A Rare Kitchen Success

Although I'm not adept in the kitchen, I'm generally not afraid to attempt recipes. The combination of fearlessness and lack of basic culinary skills sometimes gets me into trouble, but occasionally I produce something of merit. Last week, I made a batch of fudge that really should have been called SLUDGE. Just a couple of days later, however, I found success with my first attempt at Indian cooking.

Had I studied up a little more, I would have learned that Indian cooking has a reputation for being time-consuming and somewhat complicated. I had a vague recollection of hearing that on The Food Network, but it did not stop me from attempting Chicken Biryani, a dish I recently enjoyed at an Indian restaurant in Bloomington, Indiana.

Aside from taking a couple of hours and using nearly every pan in the kitchen, this recipe was relatively easy to follow. And it turned out so well that it was worth every bit of the time spent!

I'll admit that it would have been even easier if I owned a larger skillet with a lid. (I would suggest thinking through your pots and pans before diving in to make this recipe!) On the plus side, Indian food is highly aromatic and I have to say that the scent coming from the kitchen was fabulous. (Believe me, that doesn't happen around here very often!) The downside was that I had enough Chicken Biryani to feed a small army. Next time, I'll cut the recipe in half.

I found the recipe here on AllRecipes.com. I followed it as written with a couple of exceptions: I did not buy the saffron. I knew it was an expensive ingredient and couldn't justify spending $17 for a small jar. I'm sure it would have made the completed dish even better. I also substituted ground cardamon for the pod version.

Chicken Biryani
Ingredients for main dish:

• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 small potatoes, peeled and halved
• 2 large onions, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 (2 inch) piece cinnamon stick
• 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken pieces cut into chunks

Ingredients for rice:

• 2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 pinch powdered saffron
• 5 pods cardamom
• 3 whole cloves
• 1 (1 inch) piece cinnamon stick
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 pound basmati rice
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Directions

1. In a large skillet, in 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or ghee) fry potatoes until brown, drain and reserve the potatoes. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the skillet and fry onion, garlic and ginger until onion is soft and golden. Add chili, pepper, turmeric, cumin, salt and the tomatoes. Fry, stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Add yogurt, mint, cardamom and cinnamon stick. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until the tomatoes are cooked to a pulp. It may be necessary to add a little hot water if the mixture becomes too dry and starts to stick to the pan.
2. When the mixture is thick and smooth, add the chicken pieces and stir well to coat them with the spice mixture. Cover and cook over very low heat until the chicken is tender, approximately 35 to 45 minutes. There should only be a little very thick gravy left when chicken is finished cooking. If necessary cook uncovered for a few minutes to reduce the gravy.
3. Wash rice well and drain in colander for at least 30 minutes.
4. In a large skillet, heat vegetable oil (or ghee) and fry the onions until they are golden. Add saffron, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick, ginger and rice. Stir continuously until the rice is coated with the spices.
5. In a medium-size pot, heat the chicken stock and salt. When the mixture is hot pour it over the rice and stir well. Add the chicken mixture and the potatoes; gently mix them into the rice. Bring to boil. Cover the saucepan tightly, turn heat to very low and steam for 20 minutes. Do not lift lid or stir while cooking. Spoon biryani onto a warm serving dish.
   

Feline Friday: I can haz cake?

Itz somebuddie's birfday. I wunder why nobuddy gived mee cake!

No problum. I can surv miself!

* Note: Click on the photo above to see Lily attempting to bite through the plastic. Immediately after I discovered her trying to break into the cake, I stashed it in the microwave for safe-keeping!

The Stalker

Ohai, Tinsel! Um, did u evr notiss dat dis chare is quite comfurtable?

Tinsel the Brave

I don't know what has gotten into Tinsel lately. She's chowing down her food, constantly asking for treats, and doing very naughty things in the middle of the night to wake me up.

Who does this sound like? You guessed it -- Lily! I think that Lily is starting to influence Tinsel's behavior.

Yesterday I caught Tinsel walking the railing around our stairs. Lily does this rather frequently, (see photos here) but she has claws to grip (not that I want her gripping the rail with her claws...). Tinsel, on the other hand (paw), has no front claws. Watching her maneuver around on the railing made me go weak in the knees.

First she went one way....

Then she turned around (very carefully) and went the other direction, all the way along the railing. She even paused for photo documentation.

It's a long way down! In fact, many years ago Tinsel fell from the railing to the stairs. Apparently she has forgotten that little incident.

I'm not sure how I feel about Lily teaching Tinsel some of her tricks! This could get interesting.

My Favorite Christmas Cookies

I like cookies of many kinds. But I don't make cookies very often. First of all, I'm not much of a baker. Second, I try not to have treats in the house because I CANNOT STAY OUT OF THEM! Daughter complains that we never have dessert and sadly -- it's true! 

 

But I make an exception at Christmas. I always make gingerbread cookies. I found the recipe years ago in one of my old Martha Stewart cookbooks. In fact, it's the only gingerbread recipe I've ever made, and it's foolproof. SERIOUSLY. The recipe says that it's a "sturdy" dough, easy for children to handle. Well, it's easy for ME to handle, too. And it lends itself to cutting in all sorts of festive shapes!

I posted the recipe a couple of years ago, but the cookies are so good and easy to make that it's worth mentioning again. (Click here for the post.) The cookies keep for a long time (if you can resist them!), freeze well, and are the perfect accompaniment to a cup of coffee or hot chocolate.

And nothing smells better than gingerbread cookies in the oven. Bake them before having friends over and your house will smell like Christmas when everyone arrives!

Feline Friday: What We're All Thinking

Tabby Thursday

Make that DOUBLE TABBY Thursday.

This is a rare sight: Lily and Tinsel napping together and ALMOST touching! Notice the look on Tinsel's face. She's none too pleased. :)

It's beginning to look a BIT like Christmas

I've been working on setting up my five Christmas trees. This is no small task! When I first decided I wanted to have multiple Christmas trees in our house, my initial plan was to have a themed tree in every room. I'd still like to do that, but for the past few years I've been stuck at five trees. When I think about the amount of time it takes to set them up and take them down, plus the amount of space it takes to store them, I generally come to my senses! Of course, I'd much rather have real trees but I have my doubts that that will ever happen.

Although they're a lot of work, I enjoy how the trees look when they're all festively decorated and lit. I especially like to see the sparkly lights of multiple trees through the windows of the house. Even Scrooge would say that they're cozy and welcoming!

We purchased the large tree with money we received for our wedding, so you know we've had it for awhile! In fact, we may replace it one of these days. For the past few years, I've been setting it up in our entryway. There is plenty of room for it and the lights can be seen from the street. The big tree has a variety of ornaments, many of which are handmade. This year, I set up four ceramic village houses under the tree. (So far, Lily has stayed away. We'll see how that goes!)

I also have two "fat" 5-foot trees and in recent years, I've been putting one in the dining room and one in the kitchen. When my grandma passed away a few years ago, I received all of her Shiny Brite ornaments. I dearly love them and have been displaying them on the dining room tree. This year, the kitchen tree has more of a folk art theme, with a set of Cosmo Cricket ornaments, red apples, and tiny red hearts. I sometimes tie metal cookie cutters to this tree, too.

I have two 5-foot skinny trees which have moved around a lot through the years. When Daughter was young, one was in her room and featured a variety of colorful ornaments. Some were from my old college tree, and many were handmade or given to her as a young girl. This year, I put a pencil tree on the landing and decorated it with a variety of gold ornaments. It fills the space and provides a little bit of sparkle as you look up the staircase. The other pencil tree is in the living room this year. A set of old world Santa figurines hangs on this tree, along with a few Shiny Brite ornaments.

Over the years, I have collected a LOT of Christmas ornaments, although I've bought very few myself. Many have been given to me as gifts or passed on to me from someone special. I have easily enough ornaments to decorate three to five more small trees. I enjoy mixing and matching the ornaments to create different themes.

This year, I came upon a large glass jar in our basement which had belonged to my grandma. I filled it with a few blue ornaments. Some are from the set of blue Christmas ornaments we bought when we were married and a few are Shiny Brite. It's a great way to display a few more ornaments and add a bit of color!

Many of the ornaments I've collected have a special history associated with them. One of my goals is to write all of those stories.

But not just yet. I still have a Dickens Village to set up! :)

On this chilly Monday...

Lily is dreaming of a white Christmas!

Feline Friday: Excuse mee, but...

I haz ben overtakn by a nap.

From This to That

We've been busy planning classes for the next few months at Memory Bound. As part of that process, one of my favorite activities is looking around the store for inspiration. There are so many wonderful products available that it's easy to ignite that creative spirit. I especially like to look for materials that I can use differently than intended.

I was on the lookout for product for a card class when I spotted this sheet of double-sided journaling cards intended for birthday-themed pages. I was drawn by the color and design of the cards. Who says they have to be used for journaling? Or only for birthdays, for that matter?

I decided to use them as the foundation for my class. I cut them apart, flipped them over, and sliced them up to make 12 all-occasion cards for my "Year of Cards" class which will be offered in January. Fun and easy!

A Sure Sign of Winter

You know it's getting cold outside when Tinsel starts burrowing in blankets for warmth.

When were gone for a couple of days this past weekend, Spouse turned down the heat. Tinsel must have been freezing! She did something she's never done before: She made a towel tunnel in Daughter's bathroom, one of the warmer rooms in the house.

Although I laughed when I found her cozy hideaway, I felt sorry for her! (And it made me wonder: Just how low did he set that thermostat, anyway?)

Poor Tinsel! Good thing I'm home now and the thermostat is back up to 72 degrees.