Dip Night with the girls

My friend Stacey had a brilliant idea this week: to have a girls night centered on dips. We did, and it was fantastic. Each of the following dips made an appearance:

Caramelized Vidalia Onion Dip served with crostini
Reuben Dip served with chunky bread
Jalapeno Popper Dip served with corn chips
Spicy Peanut Dip served with chicken satay and bell peppers
Ranch dip with veggies
Chocolate Sauce (dip) served with strawberries and bananas

I made the Spicy Peanut Dip, which was pretty good. I had a feeling there would be a number of (delicious) creamy dips, and I wanted to take something a little different. Here's the recipe:

Spicy Peanut Dip

ingredients:

1 large shallot, chopped
1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/8 teaspoon dried crushed pepper
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
4 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar

Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add shallot, ginger, and garlic; saute until shallot is tender, about 3 minutes. Add curry powder and crushed red pepper. Stir until aromatic, about 15 seconds. Stir in chicken broth, peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce, and brown sugar; whisk to blend. Simmer until mixture thickens, whisking constantly, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool, whisking occassionally to prevent separation. Serve at room temperature, and sprinkle with curry powder just before serving.

The chicken satay was a tasty and aesthetically pleasing accompaniment, and the crunchiness of the bell peppers contrasted nicely with the other textures. Overall a good solid dip that I will make again.

Warm fuzzies and curry

Right now Charlie and I are snuggled up on the couch eating cold chicken curry out of Gladware, watching 30 Rock, and pretending it isn't an hour later than it ought to be (oh, daylight saving time, you're such a bother sometimes). I've gotta tell ya, it doesn't get much better than this.

So, I'm suddenly inspired to post one of my favorite chicken curry recipes. It also happens to be a quick and easy meal. The first time I made this I misread the recipe and accidentally doubled the amount of butter called for. Unfortunately, it's better with the extra butter! Just the same, I'll print it with the amount called for and leave that indulgence up to you.

Thai Chicken Curry

ingredients

3 lbs boneless chicken breasts, skinned and cubed

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 cup butter

1 medium onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon minced ginger

1 Tablespoon curry powder

1 12 oz can coconut milk

1 Tablespoon thai fish sauce

2 small zucchini, diced

1/2 cup mint leaves

4 green onions

1 Tablespoon crushed red pepper

Coat chicken with cornstarch. In a large skillet or wok, melt butter and saute onions and garlic until soft. Add chicken, curry powder, and ginger and stir-fry for 4 minutes. Add coconut milk, fish sauce, an zucchini and simmer for 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for one minute. Serve over basmati rice.

*I love the amount of heat in this curry, but some people may find it a bit too spicy. If spice isn't your thing feel free to put a bit less crushed red pepper.

This dish is best served warm, but also it's pretty good straight out of the fridge.