Our Chicken Curry

A few months ago, I bought some curry seasoning with a thought of making chicken curry for dinner. However, I did not have any handy recipe to make it happen. Some time passed and I forgot about it all. Getting things out of a kitchen cupboard, I sometimes looked at the curry seasoning. Finally, I decided it was high time to make some use of it before it expires.

Here is an easy way to prepare a simple and light but tasty dish.

Ingredients (for two):

• 1 chicken breast cut into smaller pieces,
• some onion - diced,
• 2 garlic cloves - minced or chopped,
• 1 chicken bouillon cube,
• frozen peas and carrots, 
• some frozen corn,
• a cup of water,
• some oil to fry the chicken,
• a bit of salt.

How to make it:

1. Coat the chicken pieces with curry seasoning. 
2. Cover the coated pieces with a plate and store it in the fridge for about 10 minutes (I sometimes skip this step, though).
3. Heat some oil in the pan, fry the chopped onion and garlic for a few (3) minutes
4. Add the chicken pieces, fry them till they are cooked/ golden brown.
5. Pour water in the pan, add the bouillon cube, corn, peas and carrots, cover the pan. Cook it all at 4/ low heat till there is little water in the pan.
6. Season with some salt - as you like.
7. Serve with cooked rice.

I also serve the chicken curry with Chinese egg rolls.

It is our favorite home made chicken curry dinner.

Bon apetit!

Soups on Our Menu: Chicken Noodle Soup

Since we like having chicken noodle soup at weekends, I am sharing my way of making the soup.

What you need:

(yield: for two persons)

• 1 chicken breast cut into small pieces,
• 1 bay leaf + dash cracked black pepper,
• some onion - diced,
• a bit of oil to fry the onion,
• a few baby carrots cut into pieces,
• 1 can cream of chicken,
• 1 chicken bouillon cube,
• salt and pepper,
• some pasta,
• some dried parsley.

How to make the soup:

1.  Put the chicken breast pieces into a pot (not a very big one), cover with cold water, add the cracked black pepper and bay leaf. Cook the meat at 4 till it is done (usually it takes about 20 minutes or so).
2. Fry the diced onion for a few minutes (4-5), until it is soft.
3. Add the onion and the carrots to the pot with the cooked chicken pieces.
4. Cook it all till the carrots are soft.
5. Add the cream of chicken to the soup, stir it well and keep on cooking (at 4).
6. Add the bouillon cube, boil the soup. Season with salt and black pepper as you like.
7. Cook the pasta in a separate pot, according to the instructions given on the pasta package.
8. Drain the pasta. Put it into soup bowls, pour the chicken soup over the pasta.
9. Add/pour some dried parsley to each bowl/serving.
10. Serve and enjoy. 😊

12 Cakes 12 Months: #4 Carrot Cake / Ciasto Marchewkowe

Last month I decided to make a classic carrot cake by Aldi. It was not the first carrot cake I made but I had never used a cake mix before. Encouraged by the info on the box: 'Real Carrots and Raisins', I decided to give Baker's Corner a try (and make my life easier using the cake mix). There was no problem with making and baking the carrot cake. Following the the manufacturers instructions, I just added some oil, water and eggs. Then baked it using a springform cake pan.
I decorated it with cream cheese frosting (the recipe by the Southern Lady found here).
The results were great! The cake tasted as if it all (not only the frosting) had been made from a scratch. Fluffy and very tasty!

Read more about my New Year's Project: 12 Cakes, 12 Months / Projekt 12 Ciast, 12 Miesięcy,

W kwietniu postanowilam ułatwić sobie życie robiąc ciasto 'z pudełka'. Wczesniej robiłam już ciasto marchewkowe (jest to jedno z ulubionych ciast mojego męża), ale nigdy dotąd nie wykorzystałam do pieczenia ciasta w proszku. Do zakupu tego produktu (w sklepie Aldi) zachęciła mnie informacja na opakowaniu 'prawdziwe marchewki i rodzynki'. Pomyslałam: 'może warto wypróbować'.

Zarówno z przygotowaniem ciasta, jak i pieczeniem nie było problemu. Stosując się do instrukcji producenta, dodałam do proszku trochę oleju, wody i jajka. Wymieszałam wszystko łyżką i przelałam do dużej tortownicy. Potem tortownica do nagrzanego piekarnika i już! No, prawie już - czas pieczenia wyniósł około 50 minut.
Krem do ciasta marchewkowego (widocznego na zdjęciu) zrobiłam sama, według tradycyjnego przepisu Southern Lady.

Wszystkie składniki należy wymieszać mikserem do uzyskania jednolitej masy.

Kiedy ciasto ostygło, przekroiłam je na dwie częsci (dwa krążki) i posmarowalam przygotowanym kremem.
Efekt był rewelacyjny. Nikt by nie powiedział, że to ciasto 'z pudełka'. Puszyste i bardzo smaczne!
Kiedy ów carrot cake Mix znów pojawi sie na półkach sklepu Aldi, nie omieszkam kupić ze dwa opakowania. naprawdę warto.

Dla osób zainteresowanych zrobieniem ciasta marchwkowego, polecam przepis, który wypróbowałam kilkakrotnie. Na dużą tortownicę trzeba podwoić ilosć składników podanych tutaj.

Inną opcją do wypróbowania jest przepis na tradycyjne ciasto marchewkowe podanego przez Southern Lady.

Udanego pieczenia!

Soups on Our Menu: Chicken & Dumplings

Although soups are a nice option to a meat only dinner, I do not cook them often. First of all, a soup does not last long: having had a soup, you rather quickly get hungry again. On the other hand, when we eat a bowl of soup, we are not able to eat any second course then.

There are only a few kinds of soup which we both like (3 or 4?) and which I cook every now and then. I thought I could try to expand our soup menu and look for some new (and maybe worth trying recipes). Every month I am going to make some new stuff and share my soup attempts with you. Since we fancy cuisine of various countries, I wish I could possibly find a variety of good recipes, so that we would have soups more often.

Here is our soup number 1: chicken and dumplings. I am happy to say, I finally managed to find my own way of making it. The soup which I cooked last time was my best ever. Mainly because I discovered the advantages of canned cream soup. Previously I made chicken and dumplings from  scratch - without adding cream chicken soup and, despite my tries and efforts, the results where not equally tasty then.

Chicken and dumplings recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 single chicken breast;
• 1 chicken bouillon cube ;
• 1 can cream chicken soup;
• 1 celery stalk - cut into small pieces;
• 1/2 small onion - chopped;
• 3-4 baby carrots chopped;
• about 1 TBS oil
• salt;
• pepper;
• 1 bay leaf and 3 grains black pepper (to cook the chicken breast);
• water;
• 1/2 - 1 TBS dried parsley;
• 2 flour tortillas cut into square stripes (yes, they make good dumplings!).

What to do with it all:

1. Place chicken breast in a pan (add black pepper grains and a bay leaf), cover the breast with cold water and cook slowly (at 4). Cooking does not last long - the breast is ready when it is no longer pink (inside and outside).
2. Take the chicken breast out of the pot, shred it with a fork, leave it aside on a plate.
3. Add cream chicken soup, chicken bouillon cube to the pan with the water in which the breast was cooked. Stir it and cook till the soup boils again.
4. Heat the oil in a frying pan, put the celery stalk and onion pieces in the pan - cook it for several minutes until the vegetables are soft. Stir frequently.
5. Add celery and onion to the soup.
6. Cook the carrots in a small pot (add some water) until they are soft enough to be added to the soup. Do not cook too long as the carrots will get mushy.
7. Add carrots and chicken pieces to the soup .
8. Season with salt and pepper - as you like.
9. Add dried parsley pieces - mix the soup with a spoon
10. Add tortilla pieces. (usually, after adding tortillas I need to season the soup with a bit more salt - somehow flour tortillas tend to make the soup bland).
11. Simmer the soup for about 15 - 20 minutes and serve.

Bon Appetit!

Easy Salad - A Gift Option For Father's Day

This salad is so easy to make that even a child can prepare it to show his/her father their appreciation. However, a child can work in the kitchen only under the supervision and with the help of an adult.  Especially, when using a knife is required.
What you need (for 2 servings):

• 1 slice of red bell pepper
• 1 slice of yellow bell pepper
• 1 slice of orange bell pepper ( if you have one kind of bell pepper only, you can use more slices of that)
• 2 baby carrots
• a slice of onion (or 1 green onion)
• 1/2 bag salad (lettuce) mix
• some grated cheese
• about 8 salad croutons
• your father's favorite salad dressing.

What to do with it all:

1. Prepare two bowls - one for you and one for your dad.
2. Put the lettuce mix into a colander, wash it with cold water and drain it. Divide the lettuce mix into two parts. Put each part into a bowl.
3. Cut bell peppers, carrots and onion/green onion into small pieces. Divide each of the cut ingredients into two and put them in the bowls.
4. Sprinkle some grated cheese on the salad mix you made.
5. Place the croutons at the top.
6. Serve with your father's favorite salad dressing.

 

Our Shepherd's Pie Recipe

Shepherd's Pie is one of the dishes which I learned to make  when in TX. Actually, it is not popular in Poland at all, and I did not hear about it before coming to the US.
This is the way I make it and how we like it best.

What you need (for two servings):

• 1/2 pound ground beef
• some canola oil (for frying)
• 1/2 medium size onion - chopped
• 1 cup water + 1/2 beef bullion cube (or 1 cup beef stock)
• 1 TBS Worcester sauce
• about 1/3 cup frozen peas & carrots (or more if you like)
• 1 TBS dried parsley
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

 For mashed potatoes:

• 4 medium sized potatoes
• 1 TSP unsalted butter
• about 1 tsp salt
• a pinch black pepper
• 1/4 2% milk
• grated Mexican cheese (or other kind) to cover mashed potatoes

What to do:
1. Heat oven to 350F/175C
2. Boil the potatoes.
3. Mash the potatoes, add butter, milk, salt and pepper.
4. Fry the meat  until it is no longer red (it takes a few minutes).
5. Add the chopped onion and fry it with the meat for about 3 minutes.
6. Add water & bullion cube, Worcester sauce, frozen peas & carrots, and cook it all for about 7 minutes. Add parsley and stir everything.
7. Place the meat mixture into a baking dish, cover it with mashed potatoes, spread them evenly.
8. Sprinkle shredded cheese on the potato layer.
9. Bake it for 30 minutes.
I do not cover the dish with aluminum foil before placing it in the oven. I did that a few times but the potatoes + cheese turn out/taste  better when they are baked without any cover .

About The Invention of Slow Cooker, Beans & Corn Bread

Slow cookers are not very popular in Poland. These days they are available in stores there, not too many kinds though (I checked some online stores today). I guess, people have not learned yet what a useful invention it is. Actually, I never came across anything like that while living in Europe. We had the opposite of that - fast pressure cooker which my sister had received as a wedding gift. She did not want it and gave it to us but we never used it either. We simply did not need it. Besides, we were a bit concerned about the safety matters connected with cooking in it.

The slow cooker is totally different. At first, I was not sure what I could do with it - I simply did not know the kitchen device at all. Encouraged by my husband, I decided to give it (and myself) a try. The results were great! Nowadays, I really enjoy using the slow cooker. I also very much like what I learned about it: the slow cooker (called also the crock-pot - did not know that) is safe and makes life easier. You just put all the ingredients into the pot - and that is all. No need to stand by it and check on its content all the time, which is most often necessary while cooking on the stove. Another important advantage is that food prepared in the slow cooker is always tender and tastes really good.

A few years ago, at a function/social meeting, we were treated with (among others) southern style beans. The dish tasted so good, that we asked the lady who had made it (cannot recall her name) to share her recipe with us. I am very grateful she was so kind and did write it down for me - since then, it has been one of our most favorite recipes. Having cooked the beans many times, both on the stove and in the slow cooker, I can say that the only right way to do it well, is to cook them with the help of the crock-pot. The grains are so tender and not overcooked - just perfect.

Here is the recipe. It is very simple and the beans make a great dish both for a family dinner and as a guest/party treat.

Beans

Ingredients:

• 1 pound bag Casserole Pinto Beans/or just dried pinto beans
• 4 slices ham
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• water to cover the beans (check the bag instructions)
  

Procedure: 
I always put the dried beans into a bowl, cover them with cold tap water and leave for a night - but it was not included as an instruction in the original recipe.

• Sort the beans, remove cracked or rotten beans. Rinse thorough with water. Strain.
• Put the washed beans into the crock-pot.
• Chop ham into small pieces and put in the crock-pot with beans.
• Boil water in a separate pot on the stove.
• Pour the boiling water in the crock-pot, turn it on 'high'.
• Add salt.
• Cover and let cook for 4 hours undisturbed. Do not stir. - this is my favorite part - if you cook the beans on the stove, you have to stir them often and check- often - how much water there is in the pot.

* It is best if the slow cooker has a see through lid, so you do not have to remove it to check how the cooking is going. The more times you open the lid, the longer it takes to cook.

* If you run low on water, boil more on the stove, the add boiling water to the crock-pot. Never add cold water, it will turn the beans black.

Beans cooked in the slow cooker

Together with corn bread, the beans make a great traditional, southern style meal. I have tried many corn bread recipes but we finally decided, that the one included below is the best.

I do not have a cast iron so I use a round, 9'' metal cake tin. As you can see in the picture, the corn bread baked in it turns out rather thin, but we like it in this way. If you want to make it thicker, just double the amount of all the ingredients.

Corn Bread

Ingredients:

• 1 TBS canola oil (or olive oil/or any vegetable oil)
• 1 cup corn meal
• 1/6 cup all purpose flour (a half of 1/3 cup)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 TBS sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• about 1 and 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 medium sized carrot (I use about 4 or 5 baby carrots)

Procedure

• Grate the carrot.
• Heat the oven 400F.
• Pour the oil into the baking tin. Put the tin into the oven for minutes.
• Put all the other ingredients into a bowl and stir with a spoon.
• Take out the baking tin from the oven. Carefully pour the hot oil into the bowl with corn bread ingredients, and stir with a spoon again.
• Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 20 or 25 minutes - until a toothpick comes out clean.

our favorite kind of home made corn bread

Warm, straight from the oven, corn bread with some butter + the beans = a wonderful treat.

Beans, Bread and Traditional Cake

'Casting all your care

upon him; for he careth

for you'

-1 Peter 5:7

Today something traditional from the kitchen. How about some good beans and bread?

Good for a meatless day but not only. Just good :).

Love learning old Southern recipes especially if they are not complicated, and the result is so enjoyable.

Buttermilk bread - recipe

And some cake for dessert:

Carrot cake - recipe

Simple cake - recipe

Joys and Pol-Southern Meal

'May Good Fortune be yours,

 May your Joys never end!'

Some of the Joys may be: 

dancing together

Italian dancers at Fiesta Latinoamericana! 2013

or a very tasty dinner:

Southern chicken fried steak & gravy...... .it was oh sooooo good!

and Polish carrots and peas

It all was quite a treat!