Indian Curry over Rice

One of my biggest Let's Eat! fans (and a dear friend), Tricia, agreed to let me post this recipe.  Yum!

This recipe is mostly from Rachael Ray's "Curry in a Hurry" recipe (that someone scanned and emailed me out of one of Rachael's 749 cookbooks), but with some major differences and embellishments.  Her recipe omits coconut milk, which you're welcome to do.  I've never made it without coconut milk.  I don't know if this tastes like actual Indian curry, but my husband loves it and it's one of the 3 things he eats as leftovers over and over!


Jasmine or white rice to serve 6
1 can coconut milk (I've used light and non-light, and although the finished product tastes the same, the full-fat was my preference and the sauce was thicker)
1 green or red bell pepper, chopped into chunks
4 pieces thawed boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs (I usually use 7-8 chicken tenderloins which is a lot less chicken than 4 breasts, but seems to be plenty for 6 servings)
1 yellow medium Spanish onion, peeled, halved, and cut into 3/4-inch strips (I have also used about 3/4 a bag of pre-diced frozen onions from the freezer section)
I piece fresh gingerroot, about 3 inches, grated (I have also used 1-2 tsp powder)
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chicken broth
3 Tbsp mild curry paste (I use Patak's brand.  It comes in a 10oz. jar)
a large handful of golden raisins (my husband's favorite part of the recipe!)
2/3 - 1 cup mango chutney (also Patak's brand ... I usually use half of the 10oz jar.  I have also used Patak's Major Grey Chutney when the Mango chutney was sold out and I just omitted the gingerroot from the recipe)
2 Tbsp peanut or sesame oil

Make the rice as directed for 6 people.  It will be ready to serve when you're finished making the curry.

In a large skillet, working on medium-high heat, brown the chicken for 4 minutes on each side in the peanut or sesame oil.  Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

Add onion, pepper, gingerroot and garlic.  Saute for 3 minutes, or until the onion becomes tender.  Add broth and coconut milk and stir to lift off all the good junk on the bottom of the pan.  Add curry paste and raisins.  Return chicken to the pan.  Heat through to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low.  Stir in chutney to thicken and sweeten.  Simmer for 5-10 minutes to desired thickness.

 We serve the jasmine rice in bowls with the curry on top and eat it with a spoon.  Goes great with naan bread to soak up the juices.

Piquant Pork Chops

This post comes from Jessie over at Bites.  Enjoy!

This is a recipe I loved from my childhood.  My mom always made them in an electric skillet but I do them in the crockpot to make life easier.  The meat becomes tender enough to feed to the little kiddos!

6 pork chops

3 Tbsp butter

flour, pepper and salt

For sauce:

1 1/2 cups beef broth

1/3 cups chili sauce

1 bay leaf

2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp celery salt

1/4 tsp hot pepper sauce

3 cloves or dash of allspice

1 clove of garlic, mined

2 Tbsp cornstarch

1/4 cup water

Dredge chops in seasoned flour.  Brown in butter and put in roasting pan.  Pour off fat from frying pan.  Heat sauce and pour over chops.  Cover and bake at 350 for 1 hour.  (Or 6ish hours in the crockpot on low)  Remove chops to platter.  Skim fat from liquid and pour the remaining liquid into a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Stir 2 Tbsp. cornstarch into 1/4 cup water then add to remaining liquid to thicken into a sauce/gravy.  Use to pour over chops.

White Chocolate Chips and a Little Break

I mentioned that our family was in a bit of transition.  We're actually in a lot of transition.  My husband's new job is taking us to England!  As of today, I officially have no dishes and I just let my neighbors raid my fridge, so I am forced to take a break from kitchen creativity for a while.  A few friends have agreed to share some of their favorite recipes with you, so the blog won't be totally empty while we're settling in.  I'm not sure how my "recipe box" will change as we head to the other side of the pond, but I'll be back, so stay tuned . . .


In the meantime, I'll leave you with one last little thought before my friends start posting.  The white chocolate chip.  Random?  Totally.  One of the few things left in my cupboards this past week was a bag of white chocolate chips.  Here's how I used them . . .

I made a batch of my favorite chocolate chip cookie and used white instead of the regular chips.  I actually didn't taste one, but the movers said they were great and I was pleased that the men who were handling all of my things seemed satisfied.

Sprinkle a dozen on a bowl of plain yogurt and granola.  They give just the right amount of sweetness to offset the bitter yogurt.

I didn't have enough honey to make a full batch of energy balls, so I melted some chips with the peanut butter and they turned out great.

My kids appreciated the little addition in their rice pudding this morning.  Milk, vanilla, cinnamon, a bit of butter, raisins and leftover brown rice warmed on the stove.  A few chips added on top made it a fun breakfast treat.

One chip fits perfectly on the inside of a halved strawberry!

Southwestern Beans in the Crock Pot

Our family is in a bit of transition (more on that later) and I'm trying to use up things in my cupboards that I've looked at day after day and still chose to ignore.  Enter: dried beans.  My neighbor does amazing things with dried beans.  I don't know how she does it, but her creations are always fantastic.  So I decided it my turn to just go for it.  I consulted a couple recipes I had tucked away and this is what I came up with.  They were delicious!  And it doesn't get much easier than this.


1/2 cup dried white beans (1 15oz. can of beans is about the equivalent of 1/2 cup dried beans)
1/2 dried small red beans
1/2 cup dried black beans
1/2 cup dried lentils
1 can rotel (diced chilies and tomatoes)
2 cups broth (use whatever you have - I used turkey stock)
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp. cumin

If using dried beans, soak overnight in water.  Don't soak the lentils.  Just the beans.

Drain and rinse soaked beans and place in crock pot with the rest of the ingredients.  Stir gently until everything is mixed.  Cook on low for 6-7 hours, or until beans are tender.  Serve over rice, with chips, or cornbread.  I liked topping mine with yogurt and a bit of cilantro.

*I needed my beans to be ready in less than 6 hours, so I cooked them on high for the first hour and then switched to low.  I added the Rotel about 10 minutes before we were going to eat and it was fine.  If you forget like I did and add it later, be careful not to stir too much.  It makes the lentils mushy.

Red and Green Pasta Salad

Happy St. Patty's Day!  Here's some green for you . . .

A while back, my mom brought me this fun pasta from Italy!  I've been waiting for the perfect recipe to use it, but just decided to go for it today.  I had a red pepper and lots of broccoli that were about to go bad.  All the red and greens involved mixed beautifully for a lunch that my kids and I thoroughly enjoyed.

I tossed the chopped brocooli and red pepper with about 1 Tbsp olive oil and a lot of Penzeys' pizza seasoning (at least 1 1/2 Tbsp).  Next, I roasted the veggies at 425 for about 20 minutes, tossing once.  Meanwhile, I cooked the pasta, drained it, then tossed it with 1 Tbsp butter before adding the roasted veggies and a little salt.  Top that with Parmesan cheese and we were good to go.  I think it would be good room temp as well.  My son thought it was great that all the food "matched"!

Roast Chicken with Potatoes, Lemon and Asparagus

This is my new favorite one-pan-wonder.  My friend, Kenan, passed on this recipe from Martha Stewart a while back and I'm sorry I waited this long to try it.  The dish is super easy, nutritious, filling, nice enough for guests, affordable, all-around-great.  What you don't see in this picture are how the bottoms of the potatoes are crusted brown with bits of butter and how the lemons are just melting their juices around the dish.  Mmmmmm . . .


1 1/2 lbs new potatoes, halved
3 Tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 package cut-up whole chicken, about 3 pounds*
1 bunch asparagus (1 pound), trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges
6 sprigs fresh thyme (I would say this is optional.  I didn't use it, but had a rosemary salt that was nice.  I think the lemon and natural flavors of everything else is enough.)


Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Place potatoes and half the butter in a roasting pan; season with salt and pepper.  Roast, tossing once, until potatoes are golden, 20 to 25 minutes.

Place chicken, skin side up, on top of potatoes; season with salt and pepper.  Roast until chicken begins to brown, about 20 minutes.

Scatter asparagus, lemon, remaining butter, and thyme around chicken.  Roast until asparagus is tender and chicken is opaque throughout, 5 to 15 minutes.  Serve chicken, vegetables, and lemon drizzled with pan juices.

*If you don't already, take advantage of the meat man (or woman) in your grocery store.  I often have things chopped, halved, or trimmed and they are more than happy to help.  Who wants to cut up a whole chicken?  Not me.  This time, I actually ended up using boneless thighs I had on hand.  I didn't get the crispy skin you will from using a whole chicken, but it worked and the meat was tender.

Lime, Grapefruit and Ginger juice

After coming across this recipe, I looked up to see one ripe grapefruit, a large piece of fresh ginger, and several limes singing to me in perfect harmony.  It was meant to be.  My 3-year-old said the drink was too "spicy", but I was glad I didn't have to share.  This went down as refreshing as a perfect summer day.  The ginger gives the citrus a little kick, which made for a strong breakfast juice.  But as much as I liked the get-up-and-go in the morning, it was just as good when I finished it off in the afternoon.  I liked it both room temp and cold.  The original recipe calls for more fruit than I had on hand, so here's what I ended up with.


2 Tbsp sugar
1 heaping Tbsp ginger, peeled then grated
1 1/3 cups water

1/3 cup fresh lime juice - 2 juicy limes
3/4 cup fresh grapefruit juice - 1 juicy grapefruit

In a small saucepan, over medium heat, stir together the sugar, ginger, and water.  Simmer for 5 minutes, transfer to a glass bowl or cup, and place in the freezer for a few minutes to cool.

Strain the ginger into a pitcher along with the lime and grapefruit juices.  You can either strain the citrus juices or leave them pulpy, just be sure to catch any seeds before they go in. Stir and taste, if you want a bit more sugar, go for it, but I found this to be plenty sweet.  Serve straight in a tiny chilled glass with ice.  Or use a splash to freshen up a glass of sparkling water.

Makes about 2 cups.

Dinners as of late

It's been a while since I've posted a new dinner recipe.  Here's what we've been enjoying while I've taken a break on trying something new:


Black Beans and Sausage  - seriously one of my husband's most favorite meals.  It's about as easy as it gets, but he loves it.  And I love him.

Chicken Enchiladas - I always seem to change something when I make these.  This time I added sliced black olives.  Yummy.

Red Posole - just love this stuff.  Fresh limes and cojita or feta cheese are a must.

Mexican Pile-up - I make sure to have a packet of taco seasoning and a can of beans in the cabinet at all times for this go-to dinner.  If it includes cheese and salsa, we're sure to love it.

Energy Balls - so not really a dinner here, but I could eat enough of these to make it a full meal!  It's been the perfect snack this week.

Molasses Granola Bars

I usually love all things molasses.  These were just ok, although my kids LOVED them.  They pretty much ate the whole batch.

2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick cook)

1 tsp cinnamon

1-2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp cloves

1/3 cup molasses

1/4 cup maple syrup

3/4 tsp vanilla

1 cup dates, pitted

2/3 cup chopped pecans

1/3 cup unsalted sunflower seeds

1/2 cup chopped dried apricots

1/2 cup dried cranberries

In a full-sized food processor, combine the molasses, maple syrup, vanilla, and dates.  Pulse three times.  Add the cinnamon, ginger, salt, nutmeg, and cloves.  Puree until mixture is smooth.  Add the oats and pulse until the oats are coarsely chopped.

Remove the oat mixture from the food processor and transfer to a medium bowl, taking care to scrape the edges of the food processor to remove all of the mixture.  Stir in the cranberries, pecans, apricots, and sunflower seeds until well mixed.

Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper.  Press the oat mixture into the baking pan until the mixture is evenly distributed throughout the pan and tightly packed.

Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes.  Remove from oven, cool in the freezer until the bars are firm.  Lift the parchment paper out of the pan, remove, and cut into 8-12 bars.  

Store bars in an airtight container for up to a week.  Bars may be frozen for up to a month and thawed as needed.

*I didn't use parchment and sprayed the pan with cooking spray instead and they didn't stick.  I also didn't freeze the bars, but let them cool before cutting and serving and they were hard enough.  

Wild Rice, Mushroom, and Sausage Soup

I made four batches of this to share with my monthly meal swap girls.  I didn't think you would want a picture of frozen soup in a large ziploc.  It was a thick and heart soup, but I would be a little more picky with my sausage choice next time.  That's where most of the flavor comes from and my choice of mild italian sausage was a bit boring.


5 cups chicken broth
1 cup wild rice (I used a wild rice, long-grain white rice combo)
2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces smoked turkey or chicken sausage, cut into ½-inch slices
1 medium onion, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
4 ounces cremini or white mushrooms, sliced (about 2 cups)
½ cup heavy cream (I used half and half)
salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a medium saucepan, combine the broth and wild rice, cover partially and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, celery and mushrooms and cook until the onions are softened, about 3 minutes.

Add the cooked wild rice and its broth to the sausage and vegetables and simmer, uncovered, until the rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Add the cream and heat through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Servings: 4