Curry and Comfort's Weekly Sunday Summary 10/1/12 thru 10/7/12

Hello Everyone,

I have to start this weekly post by saying that I have not kept my promise to you.  I promised that I would make October a month full of pumpkin recipes and I have yet to post one.  I still have a few recipes from summer to post so I hope to post some pumpkin recipes this week.

This past week was full of round 2 recipes. I love using up all my ingredients and turning "boring" leftovers into something fun, new and exciting.   The Lemony Thai style soup that I was able to make with my roast chicken dinner was a big hit with my entire family.  My  husband is still disappointed that all the leftovers from that soup are gone.  Another big "leftover" hit was my Apple Pie Milkshake from the Apple Pie Pancake Compote.

Also this week, I was lucky enough to strike gold with fresh organic tomatoes at my local grocery store.  So look forward to more tomato recipes like my Greek Bruschetta Pizza. 

We enjoyed some fantastically mild weather this past week, but the week ahead will be considerably cooler.  So it's time to start  getting serious about some hearty comfort food.   Have a great week everyone!  Now onto our weekly review....

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Greek Bruschetta Pizza

Friday, October 5, 2012

Italian Fusion Eggplant Curry

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Apple Pie Milkshake

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Lemony Thai Chicken Vegetable Soup

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Lemon and Sage Roast Chicken

Monday, October 1, 2012

Cheesy Potato Hash Breakfast Casserole

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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Greek Bruschetta Pizza

I cook a lot.  When you cook as much as I do you have to search for deals at the grocery store otherwise I would totally blow my food budget.  I have a beautiful grocery store close to my house and I only shop there for their deals. I scour their weekly ads and zone in on all the by one get free offers, the buy 2 get three free offers and sale items.  In the recent months I noticed that had a large shelf in the middle of the produce section.  It's for reduced for quick sale produce.  Now I don't usually buy stuff like this, but they must have a high standard of what they think is "ripe". I can buy a bag of 2-3 large eggplants or 6 zucchini for $1.  They even put the organic fruits and veggies for a $1.  The other day I noticed 4-5 bags (about 3lb each) full of organic roma tomatoes.  I grabbed a few bags fast... organic tomatoes for 33cents a pound... unheard of!  So now I have my stash of tomatoes that I need to use up.   I created this Greek Bruschetta Pizza since I had bought feta cheese at on sale as well.  I made these for my husband and I for lunch one day and he loved them.  I can't wait to go and check out my discount rack at the grocery store again.

PS... get ready for a lot of tomato recipes. :)

 Ingredients:
3-4 Roma tomatoes diced small (remove seeds)
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup black pitted olives
1-2 green chilies (seeded) minced
1/4 cup red onion finely diced
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1-2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and black pepper to taste

Crust:
Naan Bread
2 Tbs butter  (as needed)
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Directions:
Prepare Bruschetta ingredients and season to taste.  Next mix the butter and granulated garlic.  Spread it on both sides of the naan bread and place on a griddle.  Toast both sides of naan until crispy.  Top with bruschetta toppings. Serve in slices.  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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Italian Fusion Eggplant Curry

Say what?  Italian curry?  Yes... that's right!   I took some anchovy fillets, that flavor so many wonderful Italian pastas, and I added it to an eggplant curry.  Guess what... it worked out great and I am so excited about this amazing dish.  I couldn't stop tasting forkfuls of this curry and squealing with joy.  I got the idea last week when I tried to "trick" my family into eating eggplant in a pasta dish.  I flavored the eggplant with the anchovies then and they loved it.  They never saw the eggplant coming in my Pasta alla Norma Casserole.  So I knew I had to try flavoring it for a curry.  You can't call me "Curry and Comfort" for nothing. :)  I took another gamble with this dish and won big.  I wish I had this luck with the lottery. LOL!

Ingredients:
2-3lbs large American style eggplant diced small
1 medium red or yellow onion sliced or diced
1 green bell pepper or green chilies sliced or diced
1 (2oz) can of anchovy fillets (in olive oil)
1 Tbs grated garlic (fresh)
red chili flakes to taste
salt and black pepper to taste
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp black mustard seeds
10-15 curry leaves
1 cup half and half or milk

Directions:

 In a large pan (with lid) heat 2Tbs of canola oil with the anchovy fillets (plus the oil from the can) on medium-high heat (use lid when this is happening).  Once the anchovies melt into the oil add curry leaves, cumin seeds and mustard seeds and fry for 30 seconds (again it will splatter on you so put a lid on).   Then add the diced eggplant and saute in the anchovy oil for 8-10 minutes.
 
Once the eggplant cooks down and browns add the onions, peppers and garlic.  Saute for 2-3 minutes. Then add the curry powder, red chili flakes, turmeric, black pepper and salt (remember the anchovies will add salt already).

Fry for 3-5 minutes and add the vinegar next.

 
Then add the half and half or milk and cook for another 5-7 minutes.  Taste for salt and seasoning and serve hot with rice.   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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Apple Pie Milkshake

I think this week is going to have a small theme of using up leftovers. Here's another round 2 recipe from leftovers I had after making my Apple Pie Compote (Pancake Topping).  I had about a cup of compote left and my kids didn't want to eat pancakes again (**I think I have spoiled them with all these different dishes**).    So I had to come up with plan to use this compote up in a new way.  I decided to be decadent by making these milkshakes and they were doing the happy dance that I did.  Actually, my husband was doing the biggest happy dance since he got this milkshake from the above photo as soon as I finished taking my pictures.  He loved it so much, I heard him slurping the last drops of milkshake with his straw minutes later.  So, there you go, another recipe makeover that was as much loved as the original recipe.  I love when that happens. :)

Ingredients

For the apple-maple compote (makes about 2-3 cups):
5-6 golden delicious apples (peeled, cored and sliced)
3 Tbs butter
1-2 tsp ground cinnamon (to taste)
1/2 to 1 tsp ground ginger (to taste)
pinch of salt
1 cup maple syrup

For the milkshake
2 cups vanilla ice cream
2 cups milk (2 % is fine)
1 cup apple-maple compote

Garnishes:
Whipped Cream
dusting of powdered cinnamon

Directions: 

Peel, core and slice apples. Add to a skillet with butter and salt.  Saute for 3-4 minutes.  Next add cinnamon, ginger and maple syrup.  Lower heat to medium-low and simmer on stove for 5 minutes. Cook apples to your desired tenderness.

Place all the ingredients for the milkshake in a blender and blend until smooth.  Serves 2-3 people.  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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Lemony Thai Chicken Vegetable Soup

I love getting a great deal at the grocery store.  Then taking that great deal and doubling my savings makes me even more happy. Yesterday's Lemon and Sage Roast Chicken transformed itself into this amazing soup for a round 2 recipe.  I don't mind eating leftovers, but creating a new recipe with them is even better in my book.  This soup certainly fits that bill.  My family loved this bright and lemony Thai style soup. The stock was infused with the all the flavors from the roast, especially the lemons.  Finishing off the soup with coconut milk made it creamy, rich and comfortingly delicious. 


 Ingredients:
To make the stock:
leftover roast chicken including any drippings from roast
lemon used when roasting the chicken (discard the sage)
1/2 large onion coarsely chopped
2 stalks of celery coarsely chopped
1 carrot coarsely chopped
3Tbs of fish sauce (for salt flavor)
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 Tbs of garlic grated or minced
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
red chili flakes to taste
2 bay leaves
Water to fill pot above chicken (12 cups)

Note: If you are preparing this stock without roasting the chicken first, just use some bone in chicken (about 2lbs worth) and slice 1-2 lemons into quarters and place into stock. Then add all other stock ingredients.

Directions for Stock:

Place all ingredients into pot and boil for 45 minutes.  Taste for seasoning add fish sauce as needed for salt.  After stock has boiled and reduced/concentrated in flavor strain stock away from the ingredients using a colander.  To do this I placed a large heat proof bowl (or another pan) under a colander.  Then I pour the stock through the colander and it separated the whole pieces from the stock.  I placed the strained stock back into my soup pot and then picked out all the good chicken meat off the bone. You may have to wait until the chicken cools off so you can handle it with your hands. Discard the boiled onions, celery, carrots because their flavor has been infused into the stock and is not longer needed.  

 Note:  if you have oil on top of the stock, just skim in with a spoon before proceeding.

 Ingredients for Soup:

chicken prepared chicken stock from above
shredded chicken meat from the prepared stock
Fish sauce as needed for salt
1 (15oz) can of coconut milk
1/2 large onion diced
2 large potatoes peeled and diced
2 large carrots peeled and sliced
1 cup frozen peas

 
Directions:  Cook carrots, onion, shredded chicken and potatoes in prepared chicken stock. Once potatoes are tender add the frozen peas and coconut milk then bring to a simmer for 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning and serve.  Garnish with green onions or lemon slices.  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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Lemon and Sage Roast Chicken

I think roasting a chicken is what you call minimum effort for a maximum reward.  The chicken basically takes a few minutes of preparation time and the rest of the work is done in the oven.  I love the wow factor of the bringing a roasted chicken on a platter to the table.  It always makes people think you were working hard to prepare such a beautiful meal...only you know it was not hard at all.

 I recently saw an episode of The Chew on TV where they roasted a chicken with the simple ingredients of lemon and sage.  Since I have been growing sage this summer, I thought it was a great time to use some up.  I adapted the recipe just a bit and the chicken was lemony with the flavors of sage. It was a wonderful roast chicken dinner that my entire family enjoyed. Now come back tomorrow to see what I did with the leftovers. 

Ingredients:
5 pound whole chicken
2 lemons (quartered)
5-6 sage leaves
3 tablespoons butter softened
seasoning salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika



Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Mix salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika with softened butter (set aside until later).

Remove all the extra parts (gizzard, neck, giblets) out of bird and discard or save for another dish.   Then pat the chicken dry with a paper towel.  Stuff the cavity with the sage and lemon wedges.

Apply the butter mixture all over the bird. Place on a rack or create your own rack using long carrots.  Cook the chicken for 15 minutes in the 425 degree oven,  then reduce the heat to 325 degrees and cook for 20 minutes per pound (I cooked my 5lb chicken for a total of 1hour 55 minutes **see note below).  I basted the chicken once at the half way mark of roasting.  Allow roast chicken to rest 15 minutes before carving. Enjoy.

Notes: 

• The US government advises that cooked poultry should have an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
• If your bird is browning too quickly, cover the outside of it with tin foil to stop the browning.
• The juices from the bird should run clear so you know your bird is fully cooked.

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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Cheesy Potato Hash Breakfast Casserole

I really enjoy dishes that can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner and this Cheesy Potato Hash Breakfast Casserole is one of them.  This super hearty casserole has all the flavors that are loved at breakfast with the potato hash and the meat with the gravy.  Of course you can't forget the gooey cheese that goes well on everything any time of the day. Put them all together and serve them hot out of the oven with toast, scrabbled eggs, a salad, or even a side of steamed broccoli and you have a dish that will make anyone happy what ever time of the day they are eating. Another plus, I cooked everything in one pan and just threw in the oven to bake.  My son loved this dish and his only addition was a squirt of ketchup.  Kids love ketchup on everything so I won't hold it against him. :)

 Ingredients:
Potato Hash Layer:
6 large boiled potatoes diced small
1/2 large onion diced small
1/2 bell pepper diced small
seasoning salt (to taste)
1/2 tsp granulated
black pepper (to taste)
red chili flakes  (to taste)
2 Tbs butter/margarine
1 Tbs canola oil

Meat Layer:
1lb ground pork, beef, chicken, turkey of sausage
1 Tbs canola oil
1/2 large onion diced
1/2 bell pepper diced
1 tsp granulated garlic
seasoning salt (to taste)  ** see note
1 (10oz) can condensed cream of mushroom soup

 Toppings:
Cheddar or Mix of Colby, Cheddar and Monterrey Jack Cheese Shredded
green onion sliced

Note:  Careful how you salt the entire dish.  Every layer will have some salt plus the cheese and soup will also add salt to the dish. 

Directions:

For the Potatoes:
 Heat 2Tbs of butter and 1 Tbs of canola oil in nonstick frying pan.  Add finely diced potatoes and start browning them.  Then add diced onion and bell pepper and brown some more.  Add seasoning (seasoning salt, garlic powder and red chili flakes) fry for another 7-9 minutes.  Taste for seasoning and put potatoes in a oven safe 9x13 baking dish.

 For the meat topping:


 Add 1 Tbs on canola oil into the same pan you made the potato hash.  Then add onion and brown the ground meat of your choice.


Next add bell pepper and some seasoning salt, oregano, basil, black pepper and red chili flakes.

 Then add can of condense mushroom soup.  Saute for 3-5 minutes. Taste for salt and turn off the stove. Place the meat mixture over the potato hash.  Top with shredded cheese and bake in a 375 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.  Serve hot with toast or salad.  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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