It is all about the food

I don't know if I will ever be skinny - I like to eat too much to cut back from the sweets, fats and good bread.  Although, I am trying and I have been exercising at least 5 days a week, an hour every day.  I just hope it balances all my intake of calories.

We got our merit increases at work today.  My acutal review went well.  I am at the top of my salary bracket, so my pay increases don't reflect so well.  I am excited about new prospects at work, and yet sad because of the all the changes taking place.  Some people come into our lives for a very short time but make a huge impact.  One of my supervisors will be changing jobs here shortly and I will miss him greatly.  I hope that I have learned as much as I can from him by the time he leaves our team.  He has an amazing attitude and trusts us.  It is amazing to me how much I want to succeed, so that I can keep his trust and respect.

Speaking of food, I made an Indian dish on Sunday and got to finish the leftovers today.  So tasty I am going to share the recipe with you.  It isn't as authentic as you can get, but it is close.  Ralph made home made Naan to go with it tonight.  YUMMO!  Some of the recipes I read marinated the chicken in plain yogurt as well as the spices.  You can do your own search and create your own recipe.  But we really like this one.

Murgh Makhani (Butter chicken) *not authentic, but inspired by)

•4 pieces Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (we used 4 thighs and one large breast cut in half)
•5 cloves Garlic, Minced
•1 teaspoon Salt
•½ teaspoons Black Pepper
•½ teaspoons Cayenne Pepper (we were out of this ingredient, so I used New Mexico chili powder which isn't as strong as the cayenne)
•¼ teaspoons Ground Coriander
•¼ teaspoons Cumin
•¼ teaspoons Cardamom
•½ teaspoons Garam Masala
•¼ teaspoons ground Ginger (fresh ginger would be great)
•1 whole Lime, Juiced (make sure it is a good juicy lime, if not you might do two)
•1 whole Onion, Diced
•¼ cups Butter
•1 can (14.5 Oz. Can) Tomato Sauce
•1 can (14.5 Oz. Can) Petite Diced Tomatoes
•1 pint Whipping Cream
•1 bunch Chopped Cilantro, to taste

Combine first 11 ingredients and marinate overnight.

Saute the onion in the butter until soft. Add marinated chicken adn remaining marinade and cook about 10 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Cook for 30 minutes over medium-low heat with the lid on. Add the whipping cream (I am sure you could use light cream or half-and-half) and cilantro just before serving over Basmati rice. (we used regular rice - don't care for the jasmine flavor)

Note: this is a little spicy, but you can cut back on the cayenne if you want.

Ta Ta for now