Eat: Soup "A"

Who doesn't love Thai food? In Kingston, there are numerous Thai restaurants. Our favourite is Pat's. They don't have a website for you to visit, this Urbanspoon post is the closest. But this isn't a story about Pat's Restaurant (although you should go if you haven't already). This is a story about Soup A.
Before we tried Soup A, we were all about number 1 and number 6. Then, one day we were daring. We ordered Soup A. And were officially smitten. It warmed us up in a way numbers one and six didn't. And the serving is HUGE (we share it). We've tried other restaurants version of Soup A....but sadly they didn't compare. Pat's has a certain.....hmmm....it's creamier and richer than others. We set out on a mission to try to re-create it at home. So, here is how our Soup A (also know as Tom Yum Goon) turned out.

The Ingredients
Most followed us home on our last trip to Toronto, where there is a great Asian supermarket we love to visit. We fill our cart with exotic fruit and veggies, well priced fish and the best price on coconut milk ever.

• 1 can of coconut milk
• shrimp (we had peeled shrimp in the freezer, but I'd get shell on next time. I used 2 small bags)
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• juice of one lime
• ginger (I think technically you should use galangal. but I couldn't find any)
• thai basil
• lemongrass
• mushrooms....I used oyster and some others I found at the afore mentioned grocer
• curry paste, I found a jar of paste that was specifically for Tom Yum soup
• 1 litre ofchicken, fish or vegetable stock 

How I did it

I poured the stock into my pot. I then added a handful of shrimp shells from my freezer (I've been saving for well over a year, for a shrimp bisque recipe in a cook book I have. It will be epic when I have about 4lbs of shrimp shells. They are very light, so I suspect this will take me another year, unless we drastically increase our shrimp consumption) If you have unpeeled shrimp, don't bother with shells. Then I cut about 2" off my lemongrass stalk, crushed it a bit and threw that into the pot.

Then I added some slices of ginger and garlic, and let the whole thing simmer away for about 30 minutes.

I scooped out the floating bits and added my mushrooms

The darker coloured ones are oyster mushrooms. The little guys hiding under them are enoki, I'm not sure what the others are.

Curry paste, basil leaves and shrimp followed the mushrooms into the pot.

After the shrimp was pink, the coconut milk was slowly stirred in

Serve our Soup A over a mound of hot cooked rice, sprinkle some lime juice and garnish with cilantro. You'll soon see why the word "Yum" is in the name of the soup!

And Shawn found it "spoon worthy" Spoon worthy you ask? Well, that is a whole other story! I will share it soon!

 Soup A: Tom YUM Goon

The verdict
While very YUM, and deemed spoon worthy, I'd love to spend an afternoon in Pat's kitchen learning his secrets. For now, this is a fine substitute. Until then, when we need our real fix, it's to Pat's we will go. 

Eat: "C" is for Cookie

You know you're desperate for cookies when you turn the oven on at the end of July to bake. But have you met July 2014? Not so many hot days. So baking cookies today, not a big deal. It's our first day off as a family this summer. Shawn and Fintan have been busily re-vamping the barn for our hen and turkeys. The turkeys have outgrown their wee corner, and needed to move into the bigger room. Iain & I, well, we did our part, then went for a bike ride and upon our return, decided cookies were in order.
We had purchased white chocolate chips last week dreaming of reverse chocolate chip cookies.
But when I jumped on line, I couldn't find ANY recipes using spelt flour (remember, Shawn has been wheat free for well over a year now) So, I made up my own cookie recipe. Yep, I did. The last time I "invented" my own baking recipe, was the fruit juice cake when I was about 12. I don't think it was any good.

So here it is:
Spelt Reverse Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup room temperature butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs (yup, from our own barn!)
1/2 cup maple syrup (yup, from our own trees!)
2 cups spelt flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup cocoa
1 pkg white chocolate chips

Watching the timer on the first batch

Beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. (hint: we don't own a microwave. It blew up a couple of years ago, and we never bothered to replace it. We heat up coffee on the stovetop. If you're like me, and don't plan ahead to make your butter room temp, I run hot water on the outside of my stainless steel mixer bowl with the butter in it. It seems to soften it enough to work) Add the eggs and syrup. Beat until all fluffy.
In a separate bowl, mix flour, cocoa and baking soda. Add to wet mixture while still beating. Fold in chips. The mix is fairly wet, this made slightly cake-y cookies. If you prefer a crisper cookie, try adding another 1/4 cup flour. I was out, so settled for cake-y cookies. Still yummy.

Iain wanted to take them out

Drop by spoonful onto cookie sheet. 9 minutes at 350c in convection oven baked perfectly. Adjust to your oven.
Enjoy with cold glass of milk, about 7 minutes out of oven!!

I think that's a thumbs up!

Eat: Sunshine & Happiness in a Bowl

I was recently asked what motivates me. I emotionally stumbled through a rather predictable answer that involved my husband and sons.  But I wasn't totally satisfied with my answer. And then I stewed about it for a day and a half. Because that's what I do. Now, don't get me wrong, my family DOES motivate me, but I'd like to think that I am not totally defined by them. I mean, I was someone before I was a wife and mother, right? And somewhere in there that person is still here, she's just, well evolved.
So then, what else motivates me? Money? Nope (enough to get by seems to have been working for us) A smaller jean size? Sometimes.
I came up with it last night. Happy people motivate me. Think about it, if you do something to make others happy, you are motivated to doing more things to make them happy. If you are doing something that makes you happy, well, you're motivated to keep doing it, or other things like it! And when you surround yourself with happy people....well, you get the picture.
This epiphany came to me last night, the night before the first day of spring. And the day before the International Day of Happiness 
So, today I was motivated to do things that make me happy! I spent sometime with my youngest son this morning (ok...it was at the hospital because he is a typical 6 year old boy who falls and hurts himself, not to worry he is fine, under orders to not run or jump for two days....ummm, he's a 6 year old boy.) On our way back to school, we stopped at Starbucks for cookies and coffee (cookies=happy). I then visited with a friend, did some exercise, enjoyed some fresh air (a slow run on this snowy first day of spring) had a late afternoon cold beer with my husband. My sons helped me prep dinner, and then I cooked for my family. I love to cook, especially for others. And when it works, and everyone likes it, well that is just great!
So tonight, we had what I have renamed Sunshine & Happiness in a Bowl (even though we ate off plates) in honour of the First day of Spring, and International Day of Happiness. The Food & Drink magazine called it Coconut Shrimp Risotto with Lime & Mango.  Either way, it is a "make it again Mom" dinner....enjoy, and I wish you happiness to you and yours!

Eat: Wow!

I got a "wow" at dinner tonight.
I get a lot of, "Mmmmm...this is good." and "Thanks for dinner!"
But never a "Wow". That felt good, really good.

I thought at first it was for the lamb burgers I had made.  We had discussed dinner this morning, and I wanted to have some of our lamb. We hadn't tried any of the ground yet, but I certainly didn't want to "waste" it in spaghetti or anything. So I thought burgers. Which meant I had to figure out the bun issue, as Shawn is a non-wheat eater. I had made empanadas last night (We "landed" on Chile in our world tour, that blog entry will be up soon) and the dough made with spelt flour turned out quite nice, so I was feeling rather confident that I could come up with a bun (if it failed, we could always go bun-less).

So we build our burgers, sit down and Shawn takes a bite. And said "Wow". And then asked for a sandwich in his lunch for tomorrow. If you know him, he is not a big sandwich guy, even when he was a wheat-eater.

I found a number of recipes on line, and the one I followed (well, as well as I tend to follow recipes) was found on http://www.grainmillwagon.com/

WOW Spelt Flour Buns

• 3/4 cup warm water
• 1 tbsp yeast
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 cups spelt flour (I use 

1. Sprinkle yeast onto the water and let sit for 1-2 minutes

2. Pour water & yeast mixture into mixing bowl, and add butter, egg, honey and salt. Stir. Add 2 cups of flour and mix until dough comes together. I use my kitchen-aid mixer with the dough hook. Mix slowly, otherwise flour goes everywhere!

3. Add the third cup gradually until you have a smooth, soft dough that forms a nice ball.

4. Place in lightly greased bowl.

5. Cover with tea towel and set near fireplace, that as been burning all afternoon:) (or other warm, draft free place)

6. Let sit for an hour, until dough has risen.

7. Get your husband, who used to be a baker to form the buns. OR, divide dough into 8 balls, and shape into hamburger bun shaped balls.

8. Place on cookie sheet, and set near fire again for about an hour.

9. Brush tops with melted butter, bake at 375 for about 20 minutes.

10. Let cool, slice, and top with burger....and be prepared to be "wowed"

My favourite way to cook home made burgers:

Instead of grilling on the BBQ, after making your favourite burger, form the patties and brush one side with melted butter. Put in fridge until butter sets. Remove from fridge, flip over and butter other side. Put them back in the fridge. Get out that old cast iron frying pan that is lurking in the back of the cupboard, and put it on the stove top. Get it nice and hot, if you put a drop of water in it, it should sizzle and spit.

Remove butter coated patties from the fridge. Place in very hot pan. Let fry for about 5-6 minutes, than flip. Cook a few more minutes. The end result is a nice, crisp on the outside, super juicy on the inside burger, that is sure to wow!!

Eat: O Deer! I think I need a Drink now....

I married a hunter. I knew what I was getting myself into-or so I thought. Usually, it meant for a couple of weeks in November, I had the place to myself, and with luck, at the end of the season he would come home with these neat little packages of meat wrapped up in butchers paper.
Yep, I was blissfully not involved until dinner time-that is until we bought a house with land, huntable land.  Next thing I knew I was in my kitchen with a 4 month old in a jolly jumper, cutting up a deer with my husband. I must say, gave me a new appreciation for those neat little packages of meat.
A few days before the end of the last season, Shawn successfully took a deer with his bow. The only drawback was we had just finally got some snow. It was so fresh and abundant that he couldn't get the 4-wheeler through the snow. So, instead of putting the boys to bed (it was now 8pm) we bundled them up, strapped on our snowshoes, grabbed the wood hauling sled and head out by the light of the full moon to retrieve our venison.
When we arrived, Fintan wanted to share a prayer (one he had read in kindergarten)
"Oh sacred deer , you gave your life to me.
For that I give you Thanks
And I set your spirit free."
We then dragged out venison home. I then got another moment of blissful ignorance; Shawn does all the "dirty work"
Next time I see anything, it is hunks of meat hanging in our barn.  I get a call at work the next day-the kids are asking me to bring home crackers, for the pate they had made with Dad. Yep, my boys LOVE pate (and oysters) but they don't like Nutella!
8 days later, the "project" continues in the kitchen. Shawn has decided on no waste. Meat is being processed into chops, steaks and ground meat. Bones are first being boiled for stock, then picked clean for the bird suet he will make. The bones are then being dried in the oven, he will try to pulverise them into bonemeal for the garden in the spring. Fat is being melted into tallow, for candles and to make the bird suet. I believe there are plans for fishing lures with the tail. I have no idea how one tans a hide (not referring to idle threats from my mom when I was younger), but I'm sure he's already looked into it.
I am proud to be married to a hunter. There is a sense of pride when we hunt, gather and or grow our own food, even more so when our kids are involved; they understand where our food comes from.

Eat: Cookies!

Well, after the week (and a half) that we just had, this post should be about Drink. But, instead because I said I would go to the Kindergarten party, and bring cookies, this post is Eat. Even though I baked said cookies at 10 pm, after I got home from work. Wine was involved. And then when I iced said cookies at 8 am (with coffee) I will still file this post under Eat. And I will share what I think is the best sugar cookie recipe ever. Well, at least ever in my world. I found this recipe in....you got it, a magazine! Canadian Living last Christmas in fact (I've adjusted ever so slightly) and the icing recipe....adapted from Martha Stewart's Living.

Brown Sugar Citrus Sugar Cookies
3./4 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp each finely grated orange, lime and lemon zest
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder

Beat butter with sugars until fluffy. Beat in egg, vanilla and zest.
Whisk together flour and baking powder. Stir into butter mixture to form dough.
Divide in half, wrap and refrigerate until firm (at least 30 minutes)
Roll out to 1/4 inch thickness and cut. Refrigerate on lined baking sheet for 10 minutes before baking.
I find baking time to be anywhere from 8-12 minutes, depending on cookie size, at 350 F

Sugar Cookie Icing!
2 lbs of icing sugar
2/3 cup water (you may need more)
1/2 meringue powder (I get it at the Bulk Barn)
food colouring (I use paste, it is way better)

This make A LOT of icing. Blend everything except colour together. You want it to be the consistency of white glue. Divide into bowls to make colours.  If you want to paint it on, make it a bit thinner (think paint) if you want to pipe it on, keep it glue like. I have little squeeze jars with icing tips that I like to use. I also got this nifty little tool for Christmas:

Eat, Play, Laugh & Drink......Chapter 1

Can one person keep two blogs? I will certainly try.....My first blog chronicles my family's Culinary World Tour, it's relatively easy to keep, as I have a specific topic to blog about each week. This blog is to house the (seemingly) random things that occur in our daily life.
Like EAT:
When I was trying to pack lunches this morning (while both boys were eating different breakfasts) they both requested different lunches (Iain wanted the "cow cheese" and crackers, and Fintan wanted "Chicken Curry in a Hurry" (my own creation, see below for "recipe")

and PLAY
We are blessed to live in the "country" with a backyard that consists of 2 acres, half wooded and half open space, not to mention the swamp and the lake across the road.  We have the best playground ever.....I wonder why we even buy toys, as the boys mostly play with sticks and mud. Just yesterday, I needed to log in a run (I'm training for a ridiculous race, more on that later) So I ran the hill in front of our house 10 times, while the boys played Survivor Man by the swamp...

and LAUGH
So Fintan (in grade 2) has choir once a week. He was singing "Land of the Silver Birch" the other day, and I joined in. He looked at me in amazement and exclaimed "Mom! You know this song???" (laugh #1) I was taken back to my childhood and now understand a story that involves me, a grade 8 dance and Stairway to Heaven (a favorite story of my Mom's to tell)
Anyhow, I tried to correct him on the way to sing the notes (anyone who knows of my singing ability will be laughing right now) and I asked him if the teacher has taught them cords....you know do, re, mi..... his response? "Oh yes Mommy, she's very fussy about that" (laugh #2) "If she catches us singing the wrong note, she makes us sing alone. But she's really nice"

and DRINK
Hmm, which story to share here? Yesterday was Shawn's birthday + Sunday night curling.....I'll leave it at that for now:)

Well, I'll leave things here, and hope to use this wee space on the "inter-web" to log some memories.....when I've completely lost marbles some day, hopefully I can come back here and remember.
Cheers!

My "recipe" for Chicken Curry in a Hurry

• leftover chicken
• leftover cooked rice
• whatever bits of vegetable are kicking around in the bottom of the fridge (or from the frozen bag in the freezer)
• 1 egg
• spoonful (or to taste) brown sugar
• generous shake of curry powder
• generous shake of soy sauce

1. melt some butter or oil in a fry pan
2. throw chicken, rice and veg into pan
3. stir fry until warm
4. add curry, sugar and soy sauce 
5. crack and egg (or 2) and scramble the whole mixture up

Serve! Hey...your kid's eating curry