Indian Butter Chicken with Basmati Rice

This recipe is definitely a keeper. After we ate it, Ruby asked me if I could please make this again sometime...and let's be honest...if the kids will eat it, it is worth repeating! I found it on the sister's cafe blog.

1 onion (1/2 lb.), peeled and chopped

2 Tblsp. fresh ginger, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 fresh jalapeno, seeded, and chopped

1 Tblsp. olive or canola oil

2 tsp. garam masala

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cardamom

1/2 tsp. coriander

1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste

2 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup half and half

1/4 tsp. crushed bay leaves

1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4 inch chunks

1/2 tsp. coarse-ground black pepper

1 tsp. salt

1/4 cup butter

2 cups, basmati rice, uncooked (you should really use the basmati, it is soooo good!)

lime wedges

fresh cilantro, chopped

cook rice according to package instructions

In a large saute pan, combine onion, ginger, chili, and oil. Stir often over medium-high heat until onion is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, garam masala, chili powder, cardamom and coriander. Saute for an additional 2 minutes.

Scrape mixture into a blender or food processor; add tomato paste and chicken broth. Whirl until very smooth. Pour mixture back into pan, add half and half and crushed bay leaves, and bring to a gentle boil over high heat (mixture may splatter). Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, until reduced to 3 cups, about 5-7 minutes. Pour sauce into a bowl. Rinse and dry pan.

Pat the chicken dry. Mix chicken with salt and pepper. Set pan over high heat; add 1 Tblsp. butter and the chicken. Stir until chicken is no longer pink on the surface, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sauce and simmer over medium heat, stirring often, until chicken is no longer pink in the center, 3 to 4 minutes. Cut remaining 3 Tblsp. butter into chunks and stir into sauce until melted.

Spoon chicken and sauce onto rice. Squeeze lime juice over portions and garnish with cilantro.

Calico Baked Beans

So I got this recipe off the Platinum Wives Recipe Blog, and I would have NEVER looked at the ingredients and thought I should make it. The only reason I wanted to try it is because Jessica Stevenson posted it, and anything that I have tried that she made has been DELICIOUS! I wouldn't normally have this for a main dish, because it seems like such a big dish of meat, but if you took this dish of baked beans to a summer BBQ, everyone would think it's the BEST baked beans ever:)

1/2 lb. bacon, chopped

1 lb. ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup catsup

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 tsp. dry mustard

2 Tblsp. vinegar

1 (16 oz.) can kidney beans

1 (16 oz.) can pork and beans

1 small can lima beans (drained)

Brown hamburger, bacon, and onion...drain. Add salt, catsup, sugar, mustard, and vinegar. Mix well and bring to a boil, then add beans to mixture. Put in 2 quart baking dish, leave uncovered, and bake in 350 degree oven for 1 hour.

Leftover Turkey Pot Pie

I have been meaning to post this for a long time...it came from the Pioneer Woman's website.

1 pie crust

1/2 stick butter

1/2 cup finely diced onion

1/2 cup finely diced carrot

1/2 cup finely diced celery

2 cups leftover turkey, light and dark, diced or shredded

1/4 cup flour

2 cups low-sodium chicken or turkey broth

1 cup heavy cream

frozen peas (optional)

fresh thyme, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Melt butter in a skillet or dutch oven. Add onion, carrots, and celery, and cook until translucent (a couple of minutes).

Add turkey and stir. Sprinkle flour over mixture and stir. Cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly.

Pour in chicken or turkey broth, stirring constantly. Pour in cream. Add frozen peas, if using.

Bring to a slow boil and allow mixture to cook and thicken for a few minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste (do not underseason), and fresh or dried thyme to taste. Do one final taste at the end and add what it needs.

Pour mixture into a casserole dish or deep pie pan.

Roll out crust so that it's about 1 inch larger than the pan you're using.

Place the crust on top of the pot pie mixture, and press crust into the sides of the dish. Cut vents in the top of the crust.

Bake for 30 minutes or until very golden and bubbly.

Allow to cool for a little bit before serving.

Baked Salmon

Salmon Fillet

Butter

Lemon Pepper Seasoning

Salt and Pepper

Dill

Fresh lemon

If salmon still has skin on it you may cut it off before cooking if you prefer. Place salmon fillet on jelly roll pan lined with aluminum foil. Squeeze a small amount of lemon juice over the fillet. Cut the butter into small chunks and place on fillet. Sprinkle lightly with lemon pepper, salt, pepper, and dill. Bake in 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes, less if it is a really thin fillet.

Roasted Shrimp Scampi

raw shrimp

olive oil

salt and pepper

Remove tail and de-vein shrimp (this is the part that grosses me out, but I found that the frozen shrimp at Costco are already de-veined!). Place shrimp on cookie sheet and baste with olive oil. Grind sea salt and pepper over them. Place in 400 degree oven for 4-7 minutes (depending on the size of shrimp). These are delicious, but make sure to not overcook them, or they will be chewy.

Cauliflower Soup

I probably never would have tried this recipe except for the fact that I happened upon it and I had a whole head of cauliflower that needed to be used sitting in the refrigerator. I'm glad I did try it because it is seriously good! Jake wasn't home the night we had it, which was probably good because he would have wondered where the meat was :), but he did try it the next day and liked it. Little Jake pounded a big bowl of it, and Ruby thought it was ok. I found the recipe on The Pioneer Woman's website, and will be repeating it.

1 stick butter, divided

1/2 whole onion, finely diced

1 whole carrot, finely diced

1 stalk celery, finely diced

1 whole (to 2 whole) cauliflower heads, roughly chopped (I halved the recipe and used about 3/4 of a head of cauliflower)

2 Tblsp fresh or dried parsley

2 quarts low-sodium chicken broth or stock

6 Tblsp. all-purpose flour

2 cups whole milk (I used 2% to cut a little fat, and it was delicious...next time I may try 1%)

1 cup half-and-half

2 tsp. to 4 tsp. salt, to taste (I omitted this, and just added a little to our own bowls of soup)

1 cup (heaping) sour cream, room temperature

In a large soup pot or dutch oven, melt 4 Tblsp. butter. Add the onion and cook for a few minutes or until it starts to turn brown.

Add the carrots and celery and cook an additional couple of minutes. Add cauliflower and parsley and stir to combine.

Cover and cook over very low heat for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, pour in chicken stock and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer.

In a medium saucepan, melt 4 Tblsp. butter. Mix the flour with the milk and whisk to combine. Add flour-milk mixture slowly to the butter, whisking constantly. It should thicken up fairly quickly.

Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup half-and-half. Add mixture to the simmering soup. Allow to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Check seasoning and add more salt or pepper if necessary.

Before serving, place the sour cream in a serving bowl or soup tureen. Add two or three ladles of hot soup into the tureen and stir to combine with the sour cream. Pour in remaining soup and stir.

Serve immediately.

Spicy Honey Chicken Salad

BTW I got this recipe from Our Best Bites

1-2 heads of romaine or red leaf lettuce

2 ripe but firm mangoes, chilled

2-3 ripe but firm avacados

thinly sliced red onions (optional)

Spicy Honey Chicken (from chicken section on left column)

Slice mangoes, avacados, and onions and place them on top of lettuce. When chicken is done cooking, wait 5 minutes before slicing to preserve the juices. Slice chicken and place on the salad. Cover salads with Honey-Citrus Vinaigrette and serve.

Honey-Citrus Vinaigrette

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 Tblsp. grated onion

1/3 cup fresh orange juice

3 Tblsp. fresh lime juice

2 Tblsp. honey

3/4 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Place all ingredients in a tightly sealed jar and shake vigorously. Store in the fridge, and shake before dressing salad.