Home Inspection

My husband, the man of many talents, went to our home inspection yesterday with, of course, the home inspector. And we have a clean bill of health! There are a couple minor things for the current home-owner to fix, but no big deal. Whew! So excited! And Beau had a great time crawling under the house with the man and just learning everything he could about our soon-to-be home. I knew he would love the whole afternoon. J

 

We also had Katie and Tony Hlavacek for dinner last night. On the menu? Indian food! I made my Indian chicken curry with rice and Naan. Tony and Katie brought Dal, which I hadn’t had since I was in India. So that was a wonderful treat! And because I grew up in the Kimbrell household, we had dessert. If there are people in our home that do not live there consistently, there will be dessert. It’s just understood. So understand from here on out that if you ever come to my house for dinner for ANY reason, there WILL be dessert. So plan accordingly. J

 

Indian Chicken Curry

 

2 tsp each coriander and cumin seeds

1 tsp salt

1 tsp turmeric

½ tsp black pepper

1/8 tsp cayenne

2 T canola oil

1 lb chicken thigh, cut into 1” chunks

¼ c unsalted cashews

1 large yellow onion, chopped

2 small tomatoes

2 T clarified butter or canola oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 T minced fresh ginger

1 tsp minced jalapeno

2 each bay leaves and star anise

½ c coconut milk

1 T lemon juice

1 T chopped cilantro

 

Toast and grind the coriander and cumin seeds. In a bowl, stir together the seeds, ½ tsp salt, turmeric, pepper, cayenne and oil until well mixed. Add the chicken and toss well. Marinate in the refrigerator, covered, for an hour.

 

 

Toast the cashews and chop coarsely.

 

Thinly slice the onion, cut the tomatoes in half crossways and remove the seeds. Chop the flesh. In a saute pan over high heat, melt the butter and saute the onion until it  begins to soften. Add the garlic, ginger, jalapeno, bay leaves and star anise and continue to saute until the onion is a light golden brown. Add the chicken and cook until it is opaque. Add the tomatoes and cook until they begin to soften.

 

Stir in the coconut milk (I actually used a whole can of milk because I like a lot of sauce) and the remaining ½ tsp salt and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to simmer and cover and let it all cook for about 20 minutes, until the chicken is tender. Stir in the lemon juice and cook for 5 more minutes.

 

Trasnfer to a warm bowl and top with cashews and cilantro.

 

Chocolate Chip Pie

 

1 unbaked pie crust

8 oz butter, melted

½ c flour

½ c light brown sugar, packed

½ c sugar

2 eggs

6 oz chocolate chips

1 c chopped walnuts

 

Preheat oven to 325. Place pie crust in the pie plate and let it sit there. Don’t pre-bake it. Beat the eggs until they’re good and foamy. Add in the flour and brown sugar. Then add the melted butter and white sugar. Beat until it’s well mixed and smooth. Stir in the walnuts and the chocolate chips. *I have been known to add more chocolate chips and walnuts than the recipe calls for and it turns out JUST fine! ;) Pour this yummy goodness into your pie crust and bake for an hour or until the center of the pie is almost completely set. It should be kind of like a chocolate chip cookie in the sense that the edges are done but the center is a little gooey and yummy! Now, I serve mine with vanilla ice cream, but to each his own! Whipped cream is an acceptable substitution.