In addition to family it's nice to have people to regularly cook for. I get to try out different and new recipes. I love Indian food and making it for me is easy. I decided on meals I have made before lamb with chickpeas and chicken Tika and paired them with a few new recipes such as the Aloo Maatar. I served it with premade mix of Lentil balls, Naan, Paratha, pickled mangoes and of course Basmati rice. Fantastic!!!

Chicken Tika
Originally uploaded by foodiechickie4775

Lentil balls with yogurt
Originally uploaded by foodiechickie4775

Alooh Matar
Originally uploaded by foodiechickie4775

Lamb with chickpeas
Originally uploaded by foodiechickie4775

Naan and Paratha
Originally uploaded by foodiechickie4775

Rice
Originally uploaded by foodiechickie4775

I found this amazing dish for salmon which my husband is a huge fan of it. I tend to enjoy salmon when it is in lox form or as Sushi.

But this meal won me over as well. Recipe via here Confabulation! I added asparagus on the side and some ended up in the sauce. Thus looking a bit lumpier than the photo in the original recipe.

Yummy salmon and asparagus
Originally uploaded by foodiechickie4775

Fried cauliflower
Originally uploaded by foodiechickie4775

I am still on my Indian recipes kick. I love Cauliflower and was delighted to find so many different Indian dishes that used this awesome veggie. A girl can only have cauliflower with cheese so many times before she grows tired of it.
Recipe here

Baked chicken
Originally uploaded by foodiechickie4775

They may not look pretty but they were quite tasty. Would you believe I do like the bottoms crunchy?

Recipe here

Trader Joe's Potatoes Au Gratin
Originally uploaded by foodiechickie4775

Though Potatoes Au Gratin is easy enough to make I like the Trader Joe's brand. Easy to make and delicious.

Trader Joe's Potatoes Au Gratin
Originally uploaded by foodiechickie4775

Pakistani Chana Pulao
Originally uploaded by foodiechickie4775

All Summer I was on a Bulgogi kick.

Lately I seem to be on an Indian/Pakastani food quest. My latest find is a Chickpea pilaf. It was very tasty though my husband found it a bit sweet. I think it goes great with curry.


Recipe found at Once Upon A Feast..

I hate seeing commercials for restaurants I won't be able to get too. At least not for a while anyway. But when we heard there would be a Sonic opening about half an hour from us we were so there. Ok so the drive took a bit longer and there was an issue with an overzealous state trooper but the food was very very good. Ok the onion rings were meh but everything else top notch!

Sonic
Originally uploaded by foodiechickie4775

Bacon Cheeseburger Toaster Sandwich
Originally uploaded by foodiechickie4775

Chili cheese tator tots
Originally uploaded by foodiechickie4775

Jalapeno Poppers
Originally uploaded by foodiechickie4775

Onion Rings
Originally uploaded by foodiechickie4775

Pico De Gallo
Originally uploaded by foodiechickie4775

I was having some friends over and I decided to serve buffet style. I usually don't follow any specific plan for cooking. I just make what sounds good to me. For the meal I broiled and grilled a variety of meats with salads on the side. Sort of healthy.

One of the salads was Pico De Gallo. Found the recipe at Pioneer Woman.

Bulgogi
Originally uploaded by foodiechickie4775

Of course I would make Bulgogi. I was on a Bulgogi kick all summer. It's Korean BBQ. After finding a premarinated version of it at Trader Joe's I decided to make some myself. Any kind of thin cut meat with bone(for flavor) will work. I marinated the meat with soy sauce, a little sugar, sesame oil, chili oil, garlic and scallion. Then I grilled it up on the old Foreman grill. It was heavenly!

Caprese skewers
Originally uploaded by foodiechickie4775

One of the other salads I served was a variation of a Caprese salad. Which I absolutely adore. This version called for tiny bits of mozzarella and cherry tomatoes on skewers. And the dipping sauce was home made pesto.

Moroccan Chicken
Originally uploaded by foodiechickie4775

Thankfully chicken is a versatile meat because I find it quite boring. Luckily
this recipe
gives it a flavorful kick. Easy to make dish as well.

Grilled pork with Tzizki
Originally uploaded by foodiechickie4775

I cut cup and marinated some pork with oregano(one of my favorite herbs) olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Put them through skewers and grilled them on the Foreman grill. Served it with a side of Tziki. Yum yum.

Berry Cloufouti
Originally uploaded by foodiechickie4775

For dessert I served a berry and cherry Cloufouti but I wouldn't call it a claoufuti because it was more dense. Probably because it had flour in it. And Cloufouti is custardy. It was good none the less.

Broccoli Salad
Originally uploaded by foodiechickie4775

I really enjoy salads. They are easy and quick to prepare and you can add anything you want to them.

This recipe I don't remember where I found. If it's from your site let me know.

Boil the broccoli for 5 minutes and then put in ice water so it stops the cooking process. This is where I went wrong. I overcooked it.

Then you add cooked bacon(I prefer the thick cut), cheddar cheese, half a red onion and a mixture of red wine vinegar and mayo. Delicious.

Though I won't be going to London any time soon. Not even London, Ontario. I still like to experience another culture. Especially British. I was doing my usual grocery shopping when I saw a tin for Plum Pudding. My neighborhood has a large population of Irish immigrants so my local supermarket tries to provide foods they had been accustomed to.

Well I should have made it from scratch. I didn't care for it at all.

Who doesn't like Tater Tots? "Gimme your tots!" A nemesis of Napoleon Dynamite proclaimed prior to smashing them.

And when I saw a recipe for Tater Tot Casserole on D Lightful Designs (which is like a Shepherd's pie but with tater tots topping (instead of mashed potatoes) I know I had to try it.

For a simple dish it is yet so hearty and flavorful. No need to get fancy to get satisfaction

I had some extra buttermilk handy so what did I do with it? I made waffles and pancakes of course.

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Waffles
Adapted from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything

2 cups all-purpose flour (or 100% whole wheat)
1/2 tsp salt
2 TBL sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 3/4 cup buttermilk*
2 eggs, separated
4 TBL (1/2 stick) butter, melted and cooled
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Canola oil for brushing the waffle iron

Optional Additions: ground cinnamon, chopped nuts (walnuts
or pecans.

Directions:
Combine dry ingredients. Mix together the buttermilk and
the egg yolks. Stir in the butter and the vanilla.
Brush waffle iron lightly with oil and preheat. Stir the
wet into the dry ingredients. Beat the egg whites with a whisk or electric
mixer until theymform soft peaks. Stir them gently into the batter.
Spread a ladleful or so of batter onto the waffle ironmand bake until the
waffle is done, usually 3 to 5 minutes. Serve immediately (with butter and
syrup or agave nectar!) or keep warm for a few minutes in low oven.




The pancakes I found over at Bethany Actually.

While on vacation I stumbled upon an open market where I found aoili. I've heard about it but never tried it. How could have I gone so long without this stuff? I love garlic!!

Purchased a variety pack from the Saratoga Garlic company. Spicy and great for snacking, dipping and for appetizers.

I've mentioned the food blog Full Bellies before apparently.

All the recipes look so good. I've made a lot of them but only took a pics of few.


Virginia's Baked Spaghetti


Bacon and Beef Pinwheels



Creamy Oven Chicken


Beef stew with potato dumplings

My bounty of Asian goodies after a visit to Hmart. Mmmm happy belly!