Friday, December 30, 2011

Christmas M&M Cookies in a Jar

That’s it everybody, Christmas has come and gone, wait what am I talking about the year has all but come and gone!  I know, it was hectic leading up to it, with all the shopping, the party planning, the food preparation, the present wrapping and name tagging and then the crafty creative gift giving!  Now that it is somewhat behind me (minus the tree and all the decorations that need to come down) I have time to get back into the swing of things, sorta kinda!  So here I am! 
On a side note I just wanted to say, everyone has their own idea of what style of tree they like to have in their home.  Me, I like a family tree.  You know the ones with the personal affect to it!  Our youngest has a thing about decorating the tree.  The only thing is he tends to place the ornaments all in the one area he is sitting in front of!  So every time he isn't looking there is some rearranging that goes on. Here are some final product shots!  Love that little guy!  :)



Okay, back to my story.  
Every year since we moved here during Christmas all the neighbors give each other a little somethin-somethin.  Nothing extreme just something sweet, something with a little expression to wish a Merry Christmas.  Let me share with you what they shared with me.  One of our neighbors owns a couple of chain restaurants and they brought us over a family picture they had taken on a trip and with it came a letter telling us who they are as a family, where each one is at whether it be school or career, and what they have been doing throughout the year. With that came a tag with a cute saying and a bottle of their business signature sauce that went along with it.  I thought how thoughtful is that! 
Our next door neighbor got us a Christmas gift, one year we received an ornamental ball decoration, we have also received a moose and this year a set of one reindeer and one bear dressed like elves.  I have no idea where they go to find these gifts but I love them, they just have that little special touch, it is a gift they put thought into for the season and it is just right every year. 

Now I don’t want to discredit the cookies and the pumpkin bread I made the previous year’s, because I was very happy about the whole idea and the outcome (I do not have any pictures but you’ll just have to take my word for it).  But I really wanted to think of something that I could make myself with that special somethin-somethin.   
The idea...

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

The Pad Thai Experience

Pad Thai on Urbanspoon

I love Thai food!  On the occasion when I don't feel like cooking Thai food at home or I am at work and the girls in the office have a craving there is no question as to where we should go, it comes down to who will drive! 
 

We go to Pad Thai, it is a family owned restaurant. This ties into my previous post Think Thai Food, Then Eat it.  It is authentic Thai cuisine and I have enjoyed my visits there for sure. It is slightly tucked away from all the major chain restaurants in Layton so if you aren't familiar with the area google for directions.


I am always looking for that spicy heated something.  I have a love for spice I just do, it is not right I know but it's my thing.  It seems like when I hit my early twenties my taste buds took a change in direction from something sweet and tangy to hot and spicy.


My favorites that I would reccomend at Pad Thai are Som-Tum, Pad Thai (of course) Fried Rice, and Pad Seew to name a few.  I also really liked their spring rolls, ummm tasty!  One time we took my dad out to eat there and I had ordered there Som-Tum and asked for it spicy...and yes it came spicy! How do I explain?  Well I don't want to discourage anyone from trying it out because they make plenty not spicy dishes, so let's just say the desired affect was achieved. Most of the time at restaurants, when you ask for a dish to be made spicy it comes out with a hint of heat. So a tip for you to know ahead of time, if you want spicy, then spicy you will get!


If you have the chance to stop in there and try it out for yourself you should try it by all means.  Thai food is just lovely, and if we want to cook it we need to be familiar with the taste of authentic Thai food, this way when we work on making it you will be able to know the desired taste and consistency.