It’s Wednesday, so again I’m linking up with MamaKat who does a weekly Vlogging Workshop. I missed last week due to the fact that I was just plain busy, so I hope you weren’t crying because there wasn’t one Anyway, I’m back on track this week and answering 32 random questions. I chose this prompt because I reminded me of when we all did these sorts of blog memes. Fun!

A few notes:

- As I mentioned, I was pulled over for speeding two times. Once, the cop had pulled over several people in a line and I just pulled over because I wasn’t sure. I don’t think he really was either because he just let me go. The second time was after our old Jeep had been hit and I was driving this awful rental car. It was red and it had NJ licence plates. I am convinced that made me a target! I probably was driving faster than the speed limit, but certainly with traffic. For whatever reason he just gave me a seatbelt violation (I always wear my seatbelt, but I think I unlatched it to look for paperwork in the glovebox.) Luckily that’s been it!

- I talked about Cordelia’s Dad. They are awesome. Drew’s band toured with them in college. You should totally check them out.

- Finally, if you are a regular reader, you know that I’m a happy hooker (ha!). If you’re new to the blog, you can check out some of my crochet-related posts if you’re interested.

Thanks for reading and pretty, pretty please subscribe to my YouTube channel. Thanks!

Noah made his First Holy Communion on Saturday and it was a very busy time — preparing, celebrating, cleaning… It was lovely, though, and so great to share it with our family.

Last night I finally felt relaxed. With little to do this week, I didn’t need to make lists or keep track of anything. We put on a mindless movie (Tommy Boy, which I haven’t watched in years) and I browsed Pinterest while Drew check out DW drums from Musicians Friend. 

Today I’m just focussed on getting things in order: menu planning (lots of leftovers that require I get creative), culling paperwork (no more show choir for Jake or CCD for the boys — well, until next year), and reorganizing some things. They day just flew by! The little ones are currently in bed and Drew and Jake are playing one last game of Magic.

As for myself, I’m going to get ready to wind down too. Hope to be back with photos later this week!

I hope everyone enjoyed a nice Mother’s Day on Sunday! I certainly did. The kids lavished me with sweet, homemade gifts and we all enjoyed a nice day together. Drew’s mom and aunt came up for a visit, so it was all very laid back and relaxing.

Laura went home with the ladies for a sleepover, which gave me time to not only grocery shop and run about a million errands by myself, but I was able to hit the thrift shop this morning, too! You can see that I found a few little treasures.

The tray caught my eye as soon as I walked into the shop. And though it’s really nothing special (complete with “made in China” sticker on the back, it’s still pretty and fills up an empty space above my kitchen cupboards. It’ll also be useful for serving, too. Then there’s the little prim tin candle holder. I just love these kinds of things! So cute.

And of course, that old lunch pail (which immediately caught my dad’s eye when he saw a pic on Facebook). Dad and I had just been talking about a similar lunch pail he had in the 70s when he started working. This one is actually a reproduction by a company called Burning Lotus. There was no Thermos in it, but it was so cheap I grabbed it as an impulse purchase.

Then, I found a bundle of 10 cloth napkins. I washed and hung them out to dry, hoping the sun would bleach them but I think I need to do a little more work on them, as there’s still some yellow spots.

This old measuring cup is my favorite item of the lot, though! I think it was like 50 cents and this one is definitely vintage. I think it will look so sweet with some flowers stuck inside. I came out spending less than $10 for all of it, so I was pretty happy.

I managed to get a lot of other things done today, too, so I feel totally justified with my lazy girl plan for the night… tea, crochet, and TV. I’m not working on anything much… just a dishcloth. Mindless enough to work on while watching a show, yet I still feel like I’m doing something.

Well, time to get my water boiling. Hope your week is off to a good start!

Last week when I was talking about my carrot cake jam, I mentioned that I was making it for a food swap our library was hosting. I knew that there would be some tasty treats there (we have a large population of excellent cooks in our community), and the results did not disappoint!

So… what is a food swap and how does it work? Well, basically you bake, can, grow, forage, or otherwise bring something to the proverbial (and literal) table. You taste. You talk. You trade. It was so fun, and a great way to engage with our neighbors! We had many curious patrons who expressed interest in participating in our next go-around. And I hope they do! What a fun way to try new things.

Here’s what we had today…

Cookies:::

Ginger-chocolate mini scones:::

(My) carrot cake jam:::

Granola:::

Fresh honey nut butter:::

Local eggs from happy chickens:::

Sriracha (better than anything with a rooster on it — trust me!):::

Handcrafted vanilla extract:::

Spicy Guinness Mustard:::

We shall eat well, indeed! I feel a little bit spoiled, and a lot bit lucky to be part of this.

I am already thinking ahead and deciding what to make for our next one. Perhaps some fermented sauerkraut or spicy pickled vegetables? I definitely think it will be something fresh and vinegary. But homemade hot fudge could be fun too… So many delicious possibilities!

I don’t even know how I came up with this recipe. I guess I was thinking of both my favorite chicken curry recipe, but also Indian-spiced chicken meatballs and somehow this happened. And I’m glad it did because it was easy and delicious. And quick. And perfect for this rainy day. Basically, I just started throwing things into a pot and tasting and at some point I decided “OK, this is actually good!”

Although we really enjoyed this recipe as written here, I feel like it’s missing something. Maybe some spinach? Maybe coconut milk instead of the yogurt? I don’t know… But it’s a starting point and I hope you play around with it. Let me know what adjustments you make and how you improve upon it!

Masala Chili

2013-05-09 15:48:24

An Indian-spiced take on traditional chili.

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Ingredients

2 Tbsp. coconut oil or ghee

1 tsp. cumin seeds

1/2 c. diced onion

2 cloves of garlic, diced

1-2 chile peppers, diced (I used jalapenos because that's what I had)

1-inch chunk of fresh ginger, shredded on a microplane

1 Tbsp. coriander

1/4 tsp. tumeric

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/2 Tbsp. curry powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 lb. ground chicken

1 15-oz. can of chick peas, drained and rinsed

1.5 c. tomato sauce

1/2 c. water

1 5 oz. container of plain yogurt

Cilantro (for garnish)

Instructions

In a stock pot, melt the coconut butter or ghee and add the cumin seeds. When they start sizzling, add the onions, garlic, ginger, and peppers. Cook until soft and then add the coriander, tumeric, cumin, chili powder, curry powder, and salt.

Add ground chicken and cook through. Add chick peas, tomato sauce, and water. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until flavors have all combined.

Remove from heat. Stir in yogurt. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve with rice or naan. Garnish with fresh cilantro.

Notes

A side salad of freshly sliced cucumbers and onions with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice is an excellent accompaniment to this dish.

Pure Sugar http://puresugar.net/

Linking up with: Cooking Thursday