Takeout at Home: Thai Basil Chicken

A few times every month, we do “takeout” at home. It usually consists of healthier versions of my favorite takeout foods. There is one requirement tho: it has to take less time than it would for me to grab takeout or get it delivered.

This week I made Thai basil chicken. I absolutely L.O.V.E. Thai food. It’s usually spicy and so full of flavor. But it can get super salty at times. Last time we had Thai at a restaurant, we ended up bringing home one of the dishes untouched because it was so salty. We reheated it with additional vegetables, and it was still very flavorful. So I decided to make Thai at home this week instead of going out.

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Cashew Chicken with Thai Chili Plum Sauce

I was reading The Tourist by Olen Steinhauer a few months ago. The book is about an elite spy who is betrayed by his government. I guess after the success of the “Bourne” books, this is the plot du jour of the genre. Apparently, connoisseurs of the genre fancy him to be the next John le CarrĂ©. (He is the author of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.) Admittedly, I’m not a huge fan of the genre. And the plot of the book seems overdone. But it was a page-turner.

I may not be a huge fan of the genre, but I am a huge fan of food. So imagine my delight when I saw a reference to my go-to Thai place, Land Thai. (A character in the book grabs takeout from Land Thai.) My husband and I used to go Land Thai at least once every couple of weeks. But for some reason, we haven’t been to the restaurant in months. Believe me I don’t need a reason to eat there; but it was a good reminder.

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Chicken with Orange Sauce

My husband rarely cooks. In fact, I can easily count the number of times he’s cooked for us with the fingers in one hand. Even then, I would still have a few fingers left.

It’s not for lack of trying. He tries. He really does. But when he last tried to cook, he nearly took his finger off with our chef’s knife. So when he suggested he cook a few days ago, I was a little surprised and more than a little trepidatious.

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Crispy Baked Buffalo “Wings”


Ours will be a house divided come Super Bowl Sunday.

I hate to be labeled a conventional or a typical woman, but I love Tom Brady. Not only is he a hottie, he is a great quarterback. My husband who is a New Yorker through and through is rooting for the Giants. S*!t-talking has officially begun. He refers to the Patriots as the “evil empire.” This is coming from a Yankees and Duke basketball fan! Pot meet kettle, right? And it took Tom Brady winning 3 Super Bowls for my husband to reluctantly admit that he is a great quarterback.

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