Tuesday, May 31, 2011

MilkyWay Cheesecake Pie- No Bake

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If you have been to my blog more than once you probably have figured out my favorite kind of dessert to make... the no bake pie.  Well, I love them because they are easy, cold and delicious and pretty wallet friendly.  I was at the grocery store the other day and found a package of 8 snack size Milkyway candy bars for $1.  So I knew that I would create some kind of no bake dessert with them.  I wasn't sure about how it would turn out, but life is an adventure so I went for it.  I couldn't believe the reaction I got....My husband and son were saying "yum" with every bite.  That also means they will be asking me to make this pie again. : )

To make the pie you will need some of my regular no-bake ingredients and a few others:
  • 1 prepared graham cracker crust (or you can always make your own)
  • 1 brick of cream cheese (regular or light) at room temperature
  • 1 tub of cool whip (regular or light)
  • 8 snack size MilkyWay bars or a few large bars
  • some caramel sauce (used as a ice cream or dessert topping)
  • 1/2 cup of sugar
  • 1 cup of chocolate chips 
  • 2-3 Tbs of milk
Note:   I love cream cheese and cool whip.  They go on sale every so often for $1 each (usually around any holiday time).  I stock up and keep them in my freezer so I always have them on hand to make a no bake dessert.  You just have to defrost them in the fridge overnight and use them in any recipe.

Cream the cream cheese, sugar and a few squirts of the caramel syrup until it is smooth and fluffy with your electric mixer.

 Then fold in 1 tub of cool whip topping and 1/2 the candy bars chopped up.  Fill the graham cracker crust with your pie filling.










Melt the cup of chocolate with some milk in the microwave for 30 seconds (or more/less depending on your microwave).  Stir until the chocolate is well melted and smooth.                                                           Gently spoon the chocolate over the pie filling until it covers the top of the pie.  Garnish with some more pieces of candy bar and some more caramel sauce.  Chill in the fridge for 6-8 hours or overnight for best results.


Slice and serve... Enjoy!


Copyright: All content, photos and text are property of Curry and Comfort and cannot be used without permission

Monday, May 30, 2011

Dinosaur Pasta (Pesto)

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My young son loves two things for sure.  He loves dinosaurs and he loves this pasta.  My son is a picky eater and he definitely is not a fan of vegetables.  But he devours this pesto pasta dish that is full of spinach.  Well, I'm not ashamed to say it, I tricked him.  It told him that spinach is the kind of food dinosaurs ate.  That was all I had to say.   This is a pretty healthy dish full of creamy pesto.  I am not into dinosaurs, but I really enjoy this pasta too!

The Pesto Sauce:
1/2 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 cup of walnuts
1/2 cup of Parmesan Cheese
3 cloves of grated garlic
2 cups of Italian Basil
1/2 cup of Italian Parsley
Salt and Pepper to taste

Notes:  I use walnuts in this pesto because they are frankly a lot less expensive than pine nuts.  I always have walnuts in my freezer.  If you prefer, you can substitute pine nuts.

 Blend all the ingredients together in a food processor until it forms a thick sauce.


To make the Dinosaur Pasta: 
Boil any pasta until el dente in salted water.  I used Rigatoni. Save 1 cup of the starchy pasta water to help make your Pesto Sauce.

In a large pan, heat the pesto on medium heat. 

Add some red pepper flakes (to taste)


Add 1/2lb of frozen spinach and cook until heated well. 

Add your cup of starchy cooking water (I used it to rinse out the food processor first) and 1/2 cup of cream or half and half. 

Make the sauce and taste for seasoning. 

Toss with the pasta.


Serve 4-6 people.  Enjoy
Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

Versatile Blogger Awards and my lack of a clue...

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Last night my Food-Blogger buddy Sandra from Sweet Sensations  honored me by sharing the Versatile Blogger Award with me.  As I was reading her post and thanking her it dawned on me that I made a big mistake earlier this month.  A few weeks back my Food-Blogger buddy Anne of From My Sweet Heart shared the Versatile Blogger Award to me and I was very happy to receive it, but totally clueless!  I didn't realize that I was to pass it on as well.  Can we all say a big resounding "DUH?"!!  So here I am very humbly trying to make up for my mistake and make amends.

First of all I have to tell you that Sandra and Anne are both wonderful Food-Blogger buddies.  They have been  very supportive and encouraging of my blog.  It is the support I get from my foodie friends that makes me keep plugging away at this blog and not just think I'm talking to myself and asking... "is anyone listening".  These two women are both very sweet, especially since they both are Dessert and Baking Gurus.  Most of you know, I am the self professed box cake and no bake dessert queen. But after seeing the baking chops of these two sweet ladies, it has given me the drive to overcome my baking fears.   So, thank you Sandra and Anne for sharing the Versatile Blogger award with me...it means so much!



So now that I finally got a CLUE, I shall honor the acceptance of the award by sharing 7 things about me and  passing the award on to 15 new or newly discovered blogs.  Here are my 7 things you may not know about me. 

1.  I love to travel.  I have too many places on my bucket list to list every place I want to go.  But if I won a lottery I would be packing by bags tomorrow.  

2. I cannot go on boats (with the exception of Huge Cruise-liners) without getting sea-sick.  I couldn't even go snorkeling on my honeymoon because I was so queasy from the boat ride out to the snorkeling spot....not very romantic.

3.  If I had a super power, I would love to travel from one place to another with a blink of an eye.  Yes, I watched too much Bewitched and I Dream of Jeanie growing up.

4.  My favorite childhood actress/singer is........ Doris Day.  I know you didn't think that on would come up. My mother loved Doris Day movies (especially the ones with Rock Hudson).  I used to watch them with her and I became a little obsessed.  I loved her songs so much. that I know most of them by heart.  I mean, who could say they don't like "Que Sera, Sera"

5.  I have watched All My Children (an American Soap Opera) for almost 25 years.  Yes, I would love to say I was in diapers when I started watching it, but I was actually a teen.

6. My favorite flower is Sunflowers.  I love how cheery and happy they are.  You cannot feel sad when you see one.  My kitchen is sunny yellow and I have a sunflower theme.

7. Growing up I didn't like desserts.  I always said no thanks when there was birthday cake, ice cream, etc....  But now I am a sweet-aholic.  It should have worked in the reverse because my metabolism was a lot better when I was a kid. 

Next I would like share this award with....

I wish I could share this award with every foodie that has come to Curry and Comfort and given me words of support.  It is hard to pick only 15, but here goes.


The Chef Mom

Zomppa

That Skinny Chick Can Bake

Daksha's Vegetarian Recipes World

Torview

RavieNomNoms

There Can Be Only Juan

Flour Dusted

Comowater

Lindselicious

Tasty Appetite

Wilde in the Kitchen

Angie's Recipes

Life with Spices


Sunshine and Smile

Friday, May 27, 2011

Thai Pork in Red Curry

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My family loved this dish and it tasted like I called out for Thai take-out.  What made it even more fantastic was I controlled the amount of oil and ingredients in the dish and it cost to feed a family of four what one dish from a restaurant would cost.  This is a real winner when it comes to cooking Thai food at home.

Here are the ingredients you will need to make our own Red Curry Sauce:
6-8 dry red chilies (softened in a 1/4 cup of warm water)
1 small onion (red, white or scallion) coarsely chopped
2 Thai chilies
3-4 cloves of garlic coarsely chopped
2 inch piece of ginger coarsely chopped
1 stalk of lemon grass (the inner lower section) coarsely chopped
lime rind (use a vegetable peeler and gently peel just the top green layer)
4 Tbs of fish sauce (this is the salt for the entire dish)
2 Tbs of paprika
1 tsp of cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
Blend in all the above ingredients (including the water that you soaked the red chiles) in a blender or some sort of liquidizer until it forms a paste.  


         Slice 2lbs of lean pork into bite size pieces





In a wok, add 1 Tbs of canola oil on medium heat and get it hot.  Add the Red Curry Paste and 1 small cinnamon stick and  fry for 3-4 minutes stirring occasionally.  

Add the pork to the wok and increase the heat to medium- high.  Toss the meat with the red curry sauce well and continue to stir fry for 15 minutes.   After about 5 minutes of cooking, you can add some liquid by putting 1/2 cup of water in your blender or liquidizer and wash out all the remaining red curry paste and adding it to the wok.  After 15 minutes, the pork should be fully cooked.

Add your desired stir-fry vegetables at this point. I simply added sliced green bell pepper and a can of drained baby corn. But you can add mushrooms, zucchini etc...  Cook the ingredient for 1-2 minutes if you want the veggies tender crisp.  If you like them softer, cook until it reaches the texture you like.

Add one cup of coconut milk (about 1/2 a can) to the wok.  Stir well and cook for 3-5 minutes.

Add the juice from half a lime and taste for salt here.  If you need more fish sauce you can add some more (a little at a time) until you get the desired salt flavor.   Your dish is done and you can turn off the stove and serve.

Serves 4-6 people.  Serve with rice.  Enjoy. : )



Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.







Thursday, May 26, 2011

Creamy Dreamy Lemon Pie- No Bake Dessert

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This is a perfectly refreshing pie for summer time.  It feels like a mouth full of sunshine with each bite.  The best part it is an easy no bake pie with a handful of ingredients.  This dessert is great for Memorial Day weekend celebrations when you want a light creamy dessert.

To make this pie you will need the following:
  • 1 store bought graham cracker crust (or you can make your own)
  • 1 package of cream cheese (at room temperature)
  • 1 tub of cool whip topping
  • 1 large juicy lemon (juice of entire lemon and 1 tsp of zest)
  • 1/2 cup of sugar or splenda
Beat the cream cheese, sugar, lemon zest and the juice until it is creamy.  Then fold in the whip topping gently.

Pour your pie filling into the ready crust and chill in the fridge 6-8 hour or overnight for best results.

Top with the whip topping before serving and garnish with lemon wedges as desired.  Slice and serve. Enjoy!




Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

Masala Potatoes and Peas- Vegan

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Potatoes and Peas make a wonderful combination in Indian cooking.  This dish is full of aromatic spices and  leading the way is one of my favorites- Gram Masala.  This dish will be delicious with any rice and curry meal or naan, chapathis, roti etc.... 

To start you will need:
1 medium onion chopped
2 green chilies or jalapenos finely diced
10-15 curry leaves
1 tsp cumin seed



Heat a large skillet with 1Tbs of canola on medium-high heat.  Add the cumin seed first and allow them to become fragrant (about 30-45 seconds).  Then add the chopped onion and green chilies.  Saute until soft.



Now add:
2-3 cloves of garlic grated
1 Tbs of grated ginger

Saute a minute until fragrant.


Add some diced boiled potato (2-3 large potatoes).  Also add some salt and pepper for seasoning and saute for a few minutes.

* Note you will have to boil the potatoes before making this dish.  You want the potatoes fork tender, but not mushy.



Now Add:
1 tsp of garam masala
1 tsp of red chili flakes (or to taste)
1/4 tsp of ground turmeric




Optional: I also added some diced green bell peppers.  You can use fresh or frozen.






Add about a cup of frozen peas to the dish.  Saute for a few minutes.
Once the peas are heated through, taste for seasoning.  If you are satisfied with the flavor your dish is done.





Serves 4-6 people.  Enjoy

Copyright: All content, photos and text are property of Curry and Comfort and cannot be used without permission 

Asian Slaw

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To make the Asian Slaw:
1lb of shredded cabbage or one 14.5 oz bag of shredded coleslaw in a bag (about 6-7 cups of cabbage).
1 carrot grated
1 bunch of spring onions (green part) sliced
1-2 green chilies (serrano or jalapeno) seeded and finely diced




For the sauce:
2Tbs of Rice Wine Vinegar
2Tbs of Soy Sauce
1-2 tsp of Sesame Oil
1/2 Tbs of sesame seeds (optional)
2 tsp of canola oil
1 tsp of sugar
1 tsp of ginger root grated
1 clove of garlic grated
salt and pepper to taste

Mix well and toss with the coleslaw vegetables.  Chill and serve with burger or any Asian meal.





Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.