Something Old, Something New

You might have read here recently that we eat at home a lot more than we used to. We both like it that way. I love to cook. I have time to cook now. And it's a lot easier to plan healthy meals when we eat at home. The only problem is, despite my cookbook addiction, I tend to make the same things over and over. So I started leafing through my recipes and I found an "oldie but goodie." World's Fair Chicken.  It's a baked chicken dish with an orange curry sauce flavored with chutney and cinnamon.  There are also almonds and raisins in the sauce. My mother used to make this and it was one of the first meals I made for DH when we were married.  I used to make it all the time, but I haven't made it in a couple of years.  Why? Because it's not on my plan. Or is it??

This is one of those recipes that I know pretty much by heart. But when I actually looked at the recipe I noticed something strange.  Over the years (37 of them to be exact) the proportions that I use have changed.  DH (and I) love raisins, so instead of the 1/2 cup called for in the recipe, I usually put in a full cup.  The almonds are so good that I doubled that amount, too. And sometimes I'd make double the sauce (double sauce with double double raisins and almonds)--it's so good with rice.  Oh, and it was only within the past several months that I finally realized that I didn't need to serve myself TWO pieces of chicken (is that double double sauce with double double double double raisins and almonds???).

I just put the ingredients through the online WW points calculator. The sauce adds only 2.5 points to a naked piece of chicken. My eating plan (WW CORE or Simply Filling) can and does allow for a few extra points each day. DH just got home from refereeing a soccer game and immediately noticed the wonderful aromas coming from the kitchen. Some nice sugar snap peas, some brown rice and we're going to have a great dinner. I'll try to get a picture before it disappears! Time out for dinner . . . .

World's Fair Chicken on Brown Rice

I'm not an ace photographer, but believe me, this is great. Oh yes. World's Fair Chicken (the original recipe) is going to take its rightful place in our dinner lineup again.

Something new today was yoga. I went to my first-ever yoga class today. I liked it. There were only five of us there and the teacher was very good about giving us individual attention.  The others had all had some yoga lessons, but this was a beginner class so we got perhaps more demonstration and explanation between poses than is usual. The class will be once a week on Saturdays--pretty easy to fit into my schedule.

I did go for a run today, but not a long one as I'd planned. I ran a little over three miles. It felt good and I felt like stopping.  So I did.

Hoping you're making discoveries, both old and new.

Here's the recipe for my new-found favorite chicken dish:

World’s Fair Chicken

8 chicken thighs, skinless 

2 T butter [I omit this, if you use it add 1/2 WW point per serving]

Salt & Pepper to taste

1.5 C Orange Juice

.5 C Raisins or Currants

.25 C Chopped Chutney

.5 C Slivered Almonds [or chopped whole almonds]

.5 tsp cinnamon

.5 tsp curry powder

Dash of Thyme

Dot butter on Chicken Parts--(if using butter)

Bake at 425* for 15 min.

Simmer other ingredients – pour over chicken

Reduce heat and bake at 350* for 45+ minutes until  done, turning chicken pieces twice while cooking

Serves 8 [I piece of chicken plus sauce]  

Sauce is 2.5 WW points per serving  [3 if you use the butter]

This one was one of my mother's standards.  It makes a beautiful presentation, is fairly fail-proof, and always delicious.