a little of this; a little of that

The Gardener was away and it was the perfect evening to celebrate a birthday with girlfriends. 

(We could lower the lights and enjoy candlelight without the men 

complaining they couldn't see their food.)  :-)

 I brought out my old wedding china, still in perfect condition. 

Is it my imagination or are daisies popular again?

I've not grown tired of these! 

Autumn flowers from the garden and from a friend's gift to me.

See all the little bowls? Waiting for toppings for the curry. It's a really fun meal to serve.

Chicken curry, or "Daffa Duka" (a recipe I got from Kenya, supposedly 

meaning "a little of this and a little of that) ... curry is popular in many countries:

1 chicken boiled and cut up (or use chicken breasts ... whatever)
2-3 apples peeled and cut up into small chunks
1 C chopped onion
1 clove garlic
2 Tb. oil
Cook the above for about five minutes then add
2 Tb. flour
3 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. salt
  Add 2 C of milk and heat through well til sauce thickens

(I often halve again this recipe, and add a little chicken flavoring.)

Serve over rice with the following toppings at room temperature:

Topping ideas (I never use them all) --best chopped into small size: 

chopped hard boiled eggs

strawberries
chopped peanuts

red onions

seeded grapes

orange slices
mellon
bananas

 sweet peppers

dried noodles

raisins

chutney*

A chutney I prefer: one can of small chopped tomatoes, drained.
Add 1 Tb. sugar, 2 Tb. lemon juice, 1 Tb. vinegar and 1/2 C finely chopped red onion.
Best to marinate in frig for a few hours and serve at room temperature.

One thing I have learned over the years is to let toppings warm up to room temperature, 

otherwise adding them to a hot curry will cool it down too quickly.

I hope you'll try this if you haven't had it before!