Pad Thai a la us

A delicious and spicy pad Thai, adapted from "Sukhothai Pad Thai" on allrecipes.com

Pad Thai with Chicken



Ingredients

• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 to 2 teaspoons chili paste (to taste)
• 2 tablespoons tamarind pulp (or fresh-squeezed lime)
• 1 (8 ounce) package dried rice noodles
• 1/2 cup toasted sesame oil
• 8 oz thin-cut chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch strips
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 4 eggs
• 1-1/2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1-1/2 cups ground peanuts
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh chives
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 cup fresh bean sprouts 
• Cilantro to taste

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, make Pad Thai sauce: blend sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, chili paste, and tamarind pulp until it begins to boil. Simmer on low until needed, whisking frequently.
2. Soak rice noodles in cold water until soft; drain (or prepare according to "stir fry directions" on package....they need to be slightly undercooked so that they don't end up mushy when adding to the dish).
3. In a large skillet or wok over medium heat, cook meat thoroughly, seasoning with ginger, black pepper, and chili powder. Once cooked through. push chicken to one side of the pan.
4. Warm oil in the other side of the wok/skillet and then add garlic and eggs; scramble the eggs. Once eggs are cooked through, mix in with the chicken.
   
5. Add prepared noodles and bean sprouts.
   
6. Stir in sauce, 1-1/2 tablespoons sugar, 1-1/2 teaspoons salt, ground peanuts, chives, cilantro, and paprika. Mix thoroughly.
    

Garlic Croutons

I got made fun of a bit for this one....I mean, isn't salad supposed to be simple? :-)

I've had trouble finding non-processed croutons...I did find an organic, whole wheat variety, but honestly, they sucked. So I decided to make them myself. They're very easy! And I mean, what else are you going to do with that stale bread??

Garlic Croutons


Ingredients

• Stale bread (I used 3 hoagie rolls that had been in my fridge for a couple weeks. The staler, the better....just make sure it hasn't gone moldy!)
• 4 tablespoons butter (I use organic butter. For my 3 rolls, I actually needed a full stick of butter)
• 1 clove minced garlic (I used garlic powder instead)
• Herbs of choice (I used parsley and Italian seasonings)

Directions

1. Cut bread into small cubes
   
   
   
   
2. Melt butter in large skillet; add garlic + herbs
3. Add bread cubes to skillet and toss until well coated; cook on medium for about 1 minute (I had to do 2 batches, each with 4 tbsp butter).
4. Spread bread onto baking sheet (lined with foil so you don't have to clean the pan!).
5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes - turning croutons frequently to avoid burning and to ensure even baking.
   
   
   
   

Put unused croutons in an airtight container or bag and store in pantry. I plan to keep adding to my supply every time I have some bread to use up, so that I always have some on hand for a quick salad.

New Year's Day Pork & Sauerkraut!

You know what they say....pork & kraut on New Year's Day will bring you good luck all year long. This year I made a pork tenderloin and sauerkraut in the slow cooker, and threw in some kielbasa for good measure. I decided to go the easy route on this one....simple ingredients.


What I learned: The 3-pound tenderloin I bought was actually two tenderloins! I did not realize this (I'm a tenderloin newbie, apparently) until it was cooked and started to split down the middle. I think one would have been plenty....now I know!

Slow Cooker Pork, Sauerkraut, and Kielbasa


Ingredients:

• 3-lb pork tenderloin
• 2 tbsp olive oil
  
• McCormick's cracked peppercorn roasting rub (See? Easy!)
  
  
• 1 large can sauerkraut
• 8 oz beer (I used Sam Adams Winter Lager -- 6 oz for the slow cooker and 2 oz for frying up the kielbasa)
• 1 pound low-fat pork kielbasa

Directions:

1. Heat oil in large skillet.
   
2. Coat tenderloin with seasoning rub.
3. Sear tenderloin, until browned on all sides.
   
   
4. Pour sauerkraut into slow cooker, add 6 oz beer.
   
   
5. Place tenderloin on bed of kraut (add more seasoning if some was lost in the skillet).
   
   
6. Cook on high for 3-4 hours (or low for 6-8 hours....cook until internal temperature of meat is at least 160 degrees F - I love my digital meat thermometer!).
7. At some point while pork is cooking, slice kielbasa into 1-inch chunks and cook in skillet with approx 2 oz beer (more if you'd like).
   
   
8. Once heated through and browned, add kielbasa to slow cooker for remainder of cook time.
   
   

Party Pretzels

I really had no idea what to call these because I've only ever heard them called "those pretzel-chocolate-M&M thingies". So I'm calling them Party Pretzels. I've made them for Halloween using orange and brown M&Ms and I've seen them at baby showers (baby blue and light pink M&Ms), bridal showers (in the wedding colors), and football parties (in team colors). Such a versatile little snack!

On top of that, they're incredibly simple....and the perfect blend of sweet and salty.

Party Pretzels



Ingredients

• Mini pretzels (rounds, windowpanes, buttersnaps, etc)
• Chocolate disks (I used Wilton Candy Melts, which you can get in various colors/flavors - I stocked up on milk chocolate, dark chocolate, peanut butter, strawberry, and vanilla)
• M&Ms - colors of your choice (I used the Valentine's mix for this batch, but pulled out the red since I was going with a pink and white theme).

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees F
2. Separate the M&Ms by color (if you're going with a color theme); do this beforehand so that you're not rushing to pull out the color you need later (the chocolate might harden quickly).
   
   
3. Line baking sheet with wax paper
4. Spread out pretzels on sheet, removing any broken pieces
5. Center a chocolate disk on each pretzel
   
   
6. Heat in oven for 4-7 minutes (until the chocolate is soft enough to push an M&M into it, but not so soft that it melts all over the place)
7. Remove baking sheet from oven and press an M&M into each piece (I put the "m" side down; if you have specially printed M&Ms, put the words facing up)
   
   
   
8. Put in refrigerator for a few hours, until chocolate is solid. Store in airtight container or Ziplock in a cool place (I keep mine in the fridge).