![Plugging Your Life's Meters]()
by Catherine | Sep 14, 2012 | Faith, Family, Marriage, The Homefront
August was a dry spell for me–emotionally, physically, spiritually. I’m calling September my recovery month!
Philip, amazing husband and pediatric resident, was working a month of nights. Despite all of his best efforts to make the month a painless one, it was difficult. If this makes any sense, I felt like a married but single mom. Philip needed his rest during the day, did his best to spend a few hours with me and the kids between naps, and left for the hospital in the late afternoon. The evenings were long, and after the kids went to bed, I was left to my own devices–to do some housework, bake, or prep the next day’s meal. When I was feeling less than industrious, which was more often than not, I wasted too much time on the Internet, read, or indulged in the occasional pity party.
I developed a lot of bad habits that month. I neglected my afternoon prayer during the kids’ naptime. I justified it, telling myself it was important to take a nap with Philip and spend some time with him that way–even if we were just sleeping next to each other. I stayed up way too late in the evenings, playing on Pinterest, checking Facebook, or reading articles online because I struggled to sleep without Philip home. I let the kids watch too much television. I justified it because, for that month, I was a single mom who was just doing the best she could. Looking back, it’s downright terrifying how easily I could justify all of those lies to myself.
Fortunately, for me and my family, the month of nights is over, and we’re getting back into our refreshingly normal, ho-hum routine. With our routine back in action, I’m trying to drop my bad habits (vices) and trying to build some good habits (virtues)! My hope is that these good habits, or virtues, will become such a part of my life that the next time a difficult patch (like a month of Philip working nights) hits, I’ll be better prepared.
The key, so far, seems to be “feeding the meters” of all areas of my life by giving them a “time-in” each day. These focused, dedicated segments of time to the different areas of my life are paying off in big ways. It seems counter-intuitive, but when I give as much of myself as I can to all areas of my life, I have more energy, and I end up accomplishing more.
I plug my spiritual meter by coming to God in dedicated prayer time. He’s never outdone in generosity! Not only do I usually walk away with a much-needed reality check, but He multiplies my time, and I almost always complete my daily do-it list after dedicated prayer time. Someday, hopefully soon, I will have enough self-discipline to wake up before the children and start my day with this dedicated prayer time.
I plug my children’s meters when I give them lavish affection, read an extra book before nap/bedtime, put a spotlight on their good behavior, embrace the mess of a new craft/baking project, or get down on the ground and join them in play. When my children receive more time-ins during the day than time-outs, I’m rewarded as a parent in two major ways:
- They return the attention with their own lavish affection.
- They “run off the fumes” of our time together and allow me to get a few things done after our time-in.
I plug my own meter emotionally by giving myself real breaks throughout the day. I thought I was getting a lot accomplished by constantly multitasking. I’m getting much more accomplished when I tackle each project one at a time and give myself two 10-minute breaks in the day (one before lunch and one before dinner). I spend my break time reading inspiring articles, checking Facebook, or adding pins on Pinterest. Rather than leave the laptop computer open on the kitchen counter all day, I created new technology boundaries. The laptop can only be open for a few reasons:
- I am taking one of my two (AM & PM) 10-minute breaks.
- I am reading a recipe online while I am making dinner.
- I am returning e-mails or other online correspondence for no longer than half an hour.
- I am blogging (with no other windows/programs open) after I complete my prayer time.
I keep my laptop closed so that I don’t see incoming e-mails, Facebook notifications, etc. I leave my daily do-it list on top of the closed laptop so that I have a visual reminder that I have other things I need to accomplish during the day before indulging in these online distractions. With my built-in breaks and a closed laptop, I don’t feel the temptation to keep up with e-mails, Facebook, Pinterest, etc. I know that I can take my break when I need it, and the time will be spent exclusively on enjoying it. With the built-in breaks, I don’t get burnt out doing everything else during the day. Without the breaks, I was getting burnt out by lunchtime and would have what I call a “Bad Mama Moment.” A “Bad Mama Moment” is doing something like losing yourself in a half an hour of Pinterest while your kids stare at the television because you haven’t taken a break all day. To keep my “Bad Mama Moments” as few and far between as possible, I set a timer for my AM and PM breaks. When I hear the timer go off after 10 minutes, I’m able to close the laptop and get back to the work of the day refreshed.
I plug our marriage meter when I help Philip to “rejoice in the wife of (his) youth.” When I do that, I am remembering to fill his meter before the children’s meters. When I make a nice meal, give him a warm welcome home, show genuine interest in his day, give him affection, suggest we do something other than watch television, and keep a firm bedtime routine with the children, I am showing Philip that I love our children, but that he is still my first priority. With self-discipline on my part, we are able to have nutritious, home-cooked dinners at
least 6 nights out of the week, and the kids are asleep by 8:00 so that we can have an hour or two together before bed. With that dedicated time one-on-one, we have more energy to fill our spiritual, physical, and emotional meters together. Our prayer life together is back in full-bloom, and we feel more intimate physically and emotionally.
With the help of some truly amazing girlfriends, I am learning that it is a good, beautiful, and often necessary thing to take a break or ask for help. For example, one sweet friend brought over a coffee and watched the kids this morning so that I could run a few errands by myself. I felt like I was on vacation! When I backed out of the driveway in my minivan all by myself, I felt dangerous listening to the music a little louder than usual and luxuriously looking at clothes for myself. When I came back, the kids were happy to see me, I was refreshed, and we read every single book we checked out from the library this week before naptime just because. The time apart from each other was good for all of us, and my friend was happy to help out because she knows I’ll do the same for her whenever she needs it.
This same friend and her husband do a monthly date night swap with us. One night each month, each couple has a chance to go on a date while the other couple babysits. The babysitting couple brings their kiddos over to the other couple’s house. The kiddos play together until bedtime, and the visiting kiddos return home with their dad. The babysitting mom stays until the couple returns home. Both couples get one free date night a month, and the kiddos have another chance to see their buddies. It’s a win-win for everyone involved!
For now, this plugging the meters approach is working to build good habits in my daily life. My prayer life is better, the kids are happier, our marriage is flourishing, and I am much healthier physically and emotionally with the fun of friendships and real breaks throughout my day.
I’m still a work in progress, and I will be until the day I die, so in no way am I doing a perfect job of filling all of my life’s meters on a daily basis. Some days, I’ll do a great job of filling one meter but completely neglect others. I’m learning that everything else seems to fall in place when I keep my spiritual meter fed. God helps keep all of the other meters in perspective. So long as I’m showing God that I love Him and show the people He put in my life that I’m trying, it’s a good day.
![Plugging Your Life’s Meters]()
by Catherine | Sep 14, 2012 | Faith, Family, Marriage, The Homefront
August was a dry spell for me–emotionally, physically, spiritually. I’m calling September my recovery month!
Philip, amazing husband and pediatric resident, was working a month of nights. Despite all of his best efforts to make the month a painless one, it was difficult. If this makes any sense, I felt like a married but single mom. Philip needed his rest during the day, did his best to spend a few hours with me and the kids between naps, and left for the hospital in the late afternoon. The evenings were long, and after the kids went to bed, I was left to my own devices–to do some housework, bake, or prep the next day’s meal. When I was feeling less than industrious, which was more often than not, I wasted too much time on the Internet, read, or indulged in the occasional pity party.
I developed a lot of bad habits that month. I neglected my afternoon prayer during the kids’ naptime. I justified it, telling myself it was important to take a nap with Philip and spend some time with him that way–even if we were just sleeping next to each other. I stayed up way too late in the evenings, playing on Pinterest, checking Facebook, or reading articles online because I struggled to sleep without Philip home. I let the kids watch too much television. I justified it because, for that month, I was a single mom who was just doing the best she could. Looking back, it’s downright terrifying how easily I could justify all of those lies to myself.
Fortunately, for me and my family, the month of nights is over, and we’re getting back into our refreshingly normal, ho-hum routine. With our routine back in action, I’m trying to drop my bad habits (vices) and trying to build some good habits (virtues)! My hope is that these good habits, or virtues, will become such a part of my life that the next time a difficult patch (like a month of Philip working nights) hits, I’ll be better prepared.
The key, so far, seems to be “feeding the meters” of all areas of my life by giving them a “time-in” each day. These focused, dedicated segments of time to the different areas of my life are paying off in big ways. It seems counter-intuitive, but when I give as much of myself as I can to all areas of my life, I have more energy, and I end up accomplishing more.
I plug my spiritual meter by coming to God in dedicated prayer time. He’s never outdone in generosity! Not only do I usually walk away with a much-needed reality check, but He multiplies my time, and I almost always complete my daily do-it list after dedicated prayer time. Someday, hopefully soon, I will have enough self-discipline to wake up before the children and start my day with this dedicated prayer time.
I plug my children’s meters when I give them lavish affection, read an extra book before nap/bedtime, put a spotlight on their good behavior, embrace the mess of a new craft/baking project, or get down on the ground and join them in play. When my children receive more time-ins during the day than time-outs, I’m rewarded as a parent in two major ways:
- They return the attention with their own lavish affection.
- They “run off the fumes” of our time together and allow me to get a few things done after our time-in.
I plug my own meter emotionally by giving myself real breaks throughout the day. I thought I was getting a lot accomplished by constantly multitasking. I’m getting much more accomplished when I tackle each project one at a time and give myself two 10-minute breaks in the day (one before lunch and one before dinner). I spend my break time reading inspiring articles, checking Facebook, or adding pins on Pinterest. Rather than leave the laptop computer open on the kitchen counter all day, I created new technology boundaries. The laptop can only be open for a few reasons:
- I am taking one of my two (AM & PM) 10-minute breaks.
- I am reading a recipe online while I am making dinner.
- I am returning e-mails or other online correspondence for no longer than half an hour.
- I am blogging (with no other windows/programs open) after I complete my prayer time.
I keep my laptop closed so that I don’t see incoming e-mails, Facebook notifications, etc. I leave my daily do-it list on top of the closed laptop so that I have a visual reminder that I have other things I need to accomplish during the day before indulging in these online distractions. With my built-in breaks and a closed laptop, I don’t feel the temptation to keep up with e-mails, Facebook, Pinterest, etc. I know that I can take my break when I need it, and the time will be spent exclusively on enjoying it. With the built-in breaks, I don’t get burnt out doing everything else during the day. Without the breaks, I was getting burnt out by lunchtime and would have what I call a “Bad Mama Moment.” A “Bad Mama Moment” is doing something like losing yourself in a half an hour of Pinterest while your kids stare at the television because you haven’t taken a break all day. To keep my “Bad Mama Moments” as few and far between as possible, I set a timer for my AM and PM breaks. When I hear the timer go off after 10 minutes, I’m able to close the laptop and get back to the work of the day refreshed.
I plug our marriage meter when I help Philip to “rejoice in the wife of (his) youth.” When I do that, I am remembering to fill his meter before the children’s meters. When I make a nice meal, give him a warm welcome home, show genuine interest in his day, give him affection, suggest we do something other than watch television, and keep a firm bedtime routine with the children, I am showing Philip that I love our children, but that he is still my first priority. With self-discipline on my part, we are able to have nutritious, home-cooked dinners at least 6 nights out of the week, and the kids are asleep by 8:00 so that we can have an hour or two together before bed. With that dedicated time one-on-one, we have more energy to fill our spiritual, physical, and emotional meters together. Our prayer life together is back in full-bloom, and we feel more intimate physically and emotionally.
With the help of some truly amazing girlfriends, I am learning that it is a good, beautiful, and often necessary thing to take a break or ask for help. For example, one sweet friend brought over a coffee and watched the kids this morning so that I could run a few errands by myself. I felt like I was on vacation! When I backed out of the driveway in my minivan all by myself, I felt dangerous listening to the music a little louder than usual and luxuriously looking at clothes for myself. When I came back, the kids were happy to see me, I was refreshed, and we read every single book we checked out from the library this week before naptime just because. The time apart from each other was good for all of us, and my friend was happy to help out because she knows I’ll do the same for her whenever she needs it.
This same friend and her husband do a monthly date night swap with us. One night each month, each couple has a chance to go on a date while the other couple babysits. The babysitting couple brings their kiddos over to the other couple’s house. The kiddos play together until bedtime, and the visiting kiddos return home with their dad. The babysitting mom stays until the couple returns home. Both couples get one free date night a month, and the kiddos have another chance to see their buddies. It’s a win-win for everyone involved!
For now, this plugging the meters approach is working to build good habits in my daily life. My prayer life is better, the kids are happier, our marriage is flourishing, and I am much healthier physically and emotionally with the fun of friendships and real breaks throughout my day.
I’m still a work in progress, and I will be until the day I die, so in no way am I doing a perfect job of filling all of my life’s meters on a daily basis. Some days, I’ll do a great job of filling one meter but completely neglect others. I’m learning that everything else seems to fall in place when I keep my spiritual meter fed. God helps keep all of the other meters in perspective. So long as I’m showing God that I love Him and show the people He put in my life that I’m trying, it’s a good day.
![Just Call Me "Crafty Cathy"]()
by Catherine | May 17, 2012 | Family, The Homefront
I was busy crafting away last week! Ever since I joined Pinterest, I’ve been adding projects and crafts to do. I decided to tackle a few of them, and I thought I’d share pictures.
Craft #1: Mother’s Day Cards for the Grandmas and Great-Grandmas
(original idea found here)
I traced Janie’s hand on green paper and cut it out. I made the flower pot out of patterned scrapbook paper and cut out the flowers before attaching gluing them to Janie’s fingertips. I bent the petals to give them a little dimension. Janie loved this project. “I make flower hands! Flower hands for grandmas!”
Craft #2: Birdseed Cookies
(original idea found here, but I used this site for instructions)
You need:
4 cups birdseed
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons of corn syrup
Mix ingredients in a bowl to make a big, sticky mess! Select cookie cutter shapes (I recommend using 3-4 inch shapes). Spread parchment paper on a baking sheet. Grease cookie cutters with cooking spray. Press the seed mixture into the cookie cutters with the back of a spoon, and use a straw to leave a hole.
Bake in the oven at 170 for an hour. Flip after thirty minutes. The alternative to baking is waiting for them to dry for several hours. Bake ’em if you don’t feel like waiting!
Voila! Birdseed cookie! If your feathered friends aren’t interested in the hanging cookie, consider leaving them out on a flat surface like your deck rail. We love watching the birdies and squirrels come to nibble on the seed cookies. Jane watches the action on the deck, and she announces whenever we have a visitor.
Craft #3 (I suppose it’s more of a baking craft): Ice cream cone cakes
(original idea from Betty Crocker’s site)
Use a Ziploc bag and cut off a corner to pour the cake batter into the ice cream cones.
Fill 3/4 of the way with batter.
Follow mix instructions or use your favorite cake recipe.
My resourceful husband cut a hole into an empty cereal puff container to serve as a frosting stand. Clever, huh?
What’s an ice cream cone without sprinkles?! We added different colors to the frosting. We love the Wilton dyes. You can find them in
the baking section of most craft stores.
Craft #4: Tile Coaster Tutorial
(original idea from The Cottage Home blog)
These were so fun to make, and they’re super simple!
Buy some plain white glazed tiles at your local hardware store. We found a 100-pack for less than $20.
Cut out squares of your favorite scrapbook paper. Mod Podge them to the tile. Add 2-3 coats of Mod Podge over the paper, making sure that each coat dries completely before adding additional coats. Sponge brushes work great for applying the Mod Podge.
Once the Mod Podge is completely dry, apply a clear acrylic sealer (outside!) to the tiles. I used Krylon brand. This will make the coasters water resistant. Don’t use warm beverages on the coasters for at least a month and make sure the acrylic sealer completely covered the entire surface of the tile. Otherwise, moisture will build up and cause the paper to bubble.
Apply felt to the bottom of the tiles with fabric glue.
Voila! You have a cute little gift! I bundled mine together with ribbon and gave them to the great-grandmas, grandmas, my sister, and sisters-in-law for Mother’s Day.
Now, we’re gearing up to celebrate Walt’s birthday on Saturday. Can’t wait!
![Just Call Me “Crafty Cathy”]()
by Catherine | May 17, 2012 | Family, The Homefront
I was busy crafting away last week! Ever since I joined Pinterest, I’ve been adding projects and crafts to do. I decided to tackle a few of them, and I thought I’d share pictures.
Craft #1: Mother’s Day Cards for the Grandmas and Great-Grandmas
(original idea found here)
I traced Janie’s hand on green paper and cut it out. I made the flower pot out of patterned scrapbook paper and cut out the flowers before attaching gluing them to Janie’s fingertips. I bent the petals to give them a little dimension. Janie loved this project. “I make flower hands! Flower hands for grandmas!”
Craft #2: Birdseed Cookies
(original idea found here, but I used this site for instructions)
You need:
4 cups birdseed
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons of corn syrup
Mix ingredients in a bowl to make a big, sticky mess! Select cookie cutter shapes (I recommend using 3-4 inch shapes). Spread parchment paper on a baking sheet. Grease cookie cutters with cooking spray. Press the seed mixture into the cookie cutters with the back of a spoon, and use a straw to leave a hole.
Bake in the oven at 170 for an hour. Flip after thirty minutes. The alternative to baking is waiting for them to dry for several hours. Bake ’em if you don’t feel like waiting!
Voila! Birdseed cookie! If your feathered friends aren’t interested in the hanging cookie, consider leaving them out on a flat surface like your deck rail. We love watching the birdies and squirrels come to nibble on the seed cookies. Jane watches the action on the deck, and she announces whenever we have a visitor.
Craft #3 (I suppose it’s more of a baking craft): Ice cream cone cakes
(original idea from Betty Crocker’s site)
Use a Ziploc bag and cut off a corner to pour the cake batter into the ice cream cones.
Fill 3/4 of the way with batter.
Follow mix instructions or use your favorite cake recipe.
My resourceful husband cut a hole into an empty cereal puff container to serve as a frosting stand. Clever, huh?
What’s an ice cream cone without sprinkles?! We added different colors to the frosting. We love the Wilton dyes. You can find them in the baking section of most craft stores.
Craft #4: Tile Coaster Tutorial
(original idea from The Cottage Home blog)
These were so fun to make, and they’re super simple!
Buy some plain white glazed tiles at your local hardware store. We found a 100-pack for less than $20.
Cut out squares of your favorite scrapbook paper. Mod Podge them to the tile. Add 2-3 coats of Mod Podge over the paper, making sure that each coat dries completely before adding additional coats. Sponge brushes work great for applying the Mod Podge.
Once the Mod Podge is completely dry, apply a clear acrylic sealer (outside!) to the tiles. I used Krylon brand. This will make the coasters water resistant. Don’t use warm beverages on the coasters for at least a month and make sure the acrylic sealer completely covered the entire surface of the tile. Otherwise, moisture will build up and cause the paper to bubble.
Apply felt to the bottom of the tiles with fabric glue.
Voila! You have a cute little gift! I bundled mine together with ribbon and gave them to the great-grandmas, grandmas, my sister, and sisters-in-law for Mother’s Day.
Now, we’re gearing up to celebrate Walt’s birthday on Saturday. Can’t wait!
![New Bedtime]()
by Catherine | May 9, 2012 | Family, Marriage, The Homefront
I love sleep. I looooooooooooooooooooooove sleep. Fortunately, Janie and Walt (usually) love their sleep, too. Unfortunately, they still wake up fairly early, and I’m in the bad habit of going to bed too late. It’s a silly problem, and I really need to do something to fix it because it’s a bad day for everyone when Mama Bear doesn’t get enough sleep. When I don’t get enough sleep, I’m like this lady.
As I get older, I’m learning to embrace who I am and finally own up to my triggers (the things that set me off into crazy Mama Bear mode). Aside from hormones (ha!), my main triggers are lack of sleep, hunger, and a messy house.
I’m finally getting a handle on the messy house, and I’m discovering more and more healthy snacks to keep me fueled throughout the day. My big, remaining trigger is lack of sleep.
I don’t have a good reason for being tired or for staying up too late. Philip and I don’t get much time together in the evenings after we’ve gotten the kids to sleep, and we’re learning that we simply won’t get as much time as we used to have. He usually has to be up at 5:00 a.m. to be at the hospital for morning rounds, and the kiddos will be up shortly thereafter.
We make resolutions to go to bed earlier when it’s Wednesday and we’re exhausted from staying up too late, but we inevitably slide back into our old ways. We’ll watch one too many episodes of Downton Abbey, or I’ll waste away an hour on Pinterest after we’ve gotten into bed for the night. Before I know it, it’s midnight and I want to smack myself in the head for putting myself through what I know is going to be a tough wake-up call.
So, it’s time to build-in a new habit. There’s a new bedtime at the Boucher household, and it’s 9:45 p.m. That means we will be in bed at 9:45 p.m. There are several reasons we need to build this new habit into our routine:
- Philip and I will both get the sleep we need.
- I can have uninterrupted prayer time before the kids wake up. I have been doing my prayer time during naptime, but it’s unsuccessful for a few reasons:
- I’ve been so tired from going to bed so late that I need a nap every now and then!
- Naptime is the time when I can get things done around the house uninterrupted. I need this time to be doing other things.
- Sometimes naptime doesn’t go according to plan and I’m not able to get a good prayer time in.
- No more of what I call fire drill wake-up calls. When I wake up with the kids, I feel like I’m constantly putting out little fires until everyone’s settled and eating at the kitchen table. I end up re-warming my coffee several times before it’s even half-gone when I’m in fire drill mode.
- More time to enjoy reading together or having a little pillow talk.
- I can organize my thoughts before bed and relegate all of my mental clutter to the next day’s daily do-it list during this time.
- We’ll be alert enough in the evening to re-dedicate that time to praying together as a couple before bed.
So, here’s to the new bedtime, and a more-rested & happy family! For a little extrinsic motivation, Philip and I decided we’re going out for a little Dairy Queen next Tuesday night if we successfully go to bed at 9:45 p.m. every night. Oh, how I love me some French Silk Pie Blizzard…
![Recipe Review: Slow-Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala]()
by Catherine | May 3, 2012 | The Homefront
It’s been a whirlwind of a day, and I’m all out of creative things to write, so I thought I’d share an awesome recipe.
If you like Indian food and you like using your slow cooker, you’re going to love this recipe. It’s called Slow-Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala. Click on the link to access the Tasty Kitchen blog where I found the recipe. Deeeeeeeelicious!
 |
| Image from tastykitchen.com |
I’ve copied and pasted the ingredients and directions, and I included my notes below.
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE CHICKEN:
- 9 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs
- 1 Tablespoon Ground Coriander
- 1 Tablespoon Ground Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 cup Yogurt
- 4 Tablespoons Butter
- 1 whole Jalapeño Pepper, Stem Removed, Pepper Pierced Several Times With A Sharp Knife
FOR THE SAUCE:
- 4 Tablespoons Butter
- 1 whole Large Onion, Peeled And Diced
- 6 cloves Garlic, Peeled And Minced
- 1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt
- 3 Tablespoons Garam Masala
- 1 piece Fresh Ginger, About 2-3 Inches, Peeled And Grated
- 4 cups Crushed Tomatoes
- 1 Tablespoon Raw Sugar (can Substitute White Granulated If Necessary)
- 2 teaspoons Cornstarch Or Cleargel
- 1-½ cup Heavy Cream
TO SERVE:
- Hot Buttered Rice And Peas
- Chopped Fresh Cilantro
Preparation Instructions
Cut the boneless, skinless chicken thighs into 1- 1 1/2 inch pieces. Sprinkle the coriander, cumin and salt over the chicken, then stir in the yogurt until all the pieces are evenly coated. Cover lightly and let sit for 10 minutes before proceeding.
Melt 1 tablespoon the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Raise the heat to medium high and quickly brown about 1/4 of the chicken. Transfer browned chicken to the slow cooker as it is finished, using 1 tablespoon of butter per batch, and repeat until the chicken is all in the slow-cooker.
Throw the pierced jalapeno in on top of the chicken.
Prepare the sauce. Return the pan to the heat and melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the onions, garlic, and kosher salt, then stir. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to lightly brown around the edges.
Stir in the garam masala and ginger and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute) before raising the heat to high and adding the crushed tomatoes and raw sugar. Stir well, scraping the caramelized bits from the bottom of the pan, and bring to a boil. Pour over the chicken in the slow-cooker.
Cover and cook on LOW for 5 hours, or until the chicken is very tender.
Use a fork or whisk to stir the cornstarch or cleargel into the heavy cream until smooth. Pour into the slow-cooker and stir gently until the colour is even. Replace the lid and let cook for 10 minutes or until bubbly around the edges.
Serve over hot rice and peas, topped with a generous amount of chopped cilantro.
My Notes:
There’s a lot of butter, and you can get away with cutting out a few tablespoons.
The recipe has a good kick to it from the pierced jalapeño. If spicy isn’t your thing, I’d suggest halving the jalapeño or leaving it out altogether.
We found a good-sized jar of Garam Masala (the key spice for the sauce) at Target from their Archer Farms series.
I used granulated sugar since I didn’t have raw sugar.
Consider chopping the chicken thighs and doing the veggie prep the night before so that all you have to do the next day is combine ingredients and turn on the slow cooker.
I used the freezer pack chicken thighs from Costco. Gotta love Costco!
I used cornstarch instead of the cleargel.
We used basmati rice. We cooked according to the package directions and threw in some frozen peas for the last minute.
Serve with naan. Got that at Costco, too! It came in a pack of 3, so we froze the extra. Brush it with olive oil or sprinkle a little water on it and stick it in the oven at 300 for a few minutes.
I love cilantro, but I decided against serving with cilantro since the sauce already had so much spice to it. Taste the sauce before you decide to add the cilantro or not.
The recipe made a lot of leftovers for us, so I froze about half into a few quart-sized bags. I made the recipe a few weeks ago for dinner, and had the frozen half for dinner last night. I thawed the bags in the fridge Monday night and poured the contents into a saucepan to thaw Tuesday night for dinner. All I had to do was make another batch of rice and throw in some peas at the end! We had the leftover naan, too. So good!
Enjoy!
