Mamma Mia!

As soon as we got back from the Zombie Half-Marathon Saturday afternoon, there was no time to relax, we had dinner guests and a show to get ready for.

 

For Christmas 2009, we told Craig’s parents we would take them to a show at the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Anchorage, and Mamma Mia was the show they picked to see!

Before going to the show, we had them over for dinner.

On the menu:

– Polynesian Pork Chops (pork chops from my parent’s farm)

– Thai Curried Spruce Hen + rice (Craig and his dad hunted these hens.)

– Roasted Asparagus

– Homemade Rolls

– Chocolate Cobbler

 

Polynesian Pork Chops

Ingredients

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup water

1 garlic clove, minced

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions

Marinade at least 3 hours. Grill.

~~~~~~~~

This is my favorite way to enjoy pork chops! We don’t have a grill, so we had to use the broiler, but they were still savory, moist, and flavorful!

Thai Curried Spruce Hen

I am not big on “game” birds, but the curry seasonings covered up that taste and this dish turned out really well!

Thai Curried Spruce Hen

(Adapted from Curry Bible)

Spice Paste

4 oz. red curry paste

2/3 cup plain yogurt

1-3/4 cups water

handful of fresh cilantro, chopped

handful of fresh basil leaves

Stir-fry

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 onions, cut into thin wedges

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 spruce hens, cut into bite-size pieces

6 oz. baby corn, halved lengthwise

sliced mushrooms

Directions

To make the spice paste, stir-fry the curry paste in a wok for 2-3 minutes, then sitr in the yogurt, water, and herbs. Bring to a boil, then let simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a wok and stir-gry the onions and garlic for 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken and corn and sitr-fry for 3-4 minutes, until the meat and corn are tender.

Stir in the spice paste and bring to a boil. Let simmer for 2-3 minutes, until heated through.

~~~~~~~~~

Roasted asparagus

Homemade rolls

I love making my own rolls rathering than buying them from the store, they just don’t compare.

I used Jenna‘s recipe for Beginner’s Rolls for tonight’s meal.

 

The rolls were a big hit!

 

Topped with a dollop of pumpkin butter, these were to die for!

I think my mother-in-law said it best, “this tastes like pumpkin pie!”

Pumpkin Butter

(Adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups pumpkin puree

1/2 cup apple juice

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 teaspoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed

1. Combine all ingredients together in a small saucepan on the stove. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer until thickened.

(Note: The mixture was very thick, so it was difficult for it to simmer, but I did simmer it for about 15 minutes and stirred often otherwise it stuck to the pan.)

2. Stir in lemon juice.

3. Store in air-tight container in the fridge.

~~~~~~~~

And if dinner couldn’t get any better, there was still dessert!

When I saw Jessica‘s recipe for Chocolate Cobbler, it was no question, I was going to be making this very soon!!

Oh baby! We were mmmm-ing the entire time we were eating this!! Served straight out of the oven with a scoop of ice cream, this was to die for!! Promise me you’ll make this soon!

 

With full bellies, it was time to see Mamma Mia!

Craig + I

Steve + Kelly

I’ve never seen the movie Mamma Mia before, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but overall it was a great show. The acting and music were upbeat and full of vibrant colors. Craig and I think we were a little young though because we had only heard about two of the songs by ABBA. It was still fun to get dressed up and go though!