Max & Kaylee

I make this recipe at least 2 times a month.  We really like it, obviously.  Plus, it's easy to make.  I originally found the recipe here, on The Mother Huddle, when I was on my quest to start trying a bunch of new recipes.  It was definitely a "keeper" recipe.  I love how the chicken is so tender and moist, and the sauce makes a yummy glaze after being in the oven.  I have also substituted tofu in place of the chicken and it turns out just as good.  I've had people visit that have never tried tofu and they end up loving the Honey Curry Tofu!!!  So, without further ado, the recipe follows:


Honey Curry Chicken (or Tofu)
1 1/2 lbs. chicken (or 1 pkg. tofu - I use firm), cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 c. flour
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. salt

*for the glaze:
2 1/2 Tbsp. honey
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 c. melted butter
1 tsp. curry powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
2 1/2 tsp. soy sauce
salt & pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350º and grease a 9x13 pan (although I have also gotten away using an 8x8 for the tofu).  Combine flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper in gallon sized plastic bag and mix well.  Add cubed chicken (or tofu!) and shake until coated.  Place covered chicken (or tofu) in greased pan.  Bake for 40 minutes, stirring halfway.  While chicken (or tofu!) is in oven, combine glaze ingredients and whisk together.  After chicken (or tofu) cooks for 40 minutes, turn oven temperature up to 400º.  Pour glaze over chicken and stir to coat.  Cook for an additional 10 minutes and VOILA!  Honey Curry Chicken (or Tofu)!!

Sidenote: We usually eat ours over rice and with a green veggie.  I typically start our rice cooking (in a rice cooker) when I stir the chicken halfway through the 40 minutes - this ensures the rice is done right about on time!!

I just spent the better part of the last half hour, typing away, putting words to some of the swirling thoughts and feelings in my head.  And you know what?  I made one silly move and deleted it all.  With no saved draft.  How frustrating!

I went on about my lack of blogging and why I haven't felt much like posting anything lately.  It's not due to lack of ideas or pictures to share.  But rather that I feel like I am in a bit of a funk - nothing happened to spur it on - I have simply just felt discouraged lately; I can best chalk it up to loneliness, lack of confidence and low self-esteem (and maybe lots of hormonal emotions...).  Balance has been forefront on my mind lately.  The art of finding balance in my life, finding time to get stuff done.  More specifically, finding time to do the "extras" in life - the fun projects, the gardening, the sewing, the decorating dreams that sit in my head, waiting for the free minute to be worked on.  It's hard for me to understand how other people get the "extras" done.  For me, there seems to only be enough time in the day to get the usual household tasks done, on top of making sure Max is ready for each day and that the kids are taken care of.  I suppose as time goes on, I'll figure out some sort of routine that allows for a few hours of "extras".

Anyways, much of what I had to say was lost with that first type-up.  It just never seems to do justice to try to re-create what I was trying to say.  Oh well.  What I really wanted to share, in the end, was that although I have felt no desire to blog lately, I realized that I find joy in sharing about our life, the pictures that capture our moments, the stories, the updates.  And although sometimes it feels easier not to write, for fear of coming across all discombobulated and uncertain, I feel that in writing down my thoughts, I often end up finding the new perspective that I seem to need.

With that being said, I have plans to get my August 2011 goal update done, share a few recipes we've been enjoying lately, get the rest of the MN trip pictures up and (finally!) work on the 'About Max&Kaylee' and 'Our little Ones' pages in the next few weeks.

For now, I am off to shower (and maybe start baking a quick cake?) before the babes wake up...

We made it home a few days ago - I have been avoiding the blog.  I guess I liked the quiet of no internet and wanted to appreciate it for a few more days :)

It was sad leaving MN - we had such a great time being with family and friends, doing lots of fun things, and enjoying the cooler weather (we got off the plane and the heat & humidity kindly greeted us, ha ha!).  Our flights back to NC were pretty good and rather uneventful.  L and Z did well - there was some fussing, but nothing terrible or that got us dirty looks, and then they both ended up sleeping on both flights.  I am glad to be home and unpacked.  We are slowly getting back into our routine - clothes are slowly getting cleaned, suitcases are sitting in the hallway ready to be put away, house is in the process of being cleaned (can I please just say that although my dear husband was here for most of the time, we do not have the same sense of clean?!), and we are slowly getting back on a schedule for the kids.

I'll work on getting pictures from the remainder of our time in MN up soon, although like I said, I am sort of enjoying the internet-free time, so it may be a few days...