Coconut Curry Chicken with Pineapple

Yummy yummy in my tummy. The chicken was so fragrant. It was heaven. Everyone except A loved it, including the dog.  And A loved the sauce and the pineapple so it was not a complete failure on that end either. The simmering of the coconut milk infused with the curry powder along with the onion, pineapple and sweet pepper created a flavor that was mild yet defined. Having the chicken thigh cook within this broth allowed for the flavor to soak right into the tender meat. It was probably one of the most flavorful chicken thigh I have ever had.

Coconut Curry Chicken with Pineapple Recipe

Serves 3

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion


• 1 sweet pepper


• 1/2 can of pineapple


• 2 tbsp olive oil


• 2 tsp curry powder


• 1 cup coconut milk


• 1 tbsp honey


• 3 chicken thighs


• Salt and pepper to taste


• Garlic powder to taste

Instructions:

1. Oil the skillet and saute diced onion and sweet pepper at medium heat until golden. Add chicken thigh to pan along with the garlic, salt and pepper.


2. Add in coconut milk, stir in curry powder and bring to a boil. Lower heat back to a simmer and add in honey and pineapple.


3. Let sit and stir occasionally for about 30 minutes. Allow for the chicken to cook thoroughly.


4. Optional: if you wish to thicken the sauce, add small amount of corn starch and stir.


5. Serve on rice.

Nutritional Breakdown (According to MyFitnessPal.com)

Nutrition Facts
Servings 3.0
Amount Per Serving
Calories 392
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 30 g	46 %
Saturated Fat 17 g	84 %
Monounsaturated Fat 9 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 69 mg	23 %
Sodium 70 mg	3 %
Potassium 536 mg	15 %
Total Carbohydrate 20 g	7 %
Dietary Fiber 3 g	11 %
Sugars 13 g
Protein 16 g	32 %
Vitamin A	32 %
Vitamin C	134 %
Calcium	4 %
Iron	22 %
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.

Shirred Tunic and Leathers

It's cold and frosty outside and our whole family has been getting sick one by one so I've been cozying up at home in my pajamas all week. Instead of grossing you out with our snot-infested outfits, I thought I would bring back something from a couple weeks ago.

This shirred tunic dress from One Mango Tree is my go-to piece for everything from casual Sundays to date nights and casual parties. It's a very simple piece that can be worn as is or accessorized to your heart's content. The shirred detail on the sides brings it just one step up from your basic straight tunic. Laid back with sandals in the summer, worn with scarf and ankle boots in the fall, or bundled up in coat and tall boots for the winter, this piece is an extremely versatile piece that can easily transition through all seasons. Here I've paired it with my trusty leather jacket and knee-high leather boots for a chilly fall or mild winter day.

Size XS is a tad loose on me, which is not too surprising, so I like to wear it with a belt to cinch in the waist. It also runs longer than intended on my petite figure, which I like. The stitching was not perfect, making the hem flip up oddly on one side, but it was easily fixed by a couple more stitches.

If you don't know about One Mango Tree, they are a fair trade clothing company whose items are handmade by women in Uganda, while learning skills they can use to provide for their families, a philosophy that I can support. At just over $30 (okay, maybe just over $40 at the current exchange rate), what's there not to love? I'm not sure if they're still around as I can't find their website any longer or any recent information about them, but you can still find their items here. Unfortunately I know nothing about this site or how their service is. If any of you have experience with them, I'd love to hear!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Another pumpkin recipe here. I decided to try these pumpkin cream cheese muffins. These are fairly easy to whip up at night when the kids are sleeping (or at least in bed) and refrigerate well for breakfast the next day. And look how cute they look in these Ikea silicon baking cups! I'm in love with silicon bake ware and thought these would be an affordable addition to my kitchen. They certainly got the pretty pink and cute factor but unfortunately the rim actually makes them a little hard to maneuver and get the muffins out. But I digress...

I personally thought these pumpkin cream cheese muffins were decent. They were moist and carried just the right amount of pumpkin taste, but they were on the denser side. Too bad these sentiments were not held by the rest of the family. M thought his was dry, which was contrary to what I thought, so perhaps the batter wasn't mixed as well as I thought and he just so happened to get one on the dryer side. H liked the muffins themselves but did not like the cream cheese filling. A didn't take to these at all, avoiding the cream cheese like a plague and entertaining only a few bites of the muffins before proceeding to scattering them for the dog. My guess is that these little guys are too dense for her liking.

Pattern Mixing - Stripes and Florals

What do you think of pattern mixing? To me, it's something new, something bold, something daring. I can certainly see it working well and looking great when it does, but I don't exactly have the time to try on pieces in different variations just to find that one perfect outfit. So I have typically stuck to solid-colored pieces in the past. But that gets boring and I think it's time I start putting some life into my wardrobe.

To start, I decided to try it on A. She's already got some patterned pieces and at this age, it's much easier to pull off a slightly ill-matched outfit and still look cute. So I took the plunge this morning and put her in stripes and florals. And I'm pretty happy with the pairing. Those bright floral pants that I was so hesitant in pulling out of her wardrobe a mere month ago are finding much more wear with different tops than I thought possible.

Maybe one day I will be able to pull off something similar. Although I'd tone down on the florals and go for a more neutral color scheme myself.

Pumpkin Polenta

H and I took a trip to the pumpkin patch, oh, over a month ago now. And that big ol' orange ball has been sitting on my kitchen counter taking up precious space. It's time I actually hack that thing apart and cook it up. With a large stash of pumpkin and our recent purchase of cornmeal for a low-iron source of carb, I decided to try out a pumpkin polenta recipe.

This was a quick and easy dish to whip up on one of those evenings where you unknowingly find yourself close to dinner time and come to the realization that you don't have anything ready, yet you still have an urge to fit in a game of Starcraft2. This recipe made enough for two dinners in our family. The first night, I topped it with some roasted kale (and a chicken thigh for some much-needed meat). On the second night, I threw some grated cheese into the mixture while reheating, and topped it with some fresh tomatoes.

N and I both found this pumpkin polenta a little lacking. It was a little bland and too runny for our liking the first night, but it did go quite well with the kale. The cheese made the polenta much tastier and creamier which met N's approval, but it was still a mediocre dish for me, perhaps because I have a general disliking towards mushy foods. It didn't go as well with the tomatoes than it did with the kale though.

The kids' taking to this recipe was interesting. A would not have any of it the first night. She was having a few very rough nights where she basic went without any dinner, but this dish was met with instant screaming and didn't even warrant a small spoonful for a test run. Second night was much better. A did manage to finish her entire bowl, but each spoon better have some of that red deliciousness called tomato in it! H was the opposite. He claimed to have liked the polenta the first night but not the kale (surprise, surprise) and finished his bowl without complaint. The second night though, he slaved away at the dish for what seemed like an eternity. Okay, maybe it was about an hour. Tomatoes have never been H's favorite so that I understand, but I'm a little surprised that the mushy, creamy, cheesy goodness was so agonizing for him.