Chicken Satay with Red Curry Peanut Sauce with Sweet and Sour Cucumbers

Stay tuned! It's Cookie Bookie all next week.....

When she's here for a visit, my kind little sister (whose nickname is Helper Heidi) insists upon making dinner for my family on the nights I teach at the college. I try to resist, but it's futile with Helper Heidi. Never mind the fact that she just had her fourth child and has her own hands full; if someone has a need, she becomes a super hero, able to leap small buildings in a single bound. If you're not careful, she'll offer to babysit your children, feed you dinner, clean your house, and do your taxes so that you can take a nap. Do you have a helper Heidi in your life? I'd offer to lend you mine, but she's kinda busy for the next couple of decades.

Last time Heidi was visiting, she made the most fantastic chicken curry on one of my school nights (post coming soon). Did I mention she buys her own groceries when she makes dinner for your family, too? She insists upon it, even with threatened with hard kicks on the backside. For her chicken curry, she bought a little bottle of red curry paste, a wee puny bottle that cost almost $4.00. I've always passed it up, too cheap to indulge. But since she left the jar in my fridge, I'm afraid I've become quite enamored with the stuff. As soon as it's gone, I'm running back to the market for more. Even if they raise the price, I'll remain a loyal customer.

I need it for everything now, especially this: Chicken Satay with Red Curry Peanut Sauce and Sweet and Sour Cucumbers. This one is slightly adapted from Family Fun magazine's "Homemade Takeout" section a few months ago. Tender little pieces of chicken, soaked in a slightly spicy coconut marinade, are grilled and served with a curry-licious peanut sauce and zesty cucumbers. Even though satay is traditionally served as an appetizer, I added some jasmine rice to make it a meal. It's absolutely fantastic. Boy am I glad that Helper Heidi left that curry paste in my fridge. But I should be careful what I write. When she finds out how much I like it, she'll probably try to buy me a whole case. And gift wrap it, too.

Money Saving Tips: You can swap out the curry paste for red curry powder, which is also delicious. Be sure to load up on chicken on sale and stock that freezer. You can also swap out whole milk for the coconut milk; it's not quite as tasty but it'll work in a pinch.

Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Estimated Cost: $7.00 for four servings
1 pound boneless chicken breast
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon red curry paste (or substitute powder)
Wooden skewers, soaked in water for 1 hour
Step 1 For easier slicing, place the meat in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the coconut milk, brown sugar, soy sauce, cumin, and curry paste in a large bowl and stir well to dissolve the sugar. Step 2 Slice the meat into thin strips about 3/4-inch thick and 3 inches long. Add the meat to the coconut milk marinade and refrigerate covered for at least 2 hours. Step 3 Preheat the broiler or a grill. Thread 1 or 2 pieces of meat onto each skewer. Grill or broil the meat for 4 to 6 minutes per side, or until it's cooked through. (I removed the meat from the skewers and placed it on toothpicks.

Spicy Peanut Sauce
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon red curry paste (or sub 1/2 tablespoon powder), or more to taste
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/4 cup peanut butterIn a wsmall saucepan, combine milk, sugar, curry paste, soy sauce, ginger and garlic. Bring to a simmer and cook for two minutes. Reduce the heat to low and stir in peanut butter. Cook for three more minutes. If peanut butter makes sauce too thick, add more milk or water by the tablespoonfull.

Sweet and Sour Cucumbers

Estimated Cost: $2.00
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 medium cucumbers cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced
generous pinch of red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Step 1 In a small, nonreactive saucepan, bring the vinegar, sugar, and salt to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt. Step 2 Remove the pan from the heat and let the dressing cool to room temperature. Step 3 Place the cucumbers and chilies in a bowl and mix them with the dressing. Sprinkle the cilantro on top just before serving. Makes 2 2/3 cups.

Up Next

Spicy Green Beans with Pork

Cucumber Towers

Cucumber Towers and an Apologetic Admission....

And now I will admit why I owe my sister Heidi a big tray of chocolate glazed oatmeal bars (scroll down if you missed that recipe): My husband and I are on day four of a lovely trip through the Canadian Rockies. That's right, just me and Quiet Man, on a quiet trip through a quiet part of a quiet lovely country. Ah, peace and quiet. But.....Poor little sister Heidi. She's watching my two children while we are away listening to all the quiet. Both of my charges are loud and one of them is especially boisterous and also a bit on the cuckoo side. I won't tell you which one, but he is five and he is male and he would rather carry a light saber than learn addition. Do you think Heidi will be OK? She has her own light saber toting five year old male (remember we were pregnant together) and he is every bit as cuckoo as mine, only they are both synergisticly more so when together. I can't be certain that they will ever come in doors or dry off or speak anything resembling English this week. Poor, poor Heidi. Maybe I should make her two trays of chocolate oatmeal bars.

As part of our quiet trip through the Rockies, we stopped at a small independently owned cucumber farm just outside of Edmonton, Alberta. The gracious farmer and his accommodating wife let us look around the facility and poke our camera through the greenhouse. They specialized in my favorite variety, the English cucumber, which is thin skinned and crunchy and virtually seedless. Crisp and refreshing, they're perfect for plain eating and for raw recipes. Just don't use them for pickles, as they tend to be a little mushy since their thin skin doesn't offer much resistance.

For a refreshing appetizer or light lunch, peel (or not) a cucumber and cut it into small sections, between two and four inches long. Hollow out the center with a small spoon, being careful not to cut through the bottom. You're half way there to making a pretty and clever little cucumber tower. I'll make some of these for Helper Heidi, too. And anything else in the world that she wants.

Cucumber Towers:

Estimated Cost: $2.00

Fill the cucumbers with any of the following:

cottage cheese and cilantro

cream cheese mixed with feta and mint

blue cheese, chopped walnuts and plain yogurt

hummus and paprika

chopped tomatoes,olive oil, and basil

mango, jalapeno, cilantro and lime juice

black olive tapenade

raita

potato salad

egg salad

chicken or lobster salad
or try your own favorite dip

Two little love bird cucumbers.... Don't they look like an old married couple? Or is it young newlyweds? All I know is that I feel like both on this 13 year old second honeymoon of mine.

Coming Tomorrow:
Tuscan Travel Sandwich

Cucumber Salad with Lemon and Feta and Grilled Garlic Bread

First Course or Appetizers for Memorial Day Here's a lovely and light refreshing salad to provide a cool counterpoint to the spicy and smoky ribs. That's what I was intending. Except at our house, we ate every last bite of the salad before the ribs even got to the grill. I say "we." I ate the lion's share myself because I'm selfish like that when it comes to outstanding spring vegetables. My big brown-eyed little boy moped, "Aren't you going to save any for me?" It was too late at that point. (Luckily I had enough ingredients to make more. Phew.)
Although this salad is exceedingly simple, it's also utterly delicious. Spring cucumbers are so cool and fresh, and suprisingly tasty when coupled with the creamy feta and a light drizzle of lemon juice and olive oil. Though I originally planned this as a side dish, it makes one heck of an appetizer before a barbecue. Especially if you serve it with crunchy grilled garlic bread. "We" ate all that before dinner also.

Cucumber Salad with Lemon and Feta

Estimated Cost: $1.50

Notes: I sprinkled my salad and bread with some chopped parsley for a prettier presentation.

1 medium to large cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced

about 2 teaspoons olive oil

about 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Optional: chopped fresh parsley

Layer cucumber slices on shallow plate. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Sprinkle with feta cheese and salt and pepper.

Grilled Garlic Bread

Estimated Cost: $2.00

(If you don't have a grill, use an indoor grill pan or the broiler.)

Slice a thin baguette lengthwise. Brush the cut surface with olive oil. Grill on both sides until crusty and crisp. Rub the cut surface with a halved garlic clove. Sprinkle lightly with pepper. Cut into 4 inch servings.

Coming Tomorrow: Radish and Dill Red Potato Salad for Your Memorial Day Feast

Coming Friday: Tangy Root Beer Baby Back Ribs