Indian Butter Chicken

I do not make much Indian food. And, honestly, I don't eat it out very often either. But back in the day when I worked at CM, there was an Indian buffet up the street we'd frequent for lunch once a month, give or take. They had the VAT of butter chicken and I was hooked. That's the ONLY reason I'd go to lunch there.

And because it was a buffet, I'd waddle away afterwards in need of a serious nap.

It very much reminds me of Tikka Masala chicken too. Though Tikka Masala has a few different spices and Greek yogurt. Still, it ends up be a creamy sauce that just BEGS to have Naan dipped in it. I didn't have Naan, so I ate it over rice. 

This is a solid recipe. It's spicy, but not too spicy, flavorful and full of very Indian flavors to me. I'd make it again for sure. 

Indian Butter Chicken

Recipe from Insanely Good Recipes

Serves 4

• 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon ginger, minced
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup heavy cream [JW note: I used half and half instead of heavy cream. It turned out fine.]

Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until lightly golden, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in ginger and garlic and cook for 30 seconds.

Add the chicken, tomato paste, garam masala, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Cook for 5-6 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

Pour in the heavy cream and simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened.

Serve the butter chicken over basmati rice or with naan bread. Enjoy!

Carne Guisada (Puerto Rican Beef Stew)

I'm a fan of latin flavors. I lived in Mexico for a semester and I'm convinced that was what has led to me love of Mexican food. I mean, I Mexico, they just call it food. And their "Mexican" food is very different from what we eat here in the US. Still I'm a fan. 

I'm also a fan of stews and soups during the fall/winter months. Something about a stormy, rainy day that just screams stew to me. 

I've made five different recipes for Carne Guisada. Some I loved, some just ok and some were yuck. 

This one was advertised as a "Puerto Rican" version. None of the others used Sazon. I've used Sazon in other recipes and always forget how good (and salty) it is. I should also mention I did not use sofrito. It has nasty bell peppers in it, so I suspect if I ever ate guisada in Puerto Rico, I might not like it. 

I really liked this stew. I think it may be one of the favorite guisadas I've made. 

I cooked my stew for 2.5 hours. I used stew meat and that is not usually tender after cooking only 30 minutes. Plus I think the flavors meld better. I put the carrots in after 1.5 hours. And then the potatoes when 30 minutes were left. 

Carne Guisada (Puerto Rican Beef Stew)

Recipe from Latina Mom Meals

Serves 6

• 2-3 pounds of beef chunks 2 inch chunks
• 3-4 tablespoons of Badia Sazon Complete seasoning*
• 2 tablespoons of minced garlic
• 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
• ½ onion chopped
• ⅓ cup of white wine
• ⅓ cup of homemade sofrito optional
• 8 oz of tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon of soy sauce
• 1 packet of beef bullion seasoning
• 2 cups of water
• 1 ½ cups of baby or chopped carrots
• 3 large potatoes peeled and chopped
• ¼ cup of cilantro chopped

Season beef (2-3 lbs) with Badia seasoning (3-4 tbsp) (or see note) and minced garlic (2 tbsp). Set to the side.

Warm olive oil (2-3 tbsp) over medium high heat, add in beef chunks in batches, and brown sides.

Add in onions (1 half; chopped) and white wine (1/2 c), allow to cook for 1-2 minutes.

Next, add in sofrito (1/2 c), beef bullion (1 packet) , and tomato sauce (8oz), cook an additional 1-2 minutes before adding in water (2c), and carrots (1 1/2 c).

Cook ten minutes before adding in potatoes (3 large, chopped) and cilantro (1/4 c). 

Taste for seasoning and cook for an additional 20-30 minutes on medium, cover with a lid with a slight opening.

Vegetable Beef Stew

Photo from Dinner
Then Dessert

Its stew and soup season. I like to have at least one soup or stew a week, if possible. They make great leftovers for me. It's one of the few leftovers I'll eat, so that's a bonus. 

This was an average recipe. Good and simple. Nothing fancy or special about it. A solid, foundational type of stew recipe. 

I cooked it longer than 30 minutes. Chuck roast, to me, needs more time to tenderize. I cooked this for about 3 hours on low. Turned out to have a very tender beef then.

Vegetable Beef Stew

Recipe from Dinner Then Dessert

Serves 8

• 3 pounds chuck roast , cut into 2" chunks
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1/2 yellow onion , chopped
• 4 cloves garlic , minced
• 2 carrots , cut into 2 inch chunks
• 2 Yukon potatoes , chopped
• 1 cup corn
• 4 cups beef broth
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup green beans , fresh or frozen
• 1 cup frozen green peas

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and season the beef chunks with salt and pepper before dredging in flour.

Put the butter and canola oil in a large Dutch oven on medium heat and brown the beef on all sides in batches (3-4 minutes per batch) until it is browned very well.

Remove the last batch of the beef and add in the onions, garlic and carrots and cook for 2-3 minutes until slightly caramelized before adding the potatoes and corn in along with the broth, tomato paste, bay leaf, thyme and Worcestershire sauce and stirring to combine.

Add the beef back into the pot, cover and cook in the oven for 2:30 hours, then add in the green beans and peas for the last 30 minutes before removing the the oven.

Remove the bay leaf before serving.

Granola Clusters (Low Carb)

I've not made too many granolas in my lifetime. Mostly because when I want granola I just buy it. But in an attempt to eat a little lower carb, I thought this recipe would be a good one to try.

Turns out it was a GREAT on to try. This recipe is so good. It's immediately going into the favorites!

This was an easy recipe to pull together. 

Two things I'd do differently next time I make it:

1. I'd use slightly less butter. 1/2 c was a bit too much butter taste and made it a little greasy

2. I'd keep out the coconut. I got the unsweetened coconut and while it's good, it didn't really add to the granola. 

WARNING: Put this away as soon as you can. The more you leave it out the more likely you are to eat it all while it's "cooling". 

Granola Clusters (Low Carb)

Recipe from All Day I Dream About Food

Serves 8

• 1 c pecan halves
• 1 c flaked coconut
• 1/2 c almonds
• 1/2 c pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 c butter
• 1/4 c Swerve Brown
• 1/4 c powdered Swerve Sweetener
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract or maple extract

Preheat the oven to 300F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a food processor, combine the pecans (1 c), coconut (1 c), almonds (1/2 c), pumpkin seeds (1/2 c), and salt(1/2 tsp). Process until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. A few larger pieces are okay.

In a large saucepan over low heat, combine the butter (1/2 c) and sweeteners (1/4 c brown and 1/2 c powdered). Whisk until the butter is melted and the sweeteners are mostly dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract (1/2 tsp).

Stir in the nut mixture into the butter mixture until well combined. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking pan and spread out evenly. Top with waxed paper or parchment and press down firmly and evenly to a uniform thickness.

Bake 20 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Remove and let cool completely, then break into large chunks with your hands.

Store on the counter in an airtight container for up to a week.

Cube Steak with Onion Gravy

Every October my mom and I would make chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and gravy and corn for dinner. We made it when dad went hunting for a week. It was a tradition that I still do today with the Crab Ladies. 

In that "recipe", Mom used to brown the cube steaks and put them in the oven, covered, with water for about an hour. It never really made sense to me why. Until tonight. 

Photo from Butter
Your Biscuits

Clearly it was to make the cube steaks more tender. I don't know why I never made the connection until tonight. I mean just because a cube steak is tenderized, does not mean it's gonna be tender. And let me tell you, the one's I made tonight were not. My jaw got an extra work out. 

Overall, this was a simple and delicious recipe. When/if I make it again, I'd brown the cube steaks and put them in the oven with water for an hour or so. THEN make the onion gravy. 

I did not use "Kitchen Bouquet" because I don't think it adds any flavor and only adds color. No need. 

Cube Steak with Onion Gravy

Recipe from Butter Your Biscuits

Serves 4

• 4 cube steaks (1 ½ pounds)
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp granulated garlic
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 3 T all purpose flour
• 3 T olive oil

FOR THE ONION GRAVY:

• 2 T butter
• 1 large yellow onion sliced into ½ inch slices
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 T all purpose flour
• 3 c beef stock
• 1 beef bouillon cube
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• Kitchen Bouquet

Place your steaks on the counter and let them come to room temperature for 15-20 minutes.

In a small bowl mix all your spices together.

Sprinkle all sides with the spice mixture and 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour evenly.

Heat a skillet with olive oil on medium-high heat. Once the pan is really hot place the steaks in the pan. Cook for about 3 minutes then flip and cook another 2-3 minutes. Then remove them to a plate and set them aside.

In the same pan lower the heat to medium and add the butter and sliced onions and let cook about 15-20 or until desired softness.

Add in the diced garlic and cook another minute until fragrant.

Sprinkle in the all-purpose flour and cook another 30 seconds.

Pour in the beef stock and simmer just until thickened. Place steaks back into the gravy and let simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Serve over mashed potatoes, noodles, or white rice.

Low Carb Greek Yogurt Chicken

Let me first start by saying, I followed this recipe completely with zero deviations. And the end result? Not a fan. 

I'm really unsure what went wrong with this recipe, but the chicken was flavorless. I expected more out of the Greek yogurt and parmesan - I mean - who wouldn't? 

Bottom line, I won't be remaking this one, despite it sounding so good. 

Low Carb Greek Yogurt Chicken

Recipe from What's In the Pan

Serves 4

• oil spray
• 5 oz. plain Greek yogurt 
• 2 T mayonnaise
• ½ c grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 1.5 lb. chicken tenders (whole) or chicken breasts (cut in quarters)
• Parsley (chopped, for garnish)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly coat a 12 inch oven proof pan or 9×9 baking dish with nonstick oil spray and set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together the Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Add chicken into the bowl with yogurt mixture and coat the mixture all over the chicken.

Move chicken to a baking dish (or oven proof pan). Chicken should be thinly coated with the yogurt mixture. Don't put too much or any additional mixture leftover.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

Turn the oven to broil and place the pan under the broiler for 2-3 minutes until lightly browned on top.

Pink Sauce

What feels like a thousand years ago (really around 2000 ish) Sherrie and I lived together. She had some German sausage from Odessa in the freezer and she wanted to use it up. While she was cooking her dinner, I was making packaged Parma Rosa from Knorr. 

We had a "Your chocolate is in my peanut butter" moment where we put the German sausage into the Parma Rosa sauce and our favorite pasta dish was born. 

We made that meal so many times. It was cheap and easy and made leftovers for us. Back when I ate more leftovers. 

To this day, whenever I see a pink sauce - which is basically what Parma Rosa is - I have to put sausage in it. While I didn't have German sausage tonight, I did have a pack of Polish Sausage in the freezer. 

BAM! 

This was a good pink sauce. Flavorful and full of the flavor I want with a creamy tomato sauce.

Pink Sauce

Recipe from To Simply Inspire

Serves 4

• 2 tablespoons butter unsalted
• 1 medium yellow onion finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 15 ounces tomato sauce 1 can
• 1 ½ cup water
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ¼ cup fresh basil roughly chopped
• ¼ cup parmesan
• Pasta of choice

Add the butter to a large skillet over medium heat. Then add the diced onion and sauté until tender and translucent.

Next, add the tomatoes, water, paprika, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.

Bring it to a boil over medium heat. Then reduce to heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes until the liquid reduces.

While the sauce is simmering, cook the pasta per the package directions to just al dente.

Stir in heavy cream and the fresh basil leaves and simmer for another five minutes. [ Jenn Pro tip: Heat your heavy cream before adding it. If you add it cold it may curdle with the tomato sauce.}

Remove the pan from the heat and add the parmesan cheese. Stir to combine.

Drain the pasta into a colander in the sink and then add it to the sauce and toss gently to coat the pasta in the sauce.

Serve immediately and garnish with extra parmesan and fresh basil.

Beef Stroganoff Recipe (Crock Pot)

Photo from The Food
Charlatan

It snowed here in Seattle. Not a lot, just a dusting, but enough to make me feel like I need comfort food. Stroganoff is perfect for this type of weather.

The was an amazing recipe. Using a chuck roast and a slow cooker really made this delicious. The addition of red wine - which I almost skipped - put it over the top in flavortown. Sherrie was over to scrapbook and we ate this for dinner. We were silent for the first couple of bites. It was THAT good. 

Here's what I did different:

1. Sherrie's GF so I didn't want to use pasta. Instead I put this over mashed potatoes. And Y'all this might be my new way to eat stroganoff. 
2. I shredded my beef and then put it back into the sauce. 
3. I added about 1/2 c sour cream to the stroganoff instead of a dollop on top like they suggest. It needs to be in the sauce for me. 

Make this meal. It's delicious. And I'm adding it to my 2025 Favorites. 

Beef Stroganoff Recipe (Crock Pot)

Recipe from The Food Charlatan

Serves 6

• 2 to 2 1/2 pounds chuck roast, chopped into 2 inch chunks
• 1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil, I used light olive oil
• generous salt and pepper
• 4 tablespoons butter, (half stick)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 8 to 12 ounces mushrooms, quartered
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper, or more to taste
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 tablespoon garlic, smashed and minced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon Beef Base
• 1 to 2 cups sour cream, to add after cooking
• 12-16 ounces pappardelle pasta, plus water and salt
• fresh parsley, to garnish
• fresh chives, to garnish

Cut the chuck roast into 2 inch chunks and dry them all over with paper towels.

Salt and pepper the pieces. Be generous. I used at least 1 and 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt. Heat a 12 inch skillet over medium high heat. When it is hot, add 1 tablespoon oil and swirl to coat.

Place about 1/3 of the pieces of beef into the pan, one by one. Leave at least an inch or two of space in between. Let the meat sear for about 1-2 minutes, then use tongs to flip each piece. When you see nice brown edges on both sides, transfer the meat to your slow cooker.

Continue searing the rest of the beef in one or two more batches, depending on space. Remove all the meat to the slow cooker, but don’t clean out that pan. We need all those gorgeous brown bits.

Turn the heat off if you need to take a moment to chop your onion and slice your mushrooms if you haven’t already.

Melt 4 tablespoons butter over medium high heat in the pan you seared the meat in. When it’s melted, add the chopped onion and quartered mushrooms. Add 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 2 teaspoons paprika, and 1 tablespoon dried parsley. Sauté for 5-8 minutes, until onions and mushrooms are soft.

Add 1 tablespoon smashed and minced garlic. Sauté for 1 minute until fragrant. Add 1 or 2 tablespoons tomato paste.

Add 1/2 cup red wine and 1/2 cup water. Add 2 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon Beef Base. Let the mixture come to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to a simmer and let cook for another 5-7 minutes until it has reduced a bit.

Transfer the mixture to the slow cooker , adding in every last drop. Stir it together with the beef.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4 hours.

Add some pasta to a serving plate. Top with beef stroganoff. The chunks of beef may be big, but it’s so fork tender your guests can take care of it themselves at the table.

Add a big dollop of sour cream to each plate. Top with fresh parsley and fresh chives.