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Monday, April 21, 2014

Mulligatawny

I love the way this soup makes my kitchen smell just like an Indian restaurant! And it's a great introduction for my kids into the wonderful world which is Indian cuisine.      


Mulligatawny

Ingredients

  • 1 whole Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, Cut Into Bite-Sized Pieces
  • Salt And Black Pepper To Taste
  • 4 Tablespoons Butter
  • 1 whole Medium Onion
  • 3 cloves Garlic, Minced Finely
  • ¼ cups All-purpose Flour
  • 1 Tablespoon Curry Powder
  • 32 ounces/4 cups, Chicken Broth or water with the equivalent bullion
  • 2 cups Half-and-half
  • 1 whole Granny Smith Apple, Peeled And Diced
  • 1 Tablespoon Sugar (white Or Brown) More Or Less To Taste 
  • 2 cups sweet potato peeled diced and steamed
  • 1/2 cup sliced cooked carrots
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 2 teaspoons Salt, More To Taste
  • Freshly Ground Black Pepper
  • Cayenne Pepper (totally optional, For Spice)

Prep:


Season diced chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden. Remove chicken to a plate. Set aside.
Steam carrots and sweet potatoes to al'dente so just slightly undercooked. drain off the water and set the veggies aside.
In the same pot that the chicken was cooked in, add butter and reduce heat to medium. Add diced onion and garlic and stir to cook. Onions should be starting to brown.
Sprinkle flour over onions. Stir to combine, then stir in curry powder. Cook mixture over medium heat for one minute, stirring constantly.
Pour in chicken broth. Stir to combine, then cook for five minutes. Add half and half, salt, pepper, and sugar, then cook for another five minutes.
Add chicken, steamed sweet potato, cooked carrots, frozen peas and diced apple and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes. Turn off and allow to stand 5 or 10 minutes before serving. Taste for seasonings before serving.

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Carrot Cake!

We enjoyed these little beauties for Easter yesterday! 


Carrot Cake
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup Coconut
1/2 cup Pecans
1/2 cup Raisins
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
3 cups peeled and finely grated carrots
1 recipe Cream Cheese Icing (below)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease and flour two 9-inch round or square cake pans or a 9x13-inch pan; or line your cupcake pan with cupcake liners-set aside.

Whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon in a large bowl; set aside.
Combine coconut, walnuts, and raisins in a food processor or blender and process until very very fine. In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar and oil and mix well. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until creamy. Add ground nut mixture and grated carrots and beat until blended. Add dry ingredients and mix until well blended. Do not over mix!
Divide batter equally into pans or cupcakes and bake
40 to 45 minutes for cake
20 to 25 minutes for cupcakes
or until they test done when tapped lightly in the middle and they spring back.
Allow to cool 10 minutes before removing from pans and placing on cooling racks. When completely cool, frost with Cream Cheese Icing. Makes 12 servings.

Just a quick note about freezing* I like to make the cakes a couple days before I need them and then freeze them while they are still slightly warm- i think this makes them extra moist. IF wrapped well  they can keep for quite a while in the freezer.