2010 Christmas Cards

Very plain, but still happy with the result. Hoping to keep on making Christmas cards every year!

Thai Peanut Chicken

Officially my 25th recipe!! Another goal off the list, but I will continue posting new and yummy recipes!

Ingredients
1 13.5- or 14-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons red curry paste
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 chicken legs (thigh-drumstick piece) or two 1- to 1-1/2-pound Cornish game hens, halved
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro
2 cups hot cooked rice

Directions
1. In a medium saucepan, whisk together coconut milk and peanut butter until nearly smooth. Whisk in broth, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil, curry paste, ginger, garlic, and cayenne pepper. Bring just to boiling over medium-high heat; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. In a plastic bag, combine flour, salt, and black pepper. If desired, remove skin from chicken. Add chicken pieces, one at a time, to flour mixture, shaking to coat.
3. In a large skillet, cook chicken, half at a time, in hot oil until brown, turning occasionally. Transfer chicken to an ungreased 3-quart rectangular baking dish. Pour peanut butter mixture over chicken. Cover loosely with foil. Bake for 1 hour for chicken (1-1/2 hours for Cornish hens), occasionally spooning sauce over chicken. Bake, uncovered, for 20 to 30 minutes more or until chicken is very tender.
4. Transfer chicken to a serving platter. Skim fat from sauce in dish. Spoon some of the sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with cilantro. Serve with the remaining sauce and hot cooked rice. Makes 4 servings.

** I decided to use cooked and diced boneless skinless chicken breasts instead, and it turned out yummy, I also used crunchy peanut butter which was a nice extra. Really enjoyed this recipe!

Book # 30 - Little Bee

"We don't want to tell you what happens in this book. It is a truly special story and we don't want to spoil it. Nevertheless, you need to know enough to buy it , so we will just say this: This is the story of two women. Their lives collide one fateful day, and one of them has to make a terrible choice, the kind of choice we hope you never have to face. Two years later, they meet again. The story starts here..."

24.....Recipes!

I am at 24 recipes!! I only need one more new recipe and I will be scratching this goal off my list, help me go out with a bang and send me some really good recipes so I can make the last one memorable.

Sweet Potato & Cumin Soup

Ingredients
100mL (10desertspoons) vegetable oil
2 small onion or 2 leeks
2 heads fennel
10 mL toasted cumin seeds
3 tsp K0sher salt
4.5 lbs. sweet potato
5-6 large carrots
1000mL Vegetable or chicken broth
1 can (400mL) cocunut milk (really makes this soup special)
pepper, pepper, pepper

Directions
1.) Peel, dice, and chop all vegetables. In large pot, heat oil and add leek, fennel, cumin, salt and pepper. Cook until softened. Then add potato, carrot, and broth. Bring to boil and let simmer until vegetables are soft.
2.) Puree and add pepper :)
3.) Let cool and serve.