Indian Butter Chicken

Source:  Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients:

• 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 jalapeño, seeded, and finely chopped (I didn't have a jalapeño, so I just added a drop of green habanero sauce, which I had in the fridge)
• 1 tablespoon olive or canola oil
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander
• 1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup fat free half-and-half
• 1 1/2 pounds (about 2-3) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons butter
• Hot cooked rice for serving (I used basmati rice)
• Chopped fresh cilantro for extra garnish

Directions:

1. In a large 12-inch skillet, heat the oil over medium heat until hot. Add the onion, ginger and jalapeno. Stir often while cooking until the onion is translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in garlic, garam masala, chili powder, cardamom, and coriander. Cook stirring, constantly for another minute.
2. Scrape the mixture into a blender or food processor and add tomato paste and chicken broth. Blend until the mixture is smooth. Pour the sauce back into the skillet and add the half and half. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat and add the chicken pieces and the salt and pepper. Stir. Keep the sauce at a simmer, stirring occasionally, and cook for 10-15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has slightly thickened.
3. Cut remaining 3 tablespoons butter into chunks and stir into the sauce until melted. Serve the chicken and sauce over hot rice. Garnish with fresh, chopped cilantro, if desired.

Comments:

I haven't been this excited for a recipe in a LONG time!  Scott's favorite food on this planet is butter chicken curry.  Luckily, we have discovered Ganesh in Fort Union which has butter chicken just like the stuff Scott ordes at the Indian restaurants in NZ.  However, I'm always looking for sauces in stores and online so we can make butter chicken at home. 

I found this recipe on Mel's Kitchen Cafe, and figured I'd give it a try.  I've always been hesistant to try Indian cooking from scratch since I've always assumed the unusual spices would be too hard to find.  Go figure, though; I was shopping in Walmart today and found both garam masala and ground cardamom in the baking aisle!  So, I couldn't wait to get home and make this.

This butter chicken is amazing!  It even passed Scott's test!  It's not exactly the same as the butter chicken in the restaurants -- probably because those use heavy cream, and this recipe uses fat-free half-and-half. . .and it's made by people who are actually Indian! -- but it's better than anything we've made out of a packet or bottle.  Plus, it was pretty easy and quick.  This will definitely become a regular at our house!

Sausage Rotel Dip

Source: My niece, Raina Wihongi

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. Jimmy Dean ground sausage
• 2 10-oz. cans Rotel Diced Tomatoes & Green Chiles, drained
• 2 8-oz. packages cream cheese

Directions:

1. Brown sausage and drain.
2. Soften cream cheese in microwave.
3. Mix sausage, cream cheese, and Rotel in a bowl.  Serve warm with tortilla chips, Wheat Thins, Triscuits, etc.

Comments:  I made this dip years ago (I think I got it from my pal Janae), but had forgotten about it until my niece (niece-in-law?), Raina, made a huge batch of it for a Christmas appetizer.  The Wihongi clan inhaled it before we had even said the blessing on our dinner!  Anyway, it's amazing, easy, and a big crowd-pleaser.  (Which is good, since I made it this morning for Scott's faculty's pre-Super Bowl party/food competition.)

Slow Cooker Enchilada Casserole

Source:  The Crockin' Girls

Ingredients:

• 1/2 to 1 T. butter
• 1/2 onion chopped
• 1 pound ground turkey meat
• 1 T. cumin, or to taste
• 1/2 c. light sour cream
• 2 Cup low fat cottage cheese
• 1/2 tsp. Teaspoon salt
• pinch of black pepper
• 20 corn tortillas
• 2 c. mozzarella cheese
• 1 (10 oz) can* mild red enchilada sauce  (*I doubled this)
• 1 can sliced black olives (optional)

Directions:

1. Meat Mixture: Heat butter in skillet on medium high. Cook onions until tender and then add the ground turkey meat. Cook until turkey meat is cooked through. Add cumin to meat mixture halfway through cooking the meat.
2. Cheese Mixture: Mix sour cream with cottage cheese, salt, and pepper. Combine cheese mixture with meat mixture and mix well.
3. In layers, cover the bottom of the crock pot (I used a 6-quart) with corn tortillas, overlapping each other.
4. Spread half of the meat mixture evenly over the corn tortillas*, then add a layer of mozzarella cheese. Add another layer of tortillas, finish up the meat mixture and then another layer of mozzarella cheese, leaving enough to top off the casserole.  (*I also poured some enchilada sauce over each layer after I added the meat mixture.)
5. Add the last layer of corn tortillas. Pour the enchilada sauce over the casserole. Add the black olives and top with the remaining cheese.
6. Cover, cook on LOW for 3 hours.

Comments:

 

We really rely on our CrockPot a lot, especially on Sundays, and it was fun to find a yummy Mexican slow cooker recipe.  Plus, with the ground turkey, it's pretty healthy!  As was mentioned in the ingredients and directions, I preferred it with much more enchilada sauce.  The original recipe called for enchilada sauce poured only over the top -- which made it a bit dry and bland -- I prefer the enchilada sauce more distributed throughout the whole casserole.  We non-olive-loving Wihongis omitted those entirely, but we topped each serving with sour cream, guacamole, extra cheese, etc., and we were plenty happy.  This is so tasty!

Neiman Marcus Brownies

Source: PinFoody, via Pinterest

Ingredients:

• 1 box yellow (or chocolate) cake mix
• 3 eggs
• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, melted
• 4 c. (1 lb.) powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 and spray a 9×13 dish with cooking spray.
2. Mix cake mix, melted butter and one egg to a soft dough. Press into the bottom of the pan.
3. Mix powdered sugar, softened cream cheese and remaining two eggs until smooth, about 1-2 mins. Pour on top of crust.
4. Bake at 300 for 40-50 minutes until top is golden brown.

Comments:

These brownies were amazing!  (Very sweet and rich, so heads-up!)  We made it with a yellow cake mix (our house smelled phenomenal), but I can't wait to try it with chocolate cake mix next time.  Scott and I preferred to eat them completely cooled; they were a bit sticky/gooey/messy and a bit difficult to cut and eat right out of the oven.  After we cut them, we've stored them in the fridge, and they've been just perfect.  The consistency is really more like lemon bars than brownies; these are fabulous!

Sweet Potato Corn Chowder

Source: Me, based on this

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 slices bacon, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 10-oz package frozen corn
2 medium zucchini, quartered then sliced
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon paprika
3 tablespoons flour (I was making this gluten-free so I subbed with cornstarch at the end of cooking)
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream (I used more milk to keep it healthy)
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped (optional - I omitted)
Salt & Pepper

Directions:
1. In a large soup pot, heat the EVOO over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp at the edges. Add the onion and sweet potato and cook until softened. Add the corn, zucchini, thyme, bay leaf, and paprika and cook until tender. Sprinkle the flour into the pot, stir and cook for 1 minute. Gradually stir in the broth and simmer until thickened a bit. Stir in the milk, cream, and parsley and simmer until the potatoes are tender.
2. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Thicken with cornstarch, if needed.

Notes:
Make this. Make this now. It's the best chowder you've ever made, with a spectacular new flavor. The perfect comfort food to warm you up during this everlasting cold spell!

Balsamic Peppered Chicken

Source: Bonnie Norman (Mom's neighbor) via "A Taste of Glenmoor Village" (the cookbook that Mom gave to us a few years ago that her ward compiled)

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tsp. lemon pepper
1 1/2 tsp. olive oil
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 tsp. butter
Parsley
Cherry Tomatoes

Directions:
1. Pound meat to 1/4 inch. Season with lemon pepper.
2. Heat oil in fry pan and add chicken. Cook until tender.
3. Add vinegar, brother, and garlic. Cook, scraping up meat bits. Reduce until syrupy.
4. Add butter.
5. Serve on platter with sauce over top. Garnish with parsley and cherry tomatoes, if desired.

Notes: YUM! I've had this recipe on my "to try" list for ages and I regret not doing it earlier. It was so easy and quite impressive. To up the aesthetic and health factors, I piled some julienned vegetables on top instead of the parsley and tomatoes.

Ratatouille (Slow Cooker)

Source: tasteofhome.com

Ingredients

• 1 large eggplant, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 teaspoons salt, divided
• 3 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 3 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1 large green pepper, chopped
• 1 large sweet yellow pepper, chopped
• 1 can (6 ounces) pitted ripe olives, drained and chopped
• 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
• 1/2 cup minced fresh basil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

• Place eggplant in a colander over a plate; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and toss. Let stand for 30 minutes. Rinse and drain well. Transfer to a 5-qt. slow cooker coated with cooking spray.
• Stir in the tomatoes, zucchini, onions, green and yellow peppers, olives, tomato paste, basil, garlic, pepper and remaining salt. Drizzle with oil. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or until vegetables are tender. 

Notes

• This was the simply, hearty definition of delicious! What a wonderful winter meal! I did add a touch more seasoning to give it a bit more zip, but other than that, it was perfect in every way!