I'm sharing our dinners of the week in today's video.



I love watching these types of videos from other people as I always get new ideas. This is a relatively typical week for us, with an assortment of family favorites. I hope you enjoy seeing our meals.


My daughter made dinner tonight and assembled this Cobb salad. All of the kids love this type of salad and each got to choose their dressing of choice.


The kids weren't with us this afternoon, so Ben and I had a light salad with smoked herring, avocado, cherry tomatoes, apples, blue cheese, on romaine lettuce with champagne dressing.


We had beef enchiladas for dinner tonight packed with veggies and topped with salsa, sour cream, and avocado. We usually have one night a week where we have tacos, but this week we had enchiladas instead. I love these pretty antique plates from Ben's mother. They are similar to my favorite Spode Blue Italian.


Tuna pasta salad is a staple in our home and is easy to make when we are low on fresh food. This has pasta, tuna, olives, pickles, cucumber, and caramelized onions (chopped apples are great with this too) mixed with mayonnaise and garlic salt. So yummy. The French blue napkins are from Amazon.


The kids had pasta bolognese tonight and I didn't feel like having a heavy meal so I had heaps of the side salad along with garlic bread.


Beef pot roast is a regular dish in our family. I make this in the slow cooker. First, I layer chopped onions in the slow cooker, then I coat the beef chuck roast with salt and pepper and flour and sear it in a hot pan with oil. I then add the roast to the slow cooker (on top of the onions). I then put about a half cup of water in the pan along with onion soup mix to make a little gravy and pour that on top of the beef. I cook this on slow for 8 hours in the slow cooker.


Tonight's dish is vegetarian. Cabbage, carrots and other veggies are mixed with brown rice and sautéed with a miso sauce. I bought this kit from Trader Joe's.


For Valentine's Day, Ben and I had steamed crab with lemon butter sauce, potatoes au gratin, and asparagus. We had chocolates for dessert. I promise there was a lot more crab to eat for dinner... I just wanted to take a picture of the dish so we could move on to a nice dinner :) The buffalo check napkins you see here are from Amazon.

My earrings are from Ana Luisa NY Use code Jennifer10 for $10 off
My dress is LL Bean.

I hope you enjoy today's video. Please let me know if you enjoy these types of posts and I will do more...

News
📍Join us for The Chic Assignment for February.

📍Become a member of The Daily Connoisseur through the MEMBERSHIPS feature. I do one livestream as well 3 episodes of my new Vodcast (a video podcast) per month. (Link must be accessed on a computer.) The next live stream is tomorrow.

📍Thank you for your wonderful support of my new book, CONNOISSEUR KIDS.

📍Check out my affordable eCourses: The Ten-Item Wardrobe, Chic Financial Principles for Debt-Free Living, and How to be Efficient at Home.

On Instagram
Madame Chic on Instagram...

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#kniznitip #cteniprozeny #inspirace #kniha #tipnaknihu #precteno #mladafronta #jenniferlscott #madamechic #caj #sedmikraska #lessonsfrommadamechic #dailyconnoisseur #book #inspirationbook #tea

A post shared by Martha Teimlova (@martha.tei) on Feb 11, 2020 at 8:33am PST

Comment of the Week
Gloria C. writes, "Hi Jennifer - Greetings from OK (cold and rainy)! I was wondering what to make for dinner tonight and thought of your recipes. Yes! Turkey Shepherd's Pie. I went to store for the ingredients I didn't have and made it. Rave reviews all around! I served it with cranberry sauce. I seem to want cranberry sauce any time there's turkey. Thanks for a great recipe. I made just enough for a 9" square pan for my husband, son and myself. There are some leftovers."


Hi Gloria, that is wonderful. I'm so glad that your family enjoyed the Shepherd's Pie! Thank you for letting me know.

I hope you enjoyed today's video. Let us know what meals your family has been enjoying lately. I love getting new ideas. Your recipe could be chosen as comment of the week. See you next time for The Chic Assignment check-in.



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You know how I like to cook... I like to make traditional family-friendly meals, usually without a recipe, and pack them with veggies as much as possible.



If at all possible, I like to double or triple the recipe and freeze the meals as well because (say it with me now) Being Chic is Being Prepared!



Today's video is a collaboration with the family from Easy Freezer Meals. If you want to see a professional's take on freezer meals, check out Eric and his family's videos. They live in Panama and run a freezer meal business. They have freezer meals for every occasion! Be sure to visit their channel and tell them I said, "hello".



OK, on to the turkey shepherd's pies.

I really just used what ingredients I had on hand and I urge you to do the same. If you don't have something that I am listing here, don't worry about it. Just substitute it for something else.

First, I sauteed 6 chopped carrots and two chopped onions in some olive oil.

I sprinkled the veggies with salt, pepper, ground turmeric, cumin seed, celery salt (I did not measure, but roughly 1/2 Tbs of each... also you don't have to use these spices... use what you have on hand and/or like. Salt and pepper to taste).

Add two cups chopped mushrooms and sauté.

Set vegetables aside.

Cook 5 1/2 lbs ground turkey (this is about four of those packs from Costco). Once it is browned, drain, and reintroduce the vegetable to the pot. Add 1 lb power greens (or spinach or kale... whatever you like).

Divide meat and vegetable mixture between three pans.

Layer shredded Monterey Jack cheese on top of meat.

Add mashed potatoes on top of that (I used roughly 9 medium to large potatoes)

If eating right away, put in 375 degree F oven for 30 minutes.

If freezing, cover properly and label your dish. You can bake this directly from frozen if you like at 350 degrees F for about two hours. Or, you can thaw in the refrigerator the night before and cook at 375 degrees F for around 40 minutes.

That's it! My message with these videos is that you don't need to overcomplicate things... Have fun experimenting in the kitchen and finding out what your family loves. If you have young children who are adverse to eating vegetables, pack your meals with them.

If you are not able to use casserole dishes for your freezer, these disposable foil casserole dishes (30 pack) from Amazon are helpful.

I hope you enjoyed today's video. Have a lovely weekend and I'll see you on Monday!


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Today, I'm sharing a crowd-pleasing, highly tasty dish: the taco casserole. I initially saw this recipe on Mickey from My Bashful Life's channel. I altered the recipe a bit to suit my family's taste.



My children and husband love this casserole. It's like a deconstructed nacho or taco dish. The addition of olive and fresh tomatoes on top make it really lovely. Here is the printable recipe for you:




I hope you enjoy today's video.

Thank you for joining me today and I hope you have a lovely weekend. I'll see you on Monday for a decorate with me video.


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I am currently having my blog re-designed to be more functional. What you see today is a temporary design. Thank you for your patience during this time. The final result will be ready soon!



Today, I'm sharing some old favorites and new recipes in an all new freezer meal video: beef chili, bolognese sauce, chicken pot pie filling, beef stew, and zucchini lasagna.

We had completely run out of our freezer meals so it was time I re-stocked the freezer. I love freezer cooking because you can accomplish a lot of work in a little bit of time (You know how I like to be efficient!) :) . On the days when I am too busy or too tired to cook, I simply pull out a freezer meal and am able to feed my family a healthful meal for a wonderful price.



I have made the beef chili and bolognese sauce for you many times before, but for reference sake, am featuring the recipes here as well.

I start by browning 6lbs of ground beef with 2 large chopped onions and 4 stalks of chopped celery. Once the meat is browned, I drain it and then add 1 lb of chopped spinach. Cook until the spinach is wilted. Season with salt and pepper.

I use this ground beef base for 5 of the freezer meals: 1 beef chili, 2 bologneses, and 2 zucchini lasagnas. I even had a little left over, which I simply stored in a freezer bag for future use.

Before we begin, these are the freezer cooking supplies that I reference in the recipes below (due to the redesign of my site, links are not currently showing up in different colors, so simply click on the word to be taken to the link): gallon ziploc freezer bags, aluminum 9x13 freezer pans (you can use regular casserole dishes too, but I use disposable pans when making a lot of meals), Instant Pot (6 qt), and slow cooker.

Beef Chili Freezer Meal

In a ziploc bag, combine 1 to 1 1/2 lbs of the cooked ground beef mixture, chopped onion, chopped bell pepper, and chopped celery. Add one can of white cannellini beans, one can of red kidney beans, one can of tomato sauce, and one can of stewed tomatoes, along with salt and pepper. Seal and label the bag and store in the freezer. When you are ready to eat the chili, pull it out the night before to thaw in the refrigerator. Cook the next day in a large stock pot, or in the slow cooker for 8 hours on low. You can also cook this in the Instant Pot on high pressure for 22 minutes.

Bolognese (makes 2 freezer meals)
Place 1 to 1 1/2 lbs of the ground beef mixture in each ziploc bag. Add your favorite jar of marinara sauce, or make your own. Add any additional vegetables you like. Seal and label the bag. Freeze. To eat, thaw the night before in the refrigerator. You can cook in a large stock pot, for 8 hours on low in the slow cooker, or 20 minutes in the Instant Pot. Serve over cooked spaghetti.

Zucchini Lasagna (makes 2)
Take one large zucchini, or 3 smaller zucchinis, and slice them into thick, steak-like pieces. (Our zucchini was a giant! We picked it from our garden.) Mix 1 1/2 lbs of the ground beef mixture with your favorite marinara sauce. Spray the bottom of each casserole pan or aluminum freezer pan with cooking spray. Ladle a small amount of the beef marinara sauce on the bottom of the pan. Place a layer of your zucchini "steaks" on top of the sauce. Top with mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese. Repeat the layers as you have room. Cover your casserole dish with foil, label and freeze. When you are ready to eat, thaw the night before in the refrigerator. Cook in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for one hour, or until your lasagna is nice and bubbly. Please note, there are many variations you can utilize with this recipe. You can fry the zucchini (soak them in an egg/milk mixture, dredge in breadcrumbs, and fry in oil). You can use ricotta cheese in addition to the mozzarella (our children don't like ricotta cheese, so I omit it). You can add more vegetables and make this vegetarian by not using the ground beef. This is a wonderful dish for people trying to avoid carbs.

Beef Stew Freezer Meal
Place 1 lb of beef stew meat in a ziploc freezer bag. Add 3 to 4 cups of stew vegetables (mine include onions, carrots, celery, and red potatoes, but you can use whatever stew vegetables you like). Place 1 quart of beef stock or beef broth. Seal, label, and freeze your bag. When you are ready to eat, defrost in the refrigerator overnight. Cook on low in the slow cooker, or for 20 minutes on high pressure in the instant pot. You can add fresh herbs and more vegetables (such as spinach or kale) on cooking day. You can also top with dumplings, which I like to do in the slow cooker. Feel free to modify the recipe as you need to. I reheated this from frozen for lunch one day in the Instant Pot and it was a hit! Served with large pieces of hot, crusty French bread with butter, it was delicious!



Chicken Pot Pie Filling
Brown 1 lb chopped chicken in oil. Create a béchamel sauce by melting 1/2 cup of butter and mixing it with 1/2 cup of flour. Add 2 cups of chicken stock. (Traditionally, you add milk here, but I like the flavor of the stock for this recipe.) Stir until thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Cool. In a ziploc freezer bag, add the cooked chicken, stew vegetables (I use chopped onion, celery, carrot, and red potato- about 2 cups) and top with the béchamel sauce. Seal and massage the bag until the sauce coats all of the meat and vegetables. Freeze. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight and then cook in the slow cooker on low for 8 hours. You could also place the filling in a pie pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. You can top this with your own pie crust (in that case, you can place the top of the crust on the pie and bake for the duration of the hour. Brush with an egg wash to keep golden brown. You could also top this with puff pastry. For this method, you will likely need to cook the filling first, then follow directions on the puff pastry package to see how long you cook the pastry on top of the pie (usually 20 minutes). You could also top this with biscuits, dumplings, or even cornbread.

I reheated the chicken pot pie filling in the oven, then added a puff pastry crust for the last 20-minutes and it was delicious!

I normally don't cook with a recipe for meals like these, I just use what I have on hand or what was for sale at the store. Don't worry if you don't have certain ingredients. Each of these recipes can be modified and are so easy to make.

I hope today's video inspires you to try freezer cooking for your family. It's so nice to know that you have dinner prepared.

News

For more of The Daily Connoisseur, take my eCourses, Creating Your Own Ten-Item Wardrobe and Chic Financial Principles for Debt-Free Living.

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Lessons from Madame Chic in Russia...

A post shared by Татарочка (@alsy_zz) on Jun 7, 2017 at 6:07am PDT

Comment of the Week
Myrna writes, "Jennifer, I just now found your piano recitals! It has taken me down memory lane! I’m in my late 60’s and I grew up on a little farm in Missouri back in the 50’s. We had very little money. However, my father's family had lots of musical talent amongst themselves and played “bluegrass” and fiddle tunes...very country. I showed musical talent at a very young age (5) and my mother was determined I take piano lessons! She saved egg and cream money so she could pay for my lessons. Of course, as I matured, I began to be exposed to classical music and I really didn’t care for it! I would begrudgingly practice them and actually enjoyed the challenges! However, after 14 years of lessons and two different teachers, I learned every song you’ve played and developed a real love for classical music! Even my parents enjoyed my pieces! As I watched you play, it was like a glimpse into my past! I still enjoy sitting down and playing. It’s therapy for bad moods or sadness! I always get up and feel better after a practice session! Just wanted to share!"

Hi Myrna, I loved your comment. I'm thrilled that the mini-performances on my channel and the discussions about classical music have brought back such great memories for you. And I think it's wonderful that you still play. Thank you for writing to us!

I hope you enjoy today's video. I would love to know... do you make freezer meals? What are your favorite meals to make? Do you have any recipes to share with us? If you would like to share a recipe, I might be able to feature it in a future video on The Daily Connoisseur.

I'll see you tomorrow for a new Natural Home with Jennifer...

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I love seeing what other people buy at the grocery store, don't you? Today, I'm sharing my first grocery haul with you. I went to Trader Joe's and purchased a few of my favorites. I also show you what I make: roast salmon, red split lentils, butternut squash, and salad.



Red split lentils
serves 4 small portions
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1/2 chopped onion
1 cup red split lentils
2 1/2 cups broth (vegetable, chicken or beef) or use water with a bouillon cube
1 1/2 tsp dried herbs seasoning of your choice

In a pan over medium heat, sauté the onion in the olive oil for a few minutes. Add the dry lentils and seasoning and cook for one minute. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and cover with a lid. Cook for 12-15 minutes, or until the lentils are soft. Add toppings such as chopped celery, chopped tomato (you can also include this in cooking), crumbled cheese, etc. Serve over brown rice. You can also add spinach when cooking. There are many variations.

If you don't have a Trader Joe's near your home, they sell the exact kind on Amazon here. (They are much less expensive at Trader Joe's... if you live near one, I would recommend buying them there instead of on Amazon.)

I hope you enjoy today's video.

News
The manuscript for my new book is due tomorrow! I am finished with the first draft and excited to have some down time. I've been working on this project for months and there is a lot of love poured into it. I'm so excited for you to read CONNOISSEUR KIDS in the fall of 2019.

For more of The Daily Connoisseur, take my eCourses, Creating Your Own Ten-Item Wardrobe and Chic Financial Principles for Debt-Free Living.

Laura writes, "I so appreciate you and the financial e-course! I loved the encouragement and can do attitude!! I encourage everyone to take it, the quizzes at the end of each lecture were fun and helpful!!!"

Thank you, Laura!

Attention writers: my writing teacher, Alan Watt, who runs the LA Writers' Lab, is starting his new donation-based 90-Day Novel tele-workshop in May. For all of the information, visit www.lawriterslab.com. His great class was what got me started in writing. It's a wonderful way to build your discipline as a writer.

On Instagram
Polish Your Poise with Madame Chic and a cup of tea...

Cultivate the quiet power of poise. #jenniferlscott #madamechic e una buona tazza di #kusmitea

A post shared by Deborah Vianello (@deborahmartinavianello) on Mar 4, 2018 at 8:35am PST

Comment of the Week
Regarding last week's wallpaper bedroom makeover, Emilia writes, "Jennifer, the wallpaper choices are very pretty, but what I find most beautiful is how 'real' this video feels. I love how the girls' bedrooms are not 'model bedrooms' with perfectly matching furniture and decoration items. I love that the they are having dominoes and the banana teething toy for tea, that the dolls are slightly big for their doll beds, that there is a multiplication table on the wall, that you portray life as it is, imperfectly perfect. Thank you for keeping it real and not massacring your readers with yet more bedrooms just like those on the pages of home decor magazines. I appreciate the liveness and love exuding from these rooms. Emilia"

Emilia, thank you so much. I really appreciated your comment. I get a lot of joy out of seeing my children's "play stations". Childhood play is so sweet and imaginative. Thank you for your kind comment.

I hope you enjoyed today's video. Do you enjoy knowing what others buy at the grocery store? What do you like to get at Trader Joe's? Do you have a good recipe for red lentils? Let us know and your comment could be chosen as comment of the week on the blog.

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Today, I'm sharing one of my husband's favorite meat pie recipes: beef mince pie. This is a hearty and delicious dish. It's really easy to make and can have many variations.





Beef Mince Pie
1 Tbs olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 1lb ground beef
1 Tbs flour
1 beef bouillon cube
1 can stewed tomatoes
2 cups peeled potatoes, cooked and chopped
2 cups peas, carrots and potatoes (all cooked)
2 sheets puff pastry
1 egg white


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brown ground beef in a pan with chopped onion and oil. Drain. Add to the pain the flour and bouillon and cook for one minute. Add the stewed tomatoes, peas, carrots and potatoes. Make sure your veggies are already cooked before adding them in, especially the potatoes. Canned potatoes actually work well in this recipe if you are in a pinch for time. Mix until the sauce is thickened. Add the beef mixture to a pie pan lined with puff pastry. Cover the top with the second sheet of puff pastry. Seal and trim the edges of the pie crust. Brush with egg white. Put slits in the top of the pie to vent. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown. Enjoy!

**Please note: I forgot to add worcester sauce. That makes a wonderful addition. You could add 1Tbs.

I hope you enjoy today's video.

News
My newest eCourse, Chic Financial Principles for Debt-free Living is getting rave reviews!

Melissa G writes, "Jennifer,thank you so much for your time, advice, and inspiration. I've gained a lot by taking this course and am even sad that it has ended. I know I will revisit lectures when I need a refresher. I also know I will come back and update on any new debt-free milestones I may reach in hopes that it will inspire others. God bless!"


Hi Melissa, thank you so much! I am rooting for you and hope you do come back to update us on your progress.

On Instagram
The Slovak Madame Chic box set in good company...

Tak kterou začít?! 😊 #knihomol #kniha #style #lifestyle #pariz #paris #parisianlife #parisianstyle #inesdelafressange #jenniferlscott #madamechic #parizanka @dailyconnoisseur

A post shared by zuziiana (@zuziiana) on Mar 22, 2018 at 12:50pm PDT

Comment of the Week
Nicole writes, "Hello Jennifer!
It is quite rare for me to comment on blogs I follow. However, I felt the need and desire to let you know how happy I am that I found you!

My sister gave her nine bridesmaids your "Lessons From Madame Chic" book as part of a wedding gift almost four years ago. Sometime after, I started the book and didn't get past the first or second chapter. Not a reflection of your writing but one of my distracted self! And the book has been on display in my house since I married two years ago.

She recently bought the book forms herself, read it and decluttered her house. In her words she 'felt like a new woman"! Her husband is always asking her if she does something different if she learned it from you!

After being sick and forced to stay in bed, I decided it was time to read the book. After starting it, I couldn't put it down. After finishing it within a couple of days, I bought the next book.

Before finishing that book, I bought the next one because I wanted have it when I finished the current book! Sometime in between, I found your blog and have been soaking in all of your tutorials. Of course, buying both of your e-courses was imperative as I just couldn't/can't get enough of your content!

It's been a little over a month and your inspiration has changed my home lifestyle! I love your "real"ness and just everything you do!
I told my husband that I wish you had more books!! Anticipating the next!

Congratulations on your fourth child which is also exciting as I'm expecting my first!

Thank you, Jennifer for all of your hard work and love for home life!

Best wishes!

Nicole"


Nicole, you have such an amazing testimonial. Thank you so much for sharing your experience with the Madame Chic and The Daily Connoisseur. Welcome to the family!

I hope you enjoy today's recipe. I'll see you back on Thursday for a special bedroom makeover video!


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I hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day. We celebrated with family at home and my husband cooked us up a proper English roast. It was delicious!




For today's post, I'm sharing one of my favorite quick bread recipes with you.

Whenever my bananas are too soft to eat, I like to whip them into this delicious banana bread.



The special ingredient in this bread is the chocolate chips. Eat a warm slice slathered with a tiny amount of butter and a cup of tea or coffee. What a treat!



Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
makes 2 loaves

4 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
6 mashed bananas
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 Tbs vanilla extract
1 cup softened butter (2 sticks)
4 eggs
2 cups chocolate chips
1/2 tsp salt

Mix the butter and sugar until well blended. Add the rest of the wet ingredients: mashed banana, vanilla extract and eggs. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix. Lastly add the chocolate chips. Pour into two greased loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the loaf comes out clean. I like to enjoy one loaf and freeze the other for a later date. So delicious with a cup of tea or coffee. Enjoy!

For this recipe I used my Kitchen Aide and double loaf pans.

I hope you enjoy today's video.

News
Congratulations to Christina G., who won the Bizond steamer giveaway. Thank you to all who participated!

On Monday, I'll be launching my new debt-free course before going on a two-week break. I am so excited to share the new course with you! I have been working on it for months. The reviews from my ten-item wardrobe eCourse have been excellent and I know you will love the new debt-free course too.

On Instagram
A beautiful photo of Madame Chic on a rainy day...

. . "Rain, tea and a good book." ☁☕📚 . #lessonsfrommadamechic #jenniferlscott #goodbook #flatlay #flatlaybookstagram #cozy #morning #morningmood #bookphotography #diy #driedflowers #photography #flowers #diydriedflowers #bookstagram #books #canon600d #50mmlens #vsco

A post shared by Bella (@bellaartworld) on Feb 4, 2018 at 4:25pm PST

Comment of the Week
Kellee T writes: "I made a few of the turkey sloppy joes for the freezer and just had the first one last night - delicious! My husband and I are attempting to avoid some carbs, so we served the meat over sweet potatoes, it was amazing! My kiddos still had it in buns and loved it as well. Thank you so much for all your recipes!"

Hi Kellee, Thank you for letting me know how they turned out! I love the idea of serving it over sweet potatoes. I will try that next time. Thank you!


Today, I would love to know... how do you make your banana bread? What's your favorite quick bread recipe? Let me know in the comment section and your comment could be chosen as comment of the week on The Daily Connoisseur.

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Today I'm making a fragrant variation of one of my favorite fast dinners, fried rice. I'm adding garlic and shrimp to make this decadent dish. Whenever I cook rice, I always make a double batch so I can make fried rice the next day. This works best with day-old rice. Use the proportions that work for you. If you like to add more vegetables, do so. If you want to use less soy sauce, that works too. This dish is very customizable. I hope you enjoy today's bonus video.



Garlic Shrimp Fried Rice

1 Tbs sesame oil
3-4 cups of day-old rice
1 1/2 Tbs minced garlic
2 cups mixed vegetables (steamed, and no longer frozen)
3 Tbs soy sauce to taste
2 eggs, scrambled
1 cup cooked shrimp
sriracha sauce, cilantro, green onions and avocado to garnish.

Heat sesame oil in a wok or frying pan on medium high heat. Add garlic, cook for one minute. Add rice and cook for a few minutes until the sesame and garlic are fragrant. Add your mixed vegetables and soy sauce to taste (I like to use about 3 Tbs) cook for 2 minutes. Mix in two eggs that you have beaten together with a fork. Lastly add the cooked shrimp. Cook for 2 more minutes. Please note, that over cooking the shrimp will make them rubbery. Remove from heat, being sure to scrape the pan to include the crispy parts when you serve. Garnish with sriracha sauce, cilantro, green onions and avocado.


News
Check out this wonderful feature on the Madame Chic books in WomanScape's article, Jennifer L. Scott's Timely Holiday Gift: Madame Chic.


On Instagram
Paper and Peony shared her favorite books and Polish Your Poise with Madame Chic is one of them!

My favorite books! #myweekofagoodread . @dailyconnoisseur @meganhess_official @chantal_larocque_ @oneartsymama @thetiffanypratt . .Paper flowers made with Recollection paper packs from @Michaelsstores #makeitwithmichaels . . . . #books #fortheloveofbooks #bookstagram #booksaddict #madamechic #thiscanbebeautiful #handlettering #amylatta #meganhess #classic #chicandelegant #couture #paperflowers #moncton #paperbouquet #floristry #alternativebouquet #flashesofdelight #calledtobecreative #myunicornlife #livethelittlethings #diy #crafts #goodreads #bookpages #author #templates

A post shared by Chantal Larocque (@paperandpeony) on Dec 7, 2017 at 8:16am PST

Thank you for joining me for this bonus video. Today I would love to know how you make fried rice.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend. See you on Monday for the lavender pomander craft!


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I absolutely love curries. I spent some time traveling in Sri Lanka right after college with one of my dear friends who is from the region and there my love of curries was born. I have always enjoyed cooking curries at home, but my recipes have never been very authentic. I would make simplified "western" versions. My versions taste good, but I was truly seeking an "insider" curry recipe.

I reached out to my friend Mina Irfan, from The Universe Guru YouTube channel to see if she would share one of her authentic Indian/Pakistani recipes with me. Mina was more than happy to oblige and we had great fun collaborating on this post. She shared a base chicken curry recipe with me. She said this is the type of standard recipe that Indian mothers pass down to their daughters. I feel so special to have received this recipe and am happy to share it with you now!



Mina's Chicken Curry
(serves 4-6)

Ingredients:
2 pounds chicken (bone in, skin off. I use legs and thighs in this recipe)
1 small onion (Mina gets the golden browned fried onions from the Indian store, which saves her from having to brown the onions)
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tsp. coriander powder
2 tsp. salt (adjust to taste)
¼ tsp. turmeric powder
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. garlic paste
1 tsp. ginger paste (or get the mixed ginger/ginger paste from the Indian/Middle Eastern grocery store)
1/3 cup oil
3 tomatoes, chopped
1-2 green chiles, chopped
1 tsp. garam masala (indian spice mix - see recipe below)
2 green cardamom seeds
1 small stick cinnamon
black pepper
6-8 cloves
¼ tsp. cumin seeds

Cilantro and lemon juice for Garnish

Fry onions in oil to light brown (If using already fried onions just heat them for 30 seconds and move to next step).
Add ginger, garlic paste, yogurt, coriander powder, chili powder, turmeric powder, tomato, and salt. Add cinnamon stick (which will need to be removed before eating).
Mix and fry briefly and then add the chicken.
Mix it and let it cook for 30-35 minutes till the chicken becomes tender and meat starts separating from bone easily. I covered the pot with a lid to allow the chicken stay moist and added one drinking glass full of water to thin out the gravy.Garnish with green chilies, green coriander (Dhaniya) leaves and garam masala, cilantro and lemon juice.
Serve with naan or basmati rice. Enjoy!

Check out Mina's channel, where she will be doing crockpot versions of Indian favorites. You can watch her video here. Also, Mina is a big fan of the Madame Chic books and is hosting a giveaway of Lessons from Madame Chic on her channel. To enter, you must be subscribed to both of our channels and leave a comment on her video telling us your favorite Indian /Pakistani recipe. Mina will announce the winner on June 1st. Thank you and best of luck for the giveaway!

News
Mr. Connoisseur and I celebrated 11 years of marriage on Monday. Thank you to all of our social media friends who wished us well!

It's our wedding anniversary today. Cheers to 11 years 🎉 #MADAMECHIC #MrConnoisseur #dailyconnoisseur

A post shared by Jennifer L. Scott (@dailyconnoisseur) on May 15, 2017 at 8:52am PDT

Here is a lovely picture of At Home With Madame Chic in Japan...

A post shared by MA BELLE COLLECTION マベルコレクション (@mabellecollection) on Apr 20, 2017 at 5:08pm PDT

Comment of the Week
On Monday's Minimalism post, Jan B writes: Hi Jennifer, I enjoy your videos and books. After watching "Goodbye, Things", I thought of two other reasons to motivate someone to scale back on things. The first is do it for those who come behind you. My daughter had to clean out two houses of relatives of her dad's who passed and it was overwhelming and time consuming. It is also very difficult to throw away things that belonged to someone you loved, and yet much of it is clutter. I am retired and I never want my children to have to clean out attics and garages full of stuff for me, so I am slowly getting rid of it.
The second reason is moral. I am so blessed to have all that I do, but if I am not using it and just storing it, someone else may need it more than me. Anytime I buy something new, I give the old one away to charity. Wherever you live, there are organizations that could make good use of slightly used clothing, furniture, toys or appliances. I am definitely in the "Less is More" camp.

Hi Jan, I completely agree with you! I think most of us have stories of loved ones who hold on to too much. You make some great points.

Thank you for watching today's video. I would love to know what your favorite curry dishes are. Let me know in the comment section below and your comment could be chosen as comment of the week on the blog! See you on Monday.

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FTC: This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. Links may be affiliate.