Eggplant Parmesan

My husband had never had Eggplant Parmesan but, being very proud of my Italian ancestry, I insisted that we have it at our wedding luncheon. He loved it even though it doesn't contain any meat! This is the version that I like to make. I use my mom's recipe for Chicken Parmesan and use eggplant instead. I like to serve it with extra sauce over pasta.

Eggplant (1/2" slices)
Italian bread crumbs
2 eggs beaten
1 clove garlic, minced
Favorite spaghetti sauce
Mozzarella cheese slices
Parmesan cheese
olive oil

Prepare eggplant by cutting into 1/2" slices. Place in a strainer by layers and sprinkle salt over the top of each layer. Put a heavy plate or a bowl full of water over top and let them sit for at least an hour. They should begin to release condensation. This helps to remove the bitterness. Once you have finished this step, rinse the eggplant and pat dry.

Dip eggplant in eggs followed by bread crumbs then Parmesan cheese and brown in skillet of olive oil and garlic. Pour sauce in 9x13 pan to coat bottom. Place eggplant on top. Top eggplant with a slice of mozzarella cheese. Add more sauce. Sprinkle top with Parmesan cheese and bake at 350° for about 40-50 min.

Chicken Tikki Masala

This is another AMAZING curry recipe from my aunt. I have made this one a couple of times before and every time it has been great. This time I didn't plan ahead enough to marinate the chicken so I decided to cook it in a regular pan, seasoning it with the ginger, garlic, cardamom, turmeric, cumin, and coriander. When the chicken was fully cooked I set it aside and continued with the rest of the recipe as written. The only other change I made was that I added about 1/2 cup plain yogurt with the coconut milk. This was probably the best curry I have ever had.

Masala Marinade

1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 TBSP ginger, finely grated
1 TBSP lemon juice
salt & pepper, freshly ground
¼ tsp ground cardamom
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
¼ tsp ground turmeric
1 ½ tsp ground cumin
1 ½ tsp ground coriander

2.5 lbs chicken, boneless, skinless thighs, fat trimmed
Thighs are best, can use breast meat

Sauce

Salt and Pepper, freshly ground
2 lg onion, finely chopped
4 TBSP +2 tsp veg oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp fresh ginger, minced
1 ½ TBSP Garam Masala
½-1 tsp cayenne pepper
¼ to 1/2 cup almonds or cashews
Pinch of sugar
2 cup coconut milk
2-35 oz can peeled tomatoes, finely chopped, juices reserved
or use tomato sauce or puree for really smooth sauce.

1. Make the masala marinade:
In a large glass or stainless steel bowl, combine all the spices and yogurt.
Season with salt and pepper.

2. Prepare the chicken:
Using a sharp knife, make a few shallow slashes in each piece of chicken.
Add the chicken to the marinade, turn to coat and cover, and refrigerate
overnight.

3. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Remove the chicken from the marinade;
remove as much of the marinade as possible. Spread the chicken on a baking
sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or until just cooked, turning once or twice.
Transfer to a cutting board and cut into bite size pieces.

4. Meanwhile, in a blender, grind almonds or cashew until finely ground.
Remove nuts and set aside. Grind onions, garlic and ginger to keep sauce
smooth. Add little water to make paste.
5. In a large heavy duty pan, heat 2 TBSP oil until shimmering. Add ground
onion mixture from blender and cook about 5 minutes. Add the garam
masala and cayenne powder and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the
tomatoes with juices and sugar and salt and pepper. Cover partially and
cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is slightly
thickened, about 20 minutes. Add coconut milk and ground almonds and
cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 10 minutes
longer.
Stir in chicken; simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, and serve.
Garnish with ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Serve with warm steamed Basmati rice, rice pilaf or warm naan.

Optional:
Try it with shrimp, lamb and vegetables.
Using tomato sauce/puree thickens sauce faster.
Heavy cream can be used instead of coconut milk, better with coconut milk
Can make ahead and gently reheat before serving
Freezes great
Grilling the meat is the best method, do not overcook!

Note:
Garam Masala adds pepper heat to the recipe
Increase or decrease spices/pepper heat to personal taste
Can add Garam Masala to marniade

Chicken Wing Sauce

My husband found this very simple recipe online about a year ago and it has become one of his favorite things to make for guests. They say it tastes just like the sauce Wingers restaurant uses on their famous wings. Our friends almost always ask for the recipe and are shocked at how simple it is.

3/4 cup brown sugar
3 Tbsp Franks Original Red Hot sauce
2 Tbsp water

In a saucepan over medium heat stir together Frank's, brown sugar and water. Cook and stir until sugar is dissolved, then cook and stir for 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat. Sauce will thicken as it cools. In a plastic container add sauce and chicken, seal and shake to coat.

We use breaded chicken from the store cook it in our oven but you could make your own if you would rather. This is enough to cover 8-10 chicken fingers. Double or triple recipe as needed.

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

I make way too many desserts. They are one of the most enjoyable things to bake and inevitably get more compliments than anything else I cook. But since I make dessert so often, and have many specialties, I am very discriminating when it comes to trying new ones. I search and search through many recipes before I find one that looks like it will measure up to the tried and true classics. Here is one that I had never made or eaten. It tasted great.

2 cups quick oats
1 3/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup butter or margarine, room temperature
1 12-oz package (2 cups) semisweet chocolate pieces (I used milk chocolate chips)
1 beaten egg
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

For crumb mixture, in a large mixing bowl combine rolled oats, brown sugar, flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Cut in butter while mixing until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.

For topping, combine 1 3/4 cup of the crumb mixture and the chocolate chips. Set aside.

For crust, stir the egg into remaining crumb mixture. Press into bottom of an ungreased 15x10x1" pan (I just used a regular 13x9" pan). Bake at 350º for 15 minutes.

For filling, stir together sweetened condensed milk and peanut butter till well combined. Pour filling evenly over partially baked crust. Sprinkle topping evenly over filling. Bake for 12-15 minutes more or till lightly browned around the edges. Cool completely and cut into bars.

Herb and Cheese Bubble Loaf

I have been trying to expand my bread-making repertoire, so I was looking through my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook and found this delightful bread recipe. It is easy to make (just follow the instructions) and turns out light and fluffy. If I didn't know that I made it myself, I would have thought it came from a professional bakery.

2 1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp active dry yeast
1 cup milk
1 Tbsp butter or margarine
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese or Swiss cheese (4 oz)
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 Tbsp snipped parsley
1/2 tsp dried oregano, crushed
1/2 tsp dried marjoram, crushed

In a large mixing bowl combine 1 cup of the flour and the yeast; set aside. In a small saucepan heat and stir milk, the 1 Tbsp butter, and 1/2 tsp salt just until warm (120 to 130 degrees) and butter almost melts. Add milk mixture to dry mixture. Beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed for 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl often. Beat on high speed 3 minutes. Stir in cheese and as much of the remaining flour as you can.

Turn dough onto a floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (6-8 min). Shape dough into a ball. Place in a lightly greased bowl; turn once. Cover; let rise in a warm place till nearly double in size (about 1 hour - less in higher altitudes).

Punch dough down. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, lightly grease a 1 1/2 quart casserole or a loaf pan. Stir together the 1/4 cup melted butter, parsley, oregano, and marjoram. Set aside.

To shape, on a floured surface roll out dough from center to edges, forming and 8x6-inch rectangle; cut into 48 pieces. Gently pull each portion of dough into a ball, tucking edges beneath. Roll each ball in butter mixture. Arrange balls, smooth sides up, in prepared casserole or pan. Cover; set rise in a warm place till nearly double (30-40 min).

Bake at 375º oven 35-40 minutes or until bread sounds hollow when tapped (cover loosely with foil the last 10-16 minutes of baking to prevent overbrowning). Remove bread from casserole or pan. Serve warm.

Chicken Cabbage Salad

I had the day off of work the other day so I invited my sister-in-law over for lunch. I wasn't sure what to make so I started brainstorm about what "grown up ladies" eat for luncheons. Of course the first thing that came to mind was salad. I remember one time when I was in high school when i went to a luncheon with my mom and they had a bunch of different kinds of salad. I didn't really like most of them, but this one was really good, so I found what I think was the original recipe. It turned out really well, although I wasn't sure if it was actually a healthy salad. I have always heard that the darkest fruits and veggies are always the richest in nutrients. If that is true, green cabbage can't be that good for you. So I researched it and found out that cabbage is actually very healthy. It is an excellent source of vitamins C, A, E, and B as well as being high in fiber and iron. In fact, there have been many studies that suggest cabbage actually lowers the risk of cancer. Who knew? I'll be on the lookout for ways to add more cabbage into my diet.

1 pkg Top Ramen Noodles (uncooked and broken)
1/2 head cabbage, chopped
3 Tbsp roasted almonds
3 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
3 green onions, chopped
2 chicken breasts cooked and chopped

Dressing:
1/2 cup salad oil (I used about 1/3 cup canola and the rest sesame oil)
3/4 Tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar

Mix dressing and pour over salad; mix well. Best if made 24 hours before.

Potstickers

My husband and I don't make a lot of Chinese food. Every time we have tried to make something Chinese it has taken us about two hours to make - which is a lot of time when you are only cooking for two. We searched potsticker recipes online and found one on about.com. The recipe looked simple enough; surely we'd be able to do it pretty fast. Unfortunately that was not the case. It was another two hour dinner. But it was so good that we would definitely make it again.


Dumpling Dough:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup boiling water

Filling:
8 ounces celery cabbage (Napa cabbage)
3 tsp salt, divided
1 pound lean ground pork
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions, with tops
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp sesame oil
Dash white pepper
Dipping Sauce:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
Other:
2 - 4 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preparation:

Cut the cabbage across into thin strips. Mix with 2 teaspoons salt and set aside for 5 minutes. Squeeze out the excess moisture.

In a large bowl, mix the celery cabbage, pork, green onions, wine, cornstarch, the remaining 1 teaaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, and the white pepper.

In a bowl, mix the flour and 1 cup boiling water until a soft dough forms. Knead the dough on a lightly flour surface about 5 minutes, or until smooth.

Divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a roll 12 inches long and cut each roll into 1/2-inch slices.

Roll 1 slice of dough into a 3-inch circle and place 1 tablespoon pork mixture in the center of the circle. Lift up the edges of the circle and pinch 5 pleats up to create a pouch to encase the mixture. Pinch the top together. Repeat with the remaining slices of dough and filling.

Heat a wok or nonstick skillet until very hot. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, tilting the wok to coat the sides. If using a nonstick skillet, add 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil. Place 12 dumplings in a single layer in the wok and fry 2 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden brown.

Add 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook 6 to 7 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Repeat with the remaining dumplings.

To make a dipping sauce, in a small bowl, mix the soy sauce with 1 teaspoon sesame oil. Serve with the dumplings.

Key Lime Cheesecake

I didn't think that it would be very hard to make a good cheesecake, until I started researching it online and found all sorts of forums addressing questions and problems for novice cheesecake makers. So I took what I thought would be the best tips and applied them to this delicious cheesecake.

1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs 6 tbsp butter, melted

1 cup sugar
4 x 8 oz packages cream cheese, softened
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch (can substitute flour)
1 Tbsp grated lime zest
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup fresh lime juice, about 6 limes worth (If using key limes or juice, use half as much)
3 eggs
whipped cream

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Combine crumbs, butter and 1 tbsp sugar in a bowl. Stir well to coat all crumbs. Keep it crumbly.

When the crumb mixture seems ready, press the crumbs onto the bottom and half way up the sides of an 8" springform pan. Then, place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Do not turn off the oven.

In large bowl combine the cream cheese, 1 cup sugar and vanilla. Mix with electric mixer until smooth. Add the lime juice and eggs and continue to beat till smooth and creamy. Once ready, pour filling into crust.

Place the pie in the oven on the center rack. Fill a casserole dish about half way with water and place on the bottom rack. This is meant to keep the cake from cracking. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes. If top is turning light brown, then the pie is done. Turn off oven and allow cake to sit for 30 minutes to an hour. Remove from the oven and allow to cool until room temperature. Then, put the pie into the refrigerator to chill. It is best if it is chilled at least over night.

Once chilled, remove the pan sides and cut. Serve with whipped cream.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

This pizza looked and smelled delicious. It was a great idea that I would make again, with just a few alterations. We used blue cheese dressing as the base sauce and found out that you have to really like blue cheese in order to like this pizza. It was a little bit overpowering for us. Next time I think I'll use ranch as the base sauce.

Blue cheese or ranch dressing
red and green peppers, chopped
white onions, chopped
mozzarella cheese
buffalo chicken pieces (see recipe for Chicken Wing Sauce)

Cream Cheese Chicken

My husband's family was here this past weekend and one night I had a prior commitment and would have to be away during dinnertime. I wanted to think of something that I could make ahead of time and that wouldn't take too much preparation. And then it came to me: I could make a crock pot recipe! I decided on one of the classic slow cooker dishes, using my own combination of spices, rather than Italian dressing mix. All of the ingredients are approximate. I just added "what looked good." Because I wasn't there when dinner was served, I didn't spend time taking pictures like I usually do. I just snapped a couple of quick shots when I was eating the leftovers. They were still delicious. This dinner received more complements than any other over the whole weekend.

4 lb chicken, thawed and cut into pieces
1-2 cans cream of mushroom (depending on desired creaminess)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
about 2 tsp kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tsp celery seeds
2 tsp Italian seasoning
3 cloves minced garlic
1 8 oz package cream cheese

Mix everything together EXCEPT for cream cheese in slow cooker and set on low for 5-6 hours (longer if desired). A half hour before serving, cut in cream cheese and turn heat up to high. Heat until cream cheese is completely melted, stirring occasionally (approx. 30 min). Serve over rice or pasta.

Hamburgers

My husband is in charge of the barbecue in our house and this was his quest to make the perfect hamburger meat. He wanted to make the meat taste so delicious that it wouldn't even be necessary to add other toppings. And he pretty much succeeded (although I would never forgo lettuce, tomato, or sauteed mushrooms).

3 lb hamburger
1 lb bacon (cut into small pieces)
1 large onion, chopped
2 small peppers; one red and one green
4 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
salt and pepper to taste (probably about 1 tbsp each)
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
1-2 Tbsp cornstarch (to help the meat stay together)

Blondies

Making Blondies was definitely a learning experience for me. The recipe in my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook said to use a 13x9" pan but I thought they would be better if they were thicker so I made them in an 8x8" pan. Lesson learned: don't do that. The sides got very tall and the middle stayed normal. They still taste good, but it is a little awkward to cut and eat them because of their strange shape. I am going to make them again with a few changes, which I am quite confident will improve the recipe.

2 cups packed brown sugar
2/3 cup butter
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt*
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts (or in our case, plain M&Ms)

Grease a 13x9" pan: set aside. In a medium saucepan heat brown sugar and butter ove medium heat till sugar dissolves, stirring constantly. Cool slightly. Stir in eggs, one at a time, and vanilla. Stir in flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Spread in prepared baking pan. Sprinkle with chocolate and nuts. Bake at 350° 25-30 minutes. Cool slightly. Cut into bars while warm.

*Next time I make these blondies I plan on adding salt (the original recipe didn't call for it, but it was noticeably lacking) and stirring in 1 cup butterscotch chips rather than sprinkling regular chips on top. I think that will make them taste more like the blondies that I remember.

Summertime Linguine

This dish is very different than anything I have ever made before. I usually plan Sunday meals in advance and shop for the ingredients Saturday night. I didn't do that today. After church I realized that I had nothing planned for dinner. So I started looking through the cupboards and refrigerator and I made the very first unplanned dish I have ever made. It was very refreshing and very summery.

12 oz cooked linguine
1 large onion
1 medium pepper
12 oz broccoli florets
3 small tomatoes
1 chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
2-3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp chopped, fresh basil
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp oregano
1/2 cup fresh parmesan

While pasta is cooking, saute onions, pepper, and minced garlic in a bit of olive oil, adding broccoli after about 1 minute. Then add chicken, vinegar, basil, and oregano and cook until there is no pink left in the chicken. Stir in linguine, parmesan, tomatoes, and remaining olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Barbecue Ranch Pizza

It has been about two weeks since I have posted recipes on my blog. Surprisingly I have felt pretty guilty about not posting. I almost felt like I was letting my hypothetical readers down. I think there are some people out there following this blog, and hopefully even trying out some of my recipes. This pizza was definitely one worthy of replication. I took a risk with this one by combining Ranch and BBQ sauce (I definitely had doubts as to whether they would go well together.)

Ranch
Barbecue Sauce
Chicken
Bacon ends and pieces
Onions
Sun-dried tomatoes
Mozzarella cheese
Cheddar cheese

Chris' Mushroom Ravioli

The cat's out of the bag: my husband is a great cook. I have tried to to most of the cooking over these past few months, but every once in a while he decides to surprise me with a special "man-made" dinner. This past Wednesday I had a meeting in the evening but told him that I was going to make Ravioli when I got back. He volunteered to run to the store and pick up some ingredients, but when I got back he had cooked up this amazing little dish. It is a four-cheese Ravioli from the store (I haven't quite progressed to the point of making my own pasta, but I definitely will...eventually) with a creamy sherry alfredo sauce and caramelized mushrooms and onions on top. These are the ingredients as far as I remember (he's not here right now to make sure I get it right).

4 cheese Ravioli
1 recipe Alfredo Sauce
1/4 cup cooking sherry (optional)
2 tomatoes, chopped

2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 lb mushrooms
1 large onion, chopped
1/4 cup brown sugar

Start ravioli to boil in a medium pot. Saute mushrooms and onions in a pan over medium-high heat for 6-7 minutes, adding brown sugar after about 4 minutes. Season with salt to taste.

Make alfredo sauce (add cooking sherry if desired and simmer). After removing from heat, stir together sauce, chopped tomatoes, and ravioli.