There is nothing like the push of having extended stay visitors to open your eyes to see all the deficiencies in your home. Case in point, several years ago I filled a few cracks on one of my kitchen walls and then I painted over the patches but since the rest of the wall was about 4 years old, the paint dried a slightly different colour and the wall looked patchy in certain lights. It was on my to do list f o r e v e r! So a couple of weeks ago, after I filled in a few new cracks, bought a new can of paint (when did paint become SO expensive?) I finally repainted the entire wall. A fresh coat of paint really freshens up a room. Of course, once I started filling in cracks all over the house and painting, there was no stopping me…it turned into a two-day project. But then it’s another thing off the list.
Recently we had James, a long-time college friend of JTs over for an Indian dinner and I made my new favourite Jamie Oliver Chicken Tikka Masala recipe along with Palek Paneer, the best Naan ever and a few condiments, pickled carrot and this delightful Apple Chutney. I am certain that James, who is a renovator, was too polite to say anything about my patchy walls but I kept the lighting low anyway!
What are some of the nagging to do’s on your home maintenance list?
Sweet, tangy with a little bit of heat.
Apple Chutney
A KitchenInspirations Original Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 Granny Smith apple (about 165 g)
- 165 onion, coarsely chopped
- 80 g dates, coarsely chopped
- 10 g fresh ginger, grated
- 3 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
- 1/8 tsp cloves
- 70 mL water
- 1 tbsp Sweet Apricot Chili Sauce
- 1/4 cup Coconut Sugar
Directions:
- Combine all the ingredients in a heavy bottom sauce pan and cook on medium heat until onions have caramelized and the sauce is thick but still have texture.
- Cool. Serve at room temperature.
- Store in the refrigerator for 1 week or freeze.
Kitcheninspirations 