I love curry and in American culture I don't think we use it enough in our cooking. Here are two recipes: curry chicken salad and curry cream of potato soup.
Curry Chicken Salad (makes 6 sandwiches)
Step 1 - Buy two rotisserie chickens from the grocery store and remove/shred all the meat and add to a large bowl. (this step is kind of gross so I didn't take pictures).
Step 2 - Rinse 1 cup of red grapes and split into halves and add to the chicken mixture.
Step 3 - Add a fourth of a cup of split almonds to the chicken mixture (I like to use almonds with a sugary glaze)
Step 4 - Add 1 tablespoon of curry powder (**do not add any salt to this recipe - the chicken already has enough in it!)
Step 5 - Add a fourth of a cup to 1 cup of mayonnaise depending on how much you like the stuff. (To reduce fat use 2 tablespoons olive or truffle oil instead of mayonnaise).
Step 6 - Add a few cracks of pepper.
Step 7 - Toss the mixture and fill 6 large croissants with the filling.
Cream of Potato Soup - Sorry no Pics! (When I make this recipe to be paired with the sandwiches above I do not add the curry).
Step 1 - Saute 4 slices of bacon in a large pot until crisp in a teaspoon of olive oil.
Step 2 - Dice 1 medium onion while the bacon is crisping. Remove the bacon and add the onion to the same pot you used for the bacon. Saute onion over medium heat.
Step 3 - Slice 1 stalk of celery and add to the onion (depending on how much oil there was left after the bacon you may need to add a little olive oil at this time). Continue sauteing over medium heat.
Step 4 - Dice two cloves of garlic and add to the mixture. (reduce heat to low). (**If you are not pairing this soup with the curry chicken salad, go ahead and add 1/2 Tablespoon of curry powder at this time**).
Step 5 - Add salt and cracked pepper. (about a teaspoon of each).
Step 6 - While the onion mixture is sauteing peel 6 small to medium potatoes and cut into bite size chunks. Add the potatoes to the onion mixture, and bring heat back to medium heat. Saute for 2 minutes.
Step 7 - Add 2 - 14.5 oz of chicken or vegetable broth and one cup of water, and allow the mixture to simmer until the potatoes are fork tender.
Step 8 - Add 1/4 cup of half and half mixed with a tablespoon of all purpose flour. Allow the mixture to simmer until the broth reaches the consistency you like.
Step 9 - Add 1 Tablespoon of dried basil.
Step 10 - Ladle soup into a bowl and let your guests garnish with crispy bacon, cheddar cheese, and sour cream. (**if you are worried your guests won't like curry in there soup instead of adding it in step 4 you could mix the curry with the sour cream**).
Note ** This dish could easily be made into a vegetarian dish by using butter or olive oil instead of bacon to saute the vegetables, you could use crispy breaded onions for a garnish instead of bacon, and of course vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
Note ** To reduce fat - don't add the half and half.
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Friday, December 31, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010
My New Love - Dyson DC 24
Well for the last 4 years I have struggled with having a TERRIBLE vacuum. And by TERRIBLE I mean the vacuum has too many pieces, it is too big, it leaves a strange odor in the air after I am done using it, and the suction is basically none existent.
I have dreamed of having nice, new vacuum. I did a lot of research. I wanted something with a lot of suction, small enough to be stored in small closet, and something that didn't need new filters. I tested some vacuums awhile back, and the CLEAR winner was the Dyson DC 24. I love the ball technology, it makes cleaning hard to reach places so much easier. It is small, no new filters are needed (you wash the filter once a month), it is bagless, and it cleans all surfaces without having to change pieces!
I went out and tried to do some Christmas shopping on Saturday. While I was at Bed Bath and Beyond, I saw the DC24. It was like it was beckoning to me, but $499 is a steep price tag. So it wasn't like I could just buy it without discussing it first with M.
So today as I was scrubbing the kitchen floor, I said M you know what I really, really, want for Christmas, "a vacuum!" Okay, I committed the number one cardinal sin for a wife, I told my husband to buy a household appliance for me for Christmas. But really, I will get more happiness out of this vacuum than anything else he could have bought me this year for Christmas.
I recently read a study about what makes people happy. And the study showed that the most mundane things often bring the most happiness, not a trip to Italy, a diamond bracelet, or a new car. For instance, most people indicated that making their bed in the morning brought them the most happiness throughout the day. Interesting? So anyway, I thought . . . I will use this vacuum once a week until it finally dies on me, and since it has a 5 year warranty, it will bring me happiness once a week for the next 5 years at the least.
So M and I trotted off to Target to compare prices. We were lucky to find the same model for $100 cheaper and then we got an extra 5% off using our red card.
Once we got home, M and I actually argued about who got to vacuum. We ended up taking turns - and instead of stuffing the vacuum in the closet we left it by the Christmas tree :)
http://www.dyson.com/store/product.asp?product=DC24-ANIMAL&tab=accessories
I have dreamed of having nice, new vacuum. I did a lot of research. I wanted something with a lot of suction, small enough to be stored in small closet, and something that didn't need new filters. I tested some vacuums awhile back, and the CLEAR winner was the Dyson DC 24. I love the ball technology, it makes cleaning hard to reach places so much easier. It is small, no new filters are needed (you wash the filter once a month), it is bagless, and it cleans all surfaces without having to change pieces!
I went out and tried to do some Christmas shopping on Saturday. While I was at Bed Bath and Beyond, I saw the DC24. It was like it was beckoning to me, but $499 is a steep price tag. So it wasn't like I could just buy it without discussing it first with M.
So today as I was scrubbing the kitchen floor, I said M you know what I really, really, want for Christmas, "a vacuum!" Okay, I committed the number one cardinal sin for a wife, I told my husband to buy a household appliance for me for Christmas. But really, I will get more happiness out of this vacuum than anything else he could have bought me this year for Christmas.
I recently read a study about what makes people happy. And the study showed that the most mundane things often bring the most happiness, not a trip to Italy, a diamond bracelet, or a new car. For instance, most people indicated that making their bed in the morning brought them the most happiness throughout the day. Interesting? So anyway, I thought . . . I will use this vacuum once a week until it finally dies on me, and since it has a 5 year warranty, it will bring me happiness once a week for the next 5 years at the least.
So M and I trotted off to Target to compare prices. We were lucky to find the same model for $100 cheaper and then we got an extra 5% off using our red card.
Once we got home, M and I actually argued about who got to vacuum. We ended up taking turns - and instead of stuffing the vacuum in the closet we left it by the Christmas tree :)
http://www.dyson.com/store/product.asp?product=DC24-ANIMAL&tab=accessories
Saturday, December 18, 2010
DIY - Holiday Project - Inspiration Husband
So M has always been a very romantic husband, but this year his present really touched my heart. Since we have been together (including the year in high school), M has given me a Christmas ornament every Christmas. This year while decorating the Christmas tree we laid my ornaments out and actually put the dates on them because we were beginning to forget which ornament came from which year (can you believe we've been married that long :).
Anyway, one day last week M came home with a large package from our local craft shop, and I was immediately intrigued, but I kept my interest to myself. A couple days ago, I came home from work and M could not contain his excitement. He said he wanted to give me my Christmas ornament early so we could put it on the tree. After some cajoling, I said "okay" (M always wants to give me my gifts early).
This year M made me a half-eaten Gingerbread Man ornament. The ornament was made out of a light brown felt, stuffed with stuffing, and the ends were all stitched by hand.
I love the attention to detail - the bite marks on his head, his missing leg, and the button belly. Thanks honey, this is truly a special gift.
Anyway, one day last week M came home with a large package from our local craft shop, and I was immediately intrigued, but I kept my interest to myself. A couple days ago, I came home from work and M could not contain his excitement. He said he wanted to give me my Christmas ornament early so we could put it on the tree. After some cajoling, I said "okay" (M always wants to give me my gifts early).
This year M made me a half-eaten Gingerbread Man ornament. The ornament was made out of a light brown felt, stuffed with stuffing, and the ends were all stitched by hand.
I love the attention to detail - the bite marks on his head, his missing leg, and the button belly. Thanks honey, this is truly a special gift.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Gardening in Small Spaces
So one of the difficult things about living in an apartment is that you have no room to have a garden. Well, as an avid cook one of the things I want to have the most is an herb garden (just the basics, parsley, cilantro, basil, mint). I had a pot on my patio for awhile, but it ended up taking up a lot of space. I recently saw these planters-what a great idea! Planters that attach to the railing.
http://www.eco-gardening.com/planters/mini-garden-railing-planter_1199_50.php
http://www.eco-gardening.com/planters/mini-garden-railing-planter_1199_50.php
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Great Online Discount Store for Designer Goods
There is always this very lovely woman that sits a few rows ahead of me at church. Every week she wears the most original, feminine dresses. They usually have one sheer layer of lace and then a second layer of a material that looks like silk.
Today, I decided I would finally speak to this woman because the dress she was wearing was simply divine. The dress was taupe (one layer of lace, one layer of silk) with a v-neck and pencil skirt to mid-calf. The bodice was form fitting and had a periwinkle satin belt. I would say the overall style of the dress was late 1930s. To give the dress an updated look she paired the dress with brown boots that had a faint alligator print. Which for some reason looked amazing.
When I asked the woman who the designer was she said YIGAL AZROUEL. Then she leaned closer and said, but to tell you the truth I ordered the dress from EBay, from a seller I often use called blindallegiance. She said she got the dress which was originally about $1500 for $200. She also said the best thing about blindallegiance is that a lot of the profit from your purchase there goes to charity.
When I got home I tried to find the dress at blindallegiance, but she must have made the purchase awhile back because I couldn't find it. I recently found the dress, it is up to $249 (however, hers was not this low cut so she must have had it altered), so there you have it (I want this dress so bad, of course I would have to get it altered too).
Check out blindallegiance's online store http://stores.ebay.com/Blind-Allegiance.
Today, I decided I would finally speak to this woman because the dress she was wearing was simply divine. The dress was taupe (one layer of lace, one layer of silk) with a v-neck and pencil skirt to mid-calf. The bodice was form fitting and had a periwinkle satin belt. I would say the overall style of the dress was late 1930s. To give the dress an updated look she paired the dress with brown boots that had a faint alligator print. Which for some reason looked amazing.
When I asked the woman who the designer was she said YIGAL AZROUEL. Then she leaned closer and said, but to tell you the truth I ordered the dress from EBay, from a seller I often use called blindallegiance. She said she got the dress which was originally about $1500 for $200. She also said the best thing about blindallegiance is that a lot of the profit from your purchase there goes to charity.
Check out blindallegiance's online store http://stores.ebay.com/Blind-Allegiance.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
The Ultimate Christmas List
Okay, so people are always asking me around this time what I want for Christmas. Well, even though I don't expect to get any of the items below (some are just way to expensive), I thought I would put together the ultimate women's Christmas wish list with no price restrictions (we can all dream . . . :).
1. Purses - I love both of these purses by Marc Jacobs. The First is called the "Classic Q - Baby Groovee" Satchel. Nordstrom is selling this purse for $358.00. The second purse is called " Paradise Rio" Satchel. I love the color of this purse - beige - it matches everything and for such an expensive purchase wouldn't you want the purse to go with everything. Nordstrom is selling this purse for $995.00. Love it !!! (too expensive to actually ever buy, unless I could find it on ebay somewhere which will be my next project).
1. Purses - I love both of these purses by Marc Jacobs. The First is called the "Classic Q - Baby Groovee" Satchel. Nordstrom is selling this purse for $358.00. The second purse is called " Paradise Rio" Satchel. I love the color of this purse - beige - it matches everything and for such an expensive purchase wouldn't you want the purse to go with everything. Nordstrom is selling this purse for $995.00. Love it !!! (too expensive to actually ever buy, unless I could find it on ebay somewhere which will be my next project).
2. Shoes - I love Christian Louboutin, and her Simple Pump with 85 mm hill is a must. I couldn't the picture to copy correctly so here's the link for Barney's http://www.barneys.com/Simple-Pump-85/159016197,default,pd.html. Barney's is selling this shoe for $595.00 (again I am only dreaming).
3. Now for some more inexpensive picks. If you read my blog a lot you will notice that I love America's Test Kitchen. Well America's Test Kitchen has come out with a new cookbook which provides all of their recipes for the last 10 years. Check the book out at http://www.cooksillustrated.com/bookstore/detail.asp?PID=435.
4. Rugs - Okay I know it seems strange to ask for a rug for Christmas, but I love Anthropolgie's rugs. My favorites are the "isola bella" bathmat ($38), the "castile rose" bathmatt ($38), and the "finnia rug" ($78 for a 2x3). Of course, I love the gold, taupe and cream colors. http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/index.jsp
5. Pillows - I love these pillows as well from Anthropologie. I suppose if you were a gifted person you could make similar pillows for yourself or for someone as a gift. Unfortunately, I am not that person. My pillows always turn out horribly. Anyway these are some lovely pillows I found. The first pillow is selling for $78 and is called "Ombre Gardenia Pillow". The second pillow is called "Dusky Blooms Pillow " and it is selling for $58.
6. Light Fixtures - Decatur Street Chandelier Shade from Anthropologie - $24.00
7. Yoga Classes - know someone that is stressed out - Yoga would make a great gift for that person, and since classes can be outside a family budget in these tough times, it makes a great gift. http://www.yogablend.com/YogaBlend/Home.html
8. Couples Dance Lessons - I have always wanted to take ballroom dance lessons with my significant other, and this gift idea would be great to mark two people off your list (make it a full date and throw in a gift card for dinner). http://www.laokay.com/danceclasses.htm
9. Herb garden - This is a gift that will continue to give all year long and is super cheap. Buy the essential herbs (italian parsley, cilantro, basil, and mint), and plant them in small pots such as the one's below that can be purchased for $6.50 here http://www.velocityartanddesign.com/clay-herb-pots-pr-27094.html.
10. Mary Kay's Be Radiant Baked Powder. My mom sent me this last month, and I absolutely recommend this product. It adds an extra glow in these winter months, and at $18 it is a steal this holiday season. http://www.marykay.com/color/cheeks/marykayberadiantbakedpowder/10037395/default.aspx?cid=ecat
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