Carrot Cupcakes with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing

I've made these twice and gotten rave reviews and recipe requests - I can't give a first-hand review since I've never eaten one! Not a big carrot fan :)

1 ounces white chocolate
1/2 package cream cheese, softened (you'll use 4 oz)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon orange extract
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoons heavy cream

2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/8 cups white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups shredded carrots
1/2 cup crushed pineapple
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 12 muffin cups.
In small saucepan, melt white chocolate over low heat. Stir until smooth, and allow to cool to room temperature.

In a bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in white chocolate, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and orange extract. Gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar until the mixture is fluffy. Mix in heavy cream.

Beat together the eggs, white sugar, and brown sugar in a bowl, and mix in the oil and vanilla. Fold in carrots and pineapple. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Mix flour mixture into the carrot mixture until evenly moist. Fold in 1/2 cup walnuts. Transfer to the prepared muffin cups.

Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool completely on wire racks before topping with the icing and sprinkling with remaining walnuts.

FYI - both times I've made this I've forgotten to add the heavy cream to the icing, and it tastes great, but it's probably better with!

Szechwan Shrimp

It's been a while! I haven't been cooking many new things, but here's a new fave, healthy and SO easy:

1/2 c water
1/4 c ketchup
2 tablespoon soy sauce
4 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup sliced green onions
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb uncooked shrimp, tails removed

In a bowl, stir together water, ketchup, soy sauce, cornstarch, honey, crushed red pepper, and ground ginger. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Stir in green onions and garlic; cook 30 seconds. Stir in shrimp, and toss to coat with oil. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, then add in sauce. Cook and stir until sauce is bubbly and thickened and shrimp are cooked through.

Asian Noodle Salad

Ingredients:

Salad:

1 packages linguine or spaghetti noodles, cooked, rinsed, and cooled (I use whole wheat and it makes for a heartier meal)

1/2 to 1 head sliced Napa cabbage
1/2 to 1 head sliced purple cabbage
1/2 to 1 bag baby spinach
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced thin
1 orange bell pepper, sliced thin
1 small bag bean sprouts (optional, but since pregnancy I've been afraid of them, so I don't add)
3 sliced scallions (I use green onions)
3 peeled, sliced cucumbers (optional)
LOTS of chopped cilantro—up to one bunch

DRESSING:

Juice of 1 lime (I usually don't add but original recipe states)
8 tablespoons olive oil (can go easy on olive oil)
2 tablespoons sesame oil
6 tablespoons soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped
2 cloves chopped garlic
1-2 hot peppers or jalapenos, chopped
More chopped cilantro—LOTS

Preparation:

Mix together salad ingredients. Whisk together dressing ingredients and pour over salad. Mix with tongs or hands and serve on platter.
*Dressing keeps up to three days before serving, WITHOUT cilantro.

Healthy Banana Bread

This is a healthier banana bread recipe than most, and it tastes pretty good too.

Ingredients:

3 very ripe bananas
3 tablespoons expeller-pressed canola oil
½ cup honey
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 ½ cups whole-wheat pastry flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
¾ cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Recipe:

* Heat oven to 350 degrees and lightly oil a loaf pan
* Mash bananas and mix with honey, canola oil and vanilla extract
* Stir together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add nuts.
* Blend the two mixtures and spoon into a lightly oiled loaf pan. Bake for 40 minutes or until center is set.

Chew Cake

I admit, I have not had the chance to make any of the recipes yet, but I hope to do so once I get a little time! Sadia, thank you so much for having this blog (and sorry I've been totally MIA). I wanted to share a recipe for a cake I often make. I'm warning you that it totally sounds and is unhealthy, but I'll make it when I'm having a party and know lots of folks will be coming. I think it can't hurt too much to spread it over many people at a party. That way you'll know everyone will have a little and it'll be gone in no time (so you don't have the urge to eat it all yourself ;)

* Mix 1 box cake mix (any kind), 1 stick butter, 3.5 ounce can coconut, 2 cups pecans chopped (8 oz), and 1 egg
* Grease pan & lay the mixture into the pan
* Top: Mix 8 oz creamed cheese, 1 box powdered sugar, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Pour this mixture into the pan on top of the other mixture.
* Bake at 325 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes or until top golden brown

At the end you'll notice that when you stick a toothpick in cake to see if done, that method may not work because the cake stays gooey on the bottom layer and hardens up on it's own time. I usually let bake for 50 minutes and by that time the top is definitely a golden brown.

Enjoy :)

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast meat (I only had about 1/2 pound, thigh)
  
• 1 cup chicken broth ( I used veg)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed (we used fresh eggplant, squash and carrots)
  
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (i only had dried herbs)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 (9 inch) pastry for a 9 inch single crust pie (I used a single pastry sheet as a cover)
  
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Method:

1. I boiled the chicken thighs in celery/carrot/salt water and brought to boil. Then left at med-high, cannot fully cook it.
   
2. After 8-10 min, when you it is no longer pink, dip a cup into the broth to retrieve enough for the next step. I did not use more than 1 cup.
3. Remove the chicken and cut into small pieces/cubes.
   
4. In a saucepan, melt butter or margarine over medium heat. Add the onion and celery. Saute, stirring, for 3 minutes. Stir in flour until well blended. Gradually stir in broth mixture. Simmer, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens and boils. Add the chicken, vegetables, parsley and thyme. Pour mixture into a 1 1/2 quart deep casserole dish.
5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
6. Roll out pastry 1 inch larger than the diameter of the casserole dish on a lightly floured surface. Cut slits in the pastry for venting air. Place pastry on top of casserole. Roll edges and cut away extra pastry; flute edges by pinching together. Place on top of pastry. Brush pastry with beaten egg and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Let cool for 10 minutes and serve.

So delicious!! Hubby said it was the best he had ever had, and we finished the whole thing in 2 days. It's a great dish to bring to a potluck, easy and filling.

Community Supported Agriculture

Just had to share some pix, very belated, of the CSA bags we have been getting. They are so fun and inspiring, and I can't believe how much money we are saving! Every spread only costs us $15!! I have made some interested things with them, mostly a vegetable roast, or stir fry, but the combinations are tasty.

Easy and Quick Pizza Crust

PREP TIME 15 Min
COOK TIME 20 Min
READY IN 35 Min

Ingredients:
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Stir water, sugar and yeast together until dissolved. Add the olive oil and the salt. Stir in the flour until well blended. Let dough rest for 10 minutes.
Pat dough into pan or on to a pizza stone using fingers dipped in olive oil. If desired sprinkle basil, thyme or other seasonings on crust. Top with your favorite pizza toppings and bake for 15 to 20 minutes in a preheated 425 degree oven.

We brush minced garlic directly onto the crust, then top with low-fat Italian cheese blend, garlic powder, oregano, and red pepper flakes.

Penne Arrabiata

Made this pasta dish yesterday, and loved it - it's even good without the meat (and I never say that!) or you can sub in grilled chicken/shrimp to avoid breading. It would also go well with extra veggies, esp. zucchini. I use much less penne b/c I like a saucy pasta - as it is, it's not too saucy:

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1/2 cup olive oil, divided
6 cloves garlic, sliced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I use 1 tablespoon, b/c I love the kick!)
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with garlic and olive oil
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 bunch fresh basil, chopped
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 (12 ounce) package dried penne pasta
1 egg
2 cups bread crumbs (I use panko for extra crunchiness)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 pound thin chicken breast tenders

Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, and saute for a few minutes. Sprinkle in the red pepper flakes, and saute for another minute. Pour in the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce, and add the basil, garlic powder, and onion powder. Simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne pasta, and cook for 8 minutes, or until tender. Drain.
In a small bowl, whisk eggs with a fork. Place bread crumbs in a separate bowl. Stir the garlic powder, salt and pepper into the bread crumbs. Dip chicken cutlets into the egg, then press into the bread crumbs until completely coated.
Heat remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry chicken until the coating is a nice dark brown color.
Stir the cooked penne into the sauce, simmer for a few more minutes to soak up the flavor, then serve.

Spinach & Strawberry Salad

FYI - I'm going to post this last recipe, since I'm not sure anyone's even reading this anymore! If you are, let me know and I'll keep posting recipes!

This salad was a huge hit at a bbq we just had:

Serves 8

Ingredients:
2 bunches spinach, rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces
4 cups sliced strawberries
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup raspberry balsamic vinaigrette
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon poppy seeds

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, toss together the spinach and strawberries.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, sugar, paprika, sesame seeds, and poppy seeds. Pour over the spinach and strawberries, and toss to coat.

Marinated Grilled Shrimp

3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup olive oil
1/8 cup ketchup
1/8 cup chili garlic sauce
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or red pepper)
2 pounds fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
skewers

In a large bowl, stir together the garlic, olive oil, ketchup, chili garlic sauce, and red wine vinegar. Season with basil, salt, and cayenne pepper. Add shrimp to the bowl, and stir until evenly coated. Cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour, stirring once or twice.
Preheat grill for medium heat. Thread shrimp onto skewers, piercing once near the tail and once near the head. Discard marinade.
Lightly oil grill grate. Cook shrimp on preheated grill for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until opaque.

Serves 6

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Just to prove that there wasn't THAT much butter in the butter cookies ;)

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups butter
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
2 1/2 cups white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
6 eggs
3 cups cake flour (or use all-purpose and take out 1 Tbsp for each cup - so remove 3 T)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease one 10 inch tube pan.
Cream together the butter, cream cheese, and sugar until light. Stir in the vanilla and the almond extracts. Add the flour and the eggs alternately, beginning and ending with the flour. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Chicken Thighs Athenian

I'm giving the whole recipe, but I made this with pilaf and thought that the potato mixture really wasn't necessary - and that's what requires most of the effort in this dish! The fam loooved these :)

Estimated Times
Preparation Time 25 mins.
Cooking Time 35 mins.
Standing Time 30 mins
Serves: 4 (2 thighs each)

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed, dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
8 fresh chicken thighs

2 potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1/4 cup yogurt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Combine lemon juice, olive oil, salt, oregano and pepper in a large bowl. Add chicken thighs to bowl; turn to coat with marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes, turning once.

Meanwhile cover potatoes with water in a saucepan and cook for about 20 minutes, or until tender; drain. In a blender or food processor, combine potatoes, oil, crushed garlic and vinegar. Blend until smooth; add yogurt and mix well; keep warm.

Remove chicken from marinade; reserve marinade. Coat saucepan with remaining oil; sauté chicken thighs over medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes on each side; reduce heat and add marinade.

Cover and cook, turning often, until chicken is tender, about 25 minutes. Serve potato mixture with chicken.

Greek Penne Chicken and Pasta

INGREDIENTS
1 (16 ounce) package penne pasta
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped red onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into bite-size pieces
1 (14 ounce) can marinated artichoke hearts
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried oregano
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
In a large pot with boiling salted water cook penne pasta until al dente. Drain.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-high heat melt butter, add onion and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add chopped chicken and continue cooking, stirring occasionally until golden brown, about 5 to 6 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium- low. Drain and chop artichoke hearts and add them with their juice, diced tomatoes, feta cheese, fresh parsley, lemon juice, dried oregano, and drained penne pasta to the large skillet. Cook until heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Season with salt and ground black pepper. Serve warm.

Jam-Filled Butter Cookies

I'm back with all my unhealthy eating ways! My sister swears Europe has a much classier name for these cookies, but this is what allrecipes calls them.

INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
2 egg yolks
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup fruit preserves, any flavor (I used seedless blackberry)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar and egg yolks. Mix in flour a little bit at a time until a soft dough forms. Roll dough into 1 inch balls. If dough is too soft, refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes. Place balls 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Use your finger or an instrument of similar size to make a well in the center of each cookie. Fill the hole with 1/2 teaspoon of preserves.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown on the bottom. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.

This makes 36 cookies.

To fill in the jam, I followed some of the reviews and put it in a sandwich bag with a tip cut out.

Lentil Soup

This is a great pantry-cleaner recipe. I added everything at once, contrary to my traditional prep, with the bagaar at the end. I used a mix of black and orange lentils (masoor?).


Ingredients:
1/2 cup masoor daal
1/2 cup kaali daal
2 cups water, plus some later
approx 2 tsp minced garlic
approx 2 tsp minced ginger
2 tbsp olive oil
1 celery stalk, chopped
approx 1/2-3/4 cup chopped carrots
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
here is the real 'andaaza' part:
cumin
coriander (i added almost a tablespoon of each - and i run them through one toast cycle in the toaster oven to get them hot and smoky)
about 1-2 tsp red chili pepper
salt

Technique:
Bring to boil, then set for simmer. Upon final taste test, modify your spice level. I added freshly made garam masala and a tad more salt (to appease my husband), otherwise it was great!

Meatball Subs

INGREDIENTS
1 pound ground beef (use ground turkey for a healthier option)
3/4 cup bread crumbs (regular - not Italian)
2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper (less for kiddos!)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1 French baguette
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 (26 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
4 slices provolone cheese (or whichever you prefer)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, gently mix by hand the ground beef, bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, salt, red pepper, garlic, parsley, Parmesan cheese, and egg. Shape into 12 meatballs (can also make 24 smaller ones).
Place meatballs in a large saucepan, add all the spaghetti sauce. Cook over low-medium heat until meat is cooked. I leave it on low and do other work, checking occasionally. Meanwhile, cut the baguette in half lengthwise, and remove some of the bread from the inside to make a well for the meatballs. Brush with olive oil, and season with garlic powder and salt. Slip the baguette into the oven for 5 minutes at 350 degrees, or until lightly toasted. Spoon meatballs and sauce onto the baguette and top with slices of provolone cheese. Return to the oven for 2 to 3 minutes to melt the cheese. Cool slightly, cut into servings.

Low Fat Lasagna

Easy Low Fat Lasagna - Enough to feed the whole family for 3 dinners, easy!

1 lb. lean or extra lean uncooked ground beef (when you order from the Halal Meat Store, always ask for Sirloin or Filet to be ground so you get the leanest cut)
1 box plus a couple extra lasagna noodles (not the no cook kind)
8-oz. Lowfat Ricotta Cheese
8-oz. Lowfat Cottage Cheese
8-oz. Lowfat Mozzarella Cheese (Shredded)
1 Egg or two egg whites
1 jar + a little more low carb spaghetti sauce (I use Organic Marinara)


Mix the 3 cheeses & the egg together. Put a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a baking pan, add a layer of noodles (uncooked), then another layer of sauce, then evenly crumble 1/3 of the RAW hamburger onto the sauce then 1/3 of the cheese mixture.

Add another layer of noodles and then *SQUASH* the noodles down evenly (don't break them) until cheese goo is pushing up through the spaces in between the noodles.

Repeat the whole process for 3 layers. Top with a final layer of noodles and sauce. Add 1/4 cup of water gently across the top and
cover with tin foil, shiny side down.

Bake at 350ºF. for 1 1/4 hours and let sit about 10 minutes before serving. If you use the convection setting, only need to bake 1 hour. Serve with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

Makes 16 moderate servings

Flax & sunflower seed bread

I am a whole grain bread nut! I love crunchy seeds mixed in, too. Here is a recipe I made in my bread machine, although you can certainly make the dough and bake in the oven the traditional way. This recipe is from allrecipes.com. I took a pic with my phone so I don't one to post here, sorry!

Ingredients (this is the order I added into my bread machine, everyone's machine is different):
1 1/3 c water
2 tbsp soft butter
3 tbsp honey (we love honey, so was liberal here)
1 1/2 c bread flour (all purpose flour)
1 1/3 c whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt (we use kosher salt, its much more flavorful and no preservs)
1 tsp active yeast - that's one packet (careful not to touch the yeast with water)

Close the lid and start the machine - Basic White Cycle.

In the Knead Cycle, add:
1/2 c flax seeds (keep refrigerated)
1/2 c sunflower seeds

Yields a most delicious loaf of bread!

Italian Baked Chicken & Pastina

This is from The Food Network website - I made it yesterday, and we liked it! I used gemelle pasta because I couldn't find pastina. Gemelle's a much larger pasta, so I don't know how it will taste with a smaller pasta. It doesn't make too large a pan of pasta, so definitely have bread and/or salad as an accompaniment.

Recipe Details
Makes:
Prep Time: 15 min.
Cook Time: 40 min.
Ready In: 55 min.
Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 cup pastina pasta (or any small pasta)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup cubed chicken breast (1-inch cubes)
1/2 cup diced onion (about 1/2 a small onion)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice (I used diced tomatoes w/garlic & basil)
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon butter, plus more for buttering the baking dish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until just tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Drain pasta into a large mixing bowl.

Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat.
Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes.
Add the onions and garlic, stirring to combine, and cook until the onions are soft and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes more.
Put the chicken mixture into the bowl with the cooked pasta. Add the canned tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
Place the mixture in a buttered 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish (I just sprayed with Pam).
In a small bowl mix together the bread crumbs and the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over the top of the pasta mixture. Dot the top with small bits of butter (I left off the butter).
Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Indian Stir-Fried Shrimp/ Bhagari Jhinga

Cutting and pasting from my regular blog now!

First I'm putting in the original recipe, and then I'll note my own modifications:

PREP TIME 20 Min
COOK TIME 10 Min
READY IN 30 Min
Original recipe yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup coconut milk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon black mustard seed
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/4 pounds medium shrimp - peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water

DIRECTIONS
In a medium bowl, stir together tomato paste, salt, sugar, garam masala, ground cumin seed, ground red pepper, cilantro, jalapeno pepper, lemon juice, and coconut milk. Set coconut sauce aside.
Heat oil in a wok or frying pan over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, and cook until they begin to pop. Immediately stir in garlic, and cook until garlic begins to brown. Add shrimp, and cook until shrimp is opaque; this should take only a minute or two. Pour the coconut sauce over the shrimp; cook until the sauce begins to simmer. In a small bowl, mix together cornstarch and water; stir into the sauce, and continue cooking until thick.


MY MODIFICATIONS: I omitted the mustard seeds since I didn't have them, and added mushrooms in with the garlic. I also added a tsp of red pepper since we like our food spicy! It was probably a bit too much for most people. Next time, I'm going to add onions in as well, and maybe marinate the shrimp in some spices beforehand. Served over basmati rice.

Aalia's modifications:I didn't have coconut milk so used regular milk. I also added a little turmeric powder and some karhi pathay.

Aal - what's karhi pathay?

Chocolate Pretzels

EASY breezy recipe.  Satisfies the discerning sweet tooth and provides sweet with salty, smooth with crunchy. I'm going to take this as one of my 2 munchies to Farah/Shereen's recipe swap tomorrow inshaAllah.  Kareem had a fun time placing the chocolate on the pretzels for me. Kids would enjoy helping with this one.

INGREDIENTS

35 circular pretzels- these can be hard to find in the typical grocery stores.  I used mini twists, and they worked just fine.

35 Hershey's kisses

35 M&M's or 70 mini M&M's

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Place pretzels on baking sheet or on a tray lined with aluminum foil.  Unwrap kisses and place one at center of each pretzel.

3. Place in preheated oven 2 min. (do not go over 2.5 min. to prevent burning) until kisses melt.  Note: they will not completely melt into a puddle and that is fine; in fact, they shouldn't.  Remove from oven and place either 1 regular or 2 mini M&M's in the center of each kiss.  Chill in refrigerator about an hour until set.

Wa-la!  Simple and yum.

Ayesha, I may try your recipe below to take along also.  I picked up Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips for baking, and instead of dried cranberries, I got craisins (cherry flavored cranberries). Will report back on your post with results!

Chocolate/Fruit/Nut Clusters

Thanks for including me in this fun blog! I live far away so a virtual recipe swap will have to make do! I just shared these with Aalia, so I'll post here. I've made these for a friend, for her birthday, as a hostess gift, and just something to munch on at home to clean up the chocolate stash. I love that it uses some great ingredients, to which I am faithful, so if you experiment, let me know what you create!




Ingredient list:
* total of 6 oz of chocolate. dark chocolate works best because i use pecans and the combination works well. also dark choc is good for you :)
* 1/2 c chopped pecans are very tasty with chocolate also healthy.
* 1/2 c dried cranberries - i love baking with them!

Method:
Chop up (rough chop) a total of 6 oz of chocolate. (I use a mix of dark and semi-sweet. I have a food scale so I don't know exactly how much of a bar that would yield, so you'll have to figure that out. We often have chocolate lying around, so sometimes I throw it all on the scale and measure up.)

Melt in microwave for 1 minute on HIGH. Stir, and nuke for another 30 sec.
Add in about 1/2 cup dried cranberries and pecans.
Stir the mixture well.
Lay out your wax paper. I use a flexi mat and place wax paper on top. Arrange neatly by spoonful all over the mat. Refrigerate until chocolate is set, about 30 min. Then you can transfer to a sealed/air-tight container for about 4-5 days and keep in fridge.

Presentation:
They look lovely tray or in a cute goody bag with ribbons....as you can see I've played around with these...

Cinnamon Nutella Cake

This cake was simple to make and has all the decadence you would expect from something containing Nutella, but it is not too sweet.  The main hurdle is that I had to convert from Celsius to Fahrenheit and then convert all the quantities listed in 'grams' to 'cups.'  I haven't figured out a way to cut and paste a web link here in blogger, unfortunately; so, just do a quick google search on conversions.

I baked this tonight and it's cooling as I type!  Below I'll note the converted quantities and any modifications I made.

INGREDIENTS

175 g softened butter (0.761 c or 12.294 tbsp!) - I modified to about 5 TB for the family

175 g sugar (0.761 c or 12.294 tbsp)

3 eggs - I used egg whites instead

200 g self-raising flour (0.87 c)

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp ground cinnamon (used sticks and ground myself)

4 tbsp milk

4 rounded tbsp Nutella 

50 g hazelnuts, roughly chopped (0.217 c) - I omitted using hazelnuts.

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 180 C (356 F) - I set at 375 F.  Butter the base of a round cake pan.

2. Put the butter, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, cinnamon and milk into a bowl.  Beat with a wooden spoon for 2-3 minutes, or with an electric hand mixer for 1-2 minutes, until light and fluffy.

3. Tip 3/4 of the mixture into the tin, spread it level, then spoon the Nutella on in four blobgs.  Top with the remaining mexture, swirl a few times with a skewer, then smooth to cover the Nutella.

4. Sprinkle with the nuts.  Bake for 35-40 min, until risen, nicely browned, feels firm to th touch and springs back when lightly pressed.  

For a lovely picture and to see the British recipe for yourself, check out www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1688/cinnamon-nutella-cake.jsp .  Next time, I may stick to a recipe that is made for US measurements!

YUMMY!

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

This was easy and very good. From www.allrecipes.com, but with a few modifications:

Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
4 Tbsp panko bread crumbs (they're Japanese, you can find them with the other breadcrumbs)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/8 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1 pound tilapia fillets

DIRECTIONS
Preheat your oven's broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.
In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, butter, mayonnaise and lime juice. Season with Italian seasoning, pepper, and onion powder. Mix well and set aside.
Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook the fish.

I served it with rice, but I think it'd be better with bread and steamed veggies. This took about 15 minutes from start to finish!

Day One!

Thanks to Aalia for the blog title! This blog will be for anything at all food-related - recipes, tips, restaurant experiences, on-line purchases (yes, I buy brownies on-line - so??), or even memories of the much, much better meals our moms used to make for us!

I've added three additional blog authors:Aalia, my lovely and hilarious former neighbor from Atlanta; Rabia, a BFF for about 15(!!!) years; and Maryam, a newer (but great) friend from Baltimore who I went through the pregnancy process with! If any of you have other friends who'd like to participate, let me know and I'll add them as authors too!