Curry and Comfort's Weekly Sunday Summary 9/24/12 thru 9/30/12

 Hello Everyone,

I am so excited because this week we head into the month of October.  So,get ready for pumpkin-poolza!  October also has some birthday celebrations for us and Halloween.  I can't wait to get everything cooking for all the fun we're expecting this month.

As much as I am loving fall and the mild cool temperatures, I am missing the longer daylight hours that I was spoiled with over the summer.  I am an early bird so it's not weird for me to be up at 5am or 5:30am (no alarm clock needed).  Summer was fantastic because the sun was up early and I felt the world looked wide awake and greeting me for the day.  Now when I wake up the sun does not come up until 7am... it's darkness until then so I feel a bit out of sorts.  I truly feel like I'm waking up in the middle of the night and I don't like that feeling.  Sometimes I think should I go back to bed... but I'm one of those people when you wake me up... I'm up.

Although the loss of daylight savings time makes me sad, I am looking forward to all the upcoming holidays and all the food that comes along with it.  Halloween.... Thanksgiving... they are much loved and celebrated holidays in our household.  Just thinking about it makes me excited and I can't wait to eat myself through the rest of fall....

 Here's our weekly recipe review:

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Sausage and Kale Pasta

Friday, September 28, 2012

Asian Iced Coffee

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Pasta alla Norma Casserole (Eggplant and Pasta)

 

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Homemade Lemon Lime Soda

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Chocolate and Coconut Rice Krispies Treats

Monday, September 24, 2012

Masala Chicken Kebabs

Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

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Sausage and Kale Pasta

I call this a two for one meal.  Last week I posted my Sasauge and Kale Pizza and this pasta is based on the same set of ingredients with a few changes.   My son absolutely adored this pasta and requested the leftovers for his lunch the next day. He's so funny because every time I make a creamy pasta dish it becomes his new favorite pasta.  Then I get asked for about a week when I will make it again.  Since this dish was so easy and full of nutritious kale, I will definitely make it for him very soon.

 Ingredients:
1 box fettuccine, linguine or spaghetti pasta cooked to al dente in well salted water
1lb Italian sausage (crumbled without casing)
2 cups of shredded kale (no stems)
1 medium onion chopped
1/8 tsp grated nutmeg
2 cloves garlic grated
red chili flakes to taste
1/4 cup chicken stock (or water and chicken bullion)
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 grated Parmesan cheese
salt and black pepper to taste

Note: Save 1 cup of starchy pasta water if needed. 

Directions:

 Brown sausage in a pan with some olive oil.  Then add onions and garlic and saute for a few minutes.  Next add basil, oregano, red chili flakes, nutmeg, salt and black pepper.

Then add chicken stock and chopped kale.

Add cooked pasta and toss with Parmesan cheese. If pasta seems dry add some the starchy pasta water to make creamier. Taste for seasoning then serve hot.  Enjoy.

Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

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Asian Iced Coffee

I like to make this sweet and decadent iced coffee when I  entertain my family and friends. It is very simple to make, but it tastes very rich and satisfying. You can also add extra touches to it to make it taste fabulous.  Take note of my tips and tricks below to jazz this already wonderful iced coffee up.

Ingredients:
8 cups of prepared coffee  (see note below)
1 can of condensed milk (14oz)
1 tsp of vanilla extract
Ice (optional)


Note:  I simply used instant Nescafe coffee.  You can use any brewed or instant coffee that you like.  Make the coffee as strong or light as you like to drink it.

Directions:
Make hot coffee and mix in condensed milk and vanilla.   Allow the coffee to chill well in the fridge for several hours before serving.  Serve over ice.

Tips

Tip 1:  You can add a dollop of whip cream to make it even more decadent.

Tip 2: If you don't like ice cubes diluting your ice coffee, you can freeze some coffee in ice trays and use them as ice cubes.

Tip 3:  You can stir in some chocolate syrup to make a mocha flavored coffee.

Tip 4:  You can add a dash of ground cardamom powder to the coffee to give an aromatic/floral taste in the background.

Tip 5:  You can add Kahlua, brandy or rum to spike your drink.

Tip 6:  You can add a dash of nutmeg to enhance the flavor.

Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

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Pasta alla Norma Casserole (Eggplant and Pasta)

 

 Yesterday I took a gamble when it came to creating this recipe.  I took the gamble that I could get my family to eat eggplant and really enjoy it.  The flip side of the gamble was they could have hated it and I would have had to eat this entire casserole all by myself.  Well, I am happy to say I won the gamble.  My family (including my picky son) ate a whole eggplant inside this casserole and loved it.  My son had two helpings and said it was delicious.  I got a resounding "This is great!" from my eggplant hating husband.  Of course I never told them there was any eggplant in the casserole.  I actually don't plan on telling them until all the leftovers are gone.  Then I will break the news... they ate EGGPLANT and loved it!  Okay, so I'm sneaky.  It was more of a cooking challenge for me as it was for them to try it.  I knew if I cooked it just right they would be able to enjoy eggplant as much as I do.  I must say, I am still patting myself on my back for creating this one.

Note:  I added chicken because my boys don't eat meatless pasta.  You can always omit the chicken if you want to keep this vegetarian. 

PS.. once you read the recipe, you may say you don't like anchovies.  Please take the anchovy challenge too... they melt into the sauce and give it such a beautiful salty depth of flavor.

Update:  The dish is all gone-- in less than one day.  My husband loved it so much he had it for lunch, dinner and took the final helping to work for lunch.  My picky son had it for lunch and requested it again for dinner. Hey, not only did I win them over with the eggplant, I didn't have to cook dinner either since they were willing to eat the leftovers from lunch.  Hooray!

Ingredients:
Pasta:
1 box (about 15oz) cooked  - I used penne.   Remember to cook the pasta in well salted water to season the pasta before adding it to the dish. Do not over cook the pasta because it will cook more in the oven. Drain it shy 1-2 minutes of it being fully cooked so it can finish off in the sauce and oven.

Sauce:
1 (2lb) American variety eggplant diced very fine
1 (2oz) can of anchovy fillets in olive oil
2 Tbs olive oil
1 medium onion diced
3-5 cloves of garlic grated
1lb of lean ground meat (I used ground chicken)
1 (28oz) can of crushed tomatoes
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
red chili flakes to taste
salt and black pepper to taste
2-3 tsp brown sugar (if your tomato sauce is tart) This is to taste.
2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Ricotta layer:
2 cups ricotta (or cottage cheese)
1 egg
1 tsp granulated garlic
1 Tbs dried or fresh parsley
salt and black pepper (to taste)
  
Directions:

Heat 2 Tbs of olive oil on medium-high heat in large pan and add the anchovy fillets plus the oil from the can.  Put a lid on it so the anchovies don't splatter everywhere.  Once the anchovies melt (this happens pretty quickly) add the chopped eggplant.

Cook eggplant for 7-8 minutes until it becomes tender and almost half it's volume.  Turn stove off and tilt the pan so the oil drains away from the eggplant.  Remove eggplant from pan until later. Heat stove again and use the drained oil to fry the onion and grated garlic for 1 minute.

 Then add the lean ground meat and brown.  Add the dried oregano, basil, red chili flakes, black pepper some salt (remember the anchovies will add salt to the dish as well).  Once the meat is browned and seasoned well, add the cooked eggplant back to the pan.

Next add the can of crushed tomatoes and some sugar to taste.  Turn stove to medium and allow sauce to cook for 15-20 minutes.  Taste for seasoning and turn stove off.  Add cooked pasta to the pan and toss together.

Ricotta layer:  Add 2 cups of ricotta cheese (I also substitute low fat cottage cheese) with salt, pepper, egg, granulated garlic and parsley.  Mix well.  Now layer some pasta evenly into an oven safe casserole dish.

Then layer all of the ricotta mixture over the pasta evenly. Then top it off with another layer of pasta and finally with some mozzarella cheese.  Bake in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes. Note:  Cover the dish for the first 20 minutes in oven with tin foil.  Spray tin foil with some cooking spray or oil so it won't stick to cheese. Do not press tin foil down heavily over the cheese, sort of tent it around so the casserole will steam.  Then take off the tin foil and cook for another 10-15 minutes for cheese to brown. Serve hot.  Enjoy. 

 

Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

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Homemade Lemon Lime Soda

My mother never really bought sodas for us when we were kids.  Since I try to do the same with my kids, I wanted to make a homemade "healthier" version of lemon lime soda for them.   It was so easy (the hardest part was squeezing out all the juice).  My homemade lemon lime soda turned out fantastic and my family loved.   I know summer is technically over, but sipping this refreshing fizzy citrus drink brings back some of summer's sunshine one sip at a time.

 Ingredients:
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1-2 liters club soda (carbonated water)
lemon and lime slices to garnish

Add choice of sweeteners to taste

• Simple Syrup -1 cup sugar dissolved in 1 cup of water heated on the stove. (see recipe below for ginger-mint simple syrup)

• Agave or Splenda

  Ginger-Mint Simple Syrup:

 To make 1 batch:

Boil 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water and 1 inch of sliced ginger.  Bring to a boil for 2-3.  Turn stove off and add 4-5 mint leaves.  Allow to steep and cool. Strain ginger and mint before using. 



Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

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Chocolate and Coconut Rice Krispies Treats

My son loves rice krispies treats. So when we were watching Pioneer Woman together on Saturday and saw her make some marshmallow rice krispies treats with whole mini marshmallows in the treat we knew we had to give it a try.   We went right into making some treats after watching the show.  I came up with my own recipe using the idea of whole marshmallows in the treat. I honestly am not a huge fan of marshmallows or rice krispies treats, but since I added some of my favorite ingredients like chocolate and coconut I was hooked. I love learning new things and I will never forget this tip of adding whole marshmallows into my rice krispies treats.  Thank you Pioneer Woman!

 

 Ingredients:
6-7 cups rice cereal
16oz bag of mini marshmallows (divided)
4-5 Tbs butter or margarine
1 cup baker's sweetened coconut plus 1/3 cup extra for garnish
1 cups mini chocolate chips plus 1/2 cup extra for garnish

Directions: 

On medium low heat, melt butter/margarine and 10oz of the mini marshmallows.  When melted add the rice cereal, chocolate chips and coconut.

 
  Then fold in the remaining mini marshmallows.  Butter a pan (I like Pyrex).  Pour mixture into a buttered baking dish and press down.  Tip:  I used wax paper over the mixture so I could press down the with my hands.  Top with remaining coconut and chocolate chips for garnish (press them down too).  Allow to sit for 2 hours and cut into squares and serve.

Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

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Masala Chicken Kebabs

I have to give my expiring buttermilk the credit for this recipe.  I bought a small carton of it to do some baking a while back.  Of course I never got around to using it and the expiration date was glaring at me every time I opened the fridge.  I knew I had to use it up so I decided to use it in a marinade instead of baking with it.  The buttermilk, yogurt and seasoning made these kebabs completely moist and succulent.  We ate the kebabs as wraps with the yogurt sauce and my son (the picky eater) was jumping up and down for them. Now I won't panic if I have extra buttermilk... with this marinade there is no waste. :)

Ingredients:
2-3lbs boneless chicken breast sliced into long 1 inch wide strips
1 cup yogurt
2 cups buttermilk
2Tbs Garam Masala Powder
1 Tbs Paprika
4-5 cloves grated garlic
2 inches grated ginger
salt (to taste)
black pepper

Directions:
Prepare chicken with all the marinade ingredients.  Place in a ziploc bag and allow to marinate for 24-36 hours.

Place a wooden skewer through each strip and pan fry on a griddle with some canola oil until cooked through.

Tip: Soak skewers in water for 2 hours before using them. 

Serve with rice, salad, or in tortillas/naan.  Goes well with Yogurt Mint Sauce.  Enjoy.

 
Yogurt Mint sauce:
1 cup plain yogurt

1 small handful of minted chopped

1/2 tsp of ground cumin

juice of half a lime or full lime if it's not too juicy

salt to taste

Stir well and allow to chill for a few minutes before serving.

Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

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