Lips and Leftover Lamb

I'm a bit addicted to lip things.  Every bag seems to have at least one gloss or balm within it.  And it's not that I'm obsessed with how I look, it's more the feeling of dry lips I find uncomfortable - although if I haven't applied anything, sometimes I can catch a glimpse of a face to scare small children, so it's as much for them as for my comfort.  Even though it feels like I have lip balms coming out my ears, occasionally I'll discover my bag of choice is lacking in this department.  And so my collection grows.

When I needed to replenish my supply of silk oil (for the hair), the only package available was a promotional package including lip balm.  So I didn't really have a choice.  Silk oil lasts forever so tonight was the first I needed to use the new bottle - and I tested the lip balm as well.  Oh. My.  Most amazing balm in my possession.  No colour, so I'll use it more to condition, but it is just wonderful.  Who would have thought?!  All organic (a big plus), but made in the USA (transport - bit of a downer) and no SPF (also a bit of a downer - I'll have to use some other sunblock method as well).  But wow, this one is a winner.

After Thursday, I still have plenty of leftover roast lamb.  Tana Ramsey has a recipe for rogan josh using leftover roast lamb and this has been my first opportunity to give it a go.  I would be pretty happy to have roast lamb more often in order to have leftover lamb rogan josh.  It's really delicious, and super easy too. 

Just heat 2 tablespoons groundnut oil in a large pan over medium-low heat, add 2 medium onions and 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and diced, and fry till softened.  Add a red chilli (deseeded and finely chopped), 2 teaspoons curry powder, 1 teaspoon of ground turmeric, 3 teaspoons garam masala, 2 teaspoons each ground coriander and ground cumin; stir with the onions to form a paste.  Add 500g leftover cooked leg of lamb (diced into bite-sized pieces) and any leftover sauce from the roast; stir to mix thoroughly. 

Add about 300g tinned chopped tomatoes - adjust according to how much leftover sauce you had, and how runny you want your curry.  Also stir through 4 tablespoons natural yoghurt, and simmer gently 8-10 minutes, until the lamb is heated through.  Stir through 2-3 tablespoons hot and spicy mango chutney (adjust according to taste).  Add 3 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander.

Serve the lamb on a bed of rice, with an extra tablespoon of coriander sprinkled on top; scatter with 2 tablespoons lightly toasted flaked almonds.

As we know, I'm not a fan of rice, so I went global and used some leftover Turkish bread from Saturday night instead.  And I'm all out of flaked almonds so you just have to use your imagination - good thing I'm not requiring imagination for the crusty bread as well then!

Today's photo:

Not terribly artistic (as hoped yesterday), but it delighted me to see a rainbow as I got home from the gym, arching over the whole neighbourhood.  It's been a while.

Daily Photos Catch Up

Since promising to take a photo a day, I have been very slack in posting a photo a day.  I've still been taking them, I just forget to upload...  So here are the last 8.  Yikes!

Monday, June 18.  This agave plant is one of many on a nearby street.  I have thought about photographing them on several occasions, so I'm glad I had an excuse.

Tuesday, June 19.  A street near the school at which I teach.  Seeing this tree change over the year is a great joy.

Wednesday, June 20.  These fluff-balls are right by the footpath at home.

Thursday, June 21.  Fete de la Musique, and I was the contact for St John's cathedral.  Most people don't see the wonderful light show that happens in the cathedral - between about 11 and 3 the stained glass produces these wonders.  I hadn't seen this kaleidoscope effect before.

Friday, June 22.  Sunlight in the courtyard catching this new aloe vera flower.

Saturday, June 23.  This is a great guard dog.  Seriously.  When I returned from my run on Saturday, Gracie was mostly inside but with her head outside, keeping tabs on the goings-on outside.

Sunday, June 24.  I had less than an hour at home during the day, in which I ate lunch.  After calling Gracie back from barking at a passing neighbourhood dog - and she came, too - I gave her a little treat.  She stayed for more.  I caved.

Monday, June 25.  After running a practice half marathon on Monday, the weather was quite cool and overcast.  Perfect practice weather.  Standing under the light, the light and shadow visible through the f-holes was striking.

Tuesday, June 26.  A sneak peek of tomorrow's post...  Growing up, my favourite food was green apples.  Apples, generally, but I remember a few bad experiences with red apples so I preferred green for a long time.  Whenever my mum was cooking with apples, I'd hang around for the peel.  An all-in-one peel was a bonus.  When visiting my grandparents, my grandfather (who was born in Scotland) told me that, if you peeled an apple or orange with an unbroken peel, you should throw it with your right hand over your left shoulder (preferably with your back to the fireplace), and the letter it most closely resembled would be the initial of the person you would marry.  (Not surprisingly, 'S' was a common result).  Similarly, twist an apple stalk going through the alphabet and the initial on which it breaks off is the initial of your future spouse.  This is a habit I still have.  Anyway, tonight I managed two unbroken apple peels.