all in the name of food…

For many weeks now I have been craving the Indian cuisine of “The Bombay House” back in my college town. While I still haven’t found a way to make their perfect naan… this recipe for Chicken Tiki Marsala definitely helped satisfy my craving. It was my first time using the spice “garam marsala” and now I am a completely converted garam masalian. Just by glancing at the ingredients you can see all the wonderful layers of flavor this chicken has – ginger, cumin, coriander, garlic, garam marsala, Cheyenne pepper – YUM, how could it not be awesome? This is seriously one the best Indian dish I’ve ever made. So you should make it too! And just go ahead and use real cream because its worth it – live a little! Make sure you serve it with brown basmati rice.

Chicken Tiki Marsala

• 3 whole (to 4) Chicken Breasts
• Kosher Salt
• Ground Coriander
• Cumin
• ½ cups Plain Yogurt
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 whole Large Onion
• 4 cloves Garlic
• 1 piece (approximately 2 Inches) Chunk Fresh Ginger
• Garam Masala
• 1 can (28 Ounce) Crushed Tomatoes
• Sugar
• 1-½ cup Heavy Cream
• 1 serrano peppers (optional)
• 1 tsp Cheyenne Pepper (optional)
• Parsley or Cilantro

Start by seasoning the chicken breasts with some kosher salt. Next sprinkle them on both sides with some coriander and cumin. Then coat the chicken breasts completely with the plain yogurt. Set the chicken on a metal cooling rack over a foil-lined baking sheet and place it about 10-12 inches below a broiler for 5-7 minutes per side. Watch carefully so as not to totally char the chicken. It should have slightly blackened edges. Remove from oven.

Next dice one large onion. In a large skillet melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Toss in the onions and sauté until they are slightly browned. As the onions cook, mince your garlic. Next, cut off the outer skin and mince or grate a 1 by 2 inch chunk of fresh ginger. Add the garlic and ginger to the onions. Also throw in about 1 tablespoon of salt.

Next you are going to add about 3 tablespoons Garam Masala spice. And if you like it hot, this is also when you will add your hot chili peppers. Serranos work well. Now you are going to add your can of crushed tomatoes. Continue cooking and stirring, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze it. Add about 1 tablespoon sugar. Let this mixture simmer on medium for about 5 minutes. Add the Cheyenne Pepper, if you like it spicy – like me!

After the Tikka Masala sauce has had a chance to simmer for a little bit, add in the 1 ½ cups of heavy cream. Now, chop up your chicken breasts into chunks and stir them into the Tikka Masala sauce. A handful of chopped fresh parsley or cilantro is a nice addition.  Serve the Chicken Tikka Masala over top of Basmati rice.

Recipe adapted from “The Pioneer Woman”

Nathan’s Mom is well-known for giving away her delicious, homemade pomegranate jelly. Here in Southern California pomegranates are abundant. I have heard many, seriously like 5 people, talk about their own or their friend’s pomegranate trees having so much fruit that they beg people to come take it off their hands. The same goes for oranges, but that is a story for another post. Being the east coaster that I am when I think pomegranate, I think  $4/each. So I never cease to be amazed when my neighbors have giant crate of pomegranates they are trying to pon off. Nathan’s Mom makes her jelly with fresh squeezed pomegranate juice and it is delicious! I have no experience with any kind of jam or jelly making – so she was nice enough to let me watch her make a batch!

Pomegranate Jelly

• 3 1/2 cups prepared juice (about 5 large fully ripe pomegranates)
• 5 cups (2-1/4 lb.) sugar
• 1 box Sure.Jell Fruit Pectin

First prepare the juice. Cut 5 large pomegranates in quarters. Place halves in a fruit juice reamer or other desired juicing device. If you want, you can buy ready-made pomegranate juice. We used this antique juicer from Nathan’s Grandma. They also sell these pomegranate presses at Williams Sonoma.

Measure 3 1/2 cups of juice into a 8 quart saucepan. Measure sugar and set aside. Mix fruit pectin into juice. Place over high heat and stir until mixture comes for full boil. Immediately add all sugar and stir. Bring to a full rolling boil and boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add a bit of butter if it starts to foam. Remove from heat and skim off the foam and put in a small bowl (the foam doesn’t look pretty in the jars but can still be eaten out of the bowl the next few days). Ladle quickly into jars filling to within 1/8 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids and screw down tightly. Invert jars for 5 minutes, then turn upright. After 1 hour check the seals – they should pop! Makes about 7 8 oz. jars.

 Need a mid-week pick me up? Do you have 15 minutes? Awesome – that means you can make this gourmet dessert for two tonight! Last night I surprised Nate, who had to work late, with a delicious artichoke tomato spaghetti and this old fashioned maple-walnut pudding. It is deceivingly easy to prepare and is good warm or cold – whichever you prefer! I prefer cold.. The candied walnuts provide a contrast of texture that make it even better. Not to mention I had everything on hand except the tapioca. My solution to a mid-week slump =yummy meal, satisfying, low-fat dessert, and a new episode of Modern Family – all with my favorite guy!

P.S. Pardon my poor photography skills - these pictures struggled without natural light..

Maple-Walnut Tapioca Pudding

• 1 cup fat free or low-fat milk
• 1 large egg, well beaten
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon quick-cooking tapioca
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
• Pinch of ground cinnamon
• Pinch of ground nutmeg

Combine milk, egg, tapioca and salt in a medium saucepan. Let stand for 5 minutes.

Place the saucepan over medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil, 6 to 18 minutes (depending on your stove). Remove from the heat; stir in 1/4 cup syrup and vanilla.

Divide the pudding between 2 ramekins or custard cups. Let cool for at least 30 minutes or refrigerate until chilled.

Meanwhile, line a small plate with parchment or wax paper. Coat the paper with cooking spray. Combine walnuts, the remaining 1 tablespoon syrup, cinnamon and nutmeg in a small saucepan or skillet. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring, until most of the syrup has evaporated, 1 to 4 minutes. Spread the nuts out onto the prepared paper and place in the freezer until cool, about 10 minutes.

Crumble the chilled walnut topping into pieces. Serve the pudding topped with the maple walnuts.

Recipe adapted from EatingWell.com

Yum! This recipe proves winter vegetables can be just as delicious as summer ones…

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

• 3 to 4 pounds butternut squash, peeled and seeded
• 2 yellow onions
• 2 McIntosh apples, peeled and cored
• 3 tablespoons good olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 to 4 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 teaspoon curry powder

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Cut the butternut squash, onions, and apples into 1-inch cubes. Place them on a sheet pan and toss them with the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Divide the squash mixture between 2 sheet pans and spread in a single layer. Roast for 35 to 45 minutes, tossing occasionally, until very tender. Meanwhile, heat the chicken stock to a simmer. When the vegetables are done, put them in a blender or food processor and blend till smooth. When all of the vegetables are processed, place them in a large pot and add enough chicken stock to make a thick soup. Add the curry powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Taste for seasonings to be sure there’s enough salt and pepper to bring out the curry flavor. Serve hot with toasted almonds.

Recipe adapted from Ina Garten

This year, like years before, involved lots of Christmas candy making for me! Ever since I can remember I’ve made fudge and caramels at Christmas time. This Christmas my sister-in-laws and I decided to go all out and make homemade fudge truffles. I got inspired after being a bridesmaid in my best friend’s wedding and seeing the 300 homemade truffles her mom made as favors. Now that’s commitment! I got a copy of her delicious fudge recipe and made a double batch of it. After that my sister-in-laws and I melted milk, white, and dark chocolate, rolled the fudge into balls, and dipped it. We also chopped up walnuts to roll the truffles in/hide the ones that didn’t turn out. They turned out fabulous! You can make them with any fudge recipe you like. I might try it with homemade nougat sometime too. Earlier this Christmas season I also made a batch of my Grandmother’s caramels. This involved risking my life stirring a pot of 240 degree liquid for over an hour – but as always was well worth it. All good caramels have one thing in common…

Butter!

No worries though! The serving size for caramels is small and you always end up giving most of them away. Right? I took a picture of the original type-writer copy of the caramels recipe. I think it is so fun to have old family recipes. Especially when they are as yummy as these caramels!

Spatzle , bratwurst, schnitzel, and other delicious German dishes were staples in my home growing up. This is one of my family’s classic holiday meals and it seemed quite fitting to have this German feast post-thanksgiving.  The spatzele noodles are my favorite and are surprisingly easy to make if you have a potato ricer. They are a great side dish to all kinds of food and are particularly good smothered with buttery breadcrumbs. The beef bourgan is one of those dishes you can throw in the crock pot in the morning and later come home to a good-smelling house and warm meal. Who doesn’t like that? Just so you know German food MUST be eaten with sides of pickled red cabbage and canned green beans. Trust me.

Beef Bourgan

Coat 1 1/2-2 lbs of cubed beef (round steak or roast) in flour. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and brown in olive oil. Remove meat from pan and brown 1 medium finely chopped onion in the pan drippings. Combine 3/4 cup red wine, 1/4 cup vinegar, and 1/2 cup water. Wash pan brownings with liquid to get flour and drippings loose from the pan. Place meat, onions, and liquid in the crock pot. Add 2 roughly chopped carrots, 3 cloves minced garlic, a bay leaf, and water to cover if necessary. Simmer for a long time in the crock pot (4+ hours) until meat is tender. Remove bay leaf and thicken with cornstarch if necessary. Serve with spatzle noodles.

*If you use red cooking wine instead of regular red wine don’t add any salt to the meat. Cooking wines contain more salt that regular wine.

Spatzle

Beat:

2 eggs

Combine well with:

1 1/2 coups all purpose flour

1/2 cup water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Drop small bits of batter through a potato ricer or spatzle press into a pot of simmering salted water. When spatzle rises to the top of the water (usually within a minute or two) remove with a slotted spoon and place on a platter. Spatzle should be very light and delicate. Try a sample – if too heavy add a little water to the batter. Top spatzle with 1/4 bread crumbs combined with 1/2 cup melted butter.

Nathan eating bratwurst in a market in Munich, Germany!

Whats not to love about easy chicken recipes? Everyone loves chicken and I am always looking for new ways to use up chicken that we get in those giant frozen bags from Costco. This recipe is fantastic. It has the kick of fresh citrus and tons of flavor. I love some heat so I added crushed red pepper flakes. I think it pairs nicely with rice and sweet steamed carrots.

Indonesian Chicken

• 1 bunch of green onions – minced
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1 lime
• 1 orange
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (add 1/4 if you don’t like it too spicy)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 4 medium sized boneless skinless chicken breast – cut in cubes
• 1 tsp cornstarch

1. Brown green onion in a little bit of oil, add garlic and saute till tender. About 2 minutes.

2. Zest the lime and orange into a bowl, squeeze juice from lime and add to bowl. Add soy sauce, honey, red pepper, cumin, and coriander to bowl. Toss chicken cubes with the spice mixture and marinate covered in the fridge at least 15 minutes. Juice the orange and put in a separate bowl. Mix cornstarch in with orange juice.

3. After marinating satue chicken in sauce till done. Add orange juice/cornstarch mixture and cook till sauce thickens slightly. Enjoy!

Note: Make sure the oranges/limes you use for the juice are sweet or you’ll end up with bitter chicken!

The Best Decision I’ve Made in Awhile…was making these Pumpkin Spice Woopies. They are so perfect… The cookies are good by themselves but don’t skip out on making the filling (I almost did!) – the marshmallow/cream cheese combo is unbelievably delicious. They will also fill your kitchen with that yummy pumpkin spice aroma! The filling is also good on top of these Pumpkin Bars.

Now go pumpkin-yourself out!

As you know Nathan and I recently moved down to San Diego and into our new apartment about 2 months ago. We LOVE our new apartment but unfortunately the kitchen is greatly lacking in counter space. Luckily Nathan’s Dad (Mike) is a carpenter by-hobby and said he could build us a customized kitchen island! After studying a bunch of different models I came up with a design. We bought the wood and supplies- including some gorgeous bird’s eye maple – and started working on the “bread board” as we call it. Outside of my 8th grade shop class, I have never built anything out of wood so it was a very interesting project for me!  I think it turned out beautiful… we even got some vintage Anthropologie knobs to seal the deal. I can’t wait to fill it up with our 2 giant boxes of homeless kitchen pots!

So what if I’m the kind of person…

Who spends 2 hours making cupcakes for a Halloween party…

Happy Happy Halloween!