Slow Cooker Masala Chicken

We all know what a deal breaker is, right? Its something you can't live without. I feel as though my ultimate relocation deal breaker would be proximity to a Trader Joe's. Somehow, its become the only place I shop. I don't know how--but I've just discontinued my weekly trips to the more traditional grocery stores, do the bulk of it all at TJs, and occasionally pick up some items at Target or Kroger (Ralph's equivalent).

That said--I found this excellent/easy recipe for slow cooker chicken masala which uses the Trader Joe's simmer sauce as a base. Its kind of cheating--but kind of not. We're all incredibly busy, right? Why not let TJ's ease our cookies woes if only for a little while.

The recipe can be found HERE--but the pictures don't do it justice. I mean--it looks wrong. But it tastes so right. For mine, I actually did not add that much half & half and I did add some red pepper flakes to up the heat index. Also, I just made regular old rice with butter and mixed in some peas for the base. Lastly--I bought some Trader Joe's frozen Naan bread and ate that on the side. Delicious. Plus you just kind of throw everything into the slow cooker and let it go. I love this.

Shrimp with Avocado-Mango Salsa

This was a very easy, quick meal and healthy too. It was pouring outside so I used the broiler setting in the oven and the only mis-hap was using a silpat to line the baking pan.  Turns out, Silpats+broiler=FIRE; so I advise against using a silpat in this recipe.

Also, toddlers + cous cous=GIANT MESS.  Be prepared to spend more time cleaning cous cous off the floor than cooking.  I generally wait until it's dried (about an hour) and it's much easier to sweep up.

Shrimp with Avocado and Mango Salsa

Vegetable oil cooking spray

8 cups baby spinach

1 cup couscous

1 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

3/4 teaspoon salt,divided

1 large mango, peeled and diced

1 medium avocado, diced

1 medium tomato, diced

1/4 cup chopped red onion

1/2 jalapeño chile, seeded and finely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Heat grill. Fold four 18-inch-long pieces of foil in half; unfold and coat inside with cooking spray. Place 2 cups spinach in center of 1 half of each piece of foil. Combine couscous with 1/4 cup water; divide evenly among packets, placing on top of spinach. Combine shrimp, 1/4 cup cilantro, oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Divide shrimp evenly among packets, placing next to couscous. Fold foil to close and crimp edges to seal; place on grill; close lid; cook until packets are fully puffed, 10 minutes. Combine remaining 1/4 cup cilantro with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, mango, avocado, tomato, onion, jalapeño and lime juice in a bowl. Carefully cut foil to open; stir contents; garnish with salsa before serving.
(Source: Self Magazine, via www.epicurious.com)

Mediterranean Lentils and Rice

So here is a vegetarian recipe that I enjoyed. I wouldn't say it made it into our top ten but it might be a contender with a few additions (mainly some form of protein for the husband). It was very easy and healthy! Plus it made the house smell FANTASTIC (thanks, cinnamon).

PS--Who swapped out the layout? I lava it!

Mediterranean Lentils & Rice
(serves four)

Ingredients:
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 cup dried lentils, sorted for stones nad shriveled lentils and rinsed
2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (I had chicken broth on hand and this is what I used instead--no harm no foul).
1 14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes undrained
2 more cups low-sodium broth
1 cup uncooked rice
1/2 cup of water
1/3 cup dried currants or raisin (I would actually recommend MORE of these--they're so flavorful and when all was said and done, I wished there was a higher ratio of them in the dish).
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, cumin, cinnamon, and cayenne. Cook for 10 minutes or until the onion is soft.

Stir in the lentils and first two cups of broth. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients except the feta. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes--or until the rice and lentils are tender.

To serve, sprinkle with feta.

Taming the Beast--Conquering Cravings for Mexican Food in the Great Lakes Region

So--now that I've conquered fish tacos-it was time to think about shredded beef. Now there's an introductory line if I ever wrote one.

I love love love shredded beef in Mexican food. I've made it a couple of times before but I've never been able to make it as wonderful as it is in some of the B-Grade restaurants/shacks in San Diego. Fear not, my friends--for I have found a recipe that I made last night and it was so good (and sooooo easy with a little bit of planning). Searing a giant chuck roast at 8am is not my idea of a good time--and this is before I had my coffee!--but it was worth it in the end.

Here it is.

It makes a lot (I made it for 6 adults and we still had quite a bit of leftovers)--so would recommend making it for a large group or being prepared to eat tacos or some variation of tacos for a while after making the meat.

Earl Grey Cupcakes with Lemon Earl Grey Buttercream Frosting

Earl Grey Cupcakes with Lemon Earl Grey Buttercream
Makes about 15

For the cake:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup of sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups of flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder*
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 bags of earl grey tea, just the leaves (tea bag tea leaves are finer, so stick to bags)


For the frosting:

1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 cups of powdered sugar
zest of 1 lemon
1 1/2 tbsn. lemon juice
1-2 teaspoons of earl grey tea leaves

Preheat oven to 350 F. Fill a cupcake pan with liners. Beat the butter until creamy, then add the sugar and beat until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, making sure that they are incorporated thoroughly. In a bowl, combine the rest of the dry ingredients, including the tea leaves. Next, add half of the dry mixture. Add the milk then the remaining flour, stir until combined. Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, rotating halfway to ensure even baking. Let cool completely before frosting.


For the frosting, cream the butter until nice and smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar. Next, add the lemon zest, lemon juice and tea, making sure it is well incorporated. Frost and enjoy.

*I had read that these cupcakes have a tendency to sink in the middle. So I actually doubled the baking powder amount to 4 tsp - to no avail. They still sunk in the middle, and had a slightly extra tart flavoring - probably from too much BP. If you have any ideas about the sinking, please share! :)

Surfer-Style Fish Tacos

It may be hard to believe, but last night there were a total of four people from San Diego in my Ann Arbor house. Not interlopers, people who were raised in the land of milk and honey (and fish tacos). To celebrate this aligning of the stars, we made fish tacos--and it was glorious!

This recipe is from a book that ktull got for me a long while back. I've had my eye on it (especially in times of Mexican food desperation) and, let me tell you, it did not disappoint. San Diego consensus was a thumbs up. Plus we had a few Michiganders (yes, that is what we're called) who also gave it a nod of approval. Win-Win and sure to make the rounds again. Now, if only I could get my husband to eat fish.

Surfer-Style Fish Tacos
(Makes 6)

For the Tacos

• 12 Corn Tortillas
• 1 1/2 cups shredded red cabbage (I just bought pre-shredded cole slaw mix and it worked just fine)
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• 6 Lime Wedges

For the Sauce

• 1/3 cup of mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup of crema Mexicana (available in Hispanic markets) or sour cream--not many Hispanic Markets here so we used sour cream and, once gain, it was just fine.
  
• 2 tablespoons North American-style chili sauce (such as Heinz)

For the Fish

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of fine sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black peper
• 1 cup dark beer
• Peanut or Canola Oil for deep-frying
• 1 pound halibut fillet, cut into 12 rectangular strips (I used cod. Again, just fine. IT WAS DEEP FRIED IT COULD NOT BE BAD).
  

1) Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a baker's parchment and put 6 stacks of 2 tortillas on top. Lay another piece of parchment on top, then cover the pan with aluminum foil to create a seal. Warm the tortillas in the oven while the fish is fried. Line another baking sheet with a brown paper bag or some paper towels so it will be ready to receive the fish when it's fried.

2) Put the shredded cabbage, chopped tomatoes, lime wedges, and taco sauce in separate bowls, ready to assemble the tacos when the fish is fried.

3) In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sea salt, pepper and then whisk in the beer. Heat about two inches of oil in a cast-iron skillet or deep, heavy saucepan over high-heat. When it reached 375 degrees, on a thermometer, or when a drop of the beer floats immediately to the surface and swims across the surface of the oil, bubbling all the way, it's ready.

4) Dip the halibut/cod in the beer batter and gently lower the strips into the oil, 3 or 4 at a time, and cook until the batter is golden brown, about three minutes. Lift the fish out of the oil with a slotted spoon and put it on the paper-lined baking sheet. Hold it warm pin the oven while you fry the rest of the fish. Stir together the ingredients for the sauce.

5) To assemble the tacos (and lord help me this should be obvious for those of you who have ever been in San Diego), put 1-2 fish strips and a generous pinch of cabbage in the center of each warm stack of tortillas (2 per taco). Spoon chopped tomatoes over hte taco and garnish with a lime wedge. Let each person add the sauce to taste.

Recipe courtesy of WEST COAST COOKING.

Minted Watermelon and Lemon Ice Pops

aka Heaven from the freezer

I first made these last summer in Newport and they were declared awesome by everyone all around and my kiddos have been requesting them for months now.  Watermelon ice pops are the most refreshing and light summer dessert and although they do require a little extra effort, the payoff is much more special than your average sickly sweet, syrupy popsicle.  There are multiple steps involved and I usually make a double batch because we have lots of pop molds.  The liquid does keep in the fridge in a sealed container for about a week if you don't have as many as we currently do.  Also, this is a great use for leftover watermelon.  We LUV us some watermelon but generally have a difficult time finishing the big ones before they get too mushy.

A couple quick notes of mine, let the watermelon layer freeze a *little longer, about 1.5 to 2 hours so when you push the stick piece in the lemon layer doesn't "bleed" into the watermelon layer.  It's still good but I really like the purity of the minty watermelon and then the tart lemon/orange layer. Also, you don't need the orange extract but it does make the lemon layer more tart and delicious.

• Watermelon layer:
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint
• 2 cups packed (1/2-inch) cubed seeded watermelon
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• Lemon layer:
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/3 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/4 teaspoon orange extract
• 
  • 1. To prepare watermelon layer, combine 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil; cook 30 seconds, stirring until sugar dissolves. Stir in mint; cover and let stand 30 minutes. Strain through a sieve into a bowl.
  • 2. Place watermelon in a blender; process until smooth. Strain puree through a sieve into bowl with mint syrup; press with back of a spoon to extract juice. Discard solids. Stir in lime juice; cover and chill 1 hour.
  • 3. Pour about 2 1/2 tablespoons watermelon mixture into each of 8 ice pop molds. Freeze 1 1/2 hours or until almost set. Arrange 1 wooden stick into mixture, being careful not to push through to bottom of mold. Return to freezer. Freeze 1 hour or until frozen.
  • 4. To prepare lemon layer, combine 6 tablespoons sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil; cook 30 seconds, stirring until sugar dissolves. Pour into a bowl; stir in lemon juice, orange juice, and extract. Cool 15 minutes; cover and chill at least 1 hour.
  • 5. Remove molds from freezer. Pour about 3 tablespoons lemon mixture over frozen watermelon mixture in each mold. Freeze 2 hours or until completely frozen.
  • SOURCE: COOKING LIGHT MAGAZINE
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