A Supportive Partner

It's easy to get caught up with life and let the things that really matter slip by unnoticed. These past few days, I've been working on not one, but two separate blogs - and although it makes me giddy with joy to be this productive, doing something I love, it does come at a price. Now, Ozzy my cat, he has no problems expressing his displeasure if Mommy spends too much time on the computer. His solution is to simply be as loud and obnoxious as he possibly can, often resorting to smacking my leg as I'm sitting on the computer chair, jumping on me, mock-biting (harmless nibbles, really), and generally making a total nuisance of himself. Eventually I give in - like most moms - and give him what he wants, i.e. my undivided attention. The good thing is, he doesn't need me for more than a few minutes. I just pick him up in my arms and walk around the house for 10 mins, giving him that free ride he loves, do a bit of nuzzling and cuddling, and he's a happy camper!

DH, on the other hand, has similar issues, but for some reason, makes me feel more guilty by making his puppy-dog face, and walking by the computer moping, grumbling, giving his "nobody loves me" speech from time to time. So what's a girl to do?! I can't let the blog be more important than DH's fragile ego, because that's a slippery slope folks. And in all fairness, he does indulge me in my many artsy-fartsy pursuits. For instance, I wanted to go listen to the Yale Philharmonic last week, and he readily agreed to accompany me, even though opera and orchestra music is really not his cup of tea. Kudos to him, he tried, but ended up playing games on his phone for most of the performance. Still, he was there, and that's important! He also isn't crazy about watching plays, but once again, we recently attended a Shakespeare-inspired contemporary play at Yale Cabaret, and this time he didn't even glance at his phone. So I notice these things, and I remember. And I appreciate them. Being me, I have a sure-fire way of showing him that I'm thankful. Cooking what he loves, and surprising him with it. And this is it.

Tender chicken, braised with nuts, coconut milk and fragrant spices. Rich, decadent, but easy!

Almonds and cashews work their magic!

Badami Chicken OR Chicken With Almonds
Serves 4

Click here for a printable recipe

Ingredients:
Half a chicken, skinless, cut into pieces
1/2 - 1 cup yogurt
3-4 onions, chopped
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
4 cloves
1-inch piece of cinnamon
8 almonds
8 cashews
4 cardamons
1/2 cup thick coconut milk (or more if you like)
3-4 tbsp canola oil
1.5 tsp salt
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
1-2 small green chillies, chopped
Cilantro and slivered almonds to garnish

Method:
1. Grind to a paste the ginger, garlic, cloves, cinnamon, cardamoms, cashews and almonds.

2. Heat oil in a large saucepan, then saute the chopped onions till golden.

3. Add in the ground spice paste and fry for 30 secs or so.

4. Now add the yogurt and the chicken, and season with salt, red chilli powder and turmeric. Cook for 10 mins, stirring well.

5. Add coconut milk and green chillies. Cover and simmer till chicken is done - should be really tender. I like a lot of gravy; feel free to add water if it looks too dry. The ground nuts should thicken up the sauce, which is what you want - a thick, luscious gravy.

6. Taste for seasoning before you turn off the heat! Garnish with cilantro and slivered almonds. Serve with basmati rice or rotis.

Verdict: I love this nutty curry almost as much as DH. He adores it, because he dunks his bread in there, soaking up all that flavorful gravy, and can't get enough of this stuff! I always have some bone-in chicken in my freezer, plus the rest of these ingredients are pretty standard for those of us who cook Indian/Pakistani food on a regular basis, so the whole thing is pretty easy to throw together. If chopping onions seems like too much of a chore that day, I just slice them, which is faster and works just fine in the sauce. I've made this dish for some non-desi friends as well, and they were left licking their fingers too, so I know this one's a "keep for life" recipe.

And that, dear readers, is what keeps DH sated enough to let me get back to my blogging! It's not devious at all, na uh! Speaking of blogging, I must thank you all for giving Debby and me such a great response to our new site - Foodie Fans of The Pioneer Woman. I've already decided which Thanksgiving side dish I'm going to be preparing as part of the first challenge. In the meantime though, I'd like to feature one of P-Dub's fabulous Thanksgiving desserts that I created for my Canadian Thanksgiving, which I celebrated with my parents when they came down from Toronto last month. Pumpkin Cheesecake With Gingersnap Crust. I prefer it to pie any damn day, and posted about it last year as well.

Believe it. This tastes as good as it looks!