Aloo Tikkis (Potato Pancakes)

Consider this my adventure in Indian cooking.  Or at the very least inspired by.  The are sort of like potato pancakes, with a twist and some serious heat (that can be adjusted to your liking).  They are made a little differently, but you could also think of these as a spicy latke, with a creamy mashed potato core rather than shredded.  The mashed sweet potatoes are paired with onion, jalapeno and cilantro, then seasoned with cayenne pepper, cumin and salt before getting a bit of bread crumbs to help bind them.  Finally they are fried to crispy and a served warm.

It's Secret Recipe Club reveal day again so I took the opportunity of being matched with Trisha from My Hobbie Lobbie to explore some of her Indian dishes.  Trisha is a baker who makes beautiful cakes and other treats, but also shares a wide variety of traditional Indian foods, including breads and even a whole series of street food.  I've actually only had Indian food once, it's just not something I've been exposed to a whole lot.  So while it would have been easy to just make her Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Scones or Coconut Macaroons, I decided to live in the spirit of Secret Recipe Club and think outside of the box, pushing my normal boundaries.  So I swore off any of the baked items and instead went for one of the more traditional recipes.  I considered Trisha's Chicken Empanadas, Homemade Samosas and Chicken Frankie, but when I set my mind too it, I really wanted to try this twist on potatoes since I love them any way I can get them.  I adjusted Trisha's recipe by substituting sweet potatoes and adjusting the amount of onion to a bit less.  I seeded my jalapeno and didn't include the chat masala since this isn't a spice I keep on hand.  I used 2 Tablespoons of breadcrumbs, but I would suggest adding more, maybe bring it to 1/4 cup, because the patties kept falling apart on my in the oil.  Also, make sure your oil is very hot so you can fry these quickly.  If you can fry something fast, it will get crisp without absorbing too much oil.  Be sure to check out the rest of the posts from today's reveal by visiting the blog hop below!

Peanut M&M Rice Krispies Treats

Rice Krispies Treats are a perfect summer weather dessert because they're no-bake (no oven heating-yay!), quick and deliciously simple.  Plus you know how I love to make them different flavors.  I found myself with a bag of peanut M&Ms and immediately knew I wanted to turn them into dessert.  These treats are laced with peanut butter in the marshmallow and studded with the crunch of peanut M&Ms and roasted peanuts.  I love how the color of M&M's makes the treats a bit more festive and fun, and just pops off the creamy color of the Rice Krispies.  These are a great treat for a subtle peanut butter and chocolate combo--just a hint of chocolate cuts into the peanut butter and peanuts to offer an extra flavor in these gooey treats.

Adjusting the traditional recipe is pretty easy, so I don't have a source for this version (is that enough to make it original?  I say, yes!).  If you like the idea of a peanut butter flavored treat, but would prefer to not have actual peanuts in the mix, remove the peanuts, swap out and increase the amount of any other M&M, such as plain or even the peanut butter ones (double the peanut butter, double the fun).  And if you want to put your fancy pants on, color coordinate these with your event using the various holiday M&Ms.  Lovely, easy and delicious--just like summer should be.

Funfetti Cheesecake Bars

These are positively fantastic.  A creamy cheesecake filling with a subtle hint of cake batter flavor, dotted with sprinkles, which have be well-documented to induce happiness, atop a crunchy vanilla crust.  Yum, that all amounts to delicious.  I took these to a cook-out, which happened to turn into a birthday party, so they were very appropriate.  And tasty.  My uncle was tickled and couldn't get enough of them.  I love the creaminess of the filling--honestly, I don't think you can beat cheesecake filling too much.  And Dave liked them because they tasted like cake (he's really so easy).  These are a wonderful treat for a cook-out or a party.  And a nice way to have some cheesecake during the summer because the bars are a bit smaller, so not as heavy as diving into a full piece of cheesecake.

While on Pinterest I found this recipe through a friend and immediately pinned it--I mean, it's got sprinkles and tastes like cake, so yeah I needed to make it.  When I got to the recipe, I was impressed with Erika, the young lady behind Teenage Taste who posted this recipe and had lovely photos and a nice write up to go with it. Because I wanted a larger pan of bars (9 x 13 inch), I upped the quantity of vanilla cookies for the crust and a little more butter, but I left the filling the same (well, a few more sprinkles, but minus the food coloring). I'm glad I didn't mess with the filling because these were a thick bar--I can't imagine how tall they would have been baked in a 9 x 9 inch pan!  I also didn't use a water bath, in part because I didn't have a pan big enough to fit my 9 x 13 and because the last time I made actual cheesecake, I didn't use one and had success.  I can't really complain about not using one this time. I did get a slight crack in the middle, but since I was cutting them into bars, I really didn't care.  But, I also don't make cheesecake a lot, so if you do and you have a method, by all means, do what works for you and makes you comfortable because you definitely need these bars in your life.

Carne Asada Marinade

It's grill season and we like meat in this house.  We're not insane about it, but we do like the results of throwing a nice piece of beef on the grill.  We generally eat a lot of poultry and pork, so when we do go beef, we like to make it a little extra special.  And this marinade is just that.  It's got loads of flavor from the citrus and a nice blend of seasoning that doesn't make it hot, but offers a nice blend of spices.  Dave and I particularly liked the citrus flavors that came through, and Madaline and Ernie both attested to the delicious flavors.  Grilled to medium this makes a delicious dinner and would be perfect to serve for guests.  Quick lesson: carne asada literally means grilled meat, but refers to a marinated beef cut.  Additionally, just as the word barbeque can mean a method of cooking or an event, carne asada is used the same way in Mexico and the American Southwest.

In April when I was going through the various posts on my Group B Secret Recipe Club reveal day, I saw La Phemme Phoodie had made this recipe (originally from This Mama Cooks!) and I immediately pinned it.  I knew Dave would love it since we've taken to marinating meets pretty regularly.  La Phemme also provided two methods of cooking--grilled or slow cooked.  I certainly will try the slow cooked method at some point.  I can imagine a chunk of beef marinating in these flavors and becoming so tender it just shreds apart--perfect for burritos.  For the first try, we opted to marinate some steak tips for 10 hours before grilling (you can marinate for up to 48 hours, but I wouldn't do any less than 6 hours).  This recipe is easy, accessible and will have you firing up your grill all summer long.

Peanut Butter Snaps

These are a pretty awesome peanut butter cookie.  First, they are ridiculously easy.  And second, they are delicious.  Not to mention they are pretty versatile.  Besides being a tasty cookie just to eat, can you imagine crushing these up for a peanut butter crust for a cheesecake?  The crispy texture just lends itself to that kind of delicious treat.  Or, put a big scoop of vanilla ice cream right in the middle and bam--you've got a peanut butter ice cream sandwich.  Yum!  A crispy cookie packed with peanut butter flavor that would be just perfect included with a myriad of other tasty treats.  Yeah, I think I like cookie that's not afraid to step out of the jar and work in a new environment.

Flipping through my King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion Cookbook, searching for a couple of new cookie recipes to make as a thank you gift for another department at work, I saw these in The Essentials pages, following the standard peanut butter cookies.  The list of only four ingredients coupled with the lack of flour had me intrigued.  And how could I not try a recipe so easy?  Honestly it took longer to preheat the oven than it did for me to mix the dough and scoop it out on to the pans.  I did stagger my dough balls to fit more on the pan and flatten them a bit before baking.  There was nothing to change or alter--it's a perfect recipe resulting in a crispy, snappy cookie full of peanut butter goodness.