I can cook! - Indian Chicken Curry Part Deux

I can cook! - Indian Chicken Curry Part Deux, originally uploaded by casa azul.
What am I doing: Cooking the Indian Chicken Curry recipe I found on crockpot365 again.

It smells so good! Another 3 hours till it is ready. I hope this time around it turns out delicious. I made some alterations to the recipe. I added:

-1T more of curry powder

-1t Cayenne Pepper (for that kick)

-1 can of Sweet Potatoes (drained, couldn't find any fresh)

-1 1/4t of Salt

-1t pepper

The Results: Wow! What a difference. The flavors were all there: spicy, sweet, seasoned well and the right amount of curry. I blended some of the veggies with alittle of the broth (spices-coconut mix) for a little thickness, just for the texture. The next day was even better. The chicken had time to marinate and it had more of a kick to it.

I can cook! - Crockpot Indian Chicken Curry Recipe

I can cook!, originally uploaded by casa azul.

Crockpot Indian Chicken Curry Recipe

So I found this great recipe from Stephanie O'dea's blog crockpot365. I've been meaning to use the crockpot that my MIL gave me for christmas 2 years ago. MIL-If you're reading this, I swear I loved the gift, but was too lazy to take it out of the box and use it. Just know that I'm in love with it and appreciate your thoughtful gift. Ok, I digress. As I was searching for recipes for my slow cooker, I came across this site. What's great about the blog is that Stephanie offers reviews (based on her, her husbands & kids approval/disapproval) and comments on what she would do differently. Usually she provides a follow-up the next time she cooks it again. I fell in love when I found this Indian Curry recipe. I'd been aching to make some homemade Indian food. Thank you so much Stephanie for your time & effort you put into your meals/test runs. Mad props to you girl!
RESULTS
Well it didn't turn out as thick as I thought it would but I believe that it was partly my fault. Okay, it was my fault but hear me out. Part of the recipe requires coconut milk, not lite coconut, just regular coconut milk. If I would have read the directions carefully it specifically states:
1- 13.5 oz can of coconut milk (don't use the light, it doesn't taste as good. or use the light and then stir in heavy cream at the end. Your tongue wants the thick stuff... trust me.)<---Really, how did I miss this vital information?

I was beating myself (ala Chris Farley: "Stupid, stupid.") over my failed attempt. But then I remembered that when my husband & I had gone grocery shopping, my husband suggested I get the cheaper coconut milk which was the lite. Darn you mister penny pincher! So he is partly to blame. Determined to salvage the curry, I took to the cooking gods via the internet and searched. One way to make curry paste is to blend/puree the cooked veggies and spices till it creates a paste. By golly gee whiz, it worked! The only problem, is it still had a very mild taste to it. The taste was there but something was missing. It didn't have that "Wow" I was hoping for just a "Meh" still edible. Maybe next time it'll taste better with regular coconut milk. Plus for personal preference, I'll add more spice to kick up a notch. Oh well, you live & you learn.

Pumpkin Pie Bites

Pumpkin Pie Bites, originally uploaded by casa azul.

For Christmas, I made these mini pumpkin pie bites from a recipe I found on Bakerella . I added a dollip of cool whip and a sprinkle of cinnamon to finish. Mmmm! I don't know about you, but this past year I was pumpkin pied out! It was an overload of pumpkinesque desserts: pumpkin bread, pumpkin cake, pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice rolls. No more pumpkin till next year.

I also made an apple pie (not pictured). It turned out way too lemony! I was so proud of the first one I made for Thanksgiving. It was perfect: the crust was crisp, flakey, sugary & buttery, the apples soft and filling tastey! Here I thought it would be perfect for Christmas eve dinner at the in laws. I was so stoked to show off my baking skills. But the pie turned out too lemony! Only my husband and mother-in-law ate from it. I ended throwing it away. I guess I got over zealous.