Dining Delights

I have a thing for white ceramic.

I still don't have a gravy boat. I think this one might be up my alley.

Unique teacups

A teapot with its own warmer

Serving bowls that stack to become a palace

valentine's curry

Another Valentine's Day meal which may soon become our yearly treat. We're two for two right now, so we'll see.

The best way to describe this delicious curry is "delicately sweet." Yes, I coined that phrase while cutting up the vegetables. It tastes almost like a dessert. You can put as much or as little heat as you'd like, and the best part is that it's very easy to make. Once the vegetables are cut, the hard part is over. You could even throw this in the crock pot in the morning and have it ready by dinner time.

{ingredients}

• Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk (1.5 cans--save the other 0.5 for the rice)
• Thai Kitchen Red (or green) Curry Paste
• 1 sweet potato or yam or regular potato, diced
• 1/2 butternut squash, diced
• 1/2 cup carrots, diced very fine
• 1 zucchini, quartered and halved
• 1 yellow squash, quartered and halved
• 1/2 sweet onion, diced
• 1/2 orange or red bell pepper, diced

{directions}

Like I said, this is super easy. Once your vegetables are diced finely (you can cut them larger, but it will just take longer to cook), pour 1.5 cans of coconut milk into a large pot. Add two or three teaspoons of the curry paste. You can add more or less depending on your spice tolerance. Stir it once. Add all the vegetables. Cover and bring to a boil. Let it simmer until the vegetables are nice and tender.

Really so easy, and all the ingredients, even the Thai Kitchen ingredients, are sold in the Asian section of your grocery store. They aren't very expensive either, and the curry paste lasts forever because you don't need a lot to make it super spicy.

Now all you need is some rice:

Sweet Coconut Rice

(adapted from The Food and Cooking of Thailand)

{ingredients}

• 1.5 cups water
• .5 can of coconut milk (see above)
• 1 cup Jasmine rice
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt

{directions}

Combine the above in a rice cooker, stir, and cook for twenty minutes.

Do you see what I mean by easy? I was even able to throw together this amazing chocolate souffle while the curry and rice simmered away. Enjoy!

valentine's french toast

Really easy. Like realize when you wake up and want to make your hubby breakfast in bed easy.

Here it goes:

• Whole wheat bread
• 2 eggs
• Yoplait Greek yogurt (honey flavor)
• cinnamon
• maple syrup or homemade jam

You can add milk too, but my milk had gone sour and when I improvised with yogurt, I was so pleasantly surprised. It made the french toast even sweeter.

Begin warming up a non-stick skillet or pan on the stovetop (I also sprayed mine with Pam, just in case). Whisk together the eggs, add the yogurt, and a dash of cinnamon. You may also add milk, honey, sugar, whatever you'd like to the mixture. Dip your bread into the mixture. Cover it completely. Lift it out carefully with a fork. Make as many as your skillet/pan will hold. Mine will hold three, so that's how many I made.

Let it cook until it's nice and golden brown. Yum! You'll smell the sweet yogurt, which will make your stomach growl.

Pile on some homemade jam or syrup and serve.

The great Food Network chefs agree that leaving out the bread overnight to get a little stale makes better french toast because then the bread soaks up your mixture even better. Of course, if you decide to make it that morning, that won't work.

salt and vinegar popcorn

I've been dying to try this. A little while ago I made homemade popcorn and wondered how I could change up the traditional taste of plain old butter and salt. I think I found it.

This is awesome and a healthy alternative to salt and vinegar chips--one of my favorite snacks.

To do this:

• Pop your popcorn.
• Melt butter over medium heat. Let it brown.
• Add about 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar.
• Let it reduce slightly.
• When the popcorn is still hot, mix your balsamic brown butter mixture into the popcorn.
• Add a little salt... and pepper to taste. Kind of strange to add pepper to popcorn, but it actually makes the vinegar pop.

The best part about it is that the vinegar caramelizes on pieces of popcorn.

My mouth is watering. I think I'm going to make it again right now. I may even add some parmesan...