Barbecue, BBQ & grilling, BBQ food, Breakfast, Drinks, Family, Fish, Fruit, Healthy, Healthy eating, Italian, Light meals, Main Course, Mains, Meat, Meat & fish, Nutrition, One-pan recipes, Quick & Easy, Quick fixes, Recipe Roundup, Salad, Sauces & condiments, Seasonal, Seasonal produce, Sharing, Side Dish, Snacks, Summer, Summer Drinks, Uncategorized, Vegetable sides, Vegetables, Vegetarian

How to Tell If Your Thai Girlfriend Really Loves You – The Escalation Method

If you have ever wondered whether the relationship with you and your Thai girlfriend was real, there are several ways to tell. Often spoken is the saying “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is”. When many foreign men get to Thailand and find beautiful Thai women with a magnetic attraction to them, it piques their curiosity since it is so different from what they experience at home. Here are three steps towards discovering the truth. I call this the Escalation Method as it involves a series of tests with increasingly difficult requirements to pass. After reading this, you will be able to tell if a girl really loves you or not.

First, get her to invest in you. This means you need to have her expend some time or money or effort in order to complete a task for you. It should be something minor initially. As a general rule, a five minute task is sufficient. For example, if you are at a bar, have your Thai girlfriend buy a glass of wine for you. You should provide the money, but at least have her invest the time. Continue reading “How to Tell If Your Thai Girlfriend Really Loves You – The Escalation Method”

Barbecue, BBQ & grilling, BBQ food, Breakfast, Drinks, Family, Fish, Fruit, Healthy, Healthy eating, Italian, Light meals, Main Course, Mains, Meat, Meat & fish, Nutrition, One-pan recipes, Quick & Easy, Quick fixes, Recipe Roundup, Salad, Sauces & condiments, Seasonal, Seasonal produce, Sharing, Side Dish, Snacks, Summer, Summer Drinks, Uncategorized, Vegetable sides, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Stirring Up a Hornets Nest – Thai Nam Prik Dip Made With Giant Wasp Larvae

Today we turn into baby-killers, and chomp into Giant hornet larvae – the immature large wriggling babies of the black & orange wasp that lives in hives high in the treetops of North Thailand.

The wasp in question is called “dua dtor” in Thai language, and the plump wriggling babies that we are about to squash into gastronomic bliss look a bit like an Australian witchetty grub or a New Zealand huhu grub.

Similarly, they can be eaten raw, or tossed in a wok until crispy and fried salt and pepper style.

The raw grub is an OK taste. Continue reading “Stirring Up a Hornets Nest – Thai Nam Prik Dip Made With Giant Wasp Larvae”

Barbecue, BBQ & grilling, BBQ food, Breakfast, Drinks, Family, Fish, Fruit, Healthy, Healthy eating, Italian, Light meals, Main Course, Mains, Meat, Meat & fish, Nutrition, One-pan recipes, Quick & Easy, Quick fixes, Recipe Roundup, Salad, Sauces & condiments, Seasonal, Seasonal produce, Sharing, Side Dish, Snacks, Summer, Summer Drinks, Uncategorized, Vegetable sides, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Expat Family Life in Bangkok

I moved to Thailand in 2003, simply because I was bored with my life in the United States. I had lived in Boston, studied in New York, and traveled the world.

Traveling was my favorite thing to do until I went to Thailand. It was like I was searching the world for something, and finally found it in Thailand. After that, I had little to no desire to travel anymore. Though I missed my family and friends back in the states, I was bored after a week of visiting them, and was homesick for Thailand every time I took a vacation to the USA. Continue reading “Expat Family Life in Bangkok”

Barbecue, BBQ & grilling, BBQ food, Breakfast, Drinks, Family, Fish, Fruit, Healthy, Healthy eating, Italian, Light meals, Main Course, Mains, Meat, Meat & fish, Nutrition, One-pan recipes, Quick & Easy, Quick fixes, Recipe Roundup, Salad, Sauces & condiments, Seasonal, Seasonal produce, Sharing, Side Dish, Snacks, Summer, Summer Drinks, Uncategorized, Vegetable sides, Vegetables, Vegetarian

My Trip to Thailand to Study Muay Thai (Part 9) Thai Tummy Strikes, But Not As Hard As Kay

I have been pretty bold in what I would eat in Thailand. Being that this was my first visit to Thailand, I had gotten a lot of warnings from different people about a condition they call ‘Thai Tummy.’

I love spicy food, so I wasn’t too worried about it, and I am a firm believer that to experience a different culture, experiencing their food is a big part of that

I would try things on menus in Thailand that I never would have tried back home. I think the mistake I made, was with some of the street vendors. I could clearly see their preparation areas weren’t exactly clean, but I never expected what I had in store for me. Continue reading “My Trip to Thailand to Study Muay Thai (Part 9) Thai Tummy Strikes, But Not As Hard As Kay”

Barbecue, BBQ & grilling, BBQ food, Breakfast, Drinks, Family, Fish, Fruit, Healthy, Healthy eating, Italian, Light meals, Main Course, Mains, Meat, Meat & fish, Nutrition, One-pan recipes, Quick & Easy, Quick fixes, Recipe Roundup, Salad, Sauces & condiments, Seasonal, Seasonal produce, Sharing, Side Dish, Snacks, Summer, Summer Drinks, Uncategorized, Vegetable sides, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Molecular Gastronomy in Thai Food

Molecular gastronomy is the process of using science and chemistry to prepare food. It’s a modern movement of cooking that often changes the physical makeup of cuisine by using ultra creativity to come up with completely new and often abstract dishes and flavors. I recently had the opportunity to enjoy a Thai fusion meal where a molecular gastronomy chef cooked up a series of fusion Thai dishes for us to sample. Our meal, which was served in courses dish by dish, was a creative modern take on Thai cuisine.

We started off with a tom yum shrimp cocktail. Now as you probably know, tom yum shrimp is one of Thailand’s most famous soups, but serving it as a cocktail beverage, laced with alcohol, is a completely different twist to the dish (now drink). Just like a normal bowl of tom yum soup, the cocktail was full of lime juice, but that’s where the similarities ended. The cocktail included a splash of gin, soup stock, and for the shrimp, rather than being added to the cocktail, it was grilled on a bamboo skewer and used as the mixing stick for the beverage. The chef instructed us to give the drink a whirling stir with the shrimp skewer, eat the shrimp in a single bite, and then sip down the cocktail as we pleased. While it indeed reminded me of any Thai tom yum soup, it was so contrastingly different at the same time. Continue reading “Molecular Gastronomy in Thai Food”

Barbecue, BBQ & grilling, BBQ food, Breakfast, Drinks, Family, Fish, Fruit, Healthy, Healthy eating, Italian, Light meals, Main Course, Mains, Meat, Meat & fish, Nutrition, One-pan recipes, Quick & Easy, Quick fixes, Recipe Roundup, Salad, Sauces & condiments, Seasonal, Seasonal produce, Sharing, Side Dish, Snacks, Summer, Summer Drinks, Uncategorized, Vegetable sides, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Is the Focus T25 Workout Program Right for You?

My serious fitness journey started with a phone call from a TV station wanting to interview me. I had raised money for veterinary expenses for dogs injured by the 2014 Vilonia tornado. My first thought was, “I’m in terrible shape! I can’t possibly go on TV!” Terribly vain and self-absorbed, but 100% true!

When I posted about my 10 pound weight loss with the Cabbage Soup Diet on Facebook, a friend asked me what I was planning to do to continue my journey. After all, I couldn’t live on cabbage soup forever!

She recommended Focus T25.

What is Focus T25?

Continue reading “Is the Focus T25 Workout Program Right for You?”

Barbecue, BBQ & grilling, BBQ food, Breakfast, Drinks, Family, Fish, Fruit, Healthy, Healthy eating, Italian, Light meals, Main Course, Mains, Meat, Meat & fish, Nutrition, One-pan recipes, Quick & Easy, Quick fixes, Recipe Roundup, Salad, Sauces & condiments, Seasonal, Seasonal produce, Sharing, Side Dish, Snacks, Summer, Summer Drinks, Uncategorized, Vegetable sides, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Guidelines To Pick The Best Wedding Cakes

I guess everyone would agree with me when I say that the wedding cake plays a very crucial role in a wedding. Therefore, selecting a cake for the wedding is a huge responsibility. But, this is something that you procrastinate until the last minute. And in those last moments, with the pe-wedding jitters, an increase of workload, formalities and rituals, choosing the wedding cake seems nearly impossible due to which you either pass on the responsibility to someone else or choose any cake just for the sake of it.

Now this is not how you plan a perfect wedding, just like any other wedding preparation choosing of a wedding cake also needs to be started at least 2-3 months before the wedding, giving the bride and groom ample amount of time to select the perfect cake for their special day. Now this is a task that seems to be very simple but later when you start the process, you realise how complicating and confusing choosing a wedding cake can be. Continue reading “Guidelines To Pick The Best Wedding Cakes”

Barbecue, BBQ & grilling, BBQ food, Breakfast, Drinks, Family, Fish, Fruit, Healthy, Healthy eating, Italian, Light meals, Main Course, Mains, Meat, Meat & fish, Nutrition, One-pan recipes, Quick & Easy, Quick fixes, Recipe Roundup, Salad, Sauces & condiments, Seasonal, Seasonal produce, Sharing, Side Dish, Snacks, Summer, Summer Drinks, Uncategorized, Vegetable sides, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Could Eggs Be Causing Your Migraines?

Most migraine sufferers will commonly identify “Cheese, red wine and chocolate” as the most common culprits to cause their problem. But in 1979 a surprising study on migraine in the renowned Lancet journal revealed that eggs are implicated as triggers(1).

In reality, eggs are a very common allergen. They are also one of the most reliable to test for – unlike some foods, an intolerant person will return a positive test, just like an allergic person, if a standard food skin test is given. Home tests are becoming popular despite the fact that they are not always reliabl. Continue reading “Could Eggs Be Causing Your Migraines?”

Barbecue, BBQ & grilling, BBQ food, Breakfast, Drinks, Family, Fish, Fruit, Healthy, Healthy eating, Italian, Light meals, Main Course, Mains, Meat, Meat & fish, Nutrition, One-pan recipes, Quick & Easy, Quick fixes, Recipe Roundup, Salad, Sauces & condiments, Seasonal, Seasonal produce, Sharing, Side Dish, Snacks, Summer, Summer Drinks, Uncategorized, Vegetable sides, Vegetables, Vegetarian

The ‘Postman’ Weight Loss Plan!

This article is aimed at those of you who have a weight problem and want to lose weight. I know what it feels like to struggle with a weight issue having tried countless diets and weight loss plans. Like so many people I have always preferred the flavours and the comfort of the wrong types of food; food that is packed with calories I would never burn off.

The foods I should have been eating never really appealed to me, vegetables, fruit, salads, pasta I just could not enjoy eating them opting for the old pizzas, burgers, currys and chips. The problem with being a teenager who wants to be accepted is that you do things that are not very good for your health, smoking is one of them but hanging out at fast food joints and drinking alcohol are the two that really have a negative affect on your weight, needless to say by the time I was a young adult I had a bad weight problem and who suffered severely with low self-esteem and confidence issues.

Continue reading “The ‘Postman’ Weight Loss Plan!”

Barbecue, BBQ & grilling, BBQ food, Breakfast, Drinks, Family, Fish, Fruit, Healthy, Healthy eating, Italian, Light meals, Main Course, Mains, Meat, Meat & fish, Nutrition, One-pan recipes, Quick & Easy, Quick fixes, Recipe Roundup, Salad, Sauces & condiments, Seasonal, Seasonal produce, Sharing, Side Dish, Snacks, Summer, Summer Drinks, Uncategorized, Vegetable sides, Vegetables, Vegetarian

EzGro Garden Product Review

If you’re new to gardening and are looking for an easy way to grow organic food, I have the perfect solution for you. In this article I will give you a real-life EzGro Garden review. This was the first hydroponic system my family ever used. We were complete novices when we purchased the EzGro garden. I have to admit, this system was what started our gardening journey. After several years of enjoying strawberry harvests we were hooked! If you’re ready to learn more about the EzGro garden, read on for some great information.

What is the EzGro Garden?

The EzGro Garden is a simple, low-maintenance hydroponic system. EzGro Gardens are very efficient systems that require minimal space and are very low maintenance. It might surprise you to know that hydroponic systems actually use less water than soil based gardens. It’s true though. Continue reading “EzGro Garden Product Review”