Crock Pot Chicken Makhani (Indian Butter Chicken)

I love Indian food.  I order it a couple times a month, but for a long time was unable to replicate it at home.  I found several recipes that were plenty tasty, but just didn't taste like the Indian food that I was used to ordering.

Chicken Tikka Masala is one of my favorites.  Turns out, it's not an authentic Indan dish, but one that Curry Houses in the UK have made to replicate the Indian Butter Chicken that one might find in India.  (Pretty sure my college English professor would kill me for that sentence.  He always hated when we said things like "One might find".  He was vehemently against using the word "one" in such a context.  I'm getting off topic.

I've been blogging a lot about my crock pot and how I want to use it for more than just soups and stews.  I figured, why not look for an Indian recipe that I can make in the crock pot.  I found this one and made it today.

The recipe calls for cardamom pods.  I didn't want to go through the trouble of sewing cardamom pods together, so I googled to find out what the equivalent would be for ground cardamom (1 pod = 1/6 tsp ground cardamom)  That's much easier!

It also calls for tomato paste.  I used the one that has basil in it.  Yum!  For the yogurt, I used Greek Yogurt.  I actually prefer Icelandic yogurt, but I haven't been able to find an unflavored one.  There are plenty of brands of Greek Yogurt that make a plain version so I used that.

all the ingredients ready to go!

To juice the lemon, I used this handy gadget.  It makes squeezing and measuring much easier, and a lot less messy:

I wish blogger would let me rotate images.

After letting everything cook in the crock pot all day, I returned to this:

yum!

For side dishes, I made Roasted Asparagus, of course!  And I cooked up a box of Rice Pilaf with Lentils.  I added some cumin and cilantro (in a squeezable tube!)

I thought everything came out really well.  Here's a look at the finished, plated project.  (I'm really trying to work on my food photography skills):

a delicious and flavorful dinner!

Reese's Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe is a variation on the Rolo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies.  This time I used mini reese's cups cut in half.  I couldn't find the REALLY mini ones, so I just used the traditional minis.

Wrap the Reese's with the cookie dough, and cook according to package directions (I added a couple minutes to the cooking time.)

Pretzel Buttons

I've seen this recipe floating around Pinterest for a few weeks now.  I didn't know what to call them until I saw someone post them saying that she likes the name "Pretzel Buttons"  I thought it was cute!  I have a family party to attend this weekend, so I figured I'd make them!

You'll need:
-square checkered pretzels (Snyder's calls them "Snaps"  (I didn't use the whole bag)
-Hershey's Hugs
-M&Ms

Preheat oven to 250.
Arrange the pretzels in a single layer on a baking sheet.
Place a Hug on each pretzel

Bake for 5 minutes
Drop an M&M on top of each hug (the hug will collapse on its own)

Refrigerate for an hour or so to let the hug harden.

Roasted Beets

Wrap beets (skin on) in tinfoil with some olive oil and sea salt
Roast at 375 for 1 hour

When they come out of the oven, peel off the skin.  Cut into pieces or serve as is.

I didn't think I liked beets, but cooking them this way makes them taste pretty yummy!

Super Bowl Sunday Queso Dip

This is yet another recipe that I got from Pinterest.  I tweaked it a bit, based on other recipes that I've seen.  Here's the recipe that I started with.  Instead of fresh tomatoes and peppers, I used a can of Rotel.  I typically like to use fresh stuff, but so many recipes call for Rotel, that I figured I'd give it a try.

Instead of "Mexican Melting Cheese" I shredded up a combo of Pepper Jack cheese and Colby Jack cheese (about a block and a half total)

add the oil and tequila and continue to stir.  Keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn.

Here's the thing about this recipe.  The taste was right on.  I had some trouble with the texture.  It was either too watery or too thick, no mater what I did to it.  It was the first time trying this recipe though, so I'll keep experimenting!

Rolo-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is another recipe inspired by Pinterest.  That recipe outlines how to make the cookies from scratch.  I love doing that, but I was feeling particularly lazy tonight, so I bought a roll of Toll House.  I cut the dough into pieces

and rolled a Rolo candy into each one. 

 

Then I placed each ball of dough approximately an inch apart on a cookie sheet.  (Toll House says not to grease the cookie sheet, but all recipes are different.

(wow, my oven needs cleaning.)

The Toll House wrapper says to bake at 350 for 12-13 minutes.  Whenever I add any candy to my cookies and brownies, I always add a couple of minutes to the suggested time on the package.

Yum!

Breakfast Quinoa

1. Prepare Quinoa according to package directions
2. add a splash of milk and continue to simmer until thickened
3. stir in some cinnamon (I didn't measure it.  I just poured in a couple shakes)
3. add your choice of toppings.  (I like the craisins snack mix with cashews and dried fruits)