Thoughts for improving in the future would be to add more of the following:

Salt, pepper, cinnamon, lemon (would add zest and juice next time).  To make a truly one pot meal, I would add potatoes.  We served the chicken and vegetables today over mashed potatoes.

See the recipe for Sweet & Sour Chicken Thighs with Carrots in the next post below.

Technorati Tags: Chicken Thighs, Jewish

I’m making this dish with a few variations.

• I added celery to augment the vegetables in this dish.
  
• I substituted the water with chicken stock.
• I’m going to make this in the slow cooker.
  

I decided to try the slow cooker for a few reasons.  I’m going to be heading out of town for the day on Tuesday and don’t want to be tied up too much tomorrow night cooking.  Also, chicken thighs make a great slow cooker meat as it can withstand long cooking times and won’t dry out. Check the recipe out below.  If you’re interested in Jewish cooking, there are some great Sephardic and Ashkenazic recipes in a book called The World of Jewish Cooking by Gil Marks.  (ISBN 0-684-83559-2)  Ashkenazic Jews lived in the areas of France, Germany, and Eastern Europe.  I love learning about the cuisines of different cultures and religions.  These dishes are definitely a bit different than the matzo ball soup you’re probably familiar with.

Technorati Tags: Chicken Thighs, Jewish, Sephardic

I peeled the shrimp and placed in a bowl stirring them with a dry curry powder.  I selected a fairly tame variety as my partner cannot stomach too much spice.  I would have loved to sprinkle the shrimp with Madras curry!  The cauliflower was cut next and broken into florets.  I started to cook the cauliflower in a pot with a small amount of chicken stock and a few teaspoons of the same curry.  Next, I sliced carrot thinly on the diagonal and started them in a saute pan to help soften.  Crescent-sliced celery went into the saute pan next.  I finished things up by boiling soba noodles and draining them, mixing with the vegetables and adding chicken stock.  I sauteed the shrimp at the end turning the heat off before the shrimp were fully cooked.

The dish was delicious.  It could have used a sauce with coconut milk.  I think that would have made it a bit better and more rich tasting.  Nonetheless, we have a nice weeknight meal of curry to look forward to.  Maybe I’ll stop by one of our stores on the way home from work this week and get coconut milk.

Technorati Tags: Curry, Shrimp

The menu consists of a variety of salads, pastas, entrees, and Tex-Mex dishes.  I’m a huge chimichanga fan and usually get their Cha-Cha Changa.  (Fun name or kitsch?  You decide!)  Last night I had Manuel’s Tacos as I wanted a slightly lighter meal.  The chicken was what I believe an adobo-marinated pulled chicken.  Juicy and delicious!  Served with the usual accompaniments of salsa, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, and a side of rice and beans, this made up for our date night last weekend.

Stop by Highland House for a casual meal among friends.  They also have a restaurant in Sheboygan, WI too.

www.highlandhouse.ws

Technorati Tags: Mequon WI, Mexican

I start out with APS seed-starting systems from Gardener’s Supply Co.  I’ve been using these kits for over 7 years with great success.  They come in a wide variety of sizes.  I’m using the 24-cell version today.  They go from 6-cell to 40-cell.  Features include:

• Water reservoir tray
• Capillary mat (this mat wicks water from the water reservoir to the bottom of your soil and gently moistens the soil.
• Styrofoam cell tray (I know, not the most green item.  However, these kits are reusable.  The one pictured is new.  I’m still using kits from my original purchase 7 years ago!)
• Clear lid (great for creating a greenhouse to keep the soil warm for germination)

I’m fond of using an organic seed-starting mix.  If we’re going to eat the food grown in our garden, it might as well as be natural and free of unwanted chemicals. There will surely be enough chemicals that will make their way into the soil through wind and rain (We live in the Milwaukee area…not exactly the freshest air around…but certainly not as bad as smog-ridden Los Angeles)  I don’t want to add any additional chemicals to our home-grown produce. The mix I use also comes from Gardener’s Supply.  In the Winter, I prefer to order things online and have them come to my house.  Just my lazy way of dealing with the cold!

Mix a little water into the mix before using to ensure proper moisture content and understand how much the mix will compact in your cells.  If you use dry, the mix will shrink severely in the cells and not have enough content to support the root system for several weeks.  You can always transplant, as I will need to with the peppers, but need a good root system formed to survive the move.

After moistening the mix, I start spooning the mix into each cell.  This is a tedious process that I have little patience for.  The reward clearly outweighs the boredom, so I try to smile while trudging through the process!!  I’m happy today because I’m only filling cells in one kit.  If I had much more, I’d enlist Dale’s help.

The only tip I have here is don’t pack too hard.  You want a well packed mix to ensure proper contact with the capillary mat below the cells.  However, you need to leave the mix loose enough to encourage proper root growth without making the plant struggle to root itself.  I’ve experienced both situations in the past.  If the mix is not packed enough, you’ll be misting and watering from the top until the mix packs itself down.  (You don’t want to dry out your new seedling and mix!)  If the mix is too packed, your seedling will start life out all stressed out.  Happy plants produce a lot of food for you.  Stressed out plants act like a human getting stressed out….not so productive!!!

Now that my cells are filled (phew!), it’s time to drop the seeds in.  I’m starting out one kind of parsley and two kinds of pepper.

Parsley – Dark Green Hybrid -Italian flat-leaf variety that will be more fragrant and peppery than its curly counterpart.

Bell Pepper – Rainbow Hybrid -I’ve used these in the past.  We won’t know what colors we have until the peppers ripen. Surprise!

Jalapeno Pepper – Early Jalapeno – This variety has a shorter fruiting timeline.  Can’t wait too long for good homemade salsa!

Seeds are in their new home and I’ll wait (as patiently as I can) for the seedlings to sprout up.  Here are the references for the companies that I’ve used with good success.

Gardener’s Supply Co

www.gardeners.com

Jung Garden Centers

www.jungseed.com

Technorati Tags: Gardening, Herbs, Vegetables