I sure hope dinner tastes as good as it smells! It's always disappointing when the taste doesn't measure up to the lovely smells of dinner. I am trying a new recipe tonight, garam masala chicken and caramelized cumin carrots. I will post the recipes and hopefully pictures later. Right now I need to tend to a fussy baby! I hope you all have fabulous meals tonight!

Sorry it has taken me a while to get a photo and the recipes up. This was very good. I especially liked the carrots. Delaney liked the chicken,but not the carrots(she doesn't like cooked carrots) and Max liked the carrots, but not the chicken( he hates chicken!). I thought the chicken turned out very juicy and flavorful. I marinated it overnight. Here are the recipes:

• 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt(I used reduced fat sour cream)
  
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon garam masala (an indian spice found in most stores)
  
• 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
• 1 large garlic clove, pressed
• 1 4- to 4 1/2-pound roasting chicken, cut into 8 pieces, backbone removed(I just used legs and thighs, no need to cut up a chicken!)
  
• 2 small onions, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices

Preparation

Mix yogurt, chopped cilantro, olive oil, garam masala, salt, and garlic in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Add chicken to marinade, 1 piece at a time, coating all sides. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 2 hours. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.

Position racks in top third and bottom third of oven; preheat to 400°F. Arrange onions in thin layer on large rimmed baking sheet to form bed for chicken. Top with chicken pieces in single layer, spacing apart for even roasting (chicken will still be coated with marinade). Discard remaining marinade.

Roast chicken on top rack until cooked through and juices run clear when thickest portion of thigh is pierced with knife, about 1 hour. Serve chicken atop onion slices. Spoon pan juices around.

Caramelized Cumin Roasted Carrots

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 12 medium to large carrots, peeled, cut on diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick pieces
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds( I used about 1 tsp ground cumin)
  
• 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray.

Combine carrots and all remaining ingredients in large bowl; toss to coat. Spread in single layer on prepared baking sheet. Roast carrots until tender and lightly caramelized, turning carrots over once, 35 to 40 minutes.

Getting started!

Well, here I am, writing my first note on my first blog! Just so you all know, I am not a writer. I will mainly just be sharing recipes and pictures on this blog. I hope to update a few times a week, but with a 5 month old and 2 other active kids, we will see how that goes! I have had many of you ask for recipe ideas and I hope I can share my love of food with you. Most of us love to cook, but just don't have much time or have run out of ideas. Some of you don't like to cook,but maybe I can inspire you to try some new recipes. Most of the recipes I try are easy and don't require many ingredients. I am a busy and frugal mom, so with very few exceptions I try to cook quick and economical meals. So on that note, I will share a recipe I made a few nights ago for Chris and I. I got it from epicurious.com and while it did take more time than usual it was delicious. Not sure if kiddos would like this, but who knows. I did make some changes to the original recipe. Here it is:

Cheese Enchiladas with Green Sauce

Sauce

• 1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
• 1 cup whipping cream or 1/2 and 1/2
  
• 1 cup milk, you could use skim
  
• 6 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 green onions, minced
• 1 4-ounce can diced green chilies, drained
• 1 3/4 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

Enchiladas

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 12 6-inch corn tortillas
• 3 cups grated mild cheddar cheese
• 1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

• 1/2 cup sour cream

Preparation

For sauce:
Cook spinach according to package instructions. Drain well. Set aside. Melt butter in heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add flour and stir mixture 2 minutes; do not brown. Gradually whisk in whipping cream and milk. Simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in spinach, cilantro, green onion, chilies, cumin, and red pepper. Puree in batches in processor until almost smooth. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before using.)

For enchiladas:
Heat oil in heavy small skillet over medium-high heat. Using tongs, briefly dip each tortilla in oil to soften, about 15 seconds per side. I didn't do this step. I just warmed the tortillas in the microwave. Combine cheeses in large bowl; set aside 1 1/2 cups for topping. Combine onion and cilantro in small bowl. Place 1/4 cup cheese mixture in center of 1 tortilla. Spoon 2 teaspoons onion mixture over. Roll up tortilla. Place seam side down in large glass baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas, cheese and onion, using 1/4 cup cheese for each. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Stir sour cream into sauce; pour over enchiladas. Sprinkle with reserved 1 1/2 cups cheese. Bake until cheese melts and enchiladas are heated through, about 25 minutes.