Tag Archives: Cinnamon

Tandoori Chicken Salad

* Posted on April 26, 2013 by Allie

6 Replies

Do you guys remember a whiiiiiiiiiiile back when I posted a two-fer recipe for roast chicken? Both of those recipes are phenomenal, btw, and if you are looking for a great way to gather friends and/or family around the supper table, roast chicken is IT!

A-henny-who, at this time of year I am always in the market for something light, cool, and refreshing, and kinda healthy, for lunch or for a light dinner. With my oldest now in tee-ball, it’s nice to have something we can pack up and eat at the game, or just quickly stuff in our faces after we get home.

So, I thought it might be nice to share a kind of offshoot recipe, inspired by my “Faraway Place” chicken, in cold salad form!

If you’ve ever enjoyed curried chicken salad, then you’d probably like this one too. It’s similar in that it has that earthy spice flavor, but in this preparation it’s even more pronounced. Rather than using a pre-made spice blend (such as curry powder), this dressing relies on a mixture of individual dried spices and fresh herbs. And, it’s lower in fat and calories, with mayonnaise being replaced by low fat, high protien Greek-style yogurt.

That being said, again I must now give a disclaimer: I am not Indian. I am no expert on Indian cooking. I did not grow up eating Indian food. Even now, as an adult, I do not eat much Indian food (there just aren’t a whole lot of Indian restaurants in my neck of the woods;)). I first discovered what I’ve titled “Faraway Place” chicken in a local publication a few years back. Unfortunately, the author was not cited, so I am unable to credit him or her. It was not titled “Tandoori Chicken.” I did not know what it was, or where in the world it was from, until I googled the ingredients! So, as you can see, I make no claims that this recipe is authentic in any way. I just know it’s really tasty, and different, and the flavors are super exciting!

Start with some cooked chicken. You could use a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket, or just some leftover cooked chicken, or, I just poached up a couple of boneless, skinless chicken breasts in simmering, salted water, for about 30 minutes, or until no longer pink inside. You can dice the chicken, or try this fabulous method, which works perfectly and I am totally in love with.

source

Today I decided just to dice, because I wanted big, meaty chunks.

Now whip up the dressing! I love Chobani because it is so high in protein, low in fat, and it gives such a gorgeous, creamy texture and subtle tang.

The “Tandoori Spice” comes from lemon, garlic, ginger, paprika, cumin, turmeric, and cinnamon. It is complex and totally delish.

Toss the chickeny chunks in that fragrant dressing, along with some crunchy, toasted almond slivers, and some sweet, golden raisins.

You can also add in some fresh, chopped flat-leaf parsley for an herbal note.

Tandoori Chicken Salad

Author: YinMom YangMom Allie

Prep time: 10 mins

Total time: 10 mins

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

2 cooked, boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
1 cup plain 2% Greek-style yogurt
½ cup slivered almonds, toasted
⅓ cup golden raisins
3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
2 teaspoons garlic powder (not garlic salt)
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon ground cumin
zest of half a lemon
juice of half a lemon
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, agave, lemon juice & zest, ginger, and spices.
Add in the chicken, almonds, raisins, and parsley, and toss to coat.
Serve in lettuce cups, whole wheat wraps, or on a croissant.

There are any number of ways this can be served: on a croissant, in a lettuce wrap, in a whole wheat tortilla wrap, or straight outta the ol’ mason jar if you are on the go.

Garlicky yogurt, spiked with bright citrus, warm paprika and ginger, and earthy cumin, cinnamon, and turmeric, contrasted with crunchy almonds and sweet raisins, with a fresh hit of verdant parsley! No matter how you slice it, this chicken salad is like no other! So light and healthy, and full of such interesting and complex flavor!

Hot Buttered Jamie

* Posted on March 2, 2013 by Allie

2 Replies

You may remember, last year around this time, I told you about how I used to love to party down all day on St. Patrick’s Day.

Ya, I was pretty hard core. I’d ditch work for the day, and go hang in dark pub, listening to traditional Irish songs on penny whistle and fiddle, sipping Black and Tans until I was bleary-eyed.

What I neglected to mention was that, usually, I was accompanied by my mom and dad.

Ok, so maybe I’m not so hard core after all. Maybe you already had an inkling. Or maybe you’ve just gotten new a glimpse of another facet of my sparkling personality.

I’ll admit that my St. Paddy’s day celebrations were less “girls gone wild,” than “families gone nostalgic,” but I sure did enjoy the heck outta them. For today’s post I wanted to share a re-creation of my mom’s favorite St. Patrick’s day drink: one that she’d always enjoy at that cozy little authentic Irish pub, and one that I’ve never seen anyplace else.

This is a lovely little hot toddy, perhaps inspired by the Hot Buttered Rum, but made instead with good Irish whiskey and strongly brewed black tea.

Begin with a bit of soft butter, and stir in some light brown sugar and a few scratches of nutmeg.

Drop it into the bottom of your mug, and pour on about an ounce of Irish whiskey. Now brew up a pot of your favorite black tea. I prefer Irish Breakfast, of course.

Pour the hot tea over the butter, sugar, and whiskey, and give it a stir to combine…

Garnish with softly whipped cream and a cinnamon stick.

It’s so comforting!

This drink warms from the inside out, and it takes me right back to those happy and nostalgic times in the pub with my loved ones!

Hot Buttered Jamie

Author: YinMom YangMom Allie

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 5 mins

Total time: 10 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

4 tablespoons softened butter
3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
4 ounces Irish whiskey
4 cups strongly brewed black tea
whipped cream, for garnish
4 cinnamon sticks

Instructions

Combine the first three ingredients and divide evenly between 4 mugs.
Pour an ounce of whiskey into each mug.
Top with hot tea, and stir.
Garnish with whipped cream and a cinnamon stick.

If you’ll be like me, spending your St. Paddy’s at home this year, try whipping up a batch of these to lull you after you’ve put the little ones to bed!

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

* Posted on February 1, 2013 by Allie

11 Replies

These cinnamon rolls… I just… I can’t even…

OMG.

They are to die for. I mean, So. Unbelievably. Delicious. And, truly, they will kill you a little bit. They will make your life a little shorter. But it will be sooooo worth it.

As with so many of my most favoritest things to make, these began with a recipe. A recipe which I made, over and over, tweaking a little bit each time, until I had THE PERFECT result. I would like to properly credit the original author, but the thing took up residence as an index card in my recipe box probably fifteen years ago. I do know this: it came from a cookbook offering make-at-home versions of favorite items from chain restaurants, such as loaded potato skins from TGIFridays, honey-whole wheat pizza dough from California Pizza Kitchen, and cinnamon rolls from Cinnabon. Hence…

However, I don’t know if it was the author of this cookbook, or the folks over at Cinnabon, but their original recipe was definitely lacking. They were holding out! The cinnamon rolls were okay, but… I’m sorry. Just not gooey enough. A bit small. And dry. Just not the same. Something was definitely missing.

So, here is what I came up with, and have completely fallen in love with, and will be serving for Mr. Allie’s birthday breakfast this weekend, as well as probably for Valentine’s Day in a few weeks. And every other occasion thereafter, that warrants homemade cinnamon rolls. (Is there really any occasion that doesn’t???)

In a recent post, we talked a little bit about baking with yeast, and how it can be intimidating. Pizza dough is a great way to ease into it, because it’s pretty low maintenance. Well, if you’ve conquered pizza dough, and are ready to step it up to a new challenge, this recipe is for you. We’ll be building on the basics, so check out the post in question if you need to brush up.

**Like what you’ve seen so far? Click on over to my new baking blog for the rest of this post!**

Mexican Chocolate Macarons Tutorial, with Links to Special Equipment and Ingredients

* Posted on December 8, 2012 by Allie

11 Replies

Oh, baby! Here we go again!

I know you just love ‘em, in all their sweet, marshmallowy, melt-in-your-mouth glory:

French Macarons!

I initially started experimenting with French Macarons as part of a series I created for YinMom YangMom on 2012 Food Trends for the Home Cook. French Macarons were predicted to be a huge trend this year, and if the search terms leading people to this blog are any indicator, then I’d say that prediction was right on the money!

For today’s macaron adventure, I’ve decided to show you a recipe that makes a perfect homemade gift. ‘Tis the season, right? We all want a little chocolate splurge at this time of year, and the addition of some warm spice makes these just perfect for the holidays!

Macarons are so special because they aren’t the sort of thing that everybody goes around making. Besides being trendy, they also have that little bit of European mystique surrounding them. They are adaptable to so many different flavors, (and colors, so they are also beautiful to look at!) but they can be a little tricky to make, so I’m here to make it super simple and foolproof for you. Why not let’s just make this an in-depth tutorial for all the macaron maniacs out there?

I’m also going to show you my measuring method, which results in the least possible amount of dirty bowls in your sink. With all the weighing, sifting, and mixing, macarons have the potential of leaving your kitchen looking like a hurricane just blew through if you aren’t judicious about your dishes (I swear I didn’t mean to do that!).

And finally, I’m including links to purchase all of the special equipment and ingredients you will need, so you can grow up to be just like me Just click the links and set yourself up for macaron success!

**Like what you’ve read so far? Click on over to my new baking blog to read the rest of this post!**

Apple Pie Infused Bourbon

* Posted on December 1, 2012 by Allie

11 Replies

Evidently, somehow, it is December now. (?!?!) Just the other day I was teaching my kids how to use the slip ‘n slide in the backyard, so I really don’t understand how this happened. However, I have confirmed it with several sources, that it is, now, in fact, December the first, and that means there are just 24 days until Christmas, and only eight more days until Hanukkah.

We gotta get our butts in gear, friends.

Like many of you, I’m sure, I have a lot of wonderful people in my life who deserve nice gifts at this time of year. It can get a little overwhelming sometimes, choosing and shopping for everyone’s gift, trying to make it personal, and working it into the budget. One thing I really like to do is try to make homemade gifts, because by their very nature, they are more personal, and unique, and as a nice bonus, they are often more affordable.

Spoiler Alert (for the five most important men in my life)!

This year, for the five most important men in my life, I have decided to make Southern Living Magazine’s Apple Pie Infused Bourbon!

I begin by chopping the apples and putting them into a large pitcher with a lid. I also add in the cinnamon sticks and ground nutmeg.

Then, I open the bottles of bourbon and pour them over the apples and spices.

Put the lid on the pitcher and let that sit, at room temperature, for four days.

While the bourbon is infusing, I use Goo-Gone to remove the original labels from the bottles.

This stuff works miracles. You can buy it in my shop.

Just spray it on the label and let it sit for ten minutes or so. The labels just scrape right off, no sticky residue.

Clean the bottles with hot, soapy water, or in the dishwasher.

You can also print and cut out these nifty labels!

After the bourbon has had it’s four-day long nap, place a funnel in the neck of the clean, original bourbon bottle. Place a fine mesh strainer over the funnel, and pour the infused bourbon through, discarding the solids. Add 2 tablespoons of honey or agave nectar to each bottle, and replace the cork topper.

Mist the backs of the labels with spray adhesive and adhere them to the bottles.

These can keep in the fridge for up to two months!

I plan on giving them along with a six-pack of artisinal ginger ale, for a delicious and festive winter cocktail!

Do you like to receive a homemade gift? Do you like to make them and give them? What kinds of homemade gifts will you be making this year? I have some other ideas up my sleeve, you can check them out on my Homemade Gifts Pinterest Board. Be sure to also check out all the fabulous gift ideas in the Homemade Gifts Category of this blog. Let me know what you think!

Apple Pie Infused Bourbon

Author: slightly modified from Southern Living Magazine

Recipe type: Beverage

Cuisine: American

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 96 hours

Total time: 96 hours 15 mins

Serves: 1 bottle

Kentucky bourbon infused with the warm flavors of apple pie

Ingredients

½ golden delicious apple, chopped
2 3-inch cinnamon sticks
¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 375ml bottle of good-quality bourbon
2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar

Instructions

Place first four ingredients into a lidded container.
Pour the bourbon over.
Cover, and let stand at room temperature for four days.
Pour bourbon mixture through a fine mesh strainer, into a pitcher, discarding solids.
Stir in the honey or agave nectar.
Decant back into the clean, original bottles.
Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two months.

Download Southern Living’s Free Printable Label: Apple Pie Infused Bourbon

Asian Pear Bundt with Five-Spice Swirl for #BundtAMonth

* Posted on November 15, 2012 by Allie

8 Replies

When I heard about this #bundtamonth idea, I knew I just had to jump on that bandwagon! I mean, who doesn’t love a bundt? So moist and sweet, adaptable to so many different flavors, and they always look so pretty without even needing any adornment!

If you aren’t familiar with #bundtamonth, it’s the genius idea of Anuradha, of Baker Street, and Lora, of Cake Duchess. They’ve decided to take that whole adaptable bundt thing and run with it. Every month they come up with a bundt theme and everybody can link up their favoritest bundt recipes for that theme. Right now they are doing Spicy November, so here’s mine:

**Like what you’ve read so far? Click on over to my new baking blog to read the rest of this post!**

Apple Pie Cups with Cinnamon Streusel

* Posted on September 20, 2012 by Allie

6 Replies

“this is the best thing you’ve ever baked, mommy.”

That is a direct quote. And I have baked a lot of things.

I think that is all the introduction this recipe needs.

Apple Pie Cups with Cinnamon Streusel
(makes 12)

For the Crust:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
approx. 1/3 cup ice water

A few words about pie crust:

At this time of year I really love having some pie crust hanging around in my fridge. It keeps in there for weeks (maybe even months?). Come Fall, I just never know when the pie-baking urge will strike. And with it already sitting there, all chilled and ready to roll, it’s that much easier to just go for it! I suggest whipping up a double batch, just so you have some extra at the ready. This recipe works beautifully for sweet or for savory recipes (chicken pot pie, anyone?). Which leads me to my next point…

About this pie crust recipe. It holds a special place in my heart. For a few reasons.

Number one, it is the best pie crust recipe/method, EVER. The shortening makes it tender, and the butter makes it flaky. The folding/rerolling step makes it CAN’T FAIL.

My own pies were always a little bit of a letdown for me, until this recipe came along. It is everything I ever wanted a homemade pie crust to be. So, my second reason is, it got me over my fear of pies.

tender-flaky layers!

And third, when I posted my White Peach and Blueberry Pie, using this crust, it was Freshly Pressed on WordPress, gaining our little blog A LOT of attention. I’m still plugging away at trying to reciprocate all the comments and likes we got.

I owe it all to a beautiful, fun, and sweet blog called BakeAt350, where I first saw the recipe. (Thank you, Bridget!) If you’ve never read it, please be sure to go check it out.

To make this magic pie crust, you will begin by placing the flour, salt, and shortening in a large bowl. Cut the shortening in until the pieces are pea-sized. Cut the cold butter into thin slices and toss them around in the flour until they are all dusty-coated. Now dribble in the ice water, about a tablespoon at a time, while stirring the whole mess around. As soon as it starts to come together into a ball, you are done adding water. Divide it into two equal portions so it’s easier to work with.

Dust each dough-ball in flour, and roll out to about 1/4″ thick. Fold it into thirds, like a letter. Turn it 90 degrees, and fold into thirds again. Fridge for 30 minutes, or till you’re ready to make pie.

So now that you have a ridiculously long pie crust explanation, and the beginnings of the best thing you’ve ever baked in your fridge, we’ll move on to the filling.

For the Filling:
6 granny smith apples
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons lemon or orange juice

Peel, core, and cut your apples into 1/2″ pieces. Toss them with the remaining filling ingredients.

For the Streusel Topping:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Just melt the butter in a little bowl and then throw the rest of the ingredients on top. Mix it up with a fork and you’re good to go!

Roll out the crust and cut big circles. I used a 4 1/2″ diameter cookie cutter.

Gently press a circle into each well of an ungreased, unlined cupcake pan.

Spoon the filling in…

…and top with the cinnamon streusel.

Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

These are perfect for a packed lunch! As are these other recipes from my Lunch Lady Land series:

Homemade Gummy Fruit Snacks and Juicy Jigglers
Healthy (Nut-Free) Reese’s Cups
Corn Dog Muffins
Homemade Pudding Snack Pack

Those flaky layers! I mean, come on, right?

What is the best thing you’ve ever baked? Do you make a lot of pies in the fall? Have you had much luck with your crust? What do you think of this method I’ve been using? Leave us a comment!

Coffee Cake with Plums and Walnut Cardamom Streusel

* Posted on August 14, 2012 by Allie

13 Replies

When I was a little girl, I remember spending many afternoons at our community swimming pool. My mom would always pack her beach bag with everything we’d need for the day: sunscreen, floaties, towels, and plenty of snacks to nibble on. We would lay our beach towels out on the soft grass and slurp on peaches, cherries, nectarines, and plums as the sun warmed our skin. They were so sweet and juicy, and even at five years old I knew that these summer fruits were something special, only to be enjoyed at the peak of their summertime season.

I’d love for my kids to have those same kinds of delicious memories. This summer we’ve kept our fruit basket brim-full of all those yummy stone fruits (and more!) for munching out of hand, but I’ve also enjoyed baking them into lots of delicious dishes. Here’s a little recap of some of YinMom YangMom’s best summer stone fruit recipes, just click the pic and it’ll take you right to the post/recipe:

Stone Fruit White Sangria

Grilled Peaches with Mascarpone and Crushed Biscoff

Incividual Cherry Cobblers In A Jar

Apricot Almond Clafoutis

…and, to round out the stone-fruit-a-palooza, this fabulous recipe for Plum Coffee Cake with Spiced Walnut Streudel!

This will make your whole house smell sweet and warm and delicious for days!

I took a few different recipes and modified them to make my most perfectly delicious coffee cake. This one is great for a Sunday brunch, or if you’re having another mom over for a play date, you can sit at your kitchen table with a cup of coffee and a warm slice of this cake, and gab, while the kiddies play (or, fight, as is usually more accurate in my house!).

Coffee Cake with Plums and Spiced Walnut Streudel
(adapted from the following: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Plum-Streusel-Coffeecake-13137, http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-plum-cak-30243, and http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/plum-coffee-cake-brown-sugar-cardamom-streusel.aspx)

For the Streudel:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
contents of about 4 cardamom pods, ground in a mortar and pestle, or about 1/8 teaspoon pre-ground cardamom
1/2 cup walnuts
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

If you are not familiar with cardamom, it’s a really interesting warm spice. It comes in these little pods:

…which you just crush a bit, and inside are the aromatic seeds. Discard the papery husk and grind the contents.

Cardamom is used a lot in savory Indian dishes, but aso as a sweet spice in Nordic desserts. If you like cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, clove, or ginger, you will probably also like cardamom. You can order it from my shop: whole cardamom pods, or ground cardamom.

Throw all the ingredients together in a bowl and mix ‘em up with a fork! Easy! This is my new favorite way to make streusel.

Put the streusel aside, if you can tear your nose away from the intoxicating aromas, and get going on the cake.

For the Cake:
6 plums, pitted and cut into bite-sized chunks
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla
several scratches of fresh nutmeg, ground on a microplane, or
1/8 teaspoon pre-ground nutmeg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder

Begin by beating the butter and sugar together until really light and fluffy.

Add in the eggs and vanilla and beat to fluff again.

Now add the eggs, yogurt, and vanilla and mix.

Stir in the nutmeg, flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder to combine.

Pour half the cake batter into a greased 8″ round cake pan. Top with half the plums.

Now spread the rest of the batter over the plums and tumble the remaining plums on top. Sprinkle on the streusel and bake for an hour at 350 degrees.

What a special way to start a late summer morning!

Here is a printable 4″x6″ recipe card for you: Plum Coffee Cake with Walnut Cardamom Streusel Recipe Card

I really hope you make this cake! It’s so comforting and delish and I put a lot of love into it!

What’s your favorite thing to bake with summer fruit? Leave us a comment and tell us all about it! We love exchanging recipes with our friends…

And be sure to let me know how you like this one!

yinmomyangmom

Two Sisters With Kids

Tag Archives: Cinnamon

Tandoori Chicken Salad

Hot Buttered Jamie

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Apple Pie Infused Bourbon

Asian Pear Bundt with Five-Spice Swirl for #BundtAMonth

Apple Pie Cups with Cinnamon Streusel

Coffee Cake with Plums and Walnut Cardamom Streusel

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