Chicken Tikka Masala (Sooo good!)

Chicken Tikka Masala

Ingredients

·       1 cup plain yogurt

·       1 tablespoon lemon juice

·       2 teaspoons ground cumin

·       1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

·       2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

·       2 teaspoons black pepper

·       1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

·       4 teaspoons salt, or to taste

·       3 boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces

·       4 long skewers

·       1 tablespoon butter

·       1 clove garlic, minced

·       1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped

·       2 teaspoons ground cumin

·       2 teaspoons paprika

·       1 tablespoon salt, or to taste

·       1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

·       1 cup heavy cream

·       ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Instructions

1.    In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, and 4 teaspoons salt. Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

2.    Preheat a grill on high heat.

3.    Lightly oil the grill grate. Thread chicken onto skewers, and discard marinade. Grill until juices run clear, about 5 minutes on each side.

4.    Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute. Season with 2 teaspoons cumin, paprika, and 3 teaspoons 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. Transfer to a serving platter, and garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve over rice.

Grandma Z's Delicious Blueberry Bread Pudding

1 (1 lb.) loaf sourdough bread, sliced
1 package cream cheese
4 C. blueberries
8 eggs
2 1/2 C. almond milk
6 T. butter or margarine, melted
2+ t. cinnamon
2 T. vanilla
Dash nutmeg

Grease 10 x 15 baking dish or use two smaller dishes. Spread cream cheese on slices of bread before using kitchen scissors to cut slices into cubes. Layer cream cheese-coated bread cubes and blueberries in the pan. In a large mixing bowl mix together eggs, milk, melted butter, cinnamon, vanilla, and nutmeg. Pour egg mixture evenly over the top of the bread mixture. Using a spatula, lightly press the layers down to moisten. If necessary, use more milk to moisten all of the bread. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 2-24 hours. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and remove plastic wrap from baking dish(es). Bake for one hour or until the edges are golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve with warm real maple syrup. Serves eight adults.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding by Brenna

Appx 1 loaf of bread (a little less)

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 c cream

1 c milk

3 eggs

1/3 cup pumpkin (or so)

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

Whisk together wet ingredients while bread cubes are lightly toasting in oven at 180 degrees. Take out bread and poor wet ingredients over top. Press bread down until it's all moist. (For more dense bread pudding, refrigerate for an hour)

Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes to an hour.

Frosting:

2 T butter

2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup milk (add more as needed)

Tsp vanilla

Mix ingredients with a hand mixer. Pour over bread pudding while hot. 

Allow to sit for at least 15 minutes. (To make more dense) Serve chilled or warm.

THE BEAN DIP

can of refried beans

sour cream

shredded cheese

tomatoes

green onions

doritos or regular tortilla chips

Spread the beans on a platter or large plate followed by the sour cream. Next the shredded cheese and tomatoes and green onions. Simple and Delicious! 

Pumpkin Oreo Cheesecake Cupcakes

I adapted this recipe from the BruCrew Life Blog. It's similar to our family's cheesecake cupcakes, but with the twist of Oreos and pumpkin. It was a big hit at our house on Conference Weekend, Fall 2012.

Ingredients

• 2-8 oz pkgs. cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 c. canned pumpkin
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 24 Oreos

• 1 c. sour cream (plain Chobani yogurt will substitute well)
• 1/2 c. sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350. Place cupcake liners in a muffin pan. Beat the cream cheese and sugar until creamy. Stir in the eggs by hand. Stir in the vanilla, pumpkin and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, combine the sour cream and sugar. Set aside.

Place one whole Oreo in the bottom of the cupcake liners and fill the liner a bit more than 3/4 full with the cheesecake batter. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until puffy. Top with a generous spoonful of sour cream mixture and bake 4 more minutes. Makes 24.

Black Bean Soup in 30 Minutes

This recipe was adapted from Quick Black Bean Soup at About.com:

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can yellow corn
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes
• 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
• 1 tsp. dried basil leaves
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/8 tsp. pepper

Directions:

Cook onion and garlic in oil in a large soup pot. Mash one of the cans of rinsed and drained beans and then add to the pot with the other can of rinsed and drained beans, undrained corn, bell pepper, water, bouillon cubes, and tomatoes.

 Stir in seasonings. Cover pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer the soup for 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently. Serves 4-6

Creamy Garlic Pasta...YUM

This is also from Pinterest, another favorite that is super easy to make!

2 tsp olive oil
4 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp butter
salt
pepper
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 spaghetti or angel hair pasta
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/3 cup heavy cream
chopped fresh parsley.. I never us fresh, I have tried fresh basil and that's good.

Heat the olive oil, garlic and butter for about 3 mins. Add the chicken broth. Once that is boiling put in the spaghetti. The water will start to disappear and anything you have left in there once the noodles are done you can keep in there. If there is too much I poor a little out. Add the cheese cream and parsley and its done.

I really like it with some grilled chicken mixed in and broccoli.
Here is the link to the recipe I use.
http://thecheesepusher.tumblr.com/post/2719857351/creamy-garlic-pasta

Bruschetta Chicken

This is my new favorite way to cook chicken!
I'm sorry that there is not a lot of detail, but I just do my own thing and don't really follow a recipe. I got the idea from Pinterest. If you want more specific details you can check there!

Chicken
1 Egg
Garlic Bread Crumbs
Bruschetta

I dip the chicken in the egg and coat with the bread crumbs. Let that cook until its done. Put the bruschetta on top and let it cook for a few more minutes. Pretty simple!

Wheat-Free Oatmeal Apple Muffins

Adapted from a recipe at About.com

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 16 minutes

Total Time: 26 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 cups freshly ground oatmeal (rolled oats)
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup sugar free applesauce
• 3 lightly beaten large eggs
• 4 tablespoons light olive oil OR canola oil
• 1 1/2 cups shredded apple (about one large apple - do not peel the apple)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°

1. Use a stick blender to pulverize oatmeal to a flour-like consistency
2. Place oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, brown sugar and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Whisk to blend.
3. Lightly beat eggs in a small bowl. Add yogurt, apple juice, oil and vanilla. Whisk to blend and pour into bowl with dry ingredients. Stir to thoroughly blend.
4. Fold in shredded apple and walnuts. Stir just until blended.
5. Line muffin pan with paper liners, or lightly grease pan and fill each muffin cup about 3/4 full.
6. Bake for 16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of muffin comes out clean.
7. Sprinkle hot muffins with cinnamon sugar mixture and allow muffins to cool for about 10-15 minutes before serving.

Great Grandma Smith's Spaghetti Sauce

This is the spaghetti sauce Kathleen Patricia Shea Smith always made. She wrote the recipe card herself and I feel fortunate to have it.

Pumpkin Pie Squares

This is a favorite of our family given to us about 1996 by Julie Sannar. It's the easiest pumpkin recipe we have...and probably the tastiest, too!

Rita Sannar is Julie's mother-in-law.

Cheesecake Cupcakes

Posted here in it's original form. A well worn recipe card with lots of use! Sometimes we put a vanilla wafer at the bottom of the cupcake paper liner before adding the cream cheese mixture. It makes a little crust for the mini cheesecake.

Thirty minutes is too long...about 22 will do. Then add the topping and bake for 5 more minutes.

Delicious Ikea meatballs

I used honey and A-1 sauce, half the amount of jam, and a teaspoon of love.

They were delicious.

New Year's Eve Food Roll

Here is a list of the delicious food we had on New Year's Eve:

Jalapeño jelly with cream cheese
Homemade egg rolls
Stuffed peppers
Jalapeño poppers
Bagel bites
Kabobs
Grilled vegetables

And more…

Emily's Best Apple Crisp in ze World!

• I double the crisp part (ingredients listed on the crisp section are the original, not the doubled amounts) because you can never have enough. 
• 
  
• Also, once the crisp is ready for the apples I add about a quarter of the crisp and mix it a bit into the apples so the crisp is throughout the apples. Then add the rest of it on the top. 
• 
  
• 10 cups all-purpose apples, peeled, cored and sliced
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup water
•  
• 1 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place the sliced apples in a 9x13 inch pan. Mix the white sugar, 1 tablespoon flour and ground cinnamon together, and sprinkle over apples. Pour water evenly over all.
3. Combine the oats, 1 cup flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and melted butter together. Crumble evenly over the apple mixture. (**See above for suggestion**)
4. Bake at 350 degrees F  for about 45 minutes.

Banana Bread - Modified by Carole From an Old Betty Crocker Cookbook

3 mashed ripe - but not all black - bananas (I puree them with a stick blender)
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons canola or other vegetable oil
3/4 cup milk
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Mix the sugar and the liquid ingredients together. Stir the dry ingredients together and then add to the liquid. Mix until ingredients are evenly distributed, but don't over-mix.

Spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray and add the batter. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40-45 minutes or until bread tests done.

Perfect Peanut Sauce

1 cup water
1 cup smooth peanut butter
3 T soy sauce
3 T brown sugar
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 1/2 teaspoons minced ginger (fresh or jarred)
1 teaspoon sesame oil 

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
(A teaspoon of toasted sesame seeds are a nice addition if you have them)


Mix thoroughly with a handheld immersion blender or in any other type of blender.

Use for Thai Peanut Pizza or for Pasta with Vegies and Peanut Sauce...or whatever else

Some of the Kellys planning Thanksgiving dinner

We are serious about our food.

Fast and Easy Chicken Minestrone Soup

Saute the following in a large pot until chicken is done and then chop the chicken into bite-size pieces:

2 T olive oil

1 onion

3 T garlic, minced or chopped

2 chicken breasts

Then add the following:

2 cans of white beans, rinsed and drained

1 can of corn, undrained

1 16 oz or so bag frozen vegetables (cauliflower, carrots, etc)

1 can of diced tomatoes, undrained

1 15 oz can of tomato sauce or one 12 oz. can V-8 juice

5 cups water

5 chicken bullion cubes (or other chicken stock substitute)

1 teaspoon each of the following dried spices: Rosemary, Oregano, Basil, Thyme, Sage (or any combination of those or other Italian seasoning)

Bring to boil and simmer for 30 minutes. 

Cook 1 pound small-type pasta. Drain and add to the soup or serve on the side and add some to each serving.

Moist Peanut Butter Cake - A recipe from my mom's cousin

1 stick butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup water

Stir the above together in a saucepan over medium heat until melted.

Add:

1/2 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla

Add:

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
dash of salt

Spread in cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes until cake tests done.

Frost with peanut butter frosting (recipe below) while cake is still warm.

Peanut Butter Frosting

Stir until smooth in saucepan over medium heat:

1 1/2 sticks butter
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
1/2 cup milk
1 t. vanilla
1 1/2 lbs powdered sugar