Introducing my new cooking blog: The Secret is Nutmeg!!! Featuring a variety of recipes; some are my own creations, but many of them are recipes I grew up with. Keep checking back for new posts!
http://thesecretisnutmeg.blogspot.com/
Monday, July 15, 2013
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Chicken Tikka Masala!!
Chicken Tikka Masala
3 chicken breasts
2 cans tomato sauce
1 quart heavy whipping cream
5 tsp cumin
2 ½ tsp paprika
½ - 1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp curry
½ tsp nutmeg
1 ½ tsp salt
1 tsp garlic, minced
Fresh chopped cilantro, for garnish
5 cups, uncooked basmati or jasmine rice
Cut chicken into bite size pieces, season with salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper, and cook using the method of your choice (I find baking the chicken while the sauce is simmering to be the easiest).
Mix tomato sauce, cream, and spices in a large saucepan. If desired, adjust seasonings to taste. Simmer on low for an hour to an hour and a half, until the sauce thickens. Add cooked chicken and simmer for another 10 minutes. Serve over prepared rice and garnish with cilantro. Naan is also typically served with this Indian dish (the recipe for naan is below).
Naan
1 package yeast
1 cup warm water
¼ cup white sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons salt
4 ½ cups bread flour
¼ cup butter, melted
Proof the yeast in a large bowl with the cup of water (and however much sugar the back says that you need to use to proof it). Wait about ten minutes until it is nice and frothy. Add everything else except the butter and make into a dough. Knead it on a floured surface until it is smooth. Place it in a well oiled bowl, cover with a wet cloth, and let it rise somewhere warm. It is done when it has doubled in size--about an hour.
Punch it down, tear off small sections and roll into golf ball-sized balls. Place on a greased tray, cover with a towel and let rise again until doubled in size--about half an hour.
Preheat grill to a medium/medium-low temp (I use an oven rack, if you want the nice lines on it. You could also use a skillet). Oil lightly. Roll out/use your hands to smash and flatten a ball of dough into a thin circle. Cook for a couple minutes until puffy/lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter. Flip. Brush cooked side with butter. Cook another few minutes until nicely browned. Remove from grill. Repeat.
3 chicken breasts
2 cans tomato sauce
1 quart heavy whipping cream
5 tsp cumin
2 ½ tsp paprika
½ - 1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp curry
½ tsp nutmeg
1 ½ tsp salt
1 tsp garlic, minced
Fresh chopped cilantro, for garnish
5 cups, uncooked basmati or jasmine rice
Cut chicken into bite size pieces, season with salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper, and cook using the method of your choice (I find baking the chicken while the sauce is simmering to be the easiest).
Mix tomato sauce, cream, and spices in a large saucepan. If desired, adjust seasonings to taste. Simmer on low for an hour to an hour and a half, until the sauce thickens. Add cooked chicken and simmer for another 10 minutes. Serve over prepared rice and garnish with cilantro. Naan is also typically served with this Indian dish (the recipe for naan is below).
Naan
1 package yeast
1 cup warm water
¼ cup white sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons salt
4 ½ cups bread flour
¼ cup butter, melted
Proof the yeast in a large bowl with the cup of water (and however much sugar the back says that you need to use to proof it). Wait about ten minutes until it is nice and frothy. Add everything else except the butter and make into a dough. Knead it on a floured surface until it is smooth. Place it in a well oiled bowl, cover with a wet cloth, and let it rise somewhere warm. It is done when it has doubled in size--about an hour.
Punch it down, tear off small sections and roll into golf ball-sized balls. Place on a greased tray, cover with a towel and let rise again until doubled in size--about half an hour.
Preheat grill to a medium/medium-low temp (I use an oven rack, if you want the nice lines on it. You could also use a skillet). Oil lightly. Roll out/use your hands to smash and flatten a ball of dough into a thin circle. Cook for a couple minutes until puffy/lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter. Flip. Brush cooked side with butter. Cook another few minutes until nicely browned. Remove from grill. Repeat.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Miss Meganeee's Catering
Today's post includes pictures from Lydia's wedding of all the food I made. Enjoy!
The Bride!!
The Wedding Cake - the bottom layer and part of the top was styrofoam. Only a portion of the top was a real cake.
Banana Bread with chocolate chips. Lemon Bread was also served.
Mini Cheesecakes with optional garnish.
Stuffed Jalapenos
Wrapped Asparagus
Mini Kebabs
Turkey Wraps
Lydia found a ton of goblets at D.I. and provided them for her guests to use as part of her tea party/garden party theme.
Also found at D.I. were a collection of colored glass serving dishes and bowls. Instead of arranging the usual fruit platters, I decided to utilize this glassware to serve the fruit.
None of this would have been possible without my wonderful crew! A huge thank you to all of you for your patience and hard work!!
Sunday, August 7, 2011
My Dear Friend
I was sitting on my bed this evening when it started to rain. But this wasn’t just any rain. It was a down pour - my favorite kind. Lightning split the sky, followed by the explosion of thunder. I smelled it first. I love the smell of rain. Do you know the smell I mean? That scent that tells you rain is coming. Next I heard it: a million tiny drops colliding with the pavement. I grabbed my book and hurried outside. I sat in the stairwell, shielding myself from the deluge only because of the fragile pages of my book. How I love the rain. It reminds me of home. Washington. Seattle. The mountains. How green and lush everything is. I didn’t get to my book. My thoughts wandered. And settled. They settled on you. So many things have changed. How I miss you. I miss your smile. I miss talking to you. I think about you often. I’m glad I know you. I’m glad we are friends. You are a wonderful child of God and I know He is proud of the person you’ve become. I hope I know you forever.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Pure Exhaustion
Two weekends ago I was able to make a short trip to Seattle for my best friend, Lydia's, wedding, which I catered! It was so much fun!! And stressful...it was the first wedding that I catered, so there was a lot to plan and prepare for. But I think we ended up being a little over prepared and everything went quite smoothly, which was nice. Posted at the end are all the recipes I used.
A wedding can be stressful enough, but added to the stress of the wedding plans was the fact that it was at the end of finals week! Wednesday night/Thursday morning I went to bed at 4:30am and had to wake up at 6:30am for a final...I did not do very well. And then I finished my last final on the 10-hour drive from Rexburg to Moses Lake, WA. We had to stop briefly at a hotel just before midnight so I could submit that last final. Then we arrived in Moses Lake shortly after and I passed out pretty quickly.
I spent the entire next day cooking and prepping the food for the reception at 6pm, along with my wonderful team of helpers - they were so great! Some of the items on the menu were requests of the groom, Tyrell, including stuffed jalapeños. He provided the recipe and even spent several hours in the kitchen helping prepare the jalapeños! The groom helping in the kitchen on his wedding day...how awesome is that?! I also made a fake cake, which I think was awful, but the bride was satisfied so all was well. We bought styrofoam layers to build it up and then just the top was real. I covered the styrofoam in cream cheese frosting and decorated it with pearls and pink roses.
The next morning we drove the three hours to the Seattle Temple for their Sealing. I was just Endowed two weeks ago, so I was very happy to be able to attend their Sealing! It was so wonderful!! Right after we met at a nearby park for a small open house. I served cupcakes for refreshments and we had a few activities including a costume/dress-up chest and tug-o-war!! We played boys against girls and the girls won the first two times and the boys the third time. After the open house, a small group met at the pier in Seattle to eat dinner at Ivar's. While everyone was waiting for a table and then ordering and waiting for food, two of my friends, Lydia's oldest sister, and I decorated their car!
It was such a fun weekend...I was able to spend that night with my dear friends Melina and Jenessa! And I got to see my cat!! Jenessa and I stayed up WAY too late talking nonsense and giggling. Then my friends (Bonnie, Cassandra, and Jessica) left to head back home at 5 am...in Bonnie's car without a/c! We had a spray bottle to keep us semi-cool. I was so exhausted from finals week and the whole weekend - I slept most of the 8-hour drive to Boise, where I stopped to stay with my friend Julean. We stopped in Pendleton for church - that's pretty much the only time I was awake, except we stayed to listen to one speaker and I don't remember what she said because I was so out of it. Then I slept for 12 hours at Julean's! And Julean drove me the rest of the way to Rexburg. We had lunch at Craigo's and then she headed back to Boise.
Now school is over for seven weeks (six weeks now...) and I am definitely enjoying some down time. It is boring at times, but for the most part I am loving the me time!
RECIPES:
Zucchini Bread -
2 eggs
½ C oil
1½ C sugar
2 C grated, peeled zucchini
1 tsp vanilla
3 C flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp baking powder
Chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease generously and flour 5 mini loaf pans. Beat eggs until light and foamy. Add oil, sugar, zucchini, and vanilla. Mix lightly but well. Add flour, salt, soda, cinnamon and baking powder sifted together. Mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread into pans. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.
Lemon Bread -
2 cups flour
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ cup unsalted butter, room temp
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 container lemon yogurt, room temp
2 lg. eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Butter and flour 4 mini loaf pans.
To prepare bread: In a medium-sized bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, stir together yogurt, vanilla, and lemon peel, until blended. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until blended. One at a time, add eggs, beating well after each addition. In three additions each, alternately beat in flour mixture and yogurt mixture, beating just until combined. Scrape batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove pan to wire rack. Completely cool.
Mini Cheesecakes -
1 package Royal Cheesecake mix
1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup margarine or butter, melted
Combine crumbs, sugar and margarine; press equal portions onto bottoms of 24 lightly greased or paper-lined muffin cups. In large bowl, follow directions for making Royal Cheesecake. Spoon equal amounts of mixture (about 3 tablespoons) into prepared cups. Refrigerate until set. Garnish as desired.
Stuffed Jalapeños -
24 jalapeños
8 oz cream cheese
8 oz shredded parmesan cheese
1 lb spicy Italian sausage, cooked
Cut the jalapeños in half and gut them. Mix cheeses and sausage together to make stuffing. Stuff the jalapeños and bake at 450 degrees for 15 min or until the cheese melts and browns on top.
Asparagus Wraps -
1 bunch of asparagus, boiled
8 oz cream cheese
1 pk sliced ham
After the asparagus is cooked and cooled, spread cream cheese over the ham and then wrap around asparagus.
Mini Kebabs -
Sharp Cheddar Cheese, half-inch cubes
Black olives
Sliced turkey
Stab an olive, a slice of turkey, and a cube of cheddar onto a toothpick
Turkey Wraps -
1 pk large tortillas
8 oz cream cheese
1 pk sliced turkey
Spread the cream cheese over the tortillas and then the turkey. Roll and slice.
Fruit Platters - Pineapple, Grapes, Watermelon, Strawberries, Orange wedges
***E-mail me with any questions about these recipes - Enjoy!!
A wedding can be stressful enough, but added to the stress of the wedding plans was the fact that it was at the end of finals week! Wednesday night/Thursday morning I went to bed at 4:30am and had to wake up at 6:30am for a final...I did not do very well. And then I finished my last final on the 10-hour drive from Rexburg to Moses Lake, WA. We had to stop briefly at a hotel just before midnight so I could submit that last final. Then we arrived in Moses Lake shortly after and I passed out pretty quickly.
I spent the entire next day cooking and prepping the food for the reception at 6pm, along with my wonderful team of helpers - they were so great! Some of the items on the menu were requests of the groom, Tyrell, including stuffed jalapeños. He provided the recipe and even spent several hours in the kitchen helping prepare the jalapeños! The groom helping in the kitchen on his wedding day...how awesome is that?! I also made a fake cake, which I think was awful, but the bride was satisfied so all was well. We bought styrofoam layers to build it up and then just the top was real. I covered the styrofoam in cream cheese frosting and decorated it with pearls and pink roses.
The next morning we drove the three hours to the Seattle Temple for their Sealing. I was just Endowed two weeks ago, so I was very happy to be able to attend their Sealing! It was so wonderful!! Right after we met at a nearby park for a small open house. I served cupcakes for refreshments and we had a few activities including a costume/dress-up chest and tug-o-war!! We played boys against girls and the girls won the first two times and the boys the third time. After the open house, a small group met at the pier in Seattle to eat dinner at Ivar's. While everyone was waiting for a table and then ordering and waiting for food, two of my friends, Lydia's oldest sister, and I decorated their car!
It was such a fun weekend...I was able to spend that night with my dear friends Melina and Jenessa! And I got to see my cat!! Jenessa and I stayed up WAY too late talking nonsense and giggling. Then my friends (Bonnie, Cassandra, and Jessica) left to head back home at 5 am...in Bonnie's car without a/c! We had a spray bottle to keep us semi-cool. I was so exhausted from finals week and the whole weekend - I slept most of the 8-hour drive to Boise, where I stopped to stay with my friend Julean. We stopped in Pendleton for church - that's pretty much the only time I was awake, except we stayed to listen to one speaker and I don't remember what she said because I was so out of it. Then I slept for 12 hours at Julean's! And Julean drove me the rest of the way to Rexburg. We had lunch at Craigo's and then she headed back to Boise.
Now school is over for seven weeks (six weeks now...) and I am definitely enjoying some down time. It is boring at times, but for the most part I am loving the me time!
RECIPES:
Zucchini Bread -
2 eggs
½ C oil
1½ C sugar
2 C grated, peeled zucchini
1 tsp vanilla
3 C flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp baking powder
Chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease generously and flour 5 mini loaf pans. Beat eggs until light and foamy. Add oil, sugar, zucchini, and vanilla. Mix lightly but well. Add flour, salt, soda, cinnamon and baking powder sifted together. Mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread into pans. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.
Lemon Bread -
2 cups flour
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ cup unsalted butter, room temp
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 container lemon yogurt, room temp
2 lg. eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Butter and flour 4 mini loaf pans.
To prepare bread: In a medium-sized bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, stir together yogurt, vanilla, and lemon peel, until blended. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until blended. One at a time, add eggs, beating well after each addition. In three additions each, alternately beat in flour mixture and yogurt mixture, beating just until combined. Scrape batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove pan to wire rack. Completely cool.
Mini Cheesecakes -
1 package Royal Cheesecake mix
1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup margarine or butter, melted
Combine crumbs, sugar and margarine; press equal portions onto bottoms of 24 lightly greased or paper-lined muffin cups. In large bowl, follow directions for making Royal Cheesecake. Spoon equal amounts of mixture (about 3 tablespoons) into prepared cups. Refrigerate until set. Garnish as desired.
Stuffed Jalapeños -
24 jalapeños
8 oz cream cheese
8 oz shredded parmesan cheese
1 lb spicy Italian sausage, cooked
Cut the jalapeños in half and gut them. Mix cheeses and sausage together to make stuffing. Stuff the jalapeños and bake at 450 degrees for 15 min or until the cheese melts and browns on top.
Asparagus Wraps -
1 bunch of asparagus, boiled
8 oz cream cheese
1 pk sliced ham
After the asparagus is cooked and cooled, spread cream cheese over the ham and then wrap around asparagus.
Mini Kebabs -
Sharp Cheddar Cheese, half-inch cubes
Black olives
Sliced turkey
Stab an olive, a slice of turkey, and a cube of cheddar onto a toothpick
Turkey Wraps -
1 pk large tortillas
8 oz cream cheese
1 pk sliced turkey
Spread the cream cheese over the tortillas and then the turkey. Roll and slice.
Fruit Platters - Pineapple, Grapes, Watermelon, Strawberries, Orange wedges
***E-mail me with any questions about these recipes - Enjoy!!
Monday, July 4, 2011
Yeah, I flipped out...
It's technically Monday, but I haven't gone to bed yet so I still consider it to be Sunday. Today has been quite the interesting Sunday. Because it is 4th of July weekend most of my ward is out of town, so we just had a small testimony meeting. After church I spent my time reading scriptures and writing to a missionary, and later I took a nap...the standard Sunday activities. Around midnight, my only roommate that stayed in town this weekend went to bed. I was tired and would have gone to bed as well, but I have been craving homemade chocolate chip cookies for awhile now, so I decided to stay up and make a quick batch (yes Lisa, I cheated AGAIN). I put "The Best Two Years" on while I baked and kept the door open to let in some cool air because it's been quite warm lately. It's about 2am as I finish baking the cookies, and I sit down in the near-darkness to finish my movie, which has about half an hour left. I am enjoying the cool air coming in through the open front door. The only light comes from the TV and the porch light right outside my front door. Throughout the evening several moths have found their way inside, but now the lights are off and all is still. So I am surprised when another one flies in...annoying. Wait, this one is bigger than the others. That's right, it wasn't a moth that flew in; it was a BAT!!! I'm sitting on the couch freaking out as it flies from the kitchen to the opposite corner in the living room and back again. Where I sit is halfway between the two corners of the front room and each time it makes a pass it flies a little lower. I hide as best I can under a throw pillow. I slide to the floor and make it to the hallway, which is cut off from the front room by a door. I wake my roommate up and we slowly open the door back to the front room...but the bat is gone! We hurry to close the front door. We eat cookies and laugh as we cautiously look around at the dark corners, half-expecting a bat to burst from the folds of the jackets hanging up. People...if you leave your doors open, something unexpected just might fly in. I found this out the hard way.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Update?
It has been brought to my attention that I have not updated my blog in quite some time. I'm sure you are all very curious as to the recent events in my life. The short version is that I have been attending school at BYU-Idaho to earn my Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Special Education. My roommates are wonderful! I am currently spending a lot of my free time helping my best friend with her wedding. For the long version, I will post updates and photos soon...hopefully starting tomorrow. Love you all!
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