Tandoori Chicken Recipe

For those of you wondering how i'm making the Tandoori Chicken this is the recipe i'm going to use. It's closest to a recipe a friend was telling me he uses and his Tandoori chicken is divine!

http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/indian-food/fbi08.asp

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE MARINADE:

2-inch piece ginger, peeled

4 large cloves garlic

1/4 tsp. turmeric

1 tsp. chili powder

1-1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cumin seeds, ground

3/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt

1 Tbs. fresh lime juice

A few drops red food coloring or tandoori coloring (optional)

FOR THE CHICKEN:

2 to 3 lb. boneless, chicken thighs and breasts

1/4 cup melted butter or olive oil

FOR THE GARNISH:

1/2 mild onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves

1 or 2 fresh green chiles, thinly sliced

1 lime, cut in wedges

PREPARATION:

To make the marinade-In a blender or food processor, blend the ginger and garlic to a fine paste (you may need to add a little water to make a paste). Add the turmeric, chili powder, salt, cumin, yogurt, lime juice, and food coloring; process until combined.

To prepare the chicken-Remove the skin from the chicken, leaving some fat. Make a few slits in each piece and transfer to a nonreactive dish large enough for the pieces to lie flat.

Pour the marinade over the chicken and stir to coat the chicken thoroughly. Seal with plastic, refrigerate, and marinate for at least 4 to no more than 12 hours, turning the chicken once.

To grill the chicken-Ready a charcoal grill with an even layer of coals. While the grill is heating up, take the chicken out of the refrigerator. When the charcoal is red-hot, lay the chicken pieces on the grill about 2 inches apart. Baste with any remaining marinade. Cover the grill, leaving the vents half-open.

Great book for those of us with PCO

From what I've read so far in this book it's got lots of great stuff for those of us suffering PCO(S). I myself have full blown PCOS with the infertility and the weight gain. From reading this book it seems as though my case was exacerbated by being on the birth control pill. For those of you who knew me back when I was usually around 145 lbs. I went on the pill and noticed some changes but put it up to being on the pill and being at my desk a bit more at work.

The year I turned 25 there was a major shift in weight and other symptoms. Upon reading a section in this book it describes almost exact what had happened.

Tomorrow is the first day I start following the PCO(S) eating. I know for Hal and I that children are no longer part of the equation because of our age but the health benefits alone with eating for PCO will be worth it. The traditional eating plan does not always work for us and with reading this book I also see there are a lot of nutrients lacking even though our eating is relatively healthy.

Looking forward to the changes emotionally and physically.
Pen

Bubbles, bubbles and more damned bubbles!

okay so the reno in the bathroom is going okay...it did seem really good until about 20 minutes ago. The Debbie Travis paint we have is BUBBLY!!!! You have to roll and roll and roll it out. If not then it looks like a billion tiny bubbles have popped. It did this with the primer and they told us it could be a cheap brush so today I bought another brush for us to try. Lo and behold the paint is also bubbly. When I called Canadian Tire they said there's a possibility it could be paint that had been previously frozen! This brings to mind Jenny talking about the problem matching the paint colour and them telling her the same thing.

I think Canadian Tire should let all their customers know ahead of time there is a possibility the paint could have froze! Needless to say Canadian Tire will be getting a phone call from me tomorrow and next time i'll go back to the tried and true Benjamin Moore.

Enough of a bitch session about paint....off to blow more bubbles!
Pen

Meal Plan Monday

This weeks meals will include:

BBQ back ribs, mashed potatoes and beans

Roast beef, mashed potatoes and steamed carrots

Beef Dip (leftover roast beef), fries and salad

Tandoori chicken, rice and grilled veggies

Hamburgers and ceasar salad

BBQ pork sticks, mashed potatoes and steamed veggies

Steak, twice baked potatoes and garden salad

A mixed set of meals but variety is good! I'm going to have to surf the cookbooks for more interesting meals though. Something new and fun!!

Have a wonderful week all,

Pen

Pens Pizza Parlour

I love my sailor man!! He gave me the biggest boost tonight, lol. I made us homemade pepperoni pizza tonight with some extra fixins on it. He was taking the garbage out and as he's coming back up the stairs to the kitchen he says "OMG HUN, it smells like Pizza Hut in here....hold on....it smells WAY BETTER THEN PIZZA HUT IN HERE!!"

Needless to say that tonight is the first time in a long time i've made homemade pizza but also the first time I've used my Pampered Chef stone and what a huge difference it made in the flavour.

Tonights pizza:

Seasoned crust (homemade)
hot and spicy sauce
Pizza herbs
pepperoni
green pepper
onion
feta cheese
monteray jack
cheddar
parmesan
mozza

with Ceasar salad

Bon Apetit,
Pen

Pizza Crust recipe:

1 c. warm water

1 pkg. yeast

1/2 tsp. sugar

3 c. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

your choice of garlic, basil, oregano, crushed red peppers, pepper or a pizza seasoning mix

Combine warm water, yeast and sugar. Let stand 10 minutes. Add salt and approximately 3 cups flour. Mix and knead together. Grease bowl and let dough rise for 30 minutes. Depending on how big your pizza pan it you may need to divide your pizza crust. Lightly flour your hands before spreading the dough out on your pizza pan to prevent sticking.

Remember to prick the pizza crust to allow it to cook more evenly or for a more evenly baked crust partially bake your crust before adding the toppings, this will prevent uncooked pizza crust in the middle. Bake your pizza crust for about 7 - 10 minutes remove from oven and add toppings. Place back in oven until cooked to your preference.

Bathroom Stage 2

All i've got to say is ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwww PRIMER IS UGLY!!

Here's what my honey got done today while I was at work (i'm hoping he taped it really well cuz this colour is going to look crappy on the ceiling!!) I can't wait to get the paint on now and get rid of the hideous pink primer. It certainly makes the room seem a bit smaller so hopefully it doesn't feel too small once the dark paint is on.

Yesterday:

Today:

Bathroom update

We bought our taps, towel and toilet paper holders and lights yesterday for the bathroom. Although I didn't get the matching towel and toilet paper holders the ones we bought are close enough. We still have a hand towel holder to arrive yet. Hal didn't want to wait the month to month and a half it might take for them to come in. He wants the bathroom finished last week!!

Anyways here are the new accessories:

Meal Plan Monday

Hi all, back from Vancouver and feeling exhausted now, lol. Here in no particular order is our meal plan for this week.

Ginger Sesame Chicken with Oriental Chicken Salad

Beef Stew with crescent rolls

Grilled pork with veggie shiskabobs and new potatoes

Ceasar salad, homemade pepperoni and feta pizza

Garlicky ribs, sticky rice, steamed peas and carrots (Had this tonight and it was yummy, my hunny makes the best garlicky, sticky ribs!)

Dinner in/from Terrace (Tomorrow night as we're going shopping in Terrace for bathroom fixtures)

Warm spinach salad, grilled chicken and garlic toast

GONE TO VANCOUVER!!

Hi all,

I'm gone to Vancouver with a dear friend Laura for a week. Hal's feeling a little left out and I feel kind of bad, lol. Still haven't heard from Rhonda yet tonight to see if she's still meeting us but really hope she is.

Have a wonderful week, keep smilin' and talk to you next week.
Hugs and love to all,
Pen

I'm going private for now

Hi all,

I've decided to go private for awhile for a number of reasons. If you'd like to read my blog send an email to blueyessmilin@hotmail.com and i'll add you to the list if you haven't been added already. If you've been missed it's purely by accident or I didn't have an email address for you to send a request to.

Take care,
Penny

Accountability

My new motto is: Today is your tomorrow!!
I've realized just how much time I waste here on the internet and i'm truly an addict!! It's really hard to write that but it's the truth and what's suffering is my health. These past three days i've really focused on not being online so much and to get more active.

Today I came home from work and instead of plunking down to read emails, surf favourite sites and just get lost I cleaned some of the kitchen cupboard doors, got stuff ready for dinner, took Cleo for a half hour walk and put laundry away.

From here on in i'm going to use the net as a sort of reward system. So much activity will allow so much time online. The goal (as pathetic as it sounds) is to get away from the internet and back to LIVING LIFE to make TODAY MY TOMORROW!

For me it was a comfort, companion and a place I could get lost when Dad was dying. I would escape to the library and get play backgammon with a dear friend in Australia or connect up with my sister. It was an out from reality and although life is at a different place now and so much better it's still a comfort zone for me and it's really not healthy for my body as I need to move, MOVE, M O V E!!

Take care all,
Pen

Okay, so last week I found it really difficult to have the meals on the days I had selected so this week i'm just posting what the meals will be. There were a couple meals we didn't even get to try so this week we'll give it a second go around.

Ground beef Stroganoff, mashed potatoes and corn

Ginger Sesame Chicken with baby sage potatoes and asparagus

Sweet and Sour pork, chow mein and stir fry veggies and or oriental salad

Swedish meatballs, mashed potatoes and carrots and garden salad

Poached salmon, steamed rice and broccoli

Homemade pizza and ceasar salad

Jenny, this is the one i'm going to try (cutting it in half for Hal and I):

CHICKEN CHOW MEIN

1/4 c. vegetable oil

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 c. sliced Chinese cabbage

3 c. thinly sliced celery

1 (1 lb.) can bean sprouts, drained

1 (4 oz.) can water chestnuts, sliced

2 tsp. sugar

2 c. chicken broth or water

2 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch

1/4 c. cold water

1/4 c. soy sauce

2 c. sliced cooked chicken, cut in slivers

Chow mein noodles

Heat oil, salt and pepper in deep skillet. Add cabbage, celery, bean sprouts, water chestnuts, and sugar.

Stir in chicken broth; cook about 10 minutes.

Blend cornstarch, water and soy sauce. Add to vegetable mixture and stir until mixture thickens.

Add chicken. Heat through. Serve over hot chow mein noodles.

Yield: 4-6 servings.

Inspired!

As you know Hal and I are preparing to paint our main bathroom and finish it up. Now he would not be happy with me if he knew that I really wanted to get rid of the counter and kitchen sink as well and re-do a fair bit of it but for now it's paint. When do put in the new tub then that will be the time i'll drop it on him about how I really want it, lol. But for now i'm really inspired to finish it and when talking to Shari today i've started looking at stained glass patterns. She's so creative and her's turned out beautifully. Check here: http://sharijoy.blogspot.com/2007/02/just-thought.html


I've been leaning towards an Asian colour scheme for the bathroom and one of the pictures we picked out has poppies on it. Therefore, I looked at poppy patterns for the windows.

Here's the favourite:



Others that I liked too:

Tree of Life - I want to use it somewhere, it's beautiful

Today

Feeling a bit better now and just waiting for the back pain to go away. The good thing is it's not as intense and i'm finally able to walk around a bit more without feeling like it's going to shatter. Peeing constantly howevever is a real piss off! Man it feels like i've taken up residence in the bathroom but i've noticed lots of little things during my stay there. For instance, there are 16 holes that will need filled and sanded before we paint, the baseboards need cleaned, there is not one but two cobwebs on the back wall, the base of the cabinet has some marks and needs some paint touch up and I really, really do not like the towel holders or the flipping toilet paper holder in there.

Not sure if it's the inspiration of Shari and Jenny doing so much with their homes but the last two weeks i've been thinking a lot of the little jobs that I want to get done around the house. I love having a pantry but it's not completely functional and I don't like that you see things. I love the wire shelves as long as things stay stacked neatly but my honey is not really patient enough to take the time to put things back where I had them so it's turned into a real mess again.

I'd like to have baskets to put my potatoes and onions in, a cupboard or some hidey place for the cookbooks and the shelves under the counter in there are a fright!!

The big project is the entryway but that will depend on what happens in our community with the district and our big employer.

I love our house and really want to focus on making it a homey home. A place where people can walk in and feel at ease.