Coconut Chicken Curry

There is a Thai restaurant just around the corner that some of my coworkers introduced me to a few years ago. I fell head over heels for their Massaman curry. Rich and hearty with potatoes and onions paired with the delicate sweetness of coconut milk and spice of curry. It's a dish that I knew I needed in my weeknight repertoire.

This dish is incredibly adaptable to your personal taste. While I prefer to use jasmine rice, use what you have on hand. Customize your spice level by using a curry powder with more heat, or adding some finely diced peppers. Don't want to use chicken? Substitute with your favorite protein! I love this dish with both pork and beef, and it can easily be made vegetarian to suit your needs.

Coconut Chicken Curry
Serves Four

1 1/3 cup uncooked rice, cooked
3 medium white potatoes
1 medium onion
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 13.5 oz. can of coconut milk
1 TBS and 2 tsp yellow curry powder
1 TBS canola oil
salt and pepper to taste
(optional) fresh flat leaf parley for garnish.

Set a medium saucepan filled with lightly salted water over medium/high heat. While the water comes to a boil, cube your potatoes, onion, and chicken into even pieces. Put the potato cubes into the now boiling water and cook for 12 minutes, or until fork tender. Drain and set aside.

While the potatoes are boiling, oil a heavy bottomed saute pan with canola oil and put over medium/high heat. Season the cubed chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Saute the onions just until they start to become translucent and add the chicken, browning on all sides. Add the can of coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Add the curry powder and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Gently fold in the tender potatoes and test the sauce, adding more salt as necessary.

To plate, spoon the curry over a bed of rice and garnish with fresh parsley.

Do you have a restaurant favorite that you've adapted to cook at home?

Wander About Town

Welcome to Wander About Town. If you've stopped by this week, or have seen me on social media, you'll notice some pretty major changes around here. One of my main goals for 2015 was to bring some focus to A Little Fancifully. I wanted to find, and stick to, a blogging schedule. I planned to put more thought into my brand, what was really driving my passion. The problem though, after doing some serious soul searching (and after talking with some trusted friends), A Little Fancifully just wasn't the right fit. As much as I love all things fanciful, that's not my driving passion, and my creativity was suffering.

Epiphany in hand, and hours later, Wander About Town started to take shape. Six months ago I started playing with this as a side project, but the longer I looked at it the more I came to realize that this is where my heart is. Wandering is about letting anything and everything be an inspiration. It's about adventures, both big and small. It's about finding joy where you are right now, and not waiting for the great someday. My passion is food, and Wander About Town is about savoring life one bite at a time.

I have so many exciting plans to share with you. From recipes to restaurant reviews and travel guides.  From the big celebrations of life, to ways to celebrate the bliss of the everyday. I'm excited, and I hope that you'll join me on this journey. Regular programming will begin on Monday with one of my favorite recipes.

In Miniature

Miniatures have always been fascinating to me. Growing up, my grandma had a shelf of miniatures that she had made on a shelf by the front door. Though she hadn't lived on a farm, the country motif was a common thread through her work so there were tiny butter churns and baskets of hand painted apples. I loved everything about it. I would take the little objects down one by one and admire the detail that went into them. My love for legos stems from the same place. The detail that can come out of those square and rectangular blocks blows me away.

Legoland as a whole is a dream come true for anyone who enjoys creativity, but their land of miniature towns and landmarks is by far my favorite spot. When I saw that Las Vegas was represented I couldn't resist spending some time and admiring the love put into getting the details just right.

From the Mirage with actual steam coming from the volcano to the towering MGM with signs advertising two of the hotel's iconic shows. I love the lion statue and the shimmering green, remnants of the days when the MGM was heavily themed after The Wizard of Oz.

Their representation of the New York, New York was another favorite for the sheer number of details alone. Even though I enjoyed playing with legos growing up, I never had the patience to see larger projects through. Looking at these buildings, which ranged from calf to knee height, I can't imagine the hours that went into crafting these near-perfect replicas.

Many of the displays even had moving parts! From the pirate show at the TI to dolphins jumping through hoops behind the Mirage, these buildings truly came to life. Miniatures are a fun way to gain a new perspective on the city you live in. Not only do they give me the desire to explore in a new light, but I really want to tackle my own lego project this year.

Do you have a dream lego project that you would love to work on? What would you like to see in miniature form?

Pumpkin Chiffon Tart

This easy dessert was a dish inspired by my favorite local doughnut shop after looking through my cupboard and seeing one lone can of pumpkin puree. This time of year they carry their pumpkin chiffon doughnut. A yeast raised doughnut piled high with an airy, lightly sweetened pumpkin mousse. It's the perfect morning treat. This pumpkin chiffon tart carries much of that same flavor profile, replacing the doughnut with some puff pastry. This quick and easy treat fills a 9x13" pan in less than 30 minutes of active baking time making it the perfect last minute Thanksgiving dessert (and an alternative to pie).

Pumpkin Chiffon Tart

1 1/3 sheets puff pastry
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
1 can pumpkin puree
1/2 cup & 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
3 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 pinch of salt
(optional) powdered sugar and cinnamon for decoration

After allowing your puff pastry sheets to thaw (either overnight in the fridge or on the counter for 40 minutes), preheat your over to 400°F. Line a 9x13" pan with parchment paper. Lay out your puff pastry sheets to fill the bottom of the pan, sealing sheets together with your fingers. Pierce the dough all over with a fork and bake for approximately 13 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely.

While the pastry is baking you can start on your mousse. Begin by whisking the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. If you are using a stand mixer, switch to the paddle attachment or a spatula if you're mixing by hand. Fold in pumpkin puree, powdered sugar, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract, and salt until just combined being careful not to over mix.

After the pastry has cooled completely, spread the mousse evenly over the top of the flattened shell. If the dough rose significantly after baking you may need to pre-flatten it at this stage. Finish the tart off by lightly dusting with your powdered sugar and cinnamon mixture. This tart can be served immediately, or be allowed to firm up in the fridge.

Do you have a favorite Thanksgiving dessert that you gravitate towards every year, or have you found some new treats that your excited to try?

My Perfect Pantry

When Barnes & Noble coupons roll around, I tend to find myself browsing the cookbook section. As one of my favorite judges on Chopped, I was instantly intrigued when I spotted Geoffrey Zakarian's My Perfect Pantry. With over 150 recipes, My Perfect Pantry works on the premise that a base of a well stocked pantry can be the jumping off point for a delicious meal. From pasta to salads, and desserts to hearty main courses I found this book to be well rounded and filled with recipes that put a twist on the norm. Each recipe has a full color photo to accompany it, featured in sections by pantry ingredients. With a few exceptions the ingredients were easy to source and each recipe is generously portioned (and often paired with leftover suggestions).

Before reviewing a cookbook I try to test a few recipes to get a feel for how easy the author's style is to follow. So far I have made the Chicken Gumbo (photographed below), Magnificent Meatballs, and Family Chicken Fingers. The recipes were well written and easy to follow. Each step and technique was clearly explained and I appreciated that he includes approximate times for many of the individual steps. All three were delicious, with some fresh twists to keep the basics interesting. I am excited to try more, especially some of his desserts.

Final Verdict: ★★★★☆
Overall a wonderful addition for any home cook's collection. There are a few recipes that don't fit in with the style and scope of the book, but the majority are well written and easy to follow.