Coconut Curry

photo from mel's kitchen cafe

My sister, Sarah, and I talk on the phone at least a few times a week, well...let's be honest here and say almost every day! :) We both love to cook and try new recipes and a typical conversation is us rehashing any good recipes we have tried lately. I just had a flashback of my childhood and my grandma calling my house and asking what we had for dinner. I guess it runs in our genes. I called Sarah the other day and told her that I wanted to marry this coconut curry. It was that good. She thought I was crazy until she tried it and told me she was signing  up to be my sister wife.
Now, this is an Indian curry. I am more of a Thai curry kind of gal, but to be honest the two most recent times I have gone to an Indian restaurant I have been pregnant and queasy so I don't think I can make a good judgment call.  But THIS curry is delicious and both Ed and I gobbled it up!
It is a recipe for Shrimp Coconut Curry, but would be great with chicken. I actually made it as a vegetarian dish and loved it.
Oh, excuse me....my sister is calling. :) Haha! Great timing, Sarah!
Okay, back to the curry...
The only change I made was to cut the salt in half. Even with kosher salt (which isn't as "salty" as table salt) and cutting it down from 1 Tbs to 1/2 Tbs I felt like it was too salty. Next time, I will only add 1 tsp of kosher salt (or 1/2 tsp regular salt). You can always add more later if you want. And while you are buying coconut milk for this recipe, snag an extra can or two and use that as your liquid when making your rice(I use jasmine rice). It's heavenly. If you are feeling extra coco-nutty you can make a sweet coconut sauce by simmering 1 C. coconut milk and 1/4 C. sugar until the sugar is dissolved, pouring it over your coconut jasmine rice and topping with mangoes or peaches for a delicious dessert. (This is a cheater way of making Thai Sticky Rice, but it is still yummy!) Mmmmmmm - I think this is on the menu tonight! PS - If you are avoiding carbs and want to make this curry recipe I think it would be delicious served with cauliflower.

For an easy way to make rice try this rice cooker. I do a lot of brown rice around here and this works great. We got ours from Sam's Club, but found it on Amazon for the same price. It steams veggies and cooks quinoa like a champ as well. To truly make Thai Sticky Rice you need a bamboo steamer like the one below, but I will stick with my cheater method and go with my easy-peasy, set it and forget it, rice cooker.

Easy mommy!

This little boy just told me, "Easy Mommy! Just wait a minute!" after I asked him to get off of the counter for the millionth time. It's a good thing he is so cute!

My first attempt at taking 2-year-old photos with G ended in only one decent picture (this one). I need a baby wrangler! We will try again as soon as the sun comes back out!

TWO Years Old!

I can't believe I am writing this, but our little man turns two on Friday! It really is hard to believe. I am pretty sure we were just celebrating his first birthday. Greyson at two is a busy little boy. He is developing a cute sense of humor, is REALLY testing mom and dad when it comes to listening, is turning into a daddy's boy, and has decided that a little bit of snuggle time with mom is okay...just a little though! Some tidbits about our G man:

• He weighs around 26 lbs...still really skinny!
• He is still sleeping in his crib and we plan on keeping him there as long as possible!
• He loves to play with Mr. Potato Head, magnetic letters, his zoo and animals, and mommy's phone. 
• Climbing is his forte! He will climb anything faster than you think!
• He is speaking in phrases and sentences and repeats anything you say! The craziest things he has said lately include:
• That's camouflage snake mommy!
• Go to work with daddy please!
• Oh No! Where tato head go mommy?
• Read choo-choo book in daddy's chair please!
• He can count to 20 and recognizes a majority of the letters in the alphabet. I can't get him to sing the ABC song with me though.
• He loves to sort his animals and toys into mommies, daddies and babies. He has recently added a baby sister pile as well.
• Whenever he sees a pink baby item he says "Baby Sister!!"
• He recently tried to blame a cup of water he pulled off the table and spilled on baby sister. Nice try, buddy!
• I swear he doesn't eat anything! He would rather eat strawberries and grapes than cake and cookies. Chick-fil-A nuggets are a new favorite, as well as clementine oranges and Greek yogurt. 
• When he finishes eating he holds up his plate and yells, "EMPTY PLATE!" whether or not his plate is actually empty.
• He loves to visit his grandparents but holds a special place in his heart for all of his grandpas.
• His hair is still curly and people make comments on it wherever we go! I would like to give it a bit of a trim, but Ed would probably cry if I cut it!
• He likes to "help" me unload the dishwasher, fold clothes and vacuum. 
• Daddy and Greyson have been BFFs lately. If they are sitting on the couch together and I try and sit down Greyson will tell me "no mommy!"
• G is obsessed with babies and loves to give them toys, binkies, blankets, and play with them. On his own he gave Ed's cousin's little baby a raspberry on her belly. We all died laughing! 
• He loves to give hugs and kisses. Ed taught him how to do Eskimo kisses, so that is his new favorite thing.

I could go on forever. He really is a good little boy, just really really busy! So busy, that after our music class the other day every single mom in the group came up to me and said in sympathy that it will get better. Yep...he's busy! At this moment he has stripped off all of his clothes and is running around my house yelling, I'm crazy, I'm crazy, I'm crazy!! He is a little crazy but we can't get enough of him. We are excited (and a little scared) to see him in his new role as big brother in a few months. I have a feeling he'll be extra helpful! :)

Valentine's Printable Round-up and a Freebie from Me!

Check out my other blog - Kids All Around for nine free Valentine's Day printables, including a freebie from me!

A Mom Knows

I am so excited that I have the opportunity to write for the wonderful website, A Mom Knows! My first article (actually it's part 1 of 2) was published today. You can check it out here: The Truth About Mommy Brain.
The second half should be published sometime next week! If you read the article and "like" or +1 it I could win $100! Either way, there are a lot of fun articles on the site that I think you will enjoy!