Cheap and Easy Garlic Naan

I think we have established that I love garlic. And I also love Indian food. So when I found this recipe for naan from Budget Bytes, there was basically no way I would not make it. And there was definitely no way I was going to make it without garlic.

Budget Bytes is a cool site because it tells you how much all your ingredients cost. This particular recipe costs only $1.27 in total, and it's really simple!

Ingredients:
2 tsp. dry active yeast
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 c. water
roughly 3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. plain Greek yogurt
1 egg

In a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar and water. Stir to dissolve then let sit for a few minutes or until it is frothy on top (mine never got really frothy, just a couple bubbles). Then, stir in the oil, yogurt and egg until evenly combined.

In a medium sized bowl, combine 1 cup of the flour with the salt. Add the wet ingredients to the flour/salt mixture and stir until well combined. Continue adding flour a half cup at a time until you can no longer stir it with a spoon (about 1 to 1.5 cups later).

Next, turn the ball of dough out onto a well-floured counter top. Knead the ball of dough for about 3 minutes, adding flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking. I ended up using about 3 cups of flour total. The dough should be smooth and very soft but not sticky.

Loosely cover the dough and let it rise until double in size (about 45 minutes). After it rises, gently flatten the dough and cut it into 8 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a small ball by stretching the dough back under itself until the top is smooth and round.

Heat a large, heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat and spray lightly with non-stick spray (I used vegetable oil). Working with one ball at a time, roll it out until it is about 1/4 inch thick or approximately 6-8 inches in diameter. Place the rolled out dough onto the hot skillet and cook until the under side is golden brown and large bubbles have formed on the surface. Flip the dough and cook the other side until golden brown as well.

Some tips:

1. Wait to roll out each piece of dough until just before you are ready to cook it (the bubbles will be bigger).

2. The dough thickens a lot as it cooks, so you have to roll the dough pretty think if you want good, thin naan.

3. Brush naan with butter and sprinkle garlic and parsley over it to get garlic naan like mine, or choose your own toppings!

This naan is great as a snack, as a side dish, or as a vessel for other delicious foods.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Maple Bacon Cupcakes

Yes, you read that right.  Chocolate.  Maple.  BACON.  Cupcakes.  Lookie:

That thing on top?  That's chocolate covered bacon.  And that stuff in the icing?  That's chopped up bits of "bacon brittle."

Let me explain.  Last week my dad retired.  My mom threw him a big surprise party with all his friends from way back in the day.  I decided he needed some fantastic cupcakes, and since my dad is a man of class and taste, they needed to have bacon. And if you think bacon doesn't belong in a cupcake, then you are just wrong.  That's all.

For the chocolate cupcake, I once again used Chockylit's Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cupcake(which I used before for my Cookies 'n' Cream Cupcakes).  Since this post already has a lot of components, I'll advise you to either follow those links for a recipe, or use your own favorite chocolate cupcake.  Then, follow these simple steps:

Garnish: Chocolate-Covered Bacon

Chocolate-covered bacon is a magical treat I first discovered at Portland Chocolate Festival.  The contrast of sweetness and salt is absolutely mind-blowing.  Here's how you can make your own:

Ingredients:

2 packages of maple bacon

12 oz. dark chocolate (I used Hershey's Special Dark, but you could go fancier!)

2 tsp. canola (or similar) oil

Once your cupcakes are in the oven, start frying bacon!  I used maple bacon because it's already got a little bit of sweetness, which I thought would go nicely with the cupcake.  I used 1 1/2 packages of bacon (about 12 strips).  It should be relatively crispy.

My sister, who cooked the bacon for me, insisted I take this picture

Let the bacon cool to room temperature.  Meanwhile, line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.  In a medium-sized bowl, break the chocolate into smallish chunks, add the canola oil, and microwave for 30 seconds.  Stir it, then microwave for 20 seconds.  Repeat until chocolate is mostly melted.

Cut or tear the bacon into 24 pieces roughly 2 inches long.  Balance a piece of bacon on the end of a fork and submerge it in the chocolate.  Allow the chocolate to drain off the bacon, lightly tapping the fork against the side of the bowl.  Transfer to the cookie sheet.

When all the bacon has been dipped, put the cookie sheet in the refrigerator for at east an hour.  I recommend leaving it there until just before you are ready to serve the cupcakes.

Maple Icing

I thought the maple icing would be a nice way to tie the bacon and chocolate flavors together.  Here’s a simple recipe from Your Homebased Mom.

Ingredients:

1 c. butter, softened

2 3/4 c. powdered sugar

2 tbsp. brown sugar

2 tbsp. maple syrup

Put the butter in a bowl and mix until whipped.

Mix in the powdered sugar and beat for about a minute.  Scrape down the sides and add the brown sugar and maple syrup.  Mix for another 2-3 minutes or until frosting is fluffy.

Bacon Brittle (Optional)

My inspiration for this was actually a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavor that contains chocolate-covered potato chips.  The chocolate prevents the chips from getting soggy.  I hoped that it would have the same effect on the bacon.

Line another cookie sheet with aluminum foil.  Crumble up the remaining bacon and put it in a small bowl.  Pour enough of the melted chocolate into the bowl that the bacon is covered in a light layer of chocolate.  Use a spatula to spoon the mixture onto the cookie sheet and flatten it.

Put the cookie sheet in the freezer for about half an hour.  Take it out and cut the brittle into tiny pieces.  Stir the pieces it into your frosting! (Note: if vegetarians will be enjoying these cupcakes, it might be advisable to only put the brittle in half the batch, as I did).

And there you have it.  A gorgeous, savory-and-sweet dessert that’s pretty much a guaranteed crowd pleaser.

(Oh, and I hope you like the revamped Roxannosaurus!)