The best baby present = Butter Chicken

I am a firm believer that new parents (whether it's their first or fifth baby) do not need toys and clothes and hooded towels and all the baby gear out there. What they need is TIME - to spend with their new family, or to spend on themselves. (Come on, all you moms out there, remember how amazing it is to get an uninterrupted shower while you're on maternity leave? Pure heaven!)

So now when we have friends with a new baby, I like to bring them a meal (or two) to save them the hassle of cooking supper for at least one day. A full freezer = a happy mom.

Tonight I'm making Butter Chicken for one family. I've tried more complicated recipes, and I've tried the jars from Superstore (which are pretty darn good!) but this is my husband's favourite recipe, so I'll stick with it from now on:

BUTTER CHICKEN

4 tbsp. milk + 1 tbsp. lemon juice (let it sit for 5 minutes to thicken)
1 can tomato paste
2 tbsp. Curry Powder
2 tsp. ginger (or mince up some fresh ginger root)
salt, to taste
3-4 chicken breasts, cubed (tonight I'm going to use boneless/skinless chicken thighs instead)
1 onion, sliced
1 c. cream

Mix first 5 ingredients together and marinate chicken for about 30 minutes. Sauté onions in butter until soft, then add chicken and sauce mixture. Cook for 15 minutes, then add cream and heat for another 5 minutes. Serve over basmati rice or naan bread.

Here's a recipe I made for another family that recently had twins:

CREAMY CHICKEN & BLACK BEAN ENCHILADAS WITH MEXICAN RICE (from this website) Enchilada Filling:
2 tsp. Cuban, Fajita, and/or Pueblo Bean Seasoning
4 chopped green onions, green parts reserved
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
1 can of black beans, drained & rinsed

Enchilada Sauce:
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 c. salsa
2 tsp. Cuban, Fajita, and/or Pueblo Bean Seasoning
1/3 c. sour cream

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
10 tortillas

Rice:
Melt 2 tbsp. butter in a pot. Add 1/2 c. bell pepper strips (I used frozen ones.) When they soften up, stir in:
3/4 c. long grain rice
3 green onions, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp. Cuban Seasoning

Let the rice brown for about 5 minutes (stirring constantly). Add 2c. water + 2 tbsp. Chicken or Vegetable Bouillon. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes.

Sauté chicken over medium-high heat. Sprinkle with seasonings. Add garlic and green onions, and sauté for a couple more minutes. Add black beans and remove from heat. In a medium bowl combine all the sauce ingredients. Add 1/2 c. of this mixture to the chicken and beans and stir to combine. Fill each tortilla with some chicken mixture and roll up. Place seamside down in the baking dish. Spoon the reserved sauce over the rolled tortillas and top with shredded cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly. Top with reserved chopped green onions, and more sour cream and salsa if you like. Serve with rice.
I saved half of the enchiladas and froze them (without any extra sauce on top.) I've also made them with some frozen corn and refriend beans instead of black beans (because my kids picked all the black beans out the first time, so I was sneaky the next time!) They always turn out delicious.