Chili Oil

One thing I've fallen in love with while in Thailand is chili oil. Every pizza place we've been to brings it out with the entrees. I add it to almost everything! Pizza, bread, pasta. It's that addictive. This recipe gives your olive oil a kick and a small taste of chili pepper. Chili peppers are mostly spice, but they actually have a great flavor that's often eclipsed by the heat. This oil does a terrific job of extracting that smokey taste from the chili and using it to infuse your oil.

Okay, here's how:

Pick a few nice looking, smaller chili peppers. Be sure they quite spicy. If you're using chilis as hot as mine (authentic Thai Mouse Poop chili - yeah, that's what they're called, but replace poop with something a bit more explicit), only use between 5 and 10, at most. Also, select good quality EVOO. Remember that this is Chili Oil we're making. I'd say about 90% of the flavor relies on the quality of the oil.

Next, heat about 1 - 2 cups oil in a skillet or sauce pan on medium high. Feel free to use more oil in this recipe if you have a larger container you plan to use. Once the oil is nice and hot, maybe even crackling a bit, slice up 3/4 of your chilis, removing most of the seeds, and toss them in the pan. Allow them to cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 to 10 mins. Don't let them brown or burn.

Turn off the heat and let the oil rest for 10 to 20 minutes, an hour or more if you plan to store it in anything other than glass. Add the oil, straining out the peppers if you like, to your container (if using glass, be sure it hasn't been stored in an extremely cool place, like the fridge. If so, bring it back up to room temp first). Add the remaining whole chili peppers to your container. Just drop them in the oil. If it's still warm, they will cook a bit. That's okay. But steer clear if you hear popping sounds, because it may burn your skin. Allow it to cool down completely, then add the lid and store it in a cool, dry place. I have no idea how long this oil lasts. I would assume at least a month. If after a few weeks, you begin to see funky growth inside the container or it smells strange, toss it. It's time for a new batch.

Enjoy!

Pioneer Bread

This recipe is ridiculously simple, as far as homemade bread is concerned. I made my own variation of this recipe and call it Pioneer Bread. It tastes so very basic, but delicious, and reminds me of bread recipes of old. So, here you are! Enjoy.

Pioneer Bread

7 c all-purpose flour (8.3 c if using cake flour), plus about 3/4 c for kneading
1 tbsp salt
1-2 tbsp sugar (depending on how sweet, or not, you prefer)
5 tsp dry yeast
3 c warm water
Any herbs or flavorings you'd like (or leave it plain!)

1. Add all your dry ingredients, flour, salt, sugar, and yeast to a bowl. Sift or mix together with a fork.
2. Slowly mix in your warm water, reserving about 1 cup and setting it aside. Once combined, your mixture should be very dry. Now add the remaining water and use your clean hands to mix it all together. At this point, add any herbs or other flavorings and combine with your hands.
3. Add loose flour to a large working area. Place your dough onto the area and gently kneed for about 10 minutes. If the dough starts to become too sticky, add flour as needed. At the end of 10 minutes, the dough should be slightly springy when squeezed. 
4. Roll your dough into a big ball and add it to a large floured bowl. Place a towel or saran wrap over it and move the bowl to a warm part of your house for an hour. I put mine outside in the car.
5. After an hour, the dough should be about twice its original size.  If not, you might need to discard the dough (or use it for something else, like breadsticks) and check your yeast. Now spread a handful of flour onto the pan you will use to bake the bread. I used a cookie sheet, because I wanted my bread to be in an old-fashioned, round shape. You can use a loaf pan just as well. Set the pan aside for a minute.
6. Add more flour to your previous work space.  Remove and kneed your dough just a little more, for about 3-5 minutes. Again, shape it into a ball and place it on/in the pan. Cover it with a towel for another hour in a warm place. Hint: I like to lightly flour the top of my bread at this point, to keep my cute towel from sticking to it :)
7. After the hour is up, preheat your oven (see step #8) and remove the towel from the dough. The dough should have doubled in size again. Gently tuck under the sides of your bread. This will help the dough rise a little more into a round, rustic shape, instead of expanding outward. If using a loaf pan, no tucking needed. 
8. Bake your bread at about 245 degrees Celsius for 10 mins. Then lower the heat to 215 degrees for an additional 20-25 minutes.

We're In!!

Today marks one week that we've been in our new house. We love it! It's less than half the size of the house we moved from, but it's cozy and comfortable.

I'm slowly, but surely achieving my design goals for the house. But, it's moving a bit more slowly, and expensively, than I would've liked. I had no idea it was so difficult to track down nice, decent sized picture frames for under $10 in Chiang Mai...bleh :/ But, we're going one by one, with the hopes of about 6 total before adding it to the wall.

First, the paint. We've decided to paint the entire living room, which is actually quite small with 3 little walls, instead of just painting an accent wall. It'll be a little more like an accent room.

We're good on the glass bottles for now, but I hope to track down a few more of a different variety. Maybe in a month or so, when we're completely unpacked and settled.

For now, here's an exterior of our new, little house :)