Garam Masala Chicken Tenders w/ Sweet Curry Dipping Sauce

Putting my Garam Masala obsession to good use! 

I made these last week, after talking to my mom on the phone... She mentioned seeing this, which she thought we might like. In it, Bobby Deen makes one of his mother's recipes a little bit more healthy. We are indeed shrimp fans around here, but I had chicken tenders on hand. (They were on sale. If you're watching your budget like we do, just buy breasts and slice your own tenders, or carve up a whole chicken if you are so brave and inclined.)

Meatless Monday

Making this tonight, and I can't wait! Will post a pic later on tonight tomorrow:

Seriously good. I snagged the recipe from this blog here, and it was a big hit! It could also use chicken, and I think that would be fantastic, but we used veggie broth and omitted the bird. We didn't miss it.

Peanut Butter Balls

Maple Pecan Brittle

Christmas candy time!

It's no secret I love pecans. Preferably Texas ones. I will, however, keep it a secret how much of a batch of this I can consume before anyone else has a chance to try it...

Make this stuffing

Photo from Epicurious.com

I have been remiss in my food blogging, not having addressed the coming feast for at least the past two weeks. Worse than that, I have a confession to make: I am not in charge of Thanksgiving dinner this year. 

GASP!

Nope. Josh is an excellent cook. I think I've said that before. Better than me in a lot of ways. He has a mind for the science of cooking, whereas I just kind of feel my way through and rely on past experience to be my (sometimes misguided) guide. I have commissioned a guest post from the attorney-chef, and expect that as soon as he finds time... before Thursday. I have faith that this will happen. He has some amazing dishes on the docket, and I can't wait.

I'm not totally wussing out, now -- I'll be making the important stuff, like dessert. Chocolate pie. I'll be making my spiced pecans, too. And the stuffing. But I can't take credit for my stuffing recipe. I found this a few years back, and it is tha bomb. 

Make it. Love it. Don't count the calories. And don't fear the raisins, they're good.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sourdough-Stuffing-with-Sausage-Apples-and-Golden-Raisins-355795

Gluten-free Corn Dogs!

I wonder if they serve these at the Texas State Fair? If not, they should.  I keep an eye on gluten-free recipes and am just beginning to try my hand at adapting some of our favorites, mostly on account of Malcolm's skin issues, but I think we could all benefit from less wheat.  This article is a good introduction to gluten sensitivities.  They can run the gamut from irritation to complete intolerance, known as celiac disease.

Thanks to a suggestion from my brother and a little reading on the subject, we cut common allergens and irritants from Mal's diet, and were rewarded with near-immediate skin success!  He'd had rough, red, angry, angry knees, and patches on his feet and arms that would sometimes crack and bleed.  They made him cry.  We treated with EVERY CREAM you can imagine, two, three times a day.  Steroidal creams like cortisones would help, but longtime use of those things can actually thin one's skin, not to mention offer a few other undesirable effects.  Sometimes it would subside, treating with just the heavy-duty Origins cream (expensive!) and neosporin, but as soon as I forgot a treatment, it would come roaring back.  SO... now we simply limit a few of those common allergens, especially dairy and wheat, and we all reap the benefits.  A little note: Dr. Sears lists fish as a a possible culprit, but we do NOT limit that.  We eat fatty fish at least once a week, as the Omega-3 fatty acids are, I believe, actually good for dry skin.

Anyway, who doesn't love a corn dog?  I'm definitely going to give these guys a try.  Malcolm (along with most 3 year old boys, I'm sure) loves anything served up on a sword...

Sourdough French Toast Casserole w/ veggie sausage and blueberries

Just try to resist.

I saw this recipe over on the The Homesick Texan's blog, and I had to try it.  Unlike several other French toast casserole recipes I'd seen, it works without heavy cream or even half & half; it doesn't have to be made the night before, and it cooks up in cast iron.  I adapted it a little by using dense, homemade sourdough in place of French bread, reducing the milk by 1/4 c. and adding an egg. Also, veggie sausage in place of the real thing, with a pinch of anise for added flavor, and brown sugar instead of white.  It was awesome.  And I ate Way Too Much of it.

I love cooking in my cast iron.

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 3/4 c. milk

5 eggs

1/4 c. brown sugar

zest of one small orange

juice of one small orange

1 generous tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

pinch anise seeds

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

4-5 c. (loose) cubed sourdough

pint fresh blueberries, rinsed

12 oz. veggie sausage sausage

powdered sugar and maple syrup for serving

Brown/cook your veggie sausage in a tsp or so of butter. Toss in the anise seeds, as you do.  Set aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large cast iron skillet, melt butter on low heat and help it to coat bottom and sides of pan.

Beat together the milk and eggs. Add sugar, orange zest, orange juice, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk. Layer the bottom of the skillet with half of the bread. Top with the blueberries and veggie sausage. Add the rest of the bread on top, then pour your milk & egg mixture over it all.  Let sit out of the fridge for at least 20 minutes -- time for the bread to absorb some of the mix.  Bake covered with foil for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake 15 minutes longer, but watch the top for excessive browning.  Let it rest 15 minutes before dusting with powdered sugar and serving with maple syrup.

um, YUM!

Check out this recipe on Homesick Texan for French Toast Casserole with blueberries and sausage.  It gets bonus points for cooking up in a cast iron skillet.

I will have to try this on Sunday with veggie sausage and sourdough bread.  (Can you tell I'm trying to clean out the fridge before vacation?)