What the...?

     So I just spent 30 min of my precious blog posting time filling out all that "google bio" and personal info related to blogger junk. Hmmm. Not really sure about the point to this exercise. Why would I want to add my personal bio url address as a signature to my emails? Did I miss something in the new techno world of computers and blogs, bios and the like? I thought it was kind of a joke so I gave myself the name easy e. Maybe I should work on professional-ism, class, or some other over used -ism to describe myself and present some smiley story about me. Oh well, pretty sure I failed that subject in school too.

     Quick update on life. It is still crazy! Had a friend come down and visit from Oklahoma (we were in alaska together while her husband was deployed and I even got to attend her first sons birth!) Anyway, because we are 'closer' to each other, she made the 5 hour drive down with kids in tow (and pregnant belly might I add) and Wooohooo was it fun! She has 2 boys and another boy on the way. Let's just say testosterone levels here were
  OUT OF CONTROL.
Love it. She could only stay 2 days, but it was beautiful any way you sliced it, and I am quite sure she needs to put a blog together for her much more appropriate ways of throwing parties, and presenting the more "Martha Stewart" side to my rather red neck (at least I think it is, I seem to be getting in touch with my roots out here, I am pretty sure we have some Kentucky bluegrass running through our vains from my mom's side!) take on food, life, raising kids. That is why I had to force her to make me chocolate chip cookies as her allowance to stay here! (p.s., almond extract works great in place of vanilla in those cookies when you are ghetto and don't have all your ingredients on hand!)  Someday I will have some more class for all you little loyal fans out there. At least I hope you are all there!

     Now on to the juice. As in, what is really going on and why I am giving you some brief update and lame excuse for no new recipes for the last week. We are going to buy a house! Yup, the hubs decided that it was a good time to buy. SO now we are scrambling to find something, and get closed in enough time before the baby, and me to take full advantage of the hubs before more training starts. Which means (I am so excited) I get to go look at houses in Utah this weekend! *sigh* I have it all lined up and even my dad is going to be that way for a couple days to give me some back up. I can hardly wait! The long and short of all this is I will be gone and pre-occupied (my additional excuse for everything) for a few days and I am going to leave you with this tasty morsel (the only somewhat original thing we have cooked in a week!) before I go...

     Chicken (or Tofu, or no Meat) Thai Green Coconut Curry


4-5 chicken tenders (or sub firm chunks of tofu) sauteed in a little olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper, then chopped (super silken tofu works to be dissolved right into sauce if desired instead)
about 1/3 of a jalepeno finely diced
about 1 heaping tbsp fresh ginger finely sliced (matchstick style, skin removed)
1 small can bamboo shoots (use 1/3 or so, save the rest for a quick asian salad) also finely sliced (matchstick style)
1 13.5 oz can lite coconut cream
1 tsp finely chopped fresh basil (or dried is fine too, fresh really does rock though)

Thai Kitchen Green Curry Paste, use about 2 tsp-1 tbsp or to your liking
(Ingredients are as follows in case you want to make your own from your cupboard; 
green chile, garlic, lemongrass, galangal (thai ginger), salt, shallots, spices, kaffir, lime)
1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
Pot of rice on the side (brown basmati or jasmine are great!)


Place all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a low boil (stir frequently) Pour 2-3 or more large serving spoons over hot rice and enjoy!


*We like to serve this with Thai Kitchen's Pad Thai for Two (follow directions on box) and some ubber good Lumpia (Thai egg rolls, preferably homemade, I will give you the recipe when I come back!)*

The Most Amazing Coconut Cake EVER

       Yup my poor 5 yr old had 2 cakes for his birthday this year. I couldn't help myself, the pictures looked too good! And I made it all from scratch, including the fresh coconut... (I even got to pound it with a nail and get all that good coconut water AND roast it and the flesh for the topping!) All and all, it was a very exciting venture. I have included the recipe link to cookinglight.com (the magazine) for this fantastico but very time consuming cake and it was quite worth it, although do NOT refrigerate with the coconut on all ready, that seemed to make it (the coconut) a little tough. Enjoy when you get the time and chance... The bigger beauty here is that this newer health conscience recipe cuts calories from 622 to 332, fat from 38.5 to 10.8 and sat fat from 19.5 to 7.5 per serving compared to the old ways, so you don't even have to take a dive nutritionally! And it was tasty too...
                                                        Cooking Light's Coconut Cake