thai thursday?

So maybe, perhaps, possibly I may make adding a favourite recipe to my blog a weekly thing. The problem is that I am not a stellar cook and the things we love, that I do cook well, are few and far between. So maybe, perhaps, possibly I will try new recipes and post them if they are delicious.

How does that sound?

Sounds delicious, right?

Before I start I want to tell you a story about a little boy who likes to try his mother's patience. We'll call him Jack because, well.... that's his name. Jack decided one day that he didn't like chicken. His mother found this annoying because they eat chicken at least 4 times a week. Chicken breasts, not the yucky, sinewy, vein-y chicken that comes in the nasty club packs for 2 cents a pound. The nice, expensive chicken breasts that are somewhat decent for your body.

Anywho.......this little man, Jack, would whine and complain and carry on when his mother made chicken until either she wanted to slam her own head in a drawer or ship him off to military school where if a big scary man dressed in a uniform screamed in his face he may actually shape up. (If I yelled like that in some kids face I'd get social services called on me but for whatever reason it's cool when a higher up in the military does it.)

Carrying on...... Jack and his mother came to an understanding. If Jack didn't like the chicken on his plate he could substitute his meal with a peanut butter sandwich. But, he had to substitute the whole meal. Otherwise Jack thought it was a super treat to have yummy bread and yummy potatoes with his peanut butter sandwich. Nope, sorry. It's the sandwich or the meal buddy. This worked for awhile. Jack and his mother rarely had stare-downs at the dinner table anymore.

Until a couple of nights ago when Jack crossed the line and the mother renegged on the deal. His mother made stir-fry, a family fave. She even cooked the chicken separately, so as to not rock the ever so rockable boat where Jack is concerned. He looked at it, made a stinky face, and pulled out the bread and the peanut butter.

What are you doing, my son?

Having a peanut butter sandwich, my mother.

Why?

Because.

Because why?

Because supper looks gross.

It's a stir-fry, one of your favourites. And it's rude to say it looks gross.

All I would eat from it is the carrots, broccoli and peppers anyway.

Okay, then eat the carrots, broccoli and peppers.

No. I don't like the looks of this stir-fry. I'll have a sandwich.

All right then, you can have a sandwich. And then you can have a sandwich every night for the next ten days or longer until you appear to have reached a level of gratitude I find acceptable.

Fast forward 24 hours. Mother is making hamburgers, Jacks all time favourite. Coincidence? I think not.

Yum, I love burgers.

I know you do, son. So while we are eating them we will think of you and your undying love for the hamburger. And while you are eating your peanut butter sandwich you can think about how much you wish you could have had a burger tonight instead of a peanut butter sandwich. It may put last night's stir-fry into a whole new light for you.

What? That's not fair!

Oh, I wasn't aware we were being fair. Because, I think it's not fair that I have to cook dinner every night, when I hate to cook, and then have you be rude and disrespectful and ungrateful for that meal that has been cooked for you. It would also be terribly unfair for you to have what you want all the time while I rarely get what I want. So..... I'll be fair when you are fair. That sounds fair. Right? Good. Now, here's your sandwich.

What's on the menu tonight? Maybe taco salad, which just so happens to be another favourite of the boy.
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Here's a new fave around our house. Thai Kwon Dough from the Eat Shrink and Be Merry Cookbook. I love this cookbook and many of the recipes seem to win over the ever so picky children. Personally, I think it's the fun names.

Peanut Sauce
1/4 cup light peanut butter (I happen to have lots of peanut butter around)
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tsp grated gingerroot
1 tsp each liquid honey, reduced sodium soy sauce, and red wine vinegar
1 tsp minced garlic
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes


1 cup chopped cooked chicken breast ( I do not measure this, I think it's dumb to measure certain things)
1 12-inch, prebaked, thin crust pizza shell
1 cup packed shredded light Monterey Jack cheese, divided (measured? Nope)
1/3 cup bean sprouts
1/4 cup each shredded carrots and chopped green onions
2 tbsp chopped roasted peanuts
1 tbsp fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 425 F

To make sauce, combine all sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and heat over medium high heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Mix 1 heaping tbsp of peanut sauce with chicken cubes and set aside. To assemble pizza, spread remaining sauce evenly over crust. Top with half the shredded cheese. Distribute chicken cubes evenly over cheese. Top with bean sprouts, carrots, green onions and peanuts in that order. Sprinkle remaining shredded cheese over toppings.

Place pizza directly on middle oven rack and bake for 10-12 minutes, until cheese is completely melted and edges are lightly browned. Sprinkle with cilantro before serving.

I made it more kid friendly by having everyone have their own pita bread shell as the pizza crust and then they can add what they want from the toppings as opposed to making one or two bigger pizzas.

I also doubled the sauce. These recipes never make enough sauce.

It was delish! And yes, Jack ate peanut butter instead.

Thai for dinner? I think so!