Banana Fritters

Took this from a Food Network magazine and changed it up a bit. Mmmmmmmm.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup corn starch
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 banana
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (plus more for frying)
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp. baking powder
1 egg
confectioner's sugar (for bedazzling)

Directions:
1. Heat up at least 2 inches of canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 375 degrees F.
2. Prepare the batter. I always do the wet ingredients with sugar separately from the dry ingredients, and then add them together. So do that. The bowl you use for the wet ingredients should be large enough to house all of the ingredients. Wet ingredients = egg (beat it), banana (mash it in there to an even consistency), milk, pure vanilla extract, vegetable oil, + sugar and brown sugar. Dry ingredients = all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, corn starch, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.


3. Use an ice-cream scooper spoon to add the batter to the oil. Turn the fritters in the oil so they cook evenly about. The shape should be spherical, but it never works out that way, so don't worry if that doesn't happen. Let sit for as long as necessary until the fritters have browned and cooked evenly.

4. Remove the fritters with a slotted spoon and place them a paper towel-lined plate so the excess oil can be absorbed. They sort of look like baby chickens, right? Don't worry... they don't taste like chicken. If you like chicken, I am so sorry for you, but this is not the right recipe for you.

4. Place on a plate and sprinkle confectioner's sugar for extra yumminess!

Carrot-Pecan-Craisin Bread

Ingredients:
2 carrots, diced
3 handfuls of pecans
2 handfuls of Craisins
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
pinch of salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable. oil
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Whisk in the sugar, brown sugar, pure vanilla extract, milk, and vegetable oil.
2. In a separate bowl, sift in flour, corn starch, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt. Mix with a spoon until the color is consistent throughout.
3. To the wet ingredients from step 1, slowly whisk in the dry ingredients until all have been incorporated.
4. Place the carrots and pecans in a blender or food processor. If you want to have a "crunch" in your bread, leave out the pecans. Leave the carrots in the blender until they are shredded. If you put the pecans in the blender, some will chop and others will form a powder. This way, you will have the flavor of the pecans but not the crunch. If you desire a nutty crunch, coarsely chop your pecans (into halves or thirds).
5. Add the carrots and pecans to the wet mixture.
6. Fold in the Craisins.
7. Spray or grease a 9 X 5 X 3 inch baking pan and let your mixture fall in. Cook the batter for 50 minutes at 350 degrees, and then let sit in the baking pan for 10 minutes.
Final product =

Chicken Makhani

BEST INDIAN DISH IMAGINABLE!!!!!!!

After this dish, I have no idea how I'll go back to college and be happy with my food. The dining hall food is no match for home cooked Indian food.

FYI, "makhani" means "buttery", and there really isn't that much butter here but the taste is certainly amazing!

Ingredients:
chicken thighs, skinned and fat removed and cut into bit-sized pieces (keep the bones)
some tomato base: paste, puree, diced, actual tomatoes, whatever is in your fridge!
salt and pepper: ~2 tsp of each
2 heaping Tbs. Patok's spicy ginger and garlic paste
1.5 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. minced ginger
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 onion, finely chopped
red chili powder
garam masala
coriander powder
water
green chilies, to taste
~1 cup fat-free half and half
1/2 stick butter

Directions:
1. Marinade chicken with S&P and 1 Tbs. spicy ginger and garlic paste.

2. Saute chicken in a saucepan in EVOO until it is mostly cooked. Remove chicken from the saucepan and set aside for later use. DO NOT CLEAN UP THE SAUCEPAN! You want that yummy chicken grease to flavor your sauce.

3. Add some more EVOO, if necessary. Add cumin seeds. Once the simmer of the cumin seeds reduces, add the minced garlic and ginger.

4. Add the onions and the other heaping Tbs. of spicy ginger and garlic paste. Saute until the onions have reduced.

5. Add the tomato base of your choice (I sliced up some tomatoes and then added some tomato paste) and red chili powder, garam masala, and coriander powder. Add water so a sauce can be formed.

6. Add green chilies.
7. Pour the contents of the saucepan into a blender and blend them until you have a uniform color. The color changes to a lighter red, for some reason.
8. Melt a half a stick of butter in the saucepan. Once this is done, add the sauce back to the saucepan. Stir in half and half and some more salt (to taste) and let the sauce come to a bubbling simmer.

9. Add the chicken, again, stirring in and letting the sauce come to a bubbling simmer.

10. Taste the sauce. It should be somewhat thick and creamy. If it is not, that means you added too much water!
11. Serve over rice. God, this is so amazing, I can taste it writing this entry and I am getting hungry!

Penne a la Vodka with a "Kick"

Decided to pull an "Aarti Party" and add some Indian spice to a traditional non-Indian dish! Love that girl!

Anyhoo... if you are tired of your everyday penne a la vodka, try this for a change! You won't go back!

Ingredients:
penne pasta - 1 package
EVOO
1 1" cinnamon stick
2 green cardamom (a good idea to use a knife and "poke" through the shell, because these pop in hot oil)
1 bay leaf
4 cloves (try to break off the head so the oil doesn't pop and get in your eyes, trust me!)
1 tsp. minced ginger
1 tsp. minced garlic
1.5 tsp. garam masala
1 tsp. red chili powder
1 tsp. coriander powder
2 cups fat-free half and half
1/2 cup vodka (don't bother using expensive vodka)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2-3 tablespoons oregano
1 tsp. salt
some tomato base: diced, crushed, paste, whatever you have!

Directions:
1. Cook the penne pasta according to package instructions. I recommend cooking it to a point where it is "almost" cooked, but not fully cooked.
2. In a saucepan, heat up ~1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil. When hot, throw in the cloves, cardamom, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf.
3. Once the cinnamon stick has opened, saute the minced ginger and garlic until their "simmer" slows.
4. Add in your tomato base... here I have puree. Mix it about and let it cook until it bubbles. If you wish, feel free to remove the cardamom shell, cloves, bay leaf, and cinnamon stick at this point (because you can't eat those, remember!).
5. Add the oregano.
6. Time to add those flavors! Use your own judgment in gauging proportions... everyone has his or her own preferences. Stir in the vodka, garam masala, salt, red pepper flakes, and red chili powder until you have found the flavor you are looking for!
7. Add half and half until the color of the sauce resembles burnt orange.
^^^Those chunks are chicken... if you want to do it with chicken you should add it here! Make sure you have sauteed the chunks separately until they are "almost" cooked.^^^
8. Stir in the "almost" cooked pasta. Let the sauce come to a bubbling simmer. Taste as you go along.
9. Plate with some parmesan cheese and prepare yourself for an adventure!

Peanut and Craisin Cookies

My first improv baking recipe was a win! Woo!

Ingredients:
~1.5 cups of peanuts, crushed with a mortar and pestle
~1 cup of craisins, somewhat chopped
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 Tbs. salt
1 Tbs. honey
1 Tbs. pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs
1 stick butter

Directions:
1. Beat 2 eggs.
2. Add melted butter. Honestly, I don't give a crap about what people say about "folding" and "creaming" and blah, blah, blah. I think that, as long as all the ingredients are in, you're set. I disagree with those who argue that the butter must be room-temp. It's much easier to work with if it's warm and melted because it mixes right in with the eggs.
3. Add brown sugar and white sugar.
4. Add vanilla extract and honey.
5. Add baking powder and salt.
6. Mix in peanuts.
7. Mix in craisins.
8. Add flour. Knead to a dough.
9. Place ~1 Tbs. portions of cookies that are somewhat rounded. I wouldn't really shape these any more than that because the batter is too thick for getting fancy.
10. Bake at 300 degrees for 20-22 minutes. They come out perfectly chewy! Nice!

Curried Chicken in Cardamom Infused Coconut Sauce

Inspiration courtesy of www.ecurry.com!

Ingredients:
chicken tenderloins, bite-sized pieces
potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 250 mL carton of coconut milk
8 green cardamom
1 onion, finely chopped
oil
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
4 cloves
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 Tbs. Patak's spicy ginger and garlic paste
1 Tbs. minced garlic
~2 cups tomato paste
1 Tbs. salt
1 tsp. garam masala
1 1/2 tsp. red chili powder

Directions:
1. Use a mortar and pestle to grind the 8 cardamom pods to a powder. In a bowl, add the the cardamom powder to the coconut milk. Set aside for later use.
2. Boil water with salt in a pot, cook the potatoes until they are COOKED but not FULLY cooked (they should still have a "bite" to them). Set aside for a few minutes.
3. In a saucepan, heat up oil. Once heated, add bay leaf, the cinnamon stick, and cloves.
4. When the cinnamon stick has opened, add the onion and sugar. Saute for a few minutes until the onion slices are glazed and slightly browned at the edges.
5. Add chicken, garam masala, salt, and red chili powder. Stir fry for a few minutes.
6. Add garlic and PATOK spicy ginger and garlic paste.

7. Potatoes!

8. Add tomato paste and then sufficient water so the paste can reduce to a sauce (should be ~3-4 cups).

9. Reduce the heat and place a lid on the saucepan. Let the tomato sauce come to a bubbling simmer. Remove the lid when the oil has visibly separated from the juices.
10. Remove the cardamom skins that are swimming around in the coconut sauce. It's easy if you use a fork.
11. Add the cardamom sauce to the saucepan and mix until the color of the sauce is the same all around. Place the lid back on and let the sauce come to a bubbling simmer again.

12. Remove the lid.


Suggestion: eat over basmati rice. dat's what i did, yo.

Mushroom Pulao with Chicken

What you will see here is a variation on a ShowMeTheCurry.com recipe, thank you!

Ingredients:
mushrooms, washed and sliced
2 cups basmati rice
chicken breasts/tenderloins/whatever, bite-sized
~1 1/2 cups frozen peas
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
oil
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
5 cloves
3 green cardamom
~1.5 Tbs. jeera (cumin seeds)
~1 Tbs. canoji (onion seeds)
~1 Tbs. minced garlic
~1 Tbs. grated ginger
1 tsp. garam masala
1/2 tsp. red chili powder (or to taste)
salt (to taste)

Directions:
1. Soak basmati rice in water in a bowl. Make sure that it has ~1/2 hour to sit.
2. In a large pot, bring 7-8 cups of water to a boil with salt. Add the mushrooms to the pot. Cover, reduce heat, and let cook for 8-10 min.
3. Collect 4 cups of mushroom water from the pot. Set the mushrooms aside in a separate bowl.4. In a skillet, heat up oil. Add the cardamom, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, and cloves.
5. When the cinnamon stick separates, simultaneously add the jeera and the onion seeds.
6. When the simmer of the jeera and onion seeds reduces, add and stir the garlic and ginger.
7. Add mushrooms and stir-fry.
8. Add the chicken. Stir fry and let cook for a few minutes. Don't cook through yet.
9. Add the rice.10. Add garam masala, salt, and red chili powder.
11. Add red pepper and peas. I'm lazy, so I just throw them in frozen. It's fine.
12. Add the 4 cups of mushroom water from step 3 (for every cup of rice you use you'll need 2 cups of water). Place a lid on the skillet, reduce the heat, and let cook for ~15 minutes.
13. Remove lid. C'est tout!


Call me an American, but I like to add parmesan cheese when I eat this. I know, I know... that's equivalent to asking for ketchup at a steakhouse. Well, I'm a woman of truth, and I tell no lies. My truth here is my love for parmesan cheese. Drizzle it and prepare yourself for a warmed soul that will leave you running back for more.