Tom Yum Yum Yum Soup

Disclaimer:
This is not a typical recipe in typical form. It's written as I speak, so please hear my voice as you follow the process, because I am actually dictating this to you with love. Or something that may resemble it. Or at least discontempt.

So, I love to cook. If you don't know me, I'm telling you right now. Let there be no questions. I love to cook. And then, I don't even mind eating what I cook. Actually, I'd say that both preparing and consuming food is a huge passion of mine. Often when I feel in a funk a good cook session will cure me a bit. If not then only copious amounts of copiousness would help.  Me and my tangents... Back on course. With this Paleo business I've had a lot of fun trying to create and make food taste delicious. And, I'd say that I'm doing nicely. I do follow recipes to an extent, but then I just let my passion juices flow and I end up creating things that are really tasty. So tasty that I don't even mind making enough for a week's worth of leftovers. And then, I love to eat them even a week later. One of said dishes is Tom Yum soup. Now, I was very intimidated by this. I don't know why, but I was. I've had success in soups before (crab butternut bisque, leaves me drooling just thinking of it. And, also cream of garlic so rich and delicious that I grew an extra pant size because I ate the whole pot. By myself. In one sitting. Psych!! I didn't really) However, Thai soups had me a bit paralyzed at the cutting board. But, I conquered my fear and I valiantly and stalwartly carried on chopping, and mincing, and tearing, and plucking. And two days later I had produced one of my favorite dishes that I've ever cooked... and also the best Tom Yum soup that I've ever had. The end! I'm great and fantastic.

Psych!!! again. The real reason of this post is to share my joyousness of joy and passion. And, all things Thai.

So, the day before I made up my chicken stock. Now, the easiest way I found to do this was to grab a whole rotisserie chicken (Not totally Paleo, they use some stuff in there, but I'm okay with a little poison in my system). Lazy, I know, but it's cheaper and easier than actually making my own whole chicken just so I can make chicken stock from scratch. (It was my first ever stock from pot experience. It was a wildly pleasant experience that I would recommend to anyone. I just felt so June Cleaver about the whole thing) Plus, I got to use all the delicious meat in the recipe. After spending many moments getting burned by the piping hot chicken, fresh off the presses, I threw all the guts & such into a pot with some water, and a little of this and a little of that. You know, limp celery, onions that were sprouting shoots, carrots that not even bugs bunny would touch, fresh parsley, bay leaves that I had collected from the tree in my front yard, etc. And, I let it boil all evening long. When I could no longer take the aroma of the carcass melting into something so useful I pulled it off the stove and threw it in the fridge.

Soups On! So, I threw a moderate amount of stock on the stove....I'm talking about half of what I made. Remember, the stock is your base. So, as big of a batch as you want is how much stock you need. Now, next was my almost favorite part. I got to use fresh lemon grass! I've never even thought about it in my cooking before. Now I'm such a fan that I want to put it in my muffins. Yum! I grabbed a couple stalks, chopped and chopped (you can't use the top 1/2 as anything other than  a twig floating in your soup...but still adds great flavor) I felt like I was just mincing up scallions, but with a much better aroma. Throw those little suckers in your stock and let it boil until you smell the lemony grassyness permeating the range. In the mean time I grabbed some shitake mushrooms, like 8-10, and thinly sliced them. Also, dried red peppers, 4-5 depending on your bravery and honor in the heat arena. (I could take more, but I didn't want the children to not eat the soup) Chop those up so you gots all sorts of flakes and seeds flying all around (I also threw in a couple whole just to add a little surprise as you ate. Like, a cracker jacks surprise) and then a few cloves, 3-6 cloves, of garlic minced. And, like 4-5 kaffir lime leaves. You let that all boil for a few. A good few. Like, long enough to chop up all the other veggies and stuff that you're gonna be putting in. I Like broccoli, tomato, carrot, and some red and green pepper. After cutting them all up into pretty little pieces I threw it into the the base with the chicken from the day before also. Let it cook until the veggies are edible. Well, actually, they're always edible. But once you get to the point that you can't stand it anymore that's when you throw both coconut milk and fish oil to taste. Now, fish oil has got to be one of the nastiest concepts, but boy does it make everything taste so darn delicious. I like me some coconut milk too. Once you add those final two ingredients MMMM.....perfection comes to pass in soup form. So delicious. And, now my second batch is done.....now. I'm peacing out to stuff my face. 

Paleorific!

I know that 2 days might be a little soon to update on my whole 30. However, I'm a bit shocked. Not that I'm seeing immense results already, but I'm amazed at how little I'm hungry and also how quickly I'm satisfied. Like, I just got back from a 2 hour bike ride at 9pm and hadn't eaten much before I left. As I was nearing home I started to get a bit ravenous. So, I came home cooked up some salmon, a very small sweet potato and some bell pepper. A quarter of the pepper and the potato had me nearing full. I forced myself to eat the salmon, because hey, who doesn't love a good piece of salmon? So, other than that I feel like I'm eating just as normal.
Last night's meal was delightful. I cooked up lemon rosemary chicken, roasted green beans, and a salad with homemade blueberry pomegranate vinaigrette. It was so tasty I didn't want to stop eating, except that I was totally full. I also made homemade applesauce with gala apples, pears and mango. It's deliciously tasty. I'm excited to see what challenges Paleo creates with a tasty food plan. I'm ready for the challenge and look forward to the culinary adventures that will come from it.

The thing that I'm really going to struggle with this month is Taco Bell. I know it is oh so gross. But, it tastes oh so good to me. And to go along with that, I'm really going to miss tortillas. I love them. Already I'm finding myself wanting one. And, just because I can't have it I want hot chocolate. I know, it is 90+ degrees outside and I'm jonesing for hot chocolate? Something is seriously crazy about that. 

The Bandwagon Just Passed, I Think I'll Jump On It.

I've started really trying to be healthier in my lifestyle choices as of late. I mean, I still enjoy my sweets and baked goods (I just finished eating my last bacon potato chip cookie), I still love me a kolache from Johnny. And, Taco Bell will always hold a special spot in my heart. However, I'm saying good bye to all of that. Not forever, I will still allow myself a splurge occasionally. I am starting my Whole 30 though. What does that mean? Tomorrow I'm giving the Paleo lifestyle a go. For 30 days, 1 month, 4 weeks, a calendar flip, a full moon cycle, etc., I will be giving up dairy, grains, legumes, and sugar. I have a few family members that have done the same thing and have seen amazing results in their health. So, here's what I'm hoping for....I'm hoping that my skin issue will disappear. I'm hoping I'll trim down and I will be one step closer to wearing my bikini out in public. I'm hoping for increased energy. I'm planning on being able to increase my performance on my bike. And, since I'm on a roll, I'm really hoping that my poor eyesight will be reverted. Now, I know that the last one probably won't happen. But, here's to hoping right?  Well, I just got back from doing my grocery shopping for a week or so....$100 dollars. $100 dollars!!!! I bought some chicken, some almonds, and a hell of a lot of produce. Now, I'm hoping that this will last me a week or so. But, $100. Seriously? I think there is something seriously wrong in a society that makes eating healthy such a financial set back. Do you know how many kolaches I could have purchased for that? Or, do you know how many bags of doritos, or cheesy bean and rice burritos? Enough to last me much longer than a week. I'll keep an update on how my progress is going. I do need to do a weigh in and a photo shoot so that I can really document. Here's to the next 30! And, to improved health.

Solidarity is solid!!!!!

I love to hike! Well, I guess a more truthful statement would be that I don't mind hiking, but I love being out in the wilderness. Okay, I love hiking. I love that I can go out on an excursion and be beyond the reach of automobiles. I love being in nature and really feeling and remembering that there is a God that created this whole chaotic world. I love exploring his design. I love how different each and every place is. I love the wild flowers, the rolling hills, the jagged rocks, the looming cliffs, the intimidation of a peak. I love the accomplished feeling as I head down the trail and look back at what I thought I would never be able to conquer. I love standing on top of a mountain and looking around at everything below me. I love seeing the city from the height of a mountain. Seeing the sprawl of the city, knowing that going on below is every activity imaginable, but being in the quiet listening to the wind and feeling the gentle touch of the sun on my shoulders. As I gain distance on the trail it's the best therapy I could find. I experience every emotion possible. I'm reminded who I am, and I question what I want from life, if I'm able and willing to do what is necessary to acquire those desires. I love the solitude of a hike. I'm reminded to be an individual in a bustling society, to be me regardless. I love the clarity and content feeling that I have after a hike through the outdoors.

10-Speed Humiliation

So, I got my new bike. It hasn't been shifting right. And then, I was on a ride yesterday and one of the screws came out of my cleat and I lost it. so today after work I head to the bike shop. while the guy is fixing my gears I mention a replacement screw. we chit chat the whole time he's fixing the bike. Well, he finishes up the adjustment. I ask him how much i owed him. He told me ten bucks, or i could come back and visit. I told him whatever he wanted.  So he told me just to tell all my friends about the shop. I told him i would tell everyone. I knew he had forgotten about the screw so as I was walking out I just asked..."and how much do I owe you for the screw?" he looked at me so perplexed not sure what I was talking about. I just thought he forgot about it. after a few seconds he was like "oh, right." then started looking for hardware. It wasn't until 20 minutes later I was in my car driving and I realized what happened. I have been laughing about it all day. And, to continue with my promise....Wasatch Bike Support on 2300 East and like 2700 South in Salt Lake. The guys were super cool. It's in this awesome coffee shop, that has awesome juices. They didn't make me feel stupid, even though I was asking really basic questions and they really know their stuff. Plus, they didn't even crack a smile as i totally made the most inappropriate, but awesome, pass at them.

Espana, Land of the Spanas. Oh, and also France, Land of the Croissant

Okay, here's the report on the trip to Spain. I did something very stupid on the day of departure. I decided that it would be a good idea to fly out to CT to meet with Michael. The plan was then to fly together to JFK and on to Barcelona. Well, plan crashed. Plan burned. We were stuck in Hartford for two days because the ONE flight a day to JFK was full both times. Ugh. Our trip was starting off terribly. (I however was more okay with it than Michael because even if I was stuck in CT I was still technically on vacation. He however, was not.) Well, after day 2 of being stuck we got word that we didn't make the flight and we ran. We decided to see if we could make the 6:00 BCN flight from JFK. How? Well, we ran to the car jumped in and drove down to JFK. From Airport to Airport we made it in a miracle 2 hours. Wow!!!!! We made it through security and to the gate with about 10 minutes to spare before they started boarding the flight and gave us our seating assignment.

As we sighed a huge sigh of relief as we settled down into our Business elite seats, sat back and relaxed I looked over and there was an old man nesting in the seat next to me. This is where the interesting stuff really starts. Soon found out that this guy was the creepiest person that I've ever met. He kept bringing up how he is a womanizer. Michael kept encouraging him. Gross. I was stuck between the creep and the dude that kept laughing at his disgustingness. He mentioned several times how he has X-ray vision and made several comments on my under clothing features. Highly inappropriate.  9 hours had me as a prisoner next to this man. I couldn't get away from him quick enough.

Well, we landed in BCN and immediately found our hotel shuttle. Our hotel was a perfect compliment for the expectations I had of Barcelona. Despite the hope of just crawling in between the sheets and sleeping off my night of 0 sleep we hit the town. I'm glad we did, but we were both totally apathetic and lethargic that any motivation to see the sights or put up with the crowds went out with the tide (see how I did that? Since Barcelona is a port town I made a terrible joke.) We did make it to the market in town. It was so awesome. Had so many stalls with unique and beautiful products. We also stopped and got some tapas at one of the stalls. So delicious! Shrimp, artichokes, asparagus, mussels and deliciousness. Well, other than the tapas and the market we weren't too impressed with Barcelona. After a nights sleep we decided to rent a car and head up into France.

Some of the most spectacular sights we saw was Girona, Spain. We got lost in this perfect little town, but I really can't imagine a more perfect town to get lost in. We drove the streets looking for a castle. but, we never found it because as a navigator I didn't have an adequate map at all. But, we did get up into some of the coolest and best neighborhoods where I felt like I got more of a taste of the Spanish way of life way more than we would have had we found the castle. But, on our way to Perpignan, France! Another gorgeous little French town. I was in love. Everything was so quaint and well manicured in this little town. It definitely had a tourist centre, but it wasn't overwhelming at all and I could also tell that the locals enjoyed the centre also, it wasn't just the trap.

Next stop was Carcassonne, France. This may have been my favorite stop. We had an amazing walk through the streets of a medieval city. I had never seen such an amazing castle. It was enormous, and so intact still. People still live within the castle walls. (she may have looked like a ghost, but I swear this old lady was totally real.) I can't even describe how awesome this city was.  My favorite was seeing this castle at sunset. I didn't get a photo, but I'm sure you can imagine.

Found the Camera!!

This week I decided I was going to bake. Well, here it is. My newest, latest, and maybe greatest invention yet. Baby Daddy Booze Cake. With, white chocolate cream cheese frosting and raspberry sauce with a crown of fresh berries. Oh, my! It's like a fudge in a cake. But better. mmmm

Just a little glimpse of my awesome Alaska tan (hahahahahahaha) Or, I just thought this was a great photo of my freckles. Why I'm publishing it I don't know.

 
Carol Anne, Mother, Grandmother, Spencer and I sitting around at Grandmother's apartment the day before Grandpa's funeral.

You thought I could actually leave Whit out of any post I had with anything Alaska? Nope, couldn't do it. Here she is in the ice caves. And, below...there I am as I've tapped into Mother Nature's deliciousness

Our first day in Juneau Whitney and I decided that Juneau was like Neverland. It was our Neverland. For some reason we didn't have a Peter, but I was Tink and Whit was a Lost Girl. We had our pirates (the pilots of Temsco) We had everything that Neverland would have had. So, on our hike to the ice caves that first year we stopped at this little covered bench that looks out over the glacier. While I was contemplating the meaning of life and other important issues Whit was busy leaving our mark for all posterity to view for years to come. On my visit back up there we decided we needed to take a look at our mark we'd left. Whit decided it was appropriate to update our timeline.

I can see clearly now

Last Easter morning I woke up to a foot and a half of snow piled up on my car. I got ready for church, put my heels on and went and waded through the snow to my car. I climbed in (without scraping the windshield. I don't do it when I'm in Jeans and sneakers, you think I'm gonna do it in heels and a knee length dress?), and hit the wipers. The snow all quickly cleared and I was left with a giant crack. Right where my rear view mirror attached to the windshield is where the mayhem began. The crack went up for 3 inches to the top of the window, and out to the each side a foot and a half. Now, this was not there the night before; nor did I even have a chip in my windshield.  Well, progressively this crack has grown into a very illegal and despicable interruption in the fluidity of my windshield. I'm so proud of what it has accomplished and become. It has now completely wrapped around and created an enormous, and complete, circle. So much so that when I go through the car wash I actually hold my windshield just so it won't break and fall through on me leaving me sudded and soaked. As I was driving down the freeway yesterday morning it's raining a proper rain. I hear that familiar thud. As soon as the wipers cleared the water I searched for the damage. I found it. A chip right in the center of my window, and smack dab in the middle of the circle crack. It's almost as though it's the epicenter and the crack is the ripple, although they happened in reverse order. Anyway, I digress. I was livid at this chip. How dare that rock create such an eyesore on my window. I can't believe how upset and frustrated I was at that chip. It was then that I realized the irony and total ridiculousity of my emotions at that  moment. I had become so proud of my complete circle crack that has overtook my entire windshield. And, that little chip that you can barely notice (especially in the enormity of the circle) had me so upset. I wonder what my therapist will say. (Well, I don't really wonder because I don't see a therapist so there will be no response when I tell my journal, which is my acting therapist.) So, now I'm determined to make up it up to that little chip for all those misplaced emotions. I can't wait until it spreads and creates a wheel/spoke effect with the circle. When the two combine it will be quite the little piece of art. ~~~I did have a photo of my precious little crack, but it is not allowed to be uploaded

Shopping for Sanity

Well, by the title of this post you may have your guesses where I'm gonna take this one...my frustrations and peeves with fellow shoppers. I went to Costco today. I love Costco! I can't get enough of it. I'd live in the store if they'd allow it. My frustrations begin starting at the fuel pump. I look down at my gas gauge this afternoon and realize that it's time. So, I pull into the parking lot, take all the back routes to avoid people; it works. I beat out everyone else who was headed in that direction. As I pull up there is a vehicle leaving, he's parked in front of another car that has just pulled  in. A Grandma fumbling to pull her cards out and get everything in order. So, I pull forward slide back into position. Just as my pump finished and clicked into gear I look and see Grandma getting into her Camry. As I put my cap  on I notice that she has backed up as though she's going to go forward. Well, this is where it all happens. She sees that I'm finished and getting into my car. So, she appears like she is going to do the smart thing and wait so she doesn't have to do the tricky tricky to get around my car. Well, that's not the smart thing to her, obviously. As I put my car in gear and roll a bit, Grandma decides that it's now the perfect time to jet out and around. Not gonna lie, I'm confused why she waited so long to do that. I mean, What was the point in waiting for me to completely finish before you cut in front. She then jets down the aisle to find a parking spot. I was gonna go down that aisle and had my blinker on, but Grandma cuts me off. Go for it dear, it's all yours. So, I go down the next aisle over and find a close spot right off the bat. I look over and Lady is 4 spots farther back than I am still waiting. Now Grandma, I appreciate you and your dashing out in a mad hurry, otherwise I would have gone down that aisle and I'd be waiting for a spot instead of getting right in. So, I go inside. I'm not too far in when I really start to get peeved. I go and look at some of the clothing. This Lady has stopped and is looking at the next table over; with her cart totally blocking the aisle. Now, I realize this is Costco and there are many many exciting things to see. But, I don't get how you can just stop without any thought to foot traffic around you. So, I quietly brush past her cart. Well, Lady has seen this and gives me a huge stinky crusty for moving her cart two inches so I can get by. Lady isn't even attached to her cart, so it doesn't bother her physical person at all. But, she was appalled at the gall that I had in moving her cart so I can sneak past. Well, I make my way down aisles trying to be considerate of the others around me. I'm making efforts not to be an obstacle they have to get past. I even pull over to the side as I see a group of four burly Dudes walking 4 abreast down the aisle (and not notice that people are trying to get by because they are checking me out...annoyance is not a good start Dudes). Now, the appallation hasn't really started just yet. Samples. Why do samples charge people up into their dumbest most inconsiderate self? They were sampling ready made philly cheesesteak sammies today. I normally don't bother if there isn't a sample ready to go. Or, if there is a line of any sort. But, I really wanted to taste this product before I purchased (delightful, just so you know. There was one good thing about the trip.) So, there is a man and his wife with a small child in the cart that had been waiting at least 5 minutes. I was browsing down an aisle or two before they were pulling them out of the cooker. Well, Sampleman pulls out the sammies out of the cooker and Guy and Kid jump in front of Patient Family and steal their samples out of their hands. Guy and Kid were no where near the scene except to rudely jump and grab the slice out the Family's hand. I couldn't believe it. So, I head over to the produce in search of nectarines. I see Woman approach them a split second before I do. Woman must have played some mean basketball, back when it was invented, because she had totally blocked out everyone from those nectarines. 5 minutes she was there. 5 minutes! To pick out some nectarines. What can you really be doing for 5 minutes with a nectarine container?! She was acting like they hadn't seen one another in years and needed to stop and catch up. She couldn't miss out on a single thing. She was the freaking nectarine whisperer. For 5 minutes! I wandered over to the plums next to the nectarines to see if I could get her to scootch for a bit and I could quickly grab a container while she continued with her micro inspection of every single nectarine on the pallet. No, she didn't scootch. I waited at least 2 more minutes for Woman to grab her nectarines and move enough for me to get in there. Then I go into the produce cooler. I need raspberries. Quick in and out. So, I put my cart in the corner out of the way so that traffic will not be impeded while I pick up a clamshell. Well, I go to grab my cart and get out, but I can't 3 Old Bags have blocked in my cart and are perusing the peppers. Now, I understand the need to pick out good produce. But, 2 things. #1, Costco is really great at keeping up on pulling bad produce out. #2, does it really take 3 years to pick out a thing of peppers, and do you really need to block everyone in the process? So, I decide after the produce incident I'll go get some yogurt-a calm aisle. Well, as I'm getting over to the yogurt aisle I see an Orange Juice Sampler at the head of the aisle. I'm planning on steering clear. No one is there so it should be easy to maneuver around. Wrong. Ma'am decides she wants a sample. So, she cuts in front of me and goes in for the sample. Now, this wasn't just a grab and go like most. No, Ma'am has decided that she's gonna turn this into a regular wine tasting. She stops, she smells, she swirls, she sips, and she looks to the heavens to contemplate the tastes of Kirkland Signature O.J. Now, why is this a problem? Because Ma'am is totally oblivious to anyone around her and has just totally held up all flow of shoppers while she has her out of body tasting experience. Finally she moves and we all resume shopping. After that I decided I needed to get out of the store. And, I can't imagine what it would have been like if it were a busy day. I am totally baffled at the complete lack of consideration for anyone else in the world. Or, maybe it's not lack of consideration, maybe they really are unaware that this is not their own private store. I just couldn't believe it. I am continually making a conscious effort not to be that person, so I just couldn't get over how many there were in one place at the same time today. The only thing that redeemed this trip is that Receipt Marker Chick was very nice and totally polite. It was a very sweet note to a very bitter trip.

I don't really have anything of much, or any, importance to report upon; but I feel like it's been much too long since I've reported anything. So, I suppose that I'll make up something to relay and report. Or, maybe I don't have to make anything up, I can just put a new spin on something. I have started cooking on my days off. Now, I'm really enjoying learning to cook new and different dishes. A few weeks ago I had a little dinner party. i had images of gourmet and delicious. As well as beautifully plated and so appetizing. None of those really came true. Except the gourmet. I decided that I'd make a veal dish. Now, I've never cooked veal before, but I was really excited about it. I got a recipe for veal scallopini. I totally botched it. I can't believe I ruined $50 of meat....but I did. I overcooked it. Like the one rule about beef is don't over cook it. I did. And, I made some delicious rice pilaf also. It tasted fantastic...but again it was overcooked from trying to keep it hot while company arrived. The one thing that totally turned out like I imagined was my nectarine tart. I love making sweets. I know how sugar contributes and what cinnamon, and all the other components of a sweet dish can really do for the end product. But, I don't get how many of the other spices change the flavor and integrity of a dish. Anyway, dinner didn't turn out at all like I expected. But, I did enjoy making and learning. And, the company was great. Since then I've also made a cream of garlic soup. mmmm. so tasty. The recipe calls for 4 head of garlic, and 4 onions and an entire loaf of french bread. It was so great. I also made a chocolate liqueur cake. It didn't turn out quite like I imagined, but I'll give it another go. I mean, really what else am I gonna do with all the left over liqueur? When I get the cake to turn out I'll top it with a delicious cream cheese white chocolate frosting with raspberry sauce. Oy, I salivate just thinking about the potential. Or the disaster. After I master that I've got nothing on the docket.... so for my 4 readers out there I would love recommendations, requests, and suggestions. I can make it and let you know if it was worth it and then you don't have to waste effort, time or ingredients. I'll do all the testing.  I expect the ideas to start rolling in asap