Ela's Chicken Tikka Masala

Quick and Easy Tikka Paste:
1 Tbs Coriander
1 Tbs Cumin powder
1/8 Cup (or 1/4 if you like more) ginger/garlic paste
1 tsp red chili powder (more or less for your own preference of heat)
1 Tbs cumin seeds
1/2-1 tsp tumeric powder (for color)
1 tsp garam masala (may add more if you like it spicey- I add 1 Tbs!)
1 T nuts ground or slivered (almonds or cashews) **optional
1 tsp Fenugreck Powder
Salt (to taste)
Lemon juice (about a Tbs)

Make a paste by mixing white wine vinegar with the
dry ingredients.  Heat olive oil, and add paste to pan.
Cook till oil rises to surface. Then add all the rest of the ingredients and cook for about 10 more minutes on low. (May add bit of water as needed to keep from burning spices.)

1) Take half of this paste and mix it w/ some plain yogurt. Marinate your
meat in this mixture for at least an hour.
2) The other half will be added to the sauce!


Chicken:
Cut into desired sizes of pieces.  After marinating for at least an hour in the tikka paste and yogurt (FYI when marinating meat- you can NOT use the dry spices without making it into a paste first.  if you try this your chicken will not soak in the flavor and you will taste all the spices separate- they won't blend.  Making the paste is essential) , put on skewers and grill on your grill.  You can also use a stone-ware pan and bake it uncovered in your oven.  Set aside.

Tikka Sauce:
1 med onion (yellow is fine)
grn chilies
red or green peppers (just a few slices) **optional
Tikka paste

1 Tbs sugar (only needed if you add the peppers)
1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 14 oz can of tomato sauce.


Heat olive oil in pan- enough to fry your onion.
Dice the onion and put in pan. Add a few grn chilies
(to your spicy-delight). You can also add some red or
green peppers, but if you do then also add 1 Tbs sugar
to take away pungency.  Cook till onions are brown.
Add the rest of the Tikka paste.  Add 1 can tomato sauce- then
blend in blender till smooth (about 20 seconds). Return to stove.
Add 1 can diced tomatoes.
Bring to boil, then reduce heat to med and slowly stir in 1/2-1 cup plain
yogurt or cream.  Let cook on med until it tastes
good :)  (about 15 mins). Lastly- add the grilled chicken :)

 Just before serving, add handful of chopped
fresh cilantro, and top dish w/ dollop of plain yogurt!

****Note:  IF YOU DON'T WANT TO TAKE ALL THIS TIME THEN HERE'S THE SHORTENED VERSION- although not as authentic and not as tasty, it is still wonderful and is a LOT faster.  Here's what you do:

Make the tikka sauce as directed AND OMIT MAKING THE PASTE.  You will still use the ingredients, but you will not be marinating the meat- so you don't really need to make the paste.
Add the ginger/garlic paste when you fry your onion. when the onion is browned, add ALL the other spices listed in the "Tikka Paste" recipe, and also the rest of the "Tikka Sauce" ingredients, omitting the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes.  Fry the spices till oil rises to the surface (maybe 5 minutes?). Add tomato sauce, blend, then add diced tomatoes and cook the rest for about 15 minutes.  Buy pre-cooked chicken (I use the Costco Rotisserie Chicken they roast over a spit!) and throw it in anytime.

Early American Apply Grunt

Linda Larsen made this YUMMY dessert for us at Book Club a few months ago. We read Miracle At Philadelphia and she had the fun idea to serve a dessert from that time period.

Early American Apple Grunt Instructions:

This version of apple grunt is baked, but in colonial days, it was cooked in a Dutch oven hanging over an open fire.
The name GRUNT presumably came from the sound the pudding made as it bubbled and grunted beneath the biscuit like topping.
If desired, this very same pudding also may be cooked over an open fire.
Just cover it tightly and simmer for 1 hour.

Early American Apple Grunt Ingredients:

4 tb Butter
1/3 c Tightly packed brown sugar
2 c Pared, cored, and sliced
-fresh apples
3/4 c Chopped walnuts
1 Egg
1/2 c Granulated sugar
1/3 c Milk
1/8 ts Salt
1 ts Baking powder
1 c All-purpose flour
Whipped cream or ice
-cream

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Melt butter in an 8-inch baking pan.
Remove 2 tablespoons of the butter and place in a mixing bowl.
Add the brown sugar to the pan and stir until dissolved.
Arrange apples over the brown sugar.
Sprinkle with walnuts.
Add eggs, granulated sugar, and milk to the bowl with the 2 tablespoons butter.
Mix in the salt and baking powder, then add the flour, mixing until smooth.
Pour batter over the apples.
Bake for 35 minutes.
Loosen cake from sides of pan with spatula and invert onto a serving platter.
Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Potato Focaccia

This recipe (and picture) is from a blog called "Kitchen Unplugged": http://gattinamia.blogspot.com. She has a lot of beautiful/ tasty recipes. 

 

Ingredients 2 medium starchy potatoes * (abt 1 pound); 1 cup milk, lukewarm; 2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast dissolved in 1/4 cup water; 3 cups high gluten flour; 2 tsps sea salt; spoonfuls of oregano + thyme + sage; 6 Tbps olive oil, plus 2 Tbps for geasing the pan and 1 or 2 Tbps for drizzling over the top; 1 1/2 to 2 tsps coarse sea salt

* if your potatoes are rather moist, after mashed, let them sit in the fridge overnight, uncover.

1. Boil the potatoes until they're cooked, immediately drain, peel, and mash them with fork, being careful to eliminate any lumps. Cool to room temp.
2. Mix the flour, potatoes, 2 tsps fine sea salt, and the chopped herb together, add in dissolved yeast liquid, olive oil, and milk (add 80% first, decide on the rest after the dough forms). Knead until the dough smooth, soft and elastic. Set it in an oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled.
3. Brush olive oil on a 10.5 x 15.5-inch baking pan (dark coated yields for browner crust) with 2-inch sides. Place the dough (don't knead... so as to save air bubbles inside) in the pan and gently press it out to the edges. With your hands moistened in oil, dimple the top. Cover and let rise until half-doubled. Sprinkle coarse salt and a little more olive oil over the top.
4. At least 30 mins before you plan to bake, preheat the oven to 400F (200C). Bake until the top and the underside are golden, about 25 mins.

Challah Bread (braided egg bread)

Challah Bread (braided egg bread)

Ingredients:
1 pkg. Active dry yeast
1 1/4 cups warm water
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup oil
2 eggs slightly beaten
2-3 drops yellow food coloring (optional)
5-5½ cups all purpose flour (un-sifted)
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tbsp cool water

Directions
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Sir in salt, sugar, oil eggs and food coloring. Gradually beat in about 4½ cups flour to make a stiff dough. Turn dough out onto floured board and knead until smooth
(5-20 minutes) adding more flour as needed to prevent sticking.
Turn dough over in greased bowl; cover and let rise in warm place until doubled (1½ hours) Punch dough down; knead briefly on floured surface.

Braiding:
Divide dough in half. Split each half into three long strands. Pinch the tops of all three strands together and braid. Place braided bread into a loaf pan and let rise. When doubled, use your fingers to spread the egg yolk mixture evenly over the braid for a shiny finish.

Bake at 350 °F for 30-35 minutes. Bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from pan and let cool.
Makes 2 loaves.

Submitted by Jocelle Burdett

L.A. Temple Bread

3 cups warm water
2 pkg. dry yeast (each pkg is 2 1/4 tsp yeast)
1 Tbs salt
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup honey
3 cups flour (white or wheat)

Combine ingredients and mix with hook on low (for compact mixer) until blended.  Add flour 1 cup at a time while mixer is going until dough pulls away from edge and bowl edge is clean (about 4-6 cups).
Mix in mixer for 5 more minutes. Divide dough and put into 2 loaf pans (use oil on your hands to keep from sticking to hands instead of flour).  Let rise 30 minutes and bake at 350 for 35 minutes.  You can make bread or rolls from this recipe.  It makes 2 loaves.

This recipe was submitted by Linda Larsen, who got it from Sister Bickmore in the temple presidency.  They make this bread in the temple cafeteria!

Rosette Rolls

3 to 3 and 1/2 cups flour
1 and 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 packet dry active yeast
1 cup milk

1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter (you can use shortening as well)
3/4 tsp salt
2 beaten eggs

1.  in a large mixing bowl stir together 2 cups of the flour and the yeast.  in a medium saucepan heat and stir milk, sugar, shortening and salt til just warm and shortening almost melts.  add milk mixture to dry mixture along with eggs.  beat.  add as much of the rest of the flour as you can and knead til you have good dough.  (I actually use my bread machine to make the dough and let it do it's first rise: just mix yeast, sugar and warm milk- which I use food storage dried milk and water- and let sit for 5 minutes.  Then add everything else and let it do all the work!  Go to step 3 from here.)

2.  let rise for about an hour

3.  make them into whatever shape you want.  i make "rosettes" which, if you remember them, are basically like a pretzel wrapped in on itself.  rise 45 minutes.  (i let them rise with a little bit of real butter on them for salty yumminess on top.)

4.  bake @ 375 til golden..about 11 min. enjoy!

Submitted by Ela Wunderli

No knead Butter Rolls

Place in mixing bowl:
2 Tbs yeast (or 2 pkgs)
2 Tbs sugar
2 Cups warm water

Leave until yeast becomes active (about 5 minutes)
Meanwhile mix:

1 cup butter, melted (no substitutes)
6 eggs, beaten

Add to yeast mixture. Stir. Add:

1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
8-9 cups flour (I usually add 9)

Directions:
Mix (do not knead)- dough will be sticky.  Put damp dishtowel over bowl and let rise until double.  Stir down (instead of punch down).
Refrigerate over night (or for 4-6 hours).  Dough will be harder.  Divide dough into 5 balls.  Roll out each ball like a pizza. Melt some butter and brush on the "pizza".  Cut into 12 slices, roll each slice up from big end to small end like a croissant shape.  Let rise (about 1-2 hours).

Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.  Makes 60 rolls!

 Submitted by Nancy Jackson