Oh, Hello Pumpkin!

Hey-o!

It's been a while since I've blogged. Just shortly after I created my blog I got a new job! I am a plant care specialist for the LDS church in Salt Lake. That means that I get to water the plants inside the surrounding buildings including the church history library and the gorgeous temple, etc. Our department is located in the Church Office Building. Cool, huh?

It's barely starting to get chilly here, my favorite time of the year is approaching. Oh, Fall. You never stay long enough. I love fall because it has the BEST produce and flavors. Yummy squashes and everything spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg to egg on the other holidays soon to come. It just makes you feel all warm inside. Also, we can't forget Halloween. I'm not a fan of dressing up, but I do like to dress up my food in the decadent holiday flavors.

I really dislike the name "whoopie pies". I think it comes from when I was young and I watched the game show network like a nerd and Love Connection came on from time to time. Horrible hair styles and wardrobe. Anyways, the contestants and game show host always said make "whoopie" and laughed and giggled like it was inside joke. I didn't even know what it meant. Now I know I'm, like, way grossed out. Haha! So there is the reasoning behind my digust for the word "whoopie". Okay that's enough.

I have a fabulous recipe to kick off the autumn season with a yummy Pumpkin Spinner recipe. Yes I'm calling them spinners not whoopie pies. It sounds cuter. Like something I'd like to try and share with my friends. Anyway I got it from some old Food Network magazine from the Neely's, whom I usually don't like. But the cookies are yummy and Cam loves em. Here's the recipe!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/patrick-and-gina-neely/whoopie-pumpkin-pies-recipe/index.html

Here is a sneak peak of some of the wedding photos!

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

I received one of the greatest gifts right before I went to college. My mom collected the recipes that she made regularly and combined them into a customized cook book for me. Before posting this, I got it out and noticed that it is completely worn and torn. The bottom has faded and in the front page there's a huge splot of mystery sauce. That's a sure fire sign of an awesome cook book

My mom is probably one of the best cooks I know. I remember having nothing in the fridge and somehow she threw together a last minute dinner and it was always delicious. So, ladies and gentlemen, it is indeed her fault I am such a food snob. We always had a hot meal and a little treat after. I was definitely spoiled. Okay, still am.

Anyways, I thought I would post one of my favorite recipes. It brings me back to my high school mornings where my mom would wake up early and bake muffins so I could have a fresh breakfast. I, of course was running around trying to find everything and to get ready on time and mom would bring me down a fresh muffin and a big glass of milk. I would take a second to shove it in my face and gulp down the milk and watch my favorite tv show ever The Golden Girls. Those 5 minutes of my mornings were the BEST! So, I'm missing my mom and her yummy baking and what do ya know, I have a few ripened bananas on hand. I hope this recipe lets you take a second to enjoy yourself and remember something your mama did for you that you enjoyed! Thanks mama!

Simple, Fast, Tasty Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

This recipe is so easy and quick, it's a sinch to throw together and bake off in the morning for your family.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups AP flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 T cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large)
1 large egg
1/2 cup (1 stick) melted unsalted butter
1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Position your rack on the 3rd shelf. When I bake, I always bake on the 3rd rack. Line your muffin cups with liners or use a non-stick cooking spray. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Mix mashed bananas, egg, melted butter, and milk in a medium bowl. Stir banana mixture into dry ingredients just until blended. Take care not to overmix. When you overmix quick breads they get tough. Stir in chocolate chips and if using, walnuts.

Divide batter among prepped muffin cups, filling about 3/4 full. Bake muffins until tops are pale golden and tester is inserted into center comes out with some melted chocolate attached but no crumbs, about 18-20 minutes. Transfer muffins to rack; cool. Serve with a tall glass of milk!

Wahlah!

The Fool's Paradise

Every woman has gone through slaving in a kitchen all day on some kind of meal or treat. You get an itch and you go for it. From planning in your head to the purchasing of items, your whole heartedly in this. There's no turning back now. Finally, success! You've completed your journey to producing your desired product. You cannot wait for your husband to come home and to savor each bite. It will be so romantic, he will go through endless thank yous and even help with the dishes. He will offer to make dessert and even put in a movie while you relax from your hard endeavors. YEAH RIGHT! Cam comes rushing in as I'm sweating over the broiler and 3 hot skillets and pans, he has to go with the missionaries tonight unexpectedly. I quickly put together a few plates for us and even throw a little garnish on it. He comes in and eats it in about 4-5 minutes. He zooms out the door. I guess we will keep dreamin' ladies!

Aside from my fool's paradise, the dinner turned out quite good. Not the same as Tandoori Oven's, but it will suffice my cravings and I had plenty of leftovers! Lucky me! So here you go mom and Elise.

Ode to Tandoori
by Kenzi Neibaur

Chicken Tikka Masala
Ingredients:

• 4 chicken breasts
• ground cardamom
• 
  cumin
• 1/2 cup plain greek style yogurt
• 2T butter
• 1 whole large yellow onion, like this one ------->
• 4 gloves garlic
• 1 bell pepper, your choice in color, I used yellow, green is cheapest
• 1 jalepeno (omit if you do not want spice)
• 1 piece (approx. 2 inches) fresh ginger
• Garam Masala
• 1- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• sugar
• golden raisins
• 1 cup heavy cream
• cilantro

Just a note before we dive into this. Always salt and pepper your food to taste. Salt actually brings out the other flavors in your dish, actually making it more flavorful and delicious. Speaking of seasoning, you CANNOT make this without garam masala. Garam Masala is a mixture of indian spices. I found it at Kitchen Kneads in Logan. I don't know how accessable it is in Idaho, but I could send you some if you just email me or comment. It is a must for the right flavor.YUM YUM YUM!! Okay, okay. I'll tell you the preparation.

Preheat your oven to broil. Start by seasoning the chicken breasts with kosher salt. Then sprinkle them on both sides with ground cardamom and cumin. Coat the chicken with the yogurt completely. Set the chicken on a metal cooling rack over a foil lined baking sheet and place it on the second rack from the top of the oven. 5 to 7 minutes per side. The char adds flavor and looks pretty, I moved the rack up the last few minutes to get a nice color. Remove from oven.

Next, slice your onion and peppers. In a large skillet, melt 2T of butter over medium high heat. Toss in the onions and saute until lightly browned. Now add your peppers. As they cook, mince your garlic and peel your ginger and grate it. Add the garlic, ginger, and a pinch of salt to the onion pepper mixture in the pan.

Now add your garam masala, about 3T. Cook it for a minute, developing and toasting those flavors. Add the can of tomatoes and 1T of sugar. The sugar balances out the acidity of the tomatoes perfectly.Stir together and let simmer on medium for about 5 minutes. Head over to your cutting board and chop up your chicken into good 1 inch chunks. Add a generous handful of those beautiful golden raisins and your heavy cream to the pan. Stir chicken into the masala. Add a generous handful of cilantro right before serving so the color stays vibrant. Serve over Basmati rice. I used food storage because its cheap, still delish.

I got my naan recipe from this website: http://foodformyfamily.com/recipes/how-to-make-naan-in-the-oven

चलो खाओ (this means bon appetit in Hindi) 

First Chapter in the Cameron Neibaur Family

This is the official first chapter in the Cameron Neibaur family. Family members include myself and my husband Cam. We have been married for about a month and we just moved to Salt Lake City, UT. Being from a small town, scouting around the city is amazing. It's hard to navigate without my GPS on, but I can make it to WalMart successfully now without any help. We moved from Logan and can I say that I feel SO sad we can't be by my favorite restaurant Tandoori Oven. Located in Logan, it's a small gas station/restaurant. Don't let the exterior fool you. Inside there is a small piece of India. The colors are vibrant and rich, the waitstaff kind and pleasant. The food... oh the food alone is worth the trip! My FAVORITE ever is the Chicken Tikka Masala served with basmati rice and a piping hot piece of garlic naan. Wowee! What a treat. The tikka masala is rich with a tomato cream sauce and sauteed peppers and onions. The chicken is cooked to perfection with traditional exotic Indian spices and the flavor is packed in each bite.

Now this leads you to the nostalgic part, my first attempt to bring this dish from the past, to the present in my tummy. Did I mention that Cam and I went there at least once a week? Today I will attempt to make my own homemade garlic naan and Chicken Tikka Masala. Forewarning you that we are newly weds and on a budget, I've tried to make this work. If my dinner is successful, I will post my recipes and notes to share with the world, because hey, who wouldn't want to take a trip to India and get to stay in the comfort of your own home?