Let’s Thai This One More Time {menu-planning monday}

My first date with Hubby was at a (now defunct) Thai restaurant in College Station, Texas.  He was just back from a 9-month stint in Thailand and I was a young lady seriously crushing on this guy. . .

Restrain yourselves, ladies -- he's all mine.

and I was more than willing to let him pick the location of our date.  I wasn’t worried about trying a new cuisine — didn’t worry about not liking the food.  I was too worried about wearing my cutest outfit, having perfect hair . . . and refraining from uttering anything embarrassing or boring.

I was concerned about the important things.

Perhaps it’s good that I didn’t walk into the restaurant with any awareness of the fiery adventure my tongue was about to meet.  If I had, I would have had one more thing to worry about . . . and one more embarrassment to anticipate.

The second the curry entered my mouth, I didn’t notice the heat, but by the time the bite moved toward the back of my throat, I couldn’t think of anything but “WATER!”

Holy COW — that was the most unbelievable, searing, throat-clenching, parching morsel.  Ever.  There was no hiding the intense hold the curry had on me; hubby (well, I guess at that point he was pre-hubby) noticed right away, which only made the whole situation all the more embarrassing.

Since then, I’ve learned how to order my Thai food (“mild” by their standards but still “clear your sinuses hot” by mine) and I’ve even tried my hand at making a few of our favorite dishes.

Make sure you put an emphasis on the word “tried.”  Not ONCE have I successfully reproduced the tangy spice of Panaeng or the deliciously sweet perfection to be found in Coconut Sticky Rice.  But, I keep plugging away at it.

This week, I’m going to plug in my crock-pot and see if IT can create my favorite Thai soup, Thom Kha Gai.  That’s right — my crock-pot.

(Um . . . I live in Texas.  It’s hot here.  Crock-pot = cooler kitchen.  Sounds like a good plan to me.)

If it works, then I have a new favorite recipe.  If it doesn’t work . .. well, I guess I’ll be heading back to Google to search for another recipe.

This week’s meals:

Monday: Thom Kha Gai (a la slow-cooker/crockpot) and brown rice

Tuesday: Baked Chicken and  Couscous & Fruit Salad (leftovers for school lunch – post on school lunches coming soon!)

Wednesday: Orange Honey Tilapia, asparagus, spinach salad

Thursday:  Catalan Sauteed Polenta & Butter Beans (just because I’ve wanted to try Polenta for . . . ever), spinach salad

Friday: Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken & Sweet Potatoes (that’s right– main dish AND the side are cooked together in the crock-pot), spinach salad

Saturday: Left-over night

Sunday: Inside-Out Lasagna, Spinach Salad, Homemade Whole-Wheat Bread

If you’re a Texas Mama like me, don’t forget to visit HEB’s Meal Maker Challenge for back to school meal ideas . . . or visit my post, School Lunches, Coupons and $500 Shopping Spree, for some of my recent meal creations.