Fragrant Beef (Deer) Panaeng Curry

LeeAnn cooked up some spicy coconut curry deliciousness the other night that was quite literally one of the best things I have ever eaten so I thought I would share the recipe. We used venison but you can use beef or any other critter and I'm sure it would be just as good. You will need:

2 Cups thin coconut milk

I/2 Cup thick coconut milk

1 1/2 lbs Beef (Venison) cubed

4 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 onion halved and sliced

1 green bell pepper, de-seeded and cut into sticks

3 tablespoons ground roasted unsalted peanuts

4 kaffir lime leaves sliced into strips (we found them at the local Thai grocery store)

Sprigs of Thai basil leaves

1 4 oz. can of Panaeng curry paste

4 dried red chilies (more or less depending on how spicy you like it (also from the Thai food store))

Heat 1/4 cup thin coconut milk over medium heat in wok or frying pan until hot, add the can of curry paste and 4 red chilies simmer 2-3 min stirring from time to time until fragrant.

Add beef (deer) cubes simmer 2-3 min basting with curry. Add the remaining thin coconut milk, fish sauce and brown sugar, mix well and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 40 min until curry has reduced to half and beef is tender.

Increase heat to Medium, add the onion, bell pepper and the thick coconut milk and simmer for 7-10 min, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are cooked stir in the peanuts and remove from heat.

Transfer to serving bowl and sprinkle with kaffir lime leaves and basil leaves before serving. We like to serve it over Jasmine rice. COOK THIS NOW IT IS COMPLETELY AWESOME!!!

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It's been a long time since our last post I think due in large part to the arrival of winter and the lack of interesting things to do this time of year. Don't get me wrong, there are interesting things to do this time or year, snowmobiling, skiing, hockey, snowshoeing etc but they cost a fortune!! Since we are saving up to buy a house it's hard to justify the expense. So we are BORED! I find myself sighing about every 20 seconds because I just don't want to be cooped up anymore!

We do get quite a bit of entertainment out of our pets. As I write this Otis and Moose are taking turns chasing each other around the living room. I took Otis on his first flight yesterday. He was a little unsure at first but settled down quickly and spent some time looking out the window. He then curled up on the copilot's seat and took a nap until we started our descent into Missoula. I didn't exactly grease the landing and he let me know that he was displeased by shooting me a dirty look. On the mornings that LeeAnn has to work, I take Otis to that hangar with me. I am constantly amazed at his ability to turn rough and tough manly men into googly eyed little boys that just want to hug and kiss the puppy.

We both continue to work too much, but with the holidays over and LeeAnn's boss coming back from maternity leave, things should calm down shortly. We are hoping to get into a Dave Ramsey class at the end of the month. LeeAnn is in a women's Bible study at church and is looking forward to the chance to get to know some women that actually share her worldview.

All in all, things are good we just can't wait for spring. Also, it's time to start planning summer adventures. We're hoping to do some backpacking in Glacier Park this summer and perhaps some whitewater rafting over there too. Of course we will be doing some hiking closer to home as well and I'm sure we can find some kid friendly trips. What I am getting at is that it's time to make plans for your Montana vacation. We'd love to show you some of the amazing places we've discovered up here.