Archive for March, 2009

Easy Chicken Tikka Masala

By Paula is QuiteCurious On March 26, 2009 In In the Kitchen With 7 Comments Permanent Link to Easy Chicken Tikka MasalaPermalink

I’ve always loved eating Indian food, but been too intimidated to try making it at home. The flavors are so rich and complex – surely, it has to be a time-consuming, laborious meal to make. NOT.

After looking at several Indian recipes online, I realized that Indian food tastes complex because of it’s ingredients, not so much because of it’s process. Most of the flavor comes from a unique mix of spices, and surprisingly, most of these spices are ones that I own already.

An added bonus to this recipe is that it’s easy to impress AND easy on the wallet. This is a pantry recipe – the only things I had to buy were the fresh ingredients: chicken, potatoes, lemon, ginger, heavy cream, and cilantro. You may have a bit more to buy if you don’t own the spices already. But if you need to, I suggest going to a Chinese, Mexican, or Persian market – you can buy the same spices you find at an American store but at a much lower cost.

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Never Trust User Ratings

By Paula is QuiteCurious On March 22, 2009 In Curiosities, Photography, Reviews With 10 Comments Permanent Link to Never Trust User RatingsPermalink


(Banner image from 47st Photo)

The problem with being a photo enthusiast is that it’s hard to get the equipment you need. There aren’t that many large camera stores, and if there are, they usually don’t carry a wide selection, or they markup the prices significantly (and photo equipment is in my opinion, already unaffordable). So that leaves just one option – online shopping.

And with online stores carrying identical products at competitive prices, it’s hard to know who to purchase from, so the easiest thing to turn to for reference are unbiased, user reviews and ratings.

Well, never trust user ratings. Here’s why.

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Cinnamon Buns

By Paula is QuiteCurious On March 19, 2009 In In the Kitchen With 15 Comments Permanent Link to Cinnamon BunsPermalink

Mrmmm…cinnamon buns. When I found this recipe for Fastest Cinnamon Buns, I just had to give it a try. This is the first time I’ve heard of cottage cheese being used in bread, so I was a little bit skeptical – but I figured using low fat cottage cheese instead of butter is much, much better for you. AND there’s no yeast involved. Even better.

Now I see why this recipe has received 5 stars from everyone who has reviewed it. It may just be the best cinnamon bun I’ve ever had. Forget buying cinnamon buns – these are so easy to make and so much healthier. (A Classic Cinnabon has 730 calories, and a Cinnabon Carmel Pecanbon has 1,100 – avoid these with your life.)

Nuke a cinnamon bun for 15 seconds in the microwave and you’re in heaven. What better way to start the day?

See more photos here »

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Making Thin Mints

By Paula is QuiteCurious On March 14, 2009 In In the Kitchen With 21 Comments Permanent Link to Making Thin MintsPermalink

For some reason, everyone starts drooling anytime Thin Mints are mentioned. It’s like some kind of holy dish people only get to indulge in once a year. I’ve always thought, “They’re good, but aren’t they just processed cookies?” I’ve seen the back of the box before, and in my opinion, if there’s ingredients that are more than thirteen letters long – that’s definitely a sign that it isn’t good for you.

I buy one box from my neighbor’s daughter every year (at $4 a pop, which according to my friend, is a steal), but I would probably buy more if they were organic, all-natural, or homemade. I hate to burst the Girl Scout cookie bubble, but they’re made by Interbake Foods, LLC. There’s nothing really that cute about it.

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Wii Build Event

By Paula is QuiteCurious On March 2, 2009 In Out & About With 9 Comments Permanent Link to Wii Build EventPermalink

I volunteered at a great event this weekend – the “Wii Build Event”. About 130 people showed up at a local church to unpackage, assemble, and organize 70 Wii stations–each going into a room at the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital in Palo Alto, CA and at the children’s wing at the UCSF hospital in San Francisco.

The idea was inspired by my nephew, Matthew. He was a great kid (really, really was!) but was unfortunately diagnosed with Leukemia, and after a few tough years battling with cancer, he passed away at 9. (I still miss him.)

My cousin Gigi, and her husband Ely set up the Matthew Tsern Foundation shortly after, to help families of kids with cancer. And with the support of KidsSTRONG, they managed to get all of these Wii stations! Matthew had a Wii station in his hospital room and they felt all kids with cancer should have one too – as a way to forget about their pain. And because the kids can’t leave their room, all the Wii stations will be set up on the same network so they can still interact with each other. Gigi and Ely are absolutely incredible – some of the most loving and dedicated people I know.

Video of the event »
Photos from event »

The event was a great success, and I had a lot of fun while I was there. Here are some of the photos from the event.

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