Tropical spin on Oatmeal

Tried this this morning... so good! Waaaaaaay too much saturated fat, but for an unusual treat, its worth it!

1/3 cup of coconut milk (shake the can real well before opening)
1 cup water
2/3 cup old-fashioned oats
nutmeg to taste
brown sugar to taste
1 sliced kiwi

Combine the first three and microwave for 3 minutes. Season with nutmeg, and stir in some brown sugar. Top with kiwi slices and devour.

Chef James Arthur

My good buddy in town James Arthur kickin it Mediteranian style for a contest to cook with Rocco Dispirito.
 

Gang Ped (Thai dish)

Oh so good!

1 can coconut milk
1 tbsp. red thai curry paste
1 lb. tofu, cut into cubes, frozen, and defrosted
1 small can bamboo shoots
1 tbsp. fish sauce (*or see substitute below)
1 1/2 cups water
fresh thai basil

Pour the thicker top half of the coconut milk into a pot. Stir the curry paste into it, and simmer until the red oil spots rise to the top. Add tofu and cook a little longer. Stir in bamboo shoots. Add the rest of the coconut milk. Add the water and fish sauce. Let the whole thing come to a boil. Add basil when ready to serve and turn off heat. Serve in bowl along side rice.

*In Thai vegetarian cooking, fish sauce is usually substituted by a Light (thin) Soy Sauce. However, to maintain the taste and smell of fish sauce, a minimal amount of soy sauce is used, but add additional salt and solids of two vegetarian ingredients, salted yellow beans and fermented tofu (bean curd), a pungent product of cubed tofu pickled in brine, sometimes with chili added.

Rum (Bourbon) Balls

This one is a Gruswitz family Christmas tradition. Sorry I'm a little late, but bookmark it for next year because it is GOOD!

1 cup finley crushed vanilla wafers
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tbsp. cocoa
2 tbsp. (dark karo) corn syrup
1/4 cup bourbon, rum, or brandy (we prefer rum)
Granulated sugar, additional pecans, or cocoa

We double this recipe. You should not mix more than double the recipe at one time. It does not turn out well. Crush vanilla wafers by grinding in food proceessor or blender, a handful at a time. Use broken pecans wherever possible simply to save complete halves for decorative purposes in other baking.

Stir together crumbs, confectioners sugar, pecans, and cocoa. Add corn syrup and rum; mix well. Shape into 1" balls, wetting your hands first if it helps, though it hasn't helped me. roll in the granulated sugar (or pecans, or cocoa). Store in an airtight container and let sit for at least a couple weeks for the rum to settle into the ingredients. If you eat it too soon, it will still taste good, but not as good. The rum will have a distinct and dominating taste, whereas later it dies down and becomes only a part of the overall taste.