Social Gracious

Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe

I is for Indian Food

The other day the kiddos came home and we checked the frig calendar only to learn that particular day was designated I day.  A day to think of things that start with I.  Igloo, Ice Cream, Ice Cube you say.  Duh! Indian food, I say!  That day I came home at a relatively decent hour and began cooking it up. I made Lentil Dal and then began preparations for my favorite, Chicken Tikka Masala.  Mmmm.  It's a spicy dish with a hint of coconut, tomato and it's just amazing.  UberGeek claims not to like Indian food but he loves this, go figure.

Tikka Masala Recipe

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs

Marinade

1 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground red pepper (can double this if you like spicy)
1 teaspoon black pepper (can double if you like spicy)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 piece minced ginger (1-inch long)

Sauce

1 tablespoon butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno, minced (I half this when making for UberGeek and kids)
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garam masala (buy in Indian market or most grocery stores including Publix carry in spice section)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup regular or lite coconut milk
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro for garnish if desired (leave off if feeding men you are already married to or children, save your money)

Directions

1. For sauce, melt butter on medium heat.
2. Add garlic& jalapeno; cook 1 minute.
3. Stir in coriander, cumin, paprika, garam masala& salt.
4. Stir in tomato sauce.
5. Simmer 15 minutes.
6. Stir in cream and coconut milk, simmer to thicken- about 5 minutes.
7. Marinate chicken thighs (in the refrigerator) for an hour or so. Place thighs in slow cooker. (Do not pour in remaining marinade with thighs) Discard marinade.
8. Pour sauce over thighs
9. Slow cook 3-4 hours high or 6-8 hours low
10. Garnish with cilantro if desired. Serve with basmati rice

Rock Obama

Recently I was washing Eddie Haskell's hair in the shower, scrubbing away while he chatted about this and that.  He looked down at himself, turned his palms up, then down as if inspecting his skin for a bug bite.  Then he said, "Mama, there is someone in my class with brown skin and brown hair."  I said "Yes, just like Mama's friend Miss Y and her family, remember them?" One of my best friends who lived just down the street had two sets of twins but sadly for me, and the kids since they had nearby playmates, they moved two years ago to another state.  "Also, our President, Barack Obama has brown skin too" I said.  "Rock Obama!" he replied. Eddie was quiet for a minute, soaping himself, then he piped up with, "And just like Diva has brown hair and I have blond hair."  "Yes" I said, "just like that, people have all different colors of hair and skin."  Then he was done and onto his next topic. 

I wish it was just like that, for his whole life.  Now, in preschool, my children are unaware of prejudice and racism, kids are kids to them.  Another mom and I were talking about the way our kids describe other people.  They never, ever identify them by race, but rather a clear description of their hair color, eye color, skin color, activities and other factors.  It's such a beautiful time of innocence and it is sad to me that at some point they will begin using the common words we use to categorize different ethnicities rather than their much more accurate current descriptions.

UberGeek and I grew up in Northern Virginia, near Washington, DC,  for much of our lives. There is such a richness of different cultures, ethnicities and religions and diversity is easy to come by.  Now, transplanted to another locale, I often miss how easy it was to find and make friends with people from other cultures,  in our Virginia home they were my co-workers, neighbors and members of social groups I belonged to. During a recent trip home to Northern Virginia I was driving to the grocery store when a man in a canary yellow turban drove by me.  I immediately called my friend, who is also from the DC area, but now lives in Ponte Vedra Beach.  "I just saw a man drive by in a bright yellow turban" I said "I've really missed being at home." She laughed and said, "I know what you mean."

There is diversity in my community here, but I find I have to seek it out.  I love to learn about other people's cultures, try out their foods and ask their opinions on different things. Sometimes the best mirror of yourself and your society is a reflection in eyes that see things not as you do.

I Like to Move It Move It

So I was cruising the web, looking for a picture of an elderly woman on a motorized scooter, for a blog post I had planned on healthcare reform.  Tonight I read an article about a man's finger getting bitten off at a recent rally for health care reform when a senior citizen and another man threw down.  Anyhow, I was going to title the post, Hell on Wheels and discuss how out of hand things have gotten when we really need to be solving a serious and critical issue as a nation. 

All that went out the window when during my search for a suitable scooter image, I stumbled upon a strange and fascinating site called ScooterFatties.info.  Apparently the mission of this blog is to collect pictures of obese people riding motorized scooters.  I really tried to look away, to not click my mouse again and look beyond the first post but the lure was unexplainable. 

I find it disturbing that our solution to obesity involves giving people a motorized chair with wheels that enables them to walk the absolute minimum number of steps possible.  I do understand that obesity leads to complicating conditions making it difficult to walk.  Wouldn't it be more fitting for an obese person's health insurance to pay for a nutritionist and personal trainer for a three month conditioning and weight loss program?  In the long run it would be much less expensive for their insurance than a scooter and continued obesity.  Obesity is a chronic condition that must be managed.  The costs to society are great; because of obesity the current generation will be the first one projected to have a shorter life span than their parents.  Obesity also rivals smoking with regard to costs in health care spending.  The healthcare costs of obesity have doubled in the last decade to 147 billion in 2008. 

When I was pregnant I was confined to bed rest for ten weeks and only allowed out of bed for a brief shower or to use the rest room.  Six of those weeks were spent in a hospital room with only fluorescent lights and no access to the natural world.  I can tell you honestly that it was the worst challenge I have ever been through in my life.  After my children were born the first thing I wanted to do was get moving. Within four weeks I was running slowly around my neighborhood, earning an evil eye from my OB who nonetheless said he knew better than to say no.  I never wanted to be confined again and it was beautiful to be free, to run outside in the fresh air and have a body that was no longer a prison.  I try to share the joy of moving with my family, just to have a healthy body is a gift that we have a responsibility to care for and love.  I know one day my kids will want to watch more TV and play video games but I hope they always have the joy of movement. 

Get up and move while you can.