angel toast with homemade maple syrup, fresh berries, and cream

We had a loaf of angel food cake that needed to be eaten. But it was only breakfast time. So I improvised. And it was delicious!! At least there were fresh berries involved. That makes it kiiinnda healthy, right? ;)

RECIPE: Angel Toast (Angel Food Cake French Toast)

Serves: 3

Ingredients:

6 1-cm slices of angel food cake

2 eggs

1-2 Tbsp milk

1/2 tsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Mix eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla together in a pie tin or plate with a good ledge, etc. Dredge the cake slices through the egg mixture, getting both sides and letting it soak in a bit. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Place the prepared cake slices in the pan and cook (flipping half way) until golden on both sides and the egg mixture is cooked through. 

Serve with Homemade Maple Syrup, fresh strawberries and cool whip. And enjoy!! Mmm.

RECIPE: Homemade Maple Syrup

Ingredients:

1 c water

1 c sugar*

1/2 tsp maple extract

Directions:

In a small sauce pan, bring the water to a boil.  Then add sugar and whisk over medium heat until sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat, whisk in maple extract.  Serve warm.

*Note: You can do 1 cup water with 2 cups sugar as per the original recipe.  But I think 1 cup of sugar makes it plenty sweet and delicious.  And it's maybe a tad bit better for you.  You know, as far as sugar water goes.

sautéed zucchini, yellow squash & onion

This hardly qualifies as a recipe, but I want to remember it for future reference. It was really yummy! I stole the idea from Brittney, who served it as a side to grilled chicken when we stayed with them recently. Because we eat too much meat (and were lazy), we decided to serve it as our main entree with a side of (Cal Rose) rice. It was surprisingly satisfying! And budget friendly! We intend to make this again!

RECIPE: Sautéed Zucchini, Yellow Squash and Onion

Ingredients:

4 small zucchini squash 

2 small yellow squash

2 med onions

Olive oil (EVOO)

Mrs. Dash

S&P 

Directions:

Julienne/slice onion. Wash and slice (in little rounds) the squash(es?). In a wok or large skillet, heat the oil over med-high heat. Add onions, then squash. Season to taste. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until veggies are soft. Serve (over or just with) rice. And enjoy!!

chicken tikka masala

Possibly my favorite food in the whole wide world is Lamb Tikka Masala, especially from the little hole-in-the-wall place here in town. Swoon. Seriously, so good. Unfortunately, lamb is crazy-expensive, so I'm probably never going to make that at home. 

Luckily, Chicken Tikka Masala is a very close second. And Pinterest (or Mattawa Mum,  rather) came to the rescue with an amazingly delicious recipe. 

This is the recipe I ended up using, mostly Mattawa Mum's, with a few great tips and tweaks from my bro-in-law Jon... and a dash of my own two cents. It's spectacular and was a major hit with the whole family. We will definitely be making this again!!

Notes:  Don't skip on the heavy cream.  Less fattening stuff won't work as well.  Also, the fresh cilantro is critical.  Don't skip that either.  And finally, if you don't have cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes also work in the marinade.  Random, but FYI.

RECIPE: Chicken Tikka Masala

Yield: 6
Calories: 476

Ingredients:
[For Chicken + Marinade]
1 or 1 1/2 lbs chicken thighs, chopped into bite-size pieces
1 (6oz) tub plain greek yogurt
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger


[For Sauce]
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeño (seeds removed), minced
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp salt
2 small cans (8 oz) tomato sauce {or one regular}
1-2 cups heavy whipping cream
Cilantro, fresh, for topping

Directions:
Chop up your chicken thighs and make up the marinade.  Mix together well in a dish (8x8 worked great), cover, and refrigerate at least 2 hrs.  When you're ready to make up the sauce, skewer the chicken pieces and grill them until cooked-through (no longer pink).

For the sauce, melt the butter in a (large) heavy skillet over medium-heat.  Add garlic and jalapeño and let cook for 1 minute.  Add all of the spices + salt and mix until incorporated. Add the tomato sauce.  Stir well, and let simmer until thickened (10-15 minutes maybe). Add the cream {1 c for spicy, 2 c for mild with just a teensy kick} and mix well to incorporate. Let simmer for a while longer, developing both the color and the flavor of the sauce.  Add the chicken (removed from skewers, of course).  Simmer.  Top with fresh cilantro and serve!

Serve warm over basmati rice, with a side of naan!  Mmmm.... So good.