Golf + Butter Chicken

Wednesday | 30 December 2020 | La Quinta, California: Yep. We are still here.

Our Big Plan to play golf together every Thursday has not been working out. Due to the holidays, there has been a golf tournament on many Thursdays this month. No worries - we have just adjusted our super-busy jam-packed schedules to play on another day.

The Coachella Valley has enjoyed a few rain drops this week. By a few, I mean it rained for about 30 minutes at our house (sweetness), but resulted in the mountains sourrounding us covered in beauiful white snow.

There is nothing like golfing in a short-sleeved shirt, while looking at snow-covered mountains.

Above: Bad photo of a very interesting scenario. We had to wait several minutes for the four-some ahead of us to tee-off on this hole. We waited. And waited. Then we realized they were spooked due to a hawk on the forward tee (formally known as the women's tee). The hawk was munching on something. After a while, the hawk flew off, the ladies hit, and play continued. When Dave and I reached the hole, we noticed three things: 1) circled to the far left in above photo - a beautiful white egret (of no consequence in any way to this tale) 2) a dead coot (center circle), missing his/her head, on the tee box - didn't spook me at all, I cleared the pond with my best drive of the day - but obviously what the hawk had been consuming/busy-with while the last group tried to hit, and... 3) a turtle, (far right rectangle) on the side of the pond... also of no consequence in any way to this tale.

We really enjoyed our game today, and managed to get in about 14 holes before the sun was getting behind the mountains and we headed home before it grew cold... as it does the minute the sun disappears.

I had prepared dinner this morning before we left for golf. Butter Chicken - one of the most popular Indian dishes (in the west). Saute chicken (I used boneless, skinless thighs), remove from pan, then saute onion, garlic and ginger in the same pan, before adding aromic spices (garam masala, turmeric, cayenne, paprika, cumin, cinnamon). Then the pan is deglazed with a little tomato sauce, the chicken is added back to the pan, (THIS IS WHERE I WENT GOLFING AND PUT EVERYTHING IN THE FRIDGE) and the dish is finished with butter and cream. It's not called Butter Chicken for nothing. Basmati rice. Cilantro garnish.

Like Julia Child famously said: if you are afraid of butter, use cream.

This is seriously delicious.

Is anyone interested in this recipe? Comment below.

Don't worry, we also had a healthy "salad":

Until my next update, I remain your buttery correspondent.