Restaurant Worthy Chicken Pad Thai

I have a thing for Thai food. Pad Thai and Massaman curry are probably in my top 5 favorite foods right after french fries, pepperoni pizza, and maple doughnuts. I have a very mature palate (not).

Buttttt it's a bit expensive. And my favorite Thai place is 45 minutes away so after searching and testing and trying and crying I finally found a pad thai recipe that I love.

This is not the easiest thing to make only because it calls for a lot of ingredients I don't normally keep on hand, but I bought them once and now am surprised at how often I use them. I got them at an Asian market for pretty cheap which is a bonus, plus Andrew claims that he could eat this meal every night so we put those ingredients to good use.

If you are a Thai food fan, you're going to love this. Enjoy.

Restaurant Worthy Chicken Pad Thai

Adapted from  The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook

Ingredients:

PAD THAI SAUCE:
4 Tbsp. pad thai paste
2 tsp. tamarind paste/concentrate
2 Tbsp. fish sauce
3 tsp. sugar
2/3 cup water
1 to 4 tsp. Asian Chilli sauce (preferably Sriracha) or 1 to 2 tsp. Asian Chilli powder or ground red pepper (I used a little more than 2 tbs Sriracha and it was the perfect spicy for us, I'd call it medium.)

PAD THAI NOODLES:
8 ounces dried rice noodles (medium thickness)
3 Tbsp. high-heat cooking oil (I used peanut oil for flavor but any kind will do)
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 large chicken breast, cut into pieces
1 Tbsp. finely minced (about 3 large garlic cloves)


optional:
1 large carrot, thinly sliced
1/4 cup peas
4 green onions (scallions), cut into 1-inch lengths (I omitted this)
1 cup fresh bean sprouts  (I omitted this)
1 lime, cut into wedges  (I omitted this)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped unsalted dry roasted peanuts or cashews

Instructions:1.  In a large bowl, soak the rice noodles in hot water (not boiling, just hot straight from the tap) for 10 to 15 minutes.
2.  Combine the ingredients for the Pad Thai Sauce in a bowl.
3.  Check back on the noodles.  The noodles are sufficiently soaked when they are flexible but still a bit stiff.  Drain them and set aside.
4.  In a wok or large saute pan over high heat, add just 1 Tbsp. of the oil.  When the oil is very hot, add the beaten eggs and swirl gently while it sets.  Use your spatula to scramble the eggs and then remove from the pan.
5.  Wipe the pan clean.  Return the heat to high and add the remaining 2 Tbsp. of the oil.  When the oil is very hot, add the chicken and fry until cooked almost through.  Push the chicken to one side (or up the sides of the wok).  To an empty area of the pan, add garlic and carrots, peas and green onions and stir-fry 15 to 30 seconds until fragrant.  Add the drained noodles, the cooked eggs and the Pad Thai Sauce.  Toss until all ingredients are well combined.  Cover the pan and let simmer until the noodles are soft and cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes.  Check at the 2 minute mark and if the noodles are still a bit stiff, cover and cook another minute.  The noodles should have soaked up a lot of the sauce, and you should taste a combination of sweet, salty, a little heat and a zing of tartness.  If desired, serve with the fresh bean sprouts, lime wedges and chopped peanuts at the table.

Dense Lemony Pound Cake

Today was an awesome day. Thursdays don't usually rank that high on the "days to look forward to" list, but this one makes it. Why? Because today the event I've been planning for the last 3 months or so wen't off without a hitch.

Even better, it was a huge success!

(Photo from media coverage of the event)

I love events. Hosting/being part of an event is probably my favorite part of my job. I am a huge organizational nerd so planning every nit-picky detail and crossing off my 5 page to-do list is exciting. And yes, events are a lot of pressure and can be a lot of stress, but I and love creating (with the help of a ton of people) an awesome final product and seeing people enjoying themselves. I also enjoy working with amazingly talented people who come up with awesome ideas and make my job easier.

So great. Please fate, let my next job be in events.

Speaking of jobs, Andrew and I are moving to San Francisco in August (yes, this is kind of old news, but I'm excited). He got a great job working for Deloitte. Now only 4, 4-hour CPA tests and finding an apartment (hello, $1,800 rent) stand in the way of us and California!

In other good news... cake. Dense, amazing pound cake to be precise.

I won't say much about this cake except that it must be a drug because it is just that good (and addicting). It cooks for a ridiculous amount of time which makes the piles of sugar in it caramelizes around the edges of the bundt pan. Think creme brulee caramelized sugar, but on a lemon-y, dense, delicious cake.

I ate it plain because I didn't think it needed anything extra. But you can add whipped cream and strawberries if you'd like.

Yum.

Dense Lemony Pound Cake

Source: Jamie Cooks It Up

Jamie's note: This cake can be made up to a day ahead. In fact it tastes even better the second day than it does the first. However, this is not the case for the strawberries and the whip cream. The strawberries should be sliced about 15 minutes before you are ready to serve. This will give them enough time to mix with the sugar and get nice and juicy for you. The cream is also best if whipped just before serving.

CAKE:

1 C butter, softened

3 C sugar

3 C flour

1/2 t salt

6 eggs

1 C heavy whipping cream

1 t vanilla (I used vanilla bean paste for extra flavor)

1 t lemon extract

STRAWBERRIES AND WHIP CREAM:

2-3 pounds strawberries + 3-4 T sugar

3 C whipping cream

4 T sugar

1 t vanilla (I used vanilla bean paste. I like to see the dark flecks or vanilla beans.)

dash salt

Make The Cake
1. Place 1 cup softened butter and 3 cups of sugar into your stand mixer or large mixing bowl. Cream the two together until light and fluffy with the paddle attachment. Should take about 3 minutes. 
2. While the butter and sugar are mixing sift 3 cups of flour and 1/2 teaspoon of salt  into a medium sized bowl. Toss the ingredients together to be sure they are well combined. 
3. Add  6 eggs to the creamed mixture, TWO EGGS AT A TIME mixing between each egg addition. 
4. Add half of the flour/salt mixture to your mixing bowl, and mix it for about 30 seconds. 
5. Add 1/2 a cup of heavy whipping cream and mix. Add the remaining flour/salt mixture and then the final 1/2 a cup of whipping cream. Mix the batter well, until it's nice and glossy. Should take about 3 minutes. 
6. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 teaspoon lemon extract. Mix just until combined. 
7. Spray a bundt pan with cooking spray, it's best to use a cooking spray that has flour in it. This Bakers Joy works well. Pam Cooking Spray also has a cooking spray with flour that I recommend. 
8. Pour the batter into the bundnt pan and spread it out smoothly. 
9. Bake the cake at 325 for 75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 
10. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Then place a wire rack over the bundt pan, grab hold of both the rack and the pan and invert the cake onto the rack. Allow the cake to cool completely. 

Prepare the Strawberries and Whip Cream
1. To make the cream pour 3 cups whipping cream in to your stand mixer. Add 4 tablespoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla and a dash of salt. Whip the mixture with the wire whisk attachment for about 3 minutes, or until the cream is nice and whipped. 
2. Wash your strawberries. Cut the green tops of with a sharp knife and then cut the berries into slices. 
3. Pour 2-3 tablespoons of sugar over the top of the berries. Give it all a nice stir and allow the two to hang out together and get nice and juicy. 
4. Cut the cake into thin slices and serve with the berries and cream. 

Apple Hand Pies

Hand pies. Apple Hand Pies. To me apple pie is totally a patriotic food. I think our country was founded on it. Little known fact, Martha Washington fed it to George every night for dessert. It is the reason we seceded from the British. They didn't have apple pie and we were ticked. So we left them and their tea and crumpets and came to the land of apple pie.

And it is a proven fact that the Indians fed apple pie to the pilgrims on Thanksgiving.

So there. Eat it or you're a terrorist.

Apple Hand Pies

Apple Pie Filling

·         1/4 cup light brown sugar

·         1 1/2 TBS all-purpose flour

·         1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling

·         Dash of ground nutmeg, to taste

·         2 medium apples (I use pink lady), peeled, cored and thinly sliced

·         ½ very small lemon, zested and juiced

·         3 TBS butter, cut into squares

The Perfect Pie Crust

Cut in together with a pastry cutter:

·         1 cup flour

·         1/2 cup shortening

·         1/2 tsp salt

Stir in with fork:

·         1/4 cup cold water

Stir to blend. Set aside.

Directions

Mix together the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl. In another bowl, sprinkle apples with the juice of ½ a lemon and toss. Stir in the sugar mixture to evenly coat the apples.

Divide dough into 6-8 balls. Roll out on a floury surface. Fill one half of the circle with apple filling leaving room to seal the edges of the hand pies. Place ½ tbs of butter (cut up or crumbled) onto each pile of filling. Fold the dough in half and seal the edges by pinching both the sides of the dough in your fingers and turning it slightly. Place on a cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper or a silomat. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Top with whipped cream or ice cream. Enjoy.

Honest Abe would endorse this post.

Once I went to NY and ate a bunch of stuff...

...and it is about time I share.

Eating at new places unique to a certain city or country is the real reason I travel. I didn't realize this until I heard my husband recapping our trip to his mom, on the phone.

Andrew: "Yeah we did this, and this, and this. And we ate at a lot of places too. Part of traveling with Jocelyn is going to a lot of places to eat."

I hadn't realized that about myself until I heard it out loud and thought, "YEAH! EXACTLY!" And I was inexplicably proud.

More proud of how well my hubby knows me than that my idea of 'culture' is eating the local food. This probably explains why I have no desire to go to China.

So here are some highlights of where we ate (I am only posting about the ones I highly recommend.)

Like Max Brenner.

My all-time favorite place where we ate. So good that even though we ate there on day 3 and were leaving the next day, I begged Andrew to take me back for more of this macaroni and cheese. Deep dish, filled with bacon and tomatoes, baked, bread crumb top, and delicious marinara-type sauce. 

Oh. My.

And then we had this for dessert: A chocolate fondue platter (they are known for being all about chocolate) complete with a belgium waffle topped with berries and ice cream, caramelized bananas, little churro-doughnut type things, brownie bites, fruit, and marshmallows complete with a little table torch for roasting and a fondue pot full of melty milk chocolate. Beware, this place is a bit spendy--this thing cost more than my entree.

And Patsy's Pizzeria. Recommended to us by a local and did not disappoint. I love pizza and was hoping to get a good "New York Slice" in. This was it.

And then there was Levain Bakery. This place is tiny and if you aren't specifically looking for it, you will miss it. They sell approximately 9 things, 4 of those things being cookies. They have a chocolate chip walnut, dark chocolate chocolate chip, dark chocolate peanut butter chip, and one other kind that I can't remember. It may have had raisins in it which would explain my lack of interest.

Stacey said it was one of her favorites and went out of her way to bring us home one of their $4 cookies. We devoured it and went back the next day to buy two more.

They are huge. I ate half in the morning and then the other half late that night in the airport. It made the wait for our delayed flight so much more pleasant. Definitely worth a special visit when in New York.

Lastly was Magnolia Bakery's banana pudding. I have never been a huge fan of banana pudding (I personally think that is food reserved for people without teeth) but this was the exception. Stacey made us sprint across the city at 9:45 pm just to make it there before it closed. Totally worth it.

This is what you get. I think teeth are a requirement for this monster.

(Photo from here {along with an awesome write-up on the bakery}. I found myself at the bakery without a camera or phone.)

Plenty to split between two people.


Go! Enjoy! Eat!

24- as depicted by instagram

My internet just failed me so instead of a post about where we ate in NY, here is a bit of what went down on my 24th bday, as composed on my phone.

New York

Or as some people call it, The Big Apple. Or as the Shaw family calls it, The Place Where Stacey Lives.

I think the latter name is catching on. You'll see. You'll be calling it that in no time.

Prepare yourself for the visual summary of our NY trip. It's pretty mind blowing.

My sister-in-law, Stacey, is getting her PhD from Colombia and so she gave us a VIP tour. Their library looks like it is straight from Rome.

Stacey's #1 fans.

(Ignore my outfit, I packed inappropriately {who knew it was going to be so cold?!} and had to wear my father-in-law's jacket. I actually didn't mind {because it is a nice jacket} until I walked past a boy on the street wearing the exact same one and he stared me down until I had passed. That was uncomfortable.)

We went to the Natural History Museum (who cares about the exhibits, look at the view from the building!)

Occupied Union Square and with the 99% and protested really important things like the price of birth control, intern's wages, and legalizing marijuana.

(Actually I was trying to find Anthropologie and was ticked because it was so crowded I couldn't get anywhere.)

We walked down 5th Avenue.

We went to the Museum of Modern Art. It was a bit disturbing to be honest. Modern art seems to be very interested in female and male parts. Me, not so interested.

However, we did get to see Van Gogh's Starry Night! Seriously I was thrilled. So. Beautiful. Now that is art.

And we got rush tickets, which means you show up to the box office at 9 am and pay $30 per ticket, to see How to Succeed in Business with none other than Nick Jonas! It was hysterical to hear the middle school girls squeal when he first walked on stage.

You can learn all about where to get rush tickets at http://www.broadwayforbrokepeople.com/. The tickets aren't bad either, we sat in the 5th row! Granted it was a Wednesday night so...

Our last day in New York we visited Battery Park to see the Statue of Liberty. Merci, France.

And we went to the 9/11 Memorial which was sobering and beautiful.

And we did so much more but really, how long can one post be?

Post on places where we ate and loved coming soon.

Washington DC

Andrew and I spent the last week in Washington D.C. and New York. DC was amazing and I felt very patriotic the entire time. It just has that effect on you.

We hung out with Abe Lincoln, vampire hunter. Either you're a patriot or a vampire. (Anyone?)

Saw the National Monument.

Visited the president.

Went to the National Zoo (my favorite!!) The animals were crazy active. So. Amazing.

Watched the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers in Arlington Cemetery.

And saw how Great Falls, VA got its name.

New York post to come.