Friday Fun

We had a fun day this past Friday. It started out with Music Class for Amelie and then we strolled on over to North Street to try to catch a glimpse of the Royal Couple. After 2 hours of standing and Amelie lying in the stroller we saw them! I saw more of William than Kate but after seeing the millions of pictures online, I felt like I didn't miss out too much. Then after a much needed dentist appointment and a long nap for Amelie, Andrew joined us for a late afternoon stroll to the beach. We let Amelie out to play on the playground at East Sands. Then we enjoyed our pre-choir dinner with the McConnells and then Chaiss and I left to sing our hearts out at choir. It was fun to be apart of the buzz in town. Every once in a while, it's nice for this town to have some excitement. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera for the Royal visit, but we did take some pictures of Amelie at the playground.

Aquarium

We took Amelie to the aquarium for a little outing today. Yes, St Andrews does in fact have an aquarium. It was a nice way to spend a rainy afternoon...or 45 minutes of the afternoon (did I mention it's pretty small?) But at least we have one!

Chicken Satay

Thanks to Jamie Oliver for this delicious recipe. It was easy, especially yummy and considered a "30 minute meal" (that is if you have everything completely together, washed, and you are in a speedy mood).

picture courtesy of www.channel4.com

Satay
Half a small bunch of fresh coriander
1 fresh red chilli
Half a clove of garlic
3 heaped tbsp good-quality crunchy peanut butter (I used smooth)
Soy sauce
2cm piece of fresh ginger
2 limes

Chicken
4 x 180g skinless chicken breasts
Runny honey, for drizzling

Noodles
250g dried medium egg noodles (1 nest per person)
100g unsalted cashews
Half a medium-sized red onion
1 fresh red chilli
Small bunch of fresh coriander
1–2 tbsp soy sauce
1 lime
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp fish sauce (I didn’t use this)
1 tsp runny honey

Seasonings
Olive oil
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper

Satay: Put the coriander (stalks and all) into the food processor with the chilli (stalk removed), peeled garlic, 3 heaped tablespoons of peanut butter and a lug of soy sauce. Peel and roughly chop the ginger and add. Finely grate in the zest of both limes, then squeeze in the juice from 1 of them. Add a couple of splashes of water and whiz to a spoonable paste. Season to taste. Spoon half into a nice bow and put the rest aside.

Chicken: Skewer the chicken into 4 kebabs. Scoop the rest of the satay mix from the processor into a roasting tray, add the chicken skewers and toss with your hands to coat, rubbing the flavour into the meat. Drizzle the chicken with olive oil and season with salt. Put on the top shelf of the oven, under the grill, for about 8 to 10 minutes on each side, or until golden and cooked through. Flip, drizzle with honey and cook 8-10 more minutes.

Noodles: Put the nests of noodles in a large bowl, cover with boiling water and a plate, then leave to soak for 6 minutes. Put a medium frying pan on a low heat. Bash the cashew nuts with a rolling pin or against a work surface. Add to the warm pan and leave to toast, tossing occasionally and keeping an eye on them. Add 1 t honey & mix.

Peel the red onion and put half in the processor with the chilli (stalk removed) and the stalks from the bunch of coriander. Pulse until finely chopped, then put into a large serving bowl with 1 or 2 tablespoons of soy sauce. Squeeze in the juice of 1 lime, and stir in 1 teaspoon each of sesame oil and fish sauce. Mix well, then taste and correct the seasoning. Drain the noodles in a colander and add mixture along with the cashews.

Serve the chicken with the rest of the satay sauce for dipping.

Tomato & Basil Soup

As I was meal planning for this week, I wanted to add a good lunch that would be nice for leftovers. My mom suggested this which my sister makes and it turned out delicious. I made a few adjustments, but here is the original recipe:

Tomato Basil Soup

1 onion

3-4 garlic cloves

2 T butter

½ c dry white wine

2 cans tomatoes

2 T tomato paste

1 can of chicken broth

2 T dried basil

2/3 c half & half (I don't like my soup very creamy, so I added just about 1/4 c)

I also added dried oregano which was Chaiss' suggestion. She also added carrots which would be really tasty as well and might reduce the acidity of the tomatoes.

Chop an onion and 3-4 garlic cloves. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a soup pot over medium/high heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook till soft and add 1/2 c. dry white wine.

Bring to a boil and allow alcohol cook off and then add 2 cans of tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and a can of chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Add one tablespoon of dried basil.

Allow to simmer 5 more minutes and then puree with a stick blender if you have one, if not it can be done in small batches in a regular blender or food processor. Add 2/3 cup half & half. Don't let it boil after adding the cream

New Toys

Amelie has really been enjoying her new toys. It's been nice for us too since they keep her entertained a little more than usual. Hope they last her until Christmas...

Care Package!

We got this in the mail yesterday from my mom! We were beyond excited to get Girl Scout cookies, Caesar dressing (well I was excited about that), American candy, our favorite smart wool socks, chocolate and lots of other fun goodies. It was a very fun surprise and we are already enjoying all of it. Thanks mom!

Party Time

It's hard to believe it, but we have a one year old! Saturday we threw a small party for Amelie to celebrate the big 1. We were a little sad that family couldn't be apart of it, but it was still lots of fun. I'm sure this will come as a big surprise to you, but the theme was PINK. She had a strawberry cake (thanks to Ashley for mailing over some essential US ingredients), pretty pink plates (thanks to my mom) and pink lemonade (thanks to Andrew for squeezing a billion lemons). She is enjoying all her new presents from family so we appreciate those too. It's been a fun year! Hope the next one is just as great.