What I chose

[vaneramos]

dakoopst wanted to know which of my list of fifty activities I love I chose to do today.

Some of my favourite things just happen, like seeing sunshine through my bedroom curtains this morning.

Others might be part of my routine. I didn't make jam or chutney today, but this morning I put a special treat in the slow cooker, chicken curry (using a homemade spice blend I mixed, roasted and ground last night). Then, in order to do some nagging paperwork, I cleared off my lovely oak desk for the first time since before Christmas. It wasn't as big a problem as the kitchen table, but from the writer's perspective it's an even nicer work space.

Of course the whole purpose of this exercise was to inspire yourself to do something today you would not normally do. So as a reward after that annoying paper work, I sleuthed online to find seeds of Kotlas tomatoes, a delicious Russian heirloom variety I grew in 1995 and have not seen since. I couldn't find any, but several sources said Sprint is the same thing. It's available from Upper Canada Seeds, so I ordered a packet along with another old favourite, Red Brandywine, and my new experiment in a yellow cherry, Burpees Jubilee (the little yellow pears I tried last summer tasted like wax). So that was my fun for today. I don't mind buying other vegetable seeds from Stokes or a hardware store, but am very, very picky about tomatoes.

26. Order seeds in the winter.

I'm covering somebody else's shift at OOTS tonight, so it's time to scoop a serving of curry to take along. It smells so good! There's another favourite thing I forgot to add: throwing a lot of yummy stuff in the crock pot and seeing what comes out.

I will also take my knitting along to the library, then I have a planning meeting with my writing partner. Maybe I will look forward to a glass of wine when I get home from the pool later, so there's another few things from the list. Altogether it adds up to an excellent day.

Comments

[bixie.livejournal.com]

sounds great all around!

would you be willing to share your chicken curry recipe? dana's been nagging me to use the slow cooker, and for some reason I have a barrier. a delicious recipe, that a person I know has actually made, might help. :>

Chicken curry slow cooker recipe

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

I did not use a recipe at all, but here's what I put in, to the best of my memory:

1/2 cup whole quinoa grains (I wanted to use lentils, but didn't have any)
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch squares
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
1/2 sweet potato peeled and cubed
1 medium potato peeled and cubed
1/2 large onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup baby carrots
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 clove garlic minced
1 can coconut milk (alternately you could use grated dried coconut and add more water or broth)
1 can water
2 teaspoons tapioca grains (because I'm gluten-intolerant, use flour if you prefer)

I like my carrots and potatoes a little crisp. If you do too, be sure to allow enough time to cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. The high setting produces mushy vegetables.

It turned out yummy. More spiciness would be okay. I think my spice mix is too mild, so next time I'll add black pepper or cayenne. Some fresh grated ginger would have been nice, but I didn't have any. It was still delicious, my first slow cooker chicken curry, much less trouble than doing it on the stove.

This would make a fine vegetarian curry with more of the same vegetables and no chicken.

My curry powder was a variation on the recipe posted here:

http://vaneramos.livejournal.com/86024.html

However it is plenty spicy, a little too much for my taste. The reason this batch was too mild: I cut way back on the black pepper. Next time I'll try about 3 T. I also cut back on the turmeric, which was fine, and added a little fennel seed and nutmeg.

[rsc.livejournal.com]

my new experiment in a yellow cherry, Burpees Jubilee (the little yellow pears I tried last summer tasted like wax).

I've been planting Sungolds (or, as some of the catalogues now seem to call them, Sun Golds) for a number of years, and I've been pretty happy with them.

(I ordered this year's seeds about a week ago. Some of them have arrived, some haven't.)

Re: Chicken curry slow cooker recipe

[bixie.livejournal.com]

sounds great! and, I have almost all those ingredients. :>

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

I grew Sungolds once and they were excellent. The heirloom tomato outfit I ordered from didn't have them, but maybe I'll remember and order them from Stokes next year.