Chicken Tikka Masala

Holy shaboley. This was stinkin' amazing. loved it! Definitely a repeater for us.

I got the recipe from My Kitchen Cafe.

1 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 tablespoons minced fresh ginger 

1 teaspoon salt
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Combine all ingredients except chicken. Pour sauce over chicken and refrigerate for one hour. Grill or cook chicken in frying pan. Discard marinade.

1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper finely chopped (I used about 3/4 of the pepper because I didn't want it too spicey for the kids. It turned out just right.)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1 cup cream
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for one minute. Season with cumin, paprika and salt. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken and simmer for 10 minutes. Garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve over hot rice.

Tasty Lentil Soup

Sometimes, there are recipes that just can't be photographed. Or else I don't know how to photograph cooked green lentils. It just won't look good. But will you please just believe me that this is good? And lentils are good for you, so there. Make this sometime.

I first had this soup when an old neighbor/coworker/friend brought us dinner just after I had my 2nd baby. Thanks, Nicole! :)

1½ cups lentils
4 slices bacon
1 onion, chopped
¼ cup chopped carrots
¾ cup chopped bell peppers
1 large can or 3 or 4 fresh tomatoes
3 Tbsp butter or margarine
3 Tbsp flour
2 cubes beef bouillon dissolved in 1 cup hot
water
2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp vinegar

1. Bring lentils to a boil in 5 cups water in a
large pot. Simmer covered for 1 hour.

2. Cut bacon into small pieces and sauté until
crisp.
3. Add onions, carrots and peppers. Sauté over
low heat 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and set aside
until lentils are done. Add tomato mixture to
lentils.
4. Melt butter in same skillet, remove from
heat, stir in flour and then gradually stir in
bouillon liquid. Add salt and vinegar, stirring all
the time.
5. Pour into lentils and cook over low heat,
stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.

Morrocan Spaghetti

This surprised me. It is quite the tasty dish. I was unsure about the spices while making it, but the combination is wonderful and it smells absolutely fantastic, I tell you what.

This recipe came from a library vegetarian cookbook: the accidental vegetarian by Simon Rimmer.

10 oz dried spaghetti

1/2 cup olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

8 tomatoes, finely chopped (yes, EIGHT.)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground cumin

pinch of tumeric

1 cup toasted, slivered almonds (I used sliced, and I think it would be better with the slivered.)

1/2 cup cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed if canned

bunch of fresh parsley and cilantro leaves, finely chopped (I HATE HATE parsley. So I left it out. It was still good. But if you like parsley, then yay!)

handful of freshly chopped mint leaves (I also left this out.)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pretty simple procedure:

1. Cook spaghetti in boiling salted water until al dente.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan and gently fry the onion and garlic until soft.

3. Add the tomatoes, cinnamon, cumin, and tumeric and cook over a medium heat for about 20 minutes until the tomatoes break down.

4. Season the sauce and then add the almonds and chickpeas.

5. Drain the pasta and divide between four plates. Fold the herbs into the sauce and mix it with the pasta.

*To save time and spare a screaming child pulling at you while trying to HURRY and make a dang meal, you could ask your husband to chop up all those tomatoes for you the night before! :)

Stuffed Pizza Rolls

First time making this one. I got the recipe from Our Best Bites. They have some great looking recipes on there. The kids loved this and Brian liked it too. Too bad I had some kind of mild stomach flu thing going.

1 roll refrigerated pizza dough* (or make your own)
marinara/pizza sauce (click here to make your own)
2T grated Parmesan cheese
1 T olive oil or melted butter
1/2 t garlic powder
1  t dried Italian seasoning
mozzerella cheese, diced or grated
Pizza toppings of your choice: ie, ham and pineapple, pepperoni slices, sausage, etc.

*You can use regular pizza dough, or thin crust. 

Preheat oven to heat specified on pizza dough package.  Usually it's 400 degrees.  If you make your own dough, 400 is usually a good heat as well.

Unroll your pizza dough onto a lightly floured surface.  Pat or roll the dough so it's about 12" by 8".  You're going to want to cut it into 24 squares, so just eyeball it if you need to.  Use a pizza cutter to slice the dough into 24 squares (bet ya didn't see that one comin' did ya?) 

Place cheese and desired toppings on each square.  (Note that you're not putting the marinara sauce on the dough- it's for dipping after)  You guys are smart, right?  Just eyeball how much.  You just need to be able to enclose the toppings in the dough so keep that in mind.

When all of your dough squares have cheese and toppings on them, carefully lift up each square and wrap the dough around the toppings.  Pinch to make sure each ball is sealed shut and then place them seam side down in a lightly sprayed pie pan (or similar sized dish).

Brush the tops of the dough balls with olive oil or melted butter (I've used both and there's not much difference in result) and then sprinkle with the garlic and Italian seasoning and top with Parmesan cheese.  (In lieu of the Parmesan, garlic, and Italian seasoning you could  substitute this garlic bread seasoning.)

Cook them in the oven for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on top.  Keep an eye  on them! Doughs vary, so I'd check them after even 10 minutes.

Serve warm with warmed marinara sauce on the side for dipping.

Mexican Casserole

yes, it's unbaked.

Mexican Casserole! First time making this. I got the recipe from Cooking On Clover Lane. It is extra tasty. Just take it easy on the sour cream. Then it'll be perfect.

1 pound lean ground beef
2 cups salsa 

1 16oz can chili beans, drained
3 cups tortilla chips, crushed
2 cups sour cream [I personally thought this was way too much. Maybe 1 cup? Eyeball it and see.]
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh tomato
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350.
In a large skillet, brown beef. Stir in salsa, reduce heat, simmer until liquid is absorbed (about 10 minutes depending on how thick your salsa is.) Stir in beans, and heat through.
Spray a 9 x 13 baking pan with cooking spray. Spread crushed chips in a layer on bottom and then add ground beef mixture. Spread sour cream on top. Top with onion, tomato, cilantro and cheese.
Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Pupusas

Pupusas are a Hispanic dish originating from El Salvador. This is made from corn FLOUR (NOT cornmeal) and water. People put different things in them. For my first try, I thought I'd copycat an old friend's idea of black beans and cheese. We topped it with red enchilada sauce (store-bought) and more cheese. The kids loved them.

Other toppings include:

Chicharron (cooked pork meat ground into a paste consistency)

Refried beans

Plain cheese

Many also serve pupusas with curtido, which is a fermented cabbage slaw. It may sound gross, but I hear curtido is pretty good.

Recipe:

2 cups corn flour

1 cup warm water

Mix the flour and water and knead dough. Add more water until the dough is soft and moist (but not sticky). The dough shouldn't crack when you push on it.

Shape a bit of dough into a ball, make an indent with your finger and add some filling. Close it back up and shape it into a flat disc. Cook on an ungreased skillet on med-high heat until slightly browned and blistered on both sides. 

Note that the dough gets dry quickly- so work quickly!

This is my first try ever at making these. I probably have a lot to learn about it, so if you're an expert, share the knowledge.

Aromatic Black Beans & Rice

Oh boy did this smell awesome. The spices in the recipe are an incredible combination! And I have to say that Brian is pretty reserved when it comes to dinner compliments. With this dish he said, "Marisa. This is very good." Normally it's a nonchalant, "It's good," or "It's okay."And my kids ate it up! 

Hooray!

Recipe Source: My Kitchen Cafe

*Serves 4-6

4 teaspoons olive oil
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
5-6 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 (16-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

4-5 cups hot, cooked white or brown rice

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the bell pepper, onion and garlic and saute, stirring often, for about 15 minutes, until all the vegetables are soft and tender. Stir in the beans, tomatoes, chicken broth, thyme, bay leaf, oregano and water; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and the vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes. If the mixture becomes too thick, add a tablespoon or two of hot water to thin to desired consistency.

Stir in the fresh cilantro and season with salt and pepper; discard the bay leaf. Serve over the hot rice.

Apple Crisp

One of my friends just asked me for a good apple recipe. This is my favorite thing to make in the autumn time, so I am sharing it because Marisa said I could. ;)

Apple Crisp

4 medium cooking apples, sliced (4 cups)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup oats
1/3 cup butter (softened)
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1. Heat oven to 375. Grease bottom and sides of a square pan, (8x8x2) with shortening.

2. Spread apples in the pan. Mix remaining ingredients and sprinkle over apples.

3. Bake about 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and apples are tender when pierced with a fork. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

*I use about a cup of sugar and a full stick of butter, but that is why I will never be skinny. I have also been able to make this work when I only had 2 apples. (For a Sunday dessert when I couldn't go shopping.)

Orange Chicken

A very tasty meal! We served this with brown rice and asparagus. I did not use a whole 2 pounds of chicken. I thought that was quite a lot of meat. I think I probably used about 3/4 of a lb. for the 4 of us (2 adults and a pittance from 2 kids).

Recipe source:  My Kitchen Cafe

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2″ cubes
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons oil or butter

1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon finely minced ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons green onion
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup water

Heat oven to 350. In a shallow dish combine the flour, garlic powder and pepper. Dip each piece of chicken in flour mixture and coat evenly.

Pour oil (or melt butter and pour) in a shallow baking dish, large enough to accommodate chicken in a single layer. Arrange chicken in pan and bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan combine water, fresh orange juice, rice vinegar, soy sauce, orange zest and whisk over medium heat for a few minutes. Then stir in brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and green onion and let it come to a boil. Combine cornstarch with water and let it dissolve and add it to the sauce until thickened.

After chicken has baked the 30 minutes, turn each piece over and pour 1/2 sauce mixture evenly over chicken. Bake another 30 to 40 minutes basting frequently.

Serve chicken over rice with extra sauce on the side.

Ritz Chicken Fingers

My kids don't eat meat. I mean, rather, they won't. But, this, they ate right up. A miracle, folks.

Recipe source: Cooking on Clover Lane. (I love this woman's blog.)

1 roll of Ritz crackers, crushed
1 cup of mayo
1 tsp. dried mustard
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast (or one container...you know what I'm talking about...usually about 1# and 1/2.)
Smoosh the crackers and set in one bowl.
Mix the next 3 ingredients together and set in another.
Cut up chicken in strips or nuggets.
Coat chicken in mayo mixture. (I usually get lazy and just dump all the chicken in the mayo bowl and mix up good.)
Then coat chicken piece by piece in Ritz crackers...be generous...this is the best part.
Set on a WELL OILED cookie sheet. (About 2 TBS.)
Bake for 20 minutes at 350 or till done.