My Favorite Asian Supermarket--so far!

I have had many questions as to where I purchase my hard to find Asian ingredients, I recommend the Southeast Market in Salt Lake City. I hear there is a great  market in Las Vegas as well, while that is closer I just generally head up north more than I ever head down to Vegas. If I know I am going up there I go prepared with a little shopping list so I don't forget anything.
Here are the contact details for the store.

http://southeastmarket.com/contact_us

My Kaffir Lime Tree

Recently I have had so much trouble locating Kaffir Lime leaves for my Thai cooking. After driving for 3 1/2 hours to Salt Lake City and still having no luck I decided it was worth the investment to purchase a tree myself.  I took the time to research before I bought, I ordered seeds directly from Thailand and as back up I also purchased a 2 year old tree.
While kaffir lime trees do produce cute little limes, it is rare that they are used in recipes - in fact if you have a recipe for some let me know!. The leaves however are like a snippet of gold. 

I purchased my tree from "The Tasteful Garden" which is located in Alabama. They have a great selection of other plants online as well. I was very satisfied and happy with my little tree. They take a little bit of TLC.. lots of sunlight, a little bit of soil treatment ever 2-3 months, and I spray it with water every couple of days to make it think it is in humidity. Worth it? TOTALLY. Here is the link to the website.

http://www.tastefulgarden.com/store/pc/showsearchresults.asp?pageStyle=H&resultCnt=10&keyword=kaffir+lime&submit.x=0&submit.y=0

Project FoodBlog Challenge #1: What defines my Food Blog???

Well... where to start? I originally began posting my recipes online as a quick resource for myself and my family to access our favorite recipes - A great solution to having a pile of 20 different cook books sitting on the kitchen counter, when people asked me what exactly I cook at home I realised I couldn't exactly remember myself, it has been fun looking back at the different foods I have concocted, but to define it???? I suppose I could ramble on for another 800 words but I feel my food and blog is best defined below, just press play!!.

I would love to hear what you think... DON'T FORGET TO FOLLOW THE WIDGET ON THE RIGHT TO VOTE FOR ME ON THE 20th!!!!!!!

New cereal to watch out for... just an FYI

If it hasn't reached you yet a new cereal hitting the shelves to watch out for is Kellogg's "Berry Yogurt Crunch" the best part is this cereal is it's apart of the healthier line of cereals now becoming available. It is a fibre loaded cereal (so if you are a raisin bran fan this will be right up your ally). The cinnamon oat crunch was not a show stopper, but the "Berry Yogurt Crunch" got a thumbs up all around from my fam.

Creme Fraiche Info

With a tangy flavor and thick consistency, crème fraîche is the natural result of letting cream skimmed off the top of milk ferment at a warm temperature-or at least it is in its native France. In America, we pasteurize milk, killing off the bacteria that would cause fermentation. To make crème fraïche with American cream, you have to add buttermilk or sour cream; they contain bacteria that thicken cream.
Similar to sour cream, crème fraîche makes a delicious topping for desserts and adds body and flavor to sauces and pasta dishes.
How to make your own crème fraîche:
Combine 2 tablespoons of buttermilk with 1 cup of whipping cream in a glass container. Cover and let it sit at room temperature (about 70ºF) for 8 to 24 hours. Don't despair if your cream doesn't thicken after 22 hours; sometimes it happens nearly all at once. When it has thickened, stir well and refrigerate up to 10 days.

Curry Pastes General Information

Curries that we know and love are mostly start in paste form, coconut cream/milk and other ingredients are then added to create the dish we know and love.

Most curry pastes all have similiar ingredients but, by varying the quantities, the end result can be completely different.

When making a paste, the shrimp paste, cumin and coriander seeds must be roasted first. Put them on a tray in a 180 degree (350F ) for about 5 - 10 minutes.

Anything fibrous, like the lemongrass, garlic, coriander root and stems must be chopped finely BEFORE processing.

Make 2 to 3 times the quantity and store in your freezer for about 6 months. One cup is enough for a curry for about 6-8 people. Most time I freeze in a large ice block trays covered with plastic wrap, and just pop out and thaw enough cubes for each curry. (generally one cube is equal to one person serving)

Curry Pastes keep for about 3-4 weeks in your refrigerator. Once you have a ready made store of curry paste, you can whip up a delicious curry in just a few minutes.

Fresh curry paste is far superior to supermarket paste. Once you create your own you cannot even compare the two.