Crockpot Chicken Curry

Recipe challenge, week nine.

So, let's say you have naan leftover from all that naan pizza you anticipated making last week?  I mean, eight naan pizzas would be a lot to eat in one week.  Even for me, the adult who will admit that pizza is her favorite food.  

Well, you can make some curry and dip that naan in it.

We have a friend who loves to make curry but won't give me his recipe because he claims he doesn't use one (I don't believe him).  I've done curries in the crockpot and have been very satisfied with the results, but sometimes I just don't want to put dinner in the crockpot at 10am in order to have it ready by 6pm.  This curry cooks super quickly on low in the crockpot because I gave it a headstart on the stove.  While this may defeat the purpose of a slow-cooker, it lets you control when dinner is ready AND the chicken gets brown and crispy and more flavorful.  

Crockpot Chicken Curry

serves 4-6

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken tenders, cubed

Olive oil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp cumin

Coat the bottom of a frying pan with olive oil and heat to medium.  Add in the cubed chicken and sprinkle with spices.  Toss to coat.  Brown the chicken for a few minutes, but you don't need to cook it all the way through.

In a 4-quart or 6-quart Crockpot, add:

1 medium onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 inch of ginger root, peeled and grated

1 1/2 T. curry powder

1 T. tomato paste

1 can full-fat coconut milk

Stir all those ingredients together and then add the chicken.  Stir again and put the lid on.  Cook on low for 2-4 hours.  It won't take very long!

Serve with naan, couscous or rice.  

Toasted Coconut Fudge

How was your weekend?  I spent most of the weekend cleaning, which I was happy to do. Scott spent Saturday fishing and then drove his dad to the airport (2 hours away) at 2am on Sunday morning (I really don't know how he does it...).  However, my house is CLEAN, Scout is now 99% house-trained (I think we won the puppy lottery with this one), and this week I'm tackling the fridge, the cupboards, and maybe making some freezer meals.

In the meantime, here's some fudge.  I've been overdosing on it every night for a week...

This is officially the sweetest fudge I've ever made.  You may not be able to stomach it.  However, if you're one with a sweet tooth that just won't quit, you may just love it.

I got the idea to brown some butter and make some fudge.  I made this one coconut and toasted some walnuts (because fudge without nuts is boring), and here we are.

A fudge that may literally make you drunk on sugar.  That's how I feel as I'm typing this.  I swear, there's been no mini bottles of wine tonight.  Just a few pieces of the above...and the below.  See?  I'm not even making proper sense.

Toasted Coconut Fudge
makes an 8x8 pan

2 T. browned butter
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup evaporated milk or coconut milk (canned)
1/2 t. sea salt, plus more to sprinkle on the top
2 cups mini marshmallows
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
1 t. vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1/2 cup toasted shredded coconut (I used sweetened.)

Brown the butter over low heat (about 10 minutes) in a medium saucepan. Add in the sugar, milk, and salt.  Bring to a full rolling boil over medium heat and stir constantly for 4-5 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in the marshmallows, chips, and vanilla.  Stir vigorously until all is incorporated.  Add the nuts.  Sprinkle with the toasted coconut.

Spread into a foil-lined and greased 8x8 inch pan.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before cutting.  I left mine in the fridge for about 6 hours and it was perfect.  Remove the foil from the pan and cut the fudge into squares.