Garlic Chilli Chicken

Tonight I thought would relieve Courtney of housewife duties and make dinner.  My go to meal is Garlic Chilli Chicken, which I have been making for quite some time now, I have not made it in ages though.  It is a good dish, it sounds spicy but my two year old, Cece will eat it!  If it was just for me and Courtney, I would probably add a little more chilli spice. But, it is still good tamed down a a little and the flavours really come through all together.

• Ingredients

• o 1 onion, peeled and very finely chopped
• o 4 green chili peppers, finely chopped
• o 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• o 1 in piece ginger, finely grated
• o sunflower oil or peanut oil
• o 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• o 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• o 1/2 teaspoon chili powder ( more if you want more heat)
• o 4 skinless chicken thighs, cut into chunks
• o 1 chicken stock cube
• o 4 Tomatoes, cut into chunks
• o 3 ounces spinach, roughly chopped
• o butter or oil
• o 4 cardamom pods, squashed
• o 1 cup basmati rice

Method

1. 1. Cook the onion, chili peppers, garlic and ginger for 5 minutes in 2 tbsp oil. Add the spices and cook for 2 minutes. Add the chicken pieces, season and cook for 5-7 minutes until they start to colour a little. Add the tomatoes, chicken stock cube and a splash of water. Bring to a simmer, then cover for 20 minutes. Add the spinach and cook for another 10 minutes.
2. 2. Meanwhile, heat a large knob of butter or 1 tbsp oil in a pan with a lid. Add the cardamom pods and cook for 2 minutes, tip in the rice, add a large pinch of salt and cook for another minute. Add 2 cups of water using the same cup to measure. Bring to the boil, turn down to a gentle simmer and put on the lid. Cook for 15 minutes until all the water is absorbed. Fluff up the rice and serve with the curry.

We added some broccoli as it is cece's favourite vegetable at the moment, and it would  please her.

I like to pair dinners with a good cider, tonight I chose the brand Kopparberg, Elderflower and Lime, the flavours went together fantastically.

At the moment, we do bath time for the kids together, Cole isn't quite able to support himself at the moment, so we put his tub in the regular tub and fill it up.  Cece is thrilled he is in the bath with her.  She pours water on him and he will giggle.  

Cece loves to dress herself and make herself look cute at the moment, I cannot imagine what her teenage years will be like!

Today is St. George's Day in England. When we were at the town centre, getting a few bits for our upcoming holiday, a Clydesdale, knight and musical processional came marching through the town.  Cece loved it! It was totally unexpected, the rest of the day, when we would leave a shop, Cece kept looking for the "big horse".

I hope you have the chance to make this dish, it is easy and full of flavour! I hope it becomes one of your go to meals!

Happy St. George's Day!
Craig 


http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/user/395446/recipe/garlic-chilli-chicken-cardamom-rice

British Pubs

In England, they do not have bars, they have pubs. And, I love them, especially in the Summer!

Pubs have a very cozy atmosphere. Each pub is decorated differently, with mix and match sofas/arm chairs, decor and tables. It is not all the same matchy matchy tables/chairs. Most pubs have a yard outside with picnic tables and a yard for kids to play in. Once the weather is nice, people will spend all day socializing in the "Beer Garden". They will bring their family, the kids can play in the yard. Most pubs have a playground set, a bunny in a cage or a dog and kids will amuse themselves for hours just playing. While adults can sit and soak up the sun and enjoy a beverage.

Cece, ready to go to the Beer Garden!

There are some pub chains, where the menu is set for all of that chain, but a lot of them are family owned and have quite interesting menus. They are based on what is in season, which is fabulous!

This past weekend we went to a family owned pub to celebrate a good friend's birthday. Their menu was a piece of paper (nicely decorated, they just print their menus every week as it is always changing).

I am not a picky eater, but in the case of some of the above listings.. I am! Pig cheeks... Chicken Liver Pate... I just can't bring myself to eat that! But, I thought I would be a little adventurous and try the Pigeon breast. It tasted very gamey (if that is a way to describe food?), it was good, but not something I would crave or have to eat again. Craig went simple and got the cheese and onion tart.. and it was so good. I have had their Crab on a different visit, and that is also very good.

For Craig's Main Meal he had the Chicken Pie, it was really good! I had a burger, and that was good.

The main beverage at pubs are beers, ciders and wines. They have spirits, where you can get a gin and tonic or a vodka and coke, but they do not overly specialize in mixed cocktails. If you are a fan of wine, they always have a house red and a house white, which is less expensive, but they are always good. 

 At this pub they had a cider that was called the Blind Pig, there were two different flavors, whiskey apple and honey and the other bourbon and poached pear. Craig tried both of them. My favorite was the apple, and I am not a fan of whiskey, but the flavors were so good!And I LOVED the packaging! After asking the owner of the pub where she got them from, she had no clue as she did not even remember ordering them, but they are an American company. If you come across these, try them. They are so good!

When we move back to the States, I will really miss Pubs! They are a very laid back relaxed atmosphere. It is so nice that they are family owned and you get to know the owners, local people relaxing and a place to just enjoy yourself.

I hope you have had a fabulous weekend, and spent it lapping up the sunshine in your local Beer Garden!

Cheerio!

Courtney

Getting Swim Suit Ready!

How do you like that title? But seriously... I have been looking  for "healthy" recipes. The cause might not just be to look and feel good in my swim suit... rather to look and feel good on inside as well as the outside. You know the kind of recipe... high in fiber, low in calories, and protein rich without the animal fat... but packed with a lot of flavor! I stumbled upon an article on the website PopSugar, 45 Healthy Dinners, All Under 500 Calories. So far I have tried 3 of the recipes and to my surprise they met each of my requirement. I will definitely be making them again. The one I would like to share with you is Chickpea and Kale Stew, don't let the name scare you. It was simple to make and it was one of those dishes that got better as the ingredients were together.

Chickpea and Kale Stew

From One-Dish Vegan by Robin Roberston

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large yellow onion

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2- inch dice

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano or marjoram

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 cups vegetable broth, plus more if needed

6 cups chopped steamed kale

(I used a 16 ounce bag of chopped frozen kale)

1 red or green pepper, chopped

1 (14.5 ounce) can of diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (15 .5 ounce) can of chickpeas, drained

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. 

2. Add the garlic, potatoes, coriander, cumin, oregano, cayenne, and tomato paste and cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds. 

3. Add the broth and kale and cook, stirring occasionally, to wilt the kale. (or thaw)

4. Stir in the bell pepper, tomatoes with their juices, chick peas, and salt, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes, adding a little more broth if desired. 

5. Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed. Serve hot.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 2.5 Cups

Calories 502

Total Fat 9.4 g 

     Saturated Fat 1.3g

     Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol Omg

Sodium 757 mg

Potassium 2160 mg

Total Carbohydrates 85.3g

     Dietary Fiber 20.4g

     Sugars 16.2g

Protein 23.9g

http://www.popsugar.com/fitness/Healthy-Recipes-Under-500-Calories-30403413#photo-30403413

If you decide to make it, I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Stay Sweet...

Kelly

Worms

The beautiful weather is here in England, Cece is loving it! Last week Craig and I got the outside area ready for summer, while that was happening, Cece discovered worms, or as she calls them "wormys". She loves them and is obsessed with them at the moment. That afternoon,  I wasn't really paying attention.. She put them in a bucket and picked flowers for them, the next day they were dead. Who would have guessed worms can't survive in a sand bucket filled with freshly picked flowers?

After nap time that afternoon, Cece and I got out our shovels, dug more worms up and made them a home in a jar, so we currently have a worm farm.. and Cece loves it! We filled the jar half way up with dirt, then we put the worms in, she could see them crawl into the dirt and she thought it was amazing! We then filled the jar with more dirt, a layer of picked grass, coffee grounds and some apple peels, from Cece's afternoon snack. She thought it was so cool, and she thought she could just see the"wormys" eating her apple peels.

What is that red thing in the bottom of the jar you ask? It is Cece's tomato that she wanted to share with the worms!

Cece has gone out digging every day to find more worms, so I have done some research to make sure we are doing the right thing to keep the worms alive... Which we are, but I read how some people put layers of sand between the dirt so you can see where the worms have crawled. Also, in larger jars people have put a bottle in the centre to keep the worms towards the outside of the jar, so the kids could see them. Great ideas, I am sure we will be updating our worm farm soon!

We have been doing a lot of walking lately, at the moment there are a lot of dandelions along the sidewalks, Cece picks bouquets of them, she is absolutely loving spring!

Cole is growing like a little weed, he is getting so big. He loves carrots and yoghurt at the moment. The only person that can make him giggle is Cece. He grunts and groans at everyone else. 

When we are walking, Cece runs in front of the stroller with her hand out yelling Stop at me. I stop, she runs over to Cole to give him a kiss, then lets me know we can start walking again! They are such good babies for me. With the weather being so nice, I needed a pedicure. Craig has been working like crazy, so I thought that I would just get one done while I had the kids with me. They were so good! Some days I feel like a chicken with my head cut off, but they are the best little kids ever!

We have had so many birthday celebrations in the past few weeks. I have been adding something in everyone's gift, depending on what dessert they like! I just made the vanilla cupcakes I blogged about previously, they really are a great cupcake, and giving something home-made with your gift just makes it a little more personal!

I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend and gets out in their yard digging- to make their own worm farm! 

Cheerio,

Courtney

Pink Pillow

This drink is yummy and an awesome shade of pink. I love easy and delicious cocktails and this is both. Hope you enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 Ingredients

3 oz Vodka
1 dash Grenadine
5 oz sweet and sour
5 oz gingerale

Directions

1. Combine first three ingredients in shaker with ice. Strain into glass
2. Add gingerale and enjoy!

 

 

xoxo
Chelsea

Gnomes Sweet Gnomes

It's time to get the gnomes ready for spring or so I thought. I was out working in the yard on Sunday it was such a nice sunny day I was cleaning up leaves and sticks from the trees and just some general clean up. The area in my yard where I put my gnomes always looks so empty in the fall when I put the gnomes away for the winter. So I look forward to getting them out and putting them around in the spring. As I said Sunday was a nice sunny day... It's time to get the gnomes out! I got them are out cleaned them up and yesterday... We got snow! When I get them out and all set up I will put post pictures. 

This is one of my gnomes a gift from Cecelia. I keep him out year round, I covered him with polyurethane for protection.

Last spring we had a craft day and decorated some gnome homes. We used glass beads, moss, dried beans, and various items. A word of caution when using dried beans cover them with polyurethane or they will sprout! We had a Jack and the Bean Stalk home.

A few homes that need to be decorated.

Two I bought already decorated.

A few items for the gnomes. Not sure what I am going to do with the glass bottles but I thought they were so cute.

Three new items a tetter totter, swing, and campfire.

Stay Sweet, 

Kelly