We love blackberry jelly.  I just planted a bush in the backyard this spring.  I know it’ll be long time before I have enough berries to make presevers, but I can’t wait.  This recipe is so quick and easy that you can make it before you start the pot of coffee and it’ll be ready by the time the eggs are perfectly sunny-side up.

This is a single recipe but just double or triple as needed.  You can also use any berry or fruit that you prefer.

Ingredients:
6 oz. fresh blackberries
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tsp. lemon zest

Directions:
In a small saucepan over medium-low heat add the berries, sugar and water. Simmer until the berries start to fall apart and the the syrup starts to thicken; about 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat. Add lemon zest.

Place in a mason jar or small serving bowl.  Refrigerate until chilled.

The weather is getting warmer and soon it will be too hot to cook meals that require heating up the kitchen.  We’ll be heading outdoors to our grills or making cool crisp salads.  However, we just had a revisit of cooler temperatures so I asked my family what their last request of winter meals was.  Cabernet Beef Shanks was the overwhelming answer.  So before I switch gears to lighter food, here is once last look at good ‘ole comfort food.

Ingredients:
3 lbs. bone-in beef beef shanks, trimmed
5/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped shallots
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery
6 garlic cloves, sliced
1 rosemary sprig
2 1/2 cups cabernet sauvignon
1 1/4 cups lower-sodium beef broth
2 teaspoons water
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Gremolata:
1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 garlic clove, minced

Polenta:
3 cups fat-free milk
1 cup water
5/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup quick-cooking polenta
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions:
Sprinkle beef shanks with salt and pepper. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon olive oil to pan. Add beef shanks, and sauté for 6 minutes, turning to brown on both sides.   Add onion and the next 5 ingredients (through rosemary) to pan.   Add wine and broth to the pan.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Cover and bake at 350° for 1 1/2 hours, turning shanks after 45 minutes. Remove shanks from pan, and strain cooking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl. Discard the solids. Skim fat; discard. Return cooking liquid to pan. Cook for 15 minutes or until reduced to 2 cups.  Combine flour and 2 teaspoons water in a small bowl, stirring well. Add to pan, and bring to a boil. Cook for 12 minutes or until reduced to about 1 cup. Stir in vinegar.

To prepare gremolata, combine 1/3 cup parsley, 1/2 teaspoon lemon rind, and minced garlic.

To prepare polenta, bring 3 cups milk, 1 cup water, 5/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper to a boil over medium heat. Slowly stir in 1 cup polenta. Cook 5 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently. Stir in cheese. Place 1/2 cup polenta in each of 8 shallow bowls, and top each serving with 2 ribs, 2 tablespoons sauce, and about 2 teaspoons gremolata.

From seasoned chicken dishes to spicy curry, Indian staples have won the hearts of thousands. Indian food has always been known for its decadent sauces and spices mixed into every. From the early 16^th and 17^th century when English settlers transported exotic spices from India to their homelands, Indian food has been pleasing the hearts and stomachs for thousands of hundreds of years.

Some dishes are simple to make; others complicate things a bit by requiring chicken and veggies to marinate in special sauces to ensure its taste and flavor. Whether it takes 12-hours or 2 hours to prepare, you’ll be pleased by what India has to offer. If you’re a student pursuing a culinary degree, you might want to mix up your traditional cooking styles and try some staples India has to offer.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka is an Indian staple that mixes together grounded cinnamon and cayenne pepper, adding both a sweet yet spicy coalesce of flavor. Throw in a bit of lemon juice, cumin and fresh ginger and you have yourself a well-seasoned piece of chicken. Traditional Tikka Masala tends to be chopped into small pieces of chicken for serving, and most will prepare the spices and tomato sauce ahead of time to allow the chicken to marinate for 12-hours, but some tend to cook it right away.

Most like to top off their Chicken Tikka Masala with a bit of cilantro and served over a plate of rice. If you like to munch on some bread with your meal, throw in some warm pita bread and enjoy your meal with a glass of wine.

Chaat

Visit any Indian supermarket and you’ll find Chaat. That’s because this potato pancake mixes well with popular different curries and can be experimented on using different spices. Most cooks tend to use the traditional ingredients—dried mango powder, cumin, Kala Namak, dried ginger and a variety of peppers to create the dish, but others have been known to add in different seasoning into the mix.

Chaat makes for a great pick-me-up during the day, and with an easy to make recipe, you can serve this dish in place of bread or chips. Mix up your Chaat dish and add some sweet and spicy curry sauces to experiment with new ideas.

Tandoori Chicken

Chaat is a quick snack to prepare for the kids, but what about an easy meal for when you’re exhausted after work? Tandoori Chicken is quick and simple to whip up. An offshoot of Chicken Masala, the Tandoori dish blends together yogurt, spices and fresh fruits and veggies to add both the sweet yet spicy dish Indian food is known for.

Mixing together pepper, yogurt (plain), lemon juice and allspice, with 1 hour and 20 minutes to prep time and cook, Tandoori chicken makes for an easy, fast dish. Throw in a dried or (grilled) piece of mango, mixed together with rice, veggies and pita bread and you have yourself a tasty, healthy meal.

Rogan Josh

When you see a picture of finished Rogan Josh, it looks like any American staple—chicken served with rice and veggies. Don’t fool yourself. Rogan Josh uses yogurt to blend together chili powder, ground coriander, and Kashmiri peppers to spice up your usual serving of chicken-based meals. Okay, maybe chicken is getting old, but you can easily substitute lamb in its place to add in a different flavor.

Most people may feel Kashmiri peppers will add too much spice to their night, but fear not, it’s not as hot when blended together with the yogurt. If you want, you can serve your Rogan Josh over a bed of rice and add in a curry sauce to add in some flavor to the plain bed of white or brown rice.

Culinary experts will agree, most of these dishes leave room for modifications. You can add or remove certain spices to adjust them to your flavor preferences. Most accredited online colleges in culinary will show you the basics of cooking, but some may or may not offer course designed in Indian cusine.

Sources:

All Recipies

Asia Hotels

Weekly Menu Plan #12

Here is a sneak peek at my weekly menu planning services.

Menu Plan Week #12

Sunday – Grilled Steak, Smashed Potatoes with Lemon Vinaigrette and Broccoli Bread Salad

Monday – Seared Scallops with Salsa Verde and Grilled Johnny Cakes

Tuesday – Pork Chops, Cranberry Stuffing and Sweat Potatoes

Wednesday – Sloppy Joes, Tater Tots and Baked Beans

Thursday–Pasta with Walnuts, Gorgonzola & Ciabatta

Friday–BBQ Chicken Pizza

Saturday – Sticky Wings

For all the recipes and a complete shopping list check it out, what do you have to loose?  All the recipes here can be prepared in less than 1 hour, most in less than 30 minutes.  And all are kid friendly and wallet friendly.  What you’ll get in addition to 7 recipes is a complete shopping list.  All you have to do is print and take with you to the store.  You will receive your menu plan every Thursday morning.  Not convinced that it’ll save you time and money, well then your first month is on me!  Give it a try and if you don’t love it you can cancel.  If you do love it (and you will) then it’s just $4.99 per month.  What is your time worth?

Quick, easy and full of flavor.  This salsa verde is fresh with hints of spring but the capers give it a salty punch.  It is perfect with the delicate scallops but can also stand up to a juicy grilled steak.  Serve with corn fritters for a nod to Mexico.

 Ingredients:
1/3 cup coarsely chopped parsley
Grated zest of 1 lemon, plus juice to taste
1 fat clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon capers, drained, rinsed, and coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
black pepper to taste
1/2 cup olive oil, plus more for coating the pan
1 pound scallops, dried well and seasoned with salt and pepper

Directions:
In a small bowl, combine the parsley, lemon zest, garlic, capers, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Stir well to combine and taste for seasoning.  Allow to sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.

In the meantime, coat the bottom of a heavy skillet with olive oil.  Making sure the scallops are dry, carefully add them in a single layer well-spaced (too close together and they’re prone to steam and not develop a good crust).  Cook until golden on both sides, 2-3 minutes each side.

Spoon salsa verde on plate and place scallops on top.  Serve immediately with Corn Fritters.

Irish Cream Chocolate Cheesecake

This recipe requires 20 to 30 minutes to prepare and cooks in 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Ingredients:

• All purpose flour – 3 tablespoons
• Butter – ¼ cup
• Chocolate cookie crumbs – 1 ½ cups
• Confectioner’s sugar – ¹/₃ cup
• Cream cheese, softened – 3 (8 ounce) packages
• Eggs – 3
• Irish cream liqueur – ¼ cup
• Sour cream – ½ cup
• Unsweetened cocoa powder – ¹/₃ cup and ¼ cup
• White sugar – 1 ¼ cups

Directions:

• Baked Crust – begin by preheating your oven to 350⁰F (175⁰C). Place the confectioner’s sugar, ¹/₃ cup unsweetened cocoa and cookie crumbs in a large bowl. Mix together until you get a smooth consistency, with uniform color. Melt butter in a saucepan and add to the bowl. Stir ingredients well. Pour mixture into a 9-inch springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes in preheated oven. When ready, set aside the cake to cool. Adjust oven temperature to 450⁰F (230⁰C).
• Filling - place white sugar, cream cheese, ¼ cup cocoa and flour in a large bowl. Set mixer at medium speed and mix to a smooth consistency. Add the sour cream and Irish cream liqueur, and blend further on low speed. Pour mixture over the baked crust. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Adjust oven temperature to 250⁰F (120⁰C) and bake for 1 hour.
• Remove cake from oven. Use a butter knife to separate cake from the pan rim. Allow cake to cool before you remove the rim of pan. Chill for about 2 hours before serving. For a decorative effect, you may want to sprinkle some grated white chocolate onto the cake before serving.

This simple recipe doesn’t take much time and allows you to engage in cooking without much effort.

Sources:

Bailey’s Irish Cream Cheesecake. (2012) Cooks.com

Irish Cream Chocolate Cheesecake. (2012) AllRecipes.com