Gretchen's Pantry

More Blogs and Recipes Added

2009-01-17T09:49:00.000-08:00

I just added more recipes and blogs. If you are looking for nachos recipes for this coming super bowl then you want to check this blog out. It looks so good. I am going to try it myself. Enjoy!

Here for all recipes at Gretchen's Pantry.
Here is the new blog.

Ravioli with Spinach Cream Sauce

2009-01-02T19:41:00.000-08:00

We came back from our neighbor's party. My son was still hungry. I think he did not eat much at all. He was too busy playing with his friends. I did not know what to cook then I saw that I have spinach and ravioli, so I made him the Ravioli with spinach cream sauce. This recipe is very simple, and very rich in flavor. All of us seem to enjoy this dish a lot. I hope you will enjoy it too.

Here is the recipe for Ravioli with Spinach Cream Sauce.

Apple Clafoutis 2

2008-12-08T10:42:00.000-08:00

My son loves Apple Clafoutis. I made a new version yesterday. It came out really well. If you do not know what to make for dessert this holidays. Try this recipe: Apple Clafoutis #2. Enjoy!

More Blogs

2008-12-03T12:12:00.000-08:00

Recently, I have not been cooking much. I have found more blogs and added them on my directory site.

Here are the recent blogs that I have added:

Holybasil - You will find many Vietnamese and French recipes.

My Cooking Hut - You will find many Japanese, Chinese, French and many more recipes.

I also added two more recipes. Please check them out. They are really good.

How to Make Bugs on a Log

2008-11-23T09:28:00.000-08:00

Bugs on a Log Recipe

Here's my son's video on how to make Bugs on a Log.

Sweet and Sour Fish Recipe

2008-11-19T12:24:00.000-08:00

Sweet and Sour Fish

Here's my video about how to cook sweet and sour fish!

Lemon Meringue Pie

2008-11-08T22:17:00.000-08:00

I have been busy with my son school Auction and did not have much time to cook lately. Today, I was craving for something sweet and sour and remembering that I have this recipe that my host mum from Australia sent it to me. I made Lemon Meringue Pie tonight. It came out really well. My son and my husband enjoyed it too. It is really easy to make and tast sooooo good. Love it!

Here is the recipe http://www.gretchenspantry.com/recipe/lemon-meringue-pie.aspx

Butternut Squash and Granny Apple Soup

2008-10-16T12:09:00.000-07:00

I love soup especially this time of the year. Seattle is so gray, cloudy and cold. I have soup almost all day long. It keeps me warm. I have never thought that butternut squash and apple would go together but they do. I have adapted this recipe from Eden Organics who I order their organic fruits and vegetables from. My family loves this soup, so am I. I hope you enjoy it too. I just posted the recipe to my community website. Please take a look at it.

Here is the website: http://www.gretchenspantry.com/recipe/butternut-squash-and-apple-soup.aspx.

Added New Blogs on Gretchenspantry

2008-10-13T12:07:00.000-07:00

Recently, I added two great recipe blogs in our community at directory. You can search all the best recipe sites at GretchensPantry.com

Here is the great blog that have recently added:

Baking and Book

Modern Beet

Pad Prik Pla Dug (Stir-fry Catfish with Curry Paste)

2008-09-24T14:10:00.000-07:00

Incredibly, Hot, Hot, Hot! My sister in law, who loves to cook very spicy food, made this dish. It called Pad Prik Pla Dug or Stir-fry Catfish with Curry Paste. I don’t know whether I have mentioned it or not from the past. I was from south of Thailand. The food from the south part of Thailand seems to be very hot, salty, and sour. We eat more seafood than other part of Thailand. We also use a lot of herb especially turmeric.

Here is the recipe for Pad Prik Pla Dug: http://www.gretchenspantry.com/recipe/pad-prik-pla-dug-catfish-with-curry.aspx.

Thai Fish Cakes "Tod Mun Plaa"

2008-09-21T10:54:00.001-07:00

Blasting hot oil in a big wok, a man was performing his art of cooking at the Thai farmer market in an open air. The smell of fish, curry and oil was in the air. I walked pass this deep fried fish cakes, or we called it “tod mun plaa.” Tod mun plaa, or fish cakes had been one of my favorite in my school years in Thailand for my afternoon snack. The simply ingredients include: minced fish (mackerel or other fish), egg, red Thai curry paste, finely sliced Thai or French long bean, finely sliced kaffir leaves and salt and sugar. After its cooked you eat it with cucumber dip sauce.

Here is the recipe for fish cake or Tod mun plaa: http://www.gretchenspantry.com/recipe/thai-fish-cakes-tod-mun-plaa.aspx.

Banana BBQ

2008-09-20T14:17:00.000-07:00

There are so many kinds of banana in Thailand. At the farmer market in Thailand, you can see them all. Thai people use raw or young banana in Thai curries, and they also use the banana that almost ripe for BBQ or fried for snack and also use ripe banana for desert in many form. Banana is not one of my favorite fruit but when it comes to BBQ banana then I just cannot resist. I love BBQ banana. As you know banana has lots of vitamin C, B6 and potassium. Eat your banana!

Here is the recipe for BBQ banana: http://www.gretchenspantry.com/recipe/bbq-banana.aspx.

More information regarding banana: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana.

Guava Fruit

2008-09-19T12:07:00.000-07:00

This is Guava Fruit. At the farmer market that I went every morning, there is a family who always sell this fruit. I bought Guava fruit every morning. I figured I don’t get to eat much in the US then I better eat it as much as I can while I was in Thailand.

I sometime made Guava juice too. I have a recipe. You can check it out at http://www.gretchenspantry.com/recipe/guava-juice.aspx.

Here the website if you want to learn more about Guava http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guava.

Back from Thailand

2008-09-18T12:07:00.000-07:00

We are back from our vacation now. We were in Australia for 3 weeks and in Thailand for almost 3 months. I had not been cooking at all. I did eat many good foods in both places. My Australian’s host mom was a really good cook, and my grandma and sitter in law who I stayed with in Thailand was the best cook ever. I will post more pictures and recipes from my note in the near future.

You know what; I could not believe I will say this. I really missed the outdoor market in Thailand more than I missed my families in Thailand. My routine in the morning after I got up from my comfortable bed was that I would hop on my brother motorcycle and rode to this farmer market where I got all fresh vegetables, fruits and fresh seafood. I also got my Thai ice coffee there every morning. It was so nice and so beautiful. Nothing taste like Thai ice coffee in Thailand; I would not trade my Thai ice coffee with anything even Starbuck coffee.

Veg Head Carnival

2008-05-31T07:50:00.000-07:00

Chef Erik published my spinach and sundried tomato quiche recipe at his Veg Head Carnival.

There are a lot of great looking vegetarian recipes at Veg Head Carnival! I'd like to try the avocado and tomato salad.

Be sure to check it out.

Recipe Search Engine

2008-05-04T09:55:00.001-07:00

Many great recipe blogs have recently joined the community at Gretchen's Pantry, and the Google Custom Search results are better than ever! You can search all the best recipe sites at GretchensPantry.com.

Here are some of the great blogs that have joined recently:

Aapplemint
Chef Erik
Dirty Kitchen Secrets
Spices Corner
Spice of Life
What's For Lunch, Honey

Recipe Search

Remember that your blog can join the community absolutely free and be included in these search results. We love to have great recipe blogs join.

Get a Widget and Collect Stars

2008-04-16T20:32:00.000-07:00

You can get a widget like this for your recipe blog, which allows readers to vote for you on Gretchen's Pantry. Stars cause your blog to appear earlier in search results and in our directory lists.

To get this widget, first add your blog to our recipes directory. (Here are some instructions. Here's the direct link.) This step takes only a couple of minutes.

When you add your site, it will appear at the top of our recipe search directory. On the blog's details page, the star widget appears at the bottom with a link reading "Get this widget!"

This takes you to the html with the star widget customized for your blog.

Add Recipe Search to Google Toolbar

2008-04-13T21:51:00.000-07:00

You can instantly add a button to Google Toolbar that lets you search the internet for recipes anytime, without even starting at Gretchen's Pantry. (Click here to get the button! It's free.)

Once you have the green recipe button, just enter keywords for any recipe in the Google Toolbar search box

and click on the green sun.

This will instantly show you the best recipes on the internet.

Does it sound great? Let's get the button!

Don't forget to add the best recipe blogs to the directory so that they can be included in the recipe search. You can vote for the blogs you prefer by awarding them stars and leaving comments. Thanks for stopping by!

Bookmark a Recipe at the Recipe Directory

2008-04-08T21:39:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, I posted about adding your blog to Gretchen's Pantry recipe search directory.

You can also bookmark a recipe on your blog. This only takes a few seconds, and it allows readers to find you and vote for your recipe by giving it stars.

Just follow the link from any page that says Share a Recipe.

Then follow the link that says Link to Your Recipe Here.

This takes you to a page where you can link to your recipe.

Just enter the permanent link to your recipe. (You can get the permanent url by clicking on your recipe's title at your blog.) Then add a description of why this is a great recipe.

You can optionally sign your own name and url, which is useful if you are adding a link to a friend's recipe blog and not your own. After clicking "Add This Recipe!", you can choose a thumbnail to represent the recipe, add tags, and edit the recipe's title.

That's all there is to it! After these steps, the recipe with its thumbnail shows up in the recipe directory, where your readers can leave you comments or vote for your recipe by giving you stars.

If you try it, let me know how it goes!

Spinach and Sundried Tomatoes Quiche without Pie Shell

2008-03-29T20:53:00.000-07:00

My husband enjoyed this dish a lot. He can eat this quiche for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I hope you will enjoy it too.

Spinach and Sundried Tomatoes Quiche without Pie Shell

6 eggs
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup diced onion
2 tbsp butter
1 pack (16oz) chopped spinach
1 cup sun dried tomatoes in olive oil
1 cup Mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup Mexican cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 Fahrenheit. Put the butter and onion in a baking dish, bake for 2-3 min, and stir well. Put the eggs and heavy whipping cream in a mixing bowl and mix. Pour the egg mixture into the baking dish on top of the onions. Stir in spinach, sun dried tomatoes, and cheese. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean. Serve with salad.

Community Website Directory

2008-03-22T19:02:00.000-07:00

GretchensPantry.com provides a recipe search directory where you can add your favorite recipe sites to our Google Custom Search Engine.

Adding a website to our search engine takes less than 5 minutes, and no backlink is required. To add a site, follow this link:

Add Your Site to the Recipe Search

This navigates to a page where you can add a website.

Website Url: The url of the home page for the site you want to add to the directory.

Title: The title of the site, for example: "Gretchen's Pantry Blog".

Your name (optional)

Your own website's url (optional). This is in case you are adding a recipe site for a friend, but you want to link back to your own blog or website. If you add a name and a url for yourself, a link will show up beside the directory entry.

Once the form is complete, accept the terms of service and click "Save This Website" or "Done" at the bottom of the page.

"Save This Website" adds the website and lets you fill out some additional, optional information. "Done" adds the website and takes you back to the recipe site directory.

After these steps, the site you added will begin participating in recipe searches at GretchensPantry.com. (This can take an hour or so.)

Once the site is in the directory, you can add tags to it, refine your search results, award stars, and add widgets to your web page.

If you have a recipe blog, please try it out and let me know how it went. See you at the Pantry!

Buckwheat Noodle Miso Soup

2008-03-15T22:52:00.000-07:00

What would you like for Lunch? Noodle Soup! What would you like for dinner? Noodle Soup! This is one of my son favorite soups. He loves this soup. I hope you try it and see it yourself how good it is. Enjoy!

Buckwheat Noodle Miso Soup

1 bundle of Zaru Soba or Japanese buckwheat noodle
1 tbsp soybean paste
1 tbsp soup filling (contain dry seaweed, wheat gluten, dry green onion)
1 cup of hot water

Put water in a large pot and let the water boil then put the noodle and cook for 6 min. Drain water and rinse the noodle with cold water. Put the paste, soup filling and hot water in a serving bowl. Mix well. Put the noodle in the soup base. Serve! Enjoy!

Chocolate Mousse

2008-03-15T22:47:00.000-07:00

My son and I love chocolate. Once in a while, we would make this chocolate mousse together. It is quick and easy to make. It would satisfy your craving. I hope you will enjoy it too.

Chocolate Mousse

1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup whole milk

Put chocolate chips in a bowl and put it in a microwave oven. Once the chocolate is melted, remove it from the microwave. Be careful! Don’t burn it! Put the heavy cream in a mixing bowl and whip it just until it holds. Put the milk in another bowl and heat it in a microwave until it warm then whisk it with chocolate and in the whipped cream. Transfer the mousse to small bowls or wineglasses. Keep in refrigerator. Enjoy it!

Thai Street BBQ Pork (Moo Bping)

2007-10-24T16:39:00.000-07:00

Thai Street BBQ Pork (Moo Bping)

Thai people like to eat this BBQ pork for breakfast with sticky rice. I posted the recipe here.

Apple “Clafoutis”

2007-10-14T23:30:00.001-07:00

My French friend (Geraldine Le Roy) gave me this recipe. Her mum came up with this recipe. I love it.

Apple Clafoutis (You can see the recipe at Gretchenspantry!)

Steam Vegetable and Tofu with Peanut Sauce

2007-10-10T20:03:00.000-07:00

Steam Vegetable and Tofu is very nice with peanut sauce. Let me know what you think!

Steam Vegetable and Tofu with Peanut Sauce

Scallops with Crème Fraiche

2007-10-08T11:10:00.000-07:00

Scallops with Crème Fraiche is very nice. My friend gave this recipe to me.

Here's the recipe: Scallops with Crème Fraiche. Let me know what you think!

Chicken and Rice with Soybean Sauce (Kao Mun Gai)

2007-09-26T10:39:00.000-07:00

Kao Mun Gai

1 whole chicken (boiled)

1 tbsp minced garlic

2 tbsp oil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper powder

1 cup uncooked brown rice or any rice

1 gourd or radish (cut into pieces)

Water

Soybean Sauce

2 tbsp gingers (minces)

2 tbsp minced garlic (as desire)

2 tbsp soy bean paste (find in Asian grocery store)

2 tbsp sweet soy sauce

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp lime or lemon juice

2 tsp sugar

1-2 tbsp minces red Thai chili (optional)

Fresh cilantro leaves and cucumber for garnishing

Chicken and Soup:

Put a whole chicken in a big pot cover with water and put gourd or radish, salt, pepper and soy sauce. Let it boiled. While the chicken is boiling you may see some bubble stuff, scoop it with a spoon and throw that part away. After the chicken is cooked, remove the chicken from the pot. Slice the chicken into pieces and wait for the rice. Keep the soup in the pot for later. You will need the soup to cook rice and to have it as a soup a long with the dish when you serve.

Rice:

Wash the rice. Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat and add garlic. Fry it until the garlic turned golden color then add rice. Stir-fry for a few more minutes. Put the rice in a rice cooker or a pot. Add chicken broth or soup (the broth from the whole chicken.)

Sauce:

Mix well all the sauce ingredients together.

Put rice on a plate and add chicken pieces on the top. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves and pieces of cucumber. Put the sauce in a little bowl and soup in another little bowl. Serve.

I do like a lot of sauce on my rice and chicken and if you do too then you may want to double the sauce recipe. Enjoy.

Taco Soup

2007-09-23T20:56:00.000-07:00

My son loves this dish. I love it too.

Taco Soup

1 can (15oz) black beans, rinsed and drained

3 cups fresh tomatoes (diced)

2 cups zucchini

1 cup frozen sweet corn

2-3 tbsp olive oil

1/3 cup onion

2 cloves garlic

3 tbsp taco seasoning

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Diced cooked chicken (optional)

Tortilla chips (optional)

Heat the oil in a pot over medium high heat then add garlic and onion, stir-fry for a few minutes. Add chicken broth, all vegetables and taco seasoning. Cook until it is done. Serve with cooked chicken and tortilla chips.

Zucchini Nacho

2007-09-17T11:04:00.000-07:00

I did not know what I was going to cook for my husband the other night. I saw zucchini in the freeze, and I came up with this recipe. He liked it. Tell me what do you think!

Zucchini Nacho

2 zucchinis (cut into long pieces)

1/2 cup slice onion

1 tbsp oil

1 tsp taco seasoning

3/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese (more as desire)

1 cup tortilla chip or corn chip

Guacamole, Salsa or Sour Cream (as desire for side dish)

Heat the oil in a pan over medium high heat then add onion and zucchinis. Stir-fry then add taco seasoning. Stir-fry until it is cooked. Remove from the heat. Turn the oven on broil, Low heat. Put chip in the oven safe dish and top with vegetable stir-fry then top with cheese. Put the dish in the oven until the cheese melted. It will not take that long. Remove from the oven and serve with guacamole, salsa or sour cream.

Stir-Fry Pumpkin with Pork and Egg

2007-09-15T22:00:00.000-07:00

This dish is very simple and full of nutrition. Stir-Fry Pumpkin with Pork and Egg is one of my childhood dishes. I made this for my son tonight, and he ate everything. You would not find this in a Thai restaurant. Let me know what do you think.

Stir-Fry Pumpkin with Pork and Egg

1/3 cup pork
1 egg
2 cup pumpkin (cut into small pieces)
1-2 cloves garlic
2-3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Heat the oil in a pan over medium high heat then add garlic then pork and an egg. Stir-fry then add pumpkin and soy sauce. Stir-fry until it is cooked. Remove from the heat and serve with rice.

Beef Stir-Fry with Red Curry

2007-09-10T21:39:00.000-07:00

I had to go to a meeting tonight, and I had to cook something fast. This dish was very fast and easy. I also like the taste. Really Good!

Beef Stir-Fry with Red Curry Paste

1 cup beef (slices)

1 tbsp Thai red curry paste

1 tsp sugar

2 tbsp soy sauce

2-3 tbsp vegetable oil

Heat the oil in a pan over medium high heat. Add red curry, stir it until the oil begins to separate out. Add beef, sugar, and soy sauce. Stir-fry until done. Remove from heat and serve.

Grilled Fresh Vegetable Sandwich

2007-09-03T22:29:00.000-07:00

We have too many vegetables these few days. I also did not feel like cooking anything that too complicated, so I came up with this recipe. It is pretty good. You try it and let me know what do you think.

Grilled Fresh Vegetable Sandwich

- Sour dough bread or French bread or any kind of bread

- Vegetables such as zucchini, sunburst squash, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, egg plant (grilled)

- Pesto sauce (optional)

- Swiss cheese, provolone cheese or cheddar cheese (as desire)

Preheat oven 350. Cut the bread in half and spread the sauce and top with cheese. Add grilled vegetables and top with cheese and another half of bread. Cover the sandwich with aluminum foil and put it in the oven until the cheese melted. Serve alone or with soup.

Vegetarian Fried Rice

2007-08-28T20:20:00.000-07:00

Vegetarian Fried Rice

1 cup cooked rice

2 shiitake mushrooms (soaked in water)

1/4 cup edamame (soy beans)

1/4 cup carrot (cut into little square)

1/2 cup tofu (cut into square)

1 egg (optional)

1 tsp sugar

2-3 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp vegetable oil

Put shiitake mushrooms in the water until it is soft and slice it thinly. Heat the oil in a pan over medium high heat then add egg, mushroom, tofu, soy beans and carrot. Stir fry. Add rice. Stir fry well. Add sugar and soy sauce. Stir fry until it is cooked. Taste and remove from the heat. Serve.

*** Chicken or pork can be substituted for the tofu, any vegetable.

Seafood Salad

2007-08-25T20:18:00.000-07:00

I like this salad because it is not too heavy. I make this for lunch and dinner.

Seafood Salad

2-3 cups mix seafood (shrimp, squid) or shrimp (frozen or fresh)

1/2 cup cucumber

1/2 cup sweet red grapes tomatoes

1/3 cup red onion

1 tsp sugar

2 tbsp fish sauce or soy sauce

4 tbsp lime juice

1/4 cup Cilantro

Shred romaine lettuce (as desire)

Some ground Thai chili or fresh Thai chili (if you like spicy then you can add this)

Boil and drain the seafood. Put it in a bowl. Cut cucumber, tomatoes, and red onion into small pieces. Add seafood and vegetable together. Add sugar, soy sauce, lime juice in a small bowl, mix well. After that pour the sauce into the seafood and vegetable bowl add cilantro. Mix well. Put shred romaine lettuce on a plate as desire and put the seafood mix on top. Serve.

Masaman Curry Chicken

2007-08-24T20:45:00.000-07:00

Masaman Curry Chicken

5-7 drumsticks or any kinds of chicken

2-3 medium size potatoes

1 cup toasted peanut

3 cups coconut milk

1-2 tbsp Masaman curry paste

2 tbsp oil

2 tbsp sugar

3 tbsp soy sauce

5 tbsp tamarind juice

Place a pot over medium high heat, add oil and curry paste. Stir it until the oil begins to separate out then add coconut milk. Add chicken and potatoes and let it cook for a while then add sugar, soy sauce, tamarind juice and toasted peanut. Remove from the heat. Serve with rice.

Spicy Thai Egg Plant Salsa

2007-08-20T22:01:00.000-07:00

This is very spicy. Be careful!

Spicy Thai Egg Plant Salsa

1 Thai egg plant (grilled)
5-7 jalapeño (grilled)
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

3 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp lime juice

1-2 tbsp hot water

Grill the egg plant and jalapenos and peel the skin off then cut into small pieces. Put in a bowl add soy sauce, lime juice, hot water. Mix well and toss toasted sesame seeds. Serve with hot rice and fresh vegetables.

Chicken Satay "Kai Satay"

2007-08-19T14:37:00.000-07:00

My son loves this dish. He loves everything about it the chicken, the sauce. I hope you will enjoy it too.

Chicken Satay

1 ½ lb of chicken
1-2 tbsp garlic
½ tbsp pepper
½ cup coconut milk
½ tbsp curry powder (can be less or more)
1 tbsp soy sauce

Slice the chicken into thin strips. Mix all the other ingredients in a bowl then add the chicken slices and let it marinade for several hours. Thread the meat into skewers and grill on a BBQ grill turning the skewers regularly. Serve with peanut sauce and cucumber sauce.

Peanut Sauce

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1-2 tbsp Masaman curry paste
½ coriander powder
2 cups coconut milk
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
5 tbsp tamarind juice or lime juice (can be less or more)
¾ cup peanut butter

Place a pan over medium high heat and add oil, coriander powder and curry paste; stir it until the oil begins to separate out. Add coconut milk, soy sauce, brown sugar, tamarind juice and peanut butter and heat until sauce begins to thicken. Taste and Serve.

Pork with Oyster Sauce

2007-08-13T20:26:00.000-07:00

My sister, Kat, gave me this recipe. She said it is very easy and tasty. She likes to eat it with rice soup, just rice with water. I had it with just regular rice and liked it.

Pork with Oyster Sauce

8 ounces lean pork

2 tbsp minced garlic (or less)

1 tsp freshly ground white pepper

3 tbsp fish sauce

2 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp oil

2 tbsp milk

Fresh cilantro (coriander) sprigs for garnish

Slice the pork as thinly as possible put in a bowl. Mix pork, garlic, pepper, and milk. Cover and refrigerate for an hour.Place skillet over high heat. Add oil and the pork mixture and stir-fry, until the meat is no longer pink. Add fish sauce, sugar and oyster sauce and cook until the meat is well coated and the liquid thickens.Remove from the heat and serve. This dish is good with rice.

Chicken with Ginger

2007-08-10T21:22:00.000-07:00

Ginger is very good for digestion. I like the young ginger taste, and chicken with ginger is another dish that I like to eat with rice.

Chicken with ginger

1 cup chicken (pork, seafood, beef)

1/2 cup oyster mushroom

1/4 cup carrot (slices)

1/2 cup young ginger

1 tsp sugar

2-3 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 cup vegetable soup broth

2-3 tbsp vegetable oil

Heat the oil in a pan over medium high heat then add chicken or (pork, seafood, beef). Stir-fry then add mushroom, carrot, ginger, broth, sugar, and soy sauce. Stir-fry until it is cooked. Remove from the heat and serve.

Thai Spicy Chicken Salad

2007-07-30T21:56:00.000-07:00

Thai spicy chicken salad is one of my favorite. This dish is very tasty and spicy. You will love it.

Thai Spicy Chicken Salad

1 cup ground chicken (ground pork or seafood)

1/2 cup mushroom ( thinly slices)

1/2 peppermint leaves

1 tbsp parsley

1/2 tbsp ground Thai chile

2 tbsp roasted rice powder

2-3 tbsp soy sauce

2-3 tbsp lime juice

1/2 tsp sugar

Cook the chicken and mushroom in a pan over moderate heat. Stir until done. Put cooked chicken and mushroom into a mixing bowl. Add peppermint leaves, parsley, ground Thai chile, roasted rice powder, soy sauce, lime juice and mix well. Taste! Serve

Chicken Coconut Milk Soup

2007-07-28T22:11:00.000-07:00

I just made this dish, Chicken Coconut Milk Soup, tonight. This dish is again one of my husband favorite dish. I hope you will enjoy it.

Chicken Coconut Milk Soup

1 cup chicken (cut small pieces)
13.5oz Can of light coconunt milk
2-3 pcs fresh or dried galangal slices
2 pcs of fresh lemon grass stalks
1 clove of garlic
3-4 Tbsp. lime or lemon juice
1-2 lime leaves
1/2 tsp. sugar
3-4 Fresh chilis (If you like spicy, Optional)
Fish sauce or thin soysauce to taste
fresh cilantro leaves

Cut chicken into small pieces. Put coconut milk, galangal, lemon grass, garlic in a pot. Bring to the boil; this will bring out the flavor. Add chicken, fish sauce or thin soysauce, lime juice, lime leaves and if desired put Thai fresh chiles. Bring to the boil for one or two more minute. Remove from heat and garnish with fresh cilantro leaves. Serve as a soup or serve with rice.

Pork with Red Pepper

2007-07-26T21:59:00.000-07:00

Pork with red pepper is a very simple and easy dish to make for lunch or dinner. I hope you will enjoy it.

Pork with Red Pepper

1 cup pork (slices)

1 cup red bell pepper (slices)

1 tsp sugar

2 tbsp soy sauce

½ cup vegetable soup broth

1 tbsp oyster sauce

3 tbsp vegetable oil

Heat the oil in a pan over medium high heat then add pork. Stir-fry then add pepper, broth, sugar, soy sauce and oyster sauce. Stir-fry until it is cooked. Remove from the heat and serve.

Chicken with Garlic and Black Pepper

2007-07-20T14:09:00.000-07:00

This is one of my husband favorite dish. Chicken garlic and black pepper is a very simple and easy dish to make. Many times, I used pork, tofu or seafood instead of chicken. Thai people like to eat this dish for lunch or dinner. Try it!

Chicken with Garlic and Black Pepper

3 cloves garlic
1 tsp whole black peppercorns
2 shallots
2 tblsp Soy sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
4 tblsp canola oil
1/2 pound chicken
Garnish: Cucumber slices, coriander leaves, tomatoes

Cut chicken into small pieces. Grind together garlic, shallots and peppercorns to make a paste. Remove to a small bowl. Add soy sauce and sugar and stir. Put chicken in the bowl mix well and cover with the mixture and allow to marinate 30 minutes or overnight. Heat the oil in a pan or wok, over medium heat, until hot, becareful don't let it burn. Fry the chicken until golden brown. Place on a serving dish. Garnish! Serve with rice.

Spicy Stir-Fry Noodle with Chicken and Basil

2007-07-16T21:38:00.000-07:00

Here is a spicy Thai Noodle recipe I enjoy. If you like basil and spicy taste then you will like this dish. Try it and let me know whether you like it. This is authentic Thai dish.

Spicy Stir-Fry Noodle with Chicken and Basil

1 1/2 cups yellow noodle (any noodle)
1/2 cup chicken (pork, beef)
2 shiitake mushrooms (soaked in water then slice thinly)
1/3 cup broccoli
1/4 cup carrot
3 garlic
2-3 Thai chilis (more if you like spicy)
1/4 cup fresh basil
1 tsp sugar
2-3 tbsp soy sauce
2-3 tbsp vegetable oil

Combine Thai chili and garlic in a food processor. The mixture should be thoroughly combined. Heat the oil in a pan over medium high heat then add the chili mixture, stir. Add meat. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, then add mushroom, broccoli, and carrot and let cook. Add noodle, sugar, soy sauce and basil. Taste and Serve.

Grilled Beef Pita with Cucumber Sauce

2007-07-13T21:11:00.000-07:00

Here's an easy pita recipe I enjoy.

Grilled Beef Pita

Pita Bread

Sirloin Beef

Salt

Pepper

Olive Oil

Preheat the grill. Season the meat with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place the meat on the grill untill its done (as your desire). Place the bread on the grill cook for 1 min. on each side. Place the pita bread on a plate, put grilled beef and cucumber sauce.

cucumber sauce

1 cucumber

8 oz. plain yogurt

1/2 tsp. garlic powder or fresh garlic (optional)

1/2 tsp. salt

garnish with chopped green onions or scallions

Slice cucumber finely and put in a bowl. Put salt mix well and let stand for 10 min. Put the rest of the ingredints and mix. Refrigerate and serve.

Salmon Curry (Panang Curry)

2007-07-09T21:17:00.000-07:00

Because I live in Seattle, I have an opportunity to cook a lot of salmon. Here is a Thai salmon curry that I like to make. Try it and tell me what do you think.

Salmon Curry (Panang Curry)

Salmon
2 tbsp panang curry paste
1 ¼ cups coconut milk
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce
Red bell pepper, kaffir lime leaves shredded (garnish)

Place a pan over medium high heat, and add ¼ cup of the coconut milk, add the curry paste, and stir it until the oil begins to separate out. Add the remaining coconut milk and the salmon. Let it cook for a while then add sugar, soy sauce. Remove from the heat and garnish with red bell pepper, lime leaves. Serve with rice. (1 serving)

Fruit Salsa with Salmon

2007-07-07T20:35:00.000-07:00

Another summer dish that I like to cook. This dish is very easy and tasty. My son loves fruit, especially berries, but he doesn't like salmon very much. I made this to go with salmon, and it seemed to help him to eat more fish.

Fruit Salsa

2 cups diced pineapple
¾ cup chopped fruit (strawberries, blueberries, etc.)

¼ cup chopped green onion

¼ cup diced red-bell pepper

2 tbsp chopped cilantro

2 tbsp lime juice

1 tsp salt

Put all the ingredients mix well and chill. Serve this dish on grilled fish (Salmon) or chicken.

Preheat a grill over high heat and place salmon on the grill until it cooked.

Maple Syrup BBQ Pork

2007-07-06T18:33:00.000-07:00

This dish is good in the summertime.

Maple Syrup BBQ Pork

Pork
1/3 cup Maple Syrup
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 450F. Mix the maple syrup, sesame oil, soy sauce, brown sugar, and balsamic vinegar. Put the pork in an oven pan with the maple syrup mix in and bake for 15 minutes in the oven. Take the pork out from the oven and barbecue it until it done. While the pork is on the barbecue, occasionally glaze with the maple syrup mix.

I also like to grill some sliced cantaloupe for a side dish.

Fourth of July Thai Iced Tea

2007-07-04T19:39:00.000-07:00

The 4th of July is independence day in the U.S. It was a beautiful warm sunny day. My husband, my son and I went to the 2007 Lake Union Wooden Boat Festival. My son loves pirate ships, and he really enjoyed the boats. When I came home, I was felt like having Thai Ice Tea. Of course, I don't have Thai tea in my pantry, so I came up with a new recipe. It's pretty good. If you have a chance, please try it and let me know.

Fourth of July Thai Iced Tea

1 cup water
2-3 tea bags, black (Lipton)
2 tbs sweetened condensed milk
2 tbs sugar
Ice, crushed
Evaporated milk

Boil the water and steep tea bags for 5 minutes. Strain out teabags and put sugar, sweetened condensed milk, let cool. Put ice into a glass; add tea and a little evaporated milk on top. Enjoy!

***If you like your tea stronger then you can steep the tea longer than 5 minutes. You can also add more sugar or sweetened condensed milk. Normally, Thai ice tea is very sweet. I personally don't like it too sweet.

Pork with Oyster Sauce

2007-07-03T19:23:00.000-07:00

I spoke to my sister, Kat, last night from Thailand. She gave me this easy recipe. She said that it is very easy and good. Enjoy!

Pork with Oyster Sauce

Index on Gretchen's Pantry Website

2007-07-02T21:41:00.000-07:00

We added an index on the Gretchen's Pantry website, so now you can see all the recipes on one page. I like it. What do you think?

Margarita Days

2007-06-30T21:02:00.001-07:00

Summer is here, and it's time for margaritas. Here's one great recipe. It's from my husband's grandmother.

I misread the recipe the first time, and I thought it called for 6 oz. of beets, rather than beer. I realized my mistake in time, but I'm almost tempted to find out how it would have tasted.

What's your personal twist on a margarita recipe?

Gretchen's Margaritas

1 lime or lemon
1 cup tequila
1 (6oz) can frozen limeade concentrate
1/4 cup triple sec
6 oz. beer
2 cup crushed ice
salt

Mix tequila, limeade, triple sec, beer and ice in a blender. Cut lime or lemon in 1/2 and rub on rim of glasses. Dip rims in salt. Pour and enjoy. Makes 6 (5oz) servings.

Another Cooking Tip

2007-06-27T20:21:00.000-07:00

Here's another good tip from the St. Luke's Cookbook.

When cooking cabbage, place a small tin cup or can half full of vinegar on the stove near the cabbage. It will absorb the odor.

How to Cut a Mango

2007-06-25T21:10:00.000-07:00

Elise Bauer posted an interesting way to cut mangos on her excellent recipe blog. This is a great idea. I come from Thailand, and I have never seen this technique. I can't wait to buy my next mango so that I can try it. :)

Helpful Hints in Cooking

2007-06-24T20:46:00.000-07:00

Two years ago, my in-laws gave me a cookbook from their church. I like these helpful hints from the book.

Helpful Hints

Never boil coffee; it brings out the acid and causes a bitter taste. Store ground coffee in the refrigerator or freezer to keep it fresh.
Always use cold water for electric drip coffee makers. Use 1 to 2 tablespoons ground coffee for each cup of water.
To prevent cheese from sticking to a grater, spray the grater with cooking spray before beginning.
Fresh lemon juice will remove onion scent from hands.
A lump of sugar added to water when cooking greens helps vegetables retain their fresh color.
Never soak vegetables after slicing; they will lose much of their nutritional value.
To cut down on odors when cooking cabbage, cauliflower, add a little vinegar to the cooking water.
To avoid tears when cutting onions, try cutting them under cold running water or briefly placing them in the freezer before cutting.
To keep hot oil from splattering, sprinkle a little salt or flour in the pan before frying.
A few drops of lemon juice added to simmering rice will keep the grains separated.
To quickly bake potatoes, place them in boiling water for 10 to 15 minutes. Pierce their skins with a fork and bake in a preheated oven.
Keep strawberries fresh for up to ten days by refrigerating them (unwashed) in an airtight container between layers of paper towels.

From: The St. Luke's Cookbook

Try Out Gretchenspantry.com Beta!

2007-06-24T15:32:00.000-07:00

I have about 15 recipes on my new recipe exchange website. I would like to invite you to try it out and give me feedback. Please register for free and join our community at www.gretchenspantry.com.

Thank you very much! I'll see you online.