Please don't eat me!

I like wildlife. I even like little animals in my garden. But we have a problem. The leaves on some of our plants started looking like this (see photos) this week. It didn't look like bugs, because it had kind of a beaky look to the bite marks. I wondered if lizards ate leaves...? and I wondered if birds ate leaves. After much pondering, I still hadn't come up with an answer, until yesterday when I found a little yellow bird standing on our bamboo pole pecking at a tomato leaf. Scandalous!

So now it's time to decide how to stop the problem, maybe

without destroying the wildlife... though the cat stuck up the tree last week during the thunder storm was a bit of a bother, mostly because her owners were whistling at 11:00 pm trying to get her down, which really wasn't very effective. So far I have only thought of netting, and have yet to try it. If you have other opinions or ideas, please share.

Close enough Tikka Masala

Looking at this picture, you may not think, 'Oh boy! Let me try some of that.' (You may actually wonder if this is a pre-chewed meal.) But, appearances can be deceiving, because last night was the Best Dinner Ever!!!

Not to brag, since I do it all the time, but it was amazing! I probably stared at my plate for a full minute thinking 'Did I make that?!' Who knew that I could cook something more than fairly good?! No, this was epic.

Naturally I didn't follow the recipe, because my kitchen didn't have everything it called for, but substitution makes things interesting. Before you get tired of reading, here's a warning that this post is very long and the recipe seems complicated, but it is absolutely worth any work, even if the picture doesn't look it. Ready to dive in? Here goes:

Close Enough Murgh Tikka Masala (Grilled Chicken in a Spicy Sauce) (It's Indian Food) (Serves 3-4)

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken
• half a chopped onion
• dash of cayenne pepper
• few mint leaves
• few Tbls of plain yogurt
• drop of sesame oil or butter
• salt
• canola oil

• dash of
  garlic
• powdered ginger

• 2 large tomatoes
• 1/2 c cilantro
• 1 T ground coriander
• ground cumin
• dried fenugreek leaves
• 1 t paprika
• garam masala
• salt
• 1 c water
• 1/2 c cream
• rice, to serve

Marinate the chicken

Cut about 1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken into 1-2 inch chunks, evenly sized.

Marinate for 6-24 hours in Marinade:

• In food processor or blender, blend to a paste half a chopped onion, a dash of cayenne pepper, a few mint leaves, some garlic, a few Tbls of plain yogurt, a dash of garam masala, and a bit of salt.

(What is Garam Masala? It's a spice used in lots, if not all, Indian dishes. It comes pre-mixed in the spice section of many grocery stores, or you can mix your own. To find spices for a good price, check whole foods stores for bulk spices. That way you don't have to pay for the fancy packaging.)

If you don't have yogurt, try sour cream. I wouldn't do it all the time, but it worked out this time.

Cook the chicken

After marinating, heat a grill, fry pan, or grill pan and cook the chicken completely. Use any extra marinade to baste, but beware that the marinade burns faster than the chicken turns brown if the pan is too hot. Oops. Transfer to a new bowl.

Finish the chicken

To the finished chicken, add 1 Tbls vegetable oil and a drop of sesame oil or butter. Sprinkle with dried fenugreek leaves, a little salt, and cumin. Keep the chicken warm.

(We're getting close to the finish, I promise.)

The Sauce:

Fried Onion paste

Thinly slice 1/2 onion. Heat enough canola oil to cover the bottom of a pan and fry the onion until browned. Put into the food processor, or blender, and add a dash of garlic, powdered ginger, and enough plain yogurt to make it smooth.

The rest of the sauce

Puree 2 large tomatoes, or about 16 oz canned tomato, with 1/2 c cilantro. Add the puree to the remaining oil in the pan from the onion paste and cook to remove the juices (5-10 minutes) stirring regularly.

Add spices (1 T ground coriander, 1 t ground cumin, 2 t dried fenugreek leaves, 1 t paprika, 1 t garam masala, 1 t salt, or to taste). Cook 1 min.

Add 1 c water and the chicken. Simmer for 5 mins. Add 1/2 c cream. Cook 5 mins more. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve over rice. I like jasmine rice, myself.

Go forth! Try it!

(And here is the book with the original recipe, just to give credit)

Calling all bakers: Cake

Birthday cake, graduation cake, wedding cake, holiday cake, groom's cake, shower cake, baby cake...it's everywhere. Yet so often I hear people say, 'Oh what a lovely cake, but I don't really like cake that much.'

Why is it so easy to make something look amazing and taste mediocre? Unfortunately, I am a guilty baker myself.

Soon I get to make another. I'm excited, but my goal is that this one will actually taste good. Really good. I know I'm being demanding, but while my bakery experience taught me how to make it look good, but I want more than the watering eyeball and 'No, thank you' response. Of course, it has to look right, too.

Here's where you come in. These are my pleas to the world wide universe:

1. What is a good chocolate cake recipe for a stalked, sculpted cake?
2. And I have to make a handle, preferably edible, shaped like and L that has tipped over, thus lacking much support. What will hold the shape and not fall over or get soft?

You know where the box is.

Pineapple

Say Hello to my pineapple. I grew it with the help of my brother. It took 5 years to mature, which happened to be the time my parents were considering permanent removal. Luckily, it started blooming about the same time they got serious about taking it out.

My brother and I each took the top of a store-grown pineapple, let it dry for a few days, to prevent root-rot, and then planted it. We watered, watched, and mostly waited until 4.5 years later, on the day I was leaving for Stockholm, I noticed a flower stalk coming out of the center. It was a proud moment. 6 months later, we enjoyed the fruits of our labors, well, fruit. Bugs ate the other one.

What I learned:

• It's actually possible to grow pineapple, and no, they still don't grow underground, as I've often heard.
• Drying out the pineapple is necessary! It will rot otherwise.
• Some suggest watering from the top of the plant rather than at the base. That way the water catches in the leaves, like rainwater.
• Patience is a virtue - a very tasty one!
• The plant needs a good amount of sun and good soil. Our plants had mediocre soil and semi good sun. Maybe that's why it took so long.
• Experts, if anyone online is an expert, suggest placing an apple core in the plant center and covering the plant with a plastic garbage bag for a week to encourage flower growth. I tried it and it mostly burned the plant cause it got too hot under the bag.
• The flower is really cool! It's blue!
• 
  

"Come along, Mop...

...," said my loving husband the day I donated my hair. But, the resemblance is strong, so along I went.

What I learned:

• Southern Arizona is a great place for short hair.
• The hair dressers at Great Clips always treat you like you are a little bit dumb.
• Donating is great! Hopefully some less behaired person than I will enjoy my hair. I don't miss it.
• At least 10 inches is required for Locks of Love.
• But Great Clips gives you a haircut for free, even if they question your sanity... and the donatability of your hair. (i.e. She found my head somewhat lacking in aesthetics I guess.)

On Freedom

God bless America, the land of the free. Our job? To be brave in order keep it that way. Happy Independence Day!