The Verdict

Start here:

And end happy! This sauce mix is inexpensive and it couldn't be easier. Simply add water, butter, coconut milk, and your own chicken. I really like butter chicken, and of all of the sauce bases I've tried, this has been my favourite.

Cranberry Sauce: On a Whim

I don't really know why in particular I decided to make cranberry sauce.

It could have been Martha's latest Living magazine, with its awe inspiring photos. This month she made a cranberry compote that was served on mascarpone cheese and cookies.

It could have also been the fact that I have been dying to make a cranberry brie omlete some morning for breakfast.

It could have been because the last time I went for groceries, I was enamored with this gorgeous, fiercely coloured fruit.

All I do know, is that last night I got home from work at 10pm and decided to make cranberry sauce. I also decided that I would not look up the recipe, and that I would make it up as I went. Turns out, I know how to make cranberry sauce.

My version is not as sweet as the Thanksgiving/Christmas version, which I like. It has a bit of a tang, and you you could eat it straight if you really wanted to. Last night, I really wanted to.

Brilliantly red berries, sugar, cinnamon, and lime juice simmered until I felt the time was right make-up this sauce that I made on a whim.

whimy-whim whim-whim,

whim!

Ingredients:

(Makes 1 cup prepared sauce)

I'm sorry that these amounts are kind of vague. I sort of threw things into the pot and discovered, it is hard to mess up cranberry sauce! That should encourage you:)

3/4 of a bag of fresh or frozen cranberries
4-5 Tbsp white sugar (add additional sugar to taste)

few good shakes of cinnamon

1/4 cup water

the juice from 1 lime

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients into a pot to simmer over medium heat. Allow it to come to a light simmer for at least 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Watch out because the cranberries have a tendency to pop open!

2. When the cranberries have simmered down and take on the consistency you like, it's done! (It will thicken slightly after you let it cool.)

LOL

For those of you who don't know what LOL means, first, I love you for being so darn cute, second, you are not alone (my Dad thought it meant Lot's of Love--Sending LOL your way Dad!), and third...it means 'Laugh out Loud.'

Technically I am steeping the stereotypes of my generation by even using the short form, but oh well. We all know that people are lazy when it comes to msn talk, but we live in a busy world which is getting busier. That's what we should be worried about! (Not about u n me writin' n ltrs--haha itz all jks anywz<3).

But I digress.

I laughed out loud because of sheer coincidence. Last night, I was watching this great cooking video on Rouxbe, (read about it here) where they cooked pan fried chicken. They emphasized the point that when you cook at a proper temperature, you can make pan sauce out of the little bits of meat left at the bottom of the pan.

Now I thought to myself, I really need to learn how to make a pan sauce! I searched the website, and couldn't find a lesson on how, and I was really set on learning! So I guess one could say I was bummed.

But tonight, low and behold, I found that their free feature video on (drum roll)... pan sauce :)

Made me pretty happy.

So okay, maybe you wouldn't find this to be to be so humorous that you would LOL, but I bet you would chuckle.

You can learn about pan sauces too, at Rouxbe's online cooking school. If you missed the pan sauce video but are still interested in learning more, here is a great link to the 411 on pan sauces.

Photo is courtesy of http://img.timeinc.net/recipes/i/recipes/ck/04/03/salmon-sauce-ck-592310-l.jpg