I have semi-invented an easy tikka masala recipe, which is what happens when I have a recipe I’ve made before but discover I’m missing many of the actually-called-for ingredients. This one ends up having what I trust most people have in their pantries, which is why it’s ideal. :) Easy Tikka Masala 1-2 oz butter or vegetable oil 1 tbsp garlic powder 2 tsp ground cumin 2 tsp paprika 1/2-1 tsp chili powder 1/2 tsp salt pepper to taste 1 can chopped tomatoes 1 can chickpeas 1 fresh tomato, rough…
O.M.G. I sent my friend Marc some fudge in December because, er, well, frankly, he made it easy by just posting his address on one of the pictures of fudge I’d posted, and it amused me, so, fudge. I just got the same container back in the mail, except now it was filled with Marc’s baklava. Let me explain this to you: Marc’s baklava is to regular baklava what my fudge is to regular fudge. I got the package and was all like “Oh huh, mail from Marc, maybe he…
Start by roasting a big ham with a lot of fat on it. Ideally roast it in a cast iron pan, so you don’t have to pour the melted fat into another pan when you take it out of the oven, but whatever works for you. Make an egregious amount of ham gravy. Three cups or more. (You’ve never made gravy? It’s easy. Take a half cup of flour or so and put your sautee pan of ham fat on a decently high heat. Sprinkle in some of the flour.…
I admit it: I was skeptical about maple ginger fudge. Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. Holy crap, that’s amazingly good fudge. I made half the batch straight-up maple and haven’t tried it yet (because the ginger went in last, so all the fudge scraps, or as I so charmingly call them, fudge droppings, are gingery), but I’m actually betting the maple ginger is better, due to the ginger cutting some of the sweet. Wow, holy beans. That’s good stuff! I hope the lady I’ve made it for is…
So Mom made a batch of peach jam a few weeks ago, and to our interest, it turned out exactly as the peach jam I’d made years ago did: super, super stiff, almost crystallized. She thought it needed a couple more peaches, and since I love peach jam with an unholy passion and peaches are available right now, I got some and yesterday made a batch with two more peaches than Mom had used. It’s unbelievably pretty and very tasty, but still surprisingly stiff. Not as stiff as Mom’s or…