Panera Please? May 5, 2011

Last night I just so happened to come across this recipe for a Broccoli & Cheese Soup ~ a Panera rendition. Back home, Panera is one of my favorite “go-to” spots especially for lunch dates. Whether I’m there for breakfast or lunch…Panera just has that all day appeal. And Panera’s Broccoli & Cheese Soup? One of my all-time favorites!

It turned out to be Panera's clone! (Minus the bread bowl)

I had to make a few tweaks since we were limited on a few ingredients. I used milk vs. half &half, and added a little extra flour. The recipe also says to puree your veggies and soup towards the end…but I left my veggies as is.

I was skeptical about my soup – mainly because the recipe compared it to Panera’s Broccoli & Cheese Soup…so I had high hopes…and Thai take-out ready on speed dial.

Final Outcome? Had I not been sitting here halfway around the world….I would have thought I was in Panera! Yes – it is that close to Panera’s version and I encourage you to try it! Too bad my version provided fewer servings…Stephen and I were fighting over the last bowl.

As for now, it’s time for American Idol and night out to celebrate Cinco de Mayo ~ Margaritas, Chips, and a whole lot of SALSA! I’ll catch ya later! 🙂

Keepin’ It Low-key May 2, 2011

We had a relaxing low-key weekend, which are often the best 🙂 Here are a few things that had me smiling:

The Bangkok Post ~ Souvenir Edition of the Royal Wedding

Easy Home-made Salad~Tomatoes, Avocado and Lemonpepper

~Beer served in a Pirate mug at a local Thai restaurant

Stephen’s home-made Panang Curry & Pork ~ tasty…and very spicy!

Mokador Cafe ~ where a majority of the weekend was spent ~ I love those coffee house days 🙂

This club sandwich had me missing home, as it reminded me just like the one from Joe’s Inn in Richmond, VA.

So there you have it ~ a low-key, coffee house kind of weekend!

Your Royal Highness April 30, 2011

By now billions of people across the world have seen the much anticipated wedding of the year! Lucky for us in Thailand, we did not have to get up at the crack of dawn to see the festivities – it was the perfect Friday night special. At school yesterday everyone was buzzing about the details – the hair, the dress, the service, the hats…so much speculation! We had a vote going around on how she’d wear her hair…I was correct in guessing half up half down!

I thought every part of it was gorgeous and breathtaking. Granted when I first saw her long lace sleeves – I was thinking she’s all covered up! But I thought she looked beautiful, elegant and it suited her (now to be) royal duchess in every way. My favorite parts? Kate making her grand debut for the first time in her dress, the carriage ride, the balcony kiss (although both pecks on the lips were entirely too quick for my liking!) and Kate’s reaction to the crowd as she said “Oh wow” overlooking the balcony.

Here’s a recap of our school day, all in preparation for the royal wedding!

It was definitely a royal day at school! Everyone was excited to get home in time to watch the festivities ~ I was starving and felt it royally appropriate to have a cucumber sandwich leading up to the wedding 🙂

I might as well wear a big  festive hat this weekend as I’m still gobbling up all wedding related news 🙂 So what did you think of the wedding?! And most importantly the dress! Have a great weekend ~ stay dressed to dish!

Pasta & Pepperonata April 27, 2011

Last night’s dinner was a Pasta & Pepperonata. Okay fine…I just happened to see the recipe on the back of the bag of pasta before boiling the noodles. But it turned out we had all the ingredients so I was up for the challenge!

Along with my spiral noodles, the sauce consisted of tomatoes, veggies and some spicy seasonings.

Pasta & Veggie Mixture:

• 1 large red pepper diced
• l onion, sliced
• 3 tbs olive oil
• 1 clove garlic crushed
• 1/2 cup broccoli
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1 canned tomatoes, drained and chopped
• 1 tbs tomato paste
• 1/4 tsp salt

Along with these ingredients I added some crushed red pepper (chili) flakes for more of a kick. After mixing the pasta and noodles, I topped it with Parmesan cheese.

Keepin’ it healthy! It was very tasty, needless to say I left room for seconds. Stephen and I have been cooking dinner for the past week and we are excited to dine out tonight! Hope your ‘hump day’ is off to a good start! 🙂