Dahiwali Chicken Curry

source: Mothering Magazine Jan/Feb 2009

2 tbsp light cooking oil
3-4 cardamom pods, bruised
4-5 whole black peppercorns
1-2 dried bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
3-4 whole cloves
1 large onion, finely chopped
2-3 medium green chillis, finely chopped (i wasn't sure what to get so i skipped this!)
1 tsp ginger, finely chopped
1 tsp garlic, finely chopped (I used like 6 cloves - way more than 1 tsp...)
1/2 tsp red chilli powder (another thing I couldn't find)
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp tumeric powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp garam masala powder
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
a few cups baby spinach (my addition)
salt to taste
1/2 cup plain yogurt, beaten
2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced to 1 inch cubes
1 handful fresh coriader (cilantro) chopped for garnish

Heat oil in thick-bottomed pan and saute cardamom, peppercorns, bay leaves, cinnamon, and cloves until they begin to sizzle.

Add onions, green chillis, and fry 3-5 minutes on medium high heat, until onions turn pink(??? I never saw pink, but was missing a few ingredients...) and tender. Add ginger and garlic and saute 1-2 minutes until mixture begins to express oil.

Add red chilli powder, cumin, tumeric, coriander and garam masala, and fry 1 minute. Mix in tomatoes and salt, and cook a few minutes until tomatoes pulp and release oil around sides of pan. Slowly stir in yogurt to form a smooth gravy base.

Add chicken pieces and cook covered 10-15 minutes on medium low heat until done. If using spinach - toss in spinach at the end - last few minutes so it has time to wilt.

Garnish with coriander leaves (cilantro) and serve hot with a side of rotis bread or rice and a salad.

Rotis - is a traditional Indian flatbread. I used whole wheat flour and added enough water to make a dough and rolled out small circles and cooked it in a cast iron skillet.

Prep - 15 minutes (i think this is a bit short - took me a little longer while juggling the antics of a toddler and preschooler)

Cooking - 30 minutes

Serves 2 (main dish) or 4 (side dish) - this served 2 easily with enough to give Maddie and have a whole serving left over.

Night Owl

At this moment, my son - who is not sleepy - is running up and down the hall in pink high heels. Just a few minutes prior to donning the heels I heard the sounds of water being poured out and found him and the cat in the bathroom. The cat was drinking from the faucet (I'd turned it on for her - she prefers running water) and Wyatt was dipping water out of the toilet into the "drinking" cup that the kids use to brush their teeth.

And now at this moment - he's traded one pink shoe for a blue shoe and is squatting down admiring the princesses on his toe tap shoes. He kicked off the pink one and i having a tantrum because he can't get it back on. But now he just asked me to take his socks off. And since the socks are off - they are no longer socks, but mittens and are now on his hands.

Oh and earlier he took a bar of soap and put it in my breadmaker (it sits on the floor under the counter) and closed the lid and started pushing buttons and declared that he was "cooking."

I have no idea where the soap is presently, but when I was looking for it in the bread machine I also found a Percy Train Engine.

It's been an interesting evening to say the least!

Sweet Toddler Nursing...

Tonight the procrastination was evident with both Maddie and Wyatt. They wanted cuddles in Mommy Bed (is what Maddie calls my bed) and Our Bed (that's what Wyatt calls my bed). They wanted snacks - even after the no-eating timeline, drinks of water and a million other silly requests.

Finally Maddie was in bed and fast asleep and after a few more snuggles and some mommy milk - I tucked Wyatt into bed. But he wasn't on board and after several minutes of anxious crying I went into the room to see if I could soothe him. I hugged and kissed him and told him I loved him, but that he needed to go to sleep. "I scared," he told me. "I'm cold."

I wrapped him up and made sure his night light was on - and left the room for the second time.

It didn't take nearly as long for him to turn up the volume and sound even more frantic this time around.

And being the compassionate mom who doesn't believe in crying-it-out, I picked him up and brought him to where I'd been sitting at the kitchen table. I knew that if I nursed him he'd settle down and go more easily to bed.

He actually nursed well - for about 10 minutes and even changed sides...

But the moment that melted my heart came after he was finished nursing - he let go and fell back into my arms and said "Mommy, I'm sleepy." At that moment the last word escaped between his sweet lips his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he was out.

There is nothing sweeter than cuddling and nursing a toddler - someone who can tell you his needs and wants and verbally and physically give you his love and thanks.

I must also say that at the end of the day - holding a sweet, sleeping Wyatt in my arms makes up for all the frustrations any mom of a toddler experiences on a day to day basis.

Dear Wyatt - on your 2nd Birthday

Dear Wyatt,

I stand amazed at how much you have grown in the last year. Barely toddling a year ago you are now running, jumping and climbing everywhere and everything.

I thank God every day for the sweet little boy he gave to me - I still remember the shock and sense of fear I had when the ultrasound technician announced you were a boy. I had no idea what to do with a girl - all I knew were frills and fairies and tea parties. I knew nothing about trucks and bugs and sports. I cried when I heard you were a boy - I was scared I guess.

Now I cry because I wouldn't have any other child but you - my sweet, sweet little man. I cry tears of joy because you are mine now and always. My heart is so full of love for you and your sister that it hurts some times. My friends and family told me that little boys love their mommas and they were so right as you never go very long without running up and holding onto my legs or neck and saying "Mommy, I love you!" It melts my heart every time. I am proud and honored to be your mother.

At two years old you have quite the personality and a vocabulary that is beyond your two short years. Already you are speaking in sentences - something that seems early for your age and gender - but I suppose it's to be expected understanding your sister's penchant for prattle.

You love to dance, to make people smile - to act silly to get attention. Your father and I both have noticed that you seem to be unusually gifted when it comes to sports that involve balls. You live to play basketball and have been actually dribbling a basketball since about 18 months old. This Christmas we gave you a basketball goal that is the perfect size for you and you spend hours making baskets with the many balls we have amassed for your entertainment. You love to watch sports with Daddy and amaze both of us with your ability to kick a ball - it's almost like you already know how to run and dribble it with your little feet! Although I'm still cautious about letting you play sports - I am looking forward to the day you can play Upward Basketball and Upward Soccer at church.

My funniest memory of you at this age is you wearing a pair of Maddie's dress-up heels and shooting basketballs into your hoop. It tickles me so much!

Thomas the Train is your other love and you were blessed by Becca, Todd and Ryan (Rynen) with two of the Thomas engines that go by themselves (Trackmasters) and you get the biggest kick out of turning them on and off by yourself (I did it!). You have your special Thomas blanket (Tommy Bankie) and sleep with it every night.

We spend a lot of time at church and you love the ladies who care for you on Wednesdays and Sundays. You often ask to go to church and that warms my heart - knowing that you consider it to be a safe place where you feel loved. I love knowing that you are surrounded by people who love you and love Jesus. I thank God for providing us with such a wonderful place to worship and grow in Christ.

My heart swells with pride when we say prayers together at night and you bow your head and fold your tiny little hands and quietly say "Amen" at the end. There are times when you remind me to pray and I am constantly humbled by the innocence I see in you and Maddie. God's love and grace is abundant and visible to me in both of you.

My only complaint as you pass your second year - is that you still don't sleep well at night. But it's also not something that I've really tried to fight with you. Often we are so busy during the day that the nighttime is the sweetest cuddling and nursing time we have. You'll often nurse much better at night when you are sleepy than you will during the day when there is something more interesting - like a basketball - to distract you. I'm happy you are still nursing - you are the pickiest eater I've ever come across and I am happy that I am able to provide you with something that is completely healthy and necessary for you! I have met my personal goal of nursing you for two years and we'll continue until you are ready to be done. I love that your Mimi and Papa - and daddy, too - are very supportive of our nursing relationship. Your Mimi has come a long way since Maddie was born and sometimes she comes over and peeks at you when you are nursing and says it's such a sweet thing to see.

You and your sister are so close - which is something I never felt I really had with my own sister (Nat Nat) until we were adults. You guys do annoy each other and fight at times, but are very sweet to each other - hugging and kissing. You go up on Maddie's bed every night and give her a big hug -telling her night night and then going to close the door (which always annoys her). You two have so much fun outside in the back yard and I'm looking forward to spending more time in our garden this summer. You both already know more about plants and flowers and growing food than many kids in this country will ever know in their lifetime!

The days have passed so quickly since you have been born - I keep hoping that time will slow down, but it never will I suppose. I'm glad that I have a blog to keep a diary of you and your sister - because I've given up on scrapbooking and baby books! You are still very much my baby -and always be - even if you end up a middle child one day.

I love you as much as a mother could possibly love her son - and will love you no matter how many tantrums you throw or naughty things you do - because you are forever my sweet little man. You captured my heart the moment I knew you were a boy and continue to hold it captive every day when you smile and tell me "Hi Mommy, I wake up!"

I love you Wyatt.

Hot Tea Conversation

I'm stirring my cup of hot tea...

"What are you making?" Maddie asks.

"Some hot tea," I reply.

"Can I have some, too?" she asks.

"You can share with me," I say.

"No thank you, I'd like to have my own."

I roll my eyes - selfishly I had only made ONE cup of tea and it was in a small tea cup. I opened the cabinet and pulled out another cup and poured half of mine into hers.

Setting the cup in front of her, she gets all excited.

"Oh how sweet of you," she says in her dramatic English accent.

What a silly little girl. It is probably best that my cup was only half full - I rarely get to enjoy a cup of tea before it chills these days!

Getting Better

Have you missed me? 

I've been in a funk about my computer and other items of note in my life lately. But the good news is that the crunching from the crystallized sugar is getting less and less and my space bar is functioning again!

I also found out that there is an authorized mac repair place in a close town.

So skies are blue again - literally!

It's hard for me when I've not been writing - to start again. I beat myself up over the stuff I didn't write and wanted to. I get overwhelmed with all the stuff I should have written and eventually have to make myself just pick up and start where I am at the moment.

The one thing I will go back and write about is Wyatt's 2nd Birthday. I always write my children letters on their birthdays and I will not break that tradition. Since Maddie's is coming up soon I want to make sure I don't fall behind. I never wrote her a letter for her 2nd birthday - I was overwhelmed with a newborn and toddler - and it's something I really regret. 

But we can't live on regrets - it's not healthy!

see you soon!

Banana Crush 1, Macbook 0

There was a sad and terrible accident last night.

Wyatt was throwing a tantrum and I set my drink next to my Macbook - and at the same time my cat Azzie walked across the counter where the laptop lives and jumped up on the fridge spilling the drink directly across the keyboard.

It works and then it doesn't. The keys are sticking terribly and the battery isn't charging at all.

I am morose. Half of my life lies documented within the internal workings of this computer. I've been meaning to back up but the power cord for the external drive is MIA...

Please say a prayer for my beloved Macbook. I'll be sending it away I'm sure...