Rule #1 of Hosting a Dinner Party and a Look Inside

Rule #1 of Hosting a Dinner Party:

Don’t host a dinner party.

That way you don’t have to follow the number one dinner party hosting rule of not making a dish you have never made before!

I have had my eye on a recipe from Eating Well for Chicken Coconut Curry for weeks now. The tear out from the issue has been sitting on my counter for far too long!

Now that I am finally feeling a bit more settled after moving time and time again, and having multiple homes at once, I’ve been dying to just relax and cook for friends!

Despite a casual Sunday meal, it probably remains a good idea to NOT test out new recipes on friends!

                                                           Chicken Coconut Curry, TJs Hummus, veggies, lentils, rice, and naan

Thankfully, and miraculously, no kitchen fires occurred, and the curry was rather delicious! In line with the reviews I read online, while certainly scrumptious, for a curry, the flavors were not as deep as you might be used to. This makes sense considering the only spice the recipe calls for is a large amount of curry powder. I ended up adding around 1/2 tsp of garam masala for extra depth.

Overall, for the ease of a the recipe and a homemade curry, you just can’t complain!

To soak up all of that goodness, I whipped up an incredibly easy naan!

Whole Wheat Naan

1/2 c of warm milk

1 packet dry rapid risie yeast

1/2 tsp sugar

3 c whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 c plain Greek yogurt

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

Instructions

Combine yeast, milk, and sugar. Allow mixture to rest for 10 minutes or until bubbles form around the edges of the bowl. In a large bowl, combine, flour, yogurt, salt, and baking powder and mix. Stir in yeast mixture and combine using your hands until a soft dough forms.

Once the dough has pulled together, spray with cooking spray, cover, and place in a warm spot. Allow the dough to rise until doubled in size*.

Heat a large skillet on medium high and coat in olive oil. Separate dough into 6 to 8 sections. On a floured surface, roll each section into a thin flat layer. Place each piece of naan on skillet and cook on one side until bubbles begin to form, flip, and allow bubbles to form on the opposite side. Be sure to add more oil for each round of cooking.

Serve warm and enjoy!

Notes*

*I was having yeast issues, but the recipe has worked well in the past!

*I played it safe, but this is a wonderful recipe to have some fun with. Toss in any herb and/or spice that floats your boat! Cilantro would have been particularly fabulous with the curry!

These Girls Are Amazing!

While waiting for my friends to arrive, I watched the Millrose Games, where 16 year old favorite, and  Mary Cain broke her own record for the High School Girl’s Wannamaker mile, running a 4:28.25!!!

Holy Speedy Gonzolas!

Ya’ll, I genuinely cannot fathom what it feels like to run that fast. Not only, can I not fathom what it feels like to run that fast, I cannot fathom what it feels like to PUSH MY BODY TO SUCH AN EXTREME, uncovering what I am actually capable of.

A Look Inside

The more I thought about SERIOUSLY pushing myself, the more convinced I became that, it is a euphemism for life, mine at the moment, in general. Now, I am not one for cheesy quotes, which, is exactly what the thought sounds like, but cheesy or not, truth is truth. In one respect, I have gone through a lot of changes in the past year, changes that would push many people out of their comfort zone. Moving away from home to a new state where I know no one. Beginning my first “real” job. Suffering month after month of injury. Learning that I will be moving jobs, and locations every eight months for the next two years.

That sounds like quite a lot of “PUSHING“,” but when I ask, “How many times in the past year have I been REALLY uncomfortable? How many times in the past year have I been SCARED?

The answer is not enough. I can’t think back to the last time I was scared.(ok I can, I maaayyyy have called the police about what sounded like gunshots but came to be a Friday night ritual when I lived in Winston-Salem, but that is neither here nor there.)

The change, and unfamiliarity in my life has come from my career and has been laid out for me. Now that I am happily settling into my work, it is time for ME to initiate, and ME to push myself out of my comfort zone.

For a gal who loves both an adrenaline rush as well as putting herself in new situations, it’s about time. At the moment I don’t know what I am going to do about it, but I’ll be looking

Have you ever tested a new recipe on others?

Any funny dinner party hosting mishaps?

How often do you find yourself challenged?

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