Curry and Yoghurt Marinated Chicken

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I was raised in England, land of pretty countryside, old castles, and Indian food. See, in England Indian food is kind of like Mexican food in the US.... it's everywhere, everyone eats it, and it's exactly what you are likely to find available at 11pm when you've had a wee bit too much to drink. I was raised on curry. My stepdad makes really really good curry and it's the one thing that I request whenever I go home.

I have my own version of curry. I make it from scratch very frequently. It's my Stunt Guys favorite thing that I make. Because it's one of those things that I make by feel, it turns out different every time. Usually, though, I'm serving it with a marinated chicken. This chicken is one of MY favorite things that I make, and this is the recipe that I want to share with you.

Curry and Yoghurt Marinated Chicken

I use Chicken Quarters frequently with this recipe as it is what I tend to have in the freezer. I always trim off the skin and the fat. You could certainly leave those on if you choose, or you can use another combination of chicken as listed below.



2 Chicken Quarters or 4 Chicken Thighs or 2 Chicken Breasts
3/4 Cup Low Fat or Non Fat Yoghurt

1 Teaspoon each of:
Curry Powder
Ground Coriander
Ground Cumin
Garam Masala
Paprika
Turmeric

1/4 Teaspoon Salt
Several good grinds of Pepper

Clean your chicken and place it in a baking dish with a lid. You should use a dish where the chicken is nice and snug. I use the Pyrex casserole dish that I've raved about before. Next, combine all the spices with the yoghurt, then spread all over the chicken. Generally, I just mix all of this together with my hands. Let the chicken sit in the marinade for 4 hours if you can, it'll still be good if you can't let it sit.

To cook, heat your oven to 350F. Bake the chicken in the dish for an hour. When it's done it'll be moist and flavorful.

Makes two servings. Excellent with vegetable curry, or just with a side of rice and a vegetable.



Want more recipes from Salted Spoon, including an excellent Vegetable Curry that goes perfectly with this dish? Check out the eBook:

Giveaway Winners

Thanks to the people who entered my giveaway and everyone else who stopped by to visit! I know that this blog is a baby, so thanks for taking the time. Hitting 5,000 pageviews was a big accomplishment for me and it was nice to share it.

I'm hoping that I'll have more giveaways in the future.

The winners are:

Elena F
Hannah from BitterSweet

Each of these lovely ladies have won some homemade jam. If you could both use the contact form in my sidebar to send me your address and if you would like Nectarine, Spiced Grape, or Orange, Lemon and Lime Marmalade and I'll get those on the way!

I can't wait to get back to cooking this weekend! I've got big plans....

Just a Normal Saturday and Channeling Lynn Chen

I'm a big big fan of Lynn Chen's blog The Actor's Diet. Lynn chronicles her life as an actress and a foodie. She walks you through her diet every day. I adore her blog and find it just fascinating. I love having a glimpse into her life each day. When I wake up in the morning, hers is the first blog I read. So, today I decided I would channel Lynn Chen.

Today I'm going to show you what a normal Saturday is like for me.

I'm awake at 10:30am. Sounds lazy, but thats normal since I don't get home until midnight. I'm also not pushing myself to get up because my stunt guy is still healing from his surgery and needs to sleep. So, first up is a small bowl of oatmeal with skim milk and some maple syrup. Just enough energy to get me up and off to the gym.



I managed to put in a good two mile run. I'm training for a 5K in two weeks so I'm still working on my pace a lot. I I just started tracking my workouts on DailyMile. You can friend me if you use it too!



Then it was bath and multivitamin time. I'm awful about drinking enough water, so I take my multivitamin in liquid form. This is called On The Go and I drink it every day. The taste is pretty good, though you have to stir a bunch to dissolve it. I always take baths, unless I'm in a huge hurry. I like having a little bit of time to stop moving every day. You can see in the background my Queen ElizaBath. She's a rubber ducky version of Queen Elizabeth I. I adore her though some people think she is creepy.



Next up it's off to Trader Joe's and the Fuzzies store with my Stunt Guy. We have a few things we like to do every weekend, like drink Bubble Tea and play Jenga, but we missed a lot of that because he was in the hospital this weekend. One thing we usually do is go to the pet store and play with the puppies and bunnies.



There were a bunch of adorable ones today.



I was particularly fond of this furball. We don't have a dog, but we do really want one. It'll be a while though... we really need to be living in a house to accommodate a puppy along with our two cats.



Next door to the Fuzzies store is a Trader Joe's. My guy adores samples so we always stop in to see what they have.
Corned Beef hash, not too bad but it needed an acid component.



Here's the recipe.



We then grabbed mini cups of coffee to enjoy while we shopped. This coffee was really lovely. I may get some at a later date.



This was our haul, less than $16. I made sure to pick up Ginger Chews because they are Lynns favorite. I figured I couldn't channel her properly without getting some of them. We also picked up a beer for my Stunt Guy for when he is off his painkillers and a bottle of wine for me. I love this $2 Sangiovese. It's quite drinkable and within our budget. I tend to pick up a bottle every time we go to TJ's.



I tried a Ginger Chew. I liked it a lot, it was sweet and spicy but not too spicy. Really really chewy. It was also quite satisfying in some way. I'm a fan.



Then I packed up my lunch for work, making a sandwich on my favorite bread.



I make my own bread, but when I want a little splurge I buy the Parmesan Sourdough bread from Fresh & Easy. It's absolutely delicious.

Half an avocado, some deli sliced turkey, tomato and goats cheese... this one was Humboldt Fog, which I happened to score on sale a couple of days ago. This is one fantastic sandwich.






Then it was off to work. I stopped for lollipops at Target and road tested a Mango one. Quite lovely... I'm really okay with this whole candy thing. I have a sweet tooth and it sure takes the edge off.



I always find it a bit odd that I have to walk through a casino to get to work, but thats part of working for the Circus in Las Vegas.



I like to snack at work a lot, and here is what I munched on while I updated a bunch of paperwork. Popcorn with salt, pepper and zero calorie I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray... my new favorite condiment. I also grabbed my one cup of coffee. I used to drink about 6 a day, but I cut down because of how many calories I was ingesting. I like my coffee sweet.



Then later it was lunch time. I had a sweet potato with more butter spray and half the amazing sandwich.



I finished this off with Strawberry Energy Crystal Light, another Ginger Chew, and a Root Beer Lollipop. I like the Mango better.



Then it was off to do a show. I usually eat an hour and a half before first show, and then I have dinner between shows. This way I'm not ravenous when I get home from work. Here's dinner... some leftover Fried Rice from ordering in when my Stunt Guy got out of Surgery, a cup of Chai Tea and a delicious apple.



Then after another show I hit the road and headed home to my guy. I grabbed a slice of toast with some avocado on it to finish out the day, and then enjoyed a glass of wine while we watched some TV together. This is the last of the wine I was given for Valentine's day. It's very complex, and I really like it, but it's not my favorite.




So that was my day. It was a pretty normal one for me. I really enjoyed journaling my day so I think it is something that I'll do again in the future. I liked being hyper-aware of all the things I ate today. I found it neat and informative. I'm definitely glad to have channeled Lynn Chen! She continues to be a blogging inspiration.

Most of all, I'm happy to have discovered Ginger Chews.

Whilst I'm Not Cooking #3

We interrupt this carefully planned week of cooking, giveaway results and other food blogging to bring you a new segment. We're going to call it "Fun With Laproscopic Appendectomies!". Catchy, no?
Way back last Saturday, my awesome Stunt Guy, John, was feeling a bit off in his tummy. On Sunday he upped this to "discomfort", then on Monday he was upping it to "man, this kinda hurts". Coming from him, that was a pretty strong statement. He has a really high threshold for pain. So, I went off to work and he decided he was going to rest up. Then, a couple of hours later I got a fantastically worrisome text that said "Can we afford an ER visit?".
So of course, I dropped everything and went to get him and took him to the ER. Then, around 2am they confirmed what we had been suspecting... appendicitis. He'd have to have an appendectomy really really soon. So, they admitted him to the hospital to yoink the offending vestigial organ.




This is my proof of life picture from after the surgery. Boy, was he ever miserable and hungry. They released him about 27 hours after surgery and I now have him bundled up at home while he eats chicken noodle soup and drinks ginger ale. He was supposed to be moving cross country on Sunday, but we've held that up by a couple of days. Of course, my world is kind of upside down right now too, and the house is a mess, and I think I'll need to order chinese tonight because the pantry is not exactly stocked, but hey, my guy is okay and thats really about all I need right now.

I do have a food picture for you though. Whilst in the hospital, John was actually served this meal of Filet Mignon with Broccoli and Twice Baked Potatoes. The steak itself was pretty good, though the potatoes were crappy. I mostly really dug the fact that they made the plate pretty.



So, here is what I had planned to make this weekend:

Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroons from The Sweets Life

Pork Chops in Garlic and Wine from The Pioneer Woman

*Update! I made this and I have to say, it was completely delicious. I highly recommend trying this recipe out!

We were supposed to have dinner with the lovely Mary, but that didn't exactly pan out.

So, give me a couple of days to get my guy on his feet, myself back to work, and a bunch of other stuff done around the house and then I'll be back with recipes and giveaway winners!

Chicken Noodle Soup and Winding Roads

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I wasn't raised in the US. I was raised in a teeny tiny quaint little village in England with a winding main road lined with chestnut trees, a church on a hill that was 800 years old, and an unnecessary number of Pubs. I was not raised on barbecue, grilled cheese sandwiches and tacos. I was also not raised on Chicken Noodle Soup, and that is my loss.

I'm not much of a soup girl. Sure, I'll dabble and make the occasional pot of it, but I don't seek it out. I prefer sandwiches, poached eggs, quinoa. But, Chicken Noodle Soup is really really yummy. It's hearty and delicious and instant comfort food. When I was younger, if I got sick it was Boiled Egg and Soldiers and 24 Hours of Sympathy. It seems so different in the US. It's amazing the cultural differences between two countries that speak (roughly) the same language. Some are so vast and some are just teeny tiny. I feel, though, that Chicken Noodle Soup would have been a great addition to my childhood, eaten in front of a log fire with a blanket around me after a bracing walk on one of those winding country roads.

The other reason that I am really happy about Chicken Noodle Soup is that it's the kind of food that uses up stuff that would otherwise be thrown away. Or, at least, it is the way I make it. I love Roast Chicken and I've taken to roasting one every week or two. The last time I did, I decided to make Chicken Noodle Soup the next day, so I deliberately only pulled 3/4 of the meat off the bones. Then, the next day it was soup time. Try this soup. It's yummy and comforting. Play with the ratios until it tastes like a warm hug to you.

Chicken Noodle Soup

I use Soba noodles for my soup, which are buckwheat noodles. You could use other noodles if you desire, but I really like these for texture and size.

1 Roast Chicken Carcass with 1/4 Meat Left on
Boiling Water
1 Large Onion, diced
1 Vegetable or Chicken Bouillon Cube
3 Carrots
1 Cup Frozen Peas
2oz Soba Noodles (uncooked), broken in hal
2 Bay Leafs
Salt and Pepper

In a large soup or stock pot with a lid, big enough to hold the chicken carcass, sauté the onion in two tablespoons of olive oil until it becomes soft and starts to brown around the edges, about 10-15 minutes on a medium heat. Place the chicken carcass on top of the onion and cover with boiling water. You want the carcass to be covered by half an inch of water at the most. Next, add in the Bouillon cube and the bay leaves and some generous grinds of salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cover and let simmer for about an hour.

When the hour is up, check the chicken and, with a butter knife, see if the meat just literally falls off the bones. If it doesn't, give it fifteen more minutes and then check again. Once the meat is falling off the bones, peel and dice the carrots and add them in. Taste the soup and check the seasoning, adjust as necessary. Cook for 20 more minutes then fish out the chicken carcass and the bay leaves. Make sure you've cleaned all the meat off the carcass so the soup is nice and chickeny.

Throw in the soba noodles, they should be fully cooked after around ten minutes. Check the taste again. If you find it's too thick or too much liquid has been absorbed by the noodles, add another cup or two of water and, if you like, another Bouillon cube to punch up the flavor. Next, add the frozen peas, let sit for two or three minutes, then serve, preferably in mismatched bowls with blankets on your lap.

Makes 8-10 bowls of soup.

If you are storing this or freezing it (which I highly recommend), let it cool first in the pan and then put it in the fridge until chilled, then you'll be able to skin off some of the fat which will have risen to the top before you freeze it.

Hey my Giveaway is still going on to celebrate my 5,000th pageview. You should check it out and win free homemade jam here.

Five Thousand

Image by Jellaluna

Today, I've hit 5,000 pageviews for this little blog. This brings me SO much joy! I thank you, kind reader, for checking out my space. I really love food, and I really adore writing about it, reading about it and joining in with the food blogging community.

I have goals with this blog. One day I'll redesign it and make it better. I'll get a better camera and post better photos. I'll post more frequently. I'll just get, well, better at this whole thing!

But, for today, I will celebrate five thousand page views and I will give away two jars of jam. I make really good jam and I'd like to send a jar to two of you as a celebration of my 5,000 views. I'll even let you pick the flavor! You can choose from Nectarine, Spiced Grape and Orange, Lemon and Lime Marmalade. So, what do YOU have to do to get it? Well, you have to live in the US (sorry international people.. I love you, I just can't afford you), and then you get one entry for each of the following things you do:

1. Comment on this post by telling me one dish you would love to see a recipe for, or which recipe of mine is your favorite so far.

2. Subscribe to this blogs RSS feed

3. Follow Salted Spoon on Twitter here

4. Like Salted Spoon on Facebook here

5. Use Pinterest to Pin one of my past dishes (your choice)

6. Link to this Giveaway on your blog, or add me to your blogroll.

You can enter up until 10pm PST, March 6th. I'll announce the winners on March 7th. You get one entry for each item on the list, and be sure to leave a comment that lets me know how many you did so I can give you the right amount of entries!

Thanks again so much for making this blog project a successful one for me! I can't wait to hang out with you for even longer!

Vodka Pasta and Running a 5K

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I've always hated exercising; many people have encouraged me to do it, some have even tried forcing me (which really doesn't work... I'm a redhead, we're stubborn), but at the end of the day I've always had a "screw it, I don't have the time" mentality. Back when I was a freelance theatre technician it didn't matter all that much because I got a lot of exercise at work, and I was always too busy (or broke) to eat. Now, I have an awesome job but a lot of paperwork, and I have a desk in a room with a fridge and a microwave and a whole bunch of people that like to bring in baked goods. I also write a food blog. You might have figured out where this is going.

So when I moved to Las Vegas I gained a little more weight than I was comfortable with and I also lost a lot of my energy. There was much scolding from my guy, who is essentially a professional athlete, and from my mother who owns a gym, so I've forced exercise into my schedule. I spend probably a total of four hours at the gym a week, spread over six days. How do I manage this? Hulu+ on my phone is how. I get on the treadmill, stick in my headphones, and I watch TV. Since my Hulu queue rarely gets below twenty, there is no shortage of shows for me to watch, and it really does help me forget how long I've been running. Otherwise, you see, I over focus on the time, think how much laundry there is to do, and talk myself out of doing a decent job.

Two weeks ago, I decided for sure that I was going to run the annual 5K that the Circus does as a fundraiser. I've never done one before. From what I understand, the terrain for this one is downhill for half of it and uphill for the other half. So, yesterday I took a stab at running a 5K and my time was pretty respectable. I'm hoping to do quite well!

Of course, I had to give my body the necessary fuel it needed when I came home, and what better fuel than pasta? But, again, I write a food blog, so I put a crap ton of booze in it. Running a 5K is a great excuse to make this stuff.

Vodka Pasta is something I discovered a few months ago. It's remarkably easy and made from pantry staples. It goes wonderfully with chicken or veggies, and it's pretty great just on its own. Plus, hey, booze!

Vodka Pasta
Adapted from Feast by Nigella Lawson

You can use cream instead of the yogurt in the sauce, but I went for the lower fat version and to me, I honestly prefer it with the little extra tang that the yogurt creates.

200g Penne Pasta (about half a standard box)
1 Large Onion, diced
1 Can Diced Tomatoes
2 Garlic Cloves, whole but peeled
1 Tablespoon Plain Yogurt
2oz Vodka
2 Tablespoons Butter
Parmesan

In a large pan, heat a tablespoon or two of olive oil and add the onions. Cook them slowly over a medium heat until they are soft and just starting to brown a little around the edges, about 15 minutes. Then, tip in the tomatoes and the whole garlic cloves and stir, letting them cook for another 15-20 minutes. While the tomatoes are cooking, bring a large pan of water to boil and cook the Penne according to the directions on the box, usually about 12 minutes.

When the pasta is done, drain it and then put it back into it's pan, adding in the butter and stirring until melted, then add in the vodka. Turn the heat off the tomato and onion mixture, fish out the whole garlic cloves, and stir in the yogurt, then add in a good grind or two of salt and pepper to taste. Mix the sauce in with the pasta and serve with a few grates of good parmesan cheese. Yummy! Serve this with some slow cooked chicken, or a bunch of veggies, or just on it's own in a giant bowl in front of the latest episode of Chopped.

Makes 2 main portions or 4 side portions.