Quick Thai Curry

 
For years I have been lucky enough to have friends who make amazing Thai curries. For some reason I was never involved in the making of any of these, but I always loved them. When I came across this recipe and saw how easy making a curry can be, I had to give it a try. Yes, technically this can be even more homemade if I were to make my own chili paste, but the stuff out of a jar tastes great too. Make this oh-so-easy curry for an impressive, last minute dinner. It took me 20 to 25 minutes total, including washing and chopping time.

I made this recipe with whitefish, but shrimp was used in the original. Feel free to use either, or any kind of fish that would stay together during the cooking process. You can double or triple this recipe really easily if you're cooking for a crowd. This curry is not spicy (the store bought chili pastes aren't too spicy in general). You can definitely add some heat to this if you want to in a number of way. Adding in some finely chopped Serrano peppers, putting in a spoon of sambal sauce or sriracha, or just tossing in some crushed red pepper flakes are some options.

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Sour Cream Banana Pancakes

I realize I just put up a post involving bananas, but these pancakes would make an amazing Mother's Day breakfast treat. The first time I tried this recipe I was probably 19 and had just recently discovered Ina Garten. I made these for a family breakfast and they were a hit with everyone. Although I usually just grab a bowl of cereal for breakfast, banana pancakes are one of my favorite hot breakfast foods. They're fluffy and the flavor from the lemon zest is amazing. But, if you're not a fan of lemon zest, you can leave it out and still enjoy these pancakes.

I almost always top these with maple syrup. On the rare occasion that I am out of maple syrup, I'll just eat these plain or add a little bit of butter on top. They really taste amazing either way. If I know I don't have any real topping for the pancakes at home, I usually slice some extra bananas into my pancakes. If you don't like bananas, feel free to add whatever fruit or berries you like to the batter. Or just make them plain.

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Hoisin Chicken with Cucumber Salad

I love anything that involves hoisin sauce. I came across this recipe last week and really wanted to give it a try. I was in a mood for a chicken dish since I've been eating my fair share of fish lately, and this sounded like the great, semi spicy recipe.

Even though the cucumber salad is only a side dish in this recipe, it is amazing. It tastes similar to the kind of cucumber salad you can order at a Thai restaurant. The dressing makes a pretty big batch, so you can either add more cucumber or use fewer ingredients. You could probably also save it in the fridge for about a week if you wanted. I could have easily had that salad more than once a week.

The chicken in this recipe has a great spicy flavor. I used one seeded jalapeno in the sauce and found the heat to be perfect. For people who do not have a high tolerance for spicy foods, I'd suggest sticking to half a seeded jalapeno, or even less if it's a large pepper. If you have time, let the chicken marinade for at least 30 minutes, but it will still be delicious if you don't have time for this step. In the original recipe, chicken thighs are grilled direct heat, then finished off in a covered grill over indirect heat. Since I made this on a night when the weather was chilly, I cooked chicken breast strips in a wok, which was really easy. The chicken was still tender since I cooked it just until it was cooked through.

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Banana Nut Muffins

When I feel like baking, but don't really know what to make, I like to check out Joy of Baking for inspiration. Most of the recipes I've tried from that website have been great and are fairly easy to execute. I wanted to make a banana something or other, that's all I knew. I had some bananas sitting the the fruit bowl and figured they were spotted enough to bake with (usually, the browner your bananas, the better they are for baking, until they are actually just rotten). After I read the recipe for these muffins I realized I had everything at home to make them and got started.

This is one of those easy recipes you can make without any fancy kitchen gadgets. What I love about these muffins is the subtle hint of cinnamon you taste with every bite. Be sure to toast the walnuts before baking, it brings out a richer flavor than just throwing raw nuts into the batter. Make sure the bananas are spotted and on their way to looking really unappealing. If you use a bright yellow banana these muffins will not be as sweet and they're more difficult to mash. In other words, don't make these if you don't have slightly overripe bananas.

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Herb and Mustard Glazed Salmon

Some nights, after a long day, I only have energy and patience to make a quick, simple dinner. On those nights, fish is a great way to go since it cooks quickly and can taste delicious with little effort. I like to try out different salmon recipes when I can, and this one sounded like it would be a winner. If you have a food processor or blender, the glaze takes no time at all to make, then all you have to do is broil the fish.

The combination of the garlic, herbs, and mustard make this salmon really flavorful, and just a little but sharp. It tastes like it should have taken lots of hard work to make, but it's the exact opposite. Prep time is 10 minutes, and then it only take about 7 minutes to cook. My dad, who is not a big fan of salmon, loved this recipe and surprised himself when he realized he liked a salmon dish. The salmon I used still had the skin on it, that way it is easier to lift off the baking sheet when it comes out of the oven. The skin sticks to the aluminum foil and the filet slides off easily. I also only used whole grain mustard in the glaze, but add the Dijon if you want.

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