Baking Blitz: Cooking Option: Naan Bread

I love love love Naan bread! I love it with Indian food and well, just in general! I make it sometimes and turn it into little mini pizzas, or eat it with my pasta dishes (I know, it’s Indian but does it really matter? It’s my house, my kitchen, my rules right?)

This recipe is really simple and it’s the perfect add to your Indian dish, especially if you make it really spicy!

Bread:
1 cup Flour
1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 tbsp Baking Powder
½ tsp Sugar
½ tsp Salt
½ cup Yogurt
½ cup 1% Milk
1 Egg White

Topping:
Butter
Minced Garlic


Heat oven to 425

Mix butter and minced garlic in a bowl, put aside.

Combine flours, baking powder, sugar and salt. In another bowl whisk together yogurt, milk and egg white. Combine mixtures and mix until it’s a light fluffy dough. Knead on a floured surface. Knead well. Let stand: covered with a damp cloth for 30 minutes.

Divide dough evenly into 8 pieces. Roll into balls then pat out into elongated leaf shapes. Place on a non stick pan, spread melted butter and garlic mix on each pieces before putting in the oven. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Baking Blitz: Cooking Option: Simple Curry Sauce

I found this recipe in a cook book when I was in Australia and I’ve used it so many times since. Why? Cause it’s so easy and so much cheaper then buying a jar for $4 at the grocery store!

1 cup Mayo
8 tbsp Milk
2-4 tbsp Curry Powder (depending on how spicy you want it!)
1 Onion (minced or chopped)
¼ tsp Tabasco Sauce

Fry the onion in a sauce pan until golden. Add mayo, milk and Tabasco sauce. Mix well. Add curry powder; mix in well. Let simmer for as long as you want (the longer the better-more flavor!)

Tip: For a thicker sauce use sour cream instead of milk.

Baking Blitz: Cooking Option: How To Cook A Turkey

This year we (Marshall and I) are having my mom to our place for Christmas dinner. That means I’m doing most of the cooking! The first time I make a turkey it was super intimidating BUT I did do a pretty good job! Here are some easy steps to make cooking a turkey super fun and stress free.

Step 1: If using a frozen turkey, thaw in its original plastic wrapper in the fridge. Allow for 5 hours per pound.

Quicker method: Cover the turkey with cold water (the sink is a good place for this), changing every 30 minutes; allow 1 hour per pound (500 g).

Step 2: Prepare the turkey by removing giblets and neck. Rinse and wipe the cavity; sprinkle with salt and pepper or stuff (with stuffing of course!) lightly using skewers to fasten skin over the cavity or my suggestion; do both!

Step 3: Place turkey, breast side up, on rack in roasting pan. Brush with melted butter or oil (I also pour some chicken broth in the bottom of the pan for gravy later). Tent loosely with foil. Roast in 325F (160C) oven for about 20 minutes per pound (500 g) or until juices run clear when turkey is pierced and when thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 180F (82C) for a stuffed turkey or 170F (77C) for an unstuffed turkey. Remove tent for last hour of roasting. (at this point I usually take some of the juices and run them then over the top to give it more of a nice crisp skin)

Step 4: When turkey is done, transfer to warm platter. Tent with foil and let stand for 20 to 30 minutes. This allows time for juices at the surface of the bird to distribute evenly throughout the meat.

Step 5: Carve turkey. Eat and enjoy!

Have any good ideas, or substitutes for this....share them, leave a comment, I’d love to hear from you!!

Baking Blitz: Cooking Option: Alfredo Sauce

There aren’t a lot of options in the grocery store for Alfredo sauce, and the options that are out there are super expensive (to me at least). I’ve never really been good at sauces so I started to give up when I got a few wrong, but I had a lot of confidence I couldn’t screw this one up so I tried it the other night. It turned out great! It’s really easy, and sort of fun, and you can add whatever sort of spices you want and it seems to just make it better (sort of like a blank canvas for sauces). So give it a try and see if you like it!


1/2 cup Cream Cheese (or sour cream)
1 cup Milk 0-2 %
3 tbsp. Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 Clove Garlic
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Pepper
3 tbsp. Dry Parsley or 1/2 cup fresh

The best way to make this consistent is to use a blender. Put cream cheese, milk, Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt and pepper in blender. Blend until there are no clumps, pour into saucepan on medium heat, cook for about 10 minutes (or longer to make the flavour really take!). While cooking add parsley (if fresh chop finely) and save some for garnish.

Have any good ideas, or substitutes for this....share them, leave a comment, I’d love to hear from you!!

Baking Blitz: Mini Cheese Scones

We were having fish and mash the other night and I just had the urge to make it even more English so I made scones!(I’m not sure if it’s more an English thing or Scottish, but either way, really good!) I learn this recipe in high school, and I don’t think I had used it again since, but wow, I forgot how good they really were! (they are sort of like the ones the Red Lobster used to serve but I’m sure less fattening!)

3 ½ Cups Sifted Flour
2 Tbsp Baking Powder
1 Tbsp Sugar
1 Tsp Salt
¾ Cup Butter
2 Cups Shredded cheese
2 Tbsp Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 Egg
1 Cup Milk

In a large bowl mix together flour, baking powder, sugar, salt. Cut in butter, mix until dough in fine clumps. Stir in cheese. In another bowl whisk together milk and the egg. Add egg mixture to flour mixture, holding back one tablespoon to spread on top of scones before putting in the oven. Mix until dough forms a ball. Kneed for 3 minutes. Roll out on floured surface (one inch thick). Cut in to 2’’ x 2’’ squares. Brush remaining milk and egg mix on top. Put on greased or flowered baking sheet. Cook for 12-15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Have any good ideas, or substitutes for this....share them, leave a comment, I’d love to hear from you!!

I shared this recipe at:

Mangia Mondays
Made by you Mondays
Make a Food-e-Friend Mondays
A Marvelous Mess Monday
Made it on Monday
The More The Merrier Mondays

Baking Blitz Starts Now

So lately I have been on this baking and cooking kick (I think it has something to do with getting married and doing the nesting thing). I’ve always really liked baking and the fun things you can come up with.

When I was little, every chance I got I took to be in the kitchen with my mom helping create something and I’ve learned a lot of my skills from her (including using your eye instead of cups and spoons for measuring!). Throughout high school I took all the cooking courses I could as well (where they didn’t like it too much when I didn’t follow the recipes to a t).

With that said, I thought I would post some of my favourite recipes from the past, new ones I’ve discovered lately, and any other fun I have in the kitchen. November and December to me are months of great baking, Christmas and the like, and I figured I’d get on that too! This year my goal is to make all sorts of different holiday treats and fill my freezer with them as I go (and to not gain weight in all of it, which be the harder goal!).

So keep reading, there will be lots of sweet things to come!