Tom Kha Gai

My husband and I are always looking for new and interesting meals.  He found this link on Youtube and we just had to try it.

Hot Thai Kitchen - Tom Kha Gai

With a few additions to make the dish complete our end product is one for the books. This is one of those Thai comfort foods that we will return to often.

We followed the soup recipe exactly, when plating (or bowling) added steamed basmati rice, and wilted kale.  This is a very simple recipe and very delicious.

Happy cooking
Sherri

Aunt Mabel's Doughnuts

I have fond memories of making doughnuts as a child with my mom.  I remember it taking the whole day, and I am sure that she usually doubled or tripled the recipe because once we were done she would send us with bags of our freshly made doughnuts to the neighbors as offerings of these special treats.

Now that our son is old enough to be in charge of glazing, I decided it was time to try this family recipe out in for ourselves.   The results were fantastic, and we are sure to take on this endeavor from time to time from now on.

Aunt Mabel's doughnut recipe:

Ingredients

2 cups   Milk
2 Tbsp  Yeast
1 tsp      Sugar
1 Cup    Water - Lukewarm (110 degrees F / 45 degrees C)

4 eggs
1 tsp Salt
1/2 cup sugar

4 + cups White flour
1/2 Cup Oil   (I used sunflower oil)

For glaze:

1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 cup icing sugar
2 squares of unsweetened bakers chocolate (optional)
sprinkles (optional)

5 cups of frying oil (I used lard, but you can use vegetable shortening or peanut oil)

You will also need:
Digital meat thermometer or analog will also suffice
1 large bowl
Measuring cups and spoons
a liquid measuring cup (I use this to start my yeast in)
Beaters
mixing spoon
1 quart pot
3.5 quart pot
metal slotted spoon or metal tongs
Cookie sheets
cooling rack

Method:

Scald Milk in double boiler.  I actually did this directly on the stove but slowly.  Scalding will bring your milk to a temp of 180 degrees F or 82 degrees C.

Set aside to cool to 110 degrees.

Meanwhile dissolve 1 tsp sugar in 1 cup of lukewarm (110-115 degrees) water.  Sprinkle yeast into water to avoid clumping and set aside to activate.

Meanwhile beat together eggs, salt and sugar.

Once the milk has cooled and the yeast has activated, add the yeast mixture to the milk to combine, then pour into the egg mixture and combine.

Add 4 cups of flour and oil to the wet mixture and beat until smooth.  Continue to add more flour mixing with a spoon until it becomes a sticky dough and you can begin to handle it with your hands.

put about 1/2 cup of flour on a clean counter surface and dump your dough mixture onto the flour and begin to knead.  The dough will be very sticky.  Incorporate your flour from the surface while kneading and add more by the handful until it is a very soft tacky (not sticky) dough.  It should remain quite soft and pliable...add a little flour as you can to accomplish this.  Continue kneading for about 10 minutes in total.  You will notice that your dough consistency will change and become stretchy.  Oil a large bowl (big enough to handle about double the size of your dough).  Place your dough in the bowl and turn to cover in oil on all sides, and place in a warm place to rise.  You can cover lightly with plastic wrap to keep it moist but it is not required.

It should take about 90 minutes for your dough to rise sufficiently.  I usually place the bowl in my oven with the oven light on to keep it warm.

with about 30 minutes left to your rise, begin the glaze.  Put the butter, milk and white sugar in a pan or small pot and bring to a boil.  Let simmer for 1 minute and set aside. Just before you begin frying add the icing sugar and wisk until smooth.

I also did another pot of glaze but added 2 squares of unsweetened chocolate to the first 3 ingredients, adding the cup of icing sugar prior to the frying process.

thirdly I put about a cup of icing sugar in a bowl for an attempt at jelly filled doughnuts.

If you only plan on doing the basic glazed doughnuts I would double the glaze recipe.

Once it has risen take it out, flour your counter surface lightly, punch your dough down with your finger tips, and then turn it out onto your floured surface.  Let it rest for a few minutes while you turn on your frying oil.

You don't need a fryer, but if you have one by all means use it.  Use fresh oil though because otherwise your doughnuts will take on the flavor of the previous things you fried.

I simply used a 3.5 quart pot on my induction stovetop. You need to bring the oil to a temperature of 375 degrees F.  On my stove this is at about a temperature of 5 out of 9.  Use your temperature gauge to test it.

Roll out your dough with a rolling pin to about a 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch thick.  Now comes the fun part.  My mom used to have a doughnut cutter with the outer and inner circle cutter in one, but I just used 2 different circle cutters one large, one small to make my doughnuts and holes.  We also just did large ones without the holes for the jelly doughnuts, and braided a few with the left over scraps.

Cut out all your doughnuts.  you can recombine and roll out the scraps and cut out some more, or just roll out some more doughnut holes.

If you haven't added your icing sugar to your glaze...do it now.

Test your oil by putting one of your doughnut holes in the oil.  It should only take a minute or 2 to get golden brown on both sides.  You will have to turn it with your tongs or slotted metal spoon. Remove with tongs and set on cooling rack that is placed above a cookie sheet.

Let it cool and drip for a few minutes before you put it in the glaze mixture and return it to a second cooling rack to drip and cool further.

You can place 2 to 3 doughnuts in the oil at a time depending on the size of your pot.  Ensure you have enough frying oil for the doughnuts to be buoyant without touching the bottom of the pot.

These are the best doughnuts!  for the jelly filled we rolled them in sugar and once cooled poked a hole with a pointed steak knife then used a piping bag and nib to fill with jam.  Be creative and have fun.

And of course thank my great great aunt Mabel for her recipe!

Until next time
Sherri

Cherry Cakes (Brown Sugar Shortbread)

Cherry Cakes have been a family tradition in our family for  christmas.  A very festive cookie that disappear quicker than you can bake them.

It is actually a brown sugar shortbread, but dressed up for christmas with the red and green cherries on top.  You may want to double this recipe.  They do go fast.

1 cup Butter
3/4 cup br sugar
1 egg yolk
2 c flour
red and green Glazed cherries chopped

Cream butter.  My Mom always said cream it until it turns white.  You'll see the butter change color as it becomes whipped.

Add sugar and beat
Add Egg yolk and beat
Add flour 1/2 cup at a time. There may come a point where you will have to finish incorporating the flour with your hands.  Both my sister and I agree on this point so keep your hands clean.

Shape into small balls and place on cookies sheet.  Flatten them, either with a fork like you would peanut butter cookies, or, my personal favorite, with 3 flat fingers.

Add a piece of red and green to the top of the cookies and bake at 325 for about 20 minutes.  Make sure you take them out before they brown.  They're great hot, and santa really likes them too.

Clams & Linguini

I am still in a swoon over this dish.  This is a personal interpretation of a dish that I've picked up from a review of Don Pepe's in NY.

We have been searching for a good Clams & Linguini dish for a few years now.  Everything that we have tried has come up short...Until today.

3 full bulbs of garlic.  peel cloves and snip off the ends
3-4 lbs of clams - shucked and juice saved
1/2 cup chopped italian parsley
~ 1 tsp Sea Salt
~ 1/4 tsp fresh ground Pepper
1 - 1.5 cups Olive oil
Fettucini pasta

1 really nice loaf of sourdough bread

Peel cloves, shuck the clams into a bowl, saving as much liquid as possible...this is the essence of this dish.

Put water on to boil for the pasta.  You will want to time the pasta with the completion of the sauce

Put oil in a shallow saucepan.  You will need all of it.  warm it to a medium temp and add all of the garlic cloves.  DO NOT cut the garlic up, full cloves are required.  You will need enough oil for the cloves to bathe in.  Slowly cook the cloves until the turn a nice rich medium brown.   If they are cooking too fast, turn your temp down a bit,  you want them soft, sweet and browned.

 Once the garlic is done, add parsley, clams, salt and pepper.  Bring up to a simmer, add ALL the clam nectar left, and one small ladel of pasta water.  Your sauce will taste a little salty but once you add it to the pasta it will even out perfectly.

Drain pasta, place in a serving bowl or deep plate, pour the clam sauce over top and serve with bread and wine.

Pictures to follow

This is a classic favorite
Cheers
Sherri 

Halloween cookie adventures!

Halloween is fast approaching.  Our family is in full anticipation mode.  Yard decorating will be in full swing this weekend.  OH how we LOVE Halloween!  I remember as a child, the air smelled electric on halloween.  Fallen leaves were exceptionally crunchy under foot.  Excited butterflies were tickling my tummy.  It was an exciting time.

Now with children of my own, I am hoping that their memories of halloween will be just as magical as mine were.  This year was the first year that my eldest son was keen on actually HELPING with making halloween cookies, and I have forced myself to harness my control freak nature in the kitchen so that we could enjoy the process.

This was my first experiment with royal icing, and I do think that it did turn out with a good consistency, though the recipe I used required me to dial back the consistency with water.

This is the one we used from the Joy Of baking:
Royal Icing Recipe

Royal Icing Using Egg Whites:

2 large (60 grams) egg whites

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

3 cups (330 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the egg whites with the lemon juice until combined. Add the sifted powdered sugar and beat on low speed until combined and smooth. (The right consistency to cover or "flood" sugar cookies is when you lift the beater, the ribbon of icing that falls back into the bowl remains on the surface for a few seconds before disappearing. Another test is to take a cookie and place a small amount of icing in the center of the cookie. Using a small knife, push the icing to the edge of the cookie. If the icing runs off the edge, thicken the icing by adding a little more confectioners sugar. Conversely, if the icing is too thick, add a little water.) The icing needs to be used immediately or transferred to an airtight container as royal icing hardens when exposed to air.  Cover with plastic wrap when not in use.

I used sandwich bags and snap clips for mini icing bags.  Reinforcing a corner with Tape so that the hole we cut would not expand as we used it.

One note would be to be careful with Black dye.  I did purchase some proper Wilson dyes for the project, but they didn't seem to be of the consistency or potency that I remember my mom used.  They were more Jelly like as opposed to the paste that I was used to.  I will have to research this.  Anyway, we ended up with inedible Black icing because it took so much dye to arrive at a proper black.

Oh well Lesson learned, and it did not hamper the cookie decorating experience one little bit.

We used a simple sugar cookie recipe as well...perfect for decorating!

This is the one we used:

• 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
• 2 cups white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Here is the end result:

I especially love the mummies... created and designed by my little guy.

Have a Goulish Halloween!
Sherri 

Canadian Thanksgiving

We just saw another Canadian Thanksgiving come and go.  It was wonderful to be able to experience it in Canada this year.

My memories of the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays of my childhood always had a glimmer of excitement.  Mom and Dad cooking in the kitchen, wonderful smells permeating throughout the house, special place settings with the 'Good China', and it was the only times that we, as children, had the opportunity to drink out of tiny wine glasses that were usually stored high in the china cabinet so that we could join in the 'toasts' around the table.

One particular year, after a very filling meal and dessert, my mother declared that we should have a toast.  My brother, about 4 at the time, jumped up from the table and ran to the kitchen and proceeded to pull out the toaster with excitement.   We all looked on quizzically, and asked what he was doing.  He declared that he was getting ready to make the toast!...it was very hard to fill his hollow leg!

Whether it was just our immediate family, or whether relatives were visiting, it was always seemed to be a magical time.

This year we would be celebrating our thanksgiving with just our small young family, so we planned to make it a special time for our boys.  Since there are only 4 of us we were hesitant to buy the big bird.  My husband happened upon this recipe that would add a bit of magic to our day without having to eat turkey for the next few weeks:

Baked Chicken in Sugar Pumpkin

Here is what the final product looks like:

This was a very low maintenance bake as the pumpkin top seals closed and the chicken bakes sealed in its own juices.  Remember to put the pumpkin on a pan rather than directly on the oven grate as some juices will seep out from the bottom close to the end of the cooking time.

The Jus from this pumkin, including the juice that seeps out, is the best part of this recipe.  You will want to save every last drop.  I did have to add salt to it in order to boost the flavor, and I would probably be more generous in seasoning the bird with salt prior to cooking.

We served this dish with a basic Parmesan risotto, Maple baked Acorn squash, Cranberry, sour cherry & Red onion compote, Glazed carrots, Wild Mushrooms, and toasted pumpkin seeds (homemade from the pumpkin) .  The pumpkin seeds were the perfect last touch to this delectable meal.

Now on to Halloween!  Our favorite time of the year
Sherri 

Great food link

I was looking for a recipe for Laksa paste today and found it at this interesting blog by Miles Collins.  After  exploring his blog I felt compelled to post his link here.  There are a quite few recipes that scream to be tried. I hope you find it useful as well.

Miles Collins food blog

You are what you eat.

If you are concerned about your health this documentary is a must see.  We can take control of our own health if we understand how the human body works.  This documentary will explain it all to you and show you how accessible your solution can be.

Food Matters

Mac - N - Cheese Epiphany

One of my comfort foods from when I was growing up was my mom's homemade Mac-n-cheese with tomatoes casserole.  I've made it a few times for my own family but the reviews have always been negative.  Why?  Even the Mac-n- cheese that i've made for the kids isn't really a hit.

I've been totally put off by the finding that Kraft Mac-n-cheese contains Tartrazine (Sp?) which is the yellow coloring for the cheese.  This is known as having a direct link to Cancer.  Why they would continue to put it in their product is boggling to me.

So I try to opt for homemade.  My Hubby always says that my version tastes flour-y in texture.  Sure I put a spoon of flour for thickening...that's how my mom always did it.

This week I had an epiphany.  We made Alfredo sauce from scratch this week at home.  Oh soooo easy and quick and Really Yum! And...you guessed it... No flour.

So we tried the Mac-n-cheese version today with great success

Here's the recipe:

1 cup of dried macaroni

1 cup of Milk or cream
1/4 cup butter
1 cup (or more) of grated cheddar cheese
a dash of Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp prepared mustard
a dash of garlic/onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Make sure your macaroni is mostly cooked by the time you start the sauce.  Melt butter and milk/cream together.  Add remaining ingredients and combine until the cheese is melted.

Drain macaroni, and put back into the pot, add the cheese sauce, combine and warm. It will start to thicken with the starch from the pasta.

Enjoy!
Sherri

Lets go Bananas

I am Bananas for baby bananas!  One thing I haven't made since being in India is Banana Bread!  This thought struck me just recently as I was eating a baby banana.

In Canada one the main ingredient in banana bread - Bananas - are pretty bland comparably, and any good baker will tell you that the more over ripe your bananas the better because they will give you a better more richly banana flavored end product.

I do buy banana bread here.  It is a pretty standard recess snack for my eldest child.  But He always picks out the raisins and the nuts and brings them back home in his lunch pail.  *Sigh*

I always had a problem in Canada of not having the time to make banana bread when the bananas were sufficiently ripe, or saving the bananas long enough to get ripe enough!

Baby bananas here have a very sweet strong banana flavor even when they are still yellow, which means I don't have to time my baking on the ripeness of my ingredients.

I think some baking is in order...I will let you know how it goes, and post recipe and pictures soon.

Wish me luck!
Sherri

Master Cleanse

It may seem somewhat Ironic that I am posting on my food blog about not eating.  But really, Cleansing is a great way to keep your body looking and feeling great.

My New Years resolution this year was to do another Master Cleanse.  It has been 6 years and 2 babies in the making, but I was finally able to cleanse this year.

I lasted a whopping 14 days, and I can say that cooking for a family was what got me through it.  The first cleanse I did (6 Years ago) did not require my cooking prowess.  My husband did his own cooking.  I lasted the requisite 10 days, but by the end of 7 I was bored with not thinking, working with, eating food.

Do we really realize the amount of time we spend focused on food?  As I sit here great smells of chicken curry are wafting from our kitchen where my father-in-law is hard at work.  Supper will be great tonight.

We can't get away from it.  I believe this was the first thing that I noticed on my first cleanse....Food is everywhere!  On tv, on the radio, in magazines, as you walk down the street.  We talk about what we are going to buy at the store, how much it was, what we are going to make with it, we critique it as we are eating, we reminisce about it after we've finished the meal.  We Buy it, we cook it, we clean up after it, we prepare for our next encounter with food.

Finally, we Digest it.  which expends 60 - 75% of the energy we burn on a daily basis

So when we remove all of those things from our lives what we are left with is more than double the energy and nothing to do with it!

Mom's Famous Pancakes

Pancakes have always been our eldest child's favorite breakfast choice since he was able to eat solid food.  When we got to India however finding Maple Syrup was like searching for a needle in a haystack.  There was no having Pancakes without it...it was that simple.  Up until a few months ago there was none to be found...and then BINGO! We found a source, and the much loved pancake was added back into the breakfast menu...or should I say, it became the breakfast menu because he will now settle for nothing else.

I have been working with a certain Pancake recipe.  Tweaking it over the past few years.  Here is the current recipe with variation.  It is a very wholesome recipe that you should feel happy to feed the kids.

1 large egg
2/3 cup plain yogourt
1/3 cup milk

Combine these ingredients with a whisk.

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp Baking soda
1tsp Baking Powder

Whisk together until smooth.

Depending on the consistency of the yogourt that you are using you can sometimes end up with a very thick batter with the above wet ingredient list.  In this case add extra milk as necessary to make it the right consistency.  It needs to be smooth but not too runny.

When in Canada I usually substitute 1/4 cup of the flour for bran or wheatgerm or oat flour or another grain.

You can also add a mashed banana if your kids like a little sweetness in their pancakes, or if you want to make it even more healthy for them.

I usually fry them in Butter with a little olive oil to keep the butter from burning.  I make 2 to a pan which is the perfect 'Kid' size pancake.  Maple syrup for your topping and you have got yourself a great nutritious breakfast that your kids will love.

Until next time!
Sherri

Chicken Terragon Casserole

Whenever I roast a chicken, invariably there are leftovers that will end up going to waste.  Here is a great  chicken noodle casserole recipe that the kids LOVE.

3 cups bowtie pasta

Boil water and add Pasta.  Cook until al dente and drain, then place in casserole dish

1 Tbsp Butter
2 Cups Chopped fresh mushrooms

1 carrot chopped however you like

2 stalks Celery Chopped

3 spring onions chopped

1.5 cups chicken or Veg Broth

1 tsp Minced Garlic

1 bay leaf

In a Wok melt butter on high heat and add mushrooms.  Cook until the liquid evaporates.
Add Carrot and Celery and stirfry for another 3 minutes.  Add onion, Garlic, Bay leaf.  Stirfry for another minute then add the broth cover and simmer until carrots and celery are tender.

Remove from heat, Strain and set aside 1 cup of broth.  Discard any remaining liquid or add more water if less than 1 cup remains. Put veggies in a casserole dish and cover

1/3 cup Flour

2 tbsp Cornstarch

1 cup Milk
1 Cup Reserved broth
1 tsp Terragon
1 tsp Salt
1/3 cup White wine
1 cup Grated Cheddar Cheese

Wisk together four and cornstarch to combine in the wok.  Slowly add milk whisking briskly to avoid any lumps.  Once combined add stock, Terragon and Salt.  Place over medium heat wicking constantly until the sauce thickens.  Add wine and continue to whisk until thick.  Remove from heat.  Add cheese and combine.

1.5 Cup Cooked chopped chicken

Combine chicken, veggies, Noodles and sauce in casserole dish.

1 Tbsp butter
1/3 cup bread crumbs

In a small pan melt butter and add bread crumbs,  combine until evenly coated and sprinkle over casserole. Bake at 375 for 30 - 45 minutes or until it is bubbling.

Keep those Kids Happy!
Sherri 

My new favorite Vanilla Icing recipe

Buttercream Icing has been the staple cake covering in our household since I was a child.  Now that I have kids of my own, and I have to say I probably make more cakes and cupcakes than my mom ever did, I have been looking for an Icing that isn't as sweet.  And with a little modification, as usual, we have a new favorite.

Let me also say that though my mom didn't bake a lot, she has superb cake decorating skills.  Our birthday cakes were second to none, and you would be hard pressed to find a shop today that output her calibre creations without shelling out some serious Dough.  I think this is where I have formed my love for the almighty cake.  Like her my favorite flavoring is of course Chocolate.

So far I've only attempted this as a strictly Vanilla Icing, but I will post about my experience with 'Chocolatizing' it soon and what I think are the requirements to get it there.

I know when it comes to baking 'Lard' or 'crisco' tend to be major players.  Wherever I can I replace this tasteless fat/filler.  Butter is always better in my books and is a no brainer switchout when I see crisco in a recipe.  You will probably never see a recipe on this blog that includes the dreaded Crisco.

Here is the ingredient list:

1 cup milk
1/3 cup flour
1.5 tsp vanilla

1 cup butter (room temp)
1 cup granulated white sugar

In a small saucepan put the flour.  slowly add the cold milk whisking constantly to ensure that you don't get any lumps.  Once you have achieved the non lumpy combo add the Vanilla and place on the stove over medium low heat.  Whisk or stir constantly until the mixture starts to thicken. Once it starts it will thicken really fast.  Once it starts to coat your spoon remove from heat. Allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes.

Cream together butter and sugar using beaters for about 5 minutes.  Once you have cooled the milk mixture  as directed, add to the butter/sugar and beat for another few minutes.  The sugar should totally dissolve and you will have a smooth creamy not too sweet frosting for your next great cake.

Happy Baking
Sherri 

Chocolate Cake from Scratch

I have tried a scratch chocolate cake a few times.  They have always turned out really dense and hard and unappetizing.  However I think I have found the gold mine!

Being in India, it is sometimes hard to find a cake mix at all.  The places I have found them they can either be REALLY old, or over the past 6 months I have cleaned them out.  Mind you with 2 young kids it is easy to go through them rather quickly.

So, after committing to scary cupcakes for a kindergarten Halloween party, and realizing that I have no mixes left inhouse, I'd decided to try again.....this time with success.  My husband has poo poo'd the idea of experimenting for such a crucial party commitment, but the only other option was to spend 2 hrs in a car searching for a potentially non-existent Duncan Heinz mix.

When I later fed him the first trial bite, I had to remind him that it was from scratch....his jaw dropped to the floor.  We have found the perfect scratch recipe.

I cannot take credit for this recipe in any way.  You can google 'moist chocolate cake recipe' and find it yourself, or just keep reading:

Preheat Oven to 300 Degrees (Yes that is 300)

Ingredients:

2     Cups  All purpose Flour
2     Cups  White Sugar
3/4  Cup    Cocoa
2     tsp      Baking Soda
1     tsp      Salt
1.5  tsp      Vanilla Extract
2                Large Eggs
1     Cup    Buttermilk
1     Cup    Vegetable oil
1     Cup    Boiling Water

Combine with mixer.  It will seem really watery, this is fine.  You can use a 9 x 12 greased and floured cake pan and bake for 1 hr.  I used cupcakes and liners and baked for 45 minutes.

Your end result will be exactly like a dark chocolate cake mix.  Moist, fluffy and oh soo yummy!

Next is to find a good vanilla recipe.  I will try altering this one and see if it works. I will keep you posted on the results.

Until Next time
Sherri

Butter Pie Shell

Up until a month ago I would say that I could count the number of times I've made a pie crust from scratch.... well... I'd never done it before.  I've always had a problem with buying lard! So I went on the search of a pastry recipe.  Butter crust popped out at me, and I just had to try it.  After a little research I don't think it is so much the recipe that matters but the method.

Most recipes have you use unsalted butter and then add the salt.  My need for simplicity tells me 'No... use the salted butter'  So I do and omit salt.

1 cup butter - Frozen

2.5 cups flour

1/4-1/3 cup ice water (1/4 c water with an ice cube in a 1/3 cup measure)

...So my other inhibitor has been my lack of a pastry cutter tool..you know that thing blends in the butter...or a food processor for that matter.

...Frozen butter say hello to the cheese grater!

Without having to sift your salt into the flour, all you have to do is layer it.  1/2 cup flour, grate some of your butter, 1/2 cup of flour, grate, flour, grate until it's all in.  Then you can easily use your hands to incorporate until it gets grainy.

Add water tsp at a time fluffing through with a fork until it starts to stick together.  You won't use all the water by the time this happens, and when you think you're ready, kneed it together, but don't work it too much.  Form a ball cover and pop in the fridge for 20 minutes.  If you're leaving it longer then cover with plastic wrap otherwise take it out and roll it out on a floured counter and voila!

I have made it with quiche...Prebake on 450 for about 20 minutes (and I didn't weigh it down with beans in tinfoil...but you can) 

I have made it with Shepherd pie...not prebaked but still beautiful!

Next up... dessert...Ohhh I can't wait!

I will start taking pictures at some point and add them later...Stay tuned!

Sherri
Food for Thought

Butter Chicken - Murg Makhani

After having put all of our possessions in storage, I realized that I did not transfer my recipe file from our PC tower to my external hard drive.  As a result I have been forced to recreate certain recipes that were once tried and true.

A Painful realization, but in some cases this has been a blessing, as I believe in this case  I have improved on my Butter Chicken recipe.

If you look online you will see that almost ALL recipes call for you to marinate your chicken in a yogurt/spice concoction.  This is not a proper method, and I feel reaps an inferior product.

Butter chicken is a Punjabi dish which was devised as a way to utilize left over Tandoori chicken, and as such you should ultimately marinate your chicken in a tandoori masala.  In Canada/US you can find Tandoori Barbecue spice in your ethnic Aisle in the supermarket, or head to India Town and pick some up at a grocer.  It is a powder form and should be rubbed into scored chicken along with some fresh lemon juice, and salt and possibly garlic powder if you wish.  ** I will be working on a fresh tandoori Masala recipe to be posted later**

If you do not have Tandoori masala, fear not.  Dice your chicken, and season with salt and juice from 1 lemon (Or a Tbsp of white vinegar/rice vinegar would do fine as well) If you use this alternate marinating method, only Marinate for 30 minutes to 1 hr.

While that is marinating you will want to start your sauce.

You will need:

4-6 TBSP Butter
1 Medium Onion Finely chopped
8-12 Roma Tomatoes Diced
1 Bay Leaf
6 or so Cloves
1 inch Cinnamon stick
4 - 6 Green Cardamon Pods
4-6 Cloves of Garlic finely chopped
2 inches of fresh Ginger either Julienned or grated (about 2 TBSP)
1 tsp Kashmiri Chili Powder
1 tsp Salt
1/2 Cup Ground Almonds
1/2 - 1 cup Yogurt
3/4 Cup Heavy Cream (Devon cream)
Fresh Chopped Cilantro or Garnish

Nobody ever said Butter chicken was great for a diet, but it is one of my family's favorites.

The amounts on the ingredient list are 'approximate' meaning, I don't really follow the recipe to the T every time, and you can tweak to suit your taste as well.

Method:

Use approx. 2 TBSP of Butter.  Heat in saucepan and add the finely chopped Onion, bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon, cardamon (Hit them with the side of your knife to break them open then add).

** Note: to get a really finely chopped onion, leave the end on the onion so that it holds together while you slice then dice.  When you leave the end on (the end with the roots) you can slice it really finely and then dice it to get a consistently sized dice from end to end.

fry onions until they begin to become golden, then add the Garlic, Ginger, fry for 2 minutes, then add the tomatoes.  Stew the tomatoes over medium/high heat until they resemble a well cooked stew and gain some vibrant red color.

Remove from heat, Pour into your blender, and puree.  **at this point you can strain your mixture if you see tomato skin bits that haven't broken down, but it is usually not a necessary step (and is quite messy).

Using the same pan, melt approximately 2-3 tbsps of butter on Medium high heat.  Add your chicken pieces.  If there is marinade juice do not add to the pan - drain chicken and discard marinade.

**I use a large sized butterfly chicken breast cubed to serve 4.  Add more if you want leftovers or have more guests. (you may also want to increase the tomatoes in the sauce base accordingly) You can also use boneless thigh, or a tandoori chicken cut into pieces for that matter**

After your chicken is cooked add the Almonds, chili and salt.  This will soak up all the butter and toast the almonds slightly. Then Pour in the Tomato puree.  Heat through, then add the Yogurt, cream.  Heat through, garnish with Cilantro, and serve.  Do not continue to simmer for a long period after the cream is added as the sauce may separate.

You can serve with Basmati rice or Chapati/Nan.

 Balance off your meal with a Kuchumber salad:

1 seeded and diced Cucumber
1 Diced onion
4-5 Diced Roma Tomato
2-3 TBSP Chopped fresh cilantro
Juice from 4-6 Lemons Juice
Salt to taste
Chili Powder to taste
Chat Masala to taste (Approx 1-2 tsp)

RICE NOTE:  Remember if you are cooking Basmati rice that you need to rinse it thoroughly before cooking or it will be sticky, not fluffy.  My Mother-in-law say to rinse it 6 times, and I have always heeded her advice.

Pictures to come at a later date!

Enjoy!
Sherri 

Chocolate Whipped cream Icing

Ok, so I've always wanted to make a whipped cream icing, but didn't realize it was this quick and easy.
I found this recipe online...as I always do, and it was totally delicious.  We topped a german chocolate cake (the Duncan Hines kind) and it was SOOOOO good.

Easy recipe.

1 cup Whipping cream
1 1/2 TBSP Cocoa
2 1/2 TBSP castor sugar
1 tsp Vanilla (which I didn't use, because I haven't got any on hand)

Mix these ingredients together - I combined the cocoa and sugar first so that I would break up the cocoa first.  I believe this helped in getting the cocoa to break down in the cream.

Then stir into the whipping cream with a spoon.  Put bowl of mixture into the fridge along with the beaters to keep everything cold.

The recipe says to leave it in the fridge for an hour to allow the cocoa to break down, but we didn't want to wait that long to enjoy desert, so I waited 10 minutes and took it out and stirred it again.  It seemed to completely broken down and blended in, but to be safe I left it for another 5 minutes before I took it out and applied the beaters.

I think combining he cocoa and sugar first was the right thing to do because this was a perfect 10.  Sorry but I don't have a picture.  The recipe says that it may separate after sitting in the fridge for a few hrs.  Which means you may have to beat it again..

Just beat it!  LOL
Sherri 

Day 1 - Basic Short Ribs & Brownies

While Ravi has made I would have to say the best lamb soup today that I feel I have ever tasted, soup is merely lunch... midnight comfort... etc.  The key we have found is to not add any potatoes, rice, noodles or starch of any kind because after chilling will turn the broth to goup. Whereby it is no longer considered soup in my book.   If you can't drink it from a mug it just doesn't cut the mustard.  I cannot attest to everything that went into this soup, but the veggie ingredients were carrot, swiss chard, mushrooms, onion and celery....heavy on the broth...light on the veggies.

We have been in search of the perfect short rib recipe for quite some time now.  My personal favorite, but not my dear husband includes shallots, tomatoes, country style mustard and wine reduction, however I feel we have found one today that will fit the bill for both.  Since I have discovered my slowcooker, I find that if I think it will work, I will alter any recipe to fit this easy to use cooking option.  It was the simplest recipe imaginable:

1c red wine or more (I used a lighter beaujolais which seems to suit)
1 onion sliced
mushrooms
salt
pepper
a dash of thyme, garlic powder
1c sour cream

The process was simple.  Saute the onions.  Braise the seasoned ribs.  My trick is salt pepper, put them on a cookie sheet and pop them in the oven on a high broil.  This makes less mess on your stove, and less cleanup.  Pop the ribs in the slow cooker, onions on top, pour the wine into the onion pan to deglaze and then pour into the slow cooker.  I added a bit of broth and a bit more wine to increase the liquid, then turned it to high and let it cook for 4 hours.  Once the ribs are cooked remove them from the slow cooker and set aside, then saute the sliced mushrooms (amount depends on you) in butter, add the juice from the ribs, your herbs and salt to taste and bring to a simmer to reduce by half.  Remove from heat and add the sour cream. chopped parsley to garnish and voila.

This is a great dish! We served with mashed potatoes and broccoli, but I could definitely see egg noodles as an alternative.

Desert was brownies from scratch.  A recipe gleaned from my friend Lynne.  Also a very simple recipe, and a good base, but I would probably tweak this recipe a bit for maximum Yum factor.  Here it is:

1c White Sugar
1c Brown Sugar
1c Butter Melted (I used salted)

Combine well then add

3/4 c of cocoa
3 eggs - one at a time

1c Flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp vanilla (Just pour some in)

Pour into a greased and floured pan (9 x 12) and bake on 350 for 30 minutes.  These brownies did get frosted...thanks to Duncan Hines.  With everything going on today there wasn't much time for anything else.

I think in future I would try melted chocolate rather than cocoa... amounts to be determined, and I would add some walnuts or chocolate chips to the batter.  Overall they were a great tasting brownie, but not quite as dense as I would like.  I think the melted chocolate would take care of this issue however. I will keep you posted when I try this recipe again.

The best part of the brownie experience was sharing it with my 1 year old son.  There was some major finger tasting going on at every stage of this batter.  The result was a VERY chocolate covered baby and a lot of smiles.

Until next time!

Sherri 

Beginnings

I have been thinking of doing this for a while...starting a food discovery blog. Mostly for in home discovery of recipes and the alteration of ones that need tweeking, but also as a way of recording family recipes. I'm sure to include notes on tasty morsels that we find out and about as well.

I guess this blog in itself will be a journey of discovery as I have never started a blog before!

Until next time!
Sherri