Turning over a new leaf…with Thai Turkey Curry

My generosity knows limits. I am not famous for my good cheer, as anyone who knows me will, no doubt, tell you unasked. Christmas and the general atmosphere of bonhomie associated with it sickens me to the marrow and usually, when I am in good health, I run far far away from it with great strength and vigour. As far as I am concerned all this ha-ha hee-hee’s around a cooked bird on a dinner table is an awful nuisance and a terrible waste of time and money. All utterly pointless and torturously stomach-turning.

If only Dickens had met me in his time…..

What with the years piling up on me, and my growing concern for my complete lack of good Christmas Charity this year I decided to plunge into the Yuletide spirit and invite a few friends over. No! I did not pay them to be my friends, what an utterly rude proposition. I simply asked my kid brother to bring his buddies (a few of whom, I confess, I had never met before) back home for dinner.

It wasn’t a pretty occasion, I can tell you that. I had this marvelous dress all ironed and set, quiet ready to be worn, spread across my bed. The plan was simple, I would quickly do my bit in the kitchen and then swish across to the bedroom and finally sashay out in all my glory. But it was the cooking that got into the way. Who knew it involved so much….doing! I mean, what’s the bleeding point in handling real fruits and vegetables..and stuff closely related to those species, when we can get all that our body needs out of well-packed, endlessly refrigerated, slightly plastic (but so healthy that the header on the can screams it out) syrup soaked canned foods in supermarkets? Beats me!

And like handling such stuff isn’t punishment enough. Look what they do to you on a fine Christmas night; leave you looking like the old baker’s discontented wife with occasional traces of flour, sugar and every other ingredient you have dared to use in the kitchen snugly clinging to all exposed parts of your face. All while that pretty pink dress waits on the bed!

Of course some of you might argue that a couple of hormone crazed pre-teenagers still waiting for their first grain of facial hair to appear did not exactly need to see me in a pink halter clattering up and down the dining room in my unbelievably high heels (which would undoubtedly have caused at least a few well-placed falls through the night), but I would beg to differ. Tonight I was going to be the perfect hostess, and perfect hostess’, I had read somewhere, did stuff like that.

Anyway, the dinner wasn’t half bad. I made a Low Fat Thai Turkey Curry, which sounded like a tough cookie but turned out to be a whimpering poodle instead (see below for recipe).

One of the boys left me a giant red baboon stuffed toy as a gift.

I was so touched that I had to notice the boy’s strange similarity with the monkey. Odd, I told myself.

Low Fat Thai Turkey Curry (sounds tough, but isn’t)

Enough for 4 hungry large mouthed kids.

Ingredients

1. 2 teaspoon oil
2. 2 cups turkey, skinless, chopped
3. 1 carrot, chopped this way and that
4. 1 broccoli, snapped into florets
5. 1 thick celery stalk
6. 1 thick garlic clove, minced
7. 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
8. 1 onion (preferably yellow) chopped this way and that
9. 1 tablespoon brown sugar
10. 1 cup coconut milk
11. 1 cup chicken broth
12. 2 teaspoon red curry paste
13. 1 tablespoon fish sauce

How to do

Take a large pan. Heat oil. Add all the chopped veggies. Add ginger and garlic. Sauté (cool word for swishing the food around from one side to another in a pan) for about 4 minutes. Check if softened, obviously cook if not soft (that is unless you want to spend your time doing nothing but chewing at the table). Add sugar, chicken broth and coconut milk and also red curry paste and fish sauce, not simultaneously and in normal pace (that is to say that no great harm will be caused if you don’t manage to chuck in all the ingredients in all at once as the instruction seems to suggest). Once the concoction boils reduce flame and simmer. Cook for 10 more minutes. Now add the turkey. Fiddle around until the turkey is hot enough.

Serve with rice.

Next Week: Instructions for cooking rice

Top 10 Gin Cocktail Recipes

I posted on Monday about my top 10 favourite vodka cocktail recipes. If you don’t like vodka don’t worry, because here are my top 10 Gin cocktail recipes! So why not round up the girls for a cocktail party over Christmas? I normally have a theme to my cocktail parties (such as glamour), where everyone has to dress in a certain way, makes it that little bit more fun!

Singapore Sling

The Singapore Sling, surprisingly enough, originated in Singapore, at a bar called the Long Bar in the Raffles Hotel. It’s not a world famous cocktail and to mix your own you will require the following ingredients: -

• One large shot (50ml) of gin
• One tablespoon of Benedictine
• One tablespoon of cherry brandy
• 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
• One tablespoon of sugar syrup
• Soda water
• A twist of lemon

Add the shot of gin, the benedictine, the cherry brandy, lemonjuice and sugar syrup to a shaker 1/2 filled with ice and shake well. Strain the cocktail into an ice-filled sling glass, top up the glass with soda water and finish with a twist of lemon.

Pink Gin

The pink gin is a very traditional cocktail, which has been around since the early 20th century. Very straight forward to mix too, you’ll need the following ingredients: -

• One large shot (50ml) of gin
• Angostura bitter

Rinse a clean martini glass with Angostura bitter and then simply add the large shot of gin. Easy!

The Bramble Cocktail

The Bramble was invented by bartender supreme Dick Bradsell and is a popular gin cocktail. To make a bramble cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients.

• 50ml (one large shot) of gin
• 25ml fresh lime juice
• 1/2 shot sugar syrup
• 2 Blackberries
• One shot creme de mure

Start by shaking the gin, the shot of fresh limejuice and the 1/2 shot of sugar syrup in a shaker half-filled with ice. Once you’ve shaken it all together, strain the contents into a rocks glass filled with crushed ice and pour a small measure of creme de mure over the top. For the perfect garnish, try two blackberries on top!

Martini

The martini is of course a classic cocktail, and was once described by Khrushchev as “America’s lethal weapon”. To make the perfect Martini you’ll need the following ingredients: -

• One large shot (50ml) of gin
• Dash of dry vermouth
• Lots of ice!
• An olive or twist of lemon skin

Start by filling a shaker or mixing glass half full with ice and add the splash of dry vermouth. Stir the ice and vermouth gently and then strain. Add more ice and the gin, stir gently with a bar spoon (20 revolutions is recommended) and then strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with either an olive or twist of lemon skin, depending on preference and enjoy!The classic cocktail, described by Khrushchev as “America’s lethal weapon”.

Negroni Cocktail

The Negroni is an Americano with gin added and gets its name from County Camillo Negromi, who decided that a standard Americano was not strong enough for him. To make a Negroni cocktail you’ll need the following ingredients: -

• One small shot (25ml) of Campari
• One small shot of gin
• One small shot of red vermouth
• Ice!
• Orange slice for garnish

Making the perfect Negroni is as simple as it gets… pour each of the shots into a rocks glass filled with ice, stir, add more ice and garnish with the orange slice. Easy!

Caruso Cocktail

To mix the perfect Caruso cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients: -

• One large shot (50ml) of gin
• One tablespoon of dry vermouth
• One tablespoon of green creme de menthe

Add the large shot of gin, the dry vermouth and creme de menthe to a shaker half filled with ice. Stir well and strain the cocktail into a chilled cocktail glass.

Alaska Cocktail

To mix your very own Alaska cocktail, you will require the following ingredients: -

• One large shot (50ml) of gin
• Two tablespoons of yellow Chartreuse
• Two dashes of orange bitter
• One cherry

Half fill a cocktail shaker with ince and add the gin, yellow Chartreuse and orange bitter. Shake well and strain the contents into a chilled martini glass. Finish off with a cherry on top for the perfect garnish.

The Wibble

The Wibble cocktail gets it name as it will make you wobble… but you won’t fall over…. honest! To mix the perfect wibble coktail you will need the following ingredients: -

• One small shot (25ml) of gin
• One small shot of sloe gin
• One small shot of grapefruit juice
• 1/4 of a small shot of lemon juice
• 1/3 of a small shot of sugar syrup
• 1/3 of a small shot of creme de mure
• A twist of lemon

Add the gin, sloe gin, grapefruit huice, lemon juice, sugar syrup and creme de mure into a cocktail shaker 1/2 filled with ice. Shake well and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish the cocktail with a lemon twist and enjoy!

Distressed Damson

To mix your very own Distressed Damson cocktail, you will need the following ingredients: -

• One chopped fresh lime
• Blueberries
• One large shot (50ml) of damson gin

Mix together the chopped lime and blueberries in a rocks glass. Add the large shot of damson gin, stir well and top up the glass with some crushed ice. Enjoy!

Gin and Tonic

The gin and tonic is one of the most common cocktails in the world and also one of the simplest. For a cool, sharp gin and tonic you will need the following: -

• One large shot and a half of premium gin (75ml).
• One Lemon
• One Lime
• Cold tonic water.

For the perfect gin and tonic, use the following method. Fill a chilled Collins glass with ice and add the shot and a half of gin. Add a couple of slices each of lemon and lime and for an extra zine wipe another slice of lime around the rim of the glass. Top up to taste with ice cold tonic water. Enjoy!

Top Hen Night Party Games

If you have a hen night coming up and are looking to spice it up, then you might want to try these great hen night party games. If you don’t have a hen night to look forward to, then just round up the girls for a girly night in, or a night on the town and try them out anyway!

How well does the bride know her husband to be

Before the hen party gets into full swing, ask the groom 20 or so questions about himself. At the hen party, have all the girls ask how well they think the bride knows her future husband. Have them guess and write down how many of the twenty questions they think she will get right.

You can even take bets!

Have everyone give you a £1.00 and the winner will get 1/2 of the money. The other half can be spent buying drinks for the bride-to-be

Some question ideas:

1. What was kind of animal was his first pet?
2. What was its name?
3. What is his favorite music group?
4. What is his favorite color?
5. What is his favorite meal that the bride has made?
6. What was the worst meal?
7. How many times does the groom fart a day?
8. Does the groom plan to put the seat down?
9. Will he take out the garbage?
10. What is the wildest place they have ever made whoopie?
11. How old is his oldest pair of underwear?
12. How old was he when he had his first kiss, etc.
13. What day did he say is their aniversary?
14. What exact words did he say when he asked her to marry him?
15. What is his favorite football team?
16. What is his favorite car?
17. What brand of beer does he drink?
18. Will his wife be getting him “one from the fridge” after they are married?
19. When was the last time he dusted under his bed?
20. What does he like on his pizza?

Add some juicy questions and this game will be a big hit. Questions that have yes/no answers, or use numbers, specific days, or times are really good.

Hen Night Purse Game

This game rewards the Hen Night party girl with the most off the wall purse contents. Items are assigned a point value and players receive those points if they arrived at the party with that particular item in their purse.

Here is a list to start with. You can add to the list if you want.

Item - Points

• Condom - 10 points
• Little black book - 10 points
• Spare pair of underwear - 20 points
• Toothbrush - 5 points
• Picture of boyfriend/husband - 5 points
• Bottle opener - 10 points
• Mobile phone - 5 points
• Hair brush - 5 points
• Scrunchy - 5 points
• feminine products - 10 points
• PMS Medication - 15 points
• Alcoholic beverage - 20 points
• Ex-boyfriend’s phone number - 10 points
• Lipstick of a shade you aren’t wearing - 10 points
• Eye shadow - 10 points
• Credit Card - 1 point
• Boyfriend/Husband’s Credit card - 10 points
• Torch - 10 points
• chewing gum - 10 points
• A pen of a colour other than blue or black - 10 points
• A receipt for shoes that you purchased - 20 points
• An appointment card for a manicure, pedicure or massage - 20 points
• Sunglasses - 10 points

Hen Night Bridal Bingo

Make “Hen Night Bingo Cards” with 25 empty spaces (5 across, 5 down).

Have the guests write in the gifts that they think the bride-to-be will receive. As she opens her presents, mark off any of the presents written down.

As soon as someone has marked off 5 in a row, shout “BINGO!”

Never Say Never

All the girls sit in a circle or around a table. The first girl starts out with a true statement (”I never kissed a priest before”) and anyone that has done whatever the person says is required to drink or to throw in a piece of chocolate. The next person in the circle makes an I NEVER statement and everyone that has done that dastardly thing has to drink.

This game has the effect of getting all of the girls really drunk which can be extremely funny.

Pass The Bouquet

This is just like a game of pass the parcel, but this game uses a bouquet.

You will need: -

• A bouquet of something (paper roses or something similar)
• A CD (such as a love song collection)
• A CD Player

Have the guests draw straws or name a mug to control the music. Blindfold the music person, allowing them to only push the play/pause button on the CD player. Everyone else stands in a circle with their back to the centre. While the music plays, participants have to pass the bouquet to the person next to them. The person with the bouquet when music stops is eliminated. The last person standing is the winner.

Balloon Question Time

Write 20 embarrassing questions then put them in 20 balloons.

Cut out each question that you like into a little strip. Then roll it up, put it inside a balloon, and blow up the balloon.

Throughout the evening you can occasionally pop a balloon. The bride will have her choice of answering the question or doing a shot.

Know Your Own Man

Have the husband to be and 3 or 4 other males come to the hen party for a few minutes. Blindfold the bride, have the guys roll up their trouser leg to the knee, and the bride must feel each leg until she can tell who is her man. Great Fun!!!

The Great Bride Make-over

Have the bride sit in the middle of the room. Ask for two volunteers, and have them act as her make up assistants. Blindfold one of them. Now have the her assistant pick out various eye shadows, lip colours and the like to give to the make-up assistant who isn’t blindfolded.

Encourage others to suggest colours that will look great (but actually look ridiculous on her). Then, the bride-to-be and make-up artists can pose for a photo. Don’t provide the bride with a mirror until after that photo is taken. Be sure to get a close up on the bride’s face!

Top 10 Vodka Cocktail Recipes

As Christmas is just around the corner I thought now would be a good time to put together a list of my top 10 favourite Vodka Cocktail Recipes. They are all easy to make, so why not organise a cocktail party for the perfect excuse to try them out. Have fun girls and drink sensibly!

Cosmopolitan Cocktail

Raise a glass to Carrie and those Sex And The City girls by easily mixing your very own Cosmopolitan Cocktail. To create the perfect Cosmopolitan you will need the following ingredients: -

• 1oz of vodka
• 1/2 oz of triple sec
• 1/2 oz of lime juice
• 1/2 oz of cranberry juice

Shake the vodka, triple sec, cranberry juice and lime together in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain the contents into a martini glass and garnish with a lime wedge on the rim of the glass. Serve immediately.

Bloody Mary

An all time classic, which I’m sure you’ve all experienced in the past, but here’s how to make the perfect Bloody Mary! You’ll need the following ingredients: -

• One large shot (50ml) of vodka (we recommend a pepper vodka, such as Absolut Pepper)
• 200ml of tomato juice
• 2 - 10 dashes of tabasco (depending how spicy you would like it!)
• 2-3 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
• One teaspoon of horseradish sauce
• One dash of port or red wine
• The juice of 1/4 of a lemon
• A grind of salt and pepper
• Small stick of celery
• Slice of lime

Not the most challenging to mix this one! Bang everything into a shaker 1/2 filled with ice, shake and strain the contents into an ice-filled highball. Garnish the cocktail with a small stick of celery and a slice of lime and hey presto, the perfect Bloody Mary!

Vodka Espresso

Great story behind this one, and if you need an instant kick then this is the one for you! The Vodka Espresso was invented by famous cocktail mixer Dick Bradsell when he worked in Fred’s Bar, Soho, London. The story goes that a well known model walked into the bar and asked Dick to mix her a drink that would “wake me up, and then f*** me up!”. On the spur of the moment, Dick mixed the brand new drink with the following ingredients: -

• One large shot (50ml) of vodka
• One large shot of fresh espresso coffee
• Dash of sugar syrup
• Dash ot Toissant liqueur (or Kahlua).

Start by shaking half filling a shaker with ice and add the large shot of vodka, the espresso, sugar syrup and toissant. Shake well and then strain the contents into a chilled martini glass. A great way to set you up for a long night ahead!

Harvey Wallbanger

Another great story behind the world famous Harvey Wallbanger cocktail. It is said that a surfer called Harvey, who’s tipple of choice was the Screwdriver, lost a surf contest, and in desparate need to down his sorrows, concluded that his usual screwdriver just wouldn’t be strong enough for him. He mixesd his screwdriver and decided to add some Galliano to the mixture. The rest of the evening was spent bumping into things, and, voila, the Harvey Wallbanger was born. To mix your very own Harvey Wallbanger you’ll need the following ingredients: -

• One large shot (50ml) of vodka
• Fresh orange juice
• Half a small shot (25ml) of Galliano
• Slice of orange

Pour the vodka shot into an ice filled highball and then fill almost to the top with fresh orange juice. Stir well, and then float the shot of Galliano on top. Serve with a straw, garnish with a slice of orange and watch out for the walls!

Moscow Mule

The Moscow Mule cocktail has been around for a while, but really became popular in the late 90s when Smirnoff launched a pre-mixed version. Where’s the fun in that though, especially when it’s so easy to make your own! All you’ll need is the following: -

• One large shot (50ml) of vodka
• One lime (cut into wedges)
• Ginger beer or ginger ale
• Ice

Start by filling a highball with ice and then add the large shot of Vodka. Squeeze the lime into the glass and then for extra zest drop the husks in. Top up the glass with ginger beer (or ale), stir well and serve immediately with a straw. Na zdorovia! Cheers

White Russian

The White Russian is a very popular cocktail, which has been around for quite a while. To make a White Russian you’ll need the following ingredients: -

• One large shot (50ml) of vodka
• One small shot (25ml) of Kahlua
• One small shot of single cream

Mix the vodka and kahlua in a shaker, which has been 2/3 filled with ice. Shake the drink well and strain the contents of the shaker into an ice-filled rocks glass. Layer a small shot of single cream over the top of the cocktail by pouring it over the back of a spoon.

Anouchka

The Anouchka cocktail was created at the Library Bar, by world famous bar tender Salvatore Calabrese. The cocktail was first mixed for a Russian guest, after they asked for something “strong and sweet”. To mix an Anouchka cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients (nice and simple this one!).

• One large shot (50ml) of Vodka
• Two dashes of creme de mure.
• Some frozen water… ice ;-p

Half fill a shaker with ice and add the vodka and creme de mure. Stir well and strain the contents into a pre-chilled cocktail glass. Enjoy!

Dillitini

To mix your very own Dillitini cocktail you’ll need the following ingredients: -

• One large shot (50ml) of vodka
• One small shot (25ml) of aquavit
• A handful of fresh dill

Put all the ingredients into a shaker, which has been half filled with ice. Shake the cocktail thoroughly for 25-30 seconds and strain the contents into a chilled martini glass.

Detroit Martini

To make the perfect Detroit Martini cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients: -

• One large shot (50ml) of vodka
• A dash of sugar syrup
• A dash of orange bitters
• 2 sprigs of mint

Half fill a shaker with ice and add the vodka, sugar syrup, orange bitter and a sprig of mint. Shake well for 25-30 seconds and strain the cocktail into a chilled martini glass. Garnish the cocktail with the second sprig of mint and enjoy!

Tatanka Cocktail

The Tatanka cocktail is Polands favourite mixed Vodka drink, so it must be good! Nice and easy this one and all you’ll need for the perfect Tatanka cocktail is the following: -

• Apple juice
• Vodka
• Ice

Mix the apple juice and the vodka together in a ration of 2:1 and serve in a tumbler over lots of ice. Nice Na zdrowie. Vivat! Cheers

That’s it for my top 10 vodka cocktails. If you’ve got a favourite Vodka cocktail recipe that I’ve not mentioned then please feel free to add it to the comments below!

More great cocktail recipes to come!

If you want even more ideas, then visit Alex’s Cocktail Recipes for a ridiculously large list of cocktails!