Apricot, Coconut , Chilli, Chicken recipe

I love this recipe I have cook this when I need a bit of soul warming , we all have days like those.

Ingredients

3 plump stalks lemon grass
50g/2oz fresh ginger
2 hot red chilli or 2 tbsp of sweet chilli sauce
1 bunch coriander
2 limes
2 tbsp groundnut oil
200g/7oz tomatoes
2 tbsp fish sauce( nam plan)
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
8 chicken thighs
400ml/14oz can coconut milk
8 apricots,halved (dried ones will do)








Preparation method

Peel and discard the outer leaves of the lemon grass- they can sometimes be tough. cut the inner leaves into short lengths and put in the food processor. peel the ginger into thin pieces and add to the lemon grass Chop the chillies, discarding their stems and add to the ginger with the peeked garlic. roughly chop the stems and half of the coriander to add to the food processor, reserving the rest for later

Grate the lime zest into the food processor, reserving the limes for later, then turn the machine in and let it chop everything to a coarse paste. Add a little groundnut oil and scarce the sides down with a spatula if it sticks. Add the fish sauce , soy sauce and the tomatoes and process for a few seconds longer.


Warm a further tablespoon of groundnut oil over a moderate to high heat and use it to bown the chicken pieces , turning them so they colour nicely on both sides. Lift the chicken pieces out and pour away anything more than a tablespoon of oil and juices. Add the spice paste and let it fry over a moderate heat or two minutes till fragrant, stirring almost consistently, then return the chicken to the pan. Pour over the coconut , milk, stir, covet and leave to simmer over a low heat for 15 -20 minutes. Meanwhile halve and stone the apricots and leave them to one side.

Test the chicken to see if it is done making certain it's cooked right the way through , add the apricots. Leave to simmer for a few minutes, then add the juice of the limes and the reserved coriander leaves.

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This post is an entry into the Foodies100/Schwartz Flavour of Together challenge.” 

Happy Countryside Living Its Only Natural

Time is marching on , but not in a sorrowful way in a way then makes me proud I watch my boy at football and realise there's not many years where I can watch him. Though snow , wind and freezing temperatures I have watched him, apart from the couple of times when it was hammering it down !
But each moment that I do watch hi is a moment frozen in time in my memory, heart and photo the past is always there and the future comes and soon becomes the past. The trick is to build happy memories and not let the bad memories , bad times get you down and this is what I am doing for me and  my family.

When you can forgive other people , you can forgive yourself ( for what ever reason) time is of the moment and when you write sometimes you can be quite reflective. So imagine when soldiers of the First War wrote home then could not convey all that they saw and experience on the Front Line. It was a time when the class system prevailed and when human politics and country politics were at play. It was a promise for heroes. And next week I will save a few original First world war articles with you , and a few family insights.

This week has been quite action packed from trips out, to sorting furniture and the never ending task of shifting  junk  from one place to another. And then there's the country I just love the country not just because I live on the edge of it but I love getting out there and taking different shots. And this week J was playing football in another very picturesque location.. The pictures I think and hope speak for themselves.

Call 999 it's the Tweenies

Today I am thinking about children's television , I am not going to indulge you with a trip down memory lane but the simple fact that these programmes can be quite quite influential in children's and our own lives.

I remember when my own son was small and the blessed  adorable "tweenies were on the as my Grandad called it the googly box . It's instrumental in delivering a moral, practical lesson without which our very souls would be at stake.

The particular episode that I remember watching when my son was what to do in a medical emergency . All the emergency services were covered then the really , really helpful bit how to call 999

So with all that really useful information buzzing around his little noggin , I set him down to play .. Yes you guessed went to play emergency services with his playmobil characters. After establishing that this was a rare "mummy moment " I escaped to the solace of a cup of tea. I was gone a nano second but as we all know in "mummy" world that's like ten years.

So after my cup of tea I went to see how the little cherub was doing.. I could hear loud voices( these were not in my head) so it was thumbs up for interactive play. So I popped my head around the door and my son was quietly talking to his playmobil . But I could still hear but what was now quite angry voices this time coming from my bedroom, the phone was off the hook.

"What service does Milo Twenie need?"

OH @@@@ my son had called the emergency services for Milo from the Tweenies.

I grabbed the phone and explained and apologised ...

They were somewhat understanding .....

I went to my sons room just as I approached the door I heard him say

"Don't worry Milo they firemen will be here soon"

Bless .... Just Bless

Cresswell Crags

Monday saw us going Cresswell Crags to see some Ice Age art, I wasn't prepared fir the temperatures at all! And that was still snow on the ground. It is the only place in the British isles where you can see Ice age art.

Creswell Crags is a limestone gorge on the border between Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, England near the villages of Creswell, Whitwell and Elmton. It is well worth a visit and it is has a high impact on family fun.


And the boys (husband & son ) made the Hairy Bikers Mud pie.

And then I read about slow blogging just as meaningful as when myself and my family go out and actually connect and enjoy the world. Slow blogging is essence about speaking a step back and not feeling compelled to blog your every waking moment , you make feel as if you have to but trust me you don't . In a nutshell its quality over quantity , wise words indeed ! A mantra for life if I saw one.

And blogging isn't about being snarky , something I have probably been guilty of in my time !! I am an honest blogger but I like my privacy at the same time bit of a double sword blogging is sometimes.

So I am pledging to write more mindfully and more reflectively thats's not to say I am going to call all happy chick on you and start burning insense ...( that I hope wasn't snarky ..)

Also with slow blogging is to read as much as you blog , take in some inspiration , don't just blog the first thing that comes into your head. So I'll be taking the slow bloggers pledge, will you ?

So as with the countryside around you sometimes you must stop...

Breathe...

And take a good look around you'll be a better person and blogger for it.

Samsung ME89F-1SS Microwave Oven blog giveaway

So here its is nearly 2 years of my blog  there's been tears, toils ,smiles, cross words , happy words and that's just from Mr T about my cooking. Before I descend into a stereotypical 1970's sitcom I have a superb giveaway to tell you about to celebrate my blog, I am going to give away a microwave , I am very excited.

So its thanks to John Lewis who have a good choice of microwaves to purchase amongst otherhousehold appliances. So the prize in question is this microwave from Samsung. So what's the burning question for the competition." What would your ideal product from John Lewis be ?"

I know for me I would love a new sofa has my current sofa is looking a bit cat eaten to say the least.

a Rafflecopter giveaway