Tonight we had Ben and Michelle around for another dinner before they head off the UK. I’m very excited for them both as not only are they heading to somewhere different to live, but they’re having an awesome holiday before hand. I found it pretty difficult to put something together this time, wanting to do something that would be memorable and appropriately themed for the current weather (a ridiculous heatwave we’ve been having). Everything turned out better than expected, and with the rain that came down today, the evening was enjoyed by all. Tonight’s menu consisted of:
The Kua Curry
We had Gerrod and Kristy over for dinner late last year, who had just returned from their big honeymoon in Thailand. Amongst the many memories, photos and gifts that they brought home, they somehow managed to find something I would never have thought possible… a “Kua Curry Paste”, which they presented to me over dinner. After deciding to make a little bit of a special dinner last night with it, I of course, just had to blog about it.
You could be easily deceived by first impressions into thinking that this little packet contained yet another red curry paste, but the smell and taste produced by its special little mix of chillies and spices would convince you otherwise. The heat contained by the paste was the perfect amount, enough to start a bit of a sweat, but not the crazy tongue-numbing sensation that some curries carry. The trio of chicken, beef and prawns accompanied by the multitude of vegetables certainly made for one of my best home-made curries yet! Thanks again Gerrod and Kristy.
Another Saturday Night Catch Up
Last night we had Mike and Marie (Juicy B) around for dinner. It was originally scheduled for some time in early December, but since it clashes with Al and Suz’s St Andrew’s night celebrations, it ended up being last night instead. I hadn’t the opportunity to catch up with them since the dinner at Gunshop Cafe with Sandy so it was great to have the chance to catch up. The night ended relatively early as we all were pretty tired from the hectic week, but not before much laughing ensued about so many different topics (Marie, the answer to the hypothetical question remains as nay!)
Dinner With the Gang
Last night we had Gerrod, Kristy, Ben and Michelle over to dinner. Though no reason is really needed for any sort of dinner party, there were plenty around to use (Gerrod and Kristy just back from their honeymoon, they are heading to work in the US at end of next week, and it’s always great catching up with Ben and Michelle).
A Mighty Muffin
Feeling a little bit peckish this afternoon, I decided to try out one of the Texan Muffins that someone at work had previously bought. Rightly named a Texan Muffin, the top of this not-so-little treat fit almost quite perfectly into the palm of my hand (yes, it was that big).
My expectations were set quite low as the place of purchase (Nifty’s) is well known for its cheap and not-so-top-notch-quality food. However, considering that I paid $3 for this almost meal-sized muffin, I was quite impressed. The variety of muffins available is certainly not as great as many other places (anyone in the city – go to Cafe Modena), but has been, by far, the best muffin I have bought since working in the Milton area.
I decided to go for the Chocolate muffin over the Apple and Cinnamon one (come on, I was feeling indulgent!) and was delighted to find it an excellent choice. The first mouthful was enough to convince me that its baker really knew what they were doing because its texture was perfectly cake-like. The best indicator of a well-made muffin is that the crumb is of a cake-like consistency opposed to a more rubbery bread-like one. The latter type of muffin is an indication that its baker over-beat the muffin mix, developing levels of gluten in the flour that should be reserved for bread or pastry dough.
Elcaro Catch Up
Tonight Ben, Michelle and Karen came around for dinner since I hadn’t had to chance to catch up with them for ages. Although I ran into Ben and Michelle last week at Jorge farewelling another friend of mine, Katherine, we didn’t really get a chance to chat that much. Catching up with Karen was also long overdue (especially since I was looking forward to seeing her at our last visit to Koh-ya). Though we talked about old times at Elcaro, it was good to hear everything was going well in their current state of events.
Read more “Elcaro Catch Up”
M&M (Michael and Marie)
Well last night I had Michael and Marie over for dinner. I really enjoy cooking, so it was quite fun having them over and planning dinner. I haven’t seen them for quite some so it was good to catch up with them.
I wouldn’t have normally posted this, but Marie wanted to see it published, so here are the details of the dinner just for Marie.
- Entree: Turkish bread served with a mildly spicy roasted capsicum dip.
- Main: Chicken Ho Fun
- Dessert: Lemon Tart served with Butterscotch ice-cream and fresh strawberries garnished with a chunk of Lindt chocolate
