hurrayic

{this moment}**

I like my son's curly hair, but he wanted it cut. Snip snip! 
Far from perfect, but his hair is forgiving.
A new (and smiling) young man.
Still camera-shy.

 

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. ~ Soule Mama

{this moment}** a single photo with a few accompanying words ~ hurrayic

Have a good weekend!

Curried Potato Dish

I know I've been showing a lot of food in my posts recently (again), but some weeks are like that.  I either forget to whip out my camera (or don't feel like it) while doing other things, or the busyness of a week hinders me from doing anything other than cook for family.  We all need to eat, right?  And I'm thankful to God not only for his overabundance to us (I'm speaking not just of my family, but everyone) but also his giving such variety of foods and spices and herbs. 

This curried potato dish, which I mentioned in another post and have made twice already, is sooooo delicious and really rather easy.  You probably have everything you need for it in your house (or you might have to scoot out for curry powder if that's something you don't usually have in your pantry).   My ENTIRE family enjoys this one.  In fact, my picky eater went back for seconds.  The recipe is from The Winter Vegetarian, a book I've had for over ten years and which had been sitting forlornly on my shelf until I recently gave it some attention.  As said, I made this twice so far.  It tasted better the first time than the 2nd time.  I wondered why.  Most likely the type of curry powder used and the type of milk.  The author said to use evaporated canned milk.  I don't like using this, nor did I have any in the house and couldn't located any organic version, so I substituted heavy cream the first time and 1% the 2nd time.  Heavy cream tasted better and thickened it better. The curry powder we like is Rajah Mild Curry Powder which I get from a local ethnic grocer (for less than what Amazon has it -unless you're ordering the 6 pk).  I tweaked the recipe just slightly and doubled it for the size of my family.  The recipe below serves 6...supposedly...Enjoy!

 

Curried Potato
(adapted slightly from The Winter Vegetarian)

Download Curried potato

3 large potatoes (I used russets)
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 large onion, diced
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp curry powder
5 Tbsp flour
1 1/2 cups heavy cream (or whole milk or maybe 2%, but don't use skim or 1%)
1 cup water
1/2 - 1 tsp salt
ground pepper
cornstarch if needed (I used this to help thicken once it was in the oven)
cilantro, for topping

Boil unpeeled potatoes in salted water until just tender (or you can prick potatoes and microwave them). Drain, cool slightly, peel off skin (under running water helps) and cut into 1" cubes.  (about 5 cups altogether). 

Preheat oven to 350 F. 

While potatoes are cooking, melt butter in large pot (I used my dutch oven so that I didn't have to transport potatoes into an oven-safe casserole dish) and saute for 10 min or until onions are golden.  Add in tomato paste, curry and flour.  Mix well. Slowly stir in cream and water.  Season with salt & pepper.  Bring to a boil and simmer for a few minutes.  Add potatoes.  Stir to coat. 

Place dutch oven into oven (or if using a casserole dish, grease it first then add the potato mixture).  Bake about 30 minutes or until thicker.  (I used a little cornstarch to speed up the thickening.) Top with cilantro and serve.

Photo Tips and a Yarn Along

Randi, from I have to say, asked me to guest post on her lovely blog.  You can find me over there today where I'm offering a few food photo 'tips' (or at least what I do when I take photographs of all the food my family likes to gobble up).  Stop by for a visit!

Now onto Ginny's Yarn Along...

This week, I "finished" the Cuddly Cotton Blanket.  Or at least I finished the stripes and wove in the ends.  Still have to attach the i-cord edging.  Aside from that, I decided to work a wee bit on 2 projects: my husband's Circle and Stripe scarf (about halfway through now ~ hoping that I can get that done very soon so it'll actually still be winter when he wears it) and the 2nd baby blanket. 

At first, I tried a different blanket pattern because let's face it - the cuddly baby blanket stitch is boring.  Just plain knitting back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.  Redundant!  Perhaps that was why it was taking so long?  Or maybe because I had to untangle the mess of yarns each time I switched colors?  Who knows. Instead, I began the Waffle Weave blanket pattern using 2 colors rather than one.  The way I envisioned the color placement was not the way the pattern was progressing.  So I ripped it out and ...returned to the cuddly pattern again.  This time, I'm hoping it'll go a tad quicker.  I now have a deadline for the blankets which is just the nice little push I need.  Why is it that deadlines make me work better?  Hmmm..

Reading has been a mixture of cookbooks, homeschooling books and 2 new books from the library: House of Silk (saw this Sherlock Holmes novel on a yarn along blog and can't remember who recommended it!) and How to Sell Your Crafts Online.  I've just begun both, so commenting on either is premature at this point.  All I can say is I like a good mystery (non-gory gross kinds of mystery, please), and I hope to (in the far future) think about creating and selling online...

If you create and sell online (at Etsy or have your own shop), do you have any tips or stories or do's and don'ts to share? 

To see more wonderful knitted & crocheted stuffs and read about some pretty interesting book reviews, hop over to Small Things.

Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread

Saw the recipe on Pinterest and repinned it.
Its heady scent filling the house: lots of cinnamon and too much nutmeg.
Monkey bread in a different form.
Doubled the recipe.
I told them to wait. 
Let it cool down just a bit.
Boys! 
Feigning self-control.
Gone... just like that.

Enjoying

Happy Monday morning!
We had a busy weekend.
Good, but busy.
Enjoying (a tad later than usual this morning)...

slow-roasting pork for the men in my family so that they'd have something to eat while I was absent...

spending a good portion of the weekend at a women's retreat, studying God's word, praying together, sharing and encouaging each other, being challenged to grow and blossom...

leaving the nice warm hotel to be greeted with an ice-encased vehicle...

learning to pour warm water (never hot I was informed) around the doorframe so car doors will open and scraping for what seemed like an hour (or more)...

thankful for no slipping or sliding on the drive home...

being greeted by my men and a clean(er) house.  Yeah!  (Can you hear that really big shout of yeah!?)...

baking Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies again...

finishing (minus the edging) one baby blanket...

making a pungent Chermoula (Moroccan green sauce) from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone and loving its spicyness...

hoping to have gotten more items done and ready for the new week...

being reminded that those things can wait...

playing instead, another new game with the family: Settlers of Catan (with extension) for hours...

happy that a fresh cup of coffee and a bit of knitting is a must while playing...

winning the game without fully realizing it (he he he)...

 

What are YOU enjoying?

{this moment}**

Wearing sunglasses is a must when learning about trajectory parabola!
(actually the glasses were simply used for eye protection against any misfired 'cannon balls')

 

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. ~ Soule Mama

{this moment}** a single photo with a few accompanying words ~ hurrayic

Have a good weekend!

 

Soup: Chicken with Brown Rice, Lemon, Ginger, Smoked Paprika and Cilantro

A few days ago, I roasted 2 chickens and used part of both for another recipe.  So I was left with a portion of each chicken (including carcass) and wondered what to make with them.  Soup would be a good choice.  But usually I find chicken soup recipes rather bland.  At least the ones I've tried.  I threw a bunch of things together to see what would happen.  Pleasantly surprised.  My husband said it was the best chicken soup I've made so far.  Okay!  Smiles all around from my guinea pigs family. 

If you make this recipe, I figured that the chicken I used is about the amount of 1 whole chicken so that's what I've included.  But nothing says that you can't add more.

Chicken Soup with Brown Rice, Lemon, Ginger, Smoked Paprika & Cilantro

1 chicken
salt & pepper
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 onion, chopped
6-8 scallions, sliced (both white and green parts)
3 big carrots or big handful of snacking size, sliced
4-5 celery stalks (including leaves), sliced
1 tsp chipotle flakes
1 1/2 tsp sweet smoked paprika
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup lemon juice or juice of 1 lemon (+ more if desired)
1 small bunch cilantro, chopped, ready for topping
additional chicken stock if needed (I used low sodium organic stock)

Put whole chicken in stockpot.  Cover with water by about 1-2" and season water with salt & pepper.  Be heavy-handed!  Bring to boil then reduce heat to a simmer.  Cook until meat falls off the bones. Place large bowl with a colander on top into a clean sink.  Pour entire contents of stockpot into colander.  The chicken should remain in the colander; the stock will remain in the large bowl.  Return stock to stockpot, cover and keep warm.  Remove chicken from bones.  Throw out bones and the skin.  If any large pieces of chicken are left (probably not since it'll fall off so easily), break them up into smaller bite-size pieces. Set chicken aside.

To the stockpot, add everything else but the cilantro and extra chicken stock if using.  Bring to boil then lower heat to simmer and cook for about 1 1/2 hours or more.  You want the carrots fork-tender and the rice to be fully cooked.  If you need more time, just let it simmer away.  Add chicken.  Simmer some more.  Adjust seasonings - more wine, more lemon juice, salt & pepper...a little more spices if you'd like. If you think it's too thick, simply add additional chicken stock.

Serve with cilantro. 

This tastes good with crusty bread broken into pieces and dipped in soup. 

Reminiscing...and a Yarn Along

I'm guest posting at the habit of being today. 
Sort of reminiscing...
Come for a visit!

Now onto Small Things's Yarn Along...

I really truly wanted to show you a finished baby blanket replete with i-cord edging, but nope.  Didn't happen this past week.  I did take my knitting with me everywhere I went (my knitting bag is like an appendage) but only a few rows were knit each outing.  Even at home, I puttered around doing other things rather than knitting.  It feels like the last corner is t a k i n g  f o r e v e r.  I turn my head and poof!  Magically the blanket regrows or unravels...do you have a project like that?  At this rate the poor babies will have grown to Goliathan proportions AND be blanketless!  Isn't it just simply a matter of will power?  Finish, I must. Once this cuddly blanket is done, I can move onto #2 baby blanket. 

Perhaps one tiny reason for not knitting is...reading!  I've been reading Rosemary Sutcliff's Black Ships Before Troy to my boys as part of our Ancient History study (almost done!)  It's a re-telling of Homer's The Iliad and full of adventure and gods and goddesses and battles and blood.  I had to take a colored pencil and color over a semi-naked wispy ghost-like image of a woman (Achilles' mother) whose dress' top portion was mysteriously missing.  So now she has a nice halter top that coordinates with her outfit!  The book is providing some good discussions about good and evil and life and death.  And wise and foolish choices.  My youngest pointed out that all of this hate and death was all related to one act: Paris' lusting for Helen and Helen agreeing to leave her husband...(and of course...one of the goddesses being jealous of two other goddesses).

 

 

Sewing Plans Update

So far for my sewing plans for January, I have:

Cut out the Olivia shoe pattern for Shoe and Tell.  For the lining, I managed to squeeze all the pieces onto a thrifted cotton napkin! A well-spent 25 cents!  The color fits wonderfully with the Ruby Star Rising print.  Now I just need to sew it together. 

Sewed and quilted a bit of I have to say's Fresh Squeezed Mini Quilts Sew Along. I cut way too many strips of fabric.  It was late at night, and I was tired.  Not prime time for wielding a rotary cutter and mathematics...oh well. The strips will go into my scrap pile.  I have just two mini quilts left to add the binding to, so I expect to be done with them this week. 

That just leaves the messenger bag, which has had nothing done to it, either by me or my daughter.  I guess 2 out 3 isn't too bad so far.

What are you sewing/working on?

Enjoying

Hello Again, Monday! 
I love how you follow the start of a new week,
but could you please slow down,
just a wee little bit? 

Hope you had a restful weekend.

Forgive the food-heavy post. 
We did do other things besides eat this weekend. 
Just didn't whip out my camera.

Right now I'm enjoying...

Making a quadruple amount of breakfast snack for our Sunday school class...

Watching in amazement how an entire batch of Oatmeal Cinnamon Cookies can disappear in less than 24 hours... (thankfully not by me...completely)... (recipe from Good to the Grain) Realizing that even 3 mini quilts take longer than anticipated to sew but thankful for the sewing time...

Spotting this fellow dip into the rotting squash left on the back porch...

Hoping that he'll return to finish the job for us... (oh, and do you see that white stuff?  The first snow of the season for us...exciting!) Waiting for this job to get done so that our house will be toasty once again... brrr...just looking at it makes me shiver.  You should hear the wind blow.  Thankfully no storms!

Christening our super heavy 7 qt dutch oven from Lodge Logic (Thanks, Mom & Dad!) with curried potatoes and realizing that just holding the pan makes for a good arm workout in the kitchen!  Planning on making more of it this week...

What you planning?  What are you enjoying?