Let's toast!

[Asso]

Let's toast!
And what will you drink at Christmas?

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

Beer, probably a little wine and then something we call "glögg". The dictionary calls it "mulled wine". It is heated and served with raisins and chopped almonds. Yummy for cold winter nights!

[TPoptarts]

Water

[Aquarius]

Soda while I'm with the family, because I'll have an hour drive a head of me when it's time to go home.

But the beer will be flowing o-plenty when I get home.

[evcake]

Champagne (Spanish). I happen to have a case on hand, since the weather (snow, ice, gale force winds) has pushed my party back a week.

[Bether6074]

Hot Chocolate or maybe Dunkin Donuts coffee if we're making any on Christmas. Egg nog? Maybe.

[justTripn]

Coke. Maybe Cranberry juice? NO! Lemonade!

Also, my twins have to work on Christmas (they don't consider this a hardship -- they work at a restaurant in a large movie theatre) beginning at 5 pm, so they will miss the Christmas dinner at my mom's house. I asked them what they wanted ME to make them for Christmas at noon. I was willing to do the whole Turkey thing and they said, "NO! Phat Thai." So it's phat Thai (a Thai stir fried noodle dish).

[Alelou]

Mmm. Recipe?

I make pad thai sometimes, but it's not that easy to get the ingredients I like for it up here, like that really firm tofu. I also make that spicy soup with lemon grass in it but my lemon grass plant is struggling this winter so I think I might need to lay off it for awhile.

Unfortunately Thai food is not Atkins-friendly and my kid is not an adventurous eater, so it's all just for me.

[justTripn]

Tofu! yuck. There's your problem.

recipe:

phat Thai noodles (flat rice noodles) Soak is warm water until limp

minced garlic, a little onion, meat (chicken, pork, and or shrimp--yes you can have two meats)
fried with in a couple tables spoons of oil, more for shrimp, and one tablespoon of soy sauce

when that is cooked, add:

2 tablespoons fish sauce (which is a clear watery soy sauce type thing)
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 or 2 tablespoons of chrushed chilli paste (this is a clear plastic jar of chrushed chillis, very watery)

Noodles that are limp (if they aren't limp enouph you will have to add some water as you fry them)

clear a spot on your pan to drop add egg in and partially cook it before stirring it in with everything else

cook until done, adding a little water til the noodles are done.

add sugar (to taste), squeeze on several wedges of lemon and or lime. Strangely enouph, you can pour in a splash of lemonade instead and it works.

Stir in (but don't cook much if at all) a handful of bean sprouts, a handfull of the green part of the green onion cut into tootpick-like shapes, and cilantro (or this can go on top for decoration)

A sprinkle of salt and pepper. Throw another table spoon of sugar over the top. Sprinkle on crushed peanuts.

And if you want your kids to eat it, you can not tell them what it is. I've had the boys friends devour it right after telling me they didn't want any. (OH! Is THIS the phat Thai? LOL). It's very kid friendly--ketchup, sugar, soy sauce, noodles. It's not fancy food in Thailand. It's like the equivalent of a hamburger.

[justTripn]

If anyone read that recipie in the last minute, I forgot the chilli paste the first time.

Also, there are like 15 ingredients and you can leave out one or even two and not ruin it. But you NEED chilli paste.

[Alelou]

That's funny. Just take out the chili paste and that IS Pad Thai. Do Phat and Pad actually mean the same thing? What's the name of the chili paste you buy? Last time I tried that it was Korean chili paste and it nearly killed us.

I don't like tofu myself generally, but I think the firm, marinated kind you can buy in Asian groceries is actually pretty tasty.

My other favorite Asian noodle dish is chicken yakisoba. Mmmm. With lots of dried seaweed on top. And Korean chap jae. I guess I'm just a sucker for sweet noodle dishes.
I also love Korean fish pancakes. Ahh, heaven. The worst thing about living up here is that it's much harder to find this stuff.

[justTripn]

Oh, and I forgot to say a sprinkle of pepper (I added it into the recipie above.) Phat (pronounced "pot", often spelled "Pad" means stir fry and Thai means Thai, so Phat Thai or Pad Thai means Thai stir fry. In Thailand it is like fast food and very typical of Thailand, like a McDonalds hamburger might symbolize American food.

Lets see, what does my chillie paste say:

"SAMBAL OELEK"
GROUND FRESH CHILI PASTE
It's a clear plastic jar with a green top and a gold label.

PS: T'Sara like Korean food. She's an expert. She was there.

[Alelou]

If we ever get together, we could definitely have some good meals!!!

[Asso]

I'm very pleased my topic achieved such nice effects!

[enterprikayak]

Beer, probably a little wine and then something we call "glögg". The dictionary calls it "mulled wine". It is heated and served with raisins and chopped almonds. Yummy for cold winter nights!

Lee's mom loves to make glögg!

Then everyone gets glögged.