Happy Monday!

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Happy Monday!

Happy Monday!

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Chicken Satay w/Peanut Butter Sauce

Do you know what you need for that beautiful naan you are going to cook? Chicken Satay!  The flavor is all in the marinade!  

The first time I prepared the chicken I grilled it over charcoal.  The smokiness the coals added to the chicken was swoon worthy!  So this time I prepared it on my stove top grill pan.  Still banged!  

You can use chicken chunks or chicken tenders. If you prepare the chicken in the marinade in the morning you can have a quick weeknight winner!  Reserve some of the marinade, before placing the chicken in it, to baste the chicken with while cooking.

Chicken Satay w/Peanut Butter Sauce

What you need:

For the chicken

• 3/4 cup coconut milk (shake it up well before opening)
• 1 Tbs fish sauce
• 2 Tbs lemongrass paste(found in the produce section) or a stalk, finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 small shallot, diced
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp cayenne, or to taste
• 1 Tbs coriander
• 3 Tbs soy sauce
• 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
• About 2 pounds chicken tenders or chunks
• Enough skewers for the chicken (if using wooden skewers, soak them for an hour before use to prevent burning) 
• Non-stick cooking spray 

For the peanut butter sauce

• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1 Tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 Tablespoon lime juice
• 1-2 teaspoons curry powder

What to do:

For the chicken

• In a large bowl add all of the marinade ingredients. Mix well
• Reserve about one cup of the marinade
• Place the chicken in the marinade making sure all of the chicken is covered
• Cover the bowl and place in the fridge for at least an hour and up to 24 hours
• Remove the chicken from the fridge about 30 minutes before cooking.
• Spray non-stick cooking spray on your grill pan
• Preheat your grill pan over medium high heat
• While the grill is preheating, thread your chicken onto the skewers
• Place the chicken on the hot grill, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. 
• Baste the chicken with the reserved marinade and allow it to cook for 5-7 minutes before flipping to cook through, basting the other side as well.
• Continue cooking the chicken in batches.
• While the chicken is resting make your peanut butter sauce.

For the peanut butter sauce:

• Pour all of the sauce ingredients into a small sauce pan
• Over medium heat, simmer until mixture is smooth and creamy. About 5-7 minutes.
• Sauce can be used for dipping or drizzled over chicken.

Happy Monday!

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Weekend Bread Baking: Naan

Yeast bread baking use to intimidate the heck out of me!  It took me years to work up the courage to work with yeast.  Man have I come a long way!

My very first foray into yeast bread were these Christmas Day Rolls a couple of years ago.  Y'all they are every single thing. Full of flavor and the dough is forgiving.

Then I tried my hand at cinnamon rolls. Off the charts delicious (recipe, and better picture, coming soon).

I even baked sandwiched bread that never made it to the blog but was super delicious!

Then I got full of myself and tried making croissants.  It was full of so much failure. All of the failure. Just all of it. Knocked me clean off my bread baking high horse!


If you follow me on InstaGram (I don't know how to do a proper screen shot from my pc, sorry!) then you know of my great croissant debacle earlier this year. I legit wanted to weep in my kitchen y'all! They turned out horribly.  OK, maybe that is an exaggeration, they were flavorful but not croissant like in texture at all. All of that European butter I used and they sucked!

Failing at those croissants was a blow to my bread baking ego.  I was fully prepared to live the rest of my cooking life unable to master bread baking, buying 50 ingredient bread for the rest of my natural life. Sigh.

#Dramatic much? LOL

So I decided to start with easier breads, working with them often. I figure the more I use yeast and become familiar with proofing methods, proofing times and just the regular feel of proper dough, the better I will become.  My goal is to master croissants by year end!

So this weekend, I made naan*!  The dough is easy and forgiving and it only required one rise (proofing).  Naan is a very versatile flat bread that can be infused with any number of flavors.  They are best eaten warm, in my opinion!

Topped with Steak, Arugula, Gorgonzola and Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette

Homemade Naan

Adapted from: http://www.halfbakedharvest.com/homemade-naan-step-step-photos/

What you need:

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 cup hot tap water
• 3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 3/4 cup warm milk
• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• Olive Oil or melted salted butter, enough to brush each side of your flattened dough

What to do:

• In a medium size bowl dissolve the sugar in the warm water (about 105 degree F). Add the dry yeast to the warm water and stir until the yeast is dissolved. 
• Let it sit for about 10 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam and rise.
• Add the flour, baking soda and baking powder to a stand mixture bowl.
• When the yeast is foamy, add the warm milk and yogurt. 
• Pour the wet ingredients right into the middle of the dry.  Mix the ingredients with the dough hook attachment of your mixer just until the dough comes together.  The dough should be sticky, but should form a ball and be soft.
• If you don't have a mixer, begin mixing the wet with dry using a wooden spatula. When the dough is about to come together, use your hands to finish mixing. As soon as it comes together, stop kneading. It should be sticky, but should form a ball and be soft.  
• Cover the bowl with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place 1 hour.
• When ready to cook divide the dough into 8-10 equal balls. Using a rolling pin, roll each piece of dough into an oval shape. It should be about 6-8 inches long and about 1/4-inch thick, but no thinner. Repeat this method with the rest of the dough.
• Warm a cast iron skillet over medium heat (you want a hot pan). Brush both sides of the naan with the olive oil or melted butter and if desired sprinkle on any spices you like such as cumin and garlic. 
• Place the naan on the hot skillet, cover with a lid and cook for 1 minute, until you see bubbles starting to form. Flip and cook for 1-2 minutes on the other side, until large toasted spots appear on the underside. 
• Place the naan in a tea towel-lined dish. Repeat with the rest of the naans and serve.

*From my Go.ogle search, naan can be pronounced like 'non' OR like 'nann'

Happy Monday!

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