BUTTER CHICKEN

Shari and I were talking about Butter Chicken recipes after the Tandoori turned out so well. The only thing was there was no sauce to sop up with the Naan or chicken or if you wanted to put some on your rice. Well I had tried making butter chicken before but by using a pre-made sauce..you just added tomatoes. IT WAS DISGUSTING!!! However, I came across this recipe and will be adding it to next weeks menu.

Butter Chicken Recipe

2 to 3 tablespoons of butter
1 onion
¼ teaspoon of cinnamon
2 teaspoons of crushed garlic
2 teaspoons of crushed ginger
½ teaspoon of ground turmeric
1 to 2 teaspoons of chili powder
1 tablespoon of coriander
400 grams / 14 oz of skinless, boneless chicken thighs or breasts
¼ to ½ cup ground almonds
225 gram / 8 oz can of whole peeled tomatoes with juice
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
½ cup of unsweetened yogurt

With chicken there is always a risk of food poisoning, so it is important to clean your hands, board and knives before and after working with the raw meat. Trim and cut the chicken into small cubes, cover and put aside.

With a clean knife and board slice the onions into thin wedges (lyonnaise).
Heat a large saucepan or frying pan and melt 2 to 3 tablespoons of butter until it is frothy. Add the onions and the cinnamon to the pan and fry lightly.

When the onions are soft stir in the crushed garlic and ginger. Then add the turmeric, chili and coriander. Sauté over a medium heat. The spices are fried first to release their maximum flavour and this really enhances the dish.

Add the cubed chicken and sauté stirring constantly until the chicken has turned white.

Pour in the ground almonds, tomatoes and tomato paste. Mix thoroughly. Cover and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.

Add the yogurt and heat through. Serve on rice with a salad and Indian bread if desired.

(Serves 4 to 6)

SMITHERS MADE THE TOP 5

Please go to this link:

http://smithersishockeyville.blogspot.com/

Well, we've done it!!

We finally purchased our drift boat!! OMG Hal's so excited and nervous but we know that this is something we'll get a lot of enjoyment out of. A friend would lend us his last summer but it's just not the same as having our own. Hal's also looking forward to getting out with friends as well for that guy time.

Hal and Doug started looking last summer for one but they were few and far between and some in questionable condition. This one is a beaut!! The fellow who sold it to us had sent us pics of another one but this morning he called and said he had one that was 4 years newer, twice the boat and only $900.00 more so that's the one we bought.

Here's a pic of one that is either very close to or identical to the one:

BBQ Pork recipe

Ingredients :
750 g. of pork rump or butt
15 bamboo skewers

For the marinade :
1/3 c. lemon juice
1/2 c. of dark soy sauce
2 tbsp. of finely minced garlic
1 onion, finely chopped
1/4 c. of catsup (banana catsup, preferably)
1 tsp. of ground black pepper
2 tbsp. of sugar
1/2 c. of 7Up

Cooking procedure :
Rub two bamboo skewers together to smoothen them. Repeat for the rest. Wash them under the tap then soak in water for at least 30 minutes prior to use to avoid burning in the grill.

Slice the pork meat into 1/4 inch thick slices. Cut the slices into 2 x 3 pieces. Place in a glass bowl.

Mix together all the ingredients for the marinade and pour over the pork meat. Mix in the marinade well with the meat using your hands. Cover and let stand in the refrigerator for at least an hour, mixing the meat every fifteen minutes or so to let the pork pieces marinate evenly.

Drain the bamboo skewers and wipe with a clean kitchen towel. Thread the pork pieces, about 5 pieces per bamboo skewer. Reserve the remaining marinade for basting.

Grill about 6 inches from live coals/BBQ.
Using a kitchen brush, baste with the marinade every few minutes on both sides.
To test for doneness, slice a piece of pork at the middle of the skewer. If the juices run clear, the meat is done.

Meal Plan Monday

Seeing's how last week we didn't have a single one of these meals but they're all good we are going to try again this week. Looking forward to seeing other menu plans too!

BBQ back ribs, rice pilaf 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, chow mein and steamed veggies

Steak, twice baked potatoes and garden salad

SMITHERS IS HOCKEYVILLE

Hello all,

A huge favour to ask of each of you. Go to www.cbc.ca/hockeyville

and vote, vote, VOTE for Smithers to become HOCKEYVILLE!

If Smithers wins then our little community of Kitimat will host the NHL game!! This is such a wonderful opportunity for the kids and adults of Northern BC to see an NHL game!

Go and vote online, home phone and I do believe your cell phone. You get 5 votes for each one. I just voted online and at first I thought there was an error but the screen will refresh 5 times for each email address you use. After the 5th entry a screen pops up for you to add your friends or families email addresses. Now this is optional for those of you who don't want to add other email addresses.

Another idea is to email all of your families and friends from all over. This vote is open to anyone in Canada!

Lets do our part and get HOCKEYVILLE to Smithers and an NHL game to Kitimat.

Is this too Green?

I've been messing around with my blog now for 3 or 4 days and finally settled on this. Loved the dew on the grass and just wanted something with a Spring feeling to it. I'm so done with winter and am looking forward to getting my gardens growing this year and clearing the mess of bushes on the Green belt side of our home.

Off to watch Survivor!!

Edited to add: Been back and changed the grass for flowers as I thought it would break up the green a bit.

Thanks for the compliments here and via emails!