Where do the weeks go?

The weeks seem to fly by and since my blog is the only journal I do I am going to touch on the highlights with the understanding that they are of no interest to anybody but myself, and even then, maybe not.

Wednesday, May 2 -  Josh had a school soccer tournament.  He was excited to be included on the team.  They had three games and won them all.   I asked him how much time he played, he said about 8 minutes.  I said, "In each game", he said,  "No, in all three."  Soccer has never really been his sport.  Kelly and I watched the first game but didn't stick around for the other two.

Josh was sick and stayed home from school on Thursday.  

He was extra sad because he missed his friend Nelson's birthday.

Friday night Keith and I cooked dinner together and made the best Thai Chicken and Shrimp that my friend Kelly Hale taught me how to make.  It is very complicated and I was glad to have Keith in the kitchen helping me.

Saturday, my friend Kayli dropped her five adorable kids off in the morning and we all played with them until about 5:00pm.

Kelly and Orrin

Sunday we had a great dinner with our ward after church.   Afterwards, Lori and I went to the hospital to visit a friend whose daughter was having surgery.

I had asked Josh what he missed most about America and he said Panda Express Orange Chicken.  I thought this was strange since I think we've been to Panda Express less than five times ever.  I looked up the recipe on the Internet and we had the best orange chicken on Monday night.  Our friend Mike Mason joined us for dinner.

Tuesday I fought with Josh for about two hours about doing his jobs.  Later, we went downtown together so I could get my mind off how fed up I was.  I had German class that night and was kind of distracted from my bad afternoon.

Wednesday, I went visiting teaching which is always fun.  We visited with Kayli which I love and I got to spend time with Lori which I love.  Lori took me grocery shopping afterward so I could stock up on stuff and use her car to get the groceries home.  I taught Kelly how to make lasagna for dinner.  Keith was out all night doing his Home Teaching.  (One visit, over an hour to get there, an hour visit, and an hour home.)

Thursday, Josh and I rode our bikes to the Muribad to see if it had opened for the summer.  Josh and Kelly are done with their extra language class so now Josh only has school on Monday and Friday afternoons.  HELP!!! 

The Muribad is a beautiful swimming area with a big slide, diving boards, a huge pool, and a kiddie pool.  It is right next to the Aare River and is such an amazing place.

The view of the Alps  by the pool.

Friday, May 11 - The kids had the day off and we spent the entire day swimming at the Muribad.  That evening Kelly had a fun church activity in Bern where they went on a photo scavenger hunt.  Keith and I had our friends Carmen and Ulrich over for dinner and served them our now perfected Thai Chicken and Shrimp.

The river was too cold for swimming.

The pools were not too cold, at least for the kids.

Some of Kelly's pictures from her evening.

In front of Einstein's House.

Saturday, Kelly had a stake activity which lasted all day.

Josh ran in the Bern Grand Prix which is a huge race in downtown Bern with over 30,000 runners.  They say the ten mile race is the most beautiful ten miles in the world.  It started to pour just as his group from school and the three thousand other kids were starting to line up and it continued to pour for the entire race.

Thai Chicken and Shrimp Curry

Ingredients:

1 ¼  cups white rice (3 cups cooked)

1/2 cup shredded coconut

Curry

2 large or 3 small chicken breasts

16 large raw shrimp, shelled

1/2 cup cornstarch, divided

1/2 cup vegetable oil

¼ +/- teaspoon salt

3 Tablespoons onion, minced

1 Tablespoon garlic, minced

1 teaspoons ginger, minced

2+ Tablespoons Red Curry paste (American version much hotter, use less)

1 1/2 cups coconut milk (1 can)

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1 Tablespoon fish sauce 

 1 Med. carrot, julienned

1 med. sweet potato, julienned

1 small zucchini, julienned

1/3 cup frozen peas

Peanut Sauce (Can use store bought Peanut sauce)

1/4 cup peanut butter

2 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon sugar

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

1 Tablespoon hoisin sauce

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

1 teaspoon lime juice

1/2 teaspoon Sriracha

Garnish

1 Tablespoon parsley, chopped

4 Tablespoons peanuts ground

1 green onion, julienned

Directions:

Prepare rice according to package directions.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Spread coconut on a baking sheet and toast 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir the coconut around every 5 minutes so that it browns evenly. Allow to cool.

Cut the chicken breasts into bite-size pieces. Coat the chicken with 1/4 cup corn starch, set aside. In a separate bowl combine shrimp with 1/4 cup corn starch, set aside. Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the coated chicken to the pan and sauté until no longer pink. Add salt. Add the shrimp to the pan and cook 3 to 5 minutes until pink, then remove to paper towels to drain. Remove all but 1 Tablespoon oil from wok.

Return wok to heat. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger. Sauté for about 1 minute then add the red curry paste Stir and sauté 2 minutes. Add coconut milk and chicken broth and stir to combine. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add cumin and fish sauce. Add the julienned carrot and sweet potato and simmer for 5. Add zucchini and frozen peas. Simmer mixture for 5-10 more minutes until veggies are tender. Add chicken and shrimp. Turn heat to warm.

While the curry is simmering, combine peanut butter, water, sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, and chili oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stirring, heat just until mixture begins to bubble, then cover the pan and remove from the heat.

To serve, on 4 large plates, fill a 3/4 measuring cup with white rice. Press down on the rice. Invert onto the center of a plate, tap, then lift off leaving a formed pile of rice in the center of each plate. Arrange an equal portion of the chicken shrimp curry around the rice, being careful not to get any sauce on top of the rice. Drizzle peanut sauce over the dish concentrating most of it on the rice. Sprinkle 1/4 of the crumbled parsley over the center of the rice. Add a tablespoon of chopped peanuts on the parsley, and then place a few julienned green onions on top. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of toasted coconut over the chicken and shrimp curry. Serve immediately.

Serves 4