On Monday night, I went to book club. We read a wonderful book, Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda. It was a fabulous book. The story traveled back and forth between the United States and India. A couple (American and Indian) adopt a baby from India and the life they led. It was a very touching story. I am going to be writing a review on it this week. Our club host fixed authentic Indian food that was to die for. I will have to include a recipe for the chicken dish at the end of this post.

Being the “duh” I sometimes am, I walked into her house and saw the dishes and was wondering why she was cooking Indian food. If you had read five books last week, you might have been confused as well. The dishes looked more festive because she cooked them in the different colors of Le Cruset pottery. I am always thinking that I need to “matchy match” my cookware and it was so Indian looking with the different colors. It made me re-think my decision. Why stick to one color when all of the colors are so vibrant, you can’t choose just one color. My decision – when I start buying new pots, I will not limit myself to just one color.

And, the gossip (therapy)? Just as colorful and spicy as the food. You already know the code – “What happens at book club STAYS at book club!”

That is about all that been going on this week. It is nice to have a calm week. OH! I almost forgot – Hubby and I had a date on Saturday night. We went with friends to a dinner theater. It was “Gone with the Hurricane.” I’ll be blogging on that later. It was so much fun that I cannot wait to go again.

Indian Chicken

Prep time: 10 minutes     Cook Time: 20 minutes

1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 small onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1-tablespoon curry powder

1-teaspoon ground ginger

1 (13.5 ounce) can light coconut milk

½ cup lower-sodium chicken broth or water

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

How to:

Season chicken well with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add chicken and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer chicken to a plate.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Add onion, garlic, curry powder, and ginger to the same skillet. Cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. add coconut milk and broth; cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. add chicken back to the pan and cook until sauce is thickened and reduced, about 5 minutes. serve hot.

Makes 4 (2-cup) servings.

Donna “Lucy”

P.S. I just realized I didn’t include the story mentioned in my title. I’ll have to include it in my next post.