I'm leaving for a while....

My life has been the poem I would have writ

But I could not both live and utter it.

~ Henry David Thoreau ~

Chicken Jalfrezi

This is an extremely tasty chicken dish.  We had it last week and it won't be long until I make it again.

I could taste every ingredient.  The recipe is for four people but, you guessed it, it only went as far as two!

An extra side of Risoni, drizzled with olive oil, a teaspoon of Garam Masala and salt and pepper to taste, was a good companion and would help it to go further if you have unexpected visitors.

It would also be nice served with a side of cool, crisp lettuce and tomato; that is if you're going to include the chillies.  I didn't have chillies so chopped up about three slices of Jalapeño and the steam was coming out of my ears!  Suited hubby's palate, though!

Ingredients:

• 500g chicken pieces, skin removed - I used thighs
• The marinade:
• 2 inch piece ginger, peeled and finely grated - I used 2 heaped tsp minced
• 3-4 cloves garlic, peeled and grated - OR 2 heaped tsp minced
• ½ tsp Turmeric
• 1 tsp Garam Masala
• The vegetable mix:
• 2 med onions, peeled and thickly sliced or chopped
• 150g or 2 green peppers, de-seeded and sliced or cubed
• 1-2 green chillies, chopped (optional)
• 2 large tomatoes (250g) cut into wedges
• 2 tbsp oil or ghee
• Salt to taste
• The curry gravy:
• 2 tbsp ghee or oil
• ½ tsp chilli powder, adjust to taste
• 2 tbsp tomato pureé
• Optional:
• You can add a couple of tablespoons of thick, natural yoghurt or double cream at step 10, to make the dish creamy.
• Salt to taste

Method:

1. Mix ginger, garlic, turmeric, garam masala and salt together.
2. Coat chicken with this mix and allow to marinate for 2-3 hours.
3. Heat oil or ghee in a large frying pan, wok or kadhai.
4. Add sliced onions, green chillies, green peppers and salt, fry for 10 minutes.
5. Add tomato wedges, stir fry until onions become translucent and green peppers and tomatoes are half cooked, approximately 10 minutes. 
6. Lift out with a slotted spoon and keep aside.
7. Heat 2 tbsp oil or ghee in pan, add marinated chicken and stir-fry for 5 minutes on high.
8. Add chilli powder and tomato puree and simmer on low heat, until chicken is cooked.  Stir-fry until excess gravy is evaporated and chicken looks well fried.  
9. Add fried vegetables, prepared earlier and stir-fry for a few minutes, until heated through.
10. Stir in Yoghurt/cream here, if used - I used thick, Greek yoghurt.
11. Adjust seasoning, turn heat off, sprinkle with coriander leaves.

Source: About.com 

The Longest Oscar Acceptance Speech

Greer Garson

~~ "I do wish I could tell you my age but it is impossible.

It keeps changing all the time." ~~

I was watching our annual television award program, The Logies, the other night and the subject of an adequate time for an acceptance speech came up.  It was said that Greer Garson's Oscar acceptance speech went for a long 47 minutes!  Now that is incorrect; it may have seemed that long but the Guinness Book of World Records says 5½ minutes.  Patrick Stockstill, historian at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, says 7 minutes and another person says 6 minutes.

In 1943 Greer came on to accept her Best Actress award for 'Mrs Miniver' (1942) and said, "I'm practically unprepared"; minutes on, presenter Joan Fontaine looked for a seat.  It was the last speech of the night and nearly 2am!  The Academy was compelled after that to limit speeches to 45 seconds.  By the way, Greer's Oscar was destroyed in a house fire and The Academy sent a replacement.  

The shortest acceptance Oscar speech was given by Alfred Hitchcock; in accepting the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award for creative producers in 1968; he simply said, "Thank you".

Our Logie Awards were named after John Logie Baird (1888-1946), a Scottish engineer and inventor of the world's first working television system, also the world's first fully electronic colour television tube.  

Happy Mother's Day!!

Artist: Gustav Berkholz

Happy Mother's Day to my Daughter Nicole Monique, 

Daughter-in-law Pamela, 

all of my lovely friends 

and all Mums in Australia and USA tomorrow!!  

"Mothers hold their children's hands for a short while but their hearts forever."



Mums all over the world, have a special day.

Hey! Duck for cover!!

I always think these guys are

going to crash into our house!
He's heading our way!

.... Or have a mid-air collision;

there's always 3 or 4 of them!

They usually appear on a Sunday afternoon,
just when one is looking forward to a siesta
or a quiet read...

I do wonder though;
.... it would be an exhilirating experience!

Keep them safe.

Mayday

Calamity Jane

Just a bit of trivia.  I really enjoyed reading about Calamity Jane; had no idea what she was all about, so that was my lesson for the day!

Born on this day:

• 1852 - Calamity Jane, American Wild West legend (d.1903)
• 1907 - Kate Smith, American singer (d.1986)
• 1916 -  Glenn Ford, Canadian actor (d.2006)
• 1945 - Rita Coolidge, American singer

Events:

• 1759 - Josiah Wedgwood founds the Wedgwood pottery company in Great Britain
• 1786 - Opening night of the opera The Marriage of Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in Vienna, Austria
• 1834 - The British colonies abolish slavery
• 1869 - The Folies Bergère opens in Paris
• 1931 -  The Empire State Building is dedicated in New York City
• 1956 - The polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk is made available to the public
• 2003 - In what becomes known as the "Mission Accomplished" speech, on board the USS Abraham Lincoln (off the coast of California), U.S. President George W. Bush declares that "major combat operations in Iraq have ended".

Source: Wikipedia