Cuisine & Screen: At Home, Part 28

I hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween! Can you believe the countdown to Thanksgiving has already begun? Some of you may already be in the Christmas spirit, and 3 weeks from today, it will officially be time for me to start decorating the tree and watching "Elf" on repeat.

Fall Flowers! <3

CUISINE
A fabulous home chef recently made me Lamb Tikka Masala from scratch, and it was so good that I almost cried. I begged to feature this recipe on C&S, and luckily, I secured it for you. I'm certain if you follow these instructions, you'll be able to conquer it too! 

Marinade
 -5-6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into 1 inch cubes, OR 1 pound lamb cut into 1 inch cubes
-1 cup plain yogurt
-juice from 1/2 lemon
-1 TB (heaping) Tikka Masala Spice blend
-1 tsp garlic, minced
-1 tsp ginger, minced

Combine protein, yogurt, lemon juice, Tikka Masala, garlic and ginger in a bowl, then put it all in a sealed bag. Let this sit in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, and no more than 24 hours.

Sauce
-3 TB butter, divided
-1 large white onion, chopped
-1 TB garlic, minced
-1 TB ginger, minced
-3 jalapenos, seeds removed and minced
-1 TB tomato paste
-1 1/2 TB Tikka Masala Spice blend
-15 oz tomato sauce
-1/2 cup heavy cream
-1 TB sugar
-salt to taste
-Cooked Rice, Cilantro and Naan Bread for serving

Remove the marinated chicken or lamb from the refrigerator and melt 2 TB butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Brown your protein and be careful not to overcrowd your pan. Once browned (it won't be completely cooked through), remove your protein from the pan and set aside in a bowl. To the same skillet, add the remaining 1 TB of butter, onion, garlic, ginger and jalapenos. After letting them cook about 5 minutes, add your tomato paste and Tikka Masala and let cook a few minutes, stirring well to combine. Add the tomato sauce, heavy cream, sugar and then salt to taste. Once it's to your liking, add your protein back in and bring to a soft boil. Let simmer for about 15 minutes. Serve over cooked rice, sprinkle with cilantro and serve alongside Naan. DIVINE.

Lamb Tikka Masala

SCREEN
The Hustler - This is certainly a classic and a really great story. And Paul Newman...what a babe. He plays a pool shark who encounters quite a few interesting characters during his hustling days. Piper Laurie, who I loved on "Twin Peaks", plays his love interest. Their relationship reminded me of the story from "The Days of Wine and Roses" - tragic, dependent, primal. I thought this film was a bit too long (anything over 2 hours is pushing it for me these days!) but Newman is captivating on-screen.