NYE reflections and final recipe of 2012!

Is it just me or has the end of 2012 caught anyone else by surprise?

I guess this feeling must be due to the year being really jam-packed all the way up until the very end.  So much so, that I feel like I need a few days to just ease into 2013 because I haven’t fully recovered from the flurry of activity that I jumped into straight after exams haha.

Having said that, it’s always good to sit back and reflect on just how much was achieved in these last 12 months.  The ones that come to mind (and I’m sure you’d be familiar with them if you’ve been reading this blog recently so please bear with me):

• converted… to Android!
• made SOY chai latte my go-to drink
• became an Instagrammer 
• got a new blog domain!
• got a traineeship for 2013 (I start in TWO weeks! Craziness!)
• became a Compassion sponsor mum :)
• finished and graduated from my law degree (still in awe)
• travelled by myself for the first time to SG and HK (the best!)
• started to grow out my hair again :P
• made gingerbread not once but THREE times in two weeks!

…and that’s only off the top of my head :P

the kids creativity over the Christmas weekend :)

It has been a massive year and I’ve been supremely blessed to share it with some amazing people.  At least on the foodie blog circuit, it’s been great to graduate from “comment-buddies” to “real-life-friends” with a few folks like Winston, Vien, Daisy and Sophie ;).

As to resolutions, I know one will be to cook more often and bring lunch to work at least 3 out of 5 days (hopefully).  I think I’ve definitely been in the kitchen a lot more this year and here are my top three favourites that have made it onto the blog:

• Colourful Quinoa Salad
• Baked Pumpkin and Sage Risotto
• Momofuku Compost Cookies

So on that note, I’d like to share one final recipe before the year is out.  It’s one I think I’ll be cooking a few more times in 2013 because it’s so simple, delicious and a crowd-pleaser!

Chicken with haloumi and honey

adapted from Donna Hay’s Fast Fresh and Simple

Serves 2 (I made this for 3 so just I just added an extra half of these measurements)

Ingredients:

• 2 x 200g chicken breast fillets, trimmed
• 150 g haloumi, cut into thick eatable slices
• 1 tablespoon shredded lemon zest
• 6 sprigs of lemon thyme
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• rocket, cherry tomatoes and walnut salad, to serve

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 C. Place the chicken haloumi, zest and lemon thyme in a ceramic baking dish.
2. Combine the oil and honey and pour over.
3. Bake for 18-20 mins or until chicken is cooked through.
4. Serve with rocket, cherry tomatoes and walnut salad.

Enjoy!

Kitchen notes:

• Next time, I’d probably make sure that the chicken breast fillets were all the same size so that cooked more evenly – had to put a few slices in the microwave to just make sure it was cooked completely!
• DH suggested a fig and rocket salad but I could not find fresh figs and any at all the stores I went to so substituted cherry tomatoes instead – still very good!

That’s a wrap, folks!  I’m still toying with the idea of taking a break from blogging in January – there’s just a lot of things to do to get real-life in order at the moment.  While not posting for a while, I’ll try to build up some new content ready to go when I do come around these parts again.  For now, take care and HAPPY NEW YEARS EVE!!

Random Question: What are your new year’s resolutions for 2013?

♥ Ames

Green, Green, Green Chicken Curry!

I never wanted to be one of those bloggers who abandons their blog for a week without notice but with the start of a new uni semester, real life just got the better of me :P.   Apologies for the absence, there are many-a-post in draft form but I was so happy with the dish I recently cooked for my family, I’ve skipped ahead to share this recipe :).

Thai green curry chicken (aka Green x3 chicken curry!)

adapted from recipe found in Super Food Ideas, May 2008 (pg 56)

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 600g chicken thigh fillets, trimmed, cut into 3cm pieces
• (Green 1) 2 small zucchini, thickly sliced (I misread and sliced them thinly >.<)
• (Green 2) 500g broccoli, trimmed, cut into florets
• 1/4 cup of green curry paste (add more depending on preferred spice level)
• 400ml can light coconut cream
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce
• 4 kaffir lime leaves (I substituted it with ~ 2 tablespoons lemon juice)
• (Green 3) 1/2 cup frozen peas
• steamed rice, to serve

Method

1. Heat oil in a saucepan over high heat.  Add chicken – cook, stirring for 5 to 7 minutes or until browned.
2. Reduce heat to medium-high.  Add zucchini and broccoli.  Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until zucchini starts to soften.  Add curry paste – cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant.
3. Add coconut cream, sugar, fish sauce, lime leaves (or lemon juice) – bring to boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low.  Simmer for 5 minutes or until sauce starts to thicken.
4. Add peas, simmer for 2 minutes or until heated through.  Serve with steamed rice.

Voila!  I added an extra teaspoon of the green curry paste and it was perfect for our palettes :).  Parents said we never need to order green curry again because this tasted better than the restaurants… I was stoked!  Happy cooking!

♥ Ames