Wednesday 15th Oct '08

Today I still felt headache-y so I slept in until about 2pm. I got up and had the KFC sweet chilli twister I bought for my lunch yesterday (but couldn't stomach because of the migraine). I have to say, I normally don't eat burgers or things of the like when I go to KFC, Chicken Treat etc but these twisters are fantastic! Ah, KFC...I love you.

I went out and ran a few errands today, dropped into Bunnings and yes - got MORE seedlings! I really need to get out into the garden tomorrow to make room for them! I did some grocery shopping and then took Simba for a jog with Jocelyn to the park.

At home, I put together some chicken drumsticks with potato, apple and red onion in a baking dish. I drizzled some apple cider and olive oil over everything and put small dollops of butter over the dish. I picked some fresh sage and thyme from my garden outside, scattered them amongst the vegetables and into the oven. I used a Granny Smith apple and it added a beautiful sweetness to the dish. The chicken was cooked perfectly!

Awww...someone wants some chicken



I decided a few days ago while at work that I was going to make some curry dishes during my days off. I got a recipe for potato curry from Ramona and couldn't wait to try it. But first things's first...

I had some frozen baby okra that I left out to thaw in the afternoon and I fried that up in the pan to get rid of the 'sliminess'. I set them aside and fried some garlic, onion, ground cumin, ground coriander and curry powder in the pan with some olive oil. I then added a can of whole peeled tomatoes and broke them up. I put the okra back into the sauce and simmered until it had reduced and became a deliciously thick consistency.

Next, I parboiled some potatoes while making the sauce. I fried some garlic, onion, chilli flakes, turmeric and garam marsala in some olive oil. I went outside to our front yard to pick some fresh curry leaves from our tree to throw in. I added a small can of coconut milk and then added the potatoes. I simmered until the sauce reduced and the potatoes had soaked up the flavour. I usually like to keep the potato skin on even in dishes that tell me to remove them. I think for this recipe I really should have removed them so that the potato could absorb the sauce from all surfaces.

I wanted to try to make some saffron rice for the first time. I needed a quick recipe so after flicking through a few on google, I improvised my own. I fried some onion in some olive oil, then added a cup of basmati rice. I then fried it for a few minutes and then added some water with vegeta stock. I also threw in a few cloves and cardomom pods and let the rice cook. Once the rice had softened, I had to drain the rice since there was too much stock left. I could have left it to cook a few more minutes and the stock would have evaporated but the rice would have been too soggy by then.

The rice was a bit gluggy but I added the saffron threads that I'd soaked in some warm water and mixed it through to get the gorgeous yellow hue. Next time I'll add less stock to the rice while cooking it, but it wasn't too bad after about five minutes. The rice got aired when I mixed the saffron through so it was just right when I sat down to devour it.

Potato Curry
Okra in an Aromatic Tomato Sauce
on a bed of Saffron Rice

All in all, I'm quite happy with myself. The potato curry could have tasted a bit better but I didn't have the mustard seeds that Ramona's recipe called for. I think that would have made a difference. Plus the skins should have been removed. Still, the sauce was rather savoury which complimented the okra really well as that was really sweet from the tomato.

Mum brushed Simba's teeth tonight. He loves eating the toothpaste!