No, no that kind of tag!
My blog buddy, Emerging Grace has tagged me for a bit of fun... I'm meant to list five things about myself that most people don't know about me. For instance, I learned about Grace today that she is Dutch. This is interesting to me because I am married to a Dutchman.
Ok, my List of Five:
Most people don't know about me that:
1. I cook an incredible Vietnamese Coconut Chicken curry.
2. That I played trombone from 6th grade to 12th grade and for a long time dreamed of being a professional musician. I was in honor band several times and held first chair most of the time.
3. I nearly joined the Air Force when I was 18 years old., went so far as to go the induction center for a physical. A glitch in my medical history stalled the process which gave me time to rethink, and I (wisely) decided No. It pissed my recruiter off. His irritated voice haunts me to this day.
4. ... and I was a carnie...a carnival worker for a mere 72 hours. I was meant to join the travelling show but at the last minute I had a huge wave of anxiety and decided I shouldn't go. Thank God.
5. I used to work on the Las Vegas Strip - at Circus Circus Hotel and Casino on the midway. It was a fascinating job where I met lots of people from all over America and the world. I'll never forget the young playboy from New Jersey who told me he had gambled away $3,000 that weekend and had only a hundred left in his pocket. I told him, "Go home before you gamble that away, too."
And because I'm an overachiever I'll list a bonus sixth point to my list of personal trivia:
I am embarrassed to say this, but I'll say it anyway in the spirit of transparency and communal confession - I pee in my wetsuit.
Ok, tag you're it Helen and Barbara and Robert and Anonymous, who likes to comment on my blog.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Ok, I Guess I'll Play Tag
Posted by Pam Hogeweide at 5:40 PM
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13 comments:
You crack me up. I wasn't brave enough to post something that embarassing about myself.
Merry Christmas.
I thought pee-ing in your wetsuit was standard operating procedure?
I love it when my friends play tag! :)
Merry Christmas, Pam!
Pam,
Maybe that's why they call it a wet suit!
you guys crack me up!
this is why one must never borrow a
warm wetsuit!
Can you post your recipe for your Vietnamese Coconut Chicken Currey? That sounds so good. If not lead me some where so I might find a recipe for something similar. Don't worry about number 6. I think everyone does it, but just won't admit it. Just like peeing in the pool.
I commend you for your transparency (I am sure tons of people pee in their wet suit, as long as they don't poo in there, it makes sense to me)
Mmmm, I'd like to try your Vietnamese dish!
I will do my five tomorrow, thanks for tagging me!
Hmmm...five things about me most people don't know...
1) I was really into italic calligraphy when I was growing up. I had my own pen set I used for it. I got this out to write my own wedding invitations.
2) When I was 18 I got a job cleaning hotel rooms at Holiday Inn and was fired after 6 days :-) (evidently I had a 'defeatist attitude' - I think that was because I expressed concerns I had too many rooms to get cleaned in the time allotted)
3) I met my husband because we were taking the same math course at University. The reason I got to know him was, I noticed he was much better at math than me so I used to go and ask him how to do the homework :-)
4) When I started secondary school at the age of 11 I was the shortest kid in the school.
5) My parents have told me that when I was little I was taught a song which I sang "Cheese is bits of shine". That was evidently how "Jesus bids us shine" sounded to my unchurched ears. :-)
Merry Christmas!
how romantic, helen, that you wrote your wedding invites with your childhood calligraphy set. do you still have it?
it will be fun to read your list of five, barbara. i'll be sure to pop by and have a look tommorrow.
pj, here's the recipe, though warning: i'm one of those cooks who doesn't measure , just do it. i'll do my best to figure out some measurements for ya though:
Vietnamese Coconut Chicken Curry
about 4 sweet potatoes or russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
about 2-3 pounds of skinless, boneless chicken breast cut into bite size chunks, whatever bitesize you prefer, or a cut-up whole chicken...i prefer the boneless, skinless myself...
one yellow onion, quartered
one large yellow can of singapore gravy...this is a very important ingrediant that can be found at most asian markets
2-3 T curry powder...not super important but nice if you have it...get the good kind from the asian mkt, not the fakey stuff from whitepeople spice racks...:-)
soy sauce (not too important, but it does add another layer of flavor)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
chicken powder (aka chicken bouillon)
2 cans coconut milk
cornstarch for thickening
1-2 stalks of lemon grass...found in the produce section of many grocery stores or at the asian mkt...trim off woody stalk, then bruise the head of the lemongrass by pounding it with flat side of large knife a couple of times. this releases the fragrance.
oil, like canola or vegetable
Crusty, fresh French Bread
ok, marinade your chicken. put your chicken in a large bowl, metal or glass is best; add all of the singapore gravey, all the garlic, the curry powder and a splash or two of soy sauce. and add the 1-2 stalks of bruised lemon grass. it provides a wonderful hit of lemon to the dish. you can marinade it overnight if you like, or for a little while.
heat up oil in a small to medium saucepan to fry the potatoe chunks. the idea here is to crisp up the skin so they don't fall apart in the curry. i've skipped this step before and regretted it, but i suppose if you babysit the curry and watch to make sure the potatoes don't become mashy you could skip this step. so fry the potatoes just until their brown. they don't need to be cooked all the way through as they'll finish cooking in the curry. btw, russets work fine, but sweet potatoes are awesome..not to be confused with orange yams which would make it wayyyyyyy too sweet and unappetizing.
set potatoes aside.
ok, the fun part: heat up just a little oil in a large stock-type pot, or dutch oven. about 3-4 T of oil should do it. add that yummy, curry drenched chicken. all of it, including the lemon grass. listen to it sizzle. it will begin to smell good and fill your house with an amazing curry scent.
after it begins to cook a bit and change color add water. um, about 2 cups or so. the idea being that the chicken is going to stew and the broth from it will add to the mix of flavors. also add your chicken powder or bouillon, 2 cubes or 2 teaspoons. and add the quartered onion.
bring to simmer. cover. keep it on a low simmer. after about 30 minutes add the potatoes, and a bit more water to barely cover, not drowned.
bring back to a low simmer. cover. cook until potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes or so, depending how big the chunks are.
when all this is done THEN you add the coconut milk. if you add it too soon it can become overheated and curdle. not a pretty sight, though it does not affect the taste, just the presentation. so the milk is added last. add one can and then about half of the other can. increase the heat slightly so as to slowly warm up the curry. when it begins to simmer put about 3 T of cornstarch directly into the coconut milk can and mix with remaining milk and also add some of the heated up curry into the can. the warm curry will help dissolve the cornstarch and create a thickening agent. slowly drizzle this mixture into the curry, stirring to mix it in well. you might have to turn the heat up just a bit to help the cornstarch thicken. the final curry should resemble a nice, creamy gravey, not soupy, but more like a stew with a greenish yellow curry color.
cut up the french bread into hearty slices, or let people rip it apart like barbarians, which is what we do at our house. it makes the meal more adventureous. heated up bread is good, but not overly hot. actually, i rarely heat it up, though i do make sure it is as fresh as possible, usually buying it late in the afternoon for an evening meal.
serve this curry in bowls and dip the french bread...this may sound weird but it will make sense when you take that first bite. prepare to fall in love. my kids adore this meal. every person i have ever cooked it for over the past 18 years has loved it.
the dish originated in south vietnam which, for many years, was a french colony. that explains the french influences on some of their dishes.
bon appetit!
lol pam... your wetsuit admission reminds me of the story of the man who got a jellyfish caught in his wetsuit or diving suit one or thw other OWWWWWWWWWWWWW thanks for the tag i will post mine like barbara is going to do :)
Too funny Pam!! Thanks for the tip on the "warm wetsuit"...just in case I ever take you up on the offer to use one of yours!!! ha
you do crack me up...and I needed a smile this morning...thanks!!
You can bet I'll never ask to borrow your wetsuit!
Hey, I just wanted to say Merry Christmas. It's been an interesting year, hasn't it? I'm so glad we hooked up, it has had quite an impact on me to know you (not sure if that's good or bad ;) but I truly am thankful for your friendship.
I pray you and your fam will have a great Christmas. I hope the new year will be one of expanding territory for you. Hey maybe we'll each write a book? Maybe we'll co-write a book? Who knows!
I look forward to seeing you next week, and I will definitely want to check out your sound system soon.
Pam, I must still have the set but who knows where it is now...probably in my attic somewhere!
FYI Conversation at the Edge is on break until the New Year, so I posted my five things (same as in my comment here) on my personal blog and tagged five other people there.
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