Essential Weekend Reading and Thai cooking (GRC #7- Red Coconut Chicken Curry)

I'm not sure if this is a total blogger faux pas but I'm going for it.  My blogging dream is to have readers biting their nails in anticipation for my next amazing and hilarious post.  I've been trying to impress you all with my culinary adventures and my health-related escapades as of late.  I watch about a million hours of reality TV just incase there is someone that I can't not make fun of on a public forum.  I look for inspiration everywhere.  This week, that inspiration came from another blog.  Which I am now going to blog about.

Truth is, there aren't a ton of blogs out there that make me excited.  I have some favorites but nothing that gets me running across the room to my laptop whenever I see a new post pop up.  That all changed last night when I found 52 First Dates.  You have to check this out!  The writer (very Gossip Girl-eqsue  mystery woman), La Blonde, is in her 20's and trying to find love in this crazy city of Toronto (been there!).  She has a goal of going on 52 dates during the year and she blogs about each one.  I love her sense of humour and honesty.  If you haven't been on the site yet, catch up this weekend as date 18 is just around the corner.  I don't know how this girl doesn't have a TV or movie deal.  La Blonde is super charming and lets all of us girls live vicariously through her journey.  Love, love, love her.

I also love, love, love Thai food (smooth transition, n'est pas??).  I really enjoy the comfort and refreshing characteristics of a good curry.  This week, I ventured a bit outside of my usual ingredients and put together this Red Coconut Chicken Curry from Canadian Living as recipe #7 of the Great Recipe Challenge.

Red (sort of...) Coconut Chicken Curry 

Although the ingredients list is long, all of the components are really essential to create the depth and flavour profile found in a curry.  My grocery store was sold out of red curry paste so I went with green.  After doing a bit of digging around, I learned that there isn't a huge difference in flavour between red and green curry pastes.  It is mostly the color that is different and the ingredients you use to create a red curry taste or a green curry taste.  I left out the eggplant because I think it's the weirdest and most unpleasant vegetable on Earth.   However, I did add in some water chestnuts for a bit of texture and crunch.  If T liked shrimp, I definitely would have added some in.

Otherwise, this is a really fresh tasting dish.  If this is your main course served over rice, it will only make 2-3 portions.  Certainly not close to 6.  We give this a D&T stamp of approval with a 7.5/10.

Add a little international flavour to your weekend!

Please leave your comments and recipes in the section below or tweet me @darbyvt.

Is that a heart monitor or are you just happy to see me?! GRC Week 6- Cheesecake for Two

Well...  we did it!  We all survived another Valentine's Day.  I don't think it's as bad as most people do.  In fact, I spent my whole day yesterday feeling very loved without a single flower, corny card or box of chocolates.  And I'm happy about it!!  I think February 14th is a great excuse to reach out to friends and family and wish them a great day.  Sure sure...  I doooo have a significant other but we never make a big deal out of things.  We went for dinner after work and hung out for the evening at home.  No embarrassing at-work flower deliveries or PDA.  But now it's the 15th and we can all go back to texting at the table and putting on our sweats the minute we get in the door at night.

Speaking of hearts, I have this little gem strapped to me 24/7 for 14 days:

It's a very stylish and oh-so comfortable heart monitor that is (hopefully) the last step in clearing me for any kind of medical concern since my fainting incident a few weeks ago.  It's like having a light weight baby that you don't have to feed.  I'm getting pretty good at dressing to disguise it but running out of options for being in public.  I'm a bit of a cyborg.  T came up with the idea that, if I put the monitor on my back, I'll look like the people on reality TV with mic packs.  Truuuue...  I still have to wear a scarf when leaving the house to cover up the electrodes on both collar bones.  I don't know how T keeps his hands off me...  Did I mention that the vast majority of people are allergic to the jelly on the electrodes so I'll likely have massive red circular welts all over me for the next month??  Hot stuff coming through.


With all of my time hiding inside like the Hunchback of Notre Dame and love being in the air, I decided to try a dessert this week for the Great Recipe Challenge (Week 6).  I'm not a huge dessert lover but I wanted to give it a go for a special occasion.  I made Cheesecake for Two from the Weekend Gourmande.

I've been under the impression that cheesecake is really complicated and time consuming but this wasn't at all!  I purchased two pyrex oven-safe bowls (2 cups each) at the grocery store.  I added in chocolate chips after mixing everything together as the recipe suggests.  This was definitely more than enough for two people.  In fact, T and I split one and couldn't even finish it.  It could easily be divided into four smaller portions.  Great for impressing dinner guests!  I made the hearts on top by placing a small heart-shaped cookie cutter on top of the cooled cheesecakes then dusted cocoa powder through my tea infuser onto the cut-out.  So cute!  We give this a D&T stamp of approval with an 8/10.  It's not life changing cheesecake but it's really yummy and easy to make.  There are lots of variations with fruit toppings or lemon filling.

Have a great weekend and keep that love flowing!  Comment below or tweet me your suggestions or recipe ideas!  @darbyvt

I guess this is growing up! GRC Week 5

Maybe it's the getting-close-to-30 in me but has anyone else recently been slapped in the face with how much things can change in a matter of a year or two?  Granted, it's been almost seven years since I graduated university and almost five since I picked up and moved away from my university town but, lately, I've realized that my 23-year-old-self would be shocked and appalled to see my life now.  The strangest part- I'm completely ok with that!

I guess this is the feeling of being settled.  I've had a busy work week with a bit of travel and, although it's great to go away for a day or two and see friends in other cities, I always so look forward to coming home.  T and I used to celebrate everything by going out.  Payday Friday?  Payday Pizza!  Long day at work?  Let's go out to eat!  Thirsty?  We'll spend $75 at a pub down the street.  Lately, we've been able to enjoy being home a lot more.  Since I've been getting more into cooking and baking, I find it a lot of fun to go grocery shopping (big shout out to T for braving No Frills by himself on Saturday afternoon while I was at work), research recipes, read food blogs and spend time creating in the kitchen.  The weird thing?  Even meals I've been making for years have started to taste better.  It must be true that you can taste the love and passion that goes into making food.  

Since I was only home one night last week, we decided to have a date night in with dinner and hanging out.  Luckily, earlier in the week, our friend Meaghan had sent a NEW RECIPE!!! our way.  She and her bf (who happens to be T's bff) traveled to New Orleans last year (jealous!) and must have been missing that Southern flavour.  The GRC Week 5 recipe was Bourbon Street Chicken by Big Oven. 

Bourbon Street Chicken

I am all about one pan meals!  I liked making Bourbon Street Chicken because everything could be done in one large frying pan with very little mess and very few dishes afterwards.  A good weeknight meal.  You could even cook the chicken ahead of time then throw the sauce together with things in your fridge and pantry.  I added onions and peppers for a bit of flavour and color as well as a spoon full of chili sauce I had in the cupboard but followed the recipe exactly otherwise.  The end result was good!  I found it a bit saucy but next time I'll just put less sauce on my serving.  I've made similar-tasting stir-frys before.  This one just has a bit more of a ginger and spice kick to it.  We give it a 7/10 and would recommend it for a "what am I going to make tonight?  I have chicken and a bunch of things in the pantry" weeknight meal.  Thanks, Meaghan, for forwarding it our way :)

Please forward any recipe suggestions my way in the comment section below or follow me on Twitter @darby

A few of my favorite thiiiiiiings (and GRC Week 4)

Who says Oprah is the only one who can have a list of favorite things?  If "favorite things" has some sort of a copyright, please don't sue me Oprah or staff!!

Since the month is coming to a close, I wanted to share a few favorite things I've been smelling/using/eating/drinking/watching so that you can enjoy them too!

Favorite Candle:  Cinnamon Frosting by Bath & Body Works
Vanilla, cloves and buttermilk all melted together in a waxy ball of goodness.  I love love love BBW 3 wick candles as they last for so long and have really lovely scents that aren't too perfumey or over powering.

Cinnamon Frosting Candle by BBW

Favorite Shower Gel:  Sea Island Cotton by Bath & Body Works
I maaaaaayyyyyy have a total of 15 BBW shower gels in my linen closet right now.  I'm a wee bit particular with which scents correspond with which seasons.  One can't walk around smelling like a Japanese Cherry Blossom in October!!  For instance, I have one scent, Bali Mango, that I will only use during the summer and when I'm in the Caribbean for work or on vacation.  The gels are arranged by season in the closet.  The same is true for my 11 bottles of BBW hand soap.

Sea Island Cotton Shower Gel by BBW

I keep three scents in my shower at all times and I switch them out, whether they are empty or not, depending on the weather.  One is my going out gel which is always a scent I really love and don't want to use up too quickly.  The second is one I use if I have a a work event or some sort of social occasion and wanted to smell nice but not going-out-nice.  Then, the third, is more of an everyday just-around-the-house or got-back-from-the-gym soap that isn't anything too special but that I still really enjoy.  Sea Island Cotton is the perfect third soap because it smells like... well... soap!  It has a nice light scent and reminds me a bit of fresh clean laundry.  Mmmmmmm...

Favorite Tea:  Earl's Garden by David's Tea
If you like (or love) Earl Grey tea, you will like (or love) Earl's Garden.  I bought a bag for a friend one time and she loved it so she got me hooked on it.  I then got my mother hooked on it and I just recommended it to another friend this morning.  It has the coziness of Earl Grey but with hints of strawberries, raspberries and black currant.

Earl's Garden Tea by David's Tea

Favorite TV Personality:  Parker Schnabel from Gold Rush Alaska
Judge away but T and I spend our Sunday nights watching shows about gold mining.  Gold Rush Alaska followed by Bering Sea Gold followed by, our personal favorite, Jungle Gold.  Despite the fact that George and Scott on Jungle Gold are completely jacked badass hotties who run around Ghana putting armed men in chokeholds, Parker Schabel completely warms my heart.

Parker Schnabel from Gold Rush Alaska

He's this adorable teenage kid who works so hard to continue the gold mining legacy of his 93-year-old grandfather, John.  He's so sweet and I just love him.

Favorite Recipe:  No-Bake Energy Bites by Gimme Some Oven
You didn't think I'd end this without including my GRC Week 4 recipe did you?!  I never have difficulty finding good dinner ideas but I struggle with breakfast, lunch and snacks throughout the week.  This little nuggets are great to have in the fridge to grab whenever you need a boost.  They took about 30 seconds to throw together and will stay fresh in the fridge for about a week.  I used Banana Nut instant oatmeal by Quaker.

No-Bake Energy Bites by Gimme Some Oven

What are some of your favorite products and recipes?  Comment below or tweet me @darbyvt.