Spring Cleaning

Hmmm...it smells like fresh cut grass, the world is puddle-wonderful, I think spring is here at last!

With the first week of really nice, spring-like weather I have been feeling a strong compulsion, verging on physical panic, to organize my house (and by extension, my life). Last weekend, for example, when I should have been outside frolicking, I was rearranging my closets. It started out innocently enough, with me trying to find a box of sandals and other summer-y shoes. Then, naturally, I had to unpack the summer clothes, and then find my daughter's warm-weather stuff as well. Before I knew it, I was in full-on spring cleaning mode.

This cleaning jag feels similar, though not so intense, to the "nesting" instinct I experienced during pregnancy. It culminated the day before my daughter was born, when I could not sit still for a second because of all the imagined tasks I had to complete before the birth. I remember pleading with my husband to help me hang some ceramic hippos above the window in the nursery, so our baby would have something interesting to look at (keep in mind that newborns can only focus on things about 12 inches away from them, and it takes months for their eyesight to fully mature). Finally, I dragged out a stool to do it myself. My husband talked me down from the brink of madness (because lumbering my 9-month pregnant body onto a stool would have been madness indeed), the next day I gave birth, and the hippos were forgotten. In fact, they remain unhung to this day.

It's interesting how the change in seasons still brings back those primal "nesting" urges, even though as humans we don't necessary have our babies in the springtime.

(the painting is Spring by Alphons Mucha)

Zucchini Muffins

I'm a bit late posting this, but these are the zucchini muffins I made for St. Patrick's Day (recipe here). They came out great: zucchini-y, not too sweet, and very moist (thanks to the yogurt). Next time I make them I will probably incorporate some cinnamon and nutmeg. I served them with green cream cheese frosting (recipe here), which is optional, but delicious. They keep well too; I had the last one for lunch today and it was still tasty. Yay for eating my vegetables!

(Edited to add that zucchini is hard to spell.)

Mmm...Pi...

My inner geek was delighted to learn that today (3-14, get it?) is Pi Day! What's even more fabulous is that you can send a greeting card in honor of the occasion. I've never been a math whiz, but I love the idea of an "irrational" number. That, and I do have a certain fascination with the Greek language.

Sadly, I haven't read the biography of Pi yet, or even Life of Pi. Nor have I watched Pi the movie, although a former co-worker told me it would Change! My! Life! I guess I know how I'll be celebrating.

(Why yes, I did make that graphic myself. Stop laughing!)

Edited to add that March 14th is also Albert Einstein's birthday. Of course it is!

Vietnamese Chicken Curry

Blech. I've been sick--or caring for my sick family--all week, and haven't been feeling very creative. This seems like as good a time as any to post my evolving Vietnamese Chicken Curry recipe.

Let me preface it by explaining that there's a great Vietnamese restaurant in Salt Lake called East West Connection; I used to eat there frequently when I used to live there. Their chicken curry is practically perfect in every way, and I've been trying to recreate it since I moved. If you live in Salt Lake, you should go get some right now and count your blessings. My next task will be to take on their lettuce wraps.

The receipe below is derived from The Classic Cuisine of Vietnam by Bach Ngo and Gloria Zimmerman. A Vietnamese curry is different than a Thai or Indian curry: less spicy, sweeter, more lemongrass-y. Vietnamese cuisine traditionally emphasizes the use of fresh herbs and vegetables and the balancing of sweet, salty, sour, and bitter flavors.

This recipe makes 8-10 servings, assuming you eat it with rice (I recommend a fragrant rice like Basmati or Thai Jasmine).

Vietnamese Chicken Curry (Gà càri)

Ingredients:

1 stalk fresh lemon grass or 1 tbsp dried
4 tsp curry powder
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1 tsp sugar
4 tsp salt
1 1/2 - 2 lbs chicken breast, cut into 1-inch squares
7 tbsp Vegetable oil (or enough to coat the bottom of your pot)
1-2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch squares
2-3 white potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch squares
4-6 cloves garlic, chopped
3 Bay leaves
1 large onion, chopped
2 c water or chicken broth
2-3 carrots, cut into 2-inch slices
1 can (14 oz.) coconut milk (Thai Kitchen brand is preservative-free)
Juice of one lime
Thai red curry paste, to taste
Handful of fresh basil, torn into small pieces (optional)
1 additional cup water or chicken broth

Directions:

If you are using fresh lemongrass, remove the outer leaves and upper two-thirds of the stalks, then chop the remainder very finely. If you don't want to bother with the chopping, bruise the lemongrass with the back of your knife, then cut several notches down the length of it. Toss the uncut lemongrass in with the onions, but remove it (along with the bay leaves) before serving. Lemongrass will never fully soften with cooking and must be cut very small to be edible. If you are using dried lemongrass, it should be soaked in warm water for 2 hours, then drained and chopped fine.

Combine the curry powder, black pepper, sugar, and salt with 1 tbsp of vegetable oil and marinate the chicken in the mixture for at least 1 hour.

Heat the remaining oil in a large pot and fry the potatoes over high heat until brown. (It is not necessary to completely cook potatoes at this point, only to brown them). When well browned, remove potatoes from the pan and set aside. Safety tip: remove pot from heat when adding or removing potatoes and be VERY careful. Hot oil causes nasty burns! Trust me!

Add the garlic to the same oil you used for the potatoes and fry it for a few seconds on high heat. Add the bay leaves, onion, and lemongrass. Stir briefly and add the marinated chicken, stirring long enough to sear the meat slightly. Add the 2 cups of water and carrots, then cover and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for 5 minutes; uncover and stir, then cook, covered, for another 10 minutes. Remove the cover and add the pre-fried potatoes, the coconut milk, and the milk. Also add the lime juice, red curry paste, and basil at this time. If you don't have Thai red curry paste on hand, use Tabasco sauce or cayenne pepper to acheive desired spicyness. Cover again and simmer another 15 minutes. Taste, add salt and pepper as necessary. Serve with rice.

What am I reading this week?

I've added a new section to the right-hand side of my blog: check it out! I'm hoping to keep it updated with the books I'm reading on a somewhat weekly basis. Pictured here is The World That We Want, a beautifully illustrated picture book by Kim Michelle Toft (thanks, sister!).