Chicken Tikka Masala Pizza

I can't stop my cravings for Indian food lately! Luckily you can turn anything into a pizza, so why not turn a traditional Indian dish into one? This pizza is amazing! It looks like your average pizza, but the taste is different and delicious. Surprise your family with the flavors of India on a pizza and they'll catch their own craving!

Ingredients

Chicken
1 boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ginger

Sauce
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp gharam masala
4 oz canned tomato sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

2 medium-sized pizza crusts, uncooked
About 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 onion, diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped


Instructions

1. In a small bowl combine the chicken, yogurt, lemon juice, cumin, cayenne, cinnamon, salt, and ginger. Stir to coat. Heat a heavy skillet to medium-high heat. Add in the chicken breast and cook just until chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes (actual cooking time will depend on the size and thickness of your chicken). Set aside.

2. Make the sauce by melting the butter in a small saucepan. Add in the cumin, paprika, and gharam masala. Let it toast for 1-2 minutes. Add in the tomato sauce and salt and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and add in the heavy whipping cream.

3. Spread the sauce over the prepared pizza crusts. Top with mozzarella cheese. Top with cooked chicken and diced onion. Cook in a 500 degree oven on a pizza stone until cheese is bubbly and browning. Garnish with cilantro before serving.

15 Minute Summer Garden Pasta

Sometimes you just need a simple, fresh dinner. Summertime is in full swing and those tomatoes are ripening on the vine. It's the perfect time of year to enjoy this simple garden pasta. With just 6 ingredients, and only 15 minutes to prep and make, you can have a tasty, seasonal dinner in no time! I enjoy it both hot and cold which means the leftovers are ultra simple. 


Ingredients

1 lb spaghetti pasta
2 tomatoes, diced
1 bunch basil, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt, to taste


Instructions

1. In a large saucepan, cook pasta according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the rest of the ingredients. Combine the chopped tomatoes, basil, minced garlic, and olive oil in a large bowl.

3. Drain the pasta and add it into the large bowl. Stir to combine and add salt to taste. 

Tikka Masala Lamb Shanks

I feel like I'm on an Indian kick lately. My husband is loving it. I just can't get enough! I was watching a reality cooking show where they had to make something with lamb. I immediately thought of making a lamb shank tikka masala. Next thing I knew I was rushing off to the grocery store to buy the ingredients. I just couldn't get it out of my mind! And then we ate it....and I still couldn't get it out of my mind! Holy delicious batman! It takes some time to cook, but don't let that scare you because it is actually really simple for the actually hands on stuff. Can you sear meat? Can you stir stuff together? Then you can totally make this dish. 

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 lamb shanks

Salt

1 15 oz can diced tomatoes

1 lemon, juiced

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp gharam masala

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground ginger

cilantro for garnish

1 tablespoon butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp cumin

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp gharam masala

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup heavy whipping cream

Instructions

1. For the lamb: Season the lamb shanks with a little salt. Heat a large skillet until it is sizzling hot. Put the olive oil in the pan, followed by the lamb shanks. Sear on all sides (about 1 minute each side). Remove from pan and transfer to a 9x13 baking dish. In the same skillet, combine the diced tomatoes, lemon juice, cumin, cayenne, paprika, gharam masala, salt, and ginger. Bring to a simmer. Pour over the lamb shanks in the baking dish. Cover with foil and put them in a 400 degree oven for 2 1/2 - 3 hours. Turn the shanks over a few times during cooking. Uncover during the last 30 minutes of cooking to get a little browning. 

2. For sauce: Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan. Add in the garlic, cumin, paprika, and gharam masala and toast for 1-2 minutes Add in the tomato sauce, season with salt and bring to a simmer. Add in the whipping cream and stir until evenly combined. 

3. Serve with rice and garnish with cilantro. 

Homemade Salt and Vinegar Chips

I made my own salt and vinegar chips. My sister saw me doing this and asked why in the world I would do such a thing. Well, go ahead and peak at my list of ingredients. Now, if you take a look at  the list of ingredients on a bag of chips from the store you'll find some other ingredients that you can't buy at a grocery store. I figured I'd give it a try, and know what? It was both fun and delicious. My kids (and sister) crowded around to watch. My husband even joined in on the fun. These chips don't keep well, so eat them while they are fresh. It's a fun activity that shows you exactly what goes into a potato chip (with no added chemicals). The coolest part was that I measured the oil before and after frying, and those chips hardly soaked up any of the oil. Interesting!

Ingredients

2 russet potatoes

1 1/2 cups vinegar

2 cups vegetable oil

Salt

Instructions

1. Peel the potatoes. Slice them as thinly as possible. You can use the slicer on your food processor, a mandolin, or just show off your mad knife skills. I actually tried a few different slicer options and settled on using the long slit side on my cheese grater. 

2. Place the potato slices in a mixing bowl and pour the vinegar in. Let sit for 2 hours.

3. When ready, heat the olive oil in a pot to 350 degrees. 

4. Fry the slices in batches. It only takes 2-3 minutes for very thin slices. Remove when they start to brown. Drain on paper towels and salt to taste. 

French Toast and Bacon Soft Pretzels

Are you ready for a seriously delicious breakfast? French toast and bacon are fairly normal, but why not combine that into the tastiness of a pretzel? Oh my goodness people, these things rocked my world! They are totally delicious with that magical combination of sweet and savory. They are even freezable for an on the go breakfast. Just freeze and microwave for 20-30 seconds when ready to eat. Breakfast doesn't have to be boring!

Ingredients

4 slices bacon

2 tablespoons bacon drippings

1 1/4 cups water, lukewarm

1 tablespoon yeast

1/4 cup brown sugar

3 1/2 to 4 cups flour

1 cup milk

3 eggs

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/4 butter, melted

Additional brown sugar for sprinkling

Instructions

1. Cook the bacon in a large skillet. Lay the bacon strips in the cold pan and then put it over the burner over medium heat. Cook until crispy, flipping once. Drain on paper towels and crumble.

2. Make your dough by dissolving the yeast and 1/4 cup brown sugar in the water. 

3. Add in the bacon drippings, crumbled bacon, and flour and mix until combined. No need to knead. Let the dough rise in a warm place until almost doubled (about 20 minutes). 

4. Divide the dough into 8 golf ball sized lumps. Roll each ball into a snake or rope. Twist them into pretzel shapes (or whatever shape you'd like!). 

5. In a shallow pan, beat together the milk and eggs. Ad din the cinnamon, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon brown sugar. Whisk until combined. Lay each pretzel in the egg mixture and let sit for 5 minutes. Flip and let sit another 5 minutes. While they are soaking up the egg mixture, preheat the oven to 500 degrees. 

6. Spray a baking sheet with non stick spray. Lay the soaked pretzels out on the pan and bake at 500 degrees for 7-10 minutes, until golden brown. 

7. Remove from oven and brush with melted butter. Sprinkle brown sugar on top. 

These are divine dipped in maple syrup!

Bangian Bhurtha - Indian Eggplant and Tomato Dish

It's that time of the year again when I often get asked what to do with eggplant. Perhaps you've gotten one in a CSA box or from a gardening neighbor and are wondering the same thing. One of my favorite things to make with eggplant is an Indian dish called Bangian Bhurtha. Let's face it, it's also an awesome name. It's a tasty, vegan dish that is full of flavor. And it's healthy! Next time you find yourself with an eggplant not knowing what to do, give it a try!


Ingredients

1 eggplant
Salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, sliced
2 tsp ground ginger
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander (ground)
1/4 tsp cayenne 
1/2 tsp salt
cilantro for garnish


Instructions

1. Peel then slice the eggplant into 1/2 inch slices. Place the slices on a tray and sprinkle heavily with salt. We're talking the use of a disgusting amount of salt. Drown it out. This will draw out any bitterness and produce a creamy, delicious eggplant. Let it sit for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Moisture will come to the top. Rinse the eggplant slices under cold water to remove all the salt. Pat dry. 

2. Heat your oven to 425 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. Lay out the prepared eggplant slices onto the baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tsp olive oil. Bake for about 15 minutes until eggplant just starts to brown. Remove from oven and dice into bite sized pieces. 

3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add in the onion and cook about 5-7 minutes. Add in the ginger and garlic and toast for 1-2 minutes. 

4. Stir in the diced eggplant, diced tomato, turmeric, cumin, corinder, cayenne, and salt. Cook another 10 minutes. Serve over rice with chopped cilantro sprinkled on top. 


Goes great with Naan! 

Disneyland Hand Dipped Corn Dogs

There's nothing like chowing down on a corn dog at Disneyland while you wait for the parade. I don't like hot dogs. Shoot, I don't even really like corn dogs. But the ones at Disneyland? Why, they are amazing! There's just nothing like a hand dipped corn dog. I found the sticks in the craft section at Walmart. They were just called "craft sticks." I also made more than we could eat (1 is pretty filling!) so I froze the rest. Reheat in the oven on a baking sheet at 400 degrees for about 10-12 minutes. Enjoy your dog!

Ingredients

1 cup corn meal
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons sguar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 hot dogs
Popsicle or craft sticks
Vegetable oil for frying


Instructions

1. Heat your vegetable oil in a large pot to 350 degrees.

2. In a mixing bowl, stir together the corn meal flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. 

3. Use a whisk to beat in the egg, milk, and vegetable oil.

4. Insert the popsicle or craft sticks into each hot dog leaving enough of the stick showing to create a handle. 

5. Dip each hot dog into the batter. I found it best to use my fingers to spread out a nice thick coat of the batter (because the corn part of the dog is my favorite!). After dipping put immediately into the hot oil to fry.

6. Fry as you go. Each one only takes 3-4 minutes. Put on paper towels to drain.