Bombay House Chicken Tikka Masala

This is the best Tikka Masala recipe that I have been able to find and it is definitely comparable to Bombay House's dish in Provo. I was so excited to find something that satisfies my craving for good Indian food since there doesn't seem to be any good restaurants in Georgia of Tennessee.

Chicken Tikka Masala

MARINADE:

1 cup yogurt

Tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger

1 tsp salt

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

4 long skewers (I used our griddle)

SAUCE:

1 Tbsp butter

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp salt

1 8oz. can tomato sauce

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, 2 tsp cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, pepper, ginger, and 1 tsp salt. Stir in chicken, cover, refrigerate 1 hour. Preheat a grill for high heat. Lightly oil the grill grate. Thread chicken onto skewers and discard marinade. Grill 5 min. on each side. (I just cooked the chicken on a griddle.)

For the sauce: Melt butter in a large skillet. Saute garlic for 1 minute. Season with 2 tsp cumin, paprika and 1 tsp salt. (For a little more spice, you can add some cayenne pepper here too.) Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with fresh chopped cilantro. Serve over rice.

We ate it with the Naan Bread recipe.

Tres Leches Cake

On special occasions, Adam and I like to go to places like Cafe Rio or Bajios and get their Mexican dessert, Tres Leches. In my All You magazine last month there was a recipe for it, so I made it! And it tasted exactly the same as the one we buy at the restaurants. It called for things that I already have in my cupboards and my fridge which are my favorite recipes. It was very yummy. I think I will make it again soon. You can actually see the moistness running on the plate at the bottom of the cake in the picture. So Good!

Tres Leches Cake

CAKE:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

6 large eggs, separated

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

SOAK:

1 cup whole milk

1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1 12-oz. can evaporated milk

TOPPING:

1 1/2 cups whipping cream

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

1. Make cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Mist a 13-by-9-inch baking pan with cooking spray. In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.

2. In a bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar until light, about 3 minutes. Add yolks, one at a time, beating after each. Beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture in three parts to form a stiff batter.

3. Using clean beaters and bowl, beat egg whites until peaks form. Stir 1/3 of whites into batter; fold in remaining whites. Spread batter in pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Use a fork to poke holes on top of cake. Cool to room temperature on a rack.

4. Whisk together whole, condensed and evaporated milks. Pour over cake, cover and chill for at least 4 hours.

5. To serve, whip cream with sugar and vanilla until firm peaks form. Spread over cake and chill 30 minutes to 1 hour. Garnish with fruit, if desired.

Birthday Strawberry Shortcake with Almond Glaze

It was my sister Amber's birthday last week and I wanted to make her a cake. This one looked just really pretty, so my brother, Avram, and I whipped it up for her at his BYU apartment. It was really yummy and rich. It had a great almond flavor through out the cake. It's a great cake to make for special people.

Strawberry Shortcake with Almond Glaze

1 yellow cake mix

1 cup sour cream

4 eggs

1 small vanilla pudding mix

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup water

2 tsp almond extract

Mix all the above ingredients together for a few minutes until well combined.  Pour the batter into 2 round cake pans.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45-50 minutes.  Let cool for a few minutes and then gently remove from pans and allow to cool on a wire rack.

Almond Glaze

2 cups powdered sugar

3 Tb butter, melted

2 tsp almond extract

1-2 Tb milk, if needed

Mix the glaze ingredients together while the cake cools.  Once semi cooled, prick the cake with a large fork or the back of a wooden spoon.  Spoon the glaze over the two round cakes letting it sink in.  Save about 1/3 or so of the glaze and set aside.

1 pint whipping cream

powdered sugar to sweeten

1-2 pounds of fresh strawberries, sliced

Whip cream with 2 Tb powdered sugar, using a mixer.  Wash dry and slice the starwberries and set aside.

Assembly:

Place one of the glazed cake rounds on a cake stand or large plate.  Top with freshly whipped cream and a layer of strawberry slices.  Follow with the second cake, more whipped cream and arrange more fresh sliced strawberries on top in a pretty pattern.  Next drizzle the more of the almond glaze over the top and down the sides.  Store in fridge until ready to serve.  Enjoy!

I got this recipe from Sisterscafe.com

Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana Soup

Zuppa Toscana Soup
1 lb ground Italian sausage

1½ tsp crushed red peppers

1 large diced white onion

4 Tbsp bacon pieces

2 tsp garlic puree

10 cups water

5 cubes of chicken bouillon

1 cup heavy cream

1 lb sliced Russet potatoes, or about 3 large potatoes

¼ of a bunch of kale

1. Sauté Italian sausage and crushed red pepper in a large pot. Drain excess fat, refrigerate while you prepare other ingredients.

2. In the same pan, sauté bacon, onions and garlic over low-medium heat for approximately 15 mins. or until the onions are soft.

3. Add chicken bouillon and water to the pot and heat until it starts to boil.

4. Add the sliced potatoes and cook until soft, about half an hour.

5. Add the heavy cream and just cook until thoroughly heated.

6. Stir in the sausage and the kale, let all heat through and serve.

I also like to cut up a fresh tomato and place it in my bowl of hot soup as well. Mmm.... Tomatoes make everything better.

I made this last night and made it with my Olive Garden bread stick recipe and my Olive Garden salad recipe.

Eat with:
Olive Garden's Salad and Dressing 
Olive Garden's Bread Sticks 

Snickers Salad

Snickers Salad

4 green apples
3 Snickers Candy Bar (or more!)
2 Cool Whip
1 1/2 cups vanilla yogurt (I have seen it with strawberry yogurt too)

Fold yogurt into Cool Whip. Cut apples and snickers into bite size pieces.  Set some apple pieces and snicker pieces aside to sprinkle on top at the end. Fold remaining pieces into creamy mixture. Sprinkle the extra apple and snickers pieces on top so that it looks nice. Let it sit in the fridge for a while.