knows what the other person is going to make, so it's a great surprise when we all start cooking together. This last one was a couple weekends ago and the main ingredient was peanuts.

Here is the chicken I made for my Orange-Honeyed Peanut Chicken dish over rice


Here is me using my brand new zester. I am zesting the orange for my sauce.


Here is me scooping out the Jasmine Rice for my dish.



I added Honey, Orange Juice Concentrate, and Green Onions to my sauce. When all was said and done, I added orange slices on top of the chicken and placed it over a bed of jasmine rice.

My friend Patty cooking up her scallops. Yup, you would never believe how delicious scallops can be with peanuts. YUM!


The finished scallops made with a cherry-orange juice reduction. Peanuts were laid on top.


My roommate Monika cooking up her stir-fried green beans with a Thai peanut sauce. YUM!


The finished stir fried green beans. They were divine!


My friend Michele cooking up her Pioneer Women's chicken wraps with chopped peanut's on top. They were absolutely delicious.


The meat for the wraps cooking.


My roommate Gennae whipping up our desert. Peanut Butter and Banana milk shakes with Vanilla icecream and chunks of dark chocolate. DELISH!


Serving them up.


So there you go. This was our Iron Chef second edition. We plan on doing more of these in the future and they are absolutely fun. You should try it sometime. It is a great way to get to know people and it brings on creativity and laughter.

Bon Appetite! ;-)

You won't relent - Jesus Culture

You know, worship is a great way to get into the presence of the Lord. I do not do it often enough but am wanting to make it a habit to do so. For me, when I fall short of spending quality time with God, things do not always run as smoothly as I would like. I am sure that it is the same for many people out there too. These 2 songs I heard this morning really touched me and gave me strength today. Enjoy.

I am so excited, and I just can't hide it...

Drum roll please................... This is my very first blog post on my brand spankin new lap top. I am so excited, and I think I like it, I'm about to lose control and I think I like it. Ya ya ya ya! ;-)

For so many years I have wanted--or should I say "drooled" over having a laptop. I almost even foamed at the mouth. ;-)

I remember back when I was in YWAM in 2006. I hated not having access to my own computer. We had to go to the library and wait for your turn to get on the net. Frustrating. But now, I can travel around and enjoy life's every day joys--technology.

I am also excited about going to coffee shops and different places and be able log on to the net, blog and journal. Saweet! ;-)

OK,so here is the nerd side of me coming out. My laptop has a 10 key pad. I think I was most excited about that than anything else--maybe.

Here are some pictures.
Sorry for the glare on this one.



And then the Piece De Resistance (sp?)
The 10 key pad. I am such a geek! LOL


So, happy 10 keying- I mean typing everyone. ;-)

Freaked out!

OK, so today being Monday as well as Month end close for me at work, I was supposed to set my alarm to 5 am so I could get to the office by 6am. Well, long story short I made it, but in the nick of time.

The rest of this blog is not for the faint of heart. Just a warning.

You are probably wondering why I am even writing about this? Well, I'll tell ya....

Here's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

A little before 5am this morning I woke up from a nightmare. I was breathing hard and was sweaty! Gross! The nightmare was about me driving at night in a neighborhood located in the woods. I could not find my way--I kept getting turned around. Finally, I stopped at someone’s house and asked for help. I got out of my car to talk to this lady and my hair got caught on a tree branch and I felt it tug my "bouffant" out of place. ;-) As I was talking to the lady who was helping me, I felt a weird movement at the base of my neck, inside my hair--I knew it was a bug. A big, gigantor bug. Moving and squirming around----IN MY HAIR!!!

The lady who was helping me was trying to give me directions while internally I am freaking out over hear. I asked her to help me get the massive creature out of my hair which she in turn had to cut in half to get it out. GROSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!! I turned around and looked at it and it looked part mammal/part insect. OK, CREAPY!

And then I woke up.

I can still picture what the bug looked like and how it felt.

I am totally grossed out.

And disturbed.

Thanks for reading this.

Sorry if I grossed you out too.

Have a fabulous Monday.

Charging on...

Well, I made it to Thursday everyone. I am sore as all get out and there is still more torture--I mean exercise to come. ;-)

Tuesday I met with my personal trainer for the second time, but it was our first time to actually work out. On my first session with her, we talked about me and how I am doing with my cardio workouts. Then we talked about what she is planning on having me do. So it was just a get-to-know-you session.

Anyway, on Tuesday we did a full 45 to 50 minute full body circuit in the weight area. I am re-training my body on how to maintain balance and working muscles I haven't worked in a LOOOOONG time. ;-) In my future sessions with her, I can only do half our segments so hopefully I can still learn a lot from her during that time.

Today I made a really yummy and extremely low calorie breakfast. I had some steel cut oats.

mixed in 2 semi-heaping tablespoons of ground flax seed.

And threw in some frozen blue berries. I also added 1 package of sweet-n-low.

Whala!!! Yummers!! Very tasty.

On another note-sorry this post is so random- I am finally entering into the laptop world. I have wanted my own laptop for years and have been researching them for quite some time. I have to admit, I am overwhelmed by all the possibilities out there. Sheesh! But I think I know what I want. So, pictures-hopefully-to come on that once I get my gift to me. ;-)

Anyway, have a fabulous day everyone. Tootles! ;-)

It's what I want to know...Volume 1

I don't know about you, but I certainly like to know what I am eating and why I am eating it. So, periodically I do some research on the health benefits of some of the items that tend to be main staples in my fridge. The real reason why I am blogging about this stuff is so that I can go back to this info from time to time and remember what kind of foods I need to continue eating--and hopefully help other with getting healthy as well.

Cucumbers. ;-) Exciting right? LOL.


Health benefits of Cucumber
-Very low in calories; provides just 15 calories per 100 g. Contains no saturated fats or cholesterol. Cucumber peel is a good source of dietary fiber that helps reduce constipation and offers some protection against colon cancers.

-It is a very good source of potassium, an important intra-cellular electrolyte. Potassium is a heart friendly electrolyte; helps reduce blood pressure and heart rates by countering effects of sodium.

-It contains unique anti-oxidants in good ratios such as beta-carotene and alpha-carotene, vitamin-C, vitamin-A, zea-xanthin and lutein. These compounds help act as protective scavengers against oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play a role in aging and various disease process.

-Cucumbers have mild diuretic property probably due to their high water content which is helpful in checking weight loss and high blood pressure.

-Cucumbers surprisingly have relatively high amount of vitamin K, provides about 17 mcg of this vitamin per 100 g. Vitamin K has potential role in the increase of bone mass by promoting osteotrophic activity in the bone. It also has established role in Alzheimer's disease patients by limiting neuronal damage in the brain.
This information was found on this website "http://health.learninginfo.org/nutrition-facts/cucumber.htm".


Health & Nutrition Benefits of Eating Sweet Potatoes



-Being rich in dietary fiber, sweet potato lowers the risk of constipation, diverticulosis and colon and rectal cancer.
-Sweet potatoes have been found to helpful in minimizing the risk of heart disease, diabetes and obesity.
-Sweet potato is a good snack for those trying to lose weight. It induces a feeling of fullness soon and thus, helps control food intake.
-Consumption of sweet potatoes has been known to help avoid stroke, by bringing down the harmful effects of low-density cholesterol & preventing blood clots.
-The presence of beta-carotene in sweet potato helps the body fight against free radicals and thus, prevents cancer.
-Since sweet potatoes have a low glycemic index, they can be consumed by those suffering from diabetes, without any apprehensions.
-The high amount of potassium in sweet potato helps the body in maintaining fluid and electrolyte balance as well as cell integrity.
-Sweet potatoes have been found to be beneficial for blood purification as well as lowering of blood pressure.
-Owing to the presence of iron and calcium, sweet potatoes ensure proper blood flow and also improve bone density.
-Regular consumption of sweet potato is good for stomach ulcers and inflamed conditions of the colon.
-Being rich in vitamins and minerals, sweet potato is good for people involved in heavy muscular work
This information was found on this website "http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/benefits-of-sweet-potato-2119.html"