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.