A Few Announcements. Few meaning 10.

#1. I am SO proud of myself!  Because, I am in this, y'all.  I am so doing this!

#2. My friend Adriana rocks.

#3. I will not, I repeat, NOT be having tacos for Christmas Dinner next year.  I've already got my sights set on a couple of killer recipes that I'm going to start practicing.  Yes, I know its only February.

#4. It is the end of February and I still have long nails.  Do I have any fellow long term nail biters out there?  I never make it out of January with the "quit biting my nails" New Year's Resolution or my nails in tact. I know this is somewhat unrelated, but it didn't seem quite right as a facebook status update so I thought I'd just sneak it in here. Thanks for reading.

#5. I am a resolution-crossing-off-machine because it is the end of February and I have cooked circa 7 times.  Disclaimer: This may be an exaggeration.

#6. I have more low quality iphone pictures of raw chicken in bad lighting than I ever imagined possible when I purchased my iphone3. I know you're now on the edge of your seats....inching closer to the screen... I really wouldn't do that if I were you.  I mean, I want you to read this post, but I'd back up for the chicken pics.

#7. I am serious about my Foibles to Fabulous cooking journey. I am also serious about alliteration and the letter F. To prove to myself the seriousness of my determination to stare down the cooking dragon once and for all this year, I employed the help of my friend Adriana, who I mentioned in my first blog rant.  I asked her to cook with me every Friday night and to the credit of her insanity and devotion to mine, she agreed.

#8. Tonight we cooked "Mild Green Calcutta Curry of Chicken and Vegetables" from Jewish Cooking: the Traditions, Techniques, Ingredients, and Recipes. <--- Hey! look I figured out how to do a link! If I had music on my blog, I'd play Madonna's "Like a Virgin/Linked for the very first time/like a vir..ir..ir...ir..gin...". Ok, anyway, you can click on that link and check out the book on Amazon. You can buy it new for $43 or used for $3. Apparently, it, too, has been a victim of the housing bubble. Not recommended as an investment piece.

 I do recommend the recipe.  Highlights for me were using coconut milk for the first time (vir...ir...ir..ir..gin) and using mint from my garden, albeit withered and ill-kept.  If I had to pick one more highlight, it would be the way the spices and herbs looked so vibrant and colorful just before blending in my magic bullet blender (that my grandma bought for me off the TV). And the way the spices and herbs smelled so aromatic just after blending in said magic bullet blender.  I assure you it was worth every penny of her $19.99.  Actually, my particular magic bullet was free.  Hers cost $19.99.  She had fast fingers and called just in the nick of time to get mine as an additional at no extra cost.

#9. I don't need an inheritance. 

So, what happens when you drag out your magic bullet and mix
six spices, herbs, onions, garlic, ginger,
chillies, lemon, coconut milk,
chicken stock, sugar, bananas,
sultanas (foodie for raisins),
pineapple, mint,
blood, sweat, tears
and a woman two glasses of white wine in on an empty stomach?


#10. Some curry goodness cooked by a light weight. That's what.



Recipe and pictures tomorrow. I'm using "tomorrow" here in the broadest sense of the word.

Here are the two most important pictures from tonight's adventure: