Green Curry Fritters

When one person works in New Jersey and the other works on Long Island, it means that someone is going to have to make a long trek to work each day.  Since it's easier to get to my office via public transport than boyfriends office, I spend a lot of time commuting each week.  People at my office all give me sad looks when I tell them about my daily travels, but it really isn't that bad.  Let me list all the great things that happen while I ride the train.  Most of which they couldn't do while driving to work in their cars.

1. I can take a nap!  Try that in your car!  No wait, don't.  It usually happens about twenty minutes into my Long Island train ride.  My eyelids start to feel heavy and I begin to nod off during the middle of a paragraph.  It's okay to give into sleep because I have an alarm set to wake me up just before I get to my stop.  Do I have to worry about getting to my stop before the alarm goes off?  No.  The LIRR is never early.

2. I prepare powerpoint slides for my weekly meetings, because there are always meetings and there are always slides to be made.  I apparently should have taken a course in powerpoint slide preparation in grad school.  I thought it would be all chemistry and making compounds.  Nope, it's half that, half talking about doing chemistry and making compounds in meetings.

3. I watch movies.  In fact I watched one yesterday.  Thank you Netflix and 4G.

4. I read a lot of books.  My kindle has an ever rotating group of books from the Amazon store, my friends kindle loans and the NJ digital library.  I've spent time this year learning about the inticacies of cancer in The Emperor of All Maladies.  I stood by Nick as he was accused of killing his wife in Gone Girl.  I helped solve a World War II mystery with the War Brides.  And recently I've been hearing Anthony Bourdain in my head while reading his 2011 book, Medium Raw.

I'm about halfway through Medium Raw and it's funny, witty and sounds entirely like Bourdain.  As I read through the chapters, I can hear his voice in my head, narrating the book like he does throughout "No Reservations."  Bourdain has an opinion on everything food, I'm sure he has plenty to say about food bloggers.  All I know, it's a lot of fun to read and makes my train ride seem much shorter.

5. Finally, I plan my weekly meal plans.  I have five different cooking magazines on my iPad and I have clipped so many recipes to make!  (Want to know how to 'clip' a recipe on your iPad?  Just take a screen capture and it will send a copy of the recipe to your photo library.  To screen capture, hold the top power button and tap the home button.  You'll hear a camera noise and you know you've got it!)

I clipped this recipe for green curry fritters a few weeks ago and have been thinking of making them since.  Boyfriend and I both enjoyed this meal, though we both decided that these fritters would be even better if made into sliders.  Next time!

Peanut Chicken with Asian Slaw

Happy birthday America!  You're looking pretty fine for being over two hundred years old!  As a patriotic citizen of your shores, I plan to spend your big day enjoying the glory of the outdoors.  I'll be biking over your hills, playing frisbee on your glens and resting under your trees.  Thanks America!

How are you spending your Fourth of July?  Personally, boyfriend and I went to see fireworks on Monday, along with hearing the musical stylings of the Glenn Miller Orchestra.  There were little kids running around, families picnicking on the lawn and adorable older couples dancing at the stage.  Come sundown the announcer called for fireworks and we enjoyed a serious half hour of colorful explosions, loud bangs, crackling sparkles and arches of fireworks that looked like "anti-aircraft fire" according to boyfriend.

For today we'll be taking it easy and not fighting with the crowds of folks heading to Manhattan and Hoboken for the Macy's fireworks (we did that last year!).  Whenever you drive to fireworks, you wind up spending just as much time waiting in traffic to get home.  Luckily the events on Monday were at a park that was only three miles from our house.  Boyfriend and I biked ourselves over to the park, a workout and fun, all in one!

I hope you have a great Fourth and get to have some relaxing time of your own!

Buffalo Chicken Burgers with Carrot-Celery Slaw

If you grew up in my house, then you grew up grilling, all year round. The weather turning cold is no reason for my parents to pack away the grill. Pouring down rain isn’t even a reason to use the stove. We would grill out on the deck in the chilly fall winds, during the darkest days of winter and through the wet days of spring. Remember one more thing, I grew up in Buffalo, NY. That’s right, snow country. It is not uncommon to visit my parents house in December, to discover a little shoveled path, leading to the grill.

Personally, I think my parents are a little kooky. I think it harkens back to one moment in my childhood. Being asked to start the grill, by myself. I believe I let the gas run for a little long, and there was a grand BAM! when I struck the lighter. No fireball, no singed eyebrows, no trip to the emergency room. Just one traumatized eleven-year old. I will still, to this day, not light the grill, but I love coming home in December and grilling hot dogs at home.

I know, it’s a little crazy on my part. I’m a chemist. I use Bunsen burners all the time. I work with chemicals that will spontaneously light on fire. Yet I am still afraid of the gas grill. This is why I own a grill pan (I also don’t have any outdoor space and I think my apartment building wouldn’t be too happy with me running a grill in my bedroom). However, if you are brave enough to light your grill, then you should go get out some burgers.

The best part of these burgers is the slaw. Crunchy, cool and tangy, it complements the spicy burgers perfectly. If you happen to have a food processor with slicing and shredding discs, then your prep for this slaw is minimal. The burgers can be store-bought, because they get their flavor from the hot sauce. And really, how can I pass up a recipe that puts wing sauce on a burger?

Broccoli Slaw

Have you ever had something to eat that was so delicious, you couldn’t stop thinking about it? Five years ago I was at a picnic in Madison, enjoying some rare summertime sun. A pot luck event, everyone brought something to share. Being a baker, I brought cookies. Everyone loves cookies. There was something unexpected on the table, a broccoli slaw.

Now I am not usually one for raw broccoli. In fact I find it hard to get down if it’s not cooked. This slaw was surprising. I piled a little on my plate, along with my Boca burger and chips. Trying a little of everything (to be sure I didn’t insult anyone) I filled my plate. After my first taste I was hooked on this slaw. I went back to get more, and more, then I picked up the bowl and brought it to the table so I could continue to graze.

I must have eaten half of the bowl, and then I realized that the person who made it was gone! I didn’t know this person other than a name. I was too busy eating platefuls of broccoli and now the slaw was a mystery!

For years I kept thinking about this dish. I’m not a slaw expert, so I had no idea where to start to replicate the recipe. Finally this year, the craving was satisfied. And because of this, my undying love and devotion go out to Deb from Smitten Kitchen. I can take no credit for this recipe because it was perfect the way it was written. Now with this recipe, I find myself standing by the fridge nibbling from the bowl. At least it’s a vegetable, right?