The Death of Hermon

No, this isn't one of my latest book titles, instead it's my refrigerated sourdough like bread batter. . .named Hermon. (And no, I'm not the one who named him.)

It all started a couple days ago when we made muffins from my oatmeal batter that is supposed to stay fresh in the fridge for six weeks. Jayden and Mariah took the first bites.

"They taste. . .different, Mommy."

"Bad?" I asked.

"No. . .just. . .different."

"Then eat them," I say. "There's nothing wrong with them."

Except there was. The batter, after one week, had gone rancid. They admitted that they hadn't said they tasted bad because they didn't want to hurt my feelings.

I dumped out the rest of what I thought would be a quick breakfast for our busy mornings. No more oatmeal muffins.

Later that morning I remembered that Scott had mentioned that something didn't smell right in the fridge. I decided I'd better check on Hermon.

Hermon was another one of my time-saving ways to help prepare quick meals. I've found tons of great basic recipes from a cookbook compiled by a number of African missionaries. Hermon is a starter you keep in the fridge, feed every few days, then you can use it to make things like bread, pancakes, pizza.

I took a sniff of Hermon then frowned. It was definitely Hermon, smelling far too fermented than he should have.

Sigh. So much for my quick meals.

So, I'm not sure what caused the demise of Hermon. My refrigerator is working fine. It must be the combination of too much heat and humidity.

Despite the loss of Hermon, I have found a great recipe for those of you who love Thai food. Cashews and coconut are readily available here, so this recipe is not only practical for us, but delicious.

Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Thai Cashew Chicken

1/2 C soy sauce 4 chicken breasts thinly sliced
1 1/2 T hot pepper sauce 1 T sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, minced 3 T brown sugar
1 T minced ginger root 1 large onion, sliced
3 T creamy peanut butter 1 C unsalted cashew nuts

1. Marinate your chicken with the soy sauce, hot pepper sauce, garlic, and ginger for two hours.

2. Heat sesame oil over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar until it dissolves. Next add the onion and cook until tender. Add the chicken without the marinade and cook until browned.

3. Add the marinate and 3/4 cup of water. Bring to a boil. Cook until the chicken is cooked. Stir in the peanut butter until blended.

4. Serve over rice and top with coconut, and cashews.

Enjoy!

Lisa

(The photo is of Jayden playing outside our yard with one of his friends. It's amazing at the games they invent with simple objects.)