Grateful Dead

yeah, it is hard to find the proper ingredients, outside of big American cities that have large Asian or in particular, Thai / Lao / Cambodian populations. We were "cheaters" in cooking Thai food for many years, using the pastes or mixes that you can buy in any Thai supermarket or many Asian markets in the west. But you are only cheating yourself, as my third grade teacher used to say as she chided me for using a cheat sheet on spelling tests. The difference in taste is astounding. It is a damn shame that many Thai cookbooks published in the west all too often steer people to obtainable ingredients rather than the 'proper' ingredients; like substituting ketchup (loud SHHHEEEESH!!) instead of what it should be... Many of the Thai restaurants in the US are in fact run by Cambodians, since the refugee populations could get to America while it remains really hard for Thais to get Visas to visit America - let alone, try to emmigrate there. Funny thing is, Cambodian food is quite different, but certainly not as popular in the US as Thai food. oh, to THE MAN with the pistol on his belt and absolutely NO CIVIL LIBERTIES for anyone in that 'no man's land' of customs and immigration. Legally (?) officially, they can do just about anything they want to, searching, x-rays, keeping you locked up for hours if not days on end as they 'investigate' While I respect folks who have a serious job to do, it is a bad place to be especially after being trapped in a tin can of a plane for 20 hours or more. I'm on a first name basis (not by choice) with a lot of people in Customs since we get the secondary soft search almost everytime we travel back and forth. Luckily, we've never had to endure the 'hard' search into body cavities or x-rays; but our profile fits, so they hassle us. Only Hawaii seriously restricts importing veggies / plants / fruit etc. so we have to be careful about the routing and such. It is kind of funny, because most of the dogs you see in Honolulu / Hilo / Kona are trained to smell fruit. One friend had a gift of some dried fruit or something, the cute little pooch trotted right over to her and sat down -- she, being a dog lover, knelt down to let him smell her hand and pet him, and then she was taken behind the green door. http://www.ufmeducation.com/new/eng/courses_detail.php?group_id=8 http://www.ufmeducation.com/new/thai/index.php http://www.ufmeducation.com/new/eng/index.php this was the place, and my old lady was really happy with the whole deal. several hundred dollars in cost, only about 7 or 8 students in her class which was taught in Thai language and English (my old lady's Thai ain't that good) all of her classmates were Thai people who hope to work in a fancy hotel in Thailand or open their own restaurant at home or abroad. As Thais are generally an easy going, fun bunch of folks; she really, really had a grate time-- but people kept asking her "what are those little bears and turtles on your apron??" next trip she wants to do the Thai dessert course, and who am I not to say 'absolutely! fucking do it!!' ?? peace.

One good thing about the Bay Area is that it's probably easier to get a lot of those ingredients here than in many other places in the U.S. But probably not all of them. Good luck with customs and good luck with future agricultural efforts!

without a doubt, Thai food is my all time fave among Asian cuisines, and (brag brag) my old lady just graduated (certificate in hand) from her Intensive Thai Cooking Course in what is the Culinary Institute of Bangkok. She would cook up all sorts of delicious stuff from scratch-- none of that "add green curry paste" shit, she was pounding those chillis until they begged for mercy from her mortar and pestle (sic) and then bring it back to our crib for dinner. mmm mmm good. when SHE gets her act together (be prepared to wait a while -- in other words) and when we get somewhere with some tech equipment, we'll try to scan the recipes and post them up... but be prepared to go on a scavenger hunt for the ingredients -- half of that stuff I've never even heard of. We packed a bag full of LEGAL Thai herbs, roots, seeds, spices, etc. to take home. think we'll have trouble at Customs back in the world??!!

You're on you're own for the sauce.Makes 24 good sized meatballs. 2lbs. ground chuck,3eggs, 1cup breadcrumbs, 2 slices stale bread broken into small pieces, sprinkle with oregano and basil to your liking, 1/4 cup parmesan and romano cheese, and at least 3 cloaves garlic minced. Mix all together thuroughly and make your balls. Bake on 350 for 20 to 30 minutes or brown in a frying pan. Throw into YOUR sauce. My wife likes a hunk of pork in there and I like sweet Italian Sausage, so those get added also. My sauce is my Mom's and if I told ya I'd have to kill ya HA! HA!

A glass of fine English Ale, a glass of Bowmore cask strength Scotch to chase it down and a pipe of Alpujarran hierba and disc 4 Steppin out on the stereo Perfecta on a warm evening to - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Spanish Jam

Let me know how it turns out!!! Besides for my sauce and meatballs, that is my wife and daughter's favorite dish.

...to the grocery store, Steve O. Perfect timing and a great recipe! The Dude Abides!

A little chilly here in Erie, Pa. today. A reminder that winter is just around the corner. Anyhow that means it's stew time!!!! Cube up some potatoes, about 1/2 the crockpot. then add a small bag of baby carrots, one big onion sliced, 4 bay leaves, 3 cloves garlic minced, 1/4to1/2 cup red wine. Add 1 can cream of celery soup, 1 can cream of mushroom soup. Brown both sides of a 3lb beef roast in olive oil season roast to your taste, on bothsides. Put roast in crockpot on top of everything, and pour drippings over it and add 1 can of french onion soup, close lid. Set crockpot on low and let cook for about 8 hrs. Dinner is served!!!!

At least (having not tried Migas in Spain yet) plates were emptied, 2nds were eaten, and my children said was a welcome change from pasta. My daughter said she will stop giving most of our old bread to the horse she rides (a sign of HUGE approval, as she adores that horse), and make migas more often. We ate it w/chicken pieces, tomatos, and onions.

Did the Migas turn out OK ? Bob - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Spanish Jam