Blessed Are the Peacemakers

A curry dish is not a thumbs up meal for my family, especially the children. I seldom cook curry at home but I have a few dishes which use curry powder or paste in the marinade. This Chicken Tikka In Skewer is one which the kids like.
This is a "curry" in a hurry dish, though it is not a curry dish. It takes less than 20 minutes to cook and serve and it goes well with the family.
I am using chicken breast because it is faster to cook and if done nicely, the meat is very tender and moist. The flavour(spiciness) and colour of this skewered meat depend on the type of curry paste you use. Here, I am using a very mild curry paste. This dish is also good for barbecue and it is low in calorie too. A very simple and tasty dish which I think any kids can do.

Chicken Tikka In Skewer
Serves 1 or 2

Ingredients
1 large chicken breast, cubed
1 tablespoon of curry paste
1/4 tsp salt, if curry paste is not salted
50g natural yogurt
8 cherry tomatoes
chapatis, warmed to serve

Method

• Soak 4 wooden skewers in a bow of water. Mix the curry paste and yogurt together in a mixing bowl.. Add the cubed chicken and leave aside to marinate (10 minutes) but not more than 30 minutes if using chicken breast. 
• Heat the the grill pan. Thread the chicken pieces and cherry tomatoes on the skewers. Cook under a medium grill for 10-15 minutes, turning from time to time, until cooked through and nicely browned.
• Serve with salad or cucumber raita and warm chapatis.

I am linking this post to Thumbs Up "curry powder or paste" hosted by Miss B of
Everybody Eats Well Flanders and organised by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen of
My little favourite DIY

The Beatitudes

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God.
Matthew 5:9

Our God is God of Peace. True peace begins with a close relationship with God, Those who bring this peace to the people and promoting God's kingdom are the true children of God.

Blessed Assurance

We're having hot and humid weather everyday. Eating a bowl of hot and steaming stew in this hot weather is probably not on everyone's mind. But I'm craving for stews, for I love stews of all kinds. They're easy to prepare and you don't have to slave over the stove to cook a pot of stew. I cook all my stews in the slow cooker.
This is the first time I am using pork in a western stew. I wanted something different, apart from the usual chicken, beef or lamb. Besides that, I also need to clear some herbs in the fridge. This tender pork stew tastes as good as all stews, minus the usual tomatoes. You'll love the creamy gravy on your rice.
Despite the hot weather, stew is still the way to go for me,  for the comfort and warmth.

Slow-Cooked Pork Shoulder 
My Cooking Hut
serves 4-6
Ingredients

800g pork shoulder, cut into chunks
1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
5-6 garlic, peeled and keep whole
150ml white wine
2 potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
4-5 carrots, peeled and cut into cubes
1 small handful of thyme
2 bay leaves
450ml chicken stock or water(home made chicken stock)
300g chestnut mushrooms(white button)
A big handful of tarragon, chopped
150ml double cream
salt and pepper to taste

Method

• Put the olive oil in a pot over medium high heat. Add the pork and cook for 5-6 minutes until brown. Add the garlic and onion, cook for about 2 minutes until they are fragrant and soft. Add the white wine and let the alcohol evaporates. Stir well.
• Add the potatoes, carrots, thyme and bay leaves. Stir to combine and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock. Bring it to the boil for a few seconds.(transfer to slow cooker low) Lower the heat, put the lid on and cook for 1 - 1.5 hours or until the meat start to fall apart. Skim off any scums from time to time.
• 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time, add the chestnut mushroom, tarragon and season with salt and pepper. Add the double cream, stir and continue to cook until the end of the cooking time. Serve warm with some crusty bread, rice or pasta.

Blessed Assurance

Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
born of his Spirit, washed in his blood.

This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Saviour all the day long;
this is my story, this is my song,
praising my Saviour all the day long.


Do you know this famous hymn 'Blessed Assurance' ? It was written in 1873 by Fanny Crosby. The music was composed by her friend Phoebe P.Knapp.
So, what is this Blessed Assurance all about?

The word Blessed here means holy, and Assurance is a pledge, a certainty.
A foretaste is a taste in anticipation of something to come.

Clearly, this hymn to the Christians speak of being certain of our salvation. Listen to this hymn in contemporary style and gain a new perspective.  Draw nearer to God on His abiding love and faithfulness for us.

Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
Hebrews 10:22-23

Do This In Remembrance of Me

These crackers are not as thin as those from William Sonoma website, but I like them enough to gobble up all 12 pieces of it. I love crackers. I always buy this made in Malaysia brand HS to go with Milo. I don't care if I look like an old lady drinking Milo with cream crackers, that remark came from one of my children. I just love the old school comfort.

I have made the full recipe but pinched a little from the lot to try. The rest of the dough are wrapped and stored in the freezer.(can keep up to a month) These are Lemon and Thyme crackers
and I made this flavor because I am clearing my fridge leftovers. The crackers are crisp despite the thickness and taste a little like the cream crackers I love. I prefer a more lemony taste and would add in more zests if I made this again.

I spread some Coriander Pesto which I made for another use(next post) but it was not a good pairing. A rich creamy and buttery cheese like brie should be nice, though it will be just as good to eat on its own.
I want to thank the lovely hosts of this Bake Along hop and link this post to Bake Along #45.  If not for this event, I don't think I will bake my own crackers. They are Lena from frozen wings, Joyce from kitchen flavours and Zoe from bake for happy kids.

Seeded Crackers
Lemon-Thyme Variation ,Adapted from Williams-Sonoma, Essentials of Baking

Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoon salt(1/2 teaspoon fine salt)
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
1 tablespoon solid vegetable shortening
1/2 cup heavy cream, plus more if need(35% fat, + 2 tablespoons)

Method(By Hand)

To make the dough by hand, in a small bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, salt, pepper,lemon zests, chopped thyme. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in the shortening and butter until the mixture forms large, coarse crumbs the size of peas. (used rubbing in method + 2 tablespoons cream)

To make the dough with a food processor, in the bowl of the processor, combine the flour, sugar,salt,pepper,lemon zests, chopped thyme.  Pulse 1 or 2 times to mix. Add the shortening and butter and pulse 7 to 10 times until the mixture forms large, coarse crumbs the size of peas. Pour in the 1/2 cup cream and pulse a few times until the dough comes together in a rough mass.

Using a plastic pastry scraper, scrape the dough out onto a clean work surface and gently squeeze it together. Add a few more drops of cream if the dough will not hold a soft shape. Gently press the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap, and let rest at room temperature for at least 20 minutes or for up to 1 hour.(chilled in fridge overnight, rested at room temperature for 30 minutes before rolling)

Preheat an oven to 350F (170C). line 2 half sheet pans or rimless baking sheets with parchment paper(1 baking tray lined)

Unwrap the dough disk and place on a lightly floured work surface. Using a sharp knife or a bench scraper, cut the dough in half. Roll out one half of the dough into a rectangular sheet as thin as possible without tearing,dusting it with flour as needed to prevent sticking to either the work surface or the rolling pin. Trim the edges of the dough to fit the prepared pan, then carefully transfer the dough to the pan Repeat with the second half of the dough. Alternatively, using a pizza wheel or a sharp knife, cut the sheets of dough into shapes and place on the pans.(used only a small portion of dough and rolled dough between two parchment paper. Used small round cutter to make 12 pcs). 

Bake 1 sheet of crackers at a time until they are crisp and brown, 12 to 15 minutes.(mine was 15 minutes) Transfer to wire racks and let cool completely until crisp. If you have baked the dough in sheets, break each sheet into shards. The crackers are best when eaten fresh, but they may be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Makes about 30 small crackers.

And when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "this is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me."  1 Corinthians 11:24

Crave Pure Spiritual Milk

When there are 3 types of milk to clear in your fridge, you do not waste them.To clear all at one go, you think of Tres Leches Cake (say trey ley-chays) or 3 milk cake. Three different milk products: evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and heavy cream are combined and pour into a baked cake, and leaving it to soak in the milky goodness for 30 minutes.

Pioneer Woman has a good Tres Leches Cake recipe but as I have less than half of each of the 3 milk, I used the 1/3 recipe adapted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours.

Tres Leches Cake
Pioneer Woman, 1/3 recipe adapted by Kitchen flavours

Ingredients
For the batter:
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
2 whole eggs
scant 1/3 cup sugar, divided
1/2 tsp vanilla
80ml milk

For the milk mixture:
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup condensed milk
2 tbsp heavy cream
1 tsp rum

For the frosting:
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp caster sugar

Method

For the batter:

• Preheat oven to 350F(170C). Grease and line a 8 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan with parchment paper.(I used 9 x 5)
• Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Separate the eggs.
• Whisk egg yolks with the sugar (leaving about 2-3 tbsps to use for the egg whites later), on high speed until yolks are pale yellow.
• Stir in the milk and vanilla. Pour egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir very gently until combined.
• Whisk egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. With the mixer on, pour in remaining sugar and beat until egg whites are stiff but not dry.
• Fold egg white mixture into the  batter very gently until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and spread to even out the surface.
• Bake for about 30 minutes (25mins) or until a toothpick comes out clean. Turn cake out into a rimmed platter and allow to cool.

For the milk mixture

• Combine condensed milk, evaporated milk, heavy cream and rum in a small pitcher. Whisk the mixture lightly. When the cake is cool, pierce the surface with a fork several times. Slowly drizzle the milk mixture over the cake - try to get as much around the edges of the cake as you can.
• Allow the cake to absorb the milk mixture for 30 minutes.

For the frosting:

• Whisk heavy cream with sugar until thick and spreadable.
• Spread over the surface of the cake. Decorate cake with whole or chopped glazed cherries.

When the cake was in the oven, I thought I have forgotten to add in melted butter or vegetable oil in the batter. A quick check at the recipe found there is no butter and oil needed. When typing out this recipe, I also realized I have forgotten to add in baking powder!

This is a lovely cake. I was worried it will be cloyingly sweet. No, it is not. It has a nice milk flavour and cake is light, moist and not 'wet' from soaking. I also like the retro look of  maraschino cherry topped cake.Now, this is also a kind of cake where you do not have to worry about smooth frosting.

Have You Got The Best Real M.I.L.K?

Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,

1 Peter 2:2

We all know milk is for nourishment of the body. It also provides immune protection and for bone strengthening. But have you got the best real M.I.L.K? This milk(God's Word) can sustain us, and can keep us both physically and spiritually.If we drink this milk everyday, it will cause us to grow up and become mature in our faith in Him. Sadly,many people don't see the need and so they never grow strong :(  

Do Your Best, Give Your Best

This is only a part of the 30-minute meals from Jamie Oliver.
30- minute meal? You're pulling a fast one, Jaime. Your book, Jamie Oliver 30-minute Meals has made your fans feeling flustered, stressed and panicky.  Many of them couldn't complete the cooking in 30 minutes. However, all agreed that the meals are delicious, restaurant quality.
Well, I know you didn't promise we can cook within 30 minutes.  If we have read your introduction, we would have  known this is about training and organizing in the kitchen, and with practice we can do a meal in 30 minutes.

I am not a very competent cook albeit an avid one, there is no way I can prepare a 3 course meal in 30 minutes.  I am going to pick some of the recipes from the book to cook at my normal pace and not turn my kitchen into Hell's Kitchen. With practice, I might be able to do it one day.
Today, I am cooking Jamie Oliver's Cypriot Chicken with Pan Fried Asparagus. To complete the meal, Fresh Tomato Soup with Basil from Delia Smith, adapted by Eat your heart out and Focaccia with Onion and Rosemary, a Gary Rodhes recipe adapted by Sonia from nasi lemak lover. .

This soup is incredibly easy to prepare. Delicious and healthy.

Stuff Cypriot Chicken
serves 2
Adapted from Jamie Oliver 30-minute meals

Ingredients

1/2 small bunch of fresh flat leaf parsley
1/2 small bunch of fresh basil
4 jarred sun-dried tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
50g feta cheese zest of 1/2 a lemon 2 x 180g chicken breasts, preferably with skin on and bone in
olive oil
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary

Method

• Pile the parsley,basil and sun-dried tomatoes on a chopping board with a pinch of pepper and a drizzle of oil from the jar of tomatoes Crush over the garlic and then finely chop everything together, mixing as you go.
• crumble over the feta cheese and mix altogether again along with the lemon zest.
• Tear off a big sheet of grease proof paper and line up the chicken breasts on it, skin down. Using a small and sharp knife, cut into the chicken breasts to make a small opening where the stuffing can hide. You want to be able to fit quite a bit in there, but  also make it so it can close back up and not fall apart.
• Divide the filling into the chicken breasts, squashing it in and folding the chicken over to cover it.
• Put a large frying pan over medium heat with a lug of oil. Place the chicken breasts in skin side down.
• Take a new piece of grease proof paper slightly bigger than the saucepan. Scrunch it up into a ball, rinse it under the tap, and then tuck it over the chicken  as a cover.
• After about 5-10 minutes in the frying pan, the chicken should be golden underneath. Carefully turn the chicken breasts over and throw the rosemary on top. Cover again with the grease proof paper.
• After chicken is done, place on a chopping board and carefully slice the chicken. Pour any leftover pan juices over the chicken slices and serve.

I never like chicken breast, but this is very tender and really soft and flavorful from the cooking method (wet grease proof paper cover) and herb stuffing. You can use any herbs you like with the stuffing. It is best not to serve on a wooden board because the board absorbs the pan juice quickly. I cooked half recipe.

I recorded this because the foccacia was so crispy outside but soft and moist inside. I used red onion because that was what I had and also ran out of fresh rosemary.

Do Something Beautiful For Jesus (Sunday sermon)
Mark 14:1-9

I ponder on my best offering to Jesus.

Serving 
Is my best offering of Sunday School lessons thoughtfully, carefully and prayerfully prepared?

Witnessing
Is my best offering of witnessing fearful, hesitant and uncomfortable?

Walking
Is my best offering of walking closely irrelevant, inessential and at random?

Are all my best offerings for own gains, pride and glory? Are all my best offerings strained, burdened and wearied?

I am comforted to know in Colossians 3;23-24
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.


2 Timothy 2;15
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.