This blog post might be a little lame. But it is three unrelated thoughts that I want to bring up, but I don't think any of them truly deserve their own blog post.
So here goes:
1) Today is a snow day. That is the great thing about working and going to school at the same place! When one is closed, the other is always closed too! Oh, how I love a good snow day. Although really, I end up driving more because I have to drive my husband to work on the other side of town, and then go pick him up later. The University is only a 3 minute drive from our house - haha! But at least I get to lay in bed and have good intentions of doing lots of things and really never end up doing any of them. It's a blast!
2) I feel like I need to explain that my apartment has very few windows. This seems like a kind of weird thing to say, but you need to understand that it affects my pictures. I am going to try to take lots of pictures of the food I will be making, but a lack of windows in my kitchen makes it challenging lighting-wise. We only have two small windows in our apartment that lead outside, and one that leads to a garage. It's pretty much night time all the time in here!
3) I am in the process of applying for graduate schools. I presently have a BBA and a BA in Communications and I just don't know what to do next! So if anyone has any suggestions I would love to hear them! I don't care where the University is - I am open to travelling anywhere!
Okay, that's all. I am telling myself that I will bake things today, but considering my thought #1, that might be unlikely. If I do though, I will definitely post about it!
Amy
P.S. - The other day I made Delicious Cheddar Puffs (from PW of course). I was in a rush and was making them for my Bible Study, and so they didn't look as great as PW's, but I got a lot of compliments. They are fairly simple to make and don't take a lot of time. I also didn't have room in a freezer to freeze them so I just put them in a fridge. I didn't get a picture since I was in a rush, but you should try them!
P.P.S. - I am also going to shamelessly promote PW's Cinnamon Toast. Honestly, try it. It is the best (tasting) snack in the world. I used to make the toast using Approach #3, but I will never go back. It tasted phenomenal the way she makes it! And is definitely worth the wait!
P.P.P.S - This has become way more than three thoughts. BUT, my marvelous older sister, Laura has entered a picture of the cutest baby in the world (my nephew) in a contest. You should vote for her! The picture with the most likes will win a free photoshoot, and I know she would love it! If you head on over to Pam McCready Photography on Facebook and add her as a friend, you can vote for Laura's picture. The picture is of Cameron looking very unimpressed with a New Years hat on! Also, Pam McCready does great photography. You should hire her.
That is all for realz this time, homeslices (just joking - I am really not a gangster!)
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
ฮันนี่ไก่ไทยถั่วลิสง
orrrr... Thai Honey Peanut Chicken. For those of us who aren't fluent in Thai.
That is what we had for supper last night - Thai Honey Peanut Chicken.
I had found the recipe a while ago online, and I pretty much love anything with "Thai", "Honey", "Peanut", or "Chicken" in the title. So when they all came together in a title, I figured I had struck gold!
There was only one problem.
The recipe calls for the chicken to be marinated for two to three hours before cooking. And, well, you see, I work 8:30-4:30 everyday, and my dear husband works (usually) 9:30-6:00 everyday - and he gets the car. So, I don't get home until about 6:30 from work everyday, and by then I don't have time to marinate chicken for two to three hours. If I tried, I am pretty sure my husband would resort to eating his own arm or something.
So, I took the chicken out to start thawing before I went to bed on Sunday night, and made the marinade. Yesterday morning before leaving for work, I cut the chicken up, re-mixed the marinade and threw the chicken in with it. So instead of marinating for 2-3 hours, the chicken marinated for about 11. This fact is somewhat important, because I think it led to some of my problems a little later on in the recipe.
The good thing about marinating it in the morning was that it made a really quick supper when we got home. I just threw the chicken (and the marinade) into the skillet and cooked it up. The only issue is that my chicken didn't come out looking perfectly like the chicken in the recipe picture. Mine looked much darker, almost burnt.
But - don't worry - it wasn't burnt. The marinade had just gotten lumpy around the chicken and made the chicken look a lot darker. It also meant that I didn't have all that good sauce to put on my veggies and rice. Which was kind of lame.
I think there are most likely two reasons for this faut pas. The first is that I let it marinade longer than I was supposed to. Luckily, it didn't break down the meat, but it might have done funky things to the sauce. My second hypothesis is that when I turn my stove on to a setting higher than the lowest - it gets really hot. And I imagine the pan was too hot and that did funky things to the sauce too.
I also didn't have sesame seeds or chopped cilantro. So my chicken looks a lot less appetizing than in the recipe picture.
But, let me tell you - it was some good! I don't like Curry Powder all that much - so I only used the mild stuff - and I could barely taste it! I think my poor husband was slightly upset that I hadn't used the hot stuff, but I don't have that kind of balls. So I didn't.
Even though it looks awful and didn't have yummy sauce to go with it, this is definitely a keeper. I am pretty sure Dave told me four times while he was eating it that he really liked it and wanted to have it again.
Hopefully next time I can try to get it right.
Edit: For those of you like my sister who didn't know the sweet recipe link I put up top (look for the word 'recipe' in blue). You can also find it here.
 |
| Last night's yummy supper! Eaten January 24th, 2011 |
That is what we had for supper last night - Thai Honey Peanut Chicken.
I had found the recipe a while ago online, and I pretty much love anything with "Thai", "Honey", "Peanut", or "Chicken" in the title. So when they all came together in a title, I figured I had struck gold!
There was only one problem.
The recipe calls for the chicken to be marinated for two to three hours before cooking. And, well, you see, I work 8:30-4:30 everyday, and my dear husband works (usually) 9:30-6:00 everyday - and he gets the car. So, I don't get home until about 6:30 from work everyday, and by then I don't have time to marinate chicken for two to three hours. If I tried, I am pretty sure my husband would resort to eating his own arm or something.
So, I took the chicken out to start thawing before I went to bed on Sunday night, and made the marinade. Yesterday morning before leaving for work, I cut the chicken up, re-mixed the marinade and threw the chicken in with it. So instead of marinating for 2-3 hours, the chicken marinated for about 11. This fact is somewhat important, because I think it led to some of my problems a little later on in the recipe.
The good thing about marinating it in the morning was that it made a really quick supper when we got home. I just threw the chicken (and the marinade) into the skillet and cooked it up. The only issue is that my chicken didn't come out looking perfectly like the chicken in the recipe picture. Mine looked much darker, almost burnt.
But - don't worry - it wasn't burnt. The marinade had just gotten lumpy around the chicken and made the chicken look a lot darker. It also meant that I didn't have all that good sauce to put on my veggies and rice. Which was kind of lame.
I think there are most likely two reasons for this faut pas. The first is that I let it marinade longer than I was supposed to. Luckily, it didn't break down the meat, but it might have done funky things to the sauce. My second hypothesis is that when I turn my stove on to a setting higher than the lowest - it gets really hot. And I imagine the pan was too hot and that did funky things to the sauce too.
I also didn't have sesame seeds or chopped cilantro. So my chicken looks a lot less appetizing than in the recipe picture.
But, let me tell you - it was some good! I don't like Curry Powder all that much - so I only used the mild stuff - and I could barely taste it! I think my poor husband was slightly upset that I hadn't used the hot stuff, but I don't have that kind of balls. So I didn't.
Even though it looks awful and didn't have yummy sauce to go with it, this is definitely a keeper. I am pretty sure Dave told me four times while he was eating it that he really liked it and wanted to have it again.
Hopefully next time I can try to get it right.
Edit: For those of you like my sister who didn't know the sweet recipe link I put up top (look for the word 'recipe' in blue). You can also find it here.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Blackheads and other imperfections
I love my husband, I really do. But he is no Mr. Darcy.
Well, maybe I should say he is a Mr. Darcy. Think back with me to that first dance, when Bingley tells Darcy he should dance with Elizabeth, and Darcy says:
"She is tolerable, I suppose, but not handsome enough to tempt me; I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men. You had better return to your partner and enjoy her smiles, for you are wasting your time with me."
For those who haven't read the book or seen the movie, this comes back to bite Darcy later. But the quote sums up my husband pretty well. Dave is always saying things that are somewhat offensive and yet humorous when he says them, because I know he does not mean to be offensive (or at least I hope). There was the time he rated me on a scale from 1-10 and then proceeded to rate himself higher than me (in real life and on our wedding day). And then there was the time he told me I looked really good, but he wasn't really sure why.
Last night was no exception to Dave's daring dialogue. We were lying in bed reading as we normally do, and then Dave decided to point out a flaw on my nose.
D: What are those dots on your nose?
A: What? I have dots on my nose? (Rushes to look in the mirror only to discover he is speaking of my blackheads)
A: Umm, those are my blackheads
D: Eww, they are gross - can you get rid of them?
A: I could try, but I don't have the right stuff for it. You know, you have blackheads too.
D: I do? That is disgusting. But yours are just so, so distracting. I can't keep my eyes off of them.
I guess I shouldn't be complaining. At least I have a husband who 'can't keep his eyes off of me'. Ha!
Well, maybe I should say he is a Mr. Darcy. Think back with me to that first dance, when Bingley tells Darcy he should dance with Elizabeth, and Darcy says:
"She is tolerable, I suppose, but not handsome enough to tempt me; I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men. You had better return to your partner and enjoy her smiles, for you are wasting your time with me."
For those who haven't read the book or seen the movie, this comes back to bite Darcy later. But the quote sums up my husband pretty well. Dave is always saying things that are somewhat offensive and yet humorous when he says them, because I know he does not mean to be offensive (or at least I hope). There was the time he rated me on a scale from 1-10 and then proceeded to rate himself higher than me (in real life and on our wedding day). And then there was the time he told me I looked really good, but he wasn't really sure why.
Last night was no exception to Dave's daring dialogue. We were lying in bed reading as we normally do, and then Dave decided to point out a flaw on my nose.
D: What are those dots on your nose?
A: What? I have dots on my nose? (Rushes to look in the mirror only to discover he is speaking of my blackheads)
A: Umm, those are my blackheads
D: Eww, they are gross - can you get rid of them?
A: I could try, but I don't have the right stuff for it. You know, you have blackheads too.
D: I do? That is disgusting. But yours are just so, so distracting. I can't keep my eyes off of them.
I guess I shouldn't be complaining. At least I have a husband who 'can't keep his eyes off of me'. Ha!
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