Thursday, March 25, 2010

Happy Birthday to Amy - Thai Style!

Amy is one of my Doha BFFs from Pittsbhurg. Her spirit is one you can't refuse. She's so fun and laid back. She has an incredible love for the Lord and He's blessed her with a beautiful voice which she uses for His ministry. She's a keeper! I've told her she has to pack me in her shipment if she moves home before I do. Hopefully our stay in Doha will be about the same. She's my co-partner in parenting crazy wild BOYS! So, a few days ago we got together to celebrate Amy's birthday in the KITCHEN. We took a Thai cooking class. It was so much fun and mostly just delicious!!!
Amy, Chef Linly and me

Chef Linly is a professional caterer. Her food is unreal...absolutely the best!! She teaches daily classes in her home where she does all of her cooking and catering. First up, serving us tea and welcoming us into her home. She went over details for the recipes and all the ingredients. I find it pretty miserable to do grocery shopping in Doha...she sure seemed comfortable with the idea of driving all over town to 3 or 4 stores (plus down to the water for fresh seafood) for all her special ingredients. I think I need an attitude check.

Not only does she spend a lot of time shopping with a good attitude she grows a lot of her own ingredients, including bean sprouts in her cabinets. What? My cabinets are no where near sanitary for growing anything...nor organized enough.

First up on our menu...Spring Rolls



Trying our hand at rolling the Spring Rolls...Jennie and Jackie got positive remarks from Chef Linly. She was quite specific about how it should be done and didn't hesitate to point out our imperfections.

Amy had problems! Her burrito shaped spring roll wasn't accepted! We definitely got in trouble a few times for laughing and talking too much. We were serious about the eating and a little relaxed about the cooking :)


Amy and Jennie - spring rolls ready to fry!

Next up on our menu was Chicken Pad Thai...hello yummo!


Also on the menu was Cashew Chicken...another Winner!


Last thing to do in the kitchen before chowin' down was to fry the spring rolls.

Our group minus Jennie the photog.

Chicken Pad Thai

Cashew Chicken

Checking out her gardening on our way out.

We had such a fun time celebrating Amy's birthday and learning how to cook Thai food. Hopefully I'll try my hand at these recipes although the idea of calling Linly to do the work is pretty heavenly! I encourage all of my Doha friends to call her regularly for parties or just a simple dinner with friends. Just be sure to call in advance so she can shop especially for what you want.

8 comments:

amanda k. brown said...

such a fun birthday idea. wonder if chef linly travels?

shannonmichaelis said...

I just started getting into thai food, so learn for me! Looks like fun, and what a great idea for a bday get-together!

Katy said...

Oh, now that sounds delicious! I love Thai food!

Jaime said...

What a neat idea for a birthday celebration and girl's night out! I know all your experiences there are memories to last a lifetime. Thanks for sharing them. Luv ya!

NanFlan said...

This is why I never learned how to cook Vietnamese food...too many ingredients and specific directions I was kicked out of the kitchen a lot! How fun for you!

Stretch said...

That looks like my kinda birthday party! Wonderful post!

angie said...

Yum! I love stuff like that. It looks like a very fun way to celebrate.

Gayla Harris said...

So much fun! Will you share all the recipes? It looks yummy, and Pad Thai is my favorite.