My Hobbie Lobbie

Welcome to this month's installment of the Secret Recipe Club or SRC. I can't believe another month has gone by too. My posts on this blog have been rather sparse lately but I absolutely look forward to SRC reveal days every month. Oh! by the way, I have to share whats been taking up so much of my time lately - I've gone back to college - I'm pursuing a course on Baking, Pastry and Confectionery. It has been action packed and very labor intensive, but I've learnt so many new things. This has got to be one of the best things I've done, ever. It makes me feel like I'm another step closer to starting my own cafe. More on that later, when I can spare some time to breathe! :)

Back to SRC. This month I was assigned a blog called Avocado Pesto written by Vicky. Vicky is fairly new to SRC, this month being her second. Welcome to the club Vicky! I hope you're having fun here! Do stop by when you get the chance, there's some lovely recipes you can pick from there. Vicky is soon going to embark on a 2 year trip backpacking around Europe and Asia along with her boyfriend D. It sounds really exciting and I can hardly wait to read about their travel exploits. My husband and I have a similar trip in mind, only not so soon. Maybe a few years down the line, fingers crossed. But I can sure use a few tips.

For this months reveal, I found it incredibly hard to stick to just one recipe. So I decided to do two instead. This was a lovely little meal in itself, easy to put together and incredibly flavorful. I made a delightfully Smokey Potato Salad. And guess what made the salad smokey - BACON. Prior to this, I had never tried bacon in potato salad, but it is so good in there, it makes me wonder why I didn't try it out before. I used Vicky's recipe for Grilled Chicken Thighs but pan fried mine instead of grilling it. I had to make a few adjustments due to non availability of a few ingredients. The result was still fantastic. I see myself making this quite a few times. But do forgive the picture quality - I had to use my phone for these pictures since my camera battery had run out of juice. Also, I think exhaustion makes you do some pretty weird stuff. I cannot figure out why I used this plate, you can barely see the chicken. However, do NOT let these pictures fool you. We loved the meal, and if you love fried chicken, bacon and potato salad (not necessarily in that order), I know you will too.




Smokey Potato Salad
(Serves 4-5 as a side)

2-3 potatoes, boiled and cubed
3 rashers of bacon, fried and finely sliced
1 large clove of garlic, minced
3/4 cup yogurt (natural and unflavored)
2 heaped tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp chives (I used the dried, bottled variety)
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Mix together all the ingredients except the potatoes. Check for seasoning and adjust if needed.

Add the potatoes and stir gently to make sure all the potatoes are well coated with the dressing.

NOTE: This salad makes for great left overs. Keep refrigerated. The smokiness gets more pronounced the next day.


Pan-fried Chicken

1/4 kg chicken pieces (You can use breast, thighs or chunks)
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tbsp soya sauce
A sprinkle of red chilli flakes, to taste
1 1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste
Salt, to taste

Mix all the ingredients except the chicken, to form your marinade.

Add the chicken pieces to the marinade and toss well. Keep aside for about 30 minutes.

Heat a tbsp of oil in a pan and fry the chicken pieces till done. (You can also grill them).

Enjoy an awesome weeknight meal!!!