Apricot Chicken

Just 3 ingredients poured over chicken.
Couldn't be easier!

A pretty dish to serve in the Spring.

 Season the chicken and put into a casserole
that's been sprayed with Pam.

 Mix the ingredients.

 Pour over the chicken. You can use boneless
breasts or cut up chicken.  I skin the pieces.

 I mix this up after lunch, then cover
with plastic wrap and refrigerate until
time to pop into a 350º oven for 1 hour.

I also cut the chicken breasts in half for easier
serving. Serve over rice with lots of sauce and
a nice green vegetable.

APRICOT CHICKEN

Ingredients

• 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 2 lbs.
• 8 oz. (1 C) bottle of Catalina, Russian,
•   or French dressing
• 1 cup apricot jam
• 1 packet dry onion soup mix
• (optional 2 t curry powder)

Instructions

1. Place the chicken breasts into a casserole dish. 
   Season with salt and pepper.

2. Combine the dressing, jam, and dry onion soup. 

3. Pour the sauce over the top of the chicken. 
    You can make it ahead to this point, 
    then cover and refrigerate to bake later.   

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, 
    or until chicken is done.

5. Can also use a cut-up chicken (skinned), 3 lbs.

Serve over rice.

Enjoy!

Links: Between Naps On The Porch

Dwellings, Under The Table & Dreaming,

My 1929 Charmer, Stone Gable,

A Stroll Thru Life, Designs By Gollum,
My Romantic Home,

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Bakery Style Kharaa Buns / Savory Onion Dill Buns | Snack Recipes

Tea times in India are filled with chatter, chai and a snack. The snack part is mostly from the local bakery. Samosa, Vegetable Puffs & Vegetable Cutlets are the most commonly sought after snacks. But every place has its specialties. When we visit my aunt in Bangalore the snacks are different. It is native to that place, viz Kodubale, Obbittu and these Khara buns. These buns have been in my to-do list for a while now and I set out to make these when my LO was taking his nap. These Khara buns are to die for. These are like savory and spicy pillows of heaven. 

Ingredients:

Recipe from The Chef and Her Kitchen
Makes 12 buns;
Maida/All purpose flour - 3-1/4 cups + more for kneading

Salt - 1 tsp

Water - 3/4 cup

Milk - 1/2 cup

Yeast, Active dry - 1 pkt (2-1/4 tsp)

Sugar 1-1/2 tbsp

Cooking oil - 2 tbsp + more for greasing

For the savory addition:

Oil - 1 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Onion - 1 cup (finely chopped)

Coriander leaves, loosely packed - 1 cup

Dill leaves, loosely packed - 1 cup

Green chillies, coarsely ground - 1 tbsp

Salt - 1/4 tsp
For brushing on top:
Milk - 2 tbsp
Butter - 1 tbsp

Method:

Warm up the water and milk for about 60-80 secs in a microwave-proof bowl. Your finger should be able to feel the warm, but it should not be too hot. Add the sugar, yeast and mix well. Set aside for the yeast to bloom, about 10 minutes. 
In a pan, heat 1 tsp of oil and pop the cumin seeds, followed by the onions and the ground chillies. Saute until the onions are completely cooked. Add the chopped dill leaves and coriander leaves and salt. Mix well and remove from heat to cool.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour (3-1/4 cups) and salt together. Add the yeast mixture, oil and knead to form a dough. If the dough is too sticky sprinkle flour as needed while kneading. Remember, the dough should not be too stiff because it means the yeast needs moisture to grow. When the dough comes together, knead for a good 10 minutes. Add the cooled onion mixture and continue kneading for another 10 minutes adding flour as needed. It would be the best 20 minutes spent to let off steam. At this stage the dough should be smooth and not sticky (see the collage pictures above).
Preheat your oven to warm mode/the lowest temperature setting for 2 minutes and turn it off. Take another large bowl and grease the bottom and sides of the bowl completely. Apply oil all over the dough and place it in the oiled bowl and cover with a wet cloth. Place inside the warmed oven for about an hour or hour-and-a-half.  The dough would have doubled in size by now. Punch down the dough and make 12 equal-sized balls. Line two baking sheets with aluminium foil and grease with oil. Place the balls, 6 on each sheet and cover with wet cloth. Allow it to rise again for about 45 minutes. 
Meanwhile preheat the oven to 425 F / 220 C. When the 45 minutes of rising is up brush the top with milk and place the baking sheets inside the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 F / 180 C. Bake for about 18-22 minutes until the tops are golden brown. Remove from the oven and immediately brush with butter. Butter is what give the beautiful shine to the buns.
Serve warm as an accompaniment to tea/coffee.
Notes:
You can do any filling you want. Replace the onion filling with a potato-pea mixture or add shredded coconut with sugar for a sweet bun. Play around with the flavours and relish.

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Kesri feerni

Kesri feerni

Ingredients

• Milk 4 cups
• Ground rice 3 ½ tbsp
• Sugar 6 tbsp
• Rose water 1 tbsp
• Saffron ¼ tsp
• Green Cardamom grinded ½ tsp
• Pistachio sliced 2 tbsp

Method

• Put the milk on fire in a pan, boil. Add in ground rice, mix into a paste with little water, stir constantly until thick and smooth, add sugar, simmer for few minutes, take off from fire, add essence, saffron, cardamom, pour into individual moulds, garnish with sliced pistachio.

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Busboosa Semolina Cake

Busboosa Semolina Cake

Ingredients

• Unsalted butter 8 ounces
• Icing sugar 1 ½ cup
• Vanilla essence 1 tsp
• Eggs 4
• Semolina 4 cups
• Baking powder 1 tsp leveled
• Baking soda 1 tsp leveled
• Yogurt 2 cups
• Blanched spilt almonds about 20

Ingredients for syrup

• Water 1 cup
• Sugar 1 cup
• Honey 1 cup
• Lemon juice ¼ cup

Method

• Beat butter and sugar till light and fluffy, add eggs 1 at a time, beat well add essence, sieve semolina with baking powder and soda, fold in lightly with 2 cups leveled yogurt, mix slightly, grease 12 x 12 inches square, butter very well, pour mixture into them, place blanched whole almonds in such a way when the cake is cut and almonds will be centered on each piece, bake on 180 degrees for 40 minutes, remove, cool cake slightly and pour the warm syrup on the warm cake, so it absorbs the syrup, cut in diamond or square shape.

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Bhopali Seekh Kabab

Bhopali Seekh Kabab

Ingredients

• Mince ½ kg
• Coriander leaves finely chopped 2 tbsp
• Ghee ¼ cup
• Green cardamom grinded ½ tsp
• Cottage cheese grated 2 tbsp
• Allspice 1 tsp heaped
• Poppy seeds grinded 2 tbsp
• Ginger garlic paste 1tbsp
• Green chili grinded 1 tbsp
• Chili powder 1 tsp
• Mace grinded ½ tsp
• Salt 1 tsp
• Brown onion grinded 3 tbsp

Method

• Combine all the ingredients in a bowl mix well, chopperize and chill for 30 minutes, make into seekh kababs, bake or pan fry, serve garnished with onion rings, tomato slices.

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Chops Achari

Chops Achari

Ingredients

• Mutton chops ½ kg
• White cumin 1 tsp
• Black cardamom 1
• Chat masala 1 tsp
• Cloves 6
• Ginger garlic paste 1 tbsp
• Gram flour 2 tsp heaped
• Lemon juice 1 tbsp
• Mustard seeds 1 tsp
• Onion seeds 1 tsp
• Raw papaya 1 tbsp
• Chili powder 2 tsp
• Salt 1 tsp
• Yogurt 4 tbsp

Method

• Flatten chops with steak hammer, marinate with raw papaya, ginger garlic and salt, leave it for 1 hour, sprinkle with roasted gram flour, to the yogurt add all the remaining ingredients, mix well to a fine paste, marinate for 2 hours, bake in a preheated oven on 180 degrees for 30 minutes, serve with lemon wedges and onion slices.

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Indian Chili Chicken

Indian Chili Chicken

 

Ingredients

• Chicken 1 kg 16 pieces
• Chili powder 1 ½ tsp
• Salt 1 tsp
• Ginger garlic 1 tbsp
• Water 2cups
• Capsicum 2 cut into cubes
• Onion 2 cut into cubes
• Ketchup ½ cup
• Chili sauce 2 tbsp

Ingredients for tomato puree

• Oil ¼ cup
• Chopped onion ½ cup
• Green chilies 2 chopped tomatoes 2 chopped
• Pinch of orange color

Method for tomato sauce

• Heat ¼ cup oil, fry chopped onion, green chilies till light golden, add chopped tomatoes, fry for 5 minutes, remove, cool and blend with orange food color. Keep aside.

Method for chili chicken

• Heat ¼ cup oil fry chopped onion and capsicum for 2 minutes add blended tomato sauce with ketchup, chili sauce, fry for 2 minutes, add in the boiled chicken, cook on low flame till chicken tender, and oil comes on top.

Method for boiling chicken

• Boil chicken with 2 cups water, chili powder, salt, ginger garlic till nearly done.

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