Here we are again…I hope you all have had a productive week and are still safe and well…Time to tell you what has made me laugh cry or cringe this week…time to tell you what I have been cooking…of course…

Success came in the form of coconut ice...well it very nearly didn’t…I don’t buy condensed milk at all but as I intended making fudge (16th June) I did…I thought I had read the label but upon opening the can it was evaporated milk without thinking I added the icing sugar…In the words of Julia Roberts…Big mistake…

I gathered my thoughts, gritted my teeth and headed over to Mr google…You can make it with evaporated milk…HOWEVER…you add a little to the icing sugar…not to be deterred I weighed out more icing sugar and did just that then added the coconut…It worked…a little sweeter than it should have been due to my earlier enthusiasm…Ooops…

Ingredients:

• 200 g icing sugar
• Evaporated milk to mix
• 125 g desiccated coconut
• Red colouring

Let’s make sweeties…

Sieve the icing sugar into a bowl and stir in enough evaporated milk to make a stiff paste.

Divide the mixture into two halves and colour one-half pink.

Put the white mixture into your prepared tin I lined it with greaseproof paper.

Top with the pink mixture pressing it down slightly.

Leave for at least 3 hrs to dry or overnight then cut into squares.

I noticed many of the recipes said to roll it out to the shape of your dish…I couldn’t be bothered I just added it to the tin too much faffing about.

As I purchased two tins of this evaporated milk next time I make it I will double up and give the neighbours some and make a mousse-like my mum used to make…She whipped the evaporated milk and then folded in a jelly made with just half the liquid…and let it set we loved it as kids…

Wellness Corner:

I think particularly in today’s environment many more people are getting stressed…not only do we have Coronavirus with all the stress it brings but there are now riots and demonstrations around the world culminating in more stress…

We have never needed advice on how to destress more than now…So pop over to Sallys and read her words of wisdom backed up by her numerous experience and qualifications she knows her stuff…

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/project-101-resilience-stress/

Today is also National Gingerbread Day...I love gingerbread cake so methinks I will make on today…Do you love gingerbread? Have you a favourite recipe you like to share?

Where did it all start? Gingerbread dates from the 15th century and figural biscuit-making was practised in the 16th century. The first documented instance of figure-shaped gingerbread biscuits was at the court of Elizabeth I of England. She had the gingerbread figures made and presented in the likeness of some of her important guests.

Of course, gingerbread houses and gingerbread men are very popular over the Christmas season…personally I much prefer the cake…

I am using a slightly different recipe today as the last one I made was a little dry…

We have also been experimenting and having a go at making Sato which is an Issan home-brewed rice wine…It all started when I could find any Shaoxing for a recipe and looked for a substitute…this is what is apparently …

After speaking to a few Thais and doing some research my daughter in law said I can get those starter cultures…they came wrapped in newspaper and were these white chalky flat discs…it is also sort of illegal like many things are here but can be bought if you know a man who knows a man…

The first stage was to soak and cook the glutinous rice. The chalky flat round discs were crushed in the mortar and pestle then mixed by hand into the sticky rice which was then put into the sterilised jar and covered with water.

We are now on day 6 and the rice is separating from the water it is not very clear in the picture but there is a definite separation…Tomorrow we can taste and top it up…There is definitely something going on we shall see…

I have tried to find out what is in those chalky discs with no success…no one either knows or is not saying…

More on my homebrew next week…

This month is also National Fruit and Vegetable Month and National Papaya Month an opportunity for me to share some fruit and vegetable recipes all favourites of mine…

I know that my friends and family have taken this lockdown as an opportunity to cook more all verified according to preliminary results from a worldwide Corona Cooking Survey.

Based on an analysis of answers to the survey by 11,000 people in 11 countries, consumers reported fewer purchases of microwave-prepared foods and fewer purchases of sweet and salty snacks.

People are eating healthier, cooking their own food, and consuming more fruit and vegetables which means this is an ideal month to promote fruit and vegetables.

The fruit is very plentiful here everywhere you can buy it whole or ready cut up..no difference in price everyone just loves fresh fruit…

I have never seen such lovely big lychees and they are lovely a little tart which is how we like them …This lychee salad can be made with or without the prawns both are lovely.

 

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1/2- 1 tbsp palm sugar
• 3 tbsp lime/lemon juice
• 1-5   Chilli sliced and deseeded if you prefer.
• 300 grams lychee
• 2 small shallot sliced finely
• Celery (optional)…the celery is very fine here so I would add 1-2 stems chopped finely.
• 4-6 shrimp (boiled)
• Few cashew nuts (optional)

Mix the fish sauce and palm sugar and lime/lemon juice. Stir until the palm sugar dissolves. Then add the chillies as you like

Add lychee, sliced ​​shallot and celery, followed by boiled shrimp. Then blended together and serve immediately either with rice or rice noodles.

Enjoy!

If you are stocking up with fruits and vegetables as you are not shopping so frequently then here are some great tips for keeping your fruit and vegetables fresh…

That all for Saturday Snippets this week…Be safe and stay well…xx

About Carol Taylor: 

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!

Thank you once again for reading this post I hope you all have a fabulous week and stay safe these are troubling times xx