Chicken Tikka Masala

This recipe for chicken tikka masala is slightly adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. It is spicy, flavorful, totally delicious... and a great way to use up plain yogurt ;)

For this India-inspired British dish, begin by marinating chicken in yogurt and pungent spices for one hour. Start some rice. Then, while pan-frying the chicken, cook up a creamy, spicy, tomato-based sauce which pairs beautifully with the chicken, and serve it up over rice. I almost can't eat it without some naan on the side, too!

Chicken Tikka Masala
(serves 3-4)

Chicken Marinade ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup plain yogurt
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp paprika
2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp salt

1. Slice raw chicken into strips or bite-sized chunks.
2. Combine yogurt, lemon juice, spices, and salt in a large bowl. Add cut-up chicken, stirring to coat well. Refrigerate for an hour (or up to 8 hours).
3. Heat frying pan and cook chicken over medium heat until done.

MEANWHILE....

Masala ingredients:

1 Tbsp butter
1/2 to 1 tsp garlic powder (or 1 clove garlic, minced)
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
8 ounces tomato sauce (one small can. I use the no salt added variety)
1 cup milk/cream (or Mexican crema worked really well)

1. Melt butter in a small saucepan. 
2. Add spices and heat until aromatic. 
3. Stir in tomato sauce and milk or cream. Milk is likely to curdle, but this is fine. 
4. Cook over low heat until sauce is hot and thick. Pour over chicken in its entirety, or serve separately if preferred. 

Serve hot over rice and ideally with naan -- yummy!

Macaroni salad

I like a good macaroni salad every so often. I am not a big fan of the deli kind that is super sweet, though. It is a disappointment EVERY time!

My mom always made a more savory macaroni salad, and it is what I prefer! Her standby recipe is the Best Foods recipe. I like it, and feel a few changes make it even tastier! I made this for a potluck tonight and didn't even get a full bite! So I'm relying on the compliments I received that it was, in fact, tasty.

Macaroni Salad

16-ounce package small shell pasta (or other shape, as preferred)
2 cups mayonnaise (I don’t know if it makes a difference, but I used Nalley’s mayo, which Thomas swears by… haha!)
2 Tbsp white vinegar
2 Tbsp mustard (just plain mustard, not dijon like the original recipe calls for)
1 to 1 1/2  tsp sugar
3/4 to 1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 cups thinly sliced celery
1/2 cup chopped white onion
5 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1/4 to 1/2 tsp paprika

1. Cook according to package & then cool the pasta. Add onion, celery, and hard boiled eggs.
2. Combine all of the sauce ingredients (mayo, vinegar, mustard, sugar, salt, pepper, paprika) and mix well.
3. Pour sauce onto pasta, celery, onion, and eggs, and stir to incorporate.
4. Serve cold. Probably a good idea to chill until ready to serve.