House Party - Thai Kitchen & Simply Asia

I was chosen by House Party to host a party with Simply Asia and Thai Kitchen products and I received a box full of the goodies you see.  I admit I wasn't too sure how the flavors would go over, but since our cultural dinner plans have pretty much fell through the last few months, I was excited for the chance to have everyone try new foods.

They sent along some recipes, so I looked through and chose a few to make for the party.  I decided to make the lettuce wraps as an appetizer.  They called for ground turkey, but with the recent recall I couldn't find any ground turkey or chicken.  I thought about using ground beef, but then I saw a pound of ground bison and picked it up.

Cooking up the meat

The filling was so easy to make!  All I had to do was brown the meat and add a packet of the Simply Asia Ginger Teriyaki Stir Fry Sauce and cook a little longer.  I served it with lettuce leaves (anyone know how the restaurants get the leaves so neat?  I had a hard time making nice cups) and toppings of shredded carrots, bean sprouts and crushed peanuts.  These were a HUGE hit and a great way to start the party.

I also made a cold broccoli and shredded carrot salad, and added Thai Kitchen Sweet Red Chili Sauce, tossed and chilled.  This was another big hit -- the only improvement I would make next time is to cook the broccoli less.  I was distracted while cooking and let it boil a couple minutes too long.  It was still yummy, though -- just not as crunchy as I would have liked.

We also had jasmine rice.  No special recipe there.  I was going to make the rice with coconut milk, but my sister warned me that it made the rice pretty sweet --  more like a dessert rice rather than a dinner side dish.

Nate loved the lettuce wraps

Finally, I rubbed a flank steak with Thai Kitchen Roasted Red Chili Paste, along with salt and pepper and some olive oil.  The chili paste gave the meat a very nice flavor and again -- it was a hit with everyone.

I was amazed most of all by the fact that Colin eagerly ate everything and never muttered a word.  He is my most picky child by far, but he declared it all delicious.  Everyone agreed with him.

I finished up the meal with a pineapple smoothie made with crushed pineapple, juice, coconut milk poured over shaved ice.  It was light and refreshing.


If you see Thai Kitchen or Simply Asia products, you should try them out.  The flavors are wonderful, but not too spicy!  I know that I will keep a supply in the pantry for our own meals, and I plan to make lettuce wraps again in the very near future.