Cooking Pleasures

Mango Sorbet - A Slushy Summer Treat

2010-06-07T00:27:00.000-07:00

Heat is on. Summer is here in full swing. And I am back after a pretty long hiatus, finally settled in a new place and enjoying doing nothing. Sometimes just being at homes is a joy in itself and all of a sudden we get to know that there is so much to do. So taking time I am sorting my new home, making it home. With all the movement, cooking was hit too. Slowly things are getting into shape. And this delicious mango sorbet is a result one of my those first efforts. More will follow thats a promise.

Eat it chilled and you will instantly feel refreshed. The mango flavor and aroma will make you fell on top of the world. The recipe is also so easy and can be made few hours before serving. Kids especially love this exotic mango sorbet. Its just that you have to take care in making the sorbet slushy by chilling it then mixing it again and again.

Ingredients

2 large mangoes, peeled and pureed
1 tablespoon ginger, grated
5 tbsp sugar
juice of 1 lemon
rind of 2 lemons
1 mango chopped

Method

* In a pan simmer water along with ginger and sugar for about 10 minutes.
* Remove from flame and let it cool.
* Add lemon juice and lemon rind along with mango pulp to this sugar syrup. Stir well.
* Freeze this mixture in a freezerproof container till it thickens.
* Remove from the freezer and in blend it in a mixer till all the rice crystals are broken.
* Freeze the mixture again. Do this 2-3 times.
* Before serving, remove the sorbet from the freezer to the refrigerator and let it there for about 15-20 minutes.
* Using icecream scoops serve the mango sorbet in precooled glass bowls along with fresh mango slices.

Molten Chocolate Lava Cake - Happy Women's Day

2010-03-08T02:10:00.000-08:00

She is every ounce of
"strength, courage and wisdom"
in trace amounts of man
and -isms

She is the effervescence of life:
dignity, destiny, faith in our fathers,
love, light,
hope for tomorrows

She is the seed of prosperity
bringing forth virtuous fruit
faith, charity, resilience
and truth.

She is the dawn
of every tomorrow
she speaks peace
to every sorrow

She is woman
for God's man
She is the chosen
by His hand

Happy Women's Day !!

To All Women In The World

Hey Guys!! I am back after a long hiatus just in time not to miss the special day for all the women. Lately the ending of the financial year has really kept me busy at work with all the deadlines to meet. At home front too, things are changing. Probably in a month or two, I will be shifting my base to a new place. So, please bear with me for a few months more. If you really wanna help me then I will be more than glad. Guest posts are invited. You can send me posts on any of the recipes of your choice, I will publish them with due credits.

Chocolate lava cake is one of my favorites and I can bet no one can resist it after just one bite. The warm molten chocolate inside makes a great combination with chilled fresh cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Also its very easy to make and is ready in minutes. For celebrating the Women' Day its just the perfect way, forgetting all the calorie dilemmas for a day and celebrating womanhood. So here goes my Chocolate Lava cake to all the wonderful women in the world, including me :)

Ingredients

2 egg yolks

2 eggs

4 pieces of semi sweet baking chocolate

1 cup butter

1 cup podered sugar
1 cup flour

Method

* In a pan heat butter and chocolate pieces together.
* Remove from heat and whisk till the chocolate completely melts in butter
* Add sugar and mix well.
* Add the egg yolks as well as eggs and stir the mixture.
* Fold in the flour.
* Take 4-5 small cups, greased well. Pour in the mixture.
* In a baking tray line them and bake them for about 15 minutes or till the edges are set but the inner crust is still moist.
* Turn the cup upside down and remove the cake.
* Serve the cakes with fresh whipped cream or scoops of vanilla ice cream.

Recipe: Pioneer Woman Cooks

Strawberry Pie Dessert - Welcoming The Summer

2010-02-18T04:42:00.000-08:00

Strawberry, strawberry and strawberry everywhere be it cosmetics or desserts, even shakes. I just love the flavor and smell of fresh strawberries. Every time I find something of that flavor or smell, I just but that product. Few days back, luckily I got a pound of fresh ripe strawberries from the local grocery shop. I can't tell how happy I was.

The other day was Valentine's Day. So time to celebrate love. And to make my love feel special, I deiced on ordering his favorite food. The time I saved from cooking the meal, I used it in making the dessert. After all the saying goes like - All's well that ends well.

Strawberries helped me in pleasing his taste buds, as I made a romantic Strawberry Pie. Romantic being the day of love and as its wonderful aroma and flavor set the mood. I tried making my first tart or crust. And the filling was all love. These days you can get the crust from food shops too and the dessert will be ready in minutes.

Ingredients

For Crust

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter, cut into small cubes
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

For Filling

1 bar cream cheese (softened)
1/4 cup sugar
3-4 cup strawberries, hulled and halved
3 tbsp corn starch

Makes 8 servings

Method

* Blend flour, butter, sugar, and salt until moist crumbs form in a food processor for around a minute.
* Transfer the dough to a 9-inch round tart pan with a removable bottom.
* With floured fingers, press dough evenly into pan and up sides. Dip a dry-measuring cup in flour, and use it to press dough firmly into bottom and against sides of pan.
* Freeze crust until firm for about 10 to 15 minutes.
* Preheat oven to 350°
* Using a fork, prick crust all over. Bake until golden, 25 to 30 minutes, pressing down gently once or twice with a spoon during baking if crust puffs up. Cool completely in pan.
* For making the filling, in a medium bowl, mix cream cheese and sugar until smooth; spread mixture evenly in bottom of baked crust (still in tart pan).
* Chop half of the strawberries and place them into a saute pan
* Add one cup of sugar combined with three tablespoons of corn starch.
* Cook strawberries and sugar/cornstarch on medium heat.
* Using a whisk, crush strawberries as they soften and continue cooking on low heat for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
* Take the other half of the strawberries and into the sauce prepared.
* Pour the strawberry pie filling into your perfectly baked crust.
* Chill the pie for about 2 hours.

Note: To prevent the delicate crust from breaking, leave it in the pan while assembling and chilling tart. Remove the tart from mold tart just before serving.

Chocolate, Bread & Butter Pudding

2010-02-08T03:13:00.000-08:00

Starting the blog post with an apology is making me feel so guilty. But I can't help it too. I am really sorry to my blog as well as my readers. Lately I have not able to update much, even my cooking is affected. As the financial year is going to end in another month, I have been piled up so much of work that I am unable to breathe. That is leaving me all occupied that I am not able to cook or bake much.

The delicious chocolate bread and butter pudding is off to Meeta's Monthly Mingle hosted by Life's A Feast.

Although the recipe was perfect. I baked it well too. The only mistake I did was that somehow I added more milk. Because of which it became more moist than required. So I have reduced the quantity of milk. Still it tasted heavenly. The lovely moist gooey taste of chocolate along with butter was delicious.

Ingredients

10-15 slices of bread or a loaf of brioche
4 yolks
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 cup cream
2 cup milk
1 vanilla bean, scraped
1/2 cup salted butter – melted
1 piece of dark chocolate, chopped finely

Method

* Remove the crust of the bread slices.
* Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a bowl until the mix turns pale. Keep it aside.
* In a pan add milk, cream and vanilla essence. Let it be warm on low heat.
* Add one fourth of this mixture to egg one. Again whisk.
* Then pour in the remaining mixture, whisking continuously.
* Strain the mixture and let it cool.
* Apply butter on the slices and place them on a baking dish.
* Sprinkle the chocolate pieces on them.
* Then add another layer of slices, followed by chocolate pieces.
* Pour the mixture on top of the slices.
* Let the slices soak the milk mixture for about half an hour.
* Bake it in a preheated oven at 130(C) for about 40-45 minutes.
* Remove from oven and cool the pudding.
* Serve warm, sprinkled with little powdered sugar.

Granola Bars - Deliciously Healthy

2010-01-28T07:50:00.000-08:00

In order to keep up with my new year resolutions and do away with the excess of granola packets, I tried making healthy granola bars last weekend. Although granola makes a great breakfast in terms of time it needs to be prepared. But after consuming it number of times, it has become almost tasteless to me. So, I decided on giving tasteless granola a twist by combining them with dates. Those who like the taste of dates will love this recipe.

Granola bars are chewy, crunchy and crispy with not too much of sweetness. They make a great afternoon snack for the untimely hunger pangs. And when you are devouring a good book on the cozy couch, you can have them to save yourself from getting up and breaking the continuity. Being an avid reader myself, I hate getting up to make anything specially when I am on the verge of reading a good book.

I was a bit finicky when I was making them being my first time. But the bars came out to be good. The flavor of the dates gave them just the proper sweetness and the lemon juice the perfect tanginess. And both granola and dates combination made the granola bars rich in fibre, natural sugar and nutrition.The main thing to keep in mind is the time of baking. Otherwise you can refrigerate them too, if you don't want to bake them.

Ingredients

1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup pitted dates
1/2 cup dried and roughly chopped raisins, walnuts, cranberries and almonds
(or 1 cup granola)

Method

* In a pan boil the dates with a little amount of water.
* Remove from heat and let it cool.
* Then blend it into a blender to form a thick paste.
* Melt butter in a pan.
* Add lime juice and honey followed by oats, dried fruits and chopped nuts(basically the granola)
* Saute for few minutes and add the date paste. Mix well.
* In a greased baking tray, place the mixture and smoothen out the top using an oiled knife.
* Bake for just about 15-20 minutes in a preheated oven at 180°C.
* Cool it into a refrigerator for about 10-15 minutes.
* Once the mixture sets, cut it into small bars ans store them in an air tight container.

Off To A Great Start - Happy 101 Award

2010-01-24T22:23:00.000-08:00

Gera of Sweet Foods brightened my January with a Happy 101 Award. Thanks a lot !! I think that was a great start for a new year.

Accepting the award I have added the Happy 101 picture. Further as part of the Award Acceptance, I must do the following too.

List 10 things that make me happy -

1) Reading novels
2) Delicious Desserts
3) Watching movies
4) Weekend offs
5) Showing off my culinary skills
6) Shopping (from clothes to veggies)
7) Blogging
8)   .................
9) .................
10) .................

Rest of the rules -

Tagging 10 bloggers who brighten my day.
Giving a link to their blogs
Notify the award receivers (will do sometime today)
Award recipients need to link back to the sender's(my) blog.

In no-particular order, 10 bloggers who can brighten up my day:

1. Lubna of Yummy Food
2. Parita of Parita's Kitchen
3. Muskan Sadhna of A2Z Vegetarian Cuisine
4. Freddy of Palachinka
5. Srivalli of Cooking 4 All Seasons
6. Deepa of Food Lyrics
7. Anncoo of Anncoo's Hobby
8. Nupur of Randomness
9. ................
10................

Apple Cinnamon Cake - Sinfully Fresh

2010-01-19T07:34:00.000-08:00

From chocolate cakes to truffles, Irish to plain vanilla, strawberry, cakes and pastries are a delight for everyone. But at times these cakes become too much of a sin. Still they are hard to resist. And since I am new to baking, every now and then craving for a warm piece of cake arises. Most of the times, I have to run to the nearmost bakery and only after having a piece of cake or pastry that the craving subsides. Its just that I am lucky, the bakery is just fabulous.

Although, this weekend shedding my laziness finally I made a cake. The recipe is somewhat similar to apple oatmeal muffins but with a few changes, adapted from a cookery show. Cookery shows come second in my list of things addicted to. First being the cookbooks, which I have already mentioned. Every time I get to watch a show, I scribble the recipe in my diary, just to use it at some point of time. Finally its turn came.

Lately, the weather has been freezing cold. But after the whole lot of effort of making the apple cake, when I took the first bite of the warm cake, I felt devine and much more fresh. The cold had made me really lazy to the extent of guilty of neglecting my blog. From a past few days, I was really feeling bad. So, I am back with a lovely delcious cake. Take my advice and have it fresh from oven. A warm cake is an indulgence worth taking. And with a dolop of chilled icecream or fresh scoop of cream cheese icing, the fun becomes much more joyful. s

Ingredients

For Cake

2-3 apples (peeled & chopped)
1 cup flour
1 cup butter
1 cup superfine sugar
2 eggs
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp cinnamon powder

For Icing

1cup cream cheese
pinch of roasted cardamom powder
1/2 cup whipped cream

Method

* Whisk sugar and butter together for few minutes.
* Then fold in the flour followed by eggs, honey and cinnamon powder.
* Finally add apples and mix properly.
* Pour the prepared batter into a buttered baking pan.
* Bake for about half an hour at 170C
* Meanwhile prepare the icing by whipping all the ingredients together
* When the cake is baked, let it cool.
* At the time of serving spread the icing over the cake and serve.

My Super Seven - Cookbooks To Look For In 2010

2010-01-12T08:19:00.000-08:00

Reading has always been my passion. Since my growing years from Noddy to Nancy Drew then moving on to Jeffery Archer, Dan Brown, Mario Puzo, Chetan Bhagat, Shivani & countless more, I just don't remember how many books I have devoured till now. Still the passion has no bounds. But since when I started my food blog, my interest has moved a little from fiction to cookbooks. For me a cookbook is not just a recipe book but a collectible, which I can show off. Here is a list of my super seven which I am hoping to get my hands on, this year in 2010.

1) Cook In Boots - By Ravinder Bhogol, an Indian-origin food writer and stylist. Has won the Gourmand World Cookbook Award for the UK`s Best First Cookbook

2) The Emperor’s Table by Salma Husain a resplendent collection of dishes from the imperial Mughal past

3) ChefMD's Big Book of Culinary Medicine by John La Puma, Rebecca Powell Marx. A Food Lover's Road Map to: Losing Weight, Preventing Disease, Getting Really Healthy

4) The Ultimate Low Fat Indian Cookbook by Shehzad Husain and Manisha Kanani: This dieter’s dream-come-true is a jugalbandi by the two authors, a Pakistani and an Uganda-born Indian.

5) Healthy Indian in Minutes by Monisha Bharadwaj: Provides mouth-watering glimpses of the diversity and subtlety and gentleness of our cuisine with gorgeous photographs.

6) Princely Legacy Hyderabadi Cuisine by Pratibha Karan. A must have cookbook on Hyderabadi cuisine.

7) Cooking For All Seasons by Jasleen Dhamija. Its an old one but evergreen, a must for everyone with wonderful recipes made using seasonal veggies and fruits.

My Mantra for 2010 is to eat healthy and cook healthy !!

2009 My Year In Food - A Retrospective

2010-01-07T04:10:00.000-08:00

Over the past few days, I have been enjoying dinner parties, entertaining surprise guests and shopping to my heart's content in the year end sales. You can say I was having quite an enjoyable end to the year and a great start of a brand new year. All of a sudden it dawned on me that already the new year has started and I am way behind in retrospection. Still as 2009 was a special year for me, I had to. After all I had started my first blog and finally discovered the enriching experience of various flavors and aromas in this very year.Not just that, I even got so many new friends with whom I could share my passion for cooking and learn from theirs.

To start one of my favorite desserts from the year gone was Mango Pudding, all credits to my darling husband. Then the outcome of one of my early baking experiences, Chocolate Plum Cake. For me desserts come before anything else. So much that, if I could then I would have made the five course dining menu always start with something sweet. Fried rice is one of my favorite creations of all time being so quick and so much fun to make. From drinks section I would choose Masala Lemonade, a superb heat buster for summers.

As 2009 turned out to be superb, I have a strong inkling that 2010 will bring with it many more yummy creations from my kitchen to yours! To start the new year, here are some of my resolutions for the ongoing food journey.

- More of baking

- Some cookbook reviews

- Lots of recipes from different cuisines

Happy New Year 2010

2010-01-01T08:02:00.000-08:00

Wishing all my foodie friends A Very Happy & Prosperous New Year. I wish all of you more of cooking, more learning of new recipes & more food blogging. So overall a wonderfull food season ahead. For me I wish to cook better each day and my journey of dicovering exotic tastes, flavors & aromas may be something very fulfilling.

Rice Flour Pudding (Phirni) - Creamy Indian Delight

2009-12-29T09:21:00.000-08:00

Party season has started to welcome the new year and bidding adieu to the passing year. And parties mean entertaining guests, decorating the house, making wonderful food and indulging oneself. Finally the perfect time to stop thinking 'healthy' and start thinking 'desserts'. Given that I have done so much throughout the year to cut down on calorie intake, the holiday season means all sweet for me with divine cakes, tasty pastries, yummy chocolate to delicious puddings.

Creamy, sweet and delicious, Phirni/Firni is a fabulous dessert for serving in party dinners. Very easy to make. The main ingredient Rice flour can be obtained ready made from food stores. If you want you can even prepare rice flour at home by soaking rice overnight. Then remove all the water and let the rice dry on old newspaper. When rice becomes completely dry, grind it in a grinder to powdered form and use whenever you want. You can experiment with the flavors to make mango phirni, almond phirni or pistachio phirni. I really love the creamy taste and aroma of phirni be it of any flavor or plain.

Ingredients

1 l milk
1 cup rice flour
nuts & raisins according to your choice
1 cup sugar
pinch of cardamom powder (roasted)
few saffron strands

Method

* Boil milk and sugar together in a pan, until a thick consistency is achieved.
* Add rice flour slowly in parts, dissolving each part properly so that no lumps are formed.
* On medium heat let the mixture boil.
* Add the cardomom powder & saffron strands.
* Remove from heat. Serve warm or chill it as you want.
* Garnish with raisins and nuts and pour in clay pots for serving.

Fried Rice - When You Want Something Quick

2009-12-25T09:38:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all of you!!

Christmas spirit is everywhere. Got a wonderful Plum cake from my neighbor. I gifted her some assorted chocolates along with a greeting card. She gave me a wonderful Plum cake, which was absolutely delicious with lots of nuts & raisins inside. After having large bites of it, tummy was almost full and feeling of laziness started overpowering me. But still a need for something fulfilling was there. Somewhere in these moments, I always wish if I had a magic wand. Just a swish and piping hot delicious food is there on my plate. As I am no magician nor I have a magic wand, I have to cook.

A quick peep inside the refrigerator and I found some leftover rice, along with the regular veggies. My joy knew no bounds. At that very moment I knew, I am lucky. Out of plain leftover rice, so many rice dishes can be put together in minutes. Just throw in variety of flavors, some veggies, saute and a wholesome meal is ready to be served. And I bet anyone will be pleased. I also did the same and a delicious steaming fried rice was ready. Although there is no specific recipe but I used a mix of few Chinese ingredients and some regular ones on my instinct.

Ingredients

2-3 cup cooked plain rice
1 cup mixed vegetables (peas, beans, celery, cabbage)
1 large onion, chopped
1 tbsp soya sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1/4 tsp red chili powder
salt to taste
2 tbsp oil
copped spring onion & cilantro leaves for garnish

Method

* Heat oil in a wok and fry onions till golden brown.
* Add vegetables, salt, pepper and chili powder and fry till all the water from the vegetables evaporate.
* Add rice and mix well. Splash soy sauce and fish sauce.
* Stir-fry rice till everything is mixed well.
* Garnish with spring onions and cilantro leaves.
* Serve hot.

Apple & Oatmeal Muffins - Crunchy Christmas Treats

2009-12-22T08:05:00.000-08:00

Sunday, after being unwell for last two days, finally I got to do some of baking. By now my fear of baking is gone and after few successful attempts, I feel pretty confident. Still have a long way to go before I become a perfect baker.

The apple & oatmeal muffins turned out to be extremely delicious, moist and crunchy. Moistness was due to apples, crunch came from the roasted oats and the recipe from a cookery show. Whenever I get a chance to watch any of the cookery shows, I jot down the recipe in my recipe diary. The muffins' recipe was also there. Christmas is just in a few days and muffins make a delicious treat for the holiday season.

Initially, I was reluctant in using the oatmeal in my muffins. But then thought I should at least give a try. Until now I have used oatmeal in my breakfast with just milk. These muffins are special treats, just in time for Christmas. So foodies do try these muffins whenever you get a chance.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup oatmeal
apples (peeled & chopped)
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 cup butter
1/2 tbsp cinnamon powder
1/2 cup cream

Method

* In a pan dry roast oatmeal for few minutes and keep it aside.
* Same goes with apples, in a pan saute apples in a spoon of butter for few minutes and also keep it aside.
* Whip sugar, cream & eggs in a big bowl.
* Fold in the flour. (you can blend the mixture as well for few minutes, in a blender)
* Add the oatmeal, apples, cinnamon powder & baking soda.
* Melt butter in a pan and pour in the batter. Mix.
* Pour the batter in the greased moulds.
* Bake the muffins for about 30-35 minutes at around 170 degrees C.
* Serve warm with any sauce of your choice or fresh cream.

Fried Onion Rings - For Tea Time

2009-12-18T10:30:00.000-08:00

Winters have started with misty mornings and cold evenings. And cold evenings call for hot cups of ginger tea
along with some quick knick knacks. Although snacks can be as simple as biscuits or something sweet. But if you will ask my choice, then I am always on for something crunchy, crispy & salty. Most of the week I have to suffice myself with readymade items. But on weekends, I indulge myself fully in making every effort to enjoy my tea time.

Onion rings are simple "bhajiyas" which is usually made in any Indian home. But making crunchy rings is a trick which I have learnt from my mother and she has from her mother. When we keep sliced onions with salt. Then after few minutes they release water which is sufficient for making batter for bhajiyas. As soon as I got back home I salted the onions and kept them. Then I continued with my other things. After 10-15 minutes when I started, enough water was there. The aroma which started coming was in itself very overwhelming. Along with it I made hot cups of ginger tea. Both made wonderful combo. So what are you waiting, enjoy your cold winter evenings with something hot n crunchy.

This is off to the Tea Time Snack Event on Simple Indian Food.

Ingredients

2-3 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced in rings

1 cup of gram flour

1 cup of fresh green cillantro leaves chopped

¼ teaspoon of turmeric powder

¼ teaspoon of oregano

¼ teaspoon of fresh green chilies chopped fine

¼ teaspoon of red chili powder

Salt to taste

Oil as required for frying

Method

* In a large bowl add salt to the onion rings and leave for about 15-20 minutes.

* Then add gram flour followed by all the other ingredients.

* Mix well.

* In a wok, heat oil.

* Take out each onion ring or a small portion of the batter and drop into the hot oil.

* Deep fry till they turn golden brown in color.

* Pat the onion rings on an absorbent paper to soak the excess oil.

* Seve them hot with green chutney or cheese dip for tea.

Note: Don't use water, if you want to make crispy rings.

Caramelized Bananas - A Quick & Simple Dessert

2009-12-15T08:14:00.000-08:00

When you are back home after slogging for almost nine hours of work and you come to know that you have guests, then what do you do? Panic ? Atleast I do. Although I love to entertain but unexpected guests really spoil my mood. Yesterday night was also the same. But for a change, I pondered for a few moments, searched quickly through my refrigerator, checked the blogs of my foodie bloggers, took a deep breath and diverted my anger towards preparing the dinner.

Preparing the main course was easy, followed by a salad. Being equipped by the appliances of modern cooking, it took me over an hour. Yoo-ho !! Guests arrived just at that moment. Cooking had made my mood. I welcomed them with a smile. But still an important thing was left and that was the dessert. All of a sudden a glance on a bunch of bananas and something clicked. Any guesses?? Yes, Caramalized Bananas. Bingo !! When you want something quick and simple, caramelized bananas make just a perfect dessert in winters and even in summers, if served with scoops of ice cream. The recipe is just too simple and almost all the ingredients are there in the home.

Ingredients

6 bananas (peeled)
1/2 cup sugar
2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup butter
1 tbsp cinnamon powder (roasted)
1 tbsp cardamon powder
handful of raisins, peanuts & pistachios
1 tbsp orange zest
1 tbsp brown sugar

Method

* In a pan, heat sugar on low flame until it melts and turns brown in color.
* Add butter, orange juice, cinnamon and cardomom powder.
* Keep on stirring till the mixture comes to a boil.
* In a baking dish, place the bananas and pour the mixture over them.
* For topping add orange zest along with the nuts.
* Sprinkle the brown sugar and bake the bananas for about 20 minutes at 170 degrees(C).
* Remove and let it cool for sometime and serve warm with fresh cream or vanilla ice cream.

Vegan Minestrone - The Big Soup

2009-12-13T09:11:00.000-08:00

The host Harini of Tongueticklers decided on Soups for this month's Monthly Mingle, started by Meeta. I must say a perfect theme for the cold of December. Right from my growing years, I have been a big fan of different types of soups. And still I cannot imagine even a week without one or two bowls of soup.
Soups can be as simple as possible. Yet they can be as complex as you want them to be, by mixing more or less ingredients. But they have a thing common and that is the great comforting factor along with oodles of warmth. Packed with goodness and great flavour, Minestrone is one such soup from Italy. Best eaten in fall or winter months, minestrone makes a perfect light and healthy meal for lunch or dinner. Although there is a huge variety of minestrone recipes as many are the minestrone cooks. But almost all minestrone recipes have three basic vegetables to start with - onion, carrot and celery. One important feature of this soup is that vegetables are to be chopped very fine so that each remains its identity and doesn't blend.

The aroma is fabulous. When you will start making it, I can bet that your family members will start peeping into the kitchen to check what's special is going on. You can experiment with the flavors according to the taste of your family and the vegetables available at hand. This is a vegan version. But vegetable broth can be replaced with chicken stock another minestrone will be ready.

Ingredients
1 cup macroni boiled
2 tbsp of olive oil
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp ginger paste
½ cup onion chopped
1 or 2 cup chopped carrots, potato, celery with leaves, cabbage
½ cup garbanzo beans or green beans, or any beans of your choice
1 cup tomato puree
4 cups of vegetable broth or water
2 tbsp herbs (optional)
salt and pepper for taste
grated cheese for garnishing (optional)

Method

* Heat olive oil in a large pan or pot and saute chopped onions.
* When golden brown, add ginger garlic pastes followed by chopped carrots, celery, cabbage and salt accordint to taste.
* Saute the mixture till all the vegetables are tender.
* Add herbs, beans and tomato puree.
* Pour in the vegetable stock and macaroni after five minutes.
* Sprinkle black pepper powder according to your taste.
* Cover and cook for about half an hour .
* Season with grated cheese and serve hot in bowls.

Chocolate Plum Cake - A Simple One For Christmas

2009-12-07T09:53:00.000-08:00

Weekends are a joy for everyone. Whole week everyone plans for weekend getaways and I plan for what I will make or bake. Lately baking is a new passion in my life, for which I get time on weekends only. In the last one, I had few of my friends. Just a bunch of women, no men. That makes me think, do we really need men in our life. No!! not at all. But yes men and women compliment eachother. And this will remain a fact as always. After all whatever we cook or we wear, if we don't have an admirer then from where will come the appreciations. We women love to be appreciated!!

For the lunch I had planned well in advance. There were grilled vegetables with tahini in the starters followed by fried rice and then my lovely chocolate cake with vanilla icecream for dessert. We chatted, we ate, watched a movie. All together you can call it a super fun time. Each part of my body freshened up.

Since when I have bought a can of chocolate, I am going totally crazy. Whatever dessert I am making, there is chocolate in it. Thats why I made chocolate cake. Its an easy recipe. I am gonna make one again and gift it to my darling neighbour on Christmas. So this one is for her. Rest of the menu, I will post in coming days. Enjoy this simple cake with your family this Christmas !

Ingredients

1 cup chocolate
1 cup butter
2-3 tbsp sugar free, powdered
2 eggs
2 tbsp honey
1 cup flour
handfull of chopped nuts

Method

* Melt the chocolate in microwave or a pan of low heat.
* In the meantime whip butter and sugar together in a bowl until light & fluffy.
* Add melted chocolate and beat in the eggs.
* Fold in the flour. Whip the whole mixture in a blender as well for having a perfectly soft cake.
* If required add a little milk
* After blending, stir in the chopped nuts.
* Take a pan, grease it with butter and pour the mixture in it.
* Bake the cake at 170 degree C for about half an hour or more. Check using a toothpick.
* Serve with freshly whipped cream or a scoop of icecream.

Steamed Chocolate Pudding - Weekend Special

2009-12-01T07:41:00.000-08:00

Sunday was special for me. After contemplating for about a month, finally I had bought a laptop. So there was a reason for my happiness. And any reason of happiness needs a celebration. Now we foodies when we are happy, what we do? Obviously cook or bake or eat out. Whatever we decide on, food is definitely there playing an important role. The menu consisted of chicken in red wine sauce with mushroom pilaf, followed by the yummy dessert.

The star of the menu was the dessert, a lovely Chocolate pudding and that too steamed making my weekend treat special, . Easy to make in home, even if you don't have an oven. Morever you dont have to have a steamer too. What you can do is take a large pot anf fill it one third with water. Put a strainer in it and over it put your mould, covering it with a foil. Then close the lid of the pot. Its a quick home method. But if you have oven, you can always bake the chocolate pudding.

The chocolate pudding I made was wonderful. I served it warm with scoops of vanilla icecream. And I also saved some spoons of melted chocolate. While serving I poured it on the pudding. It was such a lovely treat. I still have that warm gooey taste in my mouth. So here goes my recipe -

Ingredients

1 cup grated dark chocolate
2/3 cup all purpose flour, sieved
3 tbsp cocoa powder
½ tsp baking powder
2 eggs
½ tsp vanilla essence
3 tbsp sugar
1 teaspoon coffee powder
Milk as required

Method

* In a pan on low heat add grated chocolate and melt it.
* Then whisk the chocolate till it smoothens.
* Mix flour, baking powder, cocoa and coffee powder.
* Then using a strainer sieve through into a large bowl.
* Add eggs, vanilla essence, melted chocolate and sugar.
* In a blender, blend the mixture adding little milk if it is thick.
* Take a mould and grease it with butter and pour the mixture in it.
* In a steamer, add the mould and cover it.
* Steam it for around half an hour or so. Check using a knife by piercing it in the pudding. If nothing sticks to the knife then the pudding is ready.
* Let it cool for few minutes then remove from the mould.
* Serve it warm.

Cheesecake - A No Fuss Wonder

2009-11-27T08:25:00.000-08:00

Lately, I have been less into blogging for some or the other reasons. Nothing specific. These days I am somewhat into a wandering state. Although I am not moving but my mind is. Lots of thoughts are coming and going. At one time I want to write a story, then at another I want to start a new blog and some other random musings. But there are so many thoughts that I have become a little uncomfortable. I need to organize them. After much of contemplation, finally I have decided on making a notebook and jotting down all my thoughts and may be I will have to start another blog for my ramblings which are not at all related to food. Probably then I will be able to reach a sense of stability.

Other than thinking, I baked a wonderful cheese cake. There was no reason of celebration. But then Food is itself a reason to celebrate. Whenever we are cooking something delicious for our family, then that counts as a celebration. The Cheese cake on Thanksgiving came out to be perfect with all the flavors of my superb learning experience from other food blogs on baking. With not much fuss, I just used a simple recipe ofcourse a synthesis of all the cheese cake recipes I read.

Cheesecake is such a delicious dessert, a wonderful way to end the dinner. After having it you will be smiling with pleasure. I made a plain one but you can use any of the fruits, nuts, raisins or chocolate to make different flavors for the topping. Morever if you don't want to bake then you can set it also. But that takes few hours to set before serving.

Ingredients

For Base

2 cup biscuits crushed (around 8-10 biscuits)
1/2 cup melted butter or margarine

For Cake
1 cup cream cheese, softened
2-3 tbsp sugar free
2 eggs
2 tbsp corn starch
2 tbsp cream
1 tbsp coffee

Method

* First mix butter and crushed biscuits properly for making the base of the cheesecake and refrigerate.
* In a bowl mix well all the other ingredients.
* Place the biscuit mix in a baking pan.
* Pour the cheese mixture over the base.
* Bake the cheesecake at 325 degree F for about half an hour.
* Serve warm otherwise you can chill it for few hours, if you want to have it cold.

Thanksgiving Day, Cranberry Relish & New A Look

2009-11-23T04:50:00.000-08:00

After a new domain, I almost disappeared for a week. Worked hard to get a new look for my blog. Finally I have been able to come up with something. Although I consider it a beta version somewhat. Need a lot of advices and lot more changes so that I am finally satisfied with it. So dear friends a request to all of you. Please give me the feedback on this new one and help me improve it.

Thanksgiving is just in a few days. So here is an easy recipe to make. No preparations required. Ideally you should serve it warm. What you can do is make it a day before and when required, just warm it in the microwave. The recipe is so delicious and so easy to make. Its just that you will have to get the cranberries.

Ingredients

2 cup frozen cranberries
2 cup sugar or any other sweetener
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder

Method

* In a pan combine cranberries, sugar and cinnamon powder. Mix well.
* Add the mixture into a baking dish. Cover the dish with a foil.
* Preheat the oven to around 300 degrees(F).
* Place the dish in the oven and bake for almost an hour.
* After an hour, take it out and let it cool.
* Serve it warm.

Gulab Jamuns - Reason To Celebrate

2009-11-13T10:01:00.000-08:00

News !! Reasons to rejoice and celebrate. I have got myself my own domain. In one more day all will be set, further changes will follow like new design and other new interesting things which will make my foodie friends enjoy my blog even more.

So to celebrate, I ended up making Gulab Jamuns. This was my second attempt and the results were even better. May be my happiness got into those sweet balls !! My first attempt was on Diwali, which by luck also came out to be pretty good.

When Srivalli announced the new ICC in October, reading the name of the dish gave me fritters. I wondered if yet again I will be able to fulfill the challenge or not. Frankly speaking I have been always little skeptical in making Gulab Jamuns. Giving the round shape then facing the frying disasters really frightens me. Although when it comes to having gulab jamuns then I can gorge lots n lots of them. I have seen my mom making them but mom is mom and I am a daughter. Nothing can be compared to the perfection of a mother. But thanks to Srivalli, finally I have been able to shed away my fears and make such delicious soft and gooey syrapy sweet balls ie. Gulab jamuns. Next time whem my mom will come, I will definitely make for her.

Ingredients
For gulab jamuns

2 cup khoya
1 cup plain flour
1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder
Oil for frying

For sugar syrup

2-3 cup sugar
a few saffron strands (not necessary)
2-3 cup water

Method

For making sugar syrup

* In a thick bottom pan, heat water. Dissolve sugar and bring it to boil.
* Let it simmer for few minutes till one string consistency is achieved. From time to time remove the scum from top.
* Add the saffron strands.

For making balls

* In a large bowl, add flour, khoya and cardomom powder. Mix well using hands.
* Knead into a firm dough using a liitle oil. Do not use water.
* Make small firm round balls from the dough.
* Keep the balls in refrigerator for 15-20 minutes. This will prevent them from cracking while frying.
* In a wok heat oil and deep fry these balls on slow flame till golden in color.
* Soak the balls in the sugar syrup for about half an hour.
* Serve them hot

Lemon Prune Tart - A Sinful Dessert

2009-11-06T03:51:00.000-08:00

“Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason mastery demands all of a person."- Albert Einstein

I took a lot of inspiration from this quote reading Leo Babauta's blog and this is the reason for my delayed tart. I know you all must be wondering what kind of tart I am making that I disappeared for so many days. But in true terms I made the tart twice to achieve the perfect flavor and color and then after so many clicks the perfect shot, which I liked. I know I have a long way to go after all mastering anything takes time and depends on how often and how much you do it. Still I really envy food bloggers who have such professional food pics with food worth dying for.

The first tart I made using dried prunes, it came out to be a little sweeter. So the next time when I made prune tart again, I added lemon to it which reduced both its sweetness and the golden color. Making the prune tart is very easy. Its just that it takes a longer time to make. But all good things are priceless. When you will have the first bite, you will just feel wonderful. The flavor and aroma is almost sinful, filling your senses.

Ingredients

For the pastry

1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup butter
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 egg
pinch of cardamom powder

For the filling

10-12 dried pitted prunes
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup golden syrup
2 eggs
1 lemon juice

Method

* Put flour, sugar, butter and an egg together in a bowl and mix properly with hands.
* When everything is properly mixed, using a little water form a firm dough.
* Keep the dough in refrigerator for half an hour.
* After half an hour, remove the dough and roll out in the form of a large round flat thin pastry.
* In a preheated oven at 180 degree, bake the pastry for 10 minutes.
* Meanwhile start making the filling. On a low flame, heat butter and golden syrup in a pan.
* Remove the syrup after few minutes. Whisk the eggs in a bowl and add to the syrup along with lemon juice. If you want, you can add cardamom powder to the filling too.
* Remove the pastry from the oven and let it cool.
* Arrange the prunes on the pastry, followed by pouring the filling evenly over them.
* At 160 degrees, bake the tart for around 30 minutes.
* Serve warm with mango sauce.

Food Ingredients Dictionary - Golden Syrup

2009-11-02T04:02:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is in a few days. A time to thank everyone dear to our hearts. And what could be a better way other than serving a delicious Thanksgiving lunch or dinner with choicest of dishes. So in my ever going quest to learn something new and serve my family all of my culinary experiments, I am in the process of making a Prune Tart this time. Tomorrow I would post the recipe. Tart has been done. Filling would be made in the evening followed by the perfect click and posting. Not wasting any more time, I would come straight to point. I am going to introduce a superb sweetener, Golden syrup to all my foodie friends which I have used in this tart.

Generally referred to as pale or light treacle, Golden syrup is a thick, amber-colored form of inverted sugar syrup looking just like honey. Golden syrup has an interesting story about its discovery. Way back in 1883, a Scottish businessman Abram Lyle was refining sugarcane in his factory, when he found a byproduct golden in color with very sweet taste. He took that home and used it as a spread and for making desserts. Due to the golden color, it came to be known as Golden Syrup. He first sold it to Lyle's employees and other locals. In 2006 Guinness World Records listed it as the Britain's oldest brand.

Golden syrup is made from the juice of sugar canes, which is evaporated to produce the flavor and texture of the syrup. For vegans who do not eat honey, it is a great substitute for making desserts. Comprising primarily of sucrose, glucose and fructose, golden syrup is easy to be stored without worrying about the low temperatures in winters. In UK it is a popular ingredient for making tarts or as a topping for pancakes. One thing that has to be taken care of is to use it in lesser amounts. It is sweeter than sugar.

Wonton Soup - A Recipe Of Warm Goodness

2009-10-28T05:49:00.000-07:00

October is leaving making me feel guilty about how much less time I have given to my love my blog and my fellow food enthusiasts. At first it was festival fervor and then all the festivities had left me tired. But Diwali festivities were indeed a joy. A time which comes once in a year.

Visiting friends and having guests have made me gorge on so much of calories. I am sure each of the food lover must have put on a few kilos. Post the festivities, the time to shed those extra kilos has come. Being not an exercise person what max I can do is with food. That too cutting on the high calorie ingredients and opting for healthier ones. And now with cold winds and dropping temperatures winter is on its way. A time when we want to sleep a bit more in mornings, eat a bit more in meals and feel a bit more drowsy.

Light soups are a delight in this cold weather. Warming our souls and protecting us from the cold winds. And when it comes to soups, I have a special liking for Chinese soups. Hot n spicy balancing the coldness. Last night I decided on making Wonton soup keeping my dinner light and having a great morning ahead. Deriving its name from Cantonese (simplified Chinese), the name won ton means swallowing a cloud. The wontons floating in this popular soup of Chinese cuisine are thought to resemble clouds. The soup is served hot and makes a fulfilling meal in itself.

Ingredients

For Wontons

1 cup chicken minced
2 tbsp onion finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1-2 green chillies finely chopped
salt to taste
a package of wonton wrappers
water as required

For Soup

4 cup chicken broth
vegetables of your choice (broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, scallions etc)
1/2 cup noodles (optional)
salt to taste
pinch of black pepper

Method

* Mix all the wonton ingredients together properly to make the filling.
* Then moisten the edges of the wonton wrapper with water.
* Place a big teaspoon of the filling in the center and fold the edges giving desired shape.
* Take care in closing the edges so that the won tons do not open while boiling.
* In a large pan boil water add the won tons made.
* Let them cook for 10 minutes and they come up in the pot.
* Remove them from the pan and set aside.
* Boil chicken broth in another pan with salt and pepper according to your taste.
* Add broccoli, scallions and won tons to it.
* Bring it to a boil.

Note: No need to add all the won tons made. You can use a few as per your requirement and freeze the rest. For almost 2 months you can use them for making wonton soup.

Diwali Festival - Suggest A Recipe

2009-10-14T00:14:00.000-07:00

I always seem to remember festivals as special days which brought the family and friends together. Other than new clothes, beautiful rangolis, mango leave torans, fresh flowers, smell of camphor, incense sticks what I was more excited about was great food delicacies. From sweets to chocolates, cakes to desserts, curries to pastas everything was made with special care and festive spirits. And on the days of the festival cooking together, then eating together was real fun resulting into great bonding and delicious food. Such is the fervor of festivals. Magical !!

Now when Diwali, the festival of lights is just after few days, I have been thinking, planning are reading through the blogs for deciding on the festive meals. This time its my turn to host the festive dinner. Already I have been occupied with a lot of cleaning and decorating the house and neglecting my blog. But I promise to be back with full set of mouthwatering recipes and photographs of what all I had made.

For Diwali I have thought of few and rest you all suggest me. Already I had a big mind boggling session with no results. So I would be glad to get a little help form all my foodie friends and visitors. Add a comment with your suggestions. The recipe that would be a hit with my guests, I would feature it on my blog. You all just have to give the post link and I would get extract the recipe from there (**this time no gifts but I promise next time I would offer a giveaway). According to the five course would take one from each suggested like a soup, a dessert, a curry etc.

So I am signing off for now. Would be meeting with all of next week with more. Wishing you all a very Happy & Prosperous Diwali !!