Lemon Rd - 1st Thanksgiving

day!

Week Night Two Step Dinner

Let's see what I come up with. 

Day one: Prepare chicken - night before (Sunday night) 

Shredded chicken with enchilada sauce and one onion. 

Equipment:  Power XL pressure cooker 

Time: 26 minutes

Directions: 

Cut chicken into tenders : long smaller pieces/ strips. Trim fat and extra pieces 

of chicken, can of enchilada sauce, and one chopped onion into Power CL.  Hit chicken button.  Full process takes about 26 minutes. Time is to prepare chicken. Great idea to do this while Sunday night dinner is cooking

Results: nice tender chicken like you made it in a crockpot all day. 

Dinner One: Baked Chicken Tacos 

Ingredients:

Taco Shells

Shredded Chicken

Taco Bell Mild Sauce

Sour Cream

Shredded Chedder Cheese

Grape Tomatoes

Options:

Cilantro 

Lettuce 

Black Olives

Bake: 350 degrees

Time: 15 minutes

Directions:  warm chicken in the microwave ,fill shells, top with cheese , bake.

Top with sour cream, mild sauce, and cut grape tomatoes

( I put sour cream in a snack zip lock and cut a small edge, to get a thin layer evenly spread on top of taco! 

Kerela Beef - Erachi Vevichathu

Here is the dish I love! This has been my favorite ever since childhood days. Erachi  is a dish I have always wanted to learn to make.  I could eat this every week. Now that I know how to make it, I just might! 

Erachi  / Kerala Meat Fry

Serves a small family 4 or 5

Ingredients:

Cubed meat (beef: chuck roast) - 3 lbs 

Cut against the grain in bite size pieces.

To Marinate:

Ginger - 3 inches peeled and chopped 

Garlic 6-7 cloves chopped 
Yellow onions- minced fine / 1 onion

Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Red chilly powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Black Pepper fresh ground - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste

To Season:

Canola oil - 3 tablespoons 

Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
Ginger and garlic juliennes - 1/4 cup, together
Yellow Onions -1/2
Curry Leaves - 2 sprigs
Thin Coconut Slices - 3 tbsps (optional) 

Method:
Wash meat well in running water. Drain.
Marinate using the above ingredients listed under, 'to marinate'. Let it stand for at least 1 hour.

The meat lets out water so we do not need too much of it while cooking.

Heat oil in a non stick pan. Sauté onions, garlic, ginger, once nicely sweated stir in marinated beef.

Separate pan 

 Get ready the ingredients needed 'to season'.  Heat 3 tablespoons oil. Place 1/2 chopped onion in hot oil, Splutter mustard seeds, followed by the coconut bits (if using ) .Also add small amount of ginger and garlic.   Add curry leaves (2 sprigs). Saute until the coconut bits and ginger-garlic are toasted and the onions acquire a golden colour. They would get caramelised further as you fry the meat later.

Dump the meat along with its gravy.


Lower heat to medium and reduce the water under controlled heat. Now you see the cooked water has turned saucy.

The gravy thickens and the masala gets coated within 3-5 minutes.


Be careful with the flame at this point. drizzle a little more oil as you are going to fry the meat further.

Check salt and add the remaining 1/2 tsp pepper powder( we had used 1/2 tsp earlier and had reserved the rest half to add at this point). 

The masala may stick to the bottom. So turn the meat pieces once every minute. Roast until it gets dry and acquires that dark brown hue. 

I personally don't like them too dry and hence take off from fire while the pieces get coated well with the masala and are still moist and succulent.

Such a nice Sunday evening in Ammy's  haven!  A memory that will add to the " love" that is added  each time I make this!

Mama and her Baby boy

Can you believe 8 years have passed by?

 

Homecoming 2014

The girls decided that "Girls just want to have fun!"  They looked amazing and are growing up so fast! 

Football and Basketball King

This is a quickie - but want to able sure something is said about the little amazing NFL/NBA future player.  Kole is 6 but already shows incredible passion for sports, team , and results?   Who knew all that at 6?  Not me that is for sure! 

10 baskets in our last game.  The ball acted as if it had some electric connection with Kole- it just kept coming back to him!  Kole was a STAR! 

Grand Canyon