Green Curry

I love Asian food (Chinese, Thai, Japanese, and Vietnamese).  I really love it.   And I love to cook.  But, over the years, I’ve tried to recreate some Chinese and Thai dishes without much luck.  As a last ditch effort I decided to recreate one of my husband’s favorite Thai dishes; walleye with green curry sauce.   I hit the fish market and the headed to the Asian grocery store nearby and found a can of green curry (that I hadn’t tried before – I have tried other brands without much luck).

Well, I have to say I was very impressed and have had this dish many times since.    I’ve tried it with a variety of different fish and my favorites are black cod and halibut.    I think most meaty white fish would work.   

Here is what you need:  

• White fish (you could also use chicken or shrimp)
• AROY-D Green Curry (one can is enough for two people).
• Your favorite three Asian vegetables (I like to use zucchini, spinach, peapods, green beans and Chinese eggplant)
• Cilantro
• Jasmine rice

Here is what you do: 

1. Make the rice (I use a rice cooker but you can make it on the stovetop also)
2. Heat up the curry in a sauce pan over medium heat
3. Sauté the vegetables (set aside and add to the sauce 3 minutes before serving to warm them up otherwise they will get soft.)
4. Sauté the fish for 3-5 minutes on each side (depending on thickness)
5. Put the rice in a bowl (I use wide, shallow bowls)
6. Add the fish
7. Pour the sauce over the top
8. Cover with chopped cilantro
9. Enjoy!

Sautéing the Vegetables

The finished dish

So easy and so good.   I hope you can find this curry!  If you live in Minneapolis, I found it at United Noodles but I think it is a popular brand in most Asian stores.   

Ina Garten

Ina Garten is one of my favorite TV chefs (Barefoot Contessa).   I like her personality and her recipes always look delicious and reasonable (from a time and ingredients perspective).   I’ve actually met her and she signed one of my cookbooks.   She looks and acts the same off TV as she does on.   I think it would be fun to spend an afternoon in the kitchen with her, cooking and chatting over a bottle of wine.  I have to admit to this  - I always thought her name was pronounced like "in-a-garden."  It is not "in-a" it is "eye-na" and it is a "t" in her last name, not a "d."

Anyway, I was recently reading Redbook magazine (Nov. 2010 issue, page 232) and there was a page that featured her.   She is promoting her new book, How Easy Is That?, and had some tips for keeping it real in the kitchen that I thought made perfect sense.  Here are a couple that stood out. (My comments are in blue.)

The party is only as happy as the host.   “It is a much better party if the food is simple and you’re relaxed.” 

How many times have you had a party where you are stuck in the kitchen missing out on all of the fun conversations?   I know this has happened to me too many times.  One thing I’ve done in the past is hire someone to help out and make sure the food is replenished, dirty plates are picked up, there is enough wine and clean glasses, etc….  You can find a little helper for about $15/hour (that is $60 for 4 hours!) and it is worth every penny.  Another good tip is you can hire students from the local bartending school to man your bar for a very reasonable rate.

Having a man who can cook is overrated.  “It’s more important to have one person who cooks and another person who appreciates it.”

Cheers to you Ina!  I love that outlook.  I am the only one that cooks in my house and sometimes I get frustrated by that, especially when I have friends whose husbands love to cook and help in the kitchen.  But I will say that my husband does really appreciate my cooking and that definitely makes it all worth it. 

Gratitude is the best hostess gift. “I always send flowers or a note the next day to express my appreciation.”

I was lucky to have been brought up by a very thoughtful mother.   She instilled in me, at a very young age, the importance of hand-written Thank You notes, and how rewarding it is to give thoughtful gifts and show people that you appreciate them.  I wish more people would be better about that kind of thing.  It is such a simple thing to do and is such a nice gesture of gratitude.  

Cook with your heart.   “I only cook for people I love.”

If I cook for you, it is because I love you!    I enjoy showing my love through food (and wine).   Cheers!   

Check out Ina's new cookbook.  Her recipes are yummy and not intimidating. 

I Will Remember You.......

I was recently reflecting on the question: what do I want to be remembered for?

I’m not sure what sparked this line of thinking other than the old cliché “life is short.”  Actually, there was more to it.  I was thinking about my grandfather who passed away a few years ago and I was reflecting on what I remember most about him.    I remember his joke telling, his laugh, him letting me play with his hair and putting it in small ponytails and barrettes when I was a little girl, his sweet love for my grandmother (he’d walk in the kitchen and lovingly tap her on the butt), and his tickle torture (otherwise known as “cleaning my plow”).   He was a good influence on my life and I miss him.     

Now, obviously, everyone has a different interaction with a person depending on the nature of the relationship.   I’m curious what my grandfather's employees would say about him?  And I know it would be different from what his wife or children would say about him.  But I do think there would be a common theme.

As I was reflecting on what I remembered most about my grandfather, I began to ask myself: what do I want people to remember most about me?   

People have financial goals, professional goals, and personal life goals.   Personal life goals are usually something like “I want to be married by the time I am 30, I want two kids, and I want a black SUV parked in my two-car garage.”    But how often do people base their goals on what they ultimately want their legacy to be.   I’m not talking about material things here; I’m talking about the essence of you who are.   In a room full of people that know you, will they all say the same thing about you?    Will they say.....You were very giving and charitable?   You were full of life and made everyone laugh?   You were graceful and elegant?    You were spontaneous and fun?   You were smart and a great advisor/teacher?    You were stubborn and cranky?    You were patient?   You were wild and spontaneous?  Etc…..   I could go on and on but you get the gist of what I am talking about.    

I don’t mean to be morbid, it is just an interesting thing to think about and if you come up with a goal along these lines and kind of live your life that way, you just may be able to accomplish the goal of being remembered for what you want to be remembered for.   

It is something you need to think about every day as a theme in your life.   If you want to be remembered for being a great listener then you need to really listen to everyone you encounter.  Make them feel heard and they will remember you for that.

Personally, I want to be remembered for being kind, loving, thoughtful, and a good friend to people.    (Okay, and maybe as the woman who got everyone to drink sparkling wine casually on a weekly basis.)  

A couple days after I was thinking about all of this, I heard the song I will Remember You by Sarah McLachlan (famously played at high school graduations in the 90s) come on the radio.  The chorus of this song pretty much summed up what I was thinking.  The lyrics go something like this: 

I will remember you

Will you remember me?
Don’t let your life pass you by

Weep not for the memories 

I’d like to think that people reflect on the positive/good things about people.   It is important not to hold grudges and, in the words of Sarah McLachlan, “don’t let life pass you by.”    Life is short; you need to work on your lasting impression now.   

What do you want to be remembered for?     

In loving memory of my Grandpa Schenkelberg 

(6/13/1919 – 11/27/2005), whom I remember fondly.