new costume projects

being in a new place has taken way more adjustment than i anticipated. this fall we passed on doing the first show with kirby's new ballet studio, academy of classical ballet. after some begging in january, we agreed to do the spring show...kirby dancing and me costuming.

with my kids in school for the first time this year (there's a whole 'nother post about that one of these days...) and my brain finally settling down from the move, i have been working on a more elaborate form of costume than i was doing in oregon. hand-painting on satin and organza, applying swarovski crystals, burning and layering scores of petals, creating a glitter layer (from extra fine glitter and mod podge) to paint on a purchased costume, and lots of trimmings. it was a fun, but time-consuming project which leaves me excited to see them all on stage in a couple of weeks.

butterfly queen

tulip princess

water lily and thumbelina

swanhilda fabric (guess i didn't take a picture of the finished costume) and the aftermath of painting feathers

indian chicken salad

i love curry. LOVE. over easter we were back in portland and had a picnic with my brother-in-law, sister-in-law, and niece. my sister-in-law picked out a very yummy looking indian chicken salad from the whole foods deli. we were excited about it...until we got to the cashier and realized the one pound she had gotten was going to cost almost $15. ouch! my recipe rivals the inspiration and i made around three pounds of this deliciousness for under $10. score.

indian chicken salad

2.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast (i used one bag of frozen, thawed from trader joe's)
1 T curry powder
1-2 t kosher salt
1/4 t pepper

i picked up the ingredients for this dish the same day i wanted to eat it. because i didn't have time to let the chicken thaw on its own (and no longer use the microwave for thawing), i placed the bag in my large stock pot, opened the bag, and filled the bag and stock pot with hot water. after the chicken was thawed (10-15 minutes) i held a small part of the resealable top closed while pouring off all of the water. then i dumped all the spices into the bag and massaged everything around until the chicken was coated. then i lit my grill (or you could heat a pan on the stove, but the taste from the grill was so much better). after the grill was fully heated i grilled the chicken breasts, roughly 5-7 minutes per side. once finished, i let the chicken rest 10-15 minutes before dicing. this is a good amount of time to prep the rest of the ingredients for the chicken salad.

5-6 green onions, sliced, all white and green parts (you can dice the larger white rounds, if desired)
2 large carrots, shredded on a box grater (or food processor large shredding disk)
1/2 C currants (raisins would work here, but i liked the smaller size of the currant)
1 C plain yogurt (you could use mayo, but i had run out and didn't have time to make more)
1 T curry powder
salt and pepper, to taste (probably 1-2 t kosher salt and 1/8-1/4 t of fresh ground pepper)

dice chicken and stir all ingredients together. taste, adjust seasonings if necessary, and ENJOY!