Chicken Curry or Whatever?!

I love going to eat Indian food, and I have tried 3 times unsuccessfully to make my own Chicken Curry.  Finally, I experienced success!  I love simple...and this is how I suggest making it if you're all about simple too.
Prepare your chicken (one whole or 4 breasts) in the oven or crock pot.  Piece into chunks.
Pour your 13.5 ounce cans of coconut milk in a skillet.
Add 1/2 of a jar of Thai curry paste, 1 T. Sun-dried tomato pesto, 1 t. coriander, 1 t. turmeric, 1 t. Spanish paprika, 1/2 t. marjoram.  Add chicken and simmer for 15 minutes or until nicely coated.  I served mine with rice-crumbed fried eggplant.

Cinnamon Shepherd's Pie

"Cinnamon Shepherd's Pie" was inspired by a magazine recipe I'd read.

Ingredients for meat prep:
1 1/2 pounds stew meat

rice flour/garlic/cinnamon/ground cloves
1 T. garlic
1/2 onion
1/4 c. dates

Sprinkle salt and pepper over the stew meat and then coat with rice flour.  Melt butter in a skillet and brown meat with 1 T. garlic and onion if desired.  Add in 1/4 c. dates, a light sprinkling of cinnamon and cloves and also add in 1 1/2 c. of water.  Simmer for another 2-3 minutes.  Transfer into the oven and bake at 300 degrees for 20-30 minutes.  Then when cooled, in a food processor place the chunks of meat with the "s" blade.  Break the meat down until bite sized.  Remove.  Next, add in the "gravy" along with 1/4 c. milk to smooth consistency.

Use a handheld mixer to beat potatoes and add milk when mostly mashed.

Cooked rutabaga or parsnips taste a lot like potatoes.  I can not distinguish their flavor.

6 red potatoes
1/4 c. chopped carrots
1/4 c. chopped rutabaga (or parsnips)
1/4 c. milk

Boil and blend potatoes with milk first, and boil carrots and rutabaga together until tender.  Add the blended carrots and rutabaga to the potatoes last. It will be moderately lumpy.

Layer the meat and gravy on the bottom of the pan, next the potato mixture.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  Add cheddar cheese for 5-10 additional minutes, until cheese is melted.  Enjoy!

Sioux Falls Painting Class for kids

This group of painters are a part of Let's Paint Run-A-Ways, Inc. led by Connie Buskohl-Barney.  She holds classes in Sioux Falls for 4-6 year olds and then 7 on up.  Right now there were two lined up in November and December.  I'm thinking if the kids are painting, parents could be working on Christmas organizing!  All supplies are provided and paintings are completed in one class session, without the frame the cost was $23.00 as of 10/2012.  See the website www.letspaintrunaways.com for more details.

The Center Scrubbies

When you head into "The Center," it's about twenty-five steps to their "Crafts and More" store.  I love the old-fashioned cash register and handiwork inside.  My favorite though are the crocheted scrubbies to work the grime off your dishes.  Maybe you're in the boat of washing them right away and you don't need something as abrasive as I do, but if you're with me - I am sending off an orange or red one to a reader this week.

Stop by the Center and shop and see for yourself.  I'm considering buying some tickets for their December charter bus that will tour Sioux Falls to look at Christmas lights.  I figure that way everyone can watch instead of one of the guys being our driver.  The Center (formerly called for Active Generations), is behind the Western Mall in Sioux Falls.  You can jaunt across the fence or find 46th Street - whatever is easier for you!

2300 W 46th St, Sioux Falls, SD

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Crafting Ahead

Last year at this time I was trying to figure out a craft for my daughter's birthday party.  A friend recommended I use the sweatshirts we had to make "freezer paper" designs.  You can cut the freezer paper in any shape you like (we did snowflakes), and then you iron it (gloss side down) to the cloth you plan to embellish.

We used white glittery paint to make our snowflakes.  After it dried, just pealed off the freezer paper to discover the new and improved look!

It was great fun for the girls.  Stenciled letters, traced patterns - there's a lot of room for exploration with this.

Tiger Claws

My fun Friday polish was not inspired by an actual tiger but the colors of nail polish I wanted to use.

I remembered having my second grade teacher give me Hot Tamales when I cut my fingernails, so now I'm thinking I need to find Mrs. Will and see if she's a fan of the "new french manicure!"

To do this, I used gold for the base, brown on top, a black fingernail paint pen and topped with a clear top coat.


I did the gold base over the brown before making the tiger stripes.  It takes awhile, but if you're just hanging out - why not?!?

And here's what have in common, or do not have in common, with a tiger:

Tigers range in size from the diminutive Sumatrans—females weigh between 165 and 242 pounds, and males weigh between 220 and 310 pounds—to the largest mainland tigers, such as Indians—females weigh between 220 and 352 pounds, and males weigh between 396 and 570 pounds. 

A hungry tiger can eat as much as 60 pounds (27 kilograms) in one night, though they usually eat less.

A tiger's roar can be heard as far as 2 mi (3 km) away.