Thursday, October 18, 2012

Can you guess what is inside?

A random post....
 I wash and fold all the clothes for our family (I'm a little picky on washing, folding, and wrinkles).  Anyway all I require is that my kids put the clothes in their baskets away and hang up the shirts.  Kirsten has always struggled with this.  The last time I saw a pile at the bottom of her closet, I threatened to take the clothes away and make her "buy" them back when she needs them.  So last week, while the kids were at school, I went in and straightened their rooms.  In this little jewelry box, I found 2 shirts and a dress STUFFED inside of it.  Sometimes I wonder what takes longer, hanging them up or thinking where to stash them and shoving them there.  : )  The joys of being a mom (and I enjoy every second.)

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Another great find (recipe)

I was going to say, "Not much is going on in our lives to blog about", but that's not necessarily the truth.  We are busy in every aspect of our lives.  

I'm one that loves a good (and easy) recipe to try that comes well recommended.  Here is one of them.  I'm always very weary when it comes to Indian food because sometimes recipes don't come together.  We love the coconut curry at Tarka so I have been looking for a recipe that I could make at home. I was pleasantly surprised with this one.  It smelt good, was easy to follow, and tasted really good.  So I'm posting it to share.

Coconut Chicken Curry
from melskitchencafe.com

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/2 TBSP vegetable oil
2-2 1/2 TBSP curry powder
1 1/2 tsp paprika 
1/2 onion, thinly diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed (I used 1 tsp minced garlic)
4 medium red potatoes, cut into chunks
1 (14 oz) can coconut milk
1 (14.5 oz) can stewed tomatoes, Italian style
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
3 TBSP sugar
Hot cooked Rice (I used Basmati)

Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper.  Heat oil, curry powder, and paprika in a large skillet (wok) over medium-low heat for two minutes until fragrant, BUT don't let it burn.  Turn the heat up to medium and stir in onions and garlic and cook 7-9 minutes more until onions are clear.  Add chicken, tossing lightly to coat with curry oil and cook for 7-10 minutes.  Add potatoes, coconut milk, tomatoes (I crushed the Italian tomatoes in a bowl prior as my kids don't like eating chunks of tomatoes) tomato sauce, and sugar into the pan, and stir.  Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally for 30-40 minutes. **** I made this earlier in the day and got to this point and instead of simmering in the pan I made it and put it in a crock pot and let it sit in low heat for 4-5 hours.  This made it really easy come dinner time and the flavor was really good.  The sauce thickens slightly upon standing.  Serve with rice (and naan!)

This dish is sweet with a little spice.  (None of my kids said it was spicy hot though).  Its definitely a must with naan!



Monday, October 08, 2012

Another Good Find....

Another reason I LOVE HEB.......
HEB has a in store coupon right now where if you buy there Fruit Spread (which is actually really good) you get a free Peanut Butter (creamy or crunchy.)
So we all know what happens when Jacob finds a good deal he buys "in Jacob bulk."  So when I came home with five cans, that night I found 17 in the pantry....which has now turned to even more.  I can't complain on this one during the "sack lunch season!"

Saturday, October 06, 2012

Saturday is a Special Day...

Such a GREAT Saturday:
We started off by.....
 
listening and taking notes from this morning conference session with a bunch of McKay's friends (and my Beehives!)  
 
We play Conference Jeopardy this coming mutual activity....
 
"Ask a missionary!"
....hence the note taking.  Jacob even made the game so they get real buzzers!
After morning conference, I coached our first game.  McKay and her friend Julia, persuaded me into coaching their city league this season as they got bumped from the younger bracket because of their birthdays.  We won our first game, almost won the second (they gave a good fight at the end.) And the third one slipped away, so we lost the match.   They did awesome though and I know its the beginning of a good season! 
We finished with an even bigger group of girls coming over for the DVR'ed session of the afternoon session.  I've enjoyed the messages learned and I love and appreciate my own family more than ever!

Thursday, October 04, 2012

Jacob's Baking Puzzle

There are three things wrong with this picture.  Can you find them?