MONDAY MORNING RECIPE POST - THAI COCONUT SOUP

I found this recipe at Crockpot365 hosted by Stephanie O'Dea. It's an old one from my archives as I didn't make anything new this past week. You can find the original here. I checked and the link is still open. It was a good opportunity to use the crockpot, and I like preparing earlier in the day. Stephanie used a 6-quart crockpot. 

Apparently, I didn't take an actual photograph of our finished soup but did take one of the ingredients. There is a photo at the website, link above, so that you can see what it looks like.

Thai Coconut Soup

4 cups broth (vegetable or chicken)

1 can coconut milk (if you opt for the light version, you may want to add a drop of coconut extract to boost the flavor - I did not do this as used regular coconut milk)

4 limes (3 juiced and 1 for garnish)

1 sweet red bell pepper, sliced into strips

4 ounces sliced shitake mushrooms, cut into quarters

1 large vine-ripened tomato, or 4 small medium, coarsley chopped 

1/2 pound extra firm tofu, cubed

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons fish sauce

1/2 teaspoon to 2 teaspoons red chili paste, to taste (you can use red chili flakes)

1 teaspoon sugar

1-inch fresh ginger, peeled and grated

Although there are several ingredients listed, this soup comes together quickly. 

Pour the broth into the crockpot. Add the juice of three of the limes and zest one lime until you get 1/2 teaspoon to add to the mixture. 

Stir in the sugar and fish sauce. Grate the ginger and add to the mixture.

Stir in the coconut milk. You now have your soup base. 

Add the red chili paste, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, until you have reached the desired heat. I ended up using 1-1/2 teaspoons. You can always add more after cooking, so it's best to add a little at a time to get it to your own taste. You don't have to add anything if you don't like things too spicy. 

Add to the pot the cubed tofu, sliced sweet bell pepper and minced garlic. 

Next, stir in the shitake mushrooms and tomatoes.

Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours, or on high for 2 to 4 hours.

This soup is finished when it is fully hot and the flavors have combined nicely. 

Garnish with fresh lime slices.

Thai basil leaves would also be a nice addition, or cilantro. 

That's all. As always if you have any questions or your own suggestions, let me know in the comment section.

The full address is below in case you would prefer to copy and paste instead of using the link at the beginning of the recipe.

https://www.ayearofslowcooking.com/2008/09/thai-coconut-soup-crockpot-recipe.html

Thanks for visiting and 

I hope your week is a great one.

MONDAY MORNING RECIPE - SLOW-COOKER KALUA PORK

A menu today.

Slow-cooker Kalua Pork 

White Rice

Summer Garden Pasta Salad

I found this menu at The Magical Slow Cooker which you can find here.  Sarah is its host and she has some delicious recipes on her blog so I will be going back a lot.  

Slow Cooker Kalua Pig 

To find the actual page for this recipe you can click on this link.

3 lbs. pork butt roast

1/4 teaspoon ground pink Himalayan sea salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 cup water

2 teaspoons liquid Hickory Smoke

Sprinkle the roast with the salt and pepper.  In a large skillet set to medium-high heat, heat up the oil and sear the roast on all sides.  Add to a 6-quart or larger slow cooker.

Add the water and the liquid hickory smoke.

Cover and cook on low for 12 hours, without opening the lid during the cooking time.

Drain the juices from the slow cooker, reserving some if you want to serve the roast with them.

Shred the pork in the slow cooker with two forms, discarding fat.

Serve with rice and pasta salad.  Sarah also suggests using Sriracha hot sauce over the top.  

Summer Garden Pasta Salad - serves 6

You can find that actual recipe here at That's My Home.

1-1/2 cups mayonnaise

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon chopped dill weed

1 cup diced celery

3 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 cup sliced snow peas

1/2 cup diced red onion

1 (15-oz.) can whole kernel corn

1 pound box bow tie pasta, cooked according to package directions

In a small bowl whisk the mayonnaise, buttermilk, lemon juice and dill weed until smooth.  Set aside.  

Drain and rinse the cooked pasta in cold water, and drain again.

Add the pasta to a large bowl.

Add the chopped vegetables to the pasta bowl and pour over the dressing.

Stir until the dressing thoroughly coats the vegetables and pasta and serve.

What did we think of these two dishes?

They both complimented each other beautifully and tasted great.  

In the pasta salad I couldn't find any fresh dill at the supermarket so used 1 teaspoon of the dried.  

One of us wanted rice, one of us wanted pasta, so we compromised and made both. I followed the directions on the rice package and made two servings. 

I made the pork dish the day before the main meal, refrigerating and reheating. 

There were leftovers for the next day also.

ODDS AND BODS

Pretty art.

This sounds interesting, if nothing else it sounds soothing.

Or this for a good night’s sleep?

How about this? On the rare occasion we used to have an Auntie Anne’s Pretzel at our local mall. The place closed years ago.

Or this.

Another recipe of sorts but not for food. For when you might have food stains on your clothes. I haven’t tried it. I haven’t tried any of these, so you decide if you want to. 

The following is an addition as I thought to add this stain remover I buy from Wegmans. I can't remember the price, but it's very good for removing stains, even ones forgotten about. I spray it on the stain, rub it in, wait for a few minutes and put it through the wash. I don't know if I even have to wait. 9 times out of 10 the stain has been removed, even the blueberry ones forgotten about. It impresses me every time.

Apparently we are all walking miracles, so here we go again, strutting. 

Are you a…and yes I am a …

Words are fun!

I can’t say I have been that rebellious but I have been known to dig my heals in at times when I feel it is important.

But often enough I am with Keanu Reeves on this one.

Last one, a beautiful owl picture. 

I hope you have enjoyed them and feel free to let me know if you like them, or not.  These are from Pinterest.

Thanks for looking and have a great day!

MONDAY MORNING RECIPE POST - new post -

 This is another old recipe as I haven't made any new ones this past week. I am thankful to my old blog for being able to transfer recipes I haven't shared here yet.

Crockpot French Dip Sandwiches - serves 8

You can find the original recipe at Valerie's Kitchen, link here.

4 lbs. beef roast (rump, sirloin tip, or other)
1 (14.5 ounce) can or 1-3/4 cups beef broth
1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed French onion soup
1 (12 ounce) bottle beer
1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
8 French rolls
2 tablespoons butter
Creamy Horseradish Spread:
           1/2 cup sour cream, light or regular
           1 tablespoon creamed horseradish

Add beef broth, French onion soup, beer, Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder to the slow cooker.  Whisk to combine.

Trim excess fat from the roast if necessary and add to the liquid.  Cook on low setting for 7 to 9 hours.

Combine the sour cream and creamed horseradish in a small bowl.  Cover and refrigerate.

Transfer meat from the slow cooker to a cutting board.  Slice on the diagonal and transfer sliced meat back to the cooking liquid. (I would chop the meat into smaller pieces for sandwiches.)

Preheat oven broiler.  Spread butter onto sandwich rolls and broil till nicely browned.

Assemble sandwiches by filling the sandwich rolls with some of the meat, spread with creamy horseradish to taste, and serve with the au jus for dipping.

Adapted from allrecipes.com.  

This was a keeper!  I served it with coleslaw. The rolls we used were Maiers Steak Rolls which toast nicely in the oven.

This is the second time we have had this meal as there were lots of leftovers from dinner last night. We will be having one more meal over the weekend and freeze the rest.  I will freeze the steak and the au jus separately.

For lunch today I sprinkled a little shredded sharp cheddar on the bread before toasting.  I also used the Horseradish cream minus sour cream.

MONDAY RECIPE POST - CRANBERRY-APPLE CROCKPOT OATMEAL

 I will serve this up when we have overnight company and am often asked for the recipe.  It is a favorite breakfast (I have also eaten it for supper when I am tired and need an easy supper). What I like is that even when it's just me, I put leftovers in several 1-cup ramekins, wrap them in aluminum foil and freeze them.  Easy enough to take out and pop in the microwave.  Or if there is more than one person who likes oatmeal, I take out and thaw overnight.  Next morning, I can pop them in the oven to warm through.   

I found it at The Slow Roasted Italian which you can find here.  The actual recipe can be found on this page and it was shared by Donna.  Thanks for a great breakfast treat Donna!

Cranberry-Apple Crockpot Oatmeal
Serves 4

4 cups water
2 cups old-fashioned oats
2 cups apples, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 cup craisins (dried cranberries)
1/8 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt

Using a 5-quart crockpot, spray the inside with non-stick cooking spray.

Add all the ingredients.  Stir to combine.  Cover and cook on high for 1 hour or on low for 1-1/2 to 2 hours.

Donna suggests preparing this the night ahead.  Add apples, craisins and butter to a Ziploc bag and refrigerate.  Combine oats, brown sugar and salt to a separate Ziploc bag.  Set aside.  In the morning pour both bags into slow cooker, add water, stir and turn on.

To reheat oatmeal, add a splash of water or milk to a 1 cup of oatmeal and microwave for 1 minute (more if necessary). 

Overnight cooking method:  follow recipe as listed, cooking on low for 6-8 hours.  Oatmeal will be very soft and porridge-like.

What did I think of this dish?  I always enjoy and it is very comforting on a cold morning.  It is not something I do just for cold weather, I make it all year round.  The addition of the apples and craisins are very yummy.  As mentioned above, I put what is left in the freezer, to be taken out whenever I feel like a bowl of nourishing oatmeal. 

I am having a feeling of déjà vu, that I may have shared this before on my blog.  I have gone through all my breakfast/recipes and could not find it.  Perhaps it's because I have several other oatmeal recipes on here.  If this is a repeat (as it is one of those I transferred from my old blog and I just updated a little) I apologize.  

Thanks for looking and I hope your week is a great one.