National Soup Month - 2013

Celebrating National Soup Month in Images

By Terry Orr

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Curried Chicken Day

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By Chef Diane

You know my daddy always says you learn something new every day.  Well today was my day to learn about curry.  I always thought that curry was a yellowish powder you buy in the spice aisle at the store to season food with.  I never tried it, because it was spicy, and I just can't tolerate spicy foods.  But, today is Curried Chicken Day, and after doing so research I discovered that not only is curry a powdered spice, but it is also a form of cooking food.

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Curry comes from the word Kari, which means stir fry, but there can be a wet or dry curry, wet means in a type of gravy.  Curried dishes are more popular in the Indian and Asian regions, but their popularity continues to move around the globe.

That is why today is National Curried Chicken Day.  Below is a recipe for curried chicken and rice salad I found in Woman's Day magazine.  So add a little spice to your life and give it a try.

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CURRIED CHICKEN AND RICE SALAD

Ingredients:

1 cup(s) uncooked converted white rice

2 teaspoon(s) curry powder

Creamy Curry Dressing:

1/3 cup(s) low-fat mayonnaise

1/3 cup(s) plain low-fat yogurt

2 teaspoon(s) curry powder

1/4 cup(s) bottled mango chutney, chopped if pieces are large (optional)

4 cup(s) torn green leaf lettuce

2 cup(s) strips skinned cooked chicken breasts (see Note)

2 cup(s) ripe cantaloupe chunks

1 cup(s) seedless green grapes, halved

1 cup(s) thinly sliced red onion

Directions:

1.    Bring 2 cups water to boil. Stir in rice and curry powder. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes until rice is tender and water is absorbed. Cool rice by rinsing briefly with cold water. Drain well.

2.    Meanwhile mix Dressing ingredients in a small bowl.

3.    Put remaining ingredients in serving bowl. Add rice and toss to mix. Serve Dressing at the table to spoon on salad.

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National Greasy Food Day

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By Chef Diane

I can’t think of a better snack than some hot crinkle cut French fries and a big glob of ketchup.  Of course I can't eat that every day - maybe once a month.  But today, I can go ahead and get some, because it’s National Greasy Food Day.

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Here in the south we are famous for our fried foods.  Fried chicken is nearly a must for Sunday dinner, and buttered biscuits with gravy are also a staple.  Then there is Chicken Fried Steak, Fried Catfish with hush-puppies, and fried okra.  In fact, we just held our state fair, and one of the most popular exhibits is to see what new fried dish the chefs have concocted. 

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Our bodies crave certain foods at different times, sometimes you want something sweet, sometimes its sour, others it’s baked, then sometimes fried.  While researching for this article I found a list of 25 ultimate greasy foods.  They include:

• Fried chicken
• Pan Pizza from Pizza Hut
• Chicken wings
• Bacon
• Ribs
• Cheeseburgers
• Fried pickles
• Fried green tomatoes
• Even fried Kool-Aid

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For the complete list check out this site:  http://www.examiner.com/article/it-s-national-greasy-foods-day-25-ultimate-greasy-food-recipes

Today is National Greasy Food Day, so go ahead and grab something greasy for supper or lunch today, without the added guilt.  I read on punchbowl.com that fried chicken is the most ordered sit down dinner when eating out.  So visit the colonel, and grab a bucket of chicken and enjoy a little grease today.

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Curried Chicken

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By Diane Forrest,

I am a firm believer in learning something new every day.  Since I have started working on these articles I am constantly learning, and occasionally impressing my family with my endless supply of informative tidbits.  The same holds true for today's topic. Today is Curried Chicken Day.  I always thought that the curried part came from the spice of the same name, but actually it means side dish in South Indian languages, but it can be eaten as the entree as well.

Curried chicken is a common dish in Asia, the United Kingdom, and the Caribbean.  The terms Chicken Curry and Curried Chicken can be used interchangeably, however in some regions they are considered separate dishes, its all in the way they are prepared.   Curried Chicken has been around for a very long time, in fact there are some references to it as far back as 1700 BC.

Below is a recipe from allrecipes.com that appears simple to make, so why don't you try something new today and have some Curried Chicken for dinner

Curried Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces and skin removed
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon paprika, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 apple, cored and chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon curry powder, or more to taste
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup half-and-half cream

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Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F .
2. Arrange the chicken pieces in a single layer in a 9x13-inch baking dish. Season the chicken liberally with salt, pepper, and the paprika; set aside.
3. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the apple and onion to the melted butter, season with the curry powder, and cook and stir until the apple and onion are tender, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir the mushroom soup and half-and-half into the mixture until completely combined; spoon over the chicken pieces.
4. Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 75 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 180 degrees F.

This week on Keeping it Simple

Greetings fellow reads for the Chesapeake Bay aboard the Carnival Pride heading out into the Atlantic Ocean this Sunday, May 8, 2011 Mother’s day.   My wonderful wife Pat, our daughter Nina, her husband Greg and their beautiful daughter (granddaughter) Audrey are on a one week cruise. We will make port in Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay and Freeport, Bahamas before returning home next Sunday morning.  This is the first cruise for the rest of them and my first pleasure cruise (lots of years at sea on those ‘flat-top’ gray ships that were mobile landing decks.

On tap for the coming week, as we look into our crystal ball are:

·         Diane is going to write an interesting article about shrimp – one of my favorite items to eat

·         We will also celebrate National Receptionist Day -  believe me folks, the vast majority earn every penny the get and then some.

·         Another fun topic and new one for me, ‘Eat What You Want Day.’  Now some folks would say I do that anyway (it is probably true some days) but I do try and watch what I am eating.

·         Flying Kites has been one of those really neat things to do, especially in the spring.  Diane will share some interesting tales with us.

·         A great deal of effort has gone into preparing something special for Limericks Day.  Any  idea how difficult it is to find good ones, that are G-rated?

·         What can be more American than Apple Pie – Diane will share her favorite recipe.

·         Have you ever heard of folks celebrating ‘Dance like a Chicken’?

·         Another good topic – National Chocolate Chips.  Warm, fresh out of the oven and a nice glass of milk

·         To wrap up the week a tribute to the men and women in law enforcement – Police Officer’s Memorial.

Lots of folks visited our little blog site and we thank you so very much for stopping by and leaving your comments.  We sincerely appreciate them.  Wish all a wonderful week.

My Favorite Animal

Another Cute Email to Share

Our teacher asked us what our favorite animal was, and I said, "Fried chicken."

 

She said I wasn't funny, but she couldn't have been right, because everyone else in the class laughed.

 

My parents told me to always be truthful and honest, and I am. Fried chicken is my favorite animal. I told my dad what happened, and he said my teacher was probably a member of PETA.

He said they love animals very much.

 

I do, too. Especially chicken, pork and beef. Anyway, my teacher sent me to the principal's office. I told him what happened, and he laughed, too. Then he told me not to do it again.

 

The next day in class my teacher asked me what my favorite live animal was.  I told her it was chicken.  She asked me why, just like she'd asked the other children.  So I told her it was because you could make them into fried chicken.

 

She sent me back to the principal's office again. He laughed, and told me not to do it again. I don't understand. My parents taught me to be honest, but my teacher doesn't like it when I am.

 

Today, my teacher asked us to tell her what famous person we admire most.

I told her, "Colonel Sanders."

 

Guess where I am now...