Now that's a Meaty Masala Dosa!

Background

Dosa's are a popular vegetarian brunch food in southern India, but I love them so much I want them for dinner! And the only way my husband will eat dosa for dinner is if there's some meat... so, ENTER: Kheema. Kheema is a general name for a ground meat curry - typically made with ground lamb, which is what I used in my recipe as well.

What to do

For those of you who have a lot of time on your hands - feel free to make the dosa batter at home. However, if you're a busy, working mom like myself, take a short cut and buy the ready made kind from the Indian store (Swami brand) - the batter is good for 6 weeks unopened in the fridge, and 3-4 months in the freezer. I buy it frozen and thaw when I know I'm going to make some dosa/idli. They turn out just as crip and perfect as if you made the batter from scratch! I'm not going to lie, I was really impressed!

Tricks

There is a specific technique to making the perfect dosa: you want to get your pan really hot on medium-high heat, then splash some cold water and wipe down quickly with a paper towel. Immediately after wiping, pour about 1/3 cup batter onto the center of the pan and quickly with your ladle start from the center and make a circular/spiral pattern until you push the batter out with each concentric circle to the edge. TIP: YOU HAVE TO WORK VERY FAST! Because as soon as that pan gets too hot again, the batter will stick and the dosa will peel off prematurely and mess up the shape. Then take 1 tsp oil and drizzle around the edge and a few drops all over the center, this will help your batter brown and make it easier to peel/roll off the pan. 

Finishing Touches

Once you have your batter down and it's starting to brown underneath, layer 4-5pieces of potato curry with 3 tbsp of the kheema and fold one side over and keep rolling the dosa until it flips and rolls closing into a burrito, then slide it off the pan carefully onto your plate.  Serve with cold coconut and coriander chutney.

The Kheema Recipe

2lbs ground lamb

1 medium onion diced

3 tbsp vegetable or canola oil

4 tbsp grated ginger

2 tbsp minced garlic

4-5 green sorano chilies

1 cup frozen peas

1 tsp red chili powder

1 packet Shaan Kheema masala

1) sautée onions in oil until translucent, add ginger, garlic, and green chilies and sautée until aromatic.

2) Add kheema spice packet and red chili powder and sautée for 1-2 minutes.

3) Add ground lamb and let brown stirring occasionally. 

4) In a bowl microwave 1/2 cup water and 1 cup frozen peas for 2.5 minutes. Drain the peas and add to ground lamb once lamb is fully cooked. Let simmer covered for 5 minutes, add some water if meat starts to singe or dry out. 

Holiday drinks

So a few holdiay drink ideas I tried this year are Cranberry Sangria and Apple Cider mimosa (pictured) and Rum Chata Eggnog. What I love about these drinks is that they are simple and sweet!

1) Cranberry Sangria - Your favorite red wine - merlot, pino noir, chianti, cabernet sauvignon, etc. I find merlot works best because it has slightly sweeter flavor. Mix a 750ml bottle of wine with 32 oz of cranberry juice cocktail. Add some fresh whole cranberries for a fun garnish.

2) Apple Cider Mimosa - 1/2 gallon your favorite local cider and any cheap champagne will do - Cooks, Andre, etc, but you can be a fancy pants and get better kind if you like. You can ad some cinnamon sticks and cubed apples for eye candy =P

3) Rum Chata Eggnog - which was my favorite this holiday season, I am not a big fan of milky drinks only because I feel like the liquor tends to overpower the milky taste. But, using Rum Chata is a great alternative to the traditional way of making Eggnog with straight rum. One 6oz glass of eggnog with 1-2 oz of Rum Chata. Add a dash of powdered cinnamon and nutmeg on top and you have yourself a luxurious drink indeed!

Not your father's root beer float

Mmmm don't you just love root beer floats?? I for one do, and this adult version will knock your socks off! All you need is 2 simple ingredients: Not Your Father's Root Beer and Rum Chata pictured below.

                         

The key to making this drink though is to pour one bottle of beer first and then 1 shot of rum chata on top - very slowly and gently. Pouring it the opposite way will make the drink curdle... yuck!

So... do it right and you will enjoy this delicious beverage! I think it's a great alternative to traditional holiday drinks like eggnog. Cheers! And drink responsibly!

Simple Spinach & Artichoke Dip

It's not that complicated guys... I promise... and you don't have to pay $8-10 for it as an appetizer at restaurants. And, you will probably pull a Homer Simpson and go "DOH!" after you read this post!

5 ingredients! 20 min bake time!

1 pkg 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1/2 pkg of frozen spinach thawed
6 oz bottled or canned marinated artichoke hearts roughly chopped
1 clove fresh garlic minced
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
pinch of salt & pepper

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2) Combine cream cheese, spinach, artichoke, garlic, s&p into medium mixing bowl, stir thoroughly.
3) Pour mixture into an oven safe baking dish, layer top with shredded parmesan.
4) Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until dip is golden brown on top and bubbling.
5) Serve with your choice of crackers, pita chips, tortilla chips, or crusty bread.

See. It was that simple! Get ready to say "DOH!" and make sure you prance around in your "Kiss the Chef" apron for all your admirers.

Easy Peasy Quiche

I always thought Quiche was supposed to be so complicated, but it's probably one of the simplest meals I have ever made. It's a great crowd pleaser. 

The quiche pictured below is ham & broccoli, but really you can make it with whatever you like: spinach/artichoke, bacon/zucchini, blue cheese & herb, mushroom/swiss... the possibilities are endless!

All you need is:

1 Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust
1 cup diced ham
1 cup raw broccoli crowns
4 large eggs
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded romano cheese
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 tsp black pepper 

1) Bring to boil one small pot of water. Drop in broccoli crowns, cook 3-4 minutes until bright green and softened. Remove from stovetop and drain, rinse in cold water to shock and stop them from over-cooking. Rough chop the broccoli, set aside.

2) Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Unravel pie crust onto 8-9" aluminum pie pan evenly, push down into bottom edge to secure. Lightly poke several holes into dough at the bottom of the pan with a fork. 

3) In a large mixing bowl whisk together eggs, milk, black pepper, romano, sharp cheddar, ham and broccoli. Pour mixture into pie crust. Pinch/fold pie crust edge into whatever shape you like. Here are some examples.

4) Place quiche in oven and bake at 425 for 30-35 minutes or until top of quiche is golden brown like in the picture below.

5) Allow quiche to cool for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Hearty French Onion Soup

I absolutely love french onion soup, it is the best comfort soup on cold winter day. You can either take the drippings from the pot roast recipe from my previous post and just add some more pan-seared onions and let simmer in the oven on 275 for 2 hours. Or... if you want to make it from scratch you'll need...

• 3-4 medium onions cut in quarters
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 2 tbs butter
• 1 tbs all purpose flour
• 32 oz beef broth
• 1/4 cup red wine (optional)
• 1 tsp dry rosemary
• 1 tsp dry thyme

Directions:

1. Add olive oil to a medium frying pan and let the onion quarters brown on each flat side. 
2. Melt the butter in medium sized pot on medium-low heat. Add the flour once butter is melted and whisk while it cooks for a minute or two.
3. Pour 1/4 cup of wine (or 1/4 cup of beef broth), whisk.
4. Pour the rest of the beef broth little at a time whisking all the while.
5. Drop the onions carefully into the pot, bring to a boil.
6. Cover the pot and place in oven on 275 degrees for 2 hours. 
7. Serve layered with parmesan cheese shavings and crostini.

Tender Loving Pot Roast and Taters

I went to this amazing eclectic restaurant with my husband when we were dating on our way back from a West MI trip called Graydon's Crossing in Grand Rapids, MI. That is where I first tasted to most tender, juicy, melt-in-your-mouth pot roast called Carriage House Beef. Ever since I have tried my darnedest to recreate that fabulous meal but have failed miserable. Finally found a recipe, courtesy of The Pioneer Woman, that is fool-proof. The meat literally falls apart with the nudge of your fork and the drippings are fabulous to make some gravy for your taters and some real earthy french onion soup. I have to warn you though, this is definitely not FAST FOOD, takes 1/2 hour prep time and 3 hours in the oven.

The recipe for the pot roast is here.

And the recipe for the mashed potatoes is simple:

• 3 lbs red skin potatoes
• 4 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1/3 cup milk (anything but skim)
• 2 teaspoons salt

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the salt.
2. Cut the potatoes in half or leave whole as long as each piece is about the size of an egg. With red skins, leaving the skin in is much more hearty!
3. Carefully put potatoes in boiling water for 30 min. Pierce with knife to check for tenderness. 
4. Once tender, drain the water, return the potatoes back to the pot and start smashing immediately, do not let the potatoes cool. Add the butter, smash. Add the milk, smash. 
5. Smash less or more depending on how creamy or chunky you want your potatoes to be. The potatoes should taste creamy and neutral to pair well with the gravy you make from the pot roast drippings.

Here's what my plate looked like, hope you all try this out for yourselves and ENJOY!