Citrus Orange French Madeline's aka Muffin Cake

And that's how goes the story of the Muffin Cake...

Never heard of a Muffin Cake, well I hadn't either. This only seems like yesterday, when my younger son was 18 months old (now 7). One day, he decided he wanted to eat a Muffin Cake.  My older son and I pulled out every conceivable thing that remotely resembled a muffin or a cake and put it in front of him but nothing worked and as the minutes went by so did his crying and tantrum. He was so upset that we were not understanding what he was asking for and so eventually we all forgot about it. (Boy! am I glad it was over). Weeks or maybe months later, I stopped by at Starbucks to grab a quick coffee and he pointed at the Madeline's sitting by the checkout register grinning from ear to ear saying "Muffin Cake". I could not stop laughing at his merriment and finally fitting the piece to the puzzle. To this day we all call the Madeline's our Muffin cake.

RECIPE: Citrus Orange French Madeline

Ingredients

2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1TBSP lemon zest
1 TBSP orange extract
1 pinch salt
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup butter, unsalted
1 eggs

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and grease your pan with some melted butter or oil.
2. Mix the sugar, eggs, vanilla, lemon zest, salt and orange in a mixing bowl.
3. Add the flour in 2-3 increments and stir till incorporated well. 
4. Slowly add the melted butter and beat until well blended.
5. Pour the mixture into your Madeline mold making sure they are 2/3 way full. Bake for 11-12 minutes. Let cool.
6. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.

Now all I need is some freshly brewed french press coffee and enjoy some after lunch snack.

NOTE: I did reduce the heat and bake time since this photo shoot so as not to get the Madelines to brown.

What to cook this week: Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

You know how those videos pop up on your Facebook feed from your past browsing history or interests. Well! No big surprise when I get a ton of food clips and pictures on mine. I generally get short videos from Tastemade,Tasty or Buzzfeed. This one in particular caught my attention. It looked really good and for once I had most of the ingredients sitting at home. 

I decided this would be a good "Adult" lunch since the kids would turn up their noses at the sound of anything squash and especially stuffed squash. So in keeping with out palette, I made it souped up and spicy. 

The boys decided to take a taste test from my husband and who would have thought that they would absolutely LOVE it and pretty much devour it with huge gulps of water in between (Spicy much). Long story short, they asked me to make it again the following day minus the spices. Lets get to the best part...

RECIPE: Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients
1 TBSP olive oil
1 spaghetti squash (baked in the oven)
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2  red bell pepper, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
4-5 mushrooms, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tomato, chopped
1 chipotle pepper (canned, chopped)
1/2 cup chicken, cooked and diced
1/2 cup black beans
1/2 cup corn kernels
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded
cilantro for garnish

Directions

1. Place the halved spaghetti squash, cut side down on an foil lined baking sheet. bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. Let cool.
2. Heat the olive oil and saute the onion for a few minutes till opaque.
3. Add the diced mushroom and bell peppers to it and saute for a couple more minutes.
4. Add the cooked chicken breast, corn and black beans. Stir and saute.
5. Add the garlic, chipotle pepper and chopped tomatoes. Stir.
6. Season with salt and pepper and pour in the heavy cream. Stir to combine and turn off the heat. let it cool a little.
7. Using a fork, scoop out the spaghetti from the shell. Mix in half of the pepper jack cheese and the spaghetti to the skillet and toss it well to combine.
8. Fill the shells with the mixture. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top and bake in a 400F oven for 12-15 minutes or till the cheese bubbles and browns. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve.

A great way to use up leftover turkey and stuffing etc to make the filling for a stuffed squash. Hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving.

Finally: Hands on Cooking Classes

It’s been a long time coming; only I did not know it.

I was approached by two young girls and their mom who wanted me to host a cooking class for them. I have thought about it but never actually put in the time or effort to do anything about it. Where would I start? How would I do it and would I actually be any good at teaching someone else?  A lot of questions that I did not have an answer to. This call from them was a sign and I could not refuse so we decided to meet on November 13 at noon.

Now I was committed and I had better come up with a plan. I decided on a Kebab-licious menu with two different types of kebabs from scratch, saffron rice and a refreshing salad.

What I got from all of this was, I really do love to teach and spread the love for cooking. The whole process was a lot of fun and a learning experience for me. 

My Favorite's list from Trader Joe's, whats yours?

I get this question a lot so I though I would do a blog post about things that top my list from Trader Joe's. Seems like a super long post but believe me you don't want to miss a single word. I have tips and tricks to make use of them in the best way possible. Also, they have a lot of new and ever changing things according to the seasons so if you would like to see a seasonal update, please send me a quick word.

This is not a sponsored post, I was not paid to talk about their products (I wish they did, though $$$) and I bought everything on my own. Now that that's out of the way and clarified, lets move to the top 10 or 11 or 12....in no particular order...

1. Sun Dried Tomato and Basil Chicken Sausage: I have used this in pasta recipes either pan seared/grilled and sliced or remove casing and saute the mince. Both ways it has turned out different and delicious.

2. Breakfast Trail Mix: Makes for a great anytime snack, for the kids at school, after games and for me with a cup of coffee. Has just the perfect amount of sweet to take care of the afternoon cravings.

3. Riced Cauliflower: I have nothing against regular rice. I am always looking for ways to add more vegetables to our diet and this has been great. I have used it in place of rice and also used it in soups and curries. 

4. Mandarin Orange Chicken: Is there a kid on this planet who does not like this sweet and sour chicken. Some days when I have been running around and come dinner time have no idea what to do, this had come to the rescue. The kids love it with some steamed rice and broccoli.

5. Vegetable Masala Burger: This is sooo good, tastes just like tikki (indian potato dumpling/pancake, somewhere in between). I have added this to salads, made sandwiches and veggie burgers and used it in place of tikki with Chickpea curry. 

6. Chicken Gyoza Potstickers: Another kid (and adult) favorite in our house. the best way to make these is to heat a non stick pan on high heat. Place the frozen dumplings on it. when they sizzle add 1/2 cup of water and cover with lid. Still on high heat, let the water dry out and the crust brown a little. Uncover, flip and let the other side brown and crisp a little. I know what I am having after I get done here.

7. Milled Flaxseed with blueberries: Can this get any more nutrient and anti-oxidant rich. makes for a great addition to pancakes, muffins, oatmeal and smoothies.

8. Broccoli and Kale slaw salad with dressing and dried cherries: Another family favorite and I am never out of this. No matter what I have for lunch or dinner, this is always an option to toss and on the ready. the best thing about this is that it has a great shelf life even when it is tossed. You can refrigerate the leftovers and pack for lunch to be used the next day. tastes just the same and even better once it has had a chance to marinate and absorb the flavors overnight.

9. Everyday Seasoning with built in grinder: a great addition to everyone's spice cabinet. It has chunks of spices that are coarsely ground and add so much flavor. A simple pasta with some olive oil, grated cheese and some of this spice does wonders.

10. Himalayan Sea Salt with Truffles: Have really enjoyed using this to replace with regular sat in a lot of dishes like chopped salads to go with Indian food. 

 11. Scallion Pancakes: Pan sear these babies to a delicious crispness with some sunny side eggs sprinkled with salt and cayenne pepper. You can thank me later :)

12. Fiberful Granola Bars: These have no preservatives and artificial flavors and you can totally tell by their delicious taste. Makes for a great snack for school, work or even an easy and quick to go breakfast.

 13. Seafood Paella: Have you ever hit the snooze button a few too many times and realize everyone needs to be out the door in less than 45 minutes. This saved me the other day to pack a quick lunch with a side of salad and fruits. 

 14. Asian Vegetables with Beijing Soy Sauce: This is for when I had to go to the grocery store but could not make it and there is no fruit or vegetable in the fridge to fall back upon. Makes a great stir fry with steamed rice or fresh noodles.

15. Multigrain Blend with vegetables: There are days where I crave a nutty whole grain crunch and am stumped for ideas. This is a great way to add some wholesome grains to add variety. Toss it with some scrambled eggs, roasted peanuts and red pepper flakes.

16. Cocoa Truffles: How could I not have chocolate in this feature. Trader Joes has some of the best collection of chocolates and I literally have tried them all. This truffle is one of my favorites since it had a rich, dark chocolate taste that is rich and oh so smooth and best part its not too sweet.

My top 10 ended up being a top 16 but who cares, more the merrier in this case. Right!! Hope this helps on your next shopping trip and if you would like me to cover the seasonal stuff then leave a comment and aslo share some of your favorites.