A Message to My Followers

Wow, I just realized I have new followers. It just amazing me that people can just find you in this vast world of cyber blogging. I guess its not so big after all. Anyway, thank you for reading this humble blog. I'm just getting in to the mode of posting so bear with me. It may not be regular at first but once I get the feel of this thing, I'll try to post more often.

Well have a wonderful day and I hope to hear from you sometime!

Meaty Chicken Lasagna

Ok so I have a confession to make. I don't really "measure" for these recipes. I don't use a standard measuring device (measuring spoons in particular). What I do use is an actual teaspoon...you know the ones we eat our cereal with. Just thought I would let you know because there is a difference. Eventually I'll convert these recipes to the standard measurements.

Just for your information, most mothers back home never measured their ingredients. I guess I picked up on those little habits...can't help it! Sorry.

1 lbs ground chicken
3 Tbsp oil
1 med onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp ginger garlic paste (or 1/2 of each, freshly minced)
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp black pepper, ground
1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/4 tsp red chili pepper (or to taste; you can omit if you wish)
1/4 tsp corriander powder
pinch garam masala
1 can/jar your favourite pasta sauce
dash Italian seasoning
12-15 lasagna noodles, uncooked (I prefer whole wheat and some spinich noodles in between)
2 cups mozerella cheese, shredded
Parmasean cheese and Italian seasoning for garnishing
9 x 11 baking pan
foil

Before you begin: Preheat the oven to 350 F

1. Add oil to a frying pan. Add onions and saute until light golden. Then add the ginger garlic paste and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the ground chicken and cook until the meat is white. Meanwhile, fill a large pot with water and cook the lasagna noodles according to package directions.
2. Add all the spices and fry the meat until golden and water has evaporated.
3. Sprinkle the ground chicken with a dash of Italian seasoning and pour in your pasta sauce. Let cook on medium until it boils, them reduce heat and let simmer for about 10 min.
4. By this time the noodles should be done. Drain the water.
5. In a 9" x 11" baking pan, pour a little of your prepared pasta sauce and spread. Lay down your first layer of lasagna noodles. Add sauce to the tops of each noodle and top with some cheese. Repeat until all your layers are complete. Do not top your lasagna with cheese yet. Leave it with sauce only. Cover with foil and place in the oven. Bake for 35-45 minutes.
6. Take pan out of the oven, uncover and top lasagna with cheese. Sprinkle with a dash if seasoning and place back in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the cheese is light golden.
7. Remove from the oven and let sit for about 10 minutes before cutting.
8. Cut into squares and serve with your favourite steamed veggies like carrots, broccoli, green beans, etc...and some fresh salad.
   
   Enjoy!

Eggy Dairy-Free French Toast

My DD2 is allergic to dairy so I came up with this very, very simple version of the typical French Toast.

2 eggs, large
2 tbsp sugar
2-3 bread slices, 100% whole wheat
oil
icing sugar, cinnamon (optional)

1. Place non-stick pan on stove on medium heat. Place few teaspoons of oil for frying.
2. Whip up eggs and sugar in a medium bowl.
3. Dip bread slices one at a time. Place each slice on the non-stick pan.
4. Cook both sides until cooked through and goldern brown.
5. Place on a plate and sprinkle with icing sugar and/or cinnamon.

Serve with your favourite syrup and fruit. You can experiement with different kinds breads as well like yummy cinnamon raisin bread. Mmmm...

Tip for picky eaters: DD2 sometimes gives a hard time eating eggs so I make this recipe only using one egg and once slice of bread. I'll leave the bread in the egg mixture until it is completely saturated and then fry. This way, she'll eat an egg and not even know it...is that called cheating??

My Desi Turkey and Gravy

Well, since my search for recipes was inspired by the "All-American" (or Canadian) turkey dinners, I thought I it would make sense to post "My Desi Turkey" as the first post on this page. "Desi" loosely means anything from the Indo-Pak subcontinent.

Please note, the recipe below is written for every 2 lbs of meat. So, if you have a 14 lbs turkey, multiply this recipe 7 times. You don't necessarily have to "multiply" it using a calculator but repeat it 7 times while you are adding the spices to your bowl. I just found it most convenient keeping the recipe this way.

All of these spices can easily be found in your local Indian/Pakistani grocery shop or even in the international section of your main grocery store. The soy sauce and chili garlic sauce is not actually "desi" but its from oriental cooking. You can find it in your main grocery store. The oven bag is a wonderful little thing. It works wonders and reduces your cooking time to just about 2 hours! I can't live without this. The turkey comes out juicy on the inside and crispy on the out. Just find it in the grocery section where you they carry foils, plastic wraps, etc.

Be prepared, this is loaded with spices and is not your conventional recipe.... :) You can tone down the red chili powder to your liking or just omit it all together. Enjoy!

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder, granulated
1 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp black pepper, ground
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chili powder (optional)
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp chili garlic sauce
water

1 oven bag
1 roasting pan or large foil pan

1. Clean your turkey and remove any excess fat. Loosen the skin from the meat using a wooden spoon and carefully make deep cuts in the breast, thighs and legs. (This will allow the spices to get into the meat really well).
2. Mix all of the above ingredients in a bowl except for water. Slowly add water until all spices become a uniformed, thick paste.
3. Using your hands, apply the paste under the skin and into the slits and cuts. Rub the paste on the skin as well. Rub it in well.
4. Cover and place into the refrigderator overnight.
5. When you are ready to cook the turkey, remove it from the refridgerator and let sit.
6. Preheat oven to 350 F.
7. Prepare your pan and place an oven bag in the centre. Carefully open the bag and slide the turkey into the oven bag. Follow manufacturer's directions and seal closed with the provided tie. You will have to cut a few tiny slits on the top of the oven bag for steam to escape.
8. Place in the oven and roast according to the manufacturer's directions. (Note: it usually takes a 14 pounder to roast to perfection in about 1.5 to 2 hrs, HONEST!).
9. Place the roasted turkey in a nice pan, cover and place on the side.
10. Remove the excess turkey juice from the roasting pan, discard the fat drippings and place in a sauce pan. Let simmer on stove on medium.
11. In a small bowl, add some cornstarch with cold water. Mix until uniform.
12. While stirring, add the cornstarch paste into the sauce pan. Cook until the gravy becomes thick and dark. Serve with your turkey!

If anyone tries this, please let me know how it turned out. You can also do this to a whole chicken and it tastes great!

Slipstitch

This is a very handy stitch when you are finishing off your stuffed toy, cushion, double-lined handbag and so on. It simply joins two folded egdes of fabric together. The final finish is clean and you cannot see the stitch as though it's become...invisible! All you need is your project, a hand-sewing needle, and thread.

First, thread your needle and make a knot at the end. Then insert the needle through one of the folded edges of the fabric about 1/4 inch and then pull the needle out. Now insert the needle through the opposite folded edge and after 1/4 inch pull the needle out. Go back to the first folded edge, insert the needle and pull out after 1/4 inch. Continue this zigzag pattern until desired length. Fasten off with a knot and trim the excess loose threads. If the knot is visible, simply tuck it in using the tip of your needle. Now you are done!

First Post!

Wow, this is my first blog. I'm a little nervous and excited. Let's see how this goes...