Beet & Cucumber Raita

Beet & Cucumber Salad with Yogurt Dressing

After cooking dinner yesterday, there were half a tub of greek yogurt and half a seedless English cucumber left, so I prepared this quick and easy salad. It is refreshing and cools the palate during an Indian meal.  

Eggs in Coconut Sauce

Deem-er Malai Curry

Bengalis make Malai Curry with fish and shrimp, so why not with eggs? It's basically an Egg Curry, which most Bengalis love, with coconut milk added to it. I've gven it a South Indian flavor with the use of curry leaves. 

I'm fortunate enough to have a curry leaf tree growing in a little container in the house, so it's readily available. Curry leaves may be replaced with cilantro.

Spicy, Sweet & Sour Chicken

This semi-homemade recipe was inspired by Tyson Any’tizers Mango Habanero Flavored Boneless Chicken Wyngz. It has a sweet and tangy flavor with a kick of spice which prompted me to try my hand at a spicy, sweet and sour chicken. For readers who live in places where this snacking chicken is not available, I’ve provided instructions for making fried nuggets of boneless & skinless chicken thighs coated in corn flour, but chicken breast would work just as well. The spiciness in the sauce comes from sweet chili sauce, the sweetness from pineapples, ketchup and brown sugar, and tanginess (sour) comes from pineapple juice and rice wine. Play around with the sauce ingredients to suit your taste.

Burmese Coconut Tapioca Pudding - Thagu Oh Noh

Coconut milk is a common ingredient in Burmese desserts such as this tapioca pudding. I used instant tapioca pearls, but the larger pearls would look a lot better in this dessert. I've given the recipe for cooking large tapioca pearls from scratch but, for a shortcut, a package of Jello Tapioca Pudding makes a great substitute. Just replace the two cups milk with two cups coconut milk and bring to a boil for a great dessert. Serve chilled.

Chicken & Potatoes Divine

This casserole took about an hour to prepare which includes the 40 minutes of baking time. It is a twist on Chicken Divan which uses broccoli instead of the potatoes used here. I used skinless boneless chicken thighs, but I'm sure bone-in thighs would taste even better. 

Thanksgiving Dinner 2013

There were 17 guests for Thanksgiving Dinner this year, so we added a spiral cut mini ham from Honey Baked Hams to the menu. The fruit salad was light and refreshing. The Bacon Ranch Potatoes were a welcome change from the usual Mashed Potatoes and the Bacon Wrapped Asparagus was an addition to the side items. There were Hawaiian rolls as well as Meatball Rolls made with biscuit dough wrapped around pork meatballs. We celebrated two grandsons' birthdays with an ice cream cake from Cold Stone Creamery and had Peach and Raspberry Bellinis for beverages.

Thanksgiving Dinner 

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Appetizers 

Fruit Salad

Entrée 

Honey Baked Sliced Mini Ham

Butterball Boneless Breast of Turkey

Gravy

Side Dishes 

Green Beans Casserole

Bacon & Ranch Potatoes

Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus

Onion, Carrots & Celery Stuffing

Meatball Rolls

Jellied Cranberry Sauce

Dessert 

Grandma Peggy’s Jello

Cold Stone Creamery's Midnight Delight Ice Cream Cake

Beverages 

Peach & Raspberry Bellinis

Jellied Cranberry Sauce

Jellied Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients:

1 (14 oz.) can Ocean Spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce

Directions:

Open can and pour jellied sauce into serving dish.

Slice horizontally into circles and serve.

Fruit Salad

Ingredients: 

½ cantaloupe, peeled & cubed
½ honey dew melon, peeled & cubed

½ seedless mini watermelon, peeled & cubed
1 mango, peeled & cubed

12 red seedless grapes

12 green seedless grapes

2 Tbsp. mint, julienned

Directions:

1. Stir all fruits together and garnish with mint.
2. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow flavors to mingle.
3. Serve with party picks.

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

This side dish is easy to prepare, looks appealing and tastes wonderful with or without the sauce. It was part of our Thanksgiving dinner this year.

Ingredients:

2 lb. (48 spears) fresh asparagus, ends trimmed
12 slices bacon, uncooked

Toothpicks
Sauce
½ cup dark brown sugar
½ cup butter
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
½ tsp. garlic salt
¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Combine sauce ingredients, reduce to a syrupy consistency and set aside.

3. Divide asparagus spears into 12 bundles of 4 spears each.

4 Wrap a slice of bacon around each bundle, starting ½" from bottom of tips.

5. Secure bacon-wrapped asparagus with a toothpick & arrange in baking dish.

6. Place in refrigerator for half an hour, then remove toothpicks.

7. Bake at 400°F for 25 to 30 minutes or until bacon looks fully cooked.
Serve sauce alongside asparagus bundles.

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Bacon Ranch Potatoes

The inspiration for these potatoes came from Oklahoma Natives on Facebook, whose recipe I adapted to ingredients that were available in my kitchen. For example, we always have fat-free half & half in our refrigerator, so that's what went into making this dish.  It was a big hit at our Thanksgiving table!

Ingredients:

6 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
1 (10 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
1¼ cups milk
1 envelope Hidden Valley dry ranch dressing mix
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. Oscar Mayer real bacon bits or 2 bacon strips, cooked & crumbled

Directions:

1.   Place potatoes in a saucepan and add cold water to cover.

2.   Bring to a boil and simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes.

3.   Drain potatoes and place in a greased 9” x 13” baking dish.

4.   Stir soup, milk, salad dressing mix, ½ cup cheese, salt and pepper, in a bowl.

5.   Pour mixture over potatoes and bake, uncovered, at 350°F for 25 minutes.

6.   Remove from oven, sprinkle with bacon and remaining cheese.

7.   Cover and set aside for 10 minutes or until cheese melts.

Spanish Chicken Rice

Spanish Chicken Rice Bowl

Spanish Chicken Rice Skillet

GrandBoy #1 is spending the evening with us today, so this dish was made in his honor. I removed his portion before adding the green onions & chili powder. The fajita chicken strips can be replaced with shredded rotisserie or any form of left-over roasted chicken. The rice was cooked and refrigerated overnight which prevents it from becoming mushy even after all the tossing and turning.

Stir-Fried Spinach with Potatoes & Peas

Palang Shaak Alu Karaishuti

I’ve noticed that if spinach is cooked uncovered, it retains its bright green color. Omit ghee to make this a vegan dish.

Cucumber Raita (Salad) with Dill & Mint

Raita is usually made with yogurt, mint and cucumber, all ingredients that are cooling to the body. Raita is often served cold as part of a festive Indian meal to help cut the heat in spicy dishes. The cucumber in this salad can be replaced with shredded carrots & raisins, chopped & blanched spinach, or a salsa of diced onions, tomatoes & green chilies. Unlike a salad which is eaten as a first course, Raita is eaten along with the different courses of an Indian meal.

Chicken Keema & Cabbage - Ground Chicken & Cabbage

An easy chicken curry made with ground chicken and shredded cabbage that tastes great as a stuffing for pita pocket sandwiches or served over steamed Basmati rice.

Lau Chingri Posto - Bottle Gourd/Chayote Squash & Shrimp in White Poppy Seed Sauce

This is a traditional Bengali recipe that I have tweaked by adding the white poppy seed sauce and replacing bottle gourd with chayote squash. 

Red Lentils with Onions, Tomatoes & Garlic

This was one of Mum's favourite ways of preparing red lentils. It tastes great garnished with cilantro and a touch of ghee or butter.

Easy Meatball Rolls

Just Baked Meatball Rolls

Cross-section of a Roll

Meatballs & cheese wrapped in garlic bread. The frozen meatballs need not be thawed before assembling. They were simply delicious and the meatball inside the roll was soft and juicy.


Adapted from a Pillsbury recipe.

Mung Bean Lentils with Spinach

Kaacha Mooger Dal Aar Shaak

A quick and easy lentil dish using mung beans and a package of frozen spinach. It took exactly 20 minutes to prepare on the stove top.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Whole Red Lentils & Carrots

Astho Musoorir Dal aar Gajar

It was quite surprising how little time it took to cook these lentils on the stovetop.

Cauliflower and Potatoes in Yogurt Sauce

Doi Phool Kopi

This was one of Mum's preparations for cauliflower that we all loved. Unfortunately, I don't have her recipe and all I remember is that it was white, devoid of all colour such as the yellow imparted by turmeric. So I tried to stick with all white ingredients and avoided the temptation to add tomatoes or turmeric.

Burmese Tohu Thohk - Chickpea Tofu Salad

Using tohu in a salad provides lots of protein and makes a refreshing mid-day meal. This is a cold salad utililizing tohu that has been setting up in the refrigerator for an hour to a couple of days. Tohu becomes firmer the longer it chills. The recipe that was posted last night makes 2 lbs. of tohu, a quarter of which (1/2 lb.) will be used in this recipe.

Burmese Tohu

Chickpea Tofu

A weekly challenge on a food group in Facebook with a main ingredient of chickpea flour or besan (sounds like baisin) as it is known in Hindi, prompted me to try this for the first time. There were certain foods in Rangoon, Burma that were best left to the experts, the street vendors, with the result that they were rarely, if ever, made at home. Ohno Khaukswe, Mohinga and Tohu were among these. After leaving Burma, all we were left with were memories of these delicasies but now, thanks to all the foodies on the Internet, our shadowy memories are coming to life in our own kitchens.

After chilling in the refrigerator, the tohu develops a firm and creamy texture. This recipe yields 2 lbs. of tohu and can be used as a garnish for Mohinga and as the main ingredient in various salads. 

Baked Tandoori Chicken with Mayonnaise

This dinner took exactly half an hour to put on the table. The boneless, skinless chicken thighs were very tender, the onions crystallized and the potatoes fork tender because the dish was baked at a high temperature.

Shrimp & Peas Pilaf

For a first attempt, this dish turned out to be a hit! I usually make a Chicken Biryani when company dines, but we needed a break from that. We're fortunate that shell-on shrimp (26-30 count/lb.) are available already cleaned of their digestive tracts.