Week 1 Sunday (1/12/14)

Recipe Review

Today’s Recipe and Location:  Curried Chicken Pasta Salad

Found in: The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food From my Frontier

Page 52      Copyright:  2012  Harper Collins
458 calories for each of 8 servings
(Please note that the calorie counts vary depending on the specific brands of ingredients that you choose to use. This is what I figured.)

         Being a finicky eater, I worried that this one would be a problem for me.  I can’t think of any time that I have had anything made with curry.  I researched what it was since I was clueless on the topic. Curry is a golden-yellow colored spice. It is used in many Indian dishes.  Curry is actually good for you. It is an anti-inflammatory and a natural cleansing agent. It also is detoxifying to our bodies.

         I was pleasantly surprised with the flavor of the salad.  It was tangy with a definite curry aftertaste.  I would make it again, especially when going to a summer picnic.  I don’t think I have ever seen this type of salad on the picnic tables.  It would be a great change with a lot of flavor. I totally forgot to add the raisins.  That is one of the changes in the Chicken Salad recipe that Ree begins this recipe with in her book. I even bought the golden raisins but didn’t read the fine print.  I don’t even like raisins much but meant to include them in this recipe. Oh well – another mistake to correct when I make this recipe again. Too bad – so sad!

Yum! Yum!

Today’s critics:  The Lehman and Serpico Families

         Brandy Lehman shared – “Cory did not try this dish today, I ate half the other night and brought the other half to work today, and it is a meal!  I can definitely taste the curry, but it now has that "Zing Factor" I was looking for. Again, two thumbs up! I also, like the grapes, but it would be interesting to see what it was like with the raisins....”

         The Serpico Family – “The kids all tried it.  Michael really liked the coated noodles.  Nicole said that the curry gave a little more zip, but she would have liked to add a little more. She felt the almonds really added nothing to this recipe but liked them in the basic chicken salad recipe.  She needed to add additional salt.”

Trivial Triffles

         Today, I was reading O Magazine (August 2013) and learned about a body scan that can help us find the perfect clothing that fits our body type. I love this magazine because this would really help us shortened our shopping time.  Just imagine – no more time wasted trying on clothes that won’t fit.  YES!  We Illinoisans are lucky because there are two locations right here.  I have listed them below.  Come on – let’s try it.  Go forth and shop till you drop. According to O Magazine the following two locations have this scanner. Do I know what stores have it?  No!  You might have to do some research to locate the specific location.

Aurora Fox Valley Shopping Center 195 Fox Valley Center Aurora, IL 60504

Chicago Water Tower Place 835 North Michigan Avenue, 6E Chicago, IL 60611

Memory Musings

         Today, we think of them as a strainer.  In the old days they were called handheld individual coffee strainers.  I am sure my Mom never thought to use them for anything other than straining her instant Sanka coffee in the morning.  I however, had a wonderful, creative use for this little gem.  One day, Kathy and I borrowed my Mom’s strainer and headed off to Bad Luck Forest. Now I don’t remember who named this amazing location but it was well named.  Bad Luck Forest was on Mr. and Mrs. Johnson’s private property.  This however, did not deter the children from Rainbow Hills to use it as a place to while-away the hot summer and cold winter days. We found this a wonderful place to explore.  In the summer it was a grove of old maple and oak trees flooded and swamp-like. In the winter it was an amazing ice skating rink.  This one summer day, Kathy and I decided to wade on in and try to catch leeches.  Yes, all Science lovers – I was much more daring as a child than I am nowadays.

         We caught a few, and satisfied, returned to our homes. As a child I was not big on worrying about germs and such, so I took the now dry strainer and placed it back in the drawer. 

         As an adult I am repulsed by the idea of my Mom using that strainer the next day.  I told her about this a few years ago and her expression was so funny.  She was really a good sport about the whole thing when she heard about it.  Are we alone, or do all kids do things like this even nowadays? Come'on!  Ya gotta have a similar story?