Apple PIE?!

Yes.....that is Apple Pie.  Isn't it huge?!  A favorite restaurant of ours here in Chiang Mai is the Dukes.  They serve many delicious desserts but the one that caught my eye was this amazingly thick Apple Pie.  So, I ordered it.  It tastes as good as it looks!  You bet your bananas I'll be making (attempting?) this when I get home!

I wish you could see it more to scale.  It's larger than it looks in this picture. And yeah, those are giant cookies underneath!

Please leave comments! I love to know who is reading my blog and I have to say I've seen a lot of hits from Australia and the Netherlands. Hmm.....the mystery....



Fruits

Ok.....so an interesting experience since I have been here is the fruits not available in the states.  Here are some that I've tried (Except Durian).

1. Durian.  Ick Ick Ick.  I am not brave enough to try it, but you can smell it a mile away.  It's a favorite of the locals (NOT by farang). 

2. Jackfruit.  Delicious!! The fruit is actually very large and looks like Durian on the outside.  The inside is quite different. :-)

3. Kong Thai

4. Lamyai.  This grows everywhere here in Chiang Mai!

4. Mangosteen.  YUM!!!  Soooo juicy!

5. Papaya.  A very popular dish here is Som Tum (Papaya Salad). It's more savory than it is sweet. I recommend ordering it with NO peppers....

6. Passionfruit

7. Rambutan.  Looks like it would be spiky but it's not.  Quite a unique and delicious fruit!

8. Pomelo

9. Rose Apple.  Tastes similar to an apple but not sweet.

10.  Ok....I don't know if this counts really but....the fried bananas here are just so good!!! :-D

11.  And I forgot to add Dragonfruit.  An interesting flavor and definitely an interesting look! The purple one is more sweet than the white.

Of course, there are many fruits I haven't tried yet and maybe I'll get the chance before I leave. (I hope!)

Nutella Mug Cake

Since there are only two of us living here (Pookie and myself) it's not really necessary to go all out and make an elaborate cake when we get the craving for sweets.  Well, I found this A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. recipe for Nutella Mug Cake, and it hits the spot!  The ingredients are things commonly found in the kitchen, and it's a mug of moist, chocolately, nutella goodness.  I've tried a few mug cakes before and they were either way too dry or just plain nasty.  This one is perfect in every way. The only issue is... you'll be hooked. :-) So I'm just warning you now, "bake" at your own risk.  The recipe and picture were both taken from this website.

Nutella Mug Cake
Ingredients:
4 T self-rising flour
4 T white granulated sugar
1 egg
3 T. cocoa powder
3 T milk
3 T Nutella
3 T olive or vegetable oil

Method
1. Combine all ingredients in a large coffee mug. Whisk well with a fork until smooth. Microwave on high for 1 1/2 – 3 minutes. (Time depends on microwave wattage. Mine took about 2 1/2 minutes.) Top with whipped cream and a little chocolate sauce if desired.

2. Top with whipped cream and chocolate syrup. Enjoy!


Note: Depending on the wattage of your microwave, you may have to increase cooking time.



Makes 1 very large serving.

Friends and Bugs

You might be wondering how those two things can mix.  Me too. Well....here's how it goes. :-)

Monday night we had a celebration at mine and Pookie's house.  Technically it was to celebrate the 4th of July but being such a multi-cultural group we had a pretty multi-cultural evening. Wonderful food from several different countries and SO many fun games! We played the longest Jenga game ever. I think it neared an hour. Whew! Then switched to Rummikub. Then...(drum roll please) we switched to Spoons! Almost no one had played before and once we started no one wanted to stop!  We played for about three hours then had to call it quits due to working the next day. My side was hurting so much from laughing. Good times!

Onto the bugs...you knew this was coming. I think it was the very next day that Ahn Ahn gladly took himself off to the market and brought back (With a smile!) a bag full of bugs. Varieties of bugs. Big bugs. Small bugs. Black Bugs. Brown bugs. ICK! It took a while to convince me to eat any. To be honest, I knew I wasn't getting out of there that day without eating at least one. So.....I did it. I ate them. I only ate two....and a half if you count the big grasshopper legs. I just had to laugh as everyone stood around the plates eating them like candy. ICK!  Well, I hope you enjoy the pictures. And don't worry....I will NOT be bringing back bugs as souvenirs. :-)


My homemade Chocolate cake. I baked for the first time in a toaster oven and I was so surprised at the results!

The evening's spread.

Pookie making her famous KFC (Khemjira Fried Chicken). :-)

JENGA!

Some awesome background music. :-)

Love that concentrated look....

Enjoying a game of spoons.

One of many....

The rule was if you lost a round you had to drink a cup of water.  Needless to say, Bro. Jeng Lang lost this round... :-D

And....Bro. Somsak lost THIS round. haha

Here goes nothin....

Nooooo!!!!

Nasty....

Even worse!

"Kaw....don't do it!"

Yeah....I ate that little guy.

Kinda chewy...not expecting that.

Pookie....that's sick.

Aaaiieee!!!

Eating it like candy!

Working. Yes....I do that sometimes. :-)

About as close as I can get to Mt. Dew over here. :-(

Thai Food

So I've begun to prepare for Thailand by searching for some Thai recipes. If anyone has any good ones (I know several of my readers have gone to Thailand before) I would love to try them! Tonight I made Pork Satay with Thai noodles and Garlic Butter Green Beans. Not exactly on the healthy side, but delicious either way!

On a different note, on Monday I have an appt. to meet with the oral surgeon to see about getting my wisdom teeth taken out. :-( After watching Josh go through this a few months ago, I am NOT looking forward to this whole process. But it must be done, and frankly I'm glad to get it over with.

The Long Awaited Cinnamon Rolls

I've been wanting to make Pioneer Woman Cinnamon Rolls for quite a while now.  We got the stuff to make them when my Dad got home and I just haven't had the chance yet.  Then I was going to make them, but Josh had his wisdom teeth taken out and he LOVES cinnamon rolls.  So I was nice and waited.  And ever since then I've just been SOO busy!  So.....I've finally made them. And they're delicious! (As usual) 

The Final Product!

I had mentioned that I needed a cookbook stand and Christopher went in his room and made this out of Knex! Isn't he a genius?

Cookie Exchange

Tonight was the Ladies Bible Fellowship for the month of December.  It was wonderful to be able to fellowship with other ladies, and even meet some new ladies!  Every December we do a cookie exchange, and there are usually so many goodies the plates are overflowing!  This year I tried a new recipe, Triple Chocolate Peppermint Cookies.  MMMMM!!!!! They were so delicious!

Tonight, Mrs. S. brought the devotion, and it was just what I needed! Isn't it wonderful when the Lord gives you exactly what you need WHEN you need it?? The devotion was on Deborah (Judges 4-5) and her example as a judge in the Bible.  She was a woman, and most people misinterpret her life as one of usurping the man's authority.  However, she was NOT in a leadership position.  Her ministry was as an encourager to Barak.  She never scolded or criticized him, even though he was weak and timid.  However, she encouraged him to follow the Lord's leading and reminded him of the Lord's promises.  She is the perfect example of a woman's role in leadership! 

On another note, it feels so much later in the month!  Even though Christmas IS right around the corner, it feels like it should be this weekend. Maybe it's because Christmas comes so early at the Holly Farm.  I am hoping to take some pictures and videos of us singing this weekend in our caroling costumes. 

Still no news with my dad.  They were able to take off but after three hours had to return due to plane issues.  Please pray that there will be no more issues and that he'll be able to return home swiftly!