Dog days of Summer continues....giveaway!!

the

dog days of summer

continue

with another fabric giveaway!!!

(keep reading...)

I thot I would share with you, a simple recipe for a summer salad

I invited some friends over for dinner...I planned...and I thought by now it would be cooler

hah

 so here's another summer salad recipe for you

trader joe's basmati rice or whatever very light fluffy rice you might have locally

and a huge bunch of cilantro

rough cut everything

costco has baby romaine in a box so I used both the baby and the regular romaine

my rough cut technique is pretty simple - hold on and cut lengthwise four or six times turning after each cut

some of you will want to gently tear every leaf, I understand

add lettuce to shallow bowl or serving platter

add jicama

add black olives

add costco edamame salad

(or make your own with edamame, cranberries, roasted corn, red bell peppers, carrots, 

red onions and more cilantro with a rice wine vinegar)

roast a whole chicken, or cut up costco whole chicken

add sliced black olives and avocado

done.

cool.

for the winter version of this you can make it mexican style with rice and black beans

and pico de gallo instead of the edamame

there's always room for cilantro and jicama

and the frozen roasted corn in a bag is a good addition to this one

so there you have it

cooking beyond the reef style!

for the Hawaiian style, rice, shredded pork, chopped pineapple, mango, jicama would do, too!

for dessert, I put out two plates of big cookies

and four different ice cream flavors

with scoopers so that everyone could make their very own custom

ice cream sandwich

(thank you to Little Natalie for this great dessert idea)

many of you live without

costco, trader joes, "everything made for you kind of stuff" stores

but I assure you

some rice, a chicken, and a stop at your local farmers market or your own garden

will let you toss up an evening of good conversation with good friends

any time there is a little rice and lettuce around!

we have some book winners to announce

Leadmewood - Everyday Handmade

Cecilia - Sew the Perfect Gift

Diane - Urban Country Quilts

please email me your snail mail addy and I will get your books in the mail to you!

and for those of you that wanted a copy of the title(s) but didn't get chosen, 

Martingale & Company is having a sale!

(link from our facebook page - beyond the reef)

now for the fabric giveaway

please take the time to leave a comment on the

Road to California

blog

I am actually "faculty" this year, and they asked for an interview

I hope you'll comment on that post, letting them know why you follow

beyond the reef

maybe you'll even want to sign up and come to the lecture....

I will select a name from THAT POST

and that person (on sunday, if they release the comments in time)

will win this wonderful dearSTELLA fabric bundle

please, tell a friend, share our blog and the facebook page with a quilt buddy

thanks.

natalie.

www.beyondthereefpatterns.com

time to give back

It's time to give back.To my girlfriend in Hawaii.

Who loves my green curry chicken zucchini soup.  With anything else you want it to have in it, too.

So, Jill, make a double batch of this soup, and keep it in the 'fridge for those days that you are on deadline and you are writing, writing, writing.  This, and a little salad, yum.  This, and a little of Greg's rice...yum.  These pics were taken on the 4 burner and a griddle O'Keefe that Greg found at an estate sale - a little cleaning, and it was as good as new!!  (me, I'm waiting for the pancakes off of the griddle)

And so the rest of you can see Jill Marie Landis' work - or read her work - go to 

www.beyondthereefpatterns.com

and go to plantation bookstore

and go to Hawaiian

and pick up a Jill Marie Landis' book to add to your fall or winter reading list.

AND, of course, the cookbook.

Here you go, Jill...it's actually a pretty simple recipe once you have the basic staples in your pantry.  And now, I keep the staples handy, because it's a pretty hearty soup, yet it's pretty simple in the long run.  While I do not endorse any of these brands, I shop at these places - Trader Joe's, Whole Foods (365 brand is great - their generic, and often organic), and Fresh & Easy.  So the basics are - coconut milk (I use light coconut milk), fish sauce, green curry paste (I add red, too), and, the secret ingredient - brown sugar, and, well, those are the basics - the recipe follows. For the 'guts' of the soup, zucchini, Asian eggplant, and chicken.  Sometimes I do zucchini and mushroom alone.  There you have it.  Green soup.  Hmmmmm.  Oh, and I cook mine in the big heavy pot...

• 2 medium zucchini or 2 long purple Asian eggplants
• 1-1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
• 2-3 tablespoons green curry paste
• 1/4 pound boneless chicken thighs or breast, cut in big bite size pieces
• 1-1/2 cups chicken broth or water
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon palm sugar or brown sugar
• 6 to 8 wild lime leaves, torn or cut in half (optional)
• A handful of fresh Asian or Italian basil leaves, plus basil springs for garnish
  

Cut the zucchini - lengthwise, then crosswise into 1" chunks, set aside.  In medium saucepan or heavy skillet, bring 3/4 cup of the coconut milk to a gentle boil over medium high heat.  Cook for 2-3 minutes until it starts to thicken and becomes fragrant.  Add the curry paste and cook 2-3 minutes, pressing and stirring to dissolve it into the coconut milk.  Add the chicken and cook 2 minutes more, tossing to coat it with the sauce.  

Add the remaining 3/4 cup coconut milk, the chicken broth (or water, which I use), zucchini, fish sauce, palm sugar, and about half the wild lime leaves.  Bring to a gentle boil.  Reduce heat to maintain a lively simmer and cook, stirring now and then, until the chicken is cooked and the zucchini is tender but still firm, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining lime leaves and the fresh basil leaves.  Garnish with a few sprigs of fresh basil and serve hot or warm.  

Serves 4 to 6

Finally, if you're quilting the weekend away, if you want the kinder gentler version of gridiron chili, try this recipe. Remember - I add some red curry to give it more kick...

be.do.create

2008

Thanks for thinking of

b e y o n d   t h e   r e e f

Natalie.

natalie@beyondthereefpatterns.com