Kidiyo/ kul kul

The  most mischievious kid on the block is wishing the hardest for a ben-10 omnitrix.

Christmas is almost here, all my baking for the season is almost done. The wish list for Santa is getting erased and re-written several times this month. The cookies are being a staple in our diet these days too. 

How festive is that!

 Past few weeks I've had more of sheet pans, dough hooks, beaters & mixing bowls to clean than the actual dishes that gets involved in the desi kitchen.   I'm not complaining, at least till January, that is. Sweet smelling kitchen day in & day out. What's not to like?
 Letting myself ready for a  surprise venture, I head enthusiastically to make a Xmas delicacy: Kidiyo.


Kidyo, kul-kul was one kuswar( Christmas platter) goody that I always wanted more of as it was always over-excitedly welcome to our house which showed up only during Christmas.
Kuswar included rich plum cake, chakkuli, shev's, kulkul/kidiyo (litterally meaning worm shaped), guliyo ( a very hard ball of dough resembling marbles, rose cookies (a very delicate lacy flower made of fried batter) & nevreos (empanada shaped sweet filled fried goody).  As much as I loved all of those, I was biased to the infamous glazed kulkul/ Kidyo which were the first one to be relished by me. This was only eaten once a year, so you see the desperation?! I needed the recipe bad!
A few phone calls to my homeland, a few request to fellow foodie friends & few of my old friends who 'might' have made this in the past later & I was in no luck. I decided to go with the sweet thukudi recipe & gave it a shot with the hope that I just might replicate the delicacy that I once had more than a decade ago. Although there is no authenticity to this recipe it sure tasted pretty close. A close friend who made these recently had all the ingredients that I used but with more or less proportion. I was close to the actual recipe, after all.  I'm not  such a bad cook, I say!

Ingredients:
1 cup All purpose flour
1 cup Rawa
2 tbs Butter, chilled
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup sugar
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method:
Pulse dry in a food processor, add coconut milk a couple tablespoon at a time till the dough forms together into a soft ball. Keep covered for half an hour.

Heat oil for frying. In the meantime, make gnocchi shaped rolls by taking a marble sized ball of dough, flatten it on the backside of fork, pressing it from the bottom of fork tines to the tip. Roll it from one side (preferably bottom to top) as you are making ridges along the way till you get to the end into a tight curl (or they unfurl while frying). The kulkul should curl into a roll with ridges on their backs captured by the impression of the tines as tiny ridges will catch glaze later making these irresistible.

Cook the kul kul in batches by dropping them into the medium hot oil & frying it to a golden brown. They will let you know when they are cooked because they will float up to the top & stop sizzling. Fish them out of the oil with a slotted spoon. Drain on paper towels. Set aside to glaze..

For the glaze:
1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup water. Mix & boil the syrup for about 5 mins. This reduces the liq and leaves a one string consistency syrup. Dip a few kul kuls at a time, remove & let drain on a cooling rack. Make sure to separate any kul kuls that are stuck together(while they are still warm & fresh out of syrup). Cool, share & enjoy.

Concluding, the Christmas baking with kul-kul was a sweet ending & a successful at that.

Making kuswars were a breeze, making dinners were W-A-Y easier because I'd make a quick healthy 'make-do dinners', picture my table with pasta, garlic bread, pizza's, roasted vegetables, macaroni& cheese in a mix and match combo...what's hard about that! My carb-lover family loved the house always filled with smell of fresh breads
(sourdough, Italian & focaccia's), fried doughs (tukudi, kidiyo & mulikh) & cookies made everyday. It was good while it lasted. I now have to get back my cooking rhythm.

Chicken Bhuna/ chicken roast

Khawan (store brought) is a perfect roti for this chicken roast

•  A very 'fine food critic, hard to please taste bud' of the family really approves that the justice has been done to this borrowed recipe. That says it all!

A quick chicken roast saves the gloomy sunday eve at the Rao household. I for one needed something 'desi', cooking at my stove top this evening. There is only so much take outs, food courts and frozen dinners one can eat all in one weekend.

 Picturing a rich spicy dish, loved by all (yeah, I want the kind I know for sure is a winner) that shouts 'eat me', on this cold cold winter eve, I set out to go to my staple bhuna/roast chicken.

 You know how Sunday eve sneaks up on us faster than we want it to arrive. I want it all to slow down, bring the family to the table for a favourite meal & conclude the leisure event-free weekend, happily.

Chicken bhuna is the name that is screaming loud, much louder than I can hear my thoughts. I shuffle through the papers of hand written recipes to find the one from years ago. I wish I remembered who I wrote it down from (ah, I miss my apartment friends), so I could giving her the right credit. I can't keep a good recipe down, so here I am sharing our family favourite.


Ingredients:
Chicken 2 lbs, cut into big pieces
Onions 1, diced
Tomatoes 4-5, finely chopped
Ginger -Garlic paste- 2tbs
Green chillies 4, slit
Red chilli powder 1 tsp
Coriander seeds - 2 tablespoons
Cumin seeds - 2 teaspoons
Blackpepper - 8
Garam Masala - 2 tablespoons
Kasuri methi - 1 teaspoon.
Oil -3tbs
Salt - to taste.
Fresh cilantro to garnish



Method:
Dry roast coriander seeds, cumin and black peppercorns and grind to a coarse powder.

Heat oil in a kadai over medium-high heat until very hot, add onion and saute till lightly browned. Add the ground spice powder,red chilli powder, ginger-garlic paste and green chillies and saute for a couple minutes.

Add tomatoes and salt and continue to saute till the tomatoes softens, add in chicken, lower the heat to simmer and continue to cook until the chicken are cooked through and the sauce has thickened coating the chicken (about 5 to 6 minutes).

Once the chicken is tender, add half a cup of water and cover the pan and simmer for 5 more minutes. At this point, chicken is cooked through and the gravy is thick and rich. Add in garam masala and kasuri methi (crush in your palms to wake up the aroma) and cook for 2 minutes .

Garnish with cilantro (I ran out justifying that kasuri methi was flavorful enough). Serve immediately with rice and roti.

Nan Khatai

The past week my thoughts were consumed with all the goodies that I'd bake for Christmas kuswar( goodies platter). The only friend who bakes this season in the spirit of Christmas is a a fellow foodie, Mamata Uttangi. Her house is always loaded with baked/fried goodies..all home-made and in massive quantities. When I say massive, I mean m-a-s-s-i-v-e. Her cup for measurement is a 'ser/sher aka pav'. You get the point!



Last week, nan khatai was the highlight of the eve. Upon offering these, I shamelessly forgot to offer my husband one, ignored my kids & relished them like they were the first time I had laid my hands on them. You don't understand...If you are a materialistic person, in your view, these are like gold to me, let's say "a melt in your mouth" kind of gold. They were the first home-made nan khatais that tasted authentic & far better than bakery ones, tantalizing my nostalgic memory...teasing for more.

Would nan khatai purists be terribly upset for doing this to plain old cookies? (BTW,the crushed pistachio goes in before being baked so it adheres well as well as hides unsightly cracks ( two-fer again!)...if you are a perfectionist like me & don't like to see your goodies  crack on top while baking)




Recipe source: Mamata Uttangi
pretty easy '5321' in her words. So here goes:
Half recipe yields 72 nan khatais.

Ingredients:
5 cups maida/ AP flour
3 cups sugar
2 cups ghee
1 cup besan
Elaichi powder

Mix all of the above. Place on counter top (covered) overnight.


The next day, shape into balls, flatten them. Place on parchment lined sheet pan, bake at 350F for 10-15 mins. I say 10 minutes for just done ivory colored nan khatai. For brown edges 15 mins.


Turn them to see slight browned bottom. Cool.


Seriously, that's it!

FYI, no extra lbs were put-on in the making of these.
All my goodies were shared with Sheila, Indu, the librarians at my town & Mamta of course!

G's note:
*Mamta rolled it into a log and cut up discs & baked (considering the amount she had to tackle that day with a toddler in tow).
*I made half of the recipe, had all the time on hands to shape these babies and went a step further like mentioned above.

Meringue cookies

A novice conquers her fear and enters a unknown territory. It's about time! Anyone who worked with these knows what I'm talking about. You need to beat the egg whites, just right. A few beats shy and you don't get the peak that you were anticipating. A couple extra beats & you loose the peak/ fluff & shine and end up with curdle mess. Apart from these problems, the worst is the crack on the finished product (I had 2 hairline crack on my cookies, 2 out of 75, not bad, I say). A "baking experiment that yielded perfection" is a beautiful day!.


Meringue cookies a k a Cashew macaroon: who knew that a shapeless mound of snowy tower with bits of cashew nuts poking through, would change a mom's priorities for a day?! "Today is the changing day in your life", picture Dr Phil's voice as you read this. Overcoming fear of deflated macaroon/ meringue & moving on is crossed off of my list today!


You may think, why in the world, would I want this so bad!
The answer is
(1) I don't accept failure well,
(2)At a recent trip to homeland, a little friend presented my kids with a packet of meringue also called as cashew macaroon (not to be mistaken with coconut cookies called as macaroons as well) that they absolutely loved &
(3) lastly, I live in a land where such desi delicacies are rare and with any luck if I happen to find a packet, they are near-rotten.

I've finally overcome the fear of deflated dry meringues.
The keys to remember are:
do not open the oven impatiently while baking these cuties.
Use cream of tartar to stabilize the meringue
beat egg whites to soft peaks( at least) before you add sugar.
If adding nuts or choc chips, add it to the piped meringues not to the batter.

Pics didn't do justice, but is up for curious cats.


Thanks to Sandra Lee's recipe, we now have a perfect 'kisses'
Ingredients
3 egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon imitation strawberry extract
3 drops red food coloring

Special Equipment: Pastry bag
#4 star tip
Directions
Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.


Line 2 heavy large baking sheets with parchment paper. Beat egg whites in clean large metal bowl on medium speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar. Increase speed to high and continue beating until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Quickly mix in strawberry extract. Stir in food coloring, 1 drop at a time, until desired color is achieved.


Spoon meringue into pastry bag fitted with star tip. Pipe 12 (1 1/2-inch high by 1 1/2 -inch in diameter) mounds onto each prepared baking sheet, spacing evenly apart. Bake for 3 hours, or until dry and crisp. Cool meringues completely on baking sheets. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Chocolate chip cookies

If you are looking for the chewiest moist cookies with chocolate in every bite & a crisp edges, this is the one for you. It will lead you to chocolate heaven & may also embarrass you with way too many praises from the ones who scarfed these bites of sinfully awesome goodies. So go ahead, make these for your kids but don't forget to save some for Santa!



Recipe courtesy: Alton Brown
2 sticks unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F (I set mine at 350).

2. Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat.
Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.

3. Pour the melted butter in the mixer's work bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. Add the egg, yolk, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

4. Chill the dough (about 1 hour), then scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet (mine were 18S disher ice cream scoop). Bake for 14 minutes (I baked for 12 mins) or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 5 minutes.(I skiped this step)
Rotate the baking sheet for even browning. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Rustic Italian bread

This was always a 'must do' for me. As much as I love to bake, I'd hate to see my hard work go down the drain if my bread didn't have the right structure, perfect crust and the unforgettable taste that makes one want for more....and I have ruthlessly done so, many many times :P

>



I have been on a quest to achieve the three things mentioned above in

One bread

. If the texture was right, the crust wasn't 'crusty', right crust had a blah kind of taste. All that came to an end today! A whole week of baking sourdough loaves, perfecting the 'tang' along with the qualities mentioned above has finally put me in my happy place. now, I've moved on to Italian bread, using the recipe below for baguette & french bread & having a sense of pride to accomplishing a bread lover's dream (err...did I forget to say this was my husbands dream more than mine? Yeah, it is, sigh!)

baking doesn't have to be so intimidating. Unlike cooking, baking is an exact formula. Follow it to the tee & you'll amaze yourself like I am. :D

courtesy: Pillsbury bread flour packet
Ingredients:
bread flour 3 cups
water( warm 100to 110F) 1 cup
1 packet (1/4 oz) active dry yeast
Olive oil 2 tbs
Sugar 2 tbs
Salt 1/2 tsp
1 egg
cornmeal

Combine dry ingredients [flour, sugar, salt, yeast] together im a large bowl. Add warm water & oil; mix well. Knead dough for 10 mins. I used my stand mixer to save time. Place dough in lightly greased (oil) bowl; cover and let rise in a warm place ( 80 to 85F) for 30 to 40 mins.
After letting the dough rise, punch down the dough & rest on counter for 15 mins. Shape dough into baguette- shaped loaf, about 12" long. Place dough o cornmeal coated sheet pan. Cover, let rise in warm place 35 to 40 mins or until doubled in size.
Heat oven to 375F. With a sharp knife, make 1 deep lengthwise slash on top. brush loaf with beaten egg white. bake for 25 to 35 mins or until loaf sounds hollow when lightly tapped.

Dream bars

The desire to make this was very strong earlier today... one of the reasons maybe the favourite ingredient that goes into making these...pure white daintily piled up mound of sweetened snowflake coconut sitting pretty on my kitchen counter as a part of my gingerbread house snow scape OR that I badly want to make another use of my tart pan to justify myself for wanting a second pan that I'm eyeing at the William Sonoma.



Who except me cares what my reasons are to bake these, as long as these taste 'yum'. With the Christmas season here & many goodies to make & share, this comes im handy as well as adds to the beauty of my platters.

Recipe courtesy: Chef's select coconut

1 1/2 cups flour
2 cups brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup butter
3 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups coconut

Mix together flour,1/2 cup brown sugar & butter until particles are fine. Press into bottom of ungreased 13x9" pan.bake at 350F for 15 mins.

beat 1 1/2 cups brown sugar with eggs until just blended. Mix in remaining ingredients. Spread over partially bakes crust. bake 20 to 25 mims or until golden brown.

Cool.Cut with sharp knife.
Makes 24 bars

whoopie pie

A well known little pie that doesn't look anything like one; made of two soft chocolate cookies sandwiched with sweet creamy filling has been another favourite that my 10 yr  old loves to bake.

 The recipe  is not only super-easy to follow for my bake addict kid  &amp is  just as satisfying for this chocolate lover  but my best reason;  I don't have to bake a real cake & worry  about what to do with  about half the cake that sits in the refrigerator as a leftover. It is just the right size for a lumch dessert + freezes easy. You know how just how much I love a twofer idea!

Cookies:
2 cups All purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1stick (8 Tbs) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Whisk together flour, baking soda & salt in a bowl until combined.
In a separate bowl, stir together buttermilk & vanilla.
With a mixer, beat together butter & sugar at medium speed untill mixture is plale & fluffy ( about 3 mins).
Add egg, beat till combined. Reduce speed to low & alternately mix in flour mixture and buttermilk in batches, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Mix until smooth.

Preheat oven to 350F. Line the sheet pan with parchment paper & spray with cooking spray.

Spoon 1 tbs mounds of batter. bake until tops are puffed & cookies spring back when touched, 8-10 mins. Mine took 14 mins as  the batter was slightly more than a tablespoon. Yeah, I don't spend time to measure each scoop. :0
 Transfer to a rack & cool completely.

Marshmallow filling:
1 stick ( 8tbs) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 cup marsmallow cream ( fluff)
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a bowl, beat together butter, powdered sugar, marshmallow cream & vanilla to fluff it up.

Assemble the pies by spreading a teaspoon of filling on one  flat side of half of the cookies & top with the  other flat side. Repeat with the remaining.

Store: Refrigerated for a week, frozen upto 2 months. Serve at room temperature.

Swiss meringue buttercream

Ingredients;
3 egg whites

1 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place egg whites and sugar in a (steel bowl that fits the mixer)double boiler over simmering water. Whisking constantly, cook until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm (about 160 degrees).
Beat egg white mixture on high speed until it forms stiff fluffy peaks, beat until cooled( it will take about 8 mins). When completely cooled, add butter 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well on medium speed after each addition till all the butter is in. Add extract, mix on high till all the ingredients are well incorporated and smooth.

Makes about 2 1/2 cups - enough to frost a dozen cupcakes or a 6" cake.

Chocolate frosting

Ingredients:
1 stick butter, unsalted
2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
3 cups comfectioner's sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter, stir in cocoa. Alternately add sugar and milk, beating for 5 mins to smooth consistency. This comsistency is good for icing the cakes. For roses, add more sugar to a small batch of frosting. Additional milk can be added to use this icing to pipe the cakes or for making leaves.
Makes about 2 cups frosting.

G's note: For my 8x3" cake, I used 3 batches since I had 3 layers + roses to frost out of.

Doodh peda

The need to make this came from a  dear friend  Deepa Pai who inspires me with her ideas & we've  been wanting to make this for a couple weeks now. I have been hearing about this at every phone conversation for the past week, so we decided to pic a day &  make this at our next meet. The Tuesday where D's dreams of doodh peda was about to come true was finally here.
The peda making started in full josh and the microwaving part was done. The excitement died just as fast when it came to dinner time (that's where I screwed up, big time!) We let the mixture cool down completely (not deliberately, of course)  as we were busy yapping off  & leisurely relished our dinner. The ending result was the crumbled up balls( flattening them made it look worse) of peda. The flavor was the only thing unaltered, thanks to condensed milk in it.
The peda making dream stuck with me since I was on a quest to make the kind with kesar & dried nuts as a garnish to beautify it. Making such a easy sweet dish did not do justice if I didn't put extra little effort in it. Hence, the birth of these sweeties.

Ingredients:
Milk Powder – 2 cups
Condensed Milk – 1 can (14 OZ)
butter- 1 stick
Saffron – few strands

Method:
Take a wide microwave safe bowl and heat the butter just until it melts.
Now add both, the condensed milk and milk powder and microwave for 5 mins stirring (use the sturdiest sspoon you have)after every minute.
Here's where I tweaked, I added 1 heaped spoon of malt (badam doodh) powder + 2 tbsp kesari milk masala (Everest brand), elaichi + kesar for garnish.Mix the above to dough, knead to smooth texture. Cool the mixture for a few mins for you to handle the warm dough. Now roll the pedhas into a ball, flatten it then press saffron strands to the center.
Share these sweeties( along with the recipe) at your next girls meet & talk about the ease(that went into making) of this sweet.



G's note: Recipe used was from "show me the curry" at my friends place.
Second attempt by me was using the same recipe with a couple tweaks. I'm impressed myself! All thanks to D for the push. Can't wait for us to try something new again!

Pepper chicken

Ingredients
Chicken 2 lbs (cut in to small pieces)
Onion 2 sliced
Green chillies 8 chopped
Curry leaves 1 sprig
Coriander powder -2 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Black Pepper Powder 3 tsp
Ginger garlic paste 2 tsp
Salt
Cashews 8-10, roasted
Oil - 4 tbsp

Method

In a heavy bottomed pan, heat oil and fry green chillies,curry leaves and onion till the onion browns the edges. Add ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell vanishes. Add turmeric, coriander powder and half of the black pepper powder. Saute for a few mins, add the chicken pieces and fry on high heat for a about 5 mins. Reduce the heat, cover and cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Once the chicken is cooked through, add the rest of the pepper, roasted cashews and serve hot.

kele koddel

This koddel/ curry can also be made with a legume/pulse and raw plantains. Pulses can be Avro, alsande or any dried peas.







Ingredients
Raw plantains- 1 no
Coconut 1/2 cup

red chillies 6-8

tamarind paste 1/2 tsp

salt

for the seasoning
oil 2 tbsp
garlic about 4 cloves, crushed
red chillies, 2 broken in bits.

Peel the plantains, quarter them and cut it in cubes.

Cook it with just enough water to immerse the plantains. Cook till almost done.

Roast red chillies in a little oil and grind it along with coconut, tamarind and salt to a smooth paste. Add this paste to cooked plantains and boil.

Season with garlic and crushed red chillies. The garlic is usually fried till it is crispy and dark brown in color. Yum!

Mozzarella Sticks

Ingredients
1 package of low moisture mozzarella sticks (9oz)
1 cup bread crumbs
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic salt
2 eggs

Directions
Mix dry ingredients in a wide bowl.
In a separate bowl, beat eggs with a pinch of salt.
Dip each stick into the egg then the bread crumbs then into the egg and then the crumbs again. Doing so twice will give a thick coating ( just the way we normally get at the restaurants), Arrange the double coated mozzarella sticks in a single layer on a tray or plate. Chill for 30 minutes.

Heat oil in a skillet. Shallow fry to deep brown.

Broccoli Rabe stir-fry

A power house of nutrients + super easy 'pressed for time' dish. This is definitely not for ppl who make a face at new food & for strongly opinionated. It takes a couple tries for you to actually like it. The stalks/stems aren't as crunchy and delicious as you would expect ( compared to broccoli) and the leaves are slightly on the bitter side. People either love it or they don't. V wasn't too happy but I absolutely loved it!

2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

3 bunches broccoli rabe, chopped

Salt

Directions:

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and cook until the garlic begins to soften. Wash the broccoli rabe, chop to an inch length with the flower, stem & all (nothing goes to waste, YAY!). Add it to the saucepan with the water still clinging to it.

Stir fry for about 5 minutes until the broccoli rabe is tender. Add salt to taste.

G's note: The green can be easily substituted with broccoli, spinach or beet greens.

Palak paratha with paneer stuffing



Paratha tastes best with garlic pickle

Inspiration source: Deepa Pai

Ingredients:
For the paratha:
A paste made of palak, garlic, ginger, salt. Added to atta, oil, salt, water. Made into a pliable dough. In my case, pre-made by Deeps. See, how lucky I am! All ingredients are vaguely measured

For the stuffing:
Chopped paneer, cilantro, onion, green chillies ( finely chopped), dhaniya powder, turmeric, chilli powder & 1 mozzarella stick (M's addition) roughly chopped.

The rest is pretty predictive. Roll out the paratha, fill the stuffing like a hot pocket, roll out to flatten, cook on a griddle. Serve with garlic pickle . Savour.

7 layer dip

An A+ graded dip needs no intro. Wish I had pic to show the layers of color that is everybody's favourite. Everybody who ate this absolutely loved it so much that I didn't have the heart to ask them to freeze for a minute so I could have a pic taken.☺ I guess I just have to make one someday for the pic sake. I added a few extra things to spice it up! My additionis highlighted in red.

Ingredients:
1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 (16 ounce) can re-fried beans
8 ounces sour cream
1 cup salsa
1 tomato, diced
1 avocado, diced
1 small head iceberg lettuce, finely shredded
1 (6 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions
In a medium bowl, blend the taco seasoning mix and re-fried beans. Spread the mixture onto a large serving platter.
Layer in the order : sour cream , salsa,  avocado, tomato, lettuce ( finely chopped cilantro & jalapenos) , olives . Garnish  with Cheddar cheese.

black bean salad

I got this recipe from one of the borrowed magazines from the library ( cooking light, summer edition). The pic looked very vibrant and beautiful that I wasn't going to wait till summer to make it. It's pretty tasty and perfect for summer BBQ's! This is going to be an addition to my starters/dips to few of the upcoming parties, served with pita wedges, tortilla chips or baguette crisps.

3 Cans Black beans, rinsed & drained
2 cups corn ( I used frozen here)
1 cup cooked white Rice
3 Roma Tomatoes, chopped
1 Red Onion, chopped
1/4 Cup Green Onion, chopped
2-4 chopped Green Chilies
1/4 ell pepper, diced
10 stems Cilantro, chopped
1 tsp. Salt
couple squeezes of Lemon or Lime Juice

Combine all ingredients, chill and serve cold.

Gosale ghire chutney

Ingredients:
peel of 2 ridge gourd ( gosale)
1 cup coconut
4-6 green chillies
1/2 tsp jeera
2 tsp ghee
salt

In a skillet, heat ghee and roast the gourd peel with jeera and green chillies till the peels brown on the edges and wilts. Grind the roasted ingredients with coconut, tamarind, salt and very little water to a coarse paste. This is one of the chutney usually an accompaniment to rice as opposed to breakfast eats.

Churm-undo

 Ingredients:
Atta/Whole wheat flour - 2 cups
Powdered Sugar- 1 1/2 cups
Ghee - 3/4 cups
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

Heat ghee in a pan. Fry the flour on a medium heat till it is aromatic and is slight brown in colour. This may take around 10 min. Mix in sugar and the cardamom powder.Cool for a few mins. Grease palms with ghee and form laddo's packed tightly, placing a raisin in the center.

G's note: Add a couple cashew nuts to the atta while roasting. This gives me  an estimate of when the atta is roasted enough since the atta is brown to begin with.

Rainbows & sunshine cake

This fun and festive piece of edible art is just what I was itching to make. I had the perfect occasion, my best friend's son's( R's 4th b'day) party;  the upcoming event to bake for. Thank heavens for such occasions that keeps my dreams alive!
 The little curly haired pumpkin just wanted his friends for a play date on his birthday. Gotta love this kid! Of all the things he could wish for, the day where every parents can get him what his heart desires,he chose friends. Such a cutie!

 My cake making dreams sort of overlapped over each other; making it difficult to chose one kind. What would make him happy? Most kids only care about the outside. I wanted it pretty both in & out. I was
determined with a rainbow  cake & was all set to make a special cake . A cake that would show sunshine in his eyes & a big smile as it was revealed.  Which kid doesnt like bright colors? If he is anything like my kid, he would love all the crayons to make a small design & considering the simalarities of taste between a 4 yr old & 5 yr old. It was easy to decide.
  My friend loved the cake the moment she saw it.and sure enough, little R was excited too. That's what makes this worthwhile..the real sunshine in his smile. Happy birthday, Rishab! Hope you had a terrific party!



The little crowd loved it just as much as I loved making it. the cake had a serious lean..pretty obvious! I didn't know if the cookies were keeping the cake upright or the cakes were keeping the cookies. Either way, I just wanted it to stay tall till the big moment.
The cake was a big sucess & the kids couldn't keep their hands off the buildings, which was a HUGE compliment in itself!
I mapped out a plan, got the supplies and was all set to bake this with my helpers.
here's a peak of the inside of the ginormous cake.




Ingredients:
2 boxes, Pillsbury ( white cake, with the pudding in the mix) cake mix + all the ingredients required to make the cake according to instructions ( such as oil, eggs, water). Aluminium tin foil cake pans, 6, 9'x 2', Wilton gel colors.


Divide the batter into 6, color using the gel colors , pour into the greased ( fail proof method: use Pam spray to mist lightly all over the inside, sprinkle 1 tbsp all purpose flour, coat by shaking  the pan so the flour adheres to the grease, tap off the excess) tin foil cake pans & bake for 18-22 mins at 325F. Cool for 15 mins in the pan. Remove & cool on the wire racks till completely cooled.


Pipe a thin ring of icing a quarter inches away from the sides to hold all the icing in. Generously frost the layer of the cake.


Frost a thin layer of soft butter cream, also called as crumb coat( holds all the crumbs in the icing)and chill for about an hour. The cake is now ready to be frosted and decorated away!


For the cookies, I used 1 package of Sugar cookies, 1 batch of Wilton's Royal icing ( recipe follows) & Wilton colors.
Cookie dough was rolled out to 1/2" thickness. Cut as desired and bake till the edges begins to brown. Mine took exact 9 mins.

Cool completely on a wire rack & decorate.
(G's note: This cookie was slightly on the soft side as we normally would want for the sugar cookie to be...but, I would like to add a couple tbsp of all purpose flour to this next time if I'd make tall buildings, so it would hold its shape through the party.)

.
Royal icing for the cookies:
4 cups confectioners sugar
3 tbsp meringue powder
6-7 tbs warm water
beat all the ingredients together for 7-8 min.
G's note: Double wash all the materials( mixing bowl, beater blades, piping tips, spatula) that may come in contact with royal icing since teeny tiniest traces of grease will break down this icing and once it does that,it cannot be revived.

Anniversary cake

I challenged myself last week to see just how good of a decorator I could be & excitedly agreed to bake a cake for my sis's anniversary
(her idea, a simple cake for a few goodfriends ..pufft...simple cakes are found at grocery stores, my cake had to be the kind we find in the magazine... something to get a 'WOW' out of her).

The prep work, the baking, the decorating to the debut of my latest cake was a huge success & the best part was that couple absolutely adored the cake. That makes the sleepless nights all the more worthwhile. Although I had the cake secure enough to travel down 3 hrs so it wouldn’t move, the mental image of my cake shimmering like jello all the way to the 'big apple' consumed my thoughts. My 3 hrs were consumed by mentally sketching & erasing the imaginary masterpiece shatter. Lucky for me, all that I imagine doesnt turn out true!

Among the compliments came all the queries on the process of getting this done.I sheepishly had to reveal it wasn't that big a deal & the cake baking was super easy as well as the decorating, especially since i use the 'box mix' cakes to craft my decoration. Because I trust my box mix wholeheartedly, I can confidently offer to make a party perfect display, If I may say so myself! Check it out!

The cake recipe was 4 boxes of white cake mix for a 10', 8' & a 6'cake. I'm a total cheat to use a premade/ measured box, but that’s A-OK. With this type of cake, where there are other details and things to take care of, I think it’s perfectly fine to cheat.

blueberry crumb bar

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           


 











I'm on a" bake high" lately. This was what consumed my thoughts as I was making  mini cheesecake bite  last eve. My latest sugar fix was the cranberry crumb bar from Dunkin Donuts. As much as I love how moist & crazily delicious dried cranberries were, I am partial towards my favourite berry to bake: blue berries.
A quick check of the pantry to make sure I had all the ingredients on hand, a nod of approval from my kids( with the cake, cheesecake, frosting & stuff, I surely needed the extra sets of hands) a quick trip to attic hunting for my fluted pan later, I was all set to make this for the upcoming party this weekend. What better way than to share, my latest craze as I absolutely don't want to indulge in a tray full of 'hard to resist' goodies alone. Since 'hips definitely don't lie', use your judgement while indulging in more than 2.

Filling:
5 cups blueberries ( fresh, frozen, canned- any)
3/4 cup sugar (brown)
Zest and juice of one lime
2 tsp cornstarch

Crumb:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 sticks unsalted butter, cold
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9×13 inch pan. Mine was a fluted side pan so I used a pastry brush to grease butter to get every nook of the dents smothered with butter. You can easily grease the regular Pyrex glass dish with a paper towel.

In a medium bowl,mix in all the ingredients listed under 'crumb'. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the butter and egg. Dough will be crumbly which is what we want ( resist the urge to make a smooth powdered crumb). Pat half of dough into the prepared pan. Save the second half for the topping.

Seperately, mix together sugar, cornstarch and lime juice. Gently mix in the blueberries. Spread the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer. Bake in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown, whichever comes first.
Cool completely before cutting into squares.
Makes 36 decent sized squares or rectangular 18 bar.

Mini Cheesecake bites

WARnInG:These beauties will cause extreme satisfaction and may complicate weight loss.

Today's a day to celebrate. It is thuuuhh 10th yr anniversary of one a favourite couple of mine, P&S. The couple was gracious enough to let me bake their anniversary cake which I excitedly offered to make. It was a very bold move on their part as I haven't baked a cake in a while now( latest memory of a homemade cake was sometime in march).
This occasion gave me a chance to dream of the beautiful cakes & bite sized pastries that I could make for their party.....along came these beauties.

A very basic cheesecake recipe, simple graham cracker crust mixture, mini muffin liners + cooking spray gave birth to these little 'irresistible' cupcakes cheesecake disguising as a cupcake.
Recipes (fail proof one like this) can be found on Philadelphia cream cheese wrapper or a honey maid graham cracker box & all over the Internet.
 Here's mine:

Filling:
2(16 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
3 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
blend well to form a smooth, lump free mixture.

Crust:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoon sugar brown
3 Tbs unsalted butter, melted
Mix together

Line mini muffin pan with liners & spray with cooking spray lightly. Spoon in about a teaspoon of crust mixture & pat it to form a base. bake 3-5 mins. Remove from oven, spoon in 2/3 full of cream cheese filling mixture ( about 1 tablespoon full). bake for about 20-25 minutes at 350. Cool & serve chilled.

To fancy these beauties & add variety, drop in (before baking) crushed oreo, toffee its, choc chips, peanut butter chips, shredded coconut+ pineapple, m&m's, Reese's pieces, jams etc... possibilities are endless.
My kids opted for choc chips & a few plain ones which will be beautifully adorned with a dollop of whipped cream, blackberries & mint.

G's note:
The crust can also be made of nilla wafers, oreo's & digestive biscuits.
Can be frozen for a week without losing any flavor as long as its stored in an airtight container & foil wrapped on the outside( if it lasts).

Dudholi

Among countless number of delicacies pigged out on, DUDHOLI & its taste still lingered. I found another dudholi fan (no bakras [scapegoats] in my home) and so, I got a push to make this( in my defense, I'm only making this to share). I am satisfied of the outcome, hope the other person will be too after tasting this. The verdict will follow in a couple days.
Ingredients:
1 cup Ragi
1 cup coconut
3/4 cup jaggery
cardamom powder
4 tbsp ghee

Grind ragi and coconut together and extract the milk and strain i n a fine sieve to remove the ragi skin & coconut residue( usually done 3 times at least)
Heat ghee in a thick bottom kadai, add jaggery heat till the jaggery melts.
Add 3 cups of water and ragi coconut milk mixture to the jaggery. Keep stirring the mixture on medium heat till it cooks, becomes thick and leaves the sides of the pan.When done, set aside.

Grease a rimmed plate with ghee, pour the hot mixture into the plate,smear it with the spatula and cool,chill in the refrigerator for a couple hours. Cut, serve chilled.

Hiatus & a sweet comeback

My little blogging hiatus has been getting to me lately. I have no reason to explain my disappearance but let me do it any way for a moment so as to give my friend bloggers a peak at what I experienced this summer. Here goes!

The usual worries with the onset of spring about the upcoming 10 weeks of summer vacation, entertaining or at least arranging activities for the kids was more like a research. Just a few of the things in my list of responsibilities were organizing tons of play dates + watching few extra kids as a favour, stocking up the freezer with all kinds of frozen goodies, keeping the popcorn & DVDs stocked up for sleep-overs, the drop off to camps, pick ups, finding THE reliable back up, striking off the list of promised activities such as ride to the local ice cream shop, the Zoo, the playground, the pool...oy ve! all as the norms of a parent in the U S. It's fun & all but sometimes, I'd rather mop my house twice and refold my laundry.

As any parent would want/ wish, I for one sure wishes my kids to remember their vacation as a great one & us as their parents who are COOL(er) than the Jones's.
As it turned out, I could have my wish granted. I consider myself one lucky mom this summer. Everything went well as planned.... a trip to India which would cover all of the above.

My dreams of being in India for the whole season & spending endless days with the extra set(s) of hands in the kitchen, hands & foot service, the spontaneous drop im of the relatives, worry free child care was actually going to happen. All of the luxuries to be pampered, to be free was happily accomplished. I can go on & on but enough already! The point has been made.

So my sweet dish after the break is Dudholi which you can find here.