Chicken Tikka Masala

I saw this recipe on Gina's blog and it sounded so yummy and so easy I had to give it a try.


I don't think I've ever ordered tikka masala in an Indian restaurant before so I don't have anything to compare this to, but it was mighty tasty. I liked that I had all the ingredients on hand, save for the cilantro, jalapeno and yogurt, which made this meal very economical. I used boneless, skinless thighs since that's what we bought in bulk from the wholesale club. I also served mine over basmati rice since we love the flavor. Sadly, I had to forgo the avocado because they're just too expensive right now, but I'll definitely try it in the future.

Monday's Dinner

On Monday I did something I haven't done since I started this food blog a year and a half ago - I purposely didn't take a photo of my dinner. I made chicken sandwiches with onion, roasted peppers and cheddar cheese on baguettes along with oven fries. Sounds like a great meal, right?

Unfortunately I underestimated how long it would take SP to get home from where he was when he called me, so the fries and sandwiches were done too early. SP hates when his food isn't hot, so I left everything in the oven and turned it off. While the fries were actually perfectly cooked (nice and crispy, for once. Kudos to the pizza stone), the bread on the sandwiches burned and the sandwiches themselves fell apart. SP came home to find me cursing and screaming at the sandwiches as I tried to get them off the tinfoil I'd used to line the baking sheet. It wasn't my finest moment. At one point I actually threw the spatula into the sink and announced we were going out to eat, but then I quickly changed my mind because I hated to waste perfectly good food.

SP, being the loving husband he is, calmed me down and we managed to have a relatively nice dinner before heading off on our weekly trek to the supermarket. Unfortunately I was in no mood to document the occasion, so I turned the camera off. It felt weird not to take a picture, as I'm not shy about admitting when something doesn't come out right, but I preferred not to remember my insane outburst in photo form. I hope you can forgive me.

Hoagies

Sunday was one of those days where you have the best of intentions but no motivation, so all you end up doing is sitting around the house goofing off and then bam! it's 4pm, you're hungry and you haven't done a blessed thing all day. You all know what I'm talking about, right?

We'd been debating dinner all day, mainly because we hadn't thought to defrost anything and neither of us wanted pasta and sauce. When I tell you we spent a solid hour going back and forth about what to eat, I'm not exaggerating. Just when we decided on something (gourmet pizza from the new place down the street), we'd change our minds when we realized (1) it's expensive and (2) we'd need double the pizza because we needed leftovers for lunch. We finally decided to just get hoagies from our friend's shop since the smalls are big enough to eat half one day and half the next.

I got the special hoagie:


... with various deli meats, provolone and American cheeses, lettuce, onion, tomato, oil, vinegar and mayo. We also got a side of macaroni salad, which really hit the spot. Sometimes you just need a hoagie.

Breakfast

After SP's not-so-subtle plea yesterday for breakfast potatoes, I decided to make us a hearty Sunday breakfast of scrambled eggs, hash brown potatoes and bacon:


I made the hash brown potato cake by peeling 4 medium-size potatoes and then grating them on the large holes of a box grater. A little oil went into a non-stick skillet and then I added the potatoes and spread them into a thin, even layer. A plate was put on top and weighed down with a brick. I flipped it over about 10-15 minutes later, once the potatoes were golden brown, to cook on the other side. The result was a nice, crispy cake:


... but even though I used hardly any oil I thought it was too oily. I also forgot to season the potatoes with salt and pepper while they were cooking so I had to do it right before serving. I was disappointed, but SP thought everything was spectacularly good. I was also miffed by the eggs:


... which I scrambled with cheddar cheese, scallions and mushrooms. I couldn't taste any of the flavors, which really bummed me out. After yesterday's breakfast sandwich with the knock-your-socks-off cheddar flavor, today's eggs didn't wow me. And don't even get me started on the bacon. I took a chance and bought a different brand of bacon because it was on sale, but I was wary of the phrase "hickory-smoked flavor" emblazoned across the top of the package. I should have known - way too smoky for my tastes. Of course SP was in heaven. Oh well. At least there was a cream donut to drown my sorrows.

Dinner at C & T's

We went to C & T's house for dinner last night and they put out quite the spread. We started with the spinach and roasted artichoke dip I got from Katie's Blog. It was bubbly and good:


...but I think I used way too much spinach. You couldn't really taste any of the other ingredients, which was a huge bummer since the roasted artichokes smelled so good. Next time I'll stick more closely to her recipe. T made a leek and bacon topping to go on pita bread, but she was out of the pita so she subbed crackers:


The leeks mixed with bacon, feta and cheddar cheese were really yummy. We noshed on these little morsels and the enormous amount of dip while we got dinner ready. T had planned quite the menu, starting with baked ziti:


... broccoli in a Parmesan cream sauce:


... roasted potatoes tossed with rosemary, oil and other seasonings and cooked in a cast-iron skillet in the oven:


... salad made with lettuce, cucumber, tomato, radishes and almonds:


and the star of the show, chicken bruschetta:


... which was chicken dipped in flour then egg, topped with a mixture of bread crumbs, butter and cheese and baked in a pan until golden brown. Right before serving you top it with a bruschetta mixture made with tomatoes, basil, garlic, oil and balsamic vinegar. The result is moist, tender chicken with a wonderfully flavored topping.

The table all laid out and ready for feasting:


My plate:


... with, from left, roasted potatoes, ziti, broccoli and chicken.

For dessert we had all the makings for smores:


... as well as fondue made with chocolate, condensed milk, butter, vanilla and gran Marnier:


T cut up strawberries, pineapple, bananas and pound cake for dipping, which we did in their living room in front of a roaring fire.


Thanks again to you both for having us over. We had a great time!

Party Tonight

We're going to C & T's house tonight for a holiday party. This is what I'm bringing:


If it looks this good unbaked I can't wait to see how it looks all warm and gooey and bubbly fresh out of the oven.

Breakfast Sandwich

This morning I made us breakfast sandwiches:


I constructed SP's on toasted, buttered whole grain bread with two scrambled eggs topped with cheddar cheese, bacon and hot sauce. You can see his in the background. My sandwich:


... was a deviation from my usual fried eggs since some cheddar cheese sounded mighty tasty this morning. I also had two scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese and bacon, but I had my sandwich on a toasted, buttered English muffin. I loved the sharp bite of the cheese.

Pizza Friday

Last night we had my parents over for Pizza Friday so I made two pizzas - plain and mushroom. To make the sauce I used a can of Red Pack whole peeled tomatoes, which I feel is the best canned tomato product of those I can easily find in supermarkets. I crushed the tomatoes by hand so there would still be pieces of whole tomato and then added it to a pot with olive oil, salt, pepper and some dried oregano. It thickened and became rich with good tomato flavor.

For the plain I rolled out the dough, layered it first with some shredded mozzarella, then sauce, then more mozzarella. This one cooked on our new square pizza stone and came out exceptionally well:


I love how the cheese browned on top and the flavor was outstanding. I've never made plain pizza at home before but I think it'll definitely go into the rotation.

SP wanted mushrooms so I sliced them and sauteed them in a little oil with some garlic, salt and pepper. This pizza cooked on our old round pizza stone and you can see at the top left edge where there was some spillage:


I guess this means we need another square pizza stone (hint, hint if you're reading this, Mom!) The mushroom pizza had a great depth of flavor from the earthy mushrooms, but I was so enamored by the plain that I ate 3 pieces of that and only 1 of the mushroom. Yum!

Pork Chops, Pierogies, Zucchini

No, you aren't experiencing deja vu...this is the same meal I made last week. We enjoyed it so much we thought we'd have it again (and use up the very last of the 5-pound bag of pierogies in our freezer.


I made everything exactly the same as last week, only I used boneless pork chops because they were on sale at the wholesale club. I pounded them thin, quick egg wash and then into seasoned bread crumbs mixed with pecorino cheese and then into a non-stick skillet for a shallow fry in some olive oil until they were crispy and golden brown. For the pierogies I boiled them and then added them to the skillet with some slow-cooked onions. I steamed the zucchini with some garlic and then mixed half with pecorino, olive oil, salt and pepper. Yum, yum, yum!

Calzones

Wednesday night we had calzones stuffed with ham, pepperoni, black olives, ricotta and mozzarella cheeses:


Once again they were huge:


... with plenty leftover for lunches the next day. I love these inside shots, with all the gooey, melty cheese and the various meats.


I served them with a quick marinara sauce made with crushed tomatoes, dried oregano, a little olive oil, salt and pepper.

Chili & Cornbread

I've never made chili before. For whatever reason it isn't something I find myself craving (except when we're in Chicago and go to Lindy's), but it's one of those things SP asks me to make from time to time. I didn't have a recipe in mind, but I did a quick search for Emeril and ended up making one kick-ass bowl of chili (if I do say so myself):


We ate it with the leftover jalapeno cornbread from Sunday's rib dinner and some tortilla chips for dipping. It had just the right combination of flavors from the beer, cayenne and red pepper flakes, brown sugar and the surprise ingredient - cinnamon. I really modified the recipe, first cutting it in half to make less chili and then omitting certain ingredients we didn't have. I had to leave out the kidney beans because we didn't have any in the pantry, but I would certainly add them next time. The recipe says it cooks for almost 3 hours, but mine was done in 45 minutes (probably because I used only 1 beer instead of 2 so there was less liquid). Regardless, it tasted fabulous and was easy enough to make on a weeknight.

Emeril's Kickin' Chili
Modified from Emeril's Original Kickin' Chili

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 pounds ground beef
2 cups chopped yellow onions
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 bay leaf
4 minced garlic cloves
2 (12-ounce) bottles dark beer (I used one this time)
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, crushed
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon dark brown sugar
2 (15-ounce) cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed (we didn't have any on hand)
1 cup grated Cheddar, for garnish
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions, for garnish
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
sour cream, to taste

Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over high heat. Add the beef and brown well, about 10 minutes. Add the onions, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, cinnamon, crushed red pepper, and bay leaf and cook, stirring often, until the onions soften, about 8 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the beer and cook until the foam subsides, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, salt and brown sugar to the pot. Stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the chili from sticking to the bottom of the pot. (This is where you add the beans, return to a simmer, cover, and cook until thickened). Serve with the cheese, sour cream, green onions, and cilantro alongside as garnish.

Spaghetti Carbonara

I've redeemed myself!!

Last night I made Nigella's Spaghetti Carbonara, a recipe I absolutely loved the first time I made it and royally screwed up the second time. I was extra careful, again babysitting the onions and bacon to make sure they were perfectly cooked and even going so far as to lay out a towel next to the egg/heavy cream/cheese/nutmeg/salt and pepper mixture that would become the sauce so I wouldn't forget to take it off the heat. The result was picture perfect:


Luscious, creamy sauce coated every strand of pasta, mingling with the bacon and onions made syrupy by the reduced white wine. Everything worked in perfect harmony. I had redeemed myself and it tasted glorious.

Ribs, Mac & Cheese, Cornbread

Our Sunday decorating commenced after breakfast when SP built a fire that we kept going for most of the afternoon. We got the decorations out of the garage and brought in the tree we picked out on Saturday. We put on some Christmas music (yay for DirecTV's XM Satellite Radio) and got to it. In between hanging ornaments and garland we worked on our respective dishes for dinner that night - country-style ribs, mac & cheese and jalapeno cornbread.


The ribs were a disappointment that night, but excellent the next day. SP decided to experiment with boneless ribs we saw at the wholesale club, but they were dry in some parts and perfect in others (something we discovered after we'd eaten). SP made a rub using various spices (I think thyme, white pepper, dried sage, cayenne and salt were involved) and a mop using apple cider vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. I asked him to make a tomato-based BBQ sauce to go along with the ribs and we're both glad he did. That involved tomato sauce, Worcestershire, white vinegar, onion powder, salt and pepper (among other things). After we'd eaten I attempted to salvage some of the rib meat for our lunches and discovered that it was perfectly cooked in some parts - it tore into perfect shreds of meat that we mixed with the rest of the BBQ sauce. If only all the meat had been that good. At least our lunches were tasty.


For the mac & cheese I mixed cheddar with some mozzarella in my usual recipe, adding a bit of grated garlic for an extra zing. It was thick, rich and creamy. The cornbread is an Ina recipe. I made a half order since the regular recipe makes way too much. As it is we only ate half the pan for dinner and lunch the next day. I'm saving the rest for chili tonight.

These pictures didn't come out as well as I'd hoped so I'll take some more later, but just to give you an idea here's our tree:


... and the banister leading up the stairs:

Sunday Breakfast

On Sunday we got our first snowstorm of the winter season. It didn't amount to much - basically a dusting - but it was the perfect excuse for staying in and decorating the house for Christmas. We needed a good morning meal before we got started and we both had a hankering for breakfast sandwiches:


I made mine with two fried eggs and two strips of bacon on a toasted, buttered English muffin. I love this picture because you can see SP's sandwich in the background, along with our glasses of OJ and OJ mixed with cranberry. Very artistic. Here's a closeup of SP's sandwich:


... which has two scrambled eggs, two strips of bacon and melted mozzarella cheese on toasted, buttered whole grain bread and liberal doses of Frank's hot sauce. The good thing about breakfast sandwiches is that I can easily make us different sandwiches to fit our personal preferences.

Artichoke Alfredo Sauce

Tonight we revisited the Artichoke Alfredo Sauce recipe that I tried over the summer. For those who don't remember, it was a creamy sauce made to taste like hot artichoke dip, something I've been known to love more than life itself.


The dish is so simple to make but it tastes like a million bucks. It really does taste like the artichoke dip my mom makes at the holidays.

Artichoke Alfredo Sauce
Cook's Country

Olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, grated
2 cans artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed and chopped into large pieces
1 cup heavy cream plus 1/4 cup, divided
Juice and zest of one lemon
1/2 cup sour cream
Grated pecorino cheese
Salt and pepper
1 lb spaghetti
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Heat oil and saute onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat until tender. Add garlic and cook until fragrant before adding artichoke hearts. Cook together for about 5 minutes then add 1 cup of heavy cream, the juice and zest of one lemon, 1/2 cup of sour cream, some grated Pecorino cheese, salt and pepper off the heat.

When the spaghetti is just about done put the pan back on the heat just to warm up the sauce (don't boil the mixture or it will separate) and then toss the pasta with the sauce and an additional 1/4 cup of heavy cream, chopped parsley and more cheese, salt and pepper to taste.

Pork Chops, Pierogies, Zucchini

Last night's dinner was all about using up some of the odds and ends in the freezer. We had two bone-in pork chops and about 1/3 of a bag of frozen pierogies. SP asked if we could have steamed zucchini and it just happened to be on sale at the store.


In an effort to be slightly more healthy, I opted not to make the pierogies with bacon. Instead I thinly sliced two small onions and about 1/3 of a red onion I found in the fridge and slow cooked them in a touch of oil until they were soft. I boiled the pierogies until they floated to the surface and then tossed them with the onions.

We both wanted a thin, breaded pork chop but I didn't want to forgo the bone, which helps keep them moist as they cook. As luck would have it I saw a recipe in a magazine that called for pounding a bone-in chop so I used that method. All you do is make a slit to separate the meat from the bone at both ends and then pound it like you normally would. I coated the chops in egg beaten with a little water and then some Italian seasoned bread crumbs with some grated Pecorino tossed in. The chops were fried in a little olive oil until they were crispy and golden brown. In this photo I've removed the bone from my chop to make it easier to eat.


Steamed zucchini is a new one for me, so I was pleasantly surprised by how good it was. I cut the zucchini in half and then into large pieces and put them in my steamer basket along with two cloves of crushed garlic. I made sure to keep a close watch since we both like tender-crisp veggies. As soon as they were done I put half the zucchini (my portion) in a bowl along with the garlic, a little olive oil, salt, pepper and a little grated Pecorino and tossed them around. SP opted to have his zucchini plain. I absolutely loved these and wished I'd bought more. I'll definitely make zucchini this way again.

DeLorenzo's

I don't usually write about restaurants on this blog (save for road trips and anniversaries) but in this case I have to make an exception for posterity. DeLorenzo's on Hudson Street in Trenton, NJ has been around since 1947. I've been going here for years, back before my palette had been refined and my idea of good pizza was Pizza Hut. My father used to take me here and I remember sitting in a booth in the back playing with straws as we waited for our food. The first time he took me here he explained that they only serve tomato pie - no salad, no garlic bread, no sandwiches - just tomato pie. For those of you not from NJ, this is not pizza it's tomato pie, as the sign below indicates:


DeLorenzo's used to be a regular haunt for both my father and my mom and stepdad. I can't even count how many times we enjoyed their pies, waiting in long lines that sometimes stretched around the block. This bench provided many with a comfortable place to sit as they waited:


The reason I took these photos is simple - as the atmosphere in Trenton changed over the years restaurants started looking to the suburbs, where most of their clientele lived, to open new restaurants. DeLorenzo's is opening a new store in Robbinsville's Town Center sometime in the next few months. Word around the pizza oven is that the Hudson Steet location will close once the new store gets on its feet. SP and I rarely venture into Trenton to eat these days, so since my parents invited us to have dinner with them last night, I took the opportunity to document what I believe is the quinessential tomato pie experience.

The restaurant is housed in an old, narrow row home:


... and they only serve dinner (no lunch except for call-ahead service on Fridays):


The inside is narrow and it's hard for me to imagine what it once looked like as someone's home:


The oven is in the back with the prep counter in front where the latest generation makes the pies. All the tables are booths except for the large table right in front of the oven that's reserved for parties of 5 or more. I used to love sitting there with my dad and his family because you were right in the center of the action and could watch the pies being made.

The view from the small room in the back:


... shows the soda machine (one of the few places I've been where they have Fanta Birch Beer "on tap") and the cutting station. I was actually shocked to see that they have regular ice cubes now:


... since one of the things I loved about coming here was that their drinks were served with crushed ice. Call me crazy, but I love the texture of the crushed ice.

Here's a pie waiting to be cut and delivered to hungry diners:


We started out by ordering two large pies, the first with half extra tomato and half pepperoni:


... and the second with sausage and sweet peppers:


The crust is super thin so you can eat a lot of pie without feeling full. We polished off these two pies and ordered a third (a small half sausage, half pepperoni) but I was in a tomato pie coma and forgot to snap a picture. Like always, everything was sensational. One of the best things about coming here was leaving with the smell of the pizza oven lingering on your clothes. Hopefully we can make another trip before they close (we've heard early spring 2008) since I know my father is anxious for one last trip, but just in case we don't I've got these photos to remember them by.