THIS CURRY WILL NOT OVERCOME ME

It's been two months, ya'll.  The end of October and November blew past me like a freight train in the middle of a North Dakota night.  Seriously.  Sometimes life can be TOO MUCH.  So I'm sharing a favorite recipe with you guys, which is rather simple in reality but took me a week to make back in late October when my idea for this post actually started.  It was one of those totally bitchy weeks where I felt slammed but needed to cook in order to keep our little boo-boo bear on her diet.  The GAPS diet, that is.  I'm not some weird pageant mom just because I'm from Alabama and call my kid boo-boo every now and again. There were many false starts, one of which actually ended in a mysterious tipping of our beloved Nordic Ware pan off the range and onto the floor, and my ensuing curse-filled clean up of olive oil, sauteed onions, and cubed chicken at 7 am.  But I didn't give up (although I did throw that particular batch in the trash) and by God, it was worth it. 

Strange pan-tipping incidents aside, this recipe is an easy version of curry that's great for such a season as this when time is the hottest commodity.  And my family wolfs it down.  And it's got peas and carrots.  Check out the original recipe on the fantastic weelicious, a cooking site started by a thin, blonde mother so perfect you'll want to strangle her except that then we'd lose access to her incredible recipes and fantastic cooking prowess, especially in regards to toddler fare.  Here is our adjusted recipe and the delayed, yet delicious, spoils of my bounty:

Ah, the success of it

 Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound chicken breasts, boneless, skinless and cubed
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into coins
• 1 14 oz can regular coconut milk
• 1  cup frozen peas (give or take)

Preparation

1. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat and sauté the onions for 4 minutes. Add the minced garlic, sauté an additional minute.
2. Add the cubed chicken, sauté for 2 minutes, stir in the curry powder, salt, tomato paste, and carrots until they are all coated.
3. Pour in the coconut milk and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to a simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Remove lid, add the frozen peas and simmer an additional 15 minutes.
5. Eat as is, and you're cooking Paleo, baby.

Otherwise, here are a few of the highlights from the last eight weeks, which mostly consisted of day job, day job, cooking, more day job, finding a new babysitter, day job, cooking, and an occasional night of great sleep: 

-Had a blast at the opening celebration for the Billy Reid store in Austin.  Heard an amazing, low-key concert by Iron and Wine there.  Would love to have this little numero as a sweet reminder of the evening, but I guess I'll just have to wait until Billy Reid opens an outlet.  And then has a clearance sale.

-Fell in love with this album.  I'm biased, as the artist is one of my oldest and dearest, but seriously, this record kicks ass and my daughter agrees. Try it, people.  

-Got caught up in a hot affair with Martin Clunes via Doc Martin, the best television series ever made (at least this month).  I blew through all five seasons faster than I care to admit and now want to give the box set to my favorite aunt for Christmas.  Quality British television that doesn't spare the weird medical conundrums and seriously repressed love affair. And it's available for instant streaming via Netflix.  Let's give it  up for Her Royal Highness (and the BBC).  

More soon...