Japanese Chicken Curry #SundaySupper

Homemade Japanese Curry Chicken WIN! The perfect balance of savoury, sweet, tangy and bitter, packed with umami and 100% from scratch. No roux, no prefab curry powder, and even gluten free to boot!

I know I've gone on and on and on about it time and again, but if there's one type of dish my mom can't get enough of, it's curry. I don't just mean your turmeric-stained yellow stuff either - although that is certainly on the "yes" list. Pick any curry-making region you can think of, and you can bet Mom will want a taste.

Our first experience with Japanese curry was actually about a year ago, when we went to a sushi and Japanese cuisine restaurant for my birthday. After ordering what was simply labeled "chicken curry" on the menu, Mom was surprised to receive a huge, steaming bowl of thick, dark and intensely aromatic stew with chunks of carrot, potato and chicken alongside a bowl of rice. A few spoonfuls later and she was sold - but we had no idea how to go about making it at home. After all, curry powder is British-Indian, not even vaguely Japanese in style, right?

Well, it turns out that Japanese curry is actually more or less based in a cube mix rather than an ornate blend of spices. Unfortunately, finding that pre-made roux is all but impossible around me, and I had no idea how to recreate the bouillon-like medley. However, I couldn't leave my dream of recreating one of my mom's favourte meals go cold, so I began Googling right after that fateful dinner, finally landing on No Recipes. There, I found a completely from-scratch formula for what I was looking for, along with a handy hint - the key to a really great Japanese curry is in the caramelized onions. Well, those I can do, and I do a lot.

Of course, I did modify a few things along the way - I didn't have apples at home, so an Asian pear stood in admirably. I made my own Chunou sauce too, because there was no way my "white bread" superstore would have heard of it if I haven't. I also left out the peas (forgot about them on grocery day) and decided to thicken the works with Veloutine instead of a roux (yeah, sacrilege, I know) because I'm lazy and didn't want to babysit and watch another pot. I've provided both methods, so go with your preference.

More #MothersDay treats for #SundaySupper are below. Our host this week is Amy from My Wolrd Simplified

Chocolate Treats

• Hot Fudge Ice Cream Cake by Pies and Plots
• Toasted Almond Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies by Helpful Homemade
• Triple Chocolate Strawberry Cake Truffles by The Freshman Cook
• White Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• White Chocolate-Filled Snickerdoodles by Fantastical Sharing of Recipes

Entrees

• Double Pork Stuffed Pork Roast by Food Lust People Love
• Italian Stuffed Caprese Chicken by My World Simplified
• Japanese Chicken Curry by What Smells So Good?
• Lightened-Up Shrimp Scampi by My Savory Spoon

Sides and Salads

• Mom’s Easy Clam Dip by Cricket’s Confections
• Salmon and Capers Panzanella Salad by And She Cooks
• Swedish Creamy Potato Casserole (Jansson’s Frestelse) by Sunday Supper Movement

Sweets

• Berry Chantilly Trifle by The Crumby Cupcake
• Blackberry Cobbler with Brown Sugar Pecan Biscuits by Soulfully Made
• Lemon Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries by Our Good Life
• Lemon Cooler by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
• Mom’s Southwest Georgia Pound Cake by Family Around The Table
• Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp by Caroline’s Cooking
• Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote by Wholistic Woman

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board. Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

Christmas Curry

This Christmas Curry is PACKED with vegetables and vegan protein, with a light coconut broth made with homemade curry paste infusing every single ingredient! I managed to toss in eggplant, kale, snow peas, onion, and two types of sweet potato, and topped it off with some home-grown Thai basil!

 

One of the best things about being able to go back to work is that my school is near a few international supermarkets. Even though I definitely did not grow up with the flavours of India, Japan, the Caribbean or Thailand (except for a few "world days" at school) I definitely developed a love for their cuisines, and others, when I lived in our nation's capital. Mom also had the chance to travel the world with work about that time, so when it comes time for me to cook for her I usually know where I'm headed!

Like I've mentioned a million times before, the main curry we make at home is Thai based - filled with fresh flavours from vegetables and light but filling tofu, it is something that it suitable year round. I had a few batches of curry paste hanging around my freezer from the summer (and last year too, apparently!) so I knew it was time to get back into the game and clear some freezer space. In terms of vegetables, I got a ton of inspiration wandering the shops near work. Mom loves sweet potatoes in curry, so I grabbed a couple varieties to play with, and a pack of Chinese eggplant as well which I love for their silky quality when cooked (and minimal seeds). Tofu is something we always have on hand, so it wasn't even a question, as were the addition of some of the garden's peas, chilies, kale and bell peppers. The final touch was the Thai basil I was growing on the windowsill, which I was excited to finally have a use for! 

Of course, even the best laid plans don't always work out seamlessly. I thought I had a can of coconut milk hanging out in the pantry, but apparently it had disappeared sometime in the past! However, I did have a couple bricks of creamed coconut - essentially coconut butter from pureed coconut meat - so a half block added the touch of creaminess to offset the spice of my homemade curry paste. The other half was used too - don't worry, you'll see it on the blog soon! 

While the prep work and initial cooking of this curry takes some time, the great thing is it makes a lot - so you have some for dinner and you can freeze the leftovers without issue. It's a great pinch-hitter when you just don't feel like cooking or when you have unexpected vegetarian guests for dinner. Like all these curries, add vegetables or change them up to suit your taste. Regular potatoes, jicama or cauliflower would work instead of the sweet potatoes, use green beans instead of snow peas, spinach instead of kale... you get the drift. I always say the more veggies the better! Likewise, if you don't enjoy tofu (though it soaks up the curry flavour beautifully), saute up some chunks of chicken and toss them in with the kale to warm through. The miso adds a delicate richness to the flavour and stands in for the traditional shrimp paste or fish sauce, but if you are not vegetarian feel free to add those instead!

Pineapple Squid "Christmas" Curry #EatA2ZRecipeChallenge

When you think of "curry", what comes to mind? Is it a bowl made with the rich, creamy masala of English-Indian cuisine? Japanese Karē-Raisu? South African Bunny Chow? Or a Jamaican Lamb Curry perhaps?

If you ask around my house, you'll get one of two answers as to what the "best" curry is - Indian Butter Chicken (albeit a "cheat" version with a jarred sauce) or one of the colours of Thai curry paste. My mom in particular loves a well spiced (not necessarily hot, although they usually turn out that way) bowl of mainly vegetables and a little bit of protein, with enough sauce to soak into the rice or noodles underneath. Normally, the curries I make for the family are coconut milk based, but when I found myself with no such ingredient (and a yen for the exotic spices) one afternoon I decided to throw my conventions to the wind and try something new!

While coconut milk was absent from the cupboard, I did have an excess of pineapple juice, saved from a can of crushed pineapple after a batch of carrot muffins. As I stared at the jar, wondering what on earth I was going to use it for, I remembered a curry recipe I had spotted months ago that used pineapple juice as the liquid. With that inspiration in mind, I essentially cleaned out my fridge, adding all sorts of vegetables, frozen squid, a handful of nuts and a new twist - watermelon rind! We had served some watermelon at a family dinner the week before and I saved the rinds, for no other reason than I thought I might be able to use them somehow. Considering my success with Watermelon Rind Chutney and Candied Watermelon Rind, both spicy yet sweet delights, I figured I'd give it a try in this fruity, zippy stew. I also discovered that I didn't have quite enough of either red or green curry paste in the fridge, but by combining them I created a "Christmas" mixture that worked extraordinarily well in this respect.

After it's simmer, the flavours had blended together and the squid had tenderized so well that it tasted better than our local Thai restaurant's pineapple dish. Mom spooned hers over brown Basmati, but I liked mine with brown rice noodles and spinach. What can I say?

This year's Eating the Alphabet Challenge is almost over, I can't believe it! We're up to the letters U, V & W now, and this watermelon rind-laced curry is what's on my table!

Rich Vegetable Curry with Chicken

Curry is one of the great "catch all" dishes of the world. Just like stew, stir fry, and the ubiquitous casserole, it's more or less simple to throw anything you find in your fridge into a flavourful sauce and have it come out tasty (and if nothing else, edible). Getting the spicing right for things like a good curry is critical, but once you get that down, anything goes. Curry can be dry, or super-saucy, red, yellow, or green, 100% vegan or packed with any and all meat or seafood under the sun. It can have nut or dairy butter, coconut, or cream... or none of the above. The "heat" of the resulting mixture is totally up to you too, from mild Tikka and sweet Kashmiri to the scorching hot Thai "Red Curry" and spicy-sour Vindaloo.  And one of the best things about making "a curry" for dinner is that it can be as expensive or as cheap as you care to make it.

Case in point? The student-style chicken dish that was originally posted by Carla way back in 2007, shortly after this blog premiered! She was in college at the time (sounds familiar!) and made a lot of it at home before getting herself published!

I've written about the versatile recipes in The Healthy College Cookbook before, both in a review and when I made Carla's incredible Thai Inspired Beef and Noodle Stir-fry earlier this month. Mom's a big fan of the book, and when I told her that Carla mentioned her curry in the book, she asked to see the recipe (followed shortly with "do you think you could do this for me for your review?"). Her only request was to use up the dearth of veggies in our fridge befor that week's grocery shop. Given that putting away the produce from our grocery hauls is always touch-and-go with fridge space - we could have a walk in and it would be stuffed! - I had a bit of work to do. In the end, what started out as a chicken curry turned into what I jokingly called "vegetable curry with a smattering of chicken". Even though there was only a single chicken breast for two servings, the bulk of all the veggies made the servings more than satisfying. Spooned over just a single cup of brown Basmati rice (mom's favourite) she stretched it to three filling meals without a problem!

What's your favourite catch-all dish?

Green Two-Protein Curry

Two Protein Green Curry - a fantastic, spicy meal with chicken, tofu, loads of greens and homemade green curry paste. Rice or noodles is a must!

Yup, another curry. It has to say something about my family's undying love for the stuff that I've actually created a category for curried dishes on this blog. That said, while this is the 19th meal to make it on that page, every single one I've made has been so different from each other. One thing that stays constant, though, is that complex layering of spices and aromatics that somehow, some way, just work. With few exceptions, any vegetables that are languishing in the fridge perk up beautifully in the presence of the spices - it's one of our favourite ways to clean out the fridge and use up some of our garden's bounty (and we always add a ton of them). Herbs are never "optional" in a good curry, but the type you use can be. Again, I am always inspired by what my garden gives me - and unlike traditional curry lovers I flat-out refuse to grow cilantro (yuck!).

The best part, at least for us, is that you can essentially use anything as a protein base, because a curry variation exists for it. Since I had the last little bit of my homemade green curry paste in the freezer, along with some cooked chicken thighs and a block of tofu, I scouted around to see if mixing proteins, especially a vegetarian with a non-vegetarian one, had been done before - and would the lemony, slightly fishy and definitely spicy paste be too much?

I found inspiration in a Cooking Light recipe, of all things, and set to work, adding my own flair with both proteins, extra veggies and tons of herbs from the garden. Since the zucchini and cabbage are coming in thick and fast, they got top billing on my "shopping" list, as did the sorrel, basil and lemon balm, which all seem to enjoy the extra water we've been given!

Now, I won't lie - I made this with the homemade paste and the Thai chili flakes (we like our heat), and it was spicy. As in, "bowl of rice is mandatory" spicy. However, with all that heat there was so much flavour that it didn't matter that we were breathing fire - and for extra insurance, using the richest, fattiest coconut milk (or even cream) you can find helps temper the spice a bit more.

They do say that hot peppers are really good for you, though, so why not dig on in?

"Christmas" Thai Curry Paste

Christmas Thai Curry Paste is a flavour (not just heat) packed blend of herbs, fresh chiles, toasted spices and a hint of fish sauce for umami. Perfect for any and all curries you care to whip up!

We make curry at least once a month here, a habit which stemmed from my mom's travels to Thailand when she was working. That said, a lot of the time the actual curry making is done by her, since coconut and I don't mix - but I am always glad to provide the recipes, and making this curry paste is our secret weapon!

While there is absolutely nothing wrong with storebought curry paste - we use it a lot too - when the Summer garden is in full swing it would be a crime not to use what I'm growing! Last year (when I finally refined this recipe) we had a glut of Thai chilies along with Thai basil and lemon balm. My friend happened to be growing cilantro (which similarly took off) and gave me a bunch to cook with. A quick search and about 15 minutes later, and I had a batch of curry paste primed for the next recipe! At the end of the season I made a quadruple batch (yes, a quadruple batch) and froze it, which was great for the cold of winter!

This year, we used the same paste to make a rendition of this curry (using half coconut milk half vegetable broth and doubling the recipe, adding cauliflower and chickpeas) and while spicy it was the perfect mix of flavour and heat. I would wager this would work well with chicken, shrimp or pork as well!

For those of you who are vegan - the fish sauce can be replaced with a tablespoon of red miso which gives it a fermented, salty flavour. Likewise, I have provided an alternative for the lemon balm (which grows rampant here but I know it isn't easy to find in stores) but the Thai basil is best omitted rather than substituted. Regular basil has a totally different flavour to it! Toasting the spices "wakes them up" and really boosts the flavour they lend as well.

If you love Thai curry in any respect, or are simply looking for a way to jazz up your cooking, this paste is a dead-simple, fresh way to do it. Give it a try and let me know how it goes, and what you used it in, below!

Cabbage and Pepper Thai Curry

This gluten free, vegan red Thai curry is packed with veggies and soy protein, all flavoured to the hilt with coconut milk, garlic, ginger and red curry paste.

I'm going to preface this with a "wow, it's been a long time since I've posted". I keep meaning to, really, but as we all know that thing called life gets in the way all too often. This time of the year is always packed for us teachers, between report cards, trips, tournaments and plays, and with a new semester of university upon me the workload is just as high.

On a serious note, my health has (again) been up and down so days when I could be writing, editing photos, etc I was sleeping or watching TV with glazed-over eyes. If I haven't mentioned it before on here, I've been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, which affects both my joints (especially those in my feet and shoulders) but the connective tissues and digestive system. As a result, my legs and feet swell up like balloons and I threw out both my shoulders in a period of 3 weeks - one time putting on a coat, the second warming up in a gym class. I can take solace in the fact that this autoimmune condition is likely the cause of all my stomach and digestive issues, and my skin definitely responds well to a gluten free, mostly vegan diet (I have fish on occasion), so I'm not simply one of the freaks of nature. Well, I am, but now I'm an explainable freak! The drug trials I'm on do take their toll on my energy though - they're immunosuppressants so I do get sick more easily and have to watch myself, especially around the kids. Lots of handwashing! I do have to thank my lucky stars that (at least for now) the Ontario government has a program in place to cover the absurd cost of the medication, because otherwise I would be 120% out of luck!

One thing I haven't stopped doing, though, is getting into the kitchen any chance I can. Not only have I spent the last few weeks pulling Medieval and Egyptian recipes for two of our school plays, but I decided to take on a version of "The Grey Stuff" from Beauty and The Beast for the third play as well. As with last year, making recipes for school events is never a small feat - often it means scaling things up 3-4 times (in the case of "The Grey Stuff" we had to make enough for 120 people!). I'm in the process of purchasing ingredients and within a few weeks you should be seeing some Instagram posts on the subject, so stay tuned.

At home, weekly lunch prep for Mom continues, and knowing her penchant for Thai style food I knew it was time to make her another curry. I was inspired by a recipe for dumpling filling found on Healthy Nibbles and Bits and decided that rather than mess around with trying to beautifully fold a billion dumplings, I would toss the curry over rice and call it a day. We love our veggies here, and with cabbage being perpetually cheap and common, not to mention a great bulking agent, It was a perfect choice. Being a red curry, I capitalized on colour and used red bell peppers as well. For protein, I used TVP, one of our staples here since it is so versatile. Everything came together quite quickly and (as with most curries) tasted better the day after. Even reheated from frozen, my mom declared that it was definitely on the hit list - and it must have been since I've made it three times already! I used tamari since its what I had, but if you don't have gluten issues use standard soy sauce. Don't skip on the veggie sautee time either, and definitely use a big pot - that cabbage is bulky before it cooks down!

Kitchen Sink Vegetable Curry (Farmer's Market #SundaySupper)

Farmer's markets and backyard gardens never cease to amaze me with their bounty. Even years when Mother Nature has been less than kind to the growing conditions (raining far too much or not at all, too hot or too cold), I can always find a bevy of delicious, local and fresh treats to bring into the kitchen with me. Granted, some of the stuff doesn't make it that far, but I always find space in the fridge for a fresh-picked pepper, plump July berries and a head or two of cauliflower or broccoli. Until my tomatoes come to fruition, the gorgeous orbs from our local farmers fit the bill nicely, as do the carrots. Garlic scapes are one thing that I snap up as soon as I find them in the markets as well, and I continue to buy handfuls of them until they're gone for the season.

It was this bounty of produce that inspired me to make today's #SundaySupper meal. The original inspiration came from the pages of The Four Season Farm Gardener's Cookbook, which featured a coconut milk based, "fall vegetable" Thai curry filled with cauliflower, onions and sweet potatoes. When Summer (and the associated good prices on fresh veggies) came, it began to evolve into a massive veggie-use up fest.

You see, as much as my mom and I adore all things not beige, our eyes at the markets are often bigger than our stomachs over the week and come grocery day we sometimes find ourselves with leftovers threatening to turn at any moment. That is especially the case when the garden starts producing, since it becomes impossible to predict what we'll need by week's end. I took stock of the fridge and pantry, grabbed a bunch of huge Vidalia onions my (ironically onion-hating) stepdad had bought at a fundraiser, traipsed out to the yard to raid my herb garden (and my Egyptian onion plant!) and got to work.

I'm not going to lie - this curry is a long process. There is a goodly amount of chopping, peeling, cubing and stirring. I had to switch pots right at the beginning because the stockpot I thought would suffice (which I usually use for soup) proved much too small for the bevy of onion, and I thought I'd have to move to my canning pot when I tried to stir in the other veggies. Then comes the cooking time - the original recipe called for just 15 minutes - and I don't know of any "cubed" sweet potato that cooks without a microwave or superhuman powers in 15 minutes, especially at a "simmer". While the first part of the curry cooked down, the rest of the veggies got prepped, tofu was cubed (I pressed it in the morning) and I put some brown Basmati and wild rice on as an accompaniment (I know it's an odd combination with Thai curry but it worked!).

Being a stew, and somewhat spicy, you'd think it would have no place on our menu with the heat the way it's been. However, Thailand (as well as other nations known for spicy food) is a rather warm place - and the spice level of the curry with the heat of the day causes you to sweat - AKA cool down. Warm food also has a satiating power to it, which coupled with all the protein, fibre and nutrients in the dish mean that you can get by on less - hello bathing suits! Besides, in this day of air conditioning, my mom's office is frigid most days... meaning that anything warm is welcome... why not something healthy?

#SundaySupper this week is all about the haul from the Farmer's Market. It's hard to top fresh and local, and our group has really hit it out of the park this week with the offerings! Hosting this week is T.R. Crumbley of No One Likes Crumbley Cookies - Thanks TR!

Appetizers & Salads

Garlic Scape Dip from The Girl In the Little Red Kitchen
Onion Bacon Jam with Bread n' Brie from Gotta Get Baked
Kale & Pepita Pesto from girlichef
Garden Quinoa Salad from The Urban Mrs
Grilled Cherry Tomato and Goat Cheese Salad from Pescetarian Journal
Watermelon-Feta Salad with Pomegranate Drizzle from The Weekend Gourmet

 
Soups & Sides

Watermelon Gazpacho from Jane's Adventures in Dinner
Classic Gazpacho from Curious Cuisiniere
Pea Soup from Small Wallet, Big Appetite
Pickled Garlic Scapes from kimchi MOM
Cheesy Zucchini Hodge Podge from Cupcakes & Kale Chips
Succotash from Magnolia Days
3 Easy Japanese Spinach Recipes from NinjaBaking.com
Michigan-Made Meal with Seasoned Potato Chips from Foxes Love Lemons

 
Entrees

Summer Veggie Pizza from Country Girl In The Village
Tomato Pie from The Hand That Rocks The Ladle
Kitchen Sink Vegetable Curry from What Smells So Good?
Margherita Pizza from Growing Up Gabel
Cheesy Zucchini Fritters from Cindy's Recipes and Writings
Three Sauces with Summer Herbs to Transform a Simple Grilled Dinner from Cook the Story
Vegetable Quesadillas from Cookin' Mimi
Mushroom Scallion Risotto from Vintage Kitchen Notes
Lemony Summer Linguine with Grilled Vegetables from Neighborfood
Pasta alla Norma Nuda from Juanita's Cocina
Arugula Pizza from Family Foodie

 
Desserts

Peach Cobbler from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
Coconut Cherry Bars from Killer Bunnies, Inc
Lightened Up Peach and Blueberry Cobbler from Peanut Butter and Peppers
Cherry Brandy Cobbler from The Wimpy Vegetarian
Peach Maple Ice Cream from Pies and Plots
Cherry Clafoutis from Food Lust People Love
Roasted Figs with Caramel, Honey Ice Cream and Aged Balsamic from Crazy Foodie Stunts
Peach Ice Cream Paletas from Basic N Delicious
Gluten Free Sour Cherry Cake from No One Likes Crumbley Cookies

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter today! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm EST. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check out our#SundaySupper Pinterest board for more fabulous recipes and food photos.

Spicy Thai Tofu Curry

Thanks to March Break, I've been able to get into the kitchen more than before - something I've truly missed! Of course, the first thing on the docket was a batch of homemade lunches for my mom, who is currently caring for my grandma, planning birthday parties, preparing to move my sister home from college and hosting a part-time boarder in the basement. With Easter (as well as the aforementioned parties) coming up, we were all in the mood for something light on the stomach and wallet that was still soul satisfying and warm. Flipping through my copy of Vegetarian Comfort Foods by Jennifer Browne , I spotted the perfect solution: a Thai-inspired tofu curry.

The recipe was relatively Spartan as written, without much in the way of Asian flavours or a vegetable medley. Those paltry issues were solved with an open-minded trip to the Asian grocery store, where I managed to pick up a wealth of cheap, high quality produce as well as the tofu, coconut products and spices I wanted. Given that curry is so versatile, you could certainly use your favourite veggies from the supermarket - I just wanted to see what I could find, not to mention save money on (our Asian grocer is reliably lower-priced for the same, if not better, quality when it comes to produce, meat and seafood).

I also had a few aces up my sleeve for enhancing the flavours in this stew - the first was a spoonful of Litehouse Freeze Dried Lemongrass - one of the three bottles of the freeze-dried herbs sent to me by the company, and definitely the most unique one of the bunch. With a fairly lengthy simmer time, the dried pieces softened and flavoured the mixture without any woodiness - something that couldn't be said for quick marinades or stir fry sauces. As an aside, the salad herbs and red onion are DELICIOUS and have no preparation needed.

My second secret to taming the relatively spicy body of the curry was to use a mixture of sweet starches in addition to the bland tofu and a ton of other veggies. On one of my regular trips to the Asian market, I picked up an Oriental yam and an Okinawan Sweet Potato, and paired them with one of the last Delicata squash I had at home. The light, slightly earthy sweetness buffered the sharp spice of the chile powder and serrano, but stayed mild enough for the brightness of the spinach, green peppers and snow peas to cut through the rich coconut cream.

L-R: Delicata squash, Oriental yam / Japanese sweet potato, Okinawan Sweet Potato

Mixing the coconut cream with coconut water and cashew milk created the perfect body for the stew as well - not too thick or thin, with the needed richness but enough fluidity that you don't feel like you just ate porridge or rice pudding for dinner. The cubes of tofu soak up the spice just enough that you get a little "pop" with each bite, and the whole thing livens up a plain bowl of rice both in flavour and nutrition! The best part for us was that it freezes fairly well too - so for families like ours, who eat at a myriad of times throughout the day, it's easy to pull out a single-serving container (and some frozen cooked rice!) and reheat it when you don't feel like cooking for one.

Chicken-Tofu Green Curry

Since I went to the trouble of making the Green Thai Curry Paste, it only made sense that I take it out for a test-drive. Luckily, we're in the midst of one of our mid-season "clear out the pantry/fridge/freezer" blitzes, constantly trying to make room for the various produce coming in from the garden and my every-other-week farmer's market visits. The last time I really dug into our deep freeze, it was to find a space for (yet another) baked good - which was delicious and will be posted soon! - and while shuffling things between shelves I came across a bag of roasted chicken and an unopened package of Thai-style frozen vegetables. A trip to the pantry revealed a can of "lite" coconut milk we bought by mistake (usually we only buy the full fat for cooking) and instantly I had the makings of a week's worth of meals for Mom.

There wasn't quite enough chicken to classify it as a "chicken curry" dish, but I knew I had a block (or ten) of tofu in the freezer too, so I pulled it out, micro-thawed it and quickly pressed it while I prepped and cooked the rest of the ingredients. After a quick simmer, a flavourful, pleasantly garlicky, just-spicy-enough dish was ready, and not only was is delicious on it's own right out of the pot in my authentic Thai rice bowl, but it was even better the next day when the sauce had slightly thickened and soaked into the rest of the ingredients. Served over black sticky rice (my current favourite), it mixed into a perfect marriage of tastes, and according to Mom it froze and reheated like a dream too.

What are some of your favourite "pantry / fridge / freezer raid" meals?

Tofu Colombo Curry

3 pounds of zucchini go into a BIG pot of this curry, along with marinated tofu, two types of potato and a Scotch Bonnet for heat. Get out the milk, this is spicy! 

Yup, it's another curry!

With the absolute glut of zucchini coming out of the garden at the moment, we've been on the search for recipes using lots of it. There are only so many times I can wheedle my way into baking treats with it - poor Mom is the only one who can eat them at home - but savoury meals my mom can eat for lunch? No problem.

With the pile of squash growing ever higher on our kitchen table, I did what any modern-age person would do - turn to Mr. Google. After sifting through lots of zoodles, fritters and desserts, as well as a fair amount of ratatouilles (which I would have made, had our eggplants and peppers been ready), I wound up in an unlikely place, looking at an unlikely recipe - a pork-based, multi-part curry with potatoes, habaneros, eggplant and - yes - zucchini.

Like I said, our eggplants and peppers aren't ready yet this year. Not only that, but my mom hasn't eaten pork in a year or so, preferring fish or vegetarian options. Chicken has largely been off the menu lately as well, after recent shopping trips found us victims of the edible, but unappetizingly spongy woody-breast chicken. Still, the other ingredients appealed to me, and what I knew my mom would enjoy as well. She agreed when I described the combination to her, and she sounded intrigued, asking if I could swap the pork for tofu, and dropping the hint that she "doesn't like habaneros".

Lucky for me, I had the slightly fruitier, yet still fiery Scotch Bonnets in the freezer instead! I nixed the eggplant in the original recipe as well, and piled in the zucchini, as well as doubling the starchy mixture of both Yukon Gold and Caribbean sweet potato - there was a goodly amount of protein and veggies going on in there, not to mention spices, so I wanted to make sure there was enough bulk to temper it all! I pulled on some of the other goodies I had in the garden for extra flavour, namely my Egyptian onion (which tastes like scallions and/or shallots depending on the part you use) which made the bulk of the marinade, the garlic and the thyme which perfumed the body of the stew. While a whole Scotch Bonnet goes into the tofu marinade, you have the option to mince a second and add it all to the pot, or simply stab one and let it slowly infuse before removing it for a more subtle heat. I opted for the latter, although there was so much stuff in the pot I could have gotten away with the second one for sure.

Note on the spice blend - you can certainly buy Poudre de Colombo, if you can find it at your grocery store or order it online, but my town is simply not blessed with stores that carry it. Thankfully, it's super simple to whip up, and the fresh-toasted flavour is simply unbeatable. If you do use storebought, make sure to toast the rice flour separately and add it to the pot at the same time.

More Spice is Rather Nice!

I almost didn't decide to post today, since I didn't actually cook anything today (other than a bowl of kasha for dinner). I spent most of my day on the road back and forth between a Nuclear Imaging scan at the Stouffville hospital (which actually took two trips - one for the prep shot and one for the actual scan) and a delicious sushi lunch with my favourite partners in crime from the Exxon team in North York. Today's group outing was extra special, since it included not only the regulars, but my mom and a special guest visitor from Budapest named Gabriella (hi Gabriella, if you ever read this!). So it was breakfast and lunch on the road, seeing as I slept in (damn those necessary evils that are sleeping pills!) and grabbed a bowl of cereal to eat in the car!

Aaanyway, I did make a rather awesome and "rapidfire" lunch yesterday when I had just a little bit more time on my hands. This definitely can be whipped up in about 15 minutes if you have pre-chopped veggies on hand, but I didn't so I took the extra time! It's definitely a spicy, but dry, curry, so either tone down the curry if you know you can't take the heat, or take a large glass of water to the table with you and get in your 8-10 glasses a day! (I opted for the latter option, since for my test prep I had to "keep drinking as much as possible", plus I just plain like spicy!) If you can't find cellophane noodles in your grocery (I found them near the gross Mr. Noodle packets), swap in pre-cooked vermicelli or spaghetti - I did that back in my collegiate days!

This simple, spicy curry is going in as my addition to Ruth's Presto Pasta Nights, which is being hosted by her wonderful self this week (for the next few hosts, check this link). Enjoy your noodle noshes, everyone!

Spicy Yellow Prawn Noodles
Serves 2
4 oz cellophane noodles
1 cup cauliflower, chopped finely
1/4 onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 tbsp ginger, grated
6 oz raw, medium shrimp - peeled and de-veined
1 1/2 cups Napa cabbage, shredded
1/2 cup bean sprouts
3 tbsp water
1/2 tbsp curry powder
pinch cinnamon
1/2 tbsp tamari

1. Soak noodles in boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat 1/4 cup of water in a deep skillet or wok.
3. Add cauliflower and cover the pan, steam 2 minutes.
4. Add onion, garlic and ginger, cook 2-3 minutes longer.
5. Stir in shrimp and cabbage. Saute until the shrimp are almost cooked through.
6. Add reserved noodles, bean sprouts, water, curry powder, cinnamon and tamari.
7. Toss well and continue cooking until shrimp are pink, and everything is coated in curry mixture.
8. Immediately remove to plates and serve.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 333.5
Total Fat: 1.9 g
Cholesterol: 129.2 mg
Sodium: 409.5 mg
Total Carbs: 58.4 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.4 g
Protein: 20.9 g

Jamaican Lamb Curry

Leftovers. Who doesn't have a love/hate relationship with them? I mean we have way more food in our house at the moment than I can ever see us eating for some reason (well, partially because I have pre-baked stuff for work in the freezer), yet neither my mom nor I (the two cooks in the house) can bear to throw anything away that is still actually edible. I never grew up wanting for any of the basics like food and shelter, and though my mom grew up in a low-middle class home she didn't go hungry either - so neither of us can explain our frugal nature (except that we have a Scottish background and she grew up in a Jewish neighbourhood - her words not mine!).

And yet, here we are for another Waste Not Want Not Wednesday (and Allergy-Free Wednesday). Granted, I planned the leftovers to make this, since it had been a while since I had made my dad anything savoury and when we were breaking down the lamb for our Easter stew my mom was leaving a lot of meat on the bone which I knew I could salvage! I stuck the pieces into a plastic bag and froze it for when I had other remnants perfect for a good, hearty dish - and when some end-of-the-line baby carrots, half a gigantic onion, a sad-looking tomato and a Thai chili from the back of our fridge (that had been there since the summer and was still good!) made themselves known I had the makings of one of his favourites - Jamaican curry stew.

Baked in a casserole for 2 hours, this melange of spicy gravy, vegetables and lamb comes out meltingly tender and rich. Being made of "bits and pieces", it also doesn't make a ton of food (even though it just gets better the next day), and the whole thing is not only gluten, nut, egg, refined sugar and dairy-free, but it is deceptively low in fat and filled with fibre!

Shared with Waste Not Want Not Wednesday #27 at Poor and Gluten Free and Allergy-Free Wednesday at The Tasty Alternative.

Thai Peanut Noodles

What better way to purge the crisper drawer than this simple, flavour packed Thai Peanut Noodle dish? Tons of veggies form the backbone of this hearty meal, accented with vegan ground meat and noodles that cook in the sauce - no extra pot needed!

Jump to Recipe 

The only downside about a looming vacation is trying to shop and cook enough so you don't starve, but not so much you have a billion things in your crisper and fridge that will go bad. Being that it's summer, the quantity of vegetables in our house is large, and with my mom away I wanted to be able to make meals for her to come back to that used up all (or at least some) of the produce, were simple, and could be frozen for even she's running around with my nephew. Luckily we also have a well stocked pantry, and I was inspired by a tub of peanut butter I picked up from Bulk Barn to make cookies and never finished. 

An hour later, I had a huge pot of a Thai-inspired vegan peanut curry, filled with tons of veggies and noodles for even more texture and nutrition. The noodles cooked in the curry sauce, which not only infused them with the spicy peanutty flavour but thickened the sauce just enough where it moved from "soup" to "sauce" consistency - perfect!

As I said, this makes a lot of curry, but it keeps well and can be frozen. If you don't have or like the vegetables I used, swap in your favourites! I basically just kept going until the pot was full. Any thin noodle will work as well, so if you only have spaghetti, or rice noodles, or bean thread noodles, throw them in! The versatility here means you never have to make it the same way twice.

Slowly Stewing: A Lesson in Patience

I don't do a lot of slow cooking in my kitchen. Frankly, that involves way too much patience and focused concentration for me - considering that even having a conversation is a matter of fairly high effort these days, the thought of continuing with a recipe that takes upwards of three hours start to finish (especially if there's a lot of "down time" involved) is a bit mind boggling to me. Don't get me wrong - I love the results of a slowly-braised, stewed or roasted preparation - it's just the whole process I can't usually fall in love with.

The benefits of cooking something... really, almost anything... with a low and slow mentality are obvious. First, the quality of flavour goes through the roof. Sharp spices and acids mellow, wines reduce and intensify, sugars caramelize, while meat and starches both exude their own richness and soak up the flavour of everything around them. Speaking of meats, you can get away with buying dirt-cheap cuts when you plan to keep them simmering for hours - no sense in buying a buttery filet mignon for the crockpot when a bunch of cubed chuck meat had twice the flavour and would end up tasting like the stew anyways. When the stove, oven or crockpot is at a low heat, and the liquid  in the covered pot stays just barely simmering for hours, the steam from the luxurious broth or sauce inside can't escape. The result?  Tender, moist and perfectly blended elements result. Just like this rich, creamy curry-stewed chicken I made for my dad.

My dad adores West Indian style cooking, especially the saucy curries that he sometimes gets at the food court near his office. When he mentioned a hankering for a "real, West Indies type of curry chicken", I couldn't resist even though it involved a long, slow stew to make. I was even lucky enough to have a couple groceries near me that actually sold the proper bird for the job: a stewing hen. Stewing hens are really tough, old birds, usually the end-of-the-run, battery farm hens that no general grocer would dare try to sell (since they're generally tiny, not beautiful to look at and don't roast well) are roughly hacked up, bones and all, heavily seasoned and thrown into a pot with anything you can imagine - veggies, beans, rice, potatoes... whatever is around! After hour upon hour of stewing, the shoe-leathery meat softens and begins to fall apart into tender ribbons of flavour, full of the moisture from the sauce, and the potatoes, beans and rice thicken the thin sauce into a rich, velvety blanket. Let me tell you - three hours notwithstanding - it is beyond worth the long wait. And the best part? It gets even better as it sits, so the next day's leftovers are above anything you could take out, and cheap too (the meat for this recipe cost me $3)!

So, are you hungry yet? Hey, if you start now (considering it's 9AM EDT), you can even have it for dinner!

West Indies Curry Chicken

Serves 6 (generously)

¼ cup curry powder

½ tbsp turmeric

1 tsp allspice

½ tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

¼ Vidalia onion, sliced thinly

3 lbs bone-in stewing hen(s), cut into small pieces

Juice of 2 limes

2 tbsp coconut (or canola) oil, divided

1 red onion, diced

1 tbsp fresh-grated ginger

1 sweet bell pepper, chopped

3 stalks celery, diced

3 medium carrots, roughly chopped

3 cups chicken stock

1 habanero pepper, pricked with a fork but left whole

1 (14-oz) can coconut milk

1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped

4 red potatoes, quartered

½ cup converted rice, uncooked

½ cup cooked soybeans, drained (about 3 oz dried, see recipe for using dried/soaked beans)

1. Combine curry powder, turmeric, allspice, cinnamon, onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, salt and pepper in a small bowl set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine Vidalia onion, chicken and spice mixture. Pour the lime juice overtop and toss well. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours, up to overnight (make ahead – place mixture into freezer bags and freeze up to 1 month, thaw before continuing).

3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
4. Add marinated chicken mixture and cook 3 minutes, stirring.
5. Add remaining oil, red onion, ginger, bell pepper, celery and carrots. Cook 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mixture is beginning to soften and chicken is browned evenly.
6. Pour in half the chicken stock, scraping the pot bottom to dislodge caramelized bits, then add the remaining stock and habanero pepper (and if using soaked soybeans, those as well).
7. Bring pot to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and add the coconut milk.
8. Partially cover and cook over medium-low for 3 hours, stirring occasionally, until mixture is partially thickened and chicken is beginning to fall apart.
9. Uncover, add sweet potato, red potatoes, rice and cooked soybeans (if not using the dried).
10. Increase heat to medium high and simmer briskly for 35 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 487.7
Total Fat: 24.9 g
Cholesterol: 70.4 mg
Sodium: 631.8 mg
Total Carbs: 38.1 g
Dietary Fiber: 5.7 g
Protein: 31.6 g

Agent Orange

Ready for your daily beta-carotene dose from me as I plow through the 11 lbs of carrots? Let's begin!

I specifically separated my carrots for this recipe... I have nothing against my Purple Haze beauties, really - they're deliciously sweet and crunchy, and I haven't come across a bitter one in either year's harvest yet! The only problem with them is that, when cooked, they leach their colour like beets do. And I don't mean that they would make a white Vichyssoise a pretty lavender. The effect they have upon being cooked is more of a, well... disturbing prison grey tinge. Not something to make you say "mmm, lunch!". So I only chose my all-orange guys for this.

And what is "this", you ask? Well, the other day when I was whining about the excess carrotage, my Grandma mentioned she would gladly take homemade carrot soup if I needed a quick use-up. Interesting... I had never made a carrot soup before, and the only kinds I knew were thich purees that had either curry or gratuitous amounts of heavy cream in them. Hmm... light curry flavours are good things in this household, heavy cream, not so much so. A scout through one of my mom's old cookbooks - Soups and Starters - gave me my jumping-off point with a basic recipe and I was on my way. I did add a touch of curry, cinnamon and some fresh ginger instead of the rosemary in the book, simply because it was what I was after in the dish. Luckily the book reminded me of the thickening properties in starchy baking potatoes, and since I already had my food processor out and shredding carrots, I tossed in a leftover raw potato from our bin and added it to the mixture. Instead of cream, a mix of skim milk powder and vegetable broth did the job, allowing the soup to become creamy (in conjunction with the potato) without adding an overly heavy texture or flavour.

My benchmark taste tester - my mom (who is coincidentally celebrating her first wedding anniversarry today!) - give this two thumbs up, and stole accepted half the batch to take for lunch this week to work. She likes the subtle curry flavour that accents the sweet, fresh carrots, not to mention the fact that its a hearty meal with few calories and very little fat that can keep her warm in the overly air conditioned office!

This bright orange soup is delicious, for sure, and it also is very heart healthy, low in fat and cholesterol - not to mention 410% of the RDA for beta carotene in a bowl... so Im sending this to the Heart of the Matter event this go-around. Enjoy the first day of Fall with some home-cooked comfort!

Curried Carrot - Ginger Soup
Serves 4
5 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup skim milk powder
650 g carrots, grated
1 baking potato, grated
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

1. Combine broth and milk powder in a stockpot, whisking smooth.
2. Add carrots, potato and spices, bring soup to a boil.
3. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, 60 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Serve immediately or cool and freeze.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 184.3
Total Fat: 0.5 g
Cholesterol: 1.4 mg
Sodium: 1,562.5 mg
Total Carbs: 39.6 g
Dietary Fiber: 6.2 g
Protein: 6.0 g

Sweet Potato Peanut Curry with Red Lentils

This Sweet Potato Peanut Curry with Red Lentils is packed with vegan nutrition - vitamin A, protein, fibre and healthy fats to name a few!

With the cooler weather rearing it's (quite ugly and damp) head, it's time to start thinking about stick-to-your-ribs comfort food. Around here, that means breaking out the big Dutch oven and making a big pot of flavourful stew. Of course, with my mom around, curry is almost a no-brainer when it comes to the type of stew! This pot was inspired from a dish I saw on TV (can't remember the show, sorry!) using sweet potatoes and tomato juice with regular lentils. However, my mom likes peanut butter with anything spicy, so I added a dose to the pot and used fresh tomatoes, celery and home-grown Egyptian onion to bulk it up some more. The resulting mixture is spicy, but not hot, with a light earthy sweetness from the sweet potatoes and a natural creaminess from the red lentils. A squeeze of lime at the very end livens up all the flavours and makes it a perfect meal to warm you up when it's anything but outside.

Green Thai Curry Paste

There's no secret that we are a family of heat (and especially curry) lovers. I've always been addicted to spice, and at any given time can be counted on to have no fewer than 3 types of hot sauce in my pantry (I think my current count stands at 6). My leanings tend to go towards southwestern, Mexican or Indian-style chile heat, but my mom has been a bona fide Thai curry fan ever since she visited the country on business.

Obviously, we make our share of Thai-style curried soups and stews around here, and we usually turn to our tried-and-true brand of jarred paste for that key hit of flavour. We probably would be using it still, had the aforementioned vermin in my garden left my chillies alone - but after one too many trips out back to salvage the peppers strewn over the soil (they don't eat them but they love tearing down the stalks!) I knew I had to start doing something with all the peppers in varying stages of ripeness.

Luckily, I also grow a mess of herbs in the garden, which the voles have not touched (fingers crossed!). This year's batch is decidedly "interesting" according to my mom and stepdad, encompassing two types of dill (for pickles, obviously!), catnip, two types of basil (including a to-die-for variety called Emerald Wine), lemon balm and - one of my secret surprises this year, a variety of mint called Chameleon Fish Mint. True to it's name, it does taste somewhat fishy - I liken it to salmon really - and not only does it jazz up tuna salad (or plain old marinara sauce!) but I decided to use it instead of fish sauce to bring the signature hint of flavour that's present in so many Thai recipes. The rest of the mix featured lemon balm to enhance the dried lemongrass I used, and minced Egyptian onion instead of scallions, shallots or plain onions since they really taste like a mix of all of them.

Now, I'm not kidding when I say that this paste is spicy. There's no oil in it, so when you use it you can "bloom" it however you wish (coconut oil or coconut milk are the two we tend to use), but I would not recommend a spoonful as a taste test! In fact, we added a touch to ground chicken and made a "taster meatball" to test the flavour - those might become a new "thing" here!

Shared with Gluten Free Fridays

A Crazy Christmas: Recap

Well, I hope everyone out there who was observing Christmas had a wonderful holiday with their loved ones! My sister and my celebrations actually lasted three days instead of the usual one, but that's what happens with our blended (and international) families!

Things got started on Christmas Eve when all 20 or so members of the Italian side of the family arrived for the "Feast of the Seven Fishes". Boy, do they know how to party... and keep partying! They were carrying on long after I went to bed that night (so I could get up early the next morning!) and we're still dealing with the leftover goodies from dinner. I didn't get any pictures, since everything flew off the buffet table at the speed of light, but I do have the recipes that I helped my mom write for the evening! The first actual recipe we used was from the March page of the new year's Milk calendar, for Fettuccine with Tuna and Tomatoes. The only change we made was to use a mix of whole-wheat rotini and penne for the fettuccine noodles, and personally I thought it was a better fit for the chunky sauce. It wasn't the favourite dish of the night, though... we were catering to little(ish) kids in the group so I can't say I'm surprised, but I wish we hadn't doubled the amount!

The main star of the evening's offerings was a creamy mango, scallop and pasta curry. The idea for our concoction came from another calendar, this time from the M&M Meat Shops edition! By the time I had gotten through my tweaks of the original recipe though (and sorry, it isn't available online for your comparison!) it didn't look a thing like it's former self. Mom and I found organic bucatini (like hollow spaghetti) and whole-wheat linguine on sale at the grocery the weekend before the party, and it seemed a shame not to use them with the recipe even though it called for angel hair pasta. In making this recipe the day of the party we discovered that the liquid amounts in the original recipe were off slightly too, making for a runny sauce base. I edited my copy to reflect our corrections and I think it turned out very well - I'm guessing our guests would agree (even the kids) since there was only a teeny bowl left for Andrew to take home at the end of the party!

Sweet Seafood - Noodle Curry
Serves 4 as a main
3/4 cup fat free, low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup evaporated skim milk
1/4 cup fresh or frozen (thawed and drained) mango chunks
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1/4 cup water
1 small white onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 plum tomato, diced
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1/4 cup white wine
2 tsp olive oil
1 lb sea scallops
1/2 lb angel hair pasta, cooked and drained

1. In a blender or food processor, puree chicken broth, evaporated milk, mango and jalapeno pepper until smooth. Set aside.
2. Heat water in a large, deep saucepan.
3. Add onion, cooking until translucent.
4. Add garlic and tomato and cook 2-3 minutes further.
5. Stir in tomato paste, basil, thyme, mustard powder, and curry powder. Cook 1 minute, until fragrant.
6. Add pureed milk / broth / mango mixture and bring to a simmer. DO NOT LET BOIL!
7. Cook, uncovered, on LOW for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
8. In a separate frypan over high heat, heat olive oil.
9. Sear scallops, without stirring, 1 minute on each side.
10. Add scallops to simmering curry sauce, followed by the cooked pasta. Simmer 1 minute, stirring, then serve.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 434.8
Total Fat: 5.4 g
Cholesterol: 40.9 mg
Sodium: 913.1 mg
Total Carbs: 58.9 g
Dietary Fiber: 3.1 g
Protein: 35.9 g

After the Christmas Eve party excitement, it seemed like we hardly got a chance to sleep a wink before Santa came and went! I had to be up bright and early (even before my mom, and she's an earlybird!) to go to Andrew's for our annual gift exchange with his family - something I always look forward to since I don't spend a whole lot of time there. Like every year (and even not on Christmas) I was spoiled absolutely rotten by Andrew and his parents... I feel guilty for being given so much! I also got to watch the Walt Disney World Christmas Parade on CBC that morning, where I caught one of my schoolfriends on TV! He works at the Canadian EPCOT pavillion and gave me the heads up that he's be on TV, so I had to watch for him!

We headed back for a late brunch at my place, which included (for them) our yearly Brioche scroll, plain Challah and (the new) Apple-Vanilla Honey Challah braid as well as scrambled eggs, peameal back bacon, sausage, and a huge fruit platter! My sister, who doesn't eat any of that stuff (picky, picky...) opted for a huge plate of pancakes with chocolate chips, margarine and syrup for her Christmas fuel. Me? Well, not feeling so hot that Christmas AM, I oped for simplicity - a big bowl of puffed Kamut grains and a mug of green tea, followed by a few pieces of melon from the platter, a clementine orange, and eventually a couple pieces of 70% Lindt chocolate from a bar that was in my stocking! Between my sister and I we built a mountain of wrapping paper, tissue and ribbons that morning too, which quite entertained our cats and dog!

Dinner that night was at yet another house - my paternal grandmother's - where turkey, rolls, veggies and my grandma's famous mashed potatoes were on the table. Sheer jealousy that I couldn't partake... but no matter! Teriyaki rice, Napa cabbage and tuna made for a satisfying holiday meal on my end. Dinner was capped off with an offering of my green tomato mincemeat pie as well as a Devil's Food cake for my sister. The cake, sadly, was nothing more than a box mix (that's all she likes) that I doctored up with whole milk instead of water and frosted with (sigh) canned icing and tubed decorating frosting. It did, in it's defense, hold up very well and looked gorgeous at any rate!

What I was looking forward to this holiday was not gifts or Christmas feasts though - it was the most ultimate expression of Christmas emotion and joy that I know of. It comes in the form of a yearly concert by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, who never cease to blow me away with their rocked-out renditions of songs like Pachebel's Canon in D, the Carol of the Bells, and even classical Beethoven. I cry every concert from the emotional power of the storytelling (bridged between narration and music), gape in awe at the insane use of lasers, strobe lights and pyrotechnics and always come away feeling like there is some Christmas cheer and hope left in the world. It's a tradition we've had as a family for the past 4 years and with any luck we'll keep it going for as long as they tour!

This year's holiday was a definite upswing from last year, even with the inevitable glitches that happen with every group event. Family and friends will always provide the true spirit of the day regardless of the outside world's opinions and actions, and I'm truly grateful for those I have with me in my life. Have a very happy holiday, everyone - may peace and goodwill be with you and joy be in your heart for the year to come!