Another week comes to an end, this one ending with what Buddhists consider their most holy day. Of course it is a holiday in this predominately Buddhist nation, so Tawn is at home while I still have to work. Nonetheless, I’ll take a few minutes to keep this blog up to date.
There was a really interesting series of comments left on my last post about the book “Free Range Kids“. I enjoy when an entry generates a healthy discussion. It makes me feel like Xanga is some kind of a town barber shop, where we can sit around sipping lemonade, playing checkers and chatting about the concerns of the day. And, I suppose, it is some kind of “third place”, albeit a virtual and global one.
(See this interesting website for the Project to Public Spaces to learn more about the importance of third places in our communities.)
Speaking of Free Range Kids, I’ve been scanning old photos when visiting my maternal grandparents, trying to organize these and eventually create some photo albums in which to capture family memories. Along the way, I’ve come across a whole bunch of photos of an original free range kid.
Me at age 4 with my maternal grandmother.
My question is, what happened to all that hair? 
Recently, I’ve been trying to cook at home a bit more often. Earlier in the week it was a dish of chili-mac (chili combined with macaroni, which results in something like a southwestern flavored goulash). Later in the week I tried a white bean and spinach ravioli but which, in some pics and video I’ll share later, turned out to be a cannelloni. Long story.
The chili-mac recipe started with a recipe but then took an improvisational turn when I started adding carrots and corn.
After adding some whole wheat penne and topping it with some mozzarella cheese, it turned out to be a fine meal, quite healthy and very satisfying to eat.
Since it is hot season (which equals mango season) we had to partake of some khao niaw mamuang – sticky rice with mango!
Busy weekend coming up with several things that should make for fun blog entries. Hope you have a great weekend!
christao408 
have a wonderful weekend!
Haha~Seems like you still got the same blue eyes! Huh? adding carrots to chili…that’s something new for sure. Getting your hands on a can of chili must be quite pricey in the Big Mango, I suppose?
@curry69curry – Yeah, haven’t gone for one of those eye-change surgeries… =) I don’t know if they sell chili here. Haven’t seen it but maybe they do. It is easy enough to make on my own.
I’m afraid I don’t know what the buns are called as a friend ordered them. Sorry can’t help you there.Not sure about rice with mango! Speaking of which, is Mango Tango still around?
Awww, that picture is adorable. You were a cute little kid and your smile hasn’t changed one bit.Chili mac reminds me of childhood. My dad would make that whenever my mom was away!
The chili-mac looks pretty good… are you able to eat Thai spicy food like a pro yet? That stuff is intense.It’s interesting that you’d compare xanga to a barbershop, since you appear to be lacking hair; does that make you the barber?
Awww what a cute picture. And I agree about xanga being a “third place.” There’s something about sharing your life with random strangers, and living vicariously through them sometimes. lol =)
@secade – Not the barber; just a frequent visitor who rarely is a customer. As for Thai food, I developed a taste for spicy food some twenty years ago, so adjusting to Thai food wasn’t too difficult. Thankfully, though, Tawn doesn’t care for super-spciy so I am spared the worst of it.
@Rm2046 – Yes, “living vicariously” I think hits the proverbial nail on the head. I meet so many more (and such a wider variety) of people on Xanga and learn about all sorts of ways of experiencing the world.
@TheCheshireGrins – It was your dad’s standby? Does he have a good recipe I could try?
@yang1815 – Thanks. You, too. I trust you’ll get a game in if the tornadoes don’t threaten?
Such a cute picture!
Adorable photo and tasty looking dishes.
You sadist, you had to post that picture of the mangos didn’t you. Did you hear me gasp??
I think the smile and the shine in the blue eyes is the same Chris… who cares about hair! There is a sexiness about a clean pate, sometimes. Love that picture of you with your grandmother.
@ZSA_MD – Truly, I feel guilty every time I post a picture of a mango!
@socaltransplant – Well, thank you…
@christao408 – Hah, his recipe is super simple. Make a batch of taco meat (ground beef and taco seasoning) and then make a batch of Kraft macaroni and cheese. Combine the two. Easy but still good!
Chris, do you make the sticky rice/mango dish or purchase it? If you made it, I would love to have the recipe. Of all the dishes we had in CA after Alex’s wedding that was my favorite!!
Like several others I have to drool everytime I see mango (aka fruit of the gods). This khao niaw mamuang looks so good that I want to try to make it too. There are mangos in the stores just now in several varieties… recipe? please??
@pstoll5 – @murisopsis – Sticky rice and mango can be prepared at home. There are any number of recipes, but this one at Epicurious.com (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sticky-Rice-with-Mango-12066) is the most straight-forward. I almost never make it at home, though, because one of the best shops in town is all of four blocks from my house.
There are only two tricks to making it at home: first, you have to use glutinous (“sticky”) rice. Normally, you’ll have to go to an Asian market to find this although you may find it at some regular supermarkets. Use any other type of rice and you’ll have disaster!
The second trick is in the steaming process. Unlike regular rice, you steam it in a collander/strainer over boiling water, covering the whole contraption with a towel and lid. What you are trying to recreate is the traditional bamboo steamer, a picture of which is found here: http://www.amazon.com/Sticky-rice-steaming-pot-basket/dp/B00019MRRE.
It isn’t nearly as complex as I have made it sound and it is a fun adventure to try cooking. Good luck and good eating!
@christao408 – hehe didn’t go golfing but will post pics soon about this weekend 🙂
@yang1815 – Waiting patiently…
J’adore your youthful photo. It’s funny how we all look back at our photos and simply wonder “what happened?”. Haha. I find it so bizarre that all in due time, that person in the photo developed into me. I hope that’s a good thing. I actually looked over at the hallway to peek at my photo at age 9 on the wall. My first thoughts were “poor kid didn’t know what was comin'”.
And that chili looks absolutely delish. Please set an extra plate at the table! :o)
And I tried sticky rice with mango…and sadly realized I’ve become lactose intolerant…but it was good for the first minute or so!
@kenpcho – Hmm… I’m confused. What part of sticky rice and mango has lactose in it? It is made with rice, coconut milk, sugar, salt and mango.
I’ve tried sticky rice/mange several times at home. Using the glutinous rice is imperative. I found it at a local Asian food market (yes, we have a couple in Indy). It’s also known as sweet rice. I’m still working on my skill at this dish…can’t quite figure out what I need to do to avoid overcooking the rice. It’s usually tough, not the chewy texture I’ve had in Bangkok. Unfortunately, I don’t have a shop just four blocks away, so I will have to learn how to make this favorite desert myself.