Lazy Curry

Mr S. and I love curry, especially from this great little place in Lawrenceville with a beautiful outdoor garden and next-to-nothing corkage fee on wine! Anywho, I was bored. I also figured out how exactly to navigate The Lotus, our Chinese grocery store.We also had a butternut squash that needed to be used this week.

I love buying my ginger from The Lotus because it's less than a dollar per pound! Also, I couldn't pass up the "Chef's Choice" coconut milk. :)


Here is what I used:

1/4 lb. chicken
a "handful" of shrimp
red curry paste
1 small butternut squash
2 "handfuls" of spinach
ginger
1 clove of garlic
1/4 head of cauliflower
red curry paste
1 can of coconut milk
1/2 red pepper
1/2 sweet onion
pinch of sugar

I roasted all of the veggies with a bit of olive oil and some S&P. I love the color of roasted squash. :)

This was my first adventure with red curry paste. I used about 3 tablespoons, it later turned out to be a bit too much, but I loved the color that it turned the coconut milk once I started to wisk.


The thing I noticed most as I was cooking this was how amazing it was smelling and also the fact that curry is never attractive, ever.
I swear to you it was gorgeous! The pot was teeming with rich greens, bright reds, golden yellows. On camera, it looks like a vat of baby food. I thought the spice level was perfect, but I knew it would be too much for Mr. S to handle so I added a bit of plain yogurt to take it down a notch or two.

I decided to not take a photo of it plated because 1. I feel horrible, 2. It probably would have been ugly and 3. Mr. S just threw it into a bowl without the slightest notes of culinary flair.

One of my favorite "secrets" is freezing rice. I hate cooking rice. HATE IT. I just cook it all at once and then freeze it in portion-sized bags.




Why yes! There is indeed a Mr. Coco. He's quite the dandy in his top hat.








A cute little Chinese grandma grabbed my wrist today and put this into my basket. She said "put in your nose. Feel nice." I decided she most nearly meant: "This probably tastes like the worst thing ever, but I'll be damned, it's going to make you feel great!" I listened, and it tastes horrible. But I'll be damned, it's making me feel better. It tastes like echinacea smells. (like dry cat food IMO) I added some fresh ginger and lemon to make it a bit more bearable.

It's Fall!

If you're like me, your Facebook feed is saturated with posts about the pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks. Now, I LOVE pumpkin anything and often think about starting a petition to make it more than just a seasonal flavor, but I hate Starbucks' burnt-tasting coffee and obnoxious prices, so I headed to my pantry to play Copykitty!


Ingredients needed:
2 cups of milk (any, I used skim, but try it with almond milk!)
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tbs. pure vanilla extract
3 tbs. sugar (I used Splenda)
3 tbs. canned pumpkin 2 shots espresso (coffee works just fine too)


Add all ingredients to a sauce pot and bring to a boil. Wisk well.


Remove from heat and pour into your favorite mug. Top it off with your espresso.
This is my little buddy. I LOVE my French press. I use it daily from making the perfect cup of joe or a quick glass of iced tea. My espresso is from a local coffee company. It's so cheap! 2.19 for a 1/4 pound!
My current favorite mug is this gorgeous blue one made by Mr. S' very talented aunt Mary. Her pottery is incredible.


By skipping Starbuck's ridiculous prices I had a bit of extra cash in my pocket. I snagged an incredible find at the Goodwill.


These beauties are both made by Nine West. . They were an absolute steal at 2.99 a pair!