My Friends Are Getting Ready to Teach Abroad...and Em's Cooking to Celebrate!

Hey Everybody!

Before I talk about today's adventures, I wanted to spread the word that two of my friends, Carrie and Rachel are traveling to Ghana to start their student teaching placements tomorrow!  I cannot express how happy I am for the both of them.  I know this day has been a long time waiting for them and now it has finally arrived.  Please, keep the both of them in thought as they are traveling.  If you are interested in checking out what exactly they are cooking up over there... please click on the links below to follow their blogs.  I promise they will be interesting!

Rachel's Blog

Carrie's Blog

Speaking of cooking...tonight was the first cooking night that Leah, Kristina and I had in a very long time.  I missed cooking with them a lot... we make so much great food and have so much fun afterwards as well.  Today we cooked from the Caribbean... with a Caribbean Chicken with Pineapple Cilantro Rice. 

Kristina and I picked out the recipe back in late December.  We were at Barns and both of us had the urge to cook again.  After looking from something from Africa, we decided on this dish.  It appeared interesting and didn't take 8 hours to prepare. 

Before I got there, Kristina and Leah soaked the chicken in cream and pineapple juice. 

Then we doubled the spices, because that's what our good friend Candy from Savore said.  I got to pour all the spices together into the big jar.  Then mix it all up:

Before!

After!

 Then the fun part began.  We had to pick up the chicken and roll it in the spices and set them into the pan to bake.  I used a little too much spice and we ended up having to make MORE spices.  However, if you just place the food into the dish without pounding the spices into the chicken, you will be fine!

Leah picking up the chicken...

Making that chicken work...

Finished!

Then Leah added some pineapple and tada!  We had our final product!  All we had to do was throw it into the oven to bake for about 30 minutes!

 While we were cooking the chicken, we discussed politics, music and everything else under the sun.  And of coarse, I had to sneak a photo of Leah holding our Pineapple, Quasimodo.

We also added bread to our dish...and rice...with cilantro.

And of coarse... you can't have food without wine!  The wine's selection this evening was a bottle of Naughty Girl!

In result, this was our dish:

Honestly, I'm not a chicken girl, but this dish was worth it.  I loved it a lot!  The only thing I would change about the recipe is to not use as much chilli powder.  It says be generous, well, don't be.  With chilli powder, there is something called too generous. 

Afterwards, Leah's dad and myself took turns playing piano.  While he played the Entertainer, I jamned out to what I know best... church music!  Since nobody was Catholic in the house, I stuck to Christmas Music.  It was much loved:)  Then, after chatting with Leah's parents for sometime, Kristina, Leah and I retired to the bedroom where we spent the next 30 minutes watching YouTube Videos:)

All in all, a wonderful evening!

Many blessings,
Em