New shoes New shoes!

Choosing Shoes

by Frida Wolfe

New shoes, new shoes,
Red and pink and blue shoes.
Tell me, what would you choose,
If they’d let us buy?

Buckle shoes, bow shoes,
Pretty pointy-toe shoes,
Strappy, cappy low shoes;
Let’s have some to try.

Bright shoes, white shoes,
Dandy-dance-by-night shoes,
Perhaps-a-little-tight shoes,
Like some? So would I.

BUT
Flat shoes, fat shoes,
Stump-along-like-that shoes,
Wipe-them-on-the-mat shoes,
That’s the sort they’ll buy.

This is a poem I remember from school days and I thought of it all the while when trying to decide what to buy for Grace as her first walking shoes. Firstly, the fuss about the first walking shoes is so over the top. R and myself were raised in India and Nigeria and our first shoes were probably the equivalent of a Rs.5.00 then! And there was no serious science behind the fitting of those shoes then. And we don’t walk wonky now!

Anyway, I’ve been talking to experienced parents, checking stores and reading online about what sort of shoes I need to get my child. I was advised by the health visitor to get her a pair once she had been steady on her feet for a good three weeks. It was over a month by the time I got her a pair. R and myself walked up to the Brantano near our house, and quickly decided what pair would suit Grace. I was told that my child has a ‘high instep’!

Then we came home and made a big do about wearing the first shoes- Papa and Mummy put each one on each of her tiny legs and she was off. They suit her well and she has been wearing it for a while now. I was so excited about this tiny pair that I thought it blogworthy.

Butter Chicken / Murgh Makhani

When we were kids in Muscat, our parents used to take us out for a meal once a month. That was luxury! We used to look forward to the meal and it would always be in a restaurant called ‘Sindbad’. And the menu always consisted of the same four to five dishes- chicken corn soup, mixed fried rice, Murgh Makhani, Malai Kofta and Naan. And I think over the years, the waiters knew for sure what we were going to order when we stepped into the restaurant- they probably already had the order written on the scribble pad the moment they saw us in the car park! The love for Murgh Makhani has not dwindled over the years and every time I have a bit of this dish, I remember our sojourns to Sindbad.

I follow Nisha’s blog – http://mykitchenantics.blogspot.com/2010/09/butter-chicken-murgh-makhni.html, regularly and the recipe for this dish is listed on this link. I’ve made a few changes to mine and my pictures are not as great as Nisha’s, but try the recipe. It works everytime. If you are looking for a 5 min chicken dish, then this is not for you. This requires some baking and grilling in the oven and some marination time as well. I did not use any butter and cashewnuts in my preparation- wanted to leave out as much cholesterol as possible. I’ve realised the the taste of the Murgh Makhani does not really lie in the Makhan (Butter) but in the addition of Fenugreek (Methi) and the use of tomatoes.

So go ahead and try this recipe when you have the following in your pantry and fridge:

Tinned Tomatoes

Kasoori Methi (dry)

Chicken

Single Cream