A Jolly Good Time - Caribbean Style

My husband and I had the opportunity to attend a marriage seminar in Madison, Wisconsin during the month of August.  The event was sponsored by Jon's military branch and it gave us the opportunity for a weekend getaway.  There were several military couples at the event... some married many years and some recently married.

The second night of the seminar afforded all couples the opportunity to have a date night.  And yes, it was mandatory.  As you may have noticed from many of the posts on Hint of Thyme, Jon and I enjoy trying different restaurants and typically avoid the big name chains.  Since we are not from the Madison area it was difficult to find a place to have dinner.

Word of mouth is always the best advertisement.  A fellow seminar attender is from Madison and suggested that we check out a Caribbean restaurant.  Jon and I thought the idea is brilliant - especially since we were married on the beautiful islands of the Bahamas. 

We started our date night at a place called "Jolly Bob's" on Madison's east side.  The restaurant was small but perfectly decorated in Caribbean style.  They were only serving on the patio for dinner and we were seated outside.  The back patio had a large mural of the ocean and the only thing it was missing was palm trees and a reggae band. 

The menu had a great selection of drinks and food.  I opted to try a Raspberry Blast and Jon went with a traditional Bahama Mama.  Although the menu did not mention that my drink was blended... I still gave it a try.  I am not the biggest fan of blended drinks and ended up switching with Jon shortly after.  He's such a good husband!

For an appetizer we ordered one of our favorite snacks from the Bahama's ... Conch Fritters!  If you have not tried one before, we highly recommend it.  I have to admit that they tasted better while on the beach but Jolly Bob's fritters were still delicious.  It brought back some happy memories from our wedding. 

Conch Fritters

The entrees were served with a salad and Caribbean dressing.  It was served very elegantly on white plate with a bundle of lettuce in the middle and fruit surrounding.  The blend was fantastic together.

Dinner Salad with Papaya Dressing

My entree was the "Chicken Well Curry".  The menu states that it is spicy Jamaican chicken served over rice.  I was surprised to see how many other ingredients were included; such as papaya, peanuts, onion, carrots, egg, potatoes, and raisins.  Although the combination seems odd.. it was surprisingly delicious.  My only criticisms would be that the dish would have been a little better with some kind of sauce or gravy.

Jolly Bob's - Chicken Well Curry

Overall it was a very pleasant experience and the food was fantastic.  The servers were very accommodating. 

A few tips if you are interested in trying this restaurant - bring cash and bring a lot!  Although the meal was great... it was definitely over priced.  There were also no visible signs about being "cash only". 

Regardless, we had a very memorable meal and happy to share the experience with you! 


We could all use a hint of more time!
Copyright 2011 Hint of Thyme.  All rights reserved.

Meatless Monday - Thai Curry Rice

Meatless Monday

If you are anything like me, Monday's are one of the most hectic days of week.  Usually I will forget to thaw some kind of meat, the phone doesn't stop ringing and dinner is the last thing on my mind.  This is how Meatless Monday's got started in my house.

This post will share an easy recipe for Meatless Monday and some quick fix tips to make your dinner time a little easier.  If you are not a fan of yellow curry recipes please read on... I have substitute suggestions below.

Easy Dinner Tip 1:  Wal-Mart grocery has pre-packaged stir fry vegetables in the produce section.  The bag is mixed with carrots, peapods, broccoli and bean sprouts.  Other grocery stores may carry something similar.  It saves me from the hassle of cutting individual vegetables and having too many left over.  Just rinse and combine with the dish.  It cuts your prep time in half.

Easy Dinner Tip 2:  If you prefer to use vegetables that have not been pre-packaged that's okay.  Wash and cut the vegetables ahead of time.  I've found the best time for me to do that is right after I get home from the grocery store or market.

Prep time = 10 minutes

Cook time = 15 minutes

Thai Curry Rice

- 2 cups of Jasmine rice

- 3 1/2 cups of water

- 1 bag of fresh stir-fry veggies (or what ever you prefer)

- 1/2 medium onion, sliced

- 1/2 TBSP cumin

- 1/2 TBSP turmeric

- 1 3/4 TBSP yellow curry

- 2 TBSP sesame oil

- 1/2 TBSP honey

- (Optional) Crushed red pepper OR Hot sesame oil

- Salt and pepper

In a medium sauce pan, bring the rice and water to a rolling boil.  Reduce heat to low and cover.  Set aside after all the water is absorbed and the rice is no longer crunchy.  In a wok or large skillet, add the sesame oil over a medium-high heat and let it warm for 1 or 2 minutes.  Add the onion with salt and pepper.  Add the stir-fry veggies and honey.  Heat thoroughly and add the rice.  Combine the ingredients.  Then add the additional spices; cumin, turmeric, curry and optional spices.  Heat through for 3 minutes.  Remove from heat and serve.

I also added half a bag of frozen peas for extra texture and flavor.  It was probably one of the easiest dishes that I made all week.  Plus, my husband was very pleased with his dinner.  An easy side dish could be a salad or store bought egg rolls.

If you are not a fan of yellow curry you can substitute it with a Chinese Five Spice instead. 

Have a great Meatless Monday!

We could all use a hint of more time!

Copyright 2011 Hint of Thyme.  All rights reserved.

The Best Thai Food I Ever Ate - "Samoeun's Happy Wok"

While taking a short weekend trip to Plover we found ourselves lost with no direction toward a delicious and much-needed dinner.  "Urban Spoon," my husband says with excitement.  He opens the app and begins searching through the categories... Caribbean, Mexican, Japanese.  We landed on "Thai" and a restaurant with a very good review!  Urban Spoon gave it 5 stars... probably worth checking out!

Tip: If you do not have Urban Spoon on your smart phone, I suggest downloading that right away.
It really comes in handy when you are visiting another city and would prefer to visit something other than the predictable "Chili's" or "Famous Dave's".  Urban Spoon is for the open-minded. 

The app took us to "Samoeun's Happy Wok" in Plover, WI.  The outside looks small and possibly like an old cell phone store.  But the inside is intimate and well decorated. 

We did not see any alcoholic beverages listed on the menu; which was fine since we were there only for the food.  The waitress was prompt and helpful in answering any food questions.  I'll tell you one thing... it's good that we arrived hungry!

Appetizer: Vegetable Spring Roll with
Peanut Dipping Sauce

WOW!  The appetizer came out swinging at our taste buds.  This was without a doubt the freshest and most flavorful spring roll that I've ever eaten.  It was rolled with your typical spring roll ingredients; noodles, bean sprouts, lettuce and cilantro.  The dipping sauce was so unique and not easily identifiable.  According to my husband, "You must figure out how to make that!" Yes, it was pretty good.

2nd Appetizer: Crab Rangoon

The waitress appeared with an unexpected appetizer.  Apparently meals are served with 2 crab rangoon and a fortune cookie.  We were pleasantly surprised as we bit into the first rangoon with complimentary dipping sauce.  Again this was probably the freshest and most flavorful crab rangoon I've ever eaten.  The cream cheese filling was warm and just melted with every bite.  There were spring onions and small hints of crab inside.  The dipping sauce is a mixture of honey and ginger.

Jon's meal: Pork Pad Thai

My meal: Shrimp Curry Stir Fry
(with white rice)

My meal was outstanding!  The red curry sauce was very well balanced in spice and sweetness.  Even Jon, who does not handle spice very well, said that the spiciness was complimented well with the sweetness.  I detected a hint of coconut in the sauce.  The vegetables were fresh and still a little crunchy.  My only criticism would be to add more shrimp.

If this restaurant were to jack up their prices by another $3 - 5... it would be justifiable and I would not even complain about the the prices.  Everything was completely fresh and each dish was very well executed.  You can tell the the chef prides herself on making the finest foods for their customers. 

We asked if they had a website yet and informed the waitress that I would be writing a review about the restaurant.  They are in the process of working the website right now.  You can, however, find them on Google and Urban Spoon if you decide to visit Plover any time in the near future.

HIGHLY recommend it.  I just wish we had this exceptional, great restaurant closer to home.





*Photos taken by Jonny D.

Friend Food Feature - Coconut Curry Soup

I love it when good friends can share their passion for food together.  I've had a few friends volunteer to cook a meal in exchange for food blog publicity; which is always a treat.  So I found it extra special when one of my great and long-time friends, Danielle Laux (@babumonkey), offered to come over and make soup at my house.

She arrived at my house with a smile and a bag full of groceries.  It's been a while since anyone cooked for me in my own kitchen.  This is a very nice treat, I thought.

According to Danielle, she found this recipe on SavorySweetLife.com.  Coconut Curry Soup is something that you can find in any Thai restaurant.  By making it at home (or in a friend's kitchen in this case) you will probably save yourself about $5.00.

Coconut Curry Soup
- 2 TBSP of olive oil
- 2 carrots, peeled and sliced into matchsticks
- 1/2 onion, finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped finely (but if you'd like to get really fancy, like Danielle, you can use a mixture of green, red and yellow)
- 1 cup of cooked, chopped chicken (I am going to say this is optional, especially if you'd like to keep your lunch light)
- 1 cup of cooked rice (use minute rice for a faster cook time)
- 2 TBSP of red curry paste (add more or less depending on how much heat you can tolerate)
- 3 TBSP of brown sugar
- 13.5 oz can of unsweetened Coconut milk or cream
- 21 oz of chicken broth
- Optional:  a few sprigs of cilantro

In a large sauce pan or wok, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onions, peppers and carrots.  After approximately 5 minutes, add the curry paste, brown sugar, chicken, and rice.  Stir until the curry paste is completely incorporated.  After 3 or 4 minutes, add the chicken broth and coconut milk.  Stir and the reduce heat to low.  Heat for 15 - 20 minutes.  Serve and enjoy!

While there are a few exotic flavors in this dish, it might surprise you.  I thought it was a very well balanced soup between the spicy, sweet, and tangy flavors.  Truly a great Thai meal.  Give it a try!

Copyright 2011 Hint of Thyme.  All rights reserved.