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It was a cold weekend and I was craving Indian food- not just any old Indian food but proper restaurant food. By that I mean, something like chicken tikka masala, some kebabs and dal makhani. We were out for dinner the night before and I don’t feel right going out two nights in a row. So, what should I do. I decided to make it at home.

I ran to Trader Joes and got some chicken thighs and marinated them as soon as possible. The key to very flavor kebabs or tikkas is to marinate over night- ideally. Since I thought this up in the morning, I wanted to marinate quickly to get 3 to 4 hours for the chicken to sit in the yogurt mixture and get happy. For the first time ever I used food coloring- I wanted the authentic look – the tikkas have a red color to them and yes it does come from food coloring. Usually I make my tikkas au naturale and like them the way they are but somehow that day I needed for them to look exactly how they do in a restaurant. The other thing I did different was to use my broiling pan- do you use it?? I usually forget I have it. It is perfect to use when broiling things like chicken that have a lot of moisture. The excess moisture seeps down to the bottom tray and you are left with dry on the outside, juicy on the inside chicken.  To make it easier I used wooden skewers. It makes it a lot quicker to flip the pieces if they are on a skewer.

Well, it resulted in fabulous chicken tikkas- which is a great base for this classic curry available at Indian restaurants everywhere. The sauce is very easy to make. I made mine quite healthy with very little half and half. The one you get outside is laden with heavy cream- that is why it is so yummy. Mine is yummy as well with very little fat. One main flavor is dried fenugreek. It gives the dish a very distinct flavor- it is optional but I would highly recommend it. It is available at any Indian grocery store.

I served mine with dal makhani and homemade tandoori rotis- it was DElicious.

Next time you feel like eating Chicken Tikka Masala- do try my version- you may never eat out again!

• 2 pounds boneless skinless thighs, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 5-6 wooden skewers, soaked in water for at least an hour

• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 inches fresh ginger

Process the garlic and ginger into a paste and add to a medium sized bowl.

• ½ cup non-fat greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons half and half
• 1 teaspoon red food coloring (optional)
• Juice of one lemon
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 3 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• ½ cup cilantro, chopped
• ½ cup raw cashews, ground

Preheat broiler on high.

Add the yogurt, half and half, food coloring, lemon juice, coriander powder, salt, garam masala, cilantro and cashews into the bowl with the ginger and garlic. Mix well and add the chicken pieces. Marinate over night or at least two to three hours.
Take out the pieces out of the marinade and place them evenly onto the skewers. Broil on a broiling pan on high for 5 to 6 minutes on both sides or till the chicken is golden brown. Take the chicken out of the skewers and keep aside.

• 3 tablespoons extra light olive oil
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons minced ginger
• 2 cans (14 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1/3 cup milk
• ¼ cup half and half
• Pinch of sugar
• Salt
• 2 teaspoons coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 3 tablespoons dried fenugreek
• ½ cup cilantro, chopped

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil and add the cumin seeds on medium high heat. Saute for a minute and add the ginger and garlic. Saute for another minute and add the tomato sauce. Add the milk, half and half, sugar, salt, coriander powder and garam masala. Mix well and add half of the chicken pieces (the rest can be used for another recipe). Bring the sauce to a boil and simmer on low heat for 10 minutes. Add the fenugreek and fresh coriander. Check for seasonings.

I grew up eating pineapple cakes and pastries. I recall going to restaurants and bakeries where this cake was the most popular to eat. It was layers of soft, moist white cake, filled with whipped cream and pineapple. It was not overly sweet and most of all the icing was delicious. I think that is the reason why I don’t like buttercream or any other kind of icings. It just doesn’t taste fresh to me and most of the time they are overly sweet.

We were going out for dinner with some friends and I asked them to come back to our house for dessert. I was in the mood to bake a cake- I haven’t done it in a while. Somehow the pineapple cake came to mind. I bought the crushed pineapple and the whipping cream. Now, as some of you know, I do all of my baking with white whole wheat flour. I was a bit torn which way to go with this dessert. Since the icing is not overly sweet, the cake stands out. I wasn’t sure how the whole wheat flavor will taste with the rest of the ingredients.

I decided to go ahead with the whole wheat flour and went looking for whole wheat cake flour. Cake flour has less protein than the rest and results in a softer cake. I was not able to find whole wheat cake flour so I came home and made my own. For 2 cups of cake flour, I used 1 and 3/4 cups of white whole wheat flour mixed in with 1/4 cup of corn starch. I proceeded with a recipe I found on the internet but used extra light olive oil and raw sugar instead of butter and white sugar.

I went ahead and baked the cake and assembled it. It is very important to soak the layers well and properly with the pineapple juice to ensure a moist cake- especially if you are using white whole wheat flour.

My daughter was extremely excited to taste this dessert since I told her it was my favorite treat growing up. I was a bit concerned how she would react to the nutty cake flavor. Well, I don’t know what I was worried about- she loved it. My husband and I could taste the difference- it is not the same but it is a welcome change. For those of you looking for that authentic flavor, I would stick to regular cake flour. Me, on the other hand, will be making this cake again with the whole wheat flour. It was delicious- moist, soft and creamy.

Brought me back to my childhood. I love how food has the ability to transport you thousands of miles away…. Enjoy this delicious pineapple and fresh cream cake- you will love it.

• 2 cups cake flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup extra light olive oil
• 1 cup raw sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¾ cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 9-inch cake pans.
In bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt with a wire whisk.

Cream oil and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and mix until completely combines. Slowly add flour alternately with milk. At end of addition batter should be should. Divide between 2 pans.

Bake the cakes for about 25 minutes. Cool 5 minutes in pan, then invert onto a rack and cool completely before frosting.

• 1 pint whipping cream
• ¼ confectioners sugar

Beat the cream till it forms stiff peaks. It should take about 5 to 7 minutes. Keep aside.

• 1 (14 ounces) crushed pineapple with juice

Strain the crushed pineapple saving the juice (it should yield about ¾ cup juice). Keep the juice aside. Add one cup whipped cream to the strained pineapple. Mix well.

In the meantime, add one layer on a serving platter. With a large spoon soak the surface with half of the pineapple juice. Add the cream and pineapple mixture and spread evenly on the cake. Add the second layer on top and press down gently. Soak the top layer with the remaining pineapple juice. Frost the cake with the remaining whipped cream.
Chunks of fresh pineapple can be added as embellishments on the top. Refrigerate before serving.

I was in Whole Foods and noticed pink Maine shrimp on sale. I immediately went to the fish counter and asked for a pound. I asked if I could get the shrimp cleaned. The guy informed me very politely he was very busy and apologized. I expressed my concern about the amount of time it will take me to clean the shrimp. He told me this kind only needs to have the shell taken off. I decided to take it home and he was right- it took me all of 15 minutes to take the shells off and I was done.

I got in the mood to make a delicious shrimp curry. I usually make one that has a variety of dry spices including cumin, peppercorns and fenugreek seeds. They are roasted and ground and used as the curry base. Coconut milk is added for the sweet nutty flavor.

We all love that particular dish but I wanted to make something different. I decided to make a paste out of white and green onions, garlic, cilantro and mint. I added mustard seeds and curry leaves- by far, my favorite flavors.

I quickly sauteed the pink shrimp – literally for a minute on each side and took them out. I like to leave the shrimp half done so they can cook up just right once I add them back into the curry. I sauteed the green paste with the mustard seeds, coriander seeds and curry leaves and added the coconut milk.

I made lemon rice with it and dinner was a bit hit. My daughter initially was not happy with the green colored gravy. Once she tasted it, she changed her mind- she had two bowls full with plain rice.

Overall- it was a successful attempt at a green coconut curry… I was very satisfied.

• 1 pound medium sized shrimp, cleaned
• 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil

Green Curry

• 1 cup cilantro, chopped
• ½ cup mint, chopped
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 inch ginger
• 1 serrano chili, chopped
• ¼ cup water

Blend the cilantro, mint, green onions, white onion, garlic, ginger, chili and water till a smooth sauce.

• 3 teaspoons coriander seeds, toasted and ground
• 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
• 10 to 15 curry leaves, chopped
• 1 (14 ounces) light coconut milk
• Salt
• Juice of one lemon

Saute the shrimp on high heat for 2 to 3 minutes in a wok like sauce pan with the extra light olive oil. Take the shrimp out on a paper towel lined platter. Keep aside.

Reheat the wok like sauce pan and add the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Saute for a minute on high heat or till the seeds start to sizzle. Add the sauce and sauté on medium high heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the coriander seeds, salt and coconut milk. Mix well and cook for 5 to 6 minutes on medium heat. Add the shrimp, cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the lemon juice, taste for seasonings. Serve with plain or lemon rice.

This is one of my favorite things to eat – okay, I know I say that a lot- but I really do have lots of favorites. This one is from my childhood and I make it a lot at home. I made chicken tikka masala and had left over chicken tikkas. I normally give my daughter the chicken pieces rolled in a tortilla or roti for lunch- she absolutely loves it. This time I wanted to save the chicken for kathi kebabs.

I already had cilantro chutney in the fridge. All I had to do is to make some fresh rotis and prepare the egg mixture.

In the past I would give my daughter the chicken in the roti without the egg. This time, I told her I would stuff the chicken pieces in an egg roti. She did not like that idea at all. She suggested I give her scrambled eggs on the side but I didn’t budge. I told her that is what she will be getting for dinner.

I prepared it for her and didn’t include the onion relish or the chutney. She had one bite and made a lot ‘yum’ sound. “This is delicious”, she said. I made her apologize for doubting me and having a closed mind. She smiled and said sorry.

This time I served the roll with sweet potato fries- they are my new obsession. I love the sweet inside with the smoky, savory exterior- they are delicious!

Try the kathi kebabs with any kind of filling- you will love them.

• Leftover chicken tikkas (you need about a quarter cup per kathi), cut into one inch pieces and keep warm
• 4 whole-wheat rotis
• 4 tablespoons olive oil

Egg Mixture

• 4 eggs, beaten lightly
• 1½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

In a medium bowl, add the eggs, salt, and cayenne pepper. Beat lightly and keep aside.

Onion Relish

• 1 medium onion, chopped fine
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 lime, juiced

• ¼ cup cilantro chutney

• 8 toothpicks

In a small bowl mix the onion, salt, cayenne pepper and limejuice. Keep aside.

In a wide non-stick frying pan, heat one tablespoon olive oil. Add one roti to the pan and heat both sides, about a minute on each side. Take out of the pan and add 1/3 cup of the egg mixture. Immediately top the egg mixture with the warmed roti.
Cook on medium high heat, till the egg is cooked at the bottom, about 2 minutes. Flip the egg roti and cook the other side for about a minute.

Place the egg roti on a serving plate and place the chicken pieces in the middle from top to bottom. Add about a tablespoon or more of the onion relish and the cilantro chutney.

Roll the roti and secure with two toothpicks.

Sweet Potato Fries

• 4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½ inch thick fries
• 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the fries on an aluminum foil lined cookie sheet. Drizzle the olive oil, salt, garlic powder and paprika. Mix well with your fingers and bake for about 45 minutes or till the fries are soft on the inside and crunchy and golden brown on the outside.

I am not sure if some of you recognize this particular chili. I made it last year for the big game and this year I will make another kind but thought I should give a recipe in advance if you are planning ahead.
It is a very busy week for me- my darling daughter turns seven on Thursday and initially I was planning to bake cupcakes for her class as well as her party on Saturday. As the week came upon me, I realized I will be baking 4 dozen cupcakes- somehow that didn’t sound very pleasant to me. I was initially very excited about baking all the cupcakes but the thought of 20 kids in her class eating just a bit of a cupcake and throwing the rest away was not a pleasant one. All that work and effort will go right in the garbage- so I decided to buy the cupcakes for the class instead- of course I talked to my daughter first and she was okay with it. A little less work for me this week- so it opens up some time for me to plan a meal for the Super Bowl.
I think if I had a bit more time I would come up with something very different. For now the plan is to make a chili verde- which is a Mexican stew made with pork shoulder in a tomatillo sauce. Doesn’t that sound wonderful? I can’t wait to make it and taste it- I think I will make it on Saturday because soups, stews taste better the next day. I will be using this recipe as an inspiration- so if you are so inclined- you can do the same.

I will also make some guacamole and corn bread. Although beer is the beverage of choice for the big day- I will stick to wine, thank you very much.

If I can get my act together- I will post the chili recipe at the end of the week. Now that I have shared what I will be making, I want to know what you will be making for the big game?? Please share and give everyone more ideas…. No matter what you do or eat- remember to enjoy the Super Bowl but do try to eat healthy.