The flavors of Thai

     Although I work in Georgetown, Kentucky, I really don't know alot about what Georgetown has to offer as far as local cuisine. Well of course my favorite thing to do is find a local restaurant that is known for awesome food but not your typical local restaurant chain. I hopped on www.urbanspoon.com to get an idea of what is out there. I came across a Thai restaurant and knew instantly I had to check it out.
     It is called New Thai Garden and located on North Broadway. As I pulled into the parking lot, I knew I had come to the right place for super delicious Thai cuisine.
     The Thai lady who greeted me and took my order was so sweet. She barely knew any English and of course I couldn't understand what she was saying but we made it through the menu. The smile on her face would make any customer feel special each and every time they came here to eat.
     I ordered the spicy Tom Yum Soup and the Pan Fried Dumplings as appetizer. Tom Yum Soup was filled with chicken, mushrooms, and onions. It was flavored with citrus leaves, lemongrass, lime juice, and cilantro. It had the perfect amount of hot spice and I even put some over my side of steamed rice. The dumplings were hand made and stuffed with pork, chicken, vegetable, and served with warm ginger sauce. They were delicious as well. I was outstandingly impressed with the food and felt right at home.
     I've ate at several different Thai restaurants and New Thai Garden is by far the best Thai restaurant I've ate at. It is not a fancy restaurant nor is it big and decorative but It is true authentic Thai cuisine full of love and flavors.
     If you ever get a chance to visit downtown Georgetown and craving Asian cuisine, please visit New Thai Garden. It is now one of my favorite restaurants and I will definitely be back.
    

A 'cake' down memory lane

A 'cake' down memory lane.

One thing in life I miss is decorating cakes.  Not only was it fun but the smile I seen on a child or even an adult when they seen their cake was priceless. Always brought tears to my eyes.

This beautiful wedding cake I made is one I always tend to love the most.  A 5-tier cake with white and chocolate flavors. The dazzle from the red and black satin made it so elegant and the bows added that special touch of gorgeous.

One other reason I love this cake is the couple, Katie and Dalton Prager.  When I first seen this couple on their wedding day, I seen two people who loved life to it's fullest and the happiness completely filled the entire room. Since their wedding day, events have happen but Katie and Dalton are one couple who will never give up.  Their strength, courage, and love for one another is bigger than one I've ever seen. 

Katie and Dalton, I wish you two the very best of health and happiness.  

 



Cold Temp = Fried Rice

Today as I walked from the plant to my car I felt as if every vein in my body was going to freeze up like frozen pipes. I just couldn't walk fast enough without possibly falling on ice and becoming the highlight of the show. HaHa!! But all I can say is that whoever invented heated car seats is an absolute genius!
I commute 1 hour and 15 minutes back and forth from work to home everyday. So on a daily basis I do have time to think about what I'm going to have for dinner. Considering the frigid temperatures, I was craving Vietnamese fried rice. I also knew it would be an easy, fast, and a one dish meal. Steamed rice is a staple in my home so it is no surprise to always have steamed rice available in my kitchen.
This Vietnamese fried rice is a recipe from my Mom and she makes the best fried rice in the world! Mom always uses pork in her fried rice. Pork does add more flavor and moisture. But for tonight I ended up using chicken breast since it was the only meat of choice left in my freezer.
I infused oil, garlic, and slightly sauteed onions to my steamed rice. I then added cooked chicken breast, scrambled egg, scallion, fish sauce, soy sauce, and black pepper. Not only is this dish delicious but the aroma is mouth watering.
Although the temperature outside is -2' with a wind shield of -25', the comfort of Vietnamese fried rice and watching Big Bang Theory was a great way to end my day.

Killian's Irish Red Beer Chili

Killian's Irish Red Beer Chili!  My meal before the eye of the storm....the snow storm that is! :-)

As we all know the snow storm is on it's way to the Bluegrass. Not really sure what to expect.  Snow, possibly ice, and for a fact there will be unbearable cold temps. I hope everyone is prepared, keeps an eye on their neighbors, and finds a warm place for your pets and animals.

With all that said I decided to go off the beaten path and make chili. Today I made a delicious comforting meal but I also wanted to switch up my chili recipe and add Killian's Irish Beer. Turned out to be a brilliant idea!

I used my basic turkey chili recipe which includes of course turkey, onions, garlic, crushed tomato, diced tomato, light kidney beans, black beans, and all the flavoring essentials (chili powder, cayenne pepper, cumin, paprika, oregano, salt, pepper).

I added the bottle of Killian's Irish Beer and it not only gave my chili a hint of sweetness but it threw in a bang of flavor!  Turned out to be more delicious than I imagined.  I topped it off with sour cream, cheese, and scallions. It's amazing what you can do with what you have laying around in the fridge :-)



Vietnamese Pork Spring Rolls (Cha Gio)

A classic Vietnamese staple!  Pork spring rolls (cha gio) and fish sauce dip (nuoc cham) for dipping. This is a recipe my Mom passed to me and by far the most popular in my home. When I was young, I remember my Mom fixing pork spring rolls when my family from Dayton Ohio were visiting.  Jeanette Bierley Martin, Patty Bierley, and Pam Throckmorton...do you ladies remember those days?  I remember Mom also making sweet and sour pork, chicken chow mein, and fried rice to accompany the spring rolls. We always had a house full of family, huge Vietnamese meals, and a lot of good times! :-)

Pork spring rolls are a little time consuming to make but well worth it. Pork spring rolls consists of rice paper, pork, glass noodles, egg, carrot, onion, salt, black pepper, and fish sauce. After the rolling process, fry the spring rolls until crispy and lightly brown. 

The fish sauce dip is what makes the pork spring rolls pop!  The fish sauce dip of course has fish sauce, sugar, vinegar, garlic, red chilies, lime juice, vinegar and water. I love to make this dip and keep in my fridge because I never know when I'm going to make spring rolls.  It is also good to sprinkle over a bed of rice for an extra kick of flavor.

 

Vietnamese Pho Bo

 

Yaaaay my first blog!!!!

   I'm so excited to share my Vietnamese Pho Bo beef noodle soup with everyone! Pho Bo is known as Vietnam's national dish and usually ate at breakfast.  I remember my Aunt Ann making Pho Bo a lot when I was a kid and she always had all the neighbors over when she made big Vietnamese meals.  Such wonderful memories. :-)

   I love making Pho Bo for dinner and of course it is always better the next day.  It is so savory, spicy, comforting, and super delicious. Pho Bo consist of a savory beef broth which includes onions, ginger, shallots, star anise, crushed peppers, and beef. After the Pho Bo broth is done, I add rice vermicelli, beef, onions, bean sprouts, chilies, mint, cilantro, sriracha, and hoisin sauce.

   If you have the chance to eat at a Vietnamese restaurant, you must try Pho Bo.  It is amazing!