Chicken Tikka Masala

This is one of my favorite Indian dishes. It was the first thing I ever ate at an Indian restaurant and is almost always what I order. Until I found this recipe it never even occurred to me that I could make it at home.

I found this recipe in the book English Trifle by Josi Kilpack. I'm a huge fan of culinary mysteries and was excited when I found this new author. I have tried several other recipes from her books and they have all been good. My kids never know what I am talking about when I tell them we are having Chicken Tikka Masala for dinner, so I just call it Indian food.

No pictures, as we were all too excited to eat it!

Chicken Tikka Masala
Chicken
1 cup plain yogurt
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp cumin
1-2 tsp cayenne pepper (whatever you can tolerate)
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite size pieces
Combine all ingredients in a gallon size ziploc bag, seal bag and knead mixture by hand. Allow chicken to marinate at least one hour or longer in refrigerator.
After marinating, remove chicken from bag and grill or broil until cooked through. Marinade will cook off and you can discard the rest.
Sauce
1 Tbsp butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno, minced (optional if you want extra heat)
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp salt
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1 cup whipping cream
Basmati rice, cooked
Chopped cilantro for garnish
Melt butter in a large skillet and add garlic and jalapeno. Cook 1 minute. Add coriander, cumin, paprika, garam masala and salt. Add tomato sauce and cover skillet. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cream and simmer until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Add cooked chicken to sauce and simmer an additional 5 minutes. Serve over rice and garnish with cilantro.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes

These are based on a recipe I saw here. I played with it a little bit and even made a cake for Valentine's Day. They are super yummy but I keep dreaming about adding a chocolate ganache center. (I think I've watched too many episodes of DC Cupcakes)

The first time I made these I tried a flour substitution with GF flour and a regular chocolate cake recipe. The result was chocolate lava in the bottom of my oven. My kids and I sacrificed and ate the crusty edges and then I crumbled the rest for a future recipe. For the next batch I used my tried and true GF chocolate cake recipe. Success!

Gluten Free Yellow Cake (All Recipes.com)

1 1/2 C white rice flour (I always use asian rice flour)
3/4 C tapioca flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp xanthan gum
*for chocolate add 1/2 C cocoa powder and increase sugar by 1/4 C
4 eggs
1 1/4 C white sugar
2/3 C mayonnaise
1 C milk
2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 round cake pans or 36 cupcake liners.

Mix together the dry ingredients, except the sugar and set aside.

Mix together the eggs, sugar and mayonnaise until smooth. Add the flour mixture, milk and vanilla and mix well. Spread in prepared pans or liners.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cake should spring back when lightly touched. Let cool and then frost as desired.

Strawberry Frosting (the-girl-who-ate-everything.com)
½ cup fresh strawberries, hulled

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened but still slightly cold

3 ½ cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

Place 1/2 cup of strawberries in a food processor or blender and process until pureed into liquid.

Beat butter and salt until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar slowly until combined. It will be dry but be patient...it will come together.

Add vanilla extract, and 4 Tablespoons of pureed strawberries. Mix until just blended. Frost cupcakes and add chocolate drizzles if you desire. Share with everyone you love.

Creamy Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

I have always been kind of a tortilla snob-flour tortillas or nothing! Of course this had to change when I started cooking gluten free. I tried enchilada recipes with red sauce, white sauce and a sour cream sauce but I just never found anything that I loved with corn tortillas. I came across this recipe while looking at scrapbook stuff and decided to try it. It is now one of our family favorites!


Creamy Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

shabbyprincess.com

3 C cooked, shredded chicken

1/2 C salsa or pico de gallo

1/2 onion, chopped

1 can diced green chiles

1 tbsp butter or olive oil

1 package cream cheese

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

1/2 C frozen corn

3 C shredded cheese, monterey jack is good

1 1/2 C heavy cream

about 20 corn tortillas

I like to get my tortillas ready first. Heat a small frying pan to medium low and spray with cooking spray. When pan is ready, put a corn tortilla in and warm on both sides. Set aside and continue until all tortillas are finished. Add a little more spray if needed, but usually once is enough. The goal is to warm these up, but not crisp them. If you do not do this, they will crack and fall apart when you try to roll them.

Now, using a large frying pan, heat your butter or olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and saute until soft. Add the green chiles and salsa and continue to saute until they start to caramalize a bit. Now add the cooked chicken then the cream cheese little by little until the whole package is incorporated. Add your cilantro, frozen corn and 1 cup cheese. Mix well. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking

Lay out your tortilla and add as much filling as you would like, I use a heaping Tbsp. Roll your tortilla and place it in the pan seam side down. Continue untill all the tortillas are filled. These are best if they are done in a single layer, so use a large pan.

When finished, pour the heavy cream over the top of the enchiladas and cover with remaining cheese. Bake at 375 degrees until bubbling and golden brown-usually about 20 minutes. Serve topped with sour cream, guacamole and salsa.

Hawaiin Haystacks

In my Pennsylvania mind this is a quintessential Utah food; right up there with jello and funeral potatoes. This is one of those super easy, quick, "I have no idea what to make for dinner" meals. Given the choice, my kids would eat these much more frequently than I am willing to make them.

Pre-gluten free, these involved cans of soup and a few other ingredients. When I was trying to convert some of our staple menu items, I happened across this recipe in a chat room about girls camp. Kind of random, but I am so glad I did! We like them served with pineapple, coconut, cheese and green onions. Hope your family loves these as much as mine!

Hawaiin Haystacks

6 Tbsp butter
1/3-1/2 C GF flour (the amount will depend on the flour, I use 1/2 C of the asian rice flour because it is so fine, but I use 1/3 C for any of my other flour blends. Just make sure the roux is thick enough when you are whisking it together)
3 C chicken broth
1/2 C milk
1/2 C half and half
2-3 chicken bouillion cubes for added flavor
1 1/2 C chopped, cooked chicken (about 2 chicken breasts)

Melt butter in saucepan on medium heat, blend in flour. This should be a big clump when combined. If it's too soft, you may not have enough flour to thicken the sauce later. Add chicken broth and smashed bouillion cubes and whisk until mixture thickens. Whisk in milk and half and half until smooth. Add chicken and a dash of pepper to taste. Don't forget to stir all the way through or the bottom will burn. Serve over rice, with desired toppings.

This sauce is the equivalent of 2 cans of condensed cream of chicken soup, mixed with 2 cans of milk.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

These are some of my very favorite cookies. I'm not a huge fan of peanut butter cookies (unless they have a kiss) or oatmeal cookies, but something about the two of them together is sooo good!

I found this recipe in the FREE Costco cookbook-yes FREE! They hand it out to everyone who comes in on the day after Thanksgiving. It typically features recipes that use their products, but with a family that eats like mine, that's not a problem for me!

Best Ever Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Skippy-"In the Kitchen the Costco Way"

2 cups GF oats

2 cups GF flour (I usually just use asian rice flour)

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp xantham gum

1 cup butter

1 cup peanut butter-creamy or chunky

1 cup sugar

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 12 oz bag chocolate chips (optional according to the recipe, but neccessary in my opinion)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a small bowl, combine oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and peanut butter until smooth. Beat in sugars, then eggs and vanilla until blended. Beat in flour mixture just until blended. Stir in chocolate chips.

On an ungreased baking sheet, drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls, 2 inches apart.

Bake for 13 minutes, or until golden. Remove to a wire rack and let cool completely. Makes 6 dozen cookies.

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