Dandelion bouquets and various other things

I love my kids - there is something every day they do to make me smile and feel grateful I can be home to witness it. Today's story: There is nothing quite like receiving a bouquet of noxious weeds from eager faced children. :) What do you say when they tell you to put it on the table like you do when you get flowers from Daddy? Of course the answer is a big smiley thank you - they are beautiful - and please wait while I get a glass with water - and then proudly place them as the centerpiece on the table.

Then there are the ever enjoyable sayings they come up with that make me just shake my head - for example, Cowboy's new phrase is: "Oh, that tickles my penis!" whenever we go over a bump or hill in the road.

I discovered a wonderful cleaning tip - if you microwave a bowl of water WITH a cut LEMON (about 3-5 min), it not only loosens all the gunk on the microwave so you can just wipe it out with a wet cloth, but it deodorizes as well - leaving it smelling fresh and clean. Then you can dump the water and lemons into the disposal and you've deodorized two things in one. :oD Simple yes, but I never thought of knocking the two birds out with one stone.

And finally, I'll share a recipe I found that I altered and we thought it was rather delicious. I'm not a curry fan, but this one is just right for us - and I love coconut milk!

Easy Curry Chicken

Ingredients:

Flour mixture: 1/3 c flour, 1 tsp each paprika and salt, dash of pepper

2-5 TBS vegetable oil

3/4 lg sweet onion

3 tsp curry powder

2 cans unsweetened coconut milk

1 can diced tomatoes (mostly drained)

3 TBS tomato paste

1-2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into cubes

3-5 handfuls of fresh baby spinach (however much you want to have)

Jasmine rice

1. Cut up 1-2 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breast into cubes and toss into flour mixture - (I usually double to flour mixture and put in plastic bag to shake and coat chicken)

2. Put 1-3 TBS veg oil in skillet on medium and brown chicken pieces (once browned, I just leave them in the skillet and cover on low or off so they continue to cook on the inside)

3. While chicken is browning, add 1-2 TBS oil in lg skillet over medium heat. Add onion and 1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt. Cook stirring often, until soft (about 7 min). Add curry powder and stir for another minute.

4. Mix coconut milk, tomatoes, and tomato paste in bowl, then pour into onions. Cook mixture, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until sauce thickens slightly.

5. Add chicken, stir well and cook for 5-6 min until meat is cooked through (it will probably be already cooked, but a good 5 min is a good idea). Add spinach and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted - about 3 min. You can add salt to taste, but we didn't really need any.

6. Serve warm over rice (jasmine is best).