Thank you to all those people who return to this site and have sent their prayers for my speedy recovery.

I'm not good at being physically incapacitated. It makes me cranky and unhappy. There are small tasks I can do without too much pain. Watering the garden, brushing the girls and of course cooking. I've been doing a lot of cooking.

My sister came over one afternoon to keep me company. We watched a movie (even if laughing is painful) and I made phad thai. I have already posted the recipe for kecap manis which is nice to have around and add as an ingredient to Thai recipes. Here's a fool-proof recipe for phad thai sauce.

6 tablespoons fish sauce
6 tablespoons lime juice
4 tablespoons kecap manis or brown sugar
6 tablespoons of ketchup
At least 1 tablespoon of cayenne powder for some hot and spicy results. If hot and spicy isn't your idea of a good time then add 1/2 tablespoon but it should have a little zing.
1 teaspoon salt

Stir this all together and taste. It should have a nice balance of tart (sour) and sweet. Add a little more sweet or sour or salt to match your desired phad thai taste.

Phad thai is best when made with rice stick noodles. One package can make many meals so only soak a small portion. I have my favorite ingredients but it's a dish you can have fun trying different vegetables. My standard items are tofu, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, baby corn, egg, green onion and GARLIC. I've been known to add broccoli, spinach, chard, kale, chicken, shrimp. Phad thai is my comfort food of choice so I keep all the ingredients on hand. You never know when a cracked rib will need soothing.