Butter Chicken And Shrimp

Mmm. Every once in a while, I get an idea in my head and just run with that.

This past Sunday, while I was at work, my eldest daughter decided that she was going to make dinner. That was fine by me. Everyone agreed that chicken would be best. I mentioned shrimp and that was fine too.

As the afternoon passed, I mentally prepared my shopping list. I decided that perhaps the usual chicken or shrimp stir fry might be getting a little old. I wanted something spicier. And the I had it.

Butter Chicken.

We hadn't had it in forever. And suddenly I wanted it. I finished work, I shopped and then headed home.

Everyone was wiped out by their day, swimming, lunch and play. So while the family rested and vegged out, I got busy. And even though D1 was going to cook, I had fun preparing food for everyone. And the results were delish!

Butter chicken and shrimp, with Naan bread, mint yogurt and baked rice.

So one of the things that the kids like to do at their Nana's house is bake. A lot. Of course it all ends up back at my house. I managed to get sneaky about it once. Instead of letting all that baking go to my hips, I suggested they bake up a storm when band practice was going on. Naturally, we decorated it, and as the band members came up for air, we offered the sweet treats. Knowing that the girls made it, they couldn't refuse. The favourite was the caramel chocolate drizzle cake on the lower left. That one disappeared first. So best of both worlds for me. We had fun decorating and the calories stayed away!

Dipping Bowl

Well, I must say, I am not happy with the pictures that I took last week. As I was getting ready with the food that I had promised to bring for my friend's Candle-lite party that she was throwing, I figured I had enough time to go through the motions and record a pictorial about how I was going about it. The process went fine. The orange counters in my kitchen however, did not like to co-operate. Looked like I was in a giant pumpkin. The orange grocery bag that I used to catch crumbs didn't help either. Not did being left handed, trying to take pictures with my right hand, while the overhead light was on the wrong side. Lol.

Aside from that, everyone absolutely loved the dip. As they did the Cheddar Bacon Ranch pull apart bread that I made. I had to make a few tweaks on the Fox Valley Slush, as I didn't have any pink lemonade to add. But the apple strawberry orange juice that I substituted gave a very nice flavor that people enjoyed, even without the lemon lime soda. So here are the pictures I managed to salvage.

The homemade paprika onion bread bowl after it was hollowed out. I use a serrated bread knife to cut around the rim, leaving a little less than an inch width so that the walls are nice and sturdy. For this I cut straight down and then used the fork to pull the bread up and out. It left a few pieces on the bottom, which were easy to tear out.

Just to keep it simple, I matched the bread bowl with French Onion dip, again made at home. I made it the day before to allow the flavors to blend well.

There was a nice level so that the top still fit properly. As for all the bread I pulled out, I sliced it into bite sized pieces to serve with the dip and vegetables.

And there's my French Onion Paprika Dipping bowl!

Pics of Soup Bowl

So as promised, I took pictures of my clam chowder in bread bowls, that we had for dinner last night. It was incredibly easy to make, since the longest part of preparation was peeling and slicing the potatoes. I had so many cut that I had to make two batches of stew. The first was the clam chowder, the second a regular beef stew. Either work well for bread bowls because you thicken them over what a simple soup would be.

The bread bowls were even less work, since I routinely use the dough button on my bread machine. It's a simple matter of putting together the bread recipe you like, letting the machine do all the work and then prepping the shape of the bread you want. Using a recipe that calls for 5-6 cups of flour, nets me about 4-6 decent sized bread bowls. I cut that down last night, making 8, since two were for the little girls who most likely weren't going to eat clam chowder. The bread bowls take about 25-30 minutes of baking in a 350 degree oven.

I'm going to be making these again really soon, since I promised a friend that I would prepare bread bowls for dip for her candle party. They will be smaller, but the process remains the same. So perhaps I'll do a step by step tutorial just for the fun of it.

The recipe was a plain white bread. I've used paprika onion bread for dips and it would make a nice accompaniment to a French Onion soup. I'm also planning on working on a garlic based bread, or Italian flavored.

I know not everyone enjoys it, but my family loves a good sprinkling of shredded cheddar cheese melted on their clam chowder. Since the bowls had just come out of the oven and were still nice and warm when I started prepping them for serving, I added a sprinkling of shredded cheese in the base before I ladled the soup in. And then another sprinkle on top.

Don't worry if the chowder runs over, it's all part of the fun of eating it. If you find that the bread bowls aren't large enough for a serving for an adult, they can always ladle in more when they've eaten the first portion. The top can be dipped in the soup, or as my husband preferred, buttered and eaten alongside. And the kids just loved being able to tear their bowls apart to eat, having soaked up the flavor and thick broth of the soup.In fact, one of my little ones was snatching up the bread as soon as I pulled it from the inside of the bowl to munch on. She even tried to feed it to the cat. He was more interested in the clams, but he made a valiant effort of ignoring her in his special way, even as he begged at my feet under the table.

Clam Chowder Bread Bowls

So excited. I made a lovely huge batch of clam chowder this evening. Nice and thick, smells delicious. We're just waiting on the bread dough to finish rising. And then I will divide the batch into 8 pieces and bake some bread bowls. I promised that I would send some over to my neighbor. But I promised myself that I would take pictures of the final result. So it won't be too much longer now!

Of course, I could always do that with the beef stew as well. I had so many potatoes in the batch, that I couldn't fit them all in the stew pot. So in a little bit, I'll thaw out some stew meat and whip up some of hubby's favorite beef stew. The starter mix is the same, spices and protein different. But it will all taste good in the end. I bet that he would love to have that for his lunch. Pour the stew into the bread bowl, cover, wrap and he's got a nice hearty meal for his lunch at work.

Champagne Jell-o Shots

Saw a picture for a recipe today. It was Champagne jell-o shots covered very prettily in pop rocks. I was thinking, that this would be a good recipe to try over the holidays. Mixing jell-o and alcohol is not difficult. Another site that I was reading made mention of the fact that since champagne has a lower alcohol content, you should use more of it. But for the purpose of the recipe, the way it looks, since the site it was taken from didn't sync up, they were more like jell-o jigglers, in which you use less liquid to get the more solid jell-o state. So I think some trial and error there might go on. Mix it with orange jell-o for a mimosa type jiggler/ shooter.

But what about the kids? I know some parents, like my own, are not adverse to letting their children have a sip during the holidays, or for special occasions. For myself, I won't tolerate it. My children can drink when they are a legal age in their designated country to do so. Meaning, if they go to Canada when they are 18, then okay. As long as they behave responsibly with the freedom they are granted, I have no problems. One of the ways, I figure, to set an example about responsibility is by being that way myself.

Anyhow, back to the kids mix. My mother showed us a great recipe many years ago that made jell-o with lemon lime soda. It was actually soda water that the recipe called for, but she found it too flat. So she experimented and came up with the Blue Sprites, as my kids called them. So many flavors can be mixed with the different flavors of clear sodas out there. I know some of my kids would love Sierra Mists new cranberry blend. It's a very pretty color too. Mix that with some plain gelatin with a little flavor boost and really, the sky is the limit. And dipping the jigglers in pop rocks will pretty them up, just as much for adults as the kids.

So I am going to get some supplies this weekend and get busy. That, plus planning out our Sunday night movie menu will keep me busy! Picture WILL follow.

Quick Dinners

You know, it's occurred to me for the gazillionth time that I need to start taking pictures of the things I make, bake or create, especially when it's not a birthday cake. After all, people like to see what they're are getting themselves into. We had a quick meal tonight. Just cheesy beef & chips. But it's a family favorite and so simple that I'd love to share it. So one of these days, I will start remembering this. I swear!