Pad Thai? Yes please!

On Friday I had dinner at a local Chinese and Asian restaurant called Green Tea. On the menu that night was Pad Thai. I hadn't had Pad Thai in a a few months. This one was tasty, but it was missing a little pop.  


When shopping for sushi stuff I came across some rice noodles and decided to try my hand at my own Pad Thai. I will admit I cheated a little and bought a pre-made Pad Thai sauce from the local Asian food mart.


Below is everything one needs to make Shrimp Pad Thai at home.  I used dried shrimp, but a person could use fresh shrimp or any other protein. If you use a pre-made sauce make sure to check the label for any allergies. This recipe has peanuts but they are optional. 

Shrimp Pad Thai 


Rice Noodles, 1/5 package
Dried Shrimp, 2 tablespoons
Pad Thai Sauce, 1/4 cup (Or a combo of Soy Sauce, Fish Sauce and Brown Sugar to taste)
Lime wedges, 2-3
Cilantro, 2 tablespoons
Chive or Green Onion, 2 tablespoons
Peanuts, crushed, 1 tablespoon
Red Pepper Flakes, 1/2 teaspoon
Egg, one per serving
Water
All the amounts are based on number or servings. This dish can be easily made for one person or a whole crew. The amounts below are for dinner size serving. Approx. 1.5 - 2 cups when all is said and done.


Boil rice noodles and dried shrimp together until noodles are tender. About 5 minutes. 

Drain and place in pot. Mix in lime, cilantro, chive, peanuts, pepper flake. Crack egg directly in pot and let cook. Add water to loosen up if necessary. 

Plate up. Garnish with cilantro, chive and a lime wedge. Serve with green tea and enjoy!

Lovely Friday off of work

As a treat to myself and to use up vacation days I decided to take today off of work.

 The past 3 days of work were spent at the Waterpark Capitol of the World, Wisconsin Dells. No, there were no water slides, mini golf or even walking the main drag window shopping. It was spend in the high school library teaching elementary, middle, and high school secretaries how to use my company's software.We did have a great group of ladies and the district's fearless IT director Larry, all of whom helped to make the days go by fast.

I do want to give props to Gilliy's Island right downtown. When the owner (who was also manning the bar and made our spectacular lunch of hot Italian beef sammiches) found out that we were not tourists, but here on business at the school district, he gave us a deal on our lunch.  Its great to see the one of the main reasons I moved back to Wisconsin from DC in action. I love this state, it's people, and its outdoor activities.

Speaking of outdoor activities, I am writing this on the blanket in my front yard basking in a warm late spring sun in a cloudless sky. As soon as the boy wakes up (he had the 11pm - 7am shift at work) we are heading to the lake for a little kayaking.  Insanity is sure to ensue.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend Everyone!

Summery Healthy Dinner - Sundried Tomato Chicken and Roasted Veggies

Tonight's dinner was easy peasy and really healthy.


 I took a little help from the grocery store on this one and bought pre-marinated sun dried tomato chicken breasts from the meat counter. Doing it this way is a good way to get just what you need. Since the boy likes bacon (and what boy doesn't?) I also picked up a couple slices of bacon from the meat counter and wrapped his chicken in it. 


If your grocery store doesn't have pre-marinated chicken or you want to cut back on the sodium level, you can use your favorite vinaigrette style salad dressing. 


Could also be adapted for the grill to turn tailgate or car camping classy.


Grocery List:

- Zucchini, Yukon Gold Potatoes, Carrots, Green Beans (or whatever looks good at the store)

- Salt & Pepper

- 2-3 cloves Garlic, minced

- Spices (I used Italian Seasonings, Dill and Rosemary) 

- Olive Oil

- 2 pre-marinated Chicken Breasts
- 4 slices Bacon
- Balsamic Vinegar 


Veggie Method:
Preheat oven to 400. Place a cast iron pan on the stove and spray lightly with cooking spray. Cut up the veggies into 1/2 chunks. Cut the potatoes a little smaller to ensure they cook through. Place on a cookie sheet with edges or sheet pan.  Sprinkle the veggies with salt, pepper, garlic and spices. Toss together to ensure every piece gets a little seasoning love. Add enough oil to coat the veggies but not enough to go swimming in.  Place in oven and set timer for 30 minutes. When they come out of the oven toss with a little balsamic.

Chicken Dance:
Wrap one chicken breast with the bacon. Place in cast iron pan and cook on each side for 4 minutes. Place on plate. Cook other chicken breast in the bacon grease for 4 minutes each side. Return the bacon wrapped chicken breast to the pan and place it all in the oven for the remaining time on the clock. 

Remove everything from the over, plate it up, and enjoy with your favorite beverage. Tonight's beverage of choice was RobinAde mixed with a little club soda. A perfect drink to cheer the Brewers on with.  

Best quote of the day....

"I carry a gun because Chuck Norris wont fit in my holster."


So the boy is a gunny, which can be summed up as a person who has a strong passion for own­er­ship, use, and debate for firearms.  He posted a link on his blog which lead me to this awesome quote. 


He keeps promising to take me out to the range at some point. We have had a few "practice" sessions in the house that all included unloaded firearms and the teaching of the four rules 1) Treat the gun as if it always loaded, 2) Never point the muzzle at something you wouldn't want to destroy, 3) Never put your finger on the trigger until you are ready to shoot and 4) Be aware of the target and what lies beyond it. 


I've done archery quite a few times before so am kinda intrigued by a range trip.


There ya go Fred. My first post that included guns. Does this make me a gun blogger now?

Kittehs

Lack of inspiration leads to kitteh photos....

Lila, circa November 2009

Simon, circa November 2009

Simon, circa May 2011

Simon, circa May 2011

Oh, and Prince Fielder just hit a walk off homerun into the second level bleachers at Miller Park. Game lasted 14 innings. Thanks dude!

Honor the Fallen

On Saturday I had to opportunity to help out at my first Honor the Fallen event.  For those readers who don't know what Honor the Fallen is, it's a 501 (c)(3), nonprofit, non-partisan organization dedicated to honoring the memory of American service men and women, civilian contractors, and government employees who have died while supporting the war on terrorism both abroad and in the U.S.


This weekend was the first of three of motorcycle rides in memory of three service members, Army Sgt Nathan J. Vacho, Army Staff Sgt Patrick L. Lybert, and Marine Lance Cpl. Andrew G. Matus, from Rusk County in the Wisconsin northwoods who gave the ultimate sacrifice keeping this nation free. 


The ride kicked off with a pancake breakfast, followed by a performance by a local singer/songwriter. The National Anthem was sang and  the sound of 167 motorcycles starting up for the ride soon filled the air. Throughout the day people were selling raffle tickets, filling out silent auction forms and taking chances for hundreds of items that had been donated; everything from tactical goggles to camping gear to sweet smelling stuff to hand made furniture.  Most of the proceeds from the fundraiser went to SSG Nathan J. Vacho medical Scholarship Fund and the Ladysmith High School Health Care Academy. All in all I'd say over $10,000 was raised. Not bad for one of the lowest income and smallest counties in the state. 


Warm fuzzies mixed with tears were common throughout the day. Nothing can make things easier for Sgt Vacho's family, but I know they appreciated those who came out. 


The next ride will be on June 25th, in memory of Army Staff Sgt Patrick L. Lybert at Club 8 in Ladysmith, WI. I will be volunteering at the event; helping with registration and odd job throughout the day.  If you will be in the area, want a good meal, a chance to take home some really nice things, or take a bike ride throughout the beautiful north woods I encourage you all to come out.

Experiment

I just picked up a new computer for a little experiment. The cost of things (and stuff) are rising fast. The gas station down the street has gas for a mere $4.07 a gallon.  I've decided to ditch my cable TV and opt for watching the cable networks online and just using the antennae for my local channels. Over the course of a year I can save around $600 a year give or take. Plan on getting a membership to Hulu as well as MLB.TV so I can watch my beloved Brewers.

After doing some research, I determined I would need at least a 2 GHz processor and 2 GB ram as well as an HDMI port (my TV already has the HDMI port). The key was trying to find a computer within my $400 budget. So I dragged the boy with me to BestBuy (safety in numbers) and started the search. While there I narrowed it down to 3 different machines. The first was a nice Toshiba  that was way out my price range, an HP with good reviews and the one I really wanted, an ASUS but again - way over budget. So I scoured the internet to see if I could find something similar.  Long story short, I found a brand spanking new variation on the HP, that included a Photosmart printer, for under $400.  

Simon just had to be a ham. 

Purdy color. 

So far I've just surfed the web and edited a few photos using the pre-installed photo software. Battery life was almost 6 hours. More info on how it works as a replacement for cable TV to come.