Spicy Italian Sausage Pasta

SERVINGS 4

INGREDIENTS

• 8 ounces uncooked penne
• 10.6 ounces hot Italian sausages crumbled (see note)
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 cup chicken broth or white wine
• 1/2 tablespoon flour
• 1 (14 fluid ounce) can diced tomatoes with juices
• 1/2 cup heavy/whipping cream
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 6 large leaves basil sliced/torn into small pieces
• Freshly grated parmesan cheese to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta al dente according to package directions.
2. Take the sausage meat out of the casings and crumble it into a deep skillet. Cook it for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, over medium-high heat until browned.
3. Once the sausage is browned, take it out of the pan and set it aside. Drain the fat.
4. Add the garlic, followed by the chicken broth to the skillet. Sprinkle the flour in. Whisk it until the flour has dissolved, and scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook this mixture until it's significantly reduced (should only take a minute or two in total).
5. Add in the tomatoes, cream, and the sausage meat. Cook the sauce for a few more minutes until it's thickened to your liking. Season with salt & pepper as needed.
6. Just prior to serving, add in the torn basil leaves and then toss with the drained pasta. Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

NOTES

1. I used 3 sausages from a 5-pack of Johnsonville hot Italian sausages. Anything in the 10.6 oz ballpark will work, or you can even use more sausage meat if you wish. You can use mild Italian sausages if you prefer.
2. I don't recommend substituting the heavy cream because the acidity in the tomatoes will likely curdle half-and-half or milk.
3. If you don't have any basil, feel free to leave it out, but I really like the fresh flavor it adds.

From: https://www.saltandlavender.com/spicy-italian-sausage-pasta-creamy-tomato-sauce/

CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA

INGREDIENTS

For the chicken marinade:

• 28 oz (800g) boneless and skinless chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili (or 1/2 teaspoon ground red chili powder)
• 1 teaspoon of salt

For the sauce:

• 2 tablespoons of vegetable/canola oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 small onions (or 1 large onion) finely diced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic finely grated
• 1 tablespoon ginger finely grated
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 14 oz (400g) tomato puree (tomato sauce/Passata)
• 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili (optional for colour and flavour)
• 1 teaspoon ground red chili (cayenne) powder (adjust to your taste preference)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups of heavy or thickened cream (use evaporated milk for lower calories)
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1/4 cup water if needed
• 4 tablespoons Fresh cilantro or coriander to garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a bowl, combine chicken with all of the ingredients for the chicken marinade; let marinate for 10 minutes to an hour (or overnight if time allows).
2. Heat oil in a large skillet or pot over medium-high heat. When sizzling, add chicken pieces in batches of two or three, making sure not to crowd the pan. Fry until browned for only 3 minutes on each side. Set aside and keep warm. (You will finish cooking the chicken in the sauce.)
3. Melt the butter in the same pan. Fry the onions until soft (about 3 minutes) while scraping up any browned bits stuck on the bottom of the pan. 
4. Add garlic and ginger and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant, then add garam masala, cumin, turmeric and coriander. Fry for about 20 seconds until fragrant, while stirring occasionally.
5. Pour in the tomato puree, chili powders and salt. Let simmer for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until sauce thickens and becomes a deep brown red colour.
6. Stir the cream and sugar through the sauce. Add the chicken and its juices back into the pan and cook for an additional 8-10 minutes until chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thick and bubbling. Pour in the water to thin out the sauce, if needed.
7. Garnish with cilantro (coriander) and serve with hot garlic butter rice and fresh homemade Naan bread!

From: https://cafedelites.com/chicken-tikka-masala/

Mango Lassi Recipe

Servings: 2

INGREDIENTS

• 1.5 cup Mango cubes (fresh mango peeled and chopped, choose very ripe mango or frozen mango or 1 cup of canned mango pulp)
• 1 cup Plain Yogurt whole milk yogurt, cold
• ½ cup Milk cold, or water to adjust consistency
• 4 teaspoon Sugar adjust to taste
• 1 pinch Cardamom powder (Elaichi) optional
• Saffron (Kesar) to garnish, optional

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Put mango, yogurt, milk, sugar and cardamom into a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Adjust the consistency to your taste by adding water or blend in some ice cubes.
3. Pour mango lassi in serving glasses. Keep it chilled before serving. Garnish with saffron and/or pistachios (see notes for more garnish options).

From: https://pipingpotcurry.com/mango-lassi/

Easy Mooncake Recipe

Ingredients
Dough

• 1/3C Honey (instead of golden syrup + Kansui); may need slightly less honey?
• 1.7T vegetable oil (24g)
• 1C cake flour (100g)

Filling

• 10 salted egg yolk
• 220g store-bought lotus paste (See note)
• Egg wash to brush the mooncake

Instructions
For the dough:

1. Mix honey and vegetable oil accurately in a mixing bowl.
2. Sieve the flour. Add all at once to the above mixture. 
3. Combine all the ingredients. 
4. Place the dough on a piece of cling wrap. Refrigerate for thirty minutes to let the dough relax. 
5. For the filling:
6. Wash the salted egg yolk with water to remove the white sticking to the yolk. Pat dry. 
7. Wrap the yolk with the lotus paste
8. Then roll it into a ball. Set aside. 

Wrapping:

1. Roll out the pastry in between two plastic sheets or cling wraps. 
2. Remove the cling film on top, fold the pastry toward the filling.
3. Pinch away the excess pastry where the pastry is double folded to ensure consistent thickness. 
4. Roll the mooncake with your palms to form a ball. 

Baking:

1. Roll the mooncake on a surface dusted with flour. 
2. Plunge the piston of the mold to the flour, and shake off the excess. 
3. Place the dough on the baking tray.
4. Put the mooncake mold on the dough and plunge the piston downward.  The dough will take the shape of the mold, and the pattern will be imprinted on the surface.
5. Bake it at the middle rack, 175°C/350°F top and bottom temperature for five minutes or until the surface starts to firm up.  
6. Remove the mooncake from the oven and brush the surface of the mooncake with egg wash. 
7. Bake for another ten minutes or until golden brown.
8. Remove the cake from the oven to cool at room temperature.
9. Transfer the mooncake to an airtight container and keep for three days before serve.

Notes
The actual amount of lotus paste depends on the weight of the salted egg yolk.  The total weight of the filling (yolk + lotus paste) is 35g for each mooncake.

From: https://tasteasianfood.com/mooncake-recipe/

The Most Amazing Chocolate Cake

INGREDIENTS

• butter and flour for coating and dusting the cake pan
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

• 1 1/2 cups butter softened
• 8 oz cream cheese softened
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 7-8 cups powdered sugar
• about 1/4 cup milk as needed

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter three 9-inch cake rounds. Dust with flour and tap out the excess.
2. Mix together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a stand mixer using a low speed until combined.
3. Add eggs, buttermilk, warm water, oil, and vanilla. Beat on a medium speed until smooth. This should take just a couple of minutes.
4. Divide batter among the three pans. I found that it took just over 3 cups of the batter to divide it evenly.
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes in a 350 degree oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
6. Cool on wire racks for 15 minutes and then turn out the cakes onto the racks and allow to cool completely.
7. Frost with your favorite frosting and enjoy!
8. Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
9. In a large bowl, beat together butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer for best results
10. Add in cocoa powder and vanilla extract. Beat until combined.
11. Beat in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time. Add milk as necessary to make a spreadable consistency. The frosting should be very thick and will thicken even more if refrigerated.

NOTES
*Coffee can be used in place of the warm water. 
**For Cupcakes: https://thestayathomechef.com/chocolate-cupcake-recipe/

From: https://thestayathomechef.com/the-most-amazing-chocolate-cake/