Mushroom Corn Pulao

I am a big fan of one pot meals. Those are huge time savers. We can prepare it in a jiffy and the end result will be a satisfying meal. While I was searching for yummy rice dishes I happen to see the mushroom corn pulao in US Masala blog. I had all the ingredients in my pantry. 'A' is not so fond of mushrooms. I sliced the mushrooms in tiny bits and he couldn't even recognize that mushroom is there in the dish. If you want to add mushroom in your diet , then you can try out this version.

Ingredients:

Mushroom (Sliced) - 2 cups

Cooked Basmati Rice - 2 cups

Corn Kernels - 1/2 cup

Garam Masala - 1 tsp

Garlic - 4 Cloves

Salt - To Taste

Black Pepper - 1/2 tsp

Oil - 2 Tbs

Method:

Heat oil in a pan and cook the mushrooms along with black pepper, Garam masala, garlic cloves, corn kernels and salt. Cook the mushrooms till it become light brown and all the water evaporates from it. Add the cooked rice and mix everything together till the rice gets heated.

Pal Payasam

It's been long since I have written something here. I was busy with my sister and kids visit and I wanted to make all the delicacies my nieces asked me to prepare. I was on a baking spree and then roaming with them during the weekend. They left two days back and the apartment is very quiet now. I was so touched and little surprised when  my little niece send me a thank you mail. My sister brought few of my favorite food items with her which are easily getting vanished now.

 The celebrations of Onam is happening everywhere. I love this season where you can see everyone with the traditional Kerala saree , flowers on head and a smile on the face. I am terribly gonna miss my mother's onam sadhya as I have to go for work tomorrow. I was telling 'A' that I want to keep the tradition alive atleast by preparing a payasam. I headed straight to my kitchen after coming back from work. Ria's express pal payasam came to my rescue. I was really happy to have the payasam done in couple of minutes. Thanks ria for an awesome recipe. I quartered the recipe as there are only two of us who are going to consume it. I  avoided cashew nuts as it was already rich and creamy. I am sure I will make this again when I have guests come over.

Ingredients:

Milk - 4 Cups

Sugar - 1 Cup

Basmati Rice - 1/4 Cup

Directions:

Mix everything together in a pressure cooker and close the lid with weight and cook on high flame for one whistle. Reduce the flame to low and cook for thirty minutes with weight. Let go the steam , open the lid and stir.

 The consistency was perfect for me. I didn't add cashew nuts and raisins. If you are adding it then fry it a little. 

Mushroom & Potato Pie

When you are bored of having the same food and looking for a change from the regular vegetarian food, try this bake which gives you a fulfilling taste. This cheesy bake is a stomach filling dish. The fried potatoes gives it a crunchy taste. It is very easy to make and I am sure it will turn into a regular at your home. I was going through ally's blog and bumped into this recipe. I followed her recipe to the dot.  you can find the recipe here.

Nutty Chicken

I am sitting infront of my laptop and thinking what to write?? I am not getting the flow of words. I am not yet into the blogging mode. Hope things will get improved soon. Weekends are my cooking day. After started working , I usually cook up a storm during weekends and stock up in my refrigerator. I started preparing a chicken dish which can be paired well with Parathas /Rotis. I like adding cashew paste to curries. It gives a rich creamy taste to the dish. Hope you all will like it.

Ingredients:

Marinate: 

Chicken - 1 kg
Salt - 1 1/2 tsp
Lemon - 1
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Marinate for 1 hour.

Roast & Powder:

Cardamom - 4 pieces
Cinnamon - 4 pieces
Cloves - 4 pieces
Jeera - 1 1/2 tspind:

Grind:

Cashewnuts - 50gms
Ginger - 1 small piece
Garlic - 8 cloves

Fry:

Onions - 4 finely chopped
Chilli Powder - 1 Tsp
Corriander Powder - 1 1/2 Tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Tomatoes - 2 chopped
Tomato Sauce - 2 Tsp
Sugar - 1 tsp

Method:

Heat oil. Fry Onions. When brown add the chilli powder mix and roast. Then add the groundnut paste and fry.  Add the tomatoes and cook till oil separates. Add the meat and little salt. When 3/4 th cooked, add the tomato sauce and the spice powder and simmer. When cooked and thick, add sugar and mix and set down.

Cauliflower Masala

It's been long since I have updated my blog. I am being confused on whether to blog or not. These days I really don't have enough time to log in and check out the updates in the blogosphere.  I am back to the work  now after taking a one year break. Being out from home for more than twelve hours a day,  only thing I feel like doing is to sit and relax after reaching back. Meanwhile I decided to stop blogging inspite of all my liking towards it. But even in these times encouraging and motivating words from my fellow bloggers made me to rethink. All the time when I was in a dual mind 'A' was constantly telling me to continue with blogging and he was telling me to make this space active and post atleast one in a month. I am promising everyone that I will be irregularly regular. Here is an easy dish for your Parathas/ Rotis.

Ingredients :

Cauliflower - 1kg

Cut the cauliflower into small florets and put in hot salted water. Drain. Fry till it becomes light brown and drain.

Grind :
Ginger - 1 small piece
Garlic cloves - 20
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Cardamom - 2
Cinnamon - 2 sticks
Cloves  - 2

Blend :
Tomatoes - 2

Chop tomatoes into big peices and blend in mixie without water. Add 1 Tsp cornflour and mix it with the cauliflower and keep it for half an hour.

Powders :
Chilli Powder - 1 1/2 Tsp
Turmeric Powder- 1/4 tsp

Fry :
Onions - 4
Green Chillies - 6

When brown, add the powders and roast. Then add the ground paste and fry. Add cauliflower and little water and cook on low heat with lid closed. Ad 2 Tsp tomato sauce and mix and set down.

Chicken Quiche

Hi everyone, We are meeting after a very long gap. I came back to India and now setting up my home in the Garden city. The past three weeks was very eventful. The most tiring of all was house hunting. We had seen endless number of flats and after a point both of us were so disappointed and thought we had to settle in with what is available. On top of that 'A' hectic work schedule makes everything even more difficult. Now I am back with internet and things have slowly started settling down. I missed going through each and every one's post and now I am catching up with all the posts which I have missed. I will be posting the recipes which I have tried out in the U.S for some time. Theese days I am not cooking anything fancy in my kitchen. Just the basic things to survive. 

Today I am introducing you to chicken quiche : A baked dish which I was eagerly waiting for during my childhood. Asha chechy ( My mom's sister always makes this for me whenever she comes to my granny's house.) Her  deserts are excellent. All her desert's are super duper hit. In my family everybody looks for deserts after every meal. If not every meal , it's a must have during special occassions. I found the recipe for quiche at swapna's cuisine and followed it to the dot. I liked the fact that She used less eggs for the pastry as well as the filling. The dish was liked by my guests and it will top among one of my favourites.

Recipe Source : (http://swapnascuisine.blogspot.com/2010/09/golden-onion-chicken-quiche.html)

Ingredients:

For the pastry:

Maida -200g

Unsalted Butter - 75g

Baking powder-1/4 tsp

Salt-to taste

Ice cold water- As Required 

Method:

Sieve maida, salt and baking powder together. Grate in the butter and mix it with the flour with your fingertips till it resembles coarse sand. Add in the beaten egg and water and gather it into a soft dough.

Roll it out on a lightly floured surface and line it in the tin that you will be baking . Whichever tin you are using, make sure the dough comes a little way up the sides, so that it can hold the filling in.

Filling: 

Ingredients:

Boiled and shredded chicken-1/2 cup

Onion- 2 chopped

Milk- 1/2 cup

Cheddar Cheese- 100g 

Beaten egg- 1

Salt and pepper to taste

Oil- as needed.

Method:

Heat oil and slightly fry the chicken til it is golden brown. Add in the onions and fry till onions have caramelized. Switch off the flame. Add milk, cheese, beaten eggs, salt and pepper and mix well.

Pour into the pastry case and bake for 25 mins or till golden brown.

Stuffed Bell Pepper

I am in the middle of packing and selling stuffs which we won't be able to carry to India (as we are moving from U.S to India). I am not doing much of cooking these days as I am busy with all other stuffs. I have couple of things in my draft. Let me tell you what I meant by draft. I usually get blank look from people when I say I have couple of stuffs in my draft. As an obsessive food blogger I usually take pictures of what I cook and will save it in my comp. Sometimes I won't be having the time and energy to post in my blog. But I always keep it aside by thinking that I will post it sometime. Today I am going to share a very interesting recipe which I saw in Ally's blog. When I first saw it in her blog I bookmarked it and was sure that I am going to try it soon. It can be called as a meal by itself and is super filling. When you don't have much time to prepare a meal, this recipe comes handy. 

I love bell peppers. I like to add it to my salads and I am very fond of adding bell peppers to dishes. I like the vibrant colors. There are so many different colors to choose from : Red, Green, Yellow and Orange. But I am partial towards the red coloured ones. I made a quick research about the stuffed bell peppers over the Internet. It is claimed to be an American dish. Enough of all the stories now, let's get back to the recipe.

Recipe Source :

Slightly adapted from http://recipesfortheverydaywoman.blogspot.com/

Ingredients :

Red Bell Pepper - 3

Filling :

Vegetable Oil - 1 tsp

Onion - 1 finely chopped

Garlic - 2 cloves chopped

Turkey Sausages - 250gms cooked and chopped

Coriander Powder - 2 tsps

Tomatoes - 1 finely chopped

Crushed red pepper - 1 tsp

Hot chilli peppers - 4 (Depends upon your spice tolerance )

Cream - 1 cup

Rice Cooked - 3/4 th cup

Cumin Powder -  2 tsp

Cheddar cheese - To Sprinkle

Salt to taste

Method :

Cut the tops off each bell pepper; pull out the stem portion , seeds and membranes and make room for the stuffing. Set aside. To make the filling, heat oil in a frying pan, saute the onion and garlic for few minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook till the tomatoes are softened. Add the ground powders, crushed red pepper, hot chilli peppers and sausages and cook on medium fire for about 3-4 minutes. Add in the cream and let the mixture  thicken. Stir in the rice into the  mixture and put the filling into the bell pepper shells. Place the filled shells into a greased baking dish and bake for 25 minutes at 140 C. Sprinkle some cheese over it. Enjoy !!!

Notes : To make a veggie version , you can use mushrooms and kidney beans. If bell peppers does not stand up straight, slice a little off the bottom of the pepper to level it out.

This month I have been showered with loads of awards from my blogger friends. Biny Anoop of Biny's Recipes has passed on the following awards to me. I would like to share it with all my friends in the blogosphere.

Thanks a lot Bini for sharing these awards with me. :-)

Macaroni And Chicken

Do you like the idea of making a dish with all the left over items?? I like it. It will clear the pantry shelf and no wastage of food ingredients. When I opened my fridge I saw half a packet of cream  sitting all alone in the corner side. During my childhood I have seen my mom travelling 1 hour to get cream, cheese and other baking stuffs. All those were not available in my hometown. So I just can't accept the thought of throwing away these items. I had few macaroni also available in my pantry shelf. I put together everything and we had a nice dinner !!!

Recipe Source : My own

Ingredients :

Macaroni - 500 gm
pepper powder - 2 Tbs
Boiled / Shredded chicken - 300 gm
Capsicum - 1
Mustard sauce - 2 Tbs
Cream - 1/2 cup
Salt - To Taste

Method :

Boil the macaroni and while it is half cooked, drain the water and keep it aside. Boil the chicken and cut it into pieces. Heat a pan. Add chicken, pepper powder, salt, mustard sauce and capsicum. Cook for few minutes. When it is cooked add the macaroni and pour cream over it. Cook till the cream is fully absorbed. Serve hot.

I have been showered with few awards from Jabeen of Jabeen's corner. I was so happy to receive it. During my initial days of blogging I used to longingly look at the awards in my fellow blogger's space and always wished about getting some. Now my wish has come true. In this joyous occasion I would like to pass on this award to all talented and creative bloggers in the blogosphere.

Buttermik Cornbread

I am in the process of cleaning my pantry now. I am leaving to India next week after my seven months long stay in the United States. When I look back it just feels like yesterday that I entered this country. I was very sad when I had to quit my job in India and to come here , that too for a very short stint. I knew that I won't be able to work in the States due to the visa formalities. Before leaving from India I started cribbing to 'A' about it. I am a person who can't sit inside the house even for few minutes. I am always on the run. When we reached here 'A' put a suggestion to me to start blogging. I didn't even know abot the term then. I started hopping through different blogs and found very interested in it. One fine day morning I told him that I am planning to start a food blog. He was very enthusiastic and encouraging about it. He knew how much I loved my job and how I am missing it now. He wanted me to be happy in every possible way and he was the first follower in my blog which is now followed by 59 people within 5 months. I am super duper happy and excited about it. All cheers to 'A' the man behind the scene. Without his inspiration and motivation I would have never done this.

I am going to introduce a recipe with corn meal. I am trying out quiet a few recipes with it. I am following Vrinda's recipe to the dot. My first attempt was corn meal crusted chicken and now I made a butter milk corn bread. I don't like to waste anything whether it is stuffs in my panty or my clothes. I will never throw any of my clothes which in turn makes my mom always crib about my never ending wardrobe. I have little bit of butter milk left  which I have used for the chocolate muffins. The end result was a sweet, soft, moist and a  little corn bread.

Recipe source : http://www.reciperoll.com/

Ingredients :

1/2 cup butter

2/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

Directions :

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Melt butter in a large skillet. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Now add eggs and beat well until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture in pan. Stir in corn meal, flour and salt until well blended and few lumps remain. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

 Notes : If you want your cornbread to rise nicely, let as little time as possible elapse between combining the dry and liquid ingredients and putting it in the oven. Once the  baking soda and buttermilk get together, the rising action begins.Your cornbread is done when the edges turn a wee bit brown. There may be a few slight cracks closer to the edges of the pan.

I am sending this over to the week long celebration at Magpie Recipes for the grand winning of Team India winning the Cricket World Cup .

Award Galore

I was overwhelmed to see the awards showered by Shobha of Food Mazaa. I could make lot of lovely friends through blogging.  I have always gasped at the creativity and talent showed by some of them. All of them were always open to share and help each other. There are some people out there in the world who doesn't even like the thought of sharing. In this scenario I would like to add the famous quote  

“Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.”  

The rules of this award are:

1. Accept the award. Post it in your blog with the name of the blogger who has given you this award with a link to his/her blog.

2. Pass it on to 15 other blogger friends…. to keep the ball rolling.

3. Let the nominated blogger know about their award [leave a comment in their most recent post].

Once again I am thanking Shobha for sharing these awards with me. I would like to share these awards to the following bloggers :

Priya of Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes

Palatable of Treat and Trick

Priyanka Agarwal of Food - Fanatic

Hari Chandana of Indian Cuisine

Aruna Manikandan of Veggie Paradise

Vijitha Shyam of  A Foodie N Her Cooking Hat

Ambreen of Simply Sweet N Savory

Swathi of Zesty South Indian Kitchen

Sonia of My Creative Flavors

San of San's Kitchen

Ila of Ila's Kitchen

Aipi of US Masala

Preety of Preety's Kitchen

Nashira of Plateful

Sunanda Dey of Sunanda's Kitchen

Chocolate Muffins

The entire nation is celebrating the grand victory of India winning the Cricket World Cup after 28 years. For me celebrations are incomplete without having a sweet. As you can see a lot of baked goodies were coming from my kitchen for my first ever bake sale. Now couple of my blogger friends are joining together to do a sweet post for the victory of our team. Come join  with us for our celebration !!!!

A muffin is an American English name for a type of bread that is baked in small portions. Many forms are somewhat like small cakes or cupcakes in shape. These are liked by both kids and adults alike. It can be made for breakfast or for brunch or literally for any time of the day. I usually prefer frosting in cakes and other baked goodies. I feel like they  are way too simple without a frosting. You can make muffins as it is or make frosting if you are like me who won't compromise with simple things. If you feel like treating yourself for something special, then indulge yourselves in these cute little ones !!!

Ingredients :


Chocolate Muffins

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 large eggs

1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups (230 grams) all-purpose flour

2/3 cup (60 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/4 cups (265 grams) light brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (170 grams) milk or semisweet chocolate chips


Chocolate Fudge Frosting: (optional)

4 ounces (120 grams) unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped

2/3 cup (150 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/3 cups (160 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Method:

Chocolate Muffins :

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Position rack in center of oven. Butter, or line with paper liners, or muffin cups.

In a large measuring cup or bowl whisk together the melted butter, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla extract.

In another large bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the chocolate chips. With a rubber spatula fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir only until the ingredients are combined. Do not over mix the batter or tough muffins will result.

Evenly fill the muffin cups with the batter. Place in the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for about 5 minutes before removing from pan.

Chocolate Frosting :

 Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy (about 1 minute). Add the sugar and beat until it is light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the chocolate and beat on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until frosting is smooth and glossy (about 2 -3 minutes). Spread a little frosting on each muffin with a knife or offset spatula.

PS : Batter shouldn't be over mixed. Be careful while filling the batter to the muffin cups. The batter will rise while baking.

I am sending this over to the week long celebration at Magpie Recipes for the grand winning of Team India winning the Cricket World Cup .

Beef Cutlets

Cricket fever was there  in the air for the last few days. All the status messages on facebook was revolving around cricket. I enjoy watching cricket but I can't say that I am a big fan of it. But 'A' likes cricket. This time we couldn't watch the world cup series as we haven't bought a TV or many other stuffs at our present home due to our short stint in the United States. We missed all the fun in watching it. I don't like to watch it in the small screen of my laptop. But I was enjoying the updates of my blogger friends on Facebook. One of my fellow blogger Ria suggested to do a virtual party of preparing some snacks to munch away while watching cricket.  I prepared it and didn't get time to post it as I was busy attending the bake sale. I had a fun time with my fellow bloggers with lot of laughing and giggling. It was good to meet and to discuss about all the baked treats which was available over there. The event was very successful with lot of people turning up. We were able to relish few of the baked goodies available for sale and  the yummy stuffs Magpie Recipes  lovingly baked for us.  Thanks Rose for your sweet gesture.

I am so happy that India made a mark in the history by winning the world cup. Let me share with you all a snack which you can prepare well in advance and save it for rainy days. I usually make this well in advance whenever I have a party at home. Here is a virtual snack of crispy crunchy goodness for everyone !!!

Recipe Source : My Mom

Ingredients:

Beef - 1 kg

pepper powder - 2 tsp

Salt - 1 1/2 tsp

Vinegar - 1 Tbsp

Potatoes - 700 gms

Lemon - 1

Eggs - 2 

Bread Crumbs - As required

Grind:

Green Chillies chopped - 16

Garlic cloves - 1 handful

Ginger - 2 big pieces

Onions - 2 cups 

Method : 

Cut the beef into pieces. Wash and drain. Add salt and pepper powder to the beef and cook for 5-7 minutes without weight. Needn't be well cooked.Boil the remaining water if any and cool. Mince the meat. Add the vinegar to the minced meat and keep it aside. Grind the onion mix and combine it to the meat and fry in low heat by adding little oil. The meat must become brown but not fried. Add juice of one lime and set down. 

Wash the potatoes and cook in pressure cooker with level water and weight for 10 - 12 minutes. Drain the water. cool. peel and mash. If you mash while it is hot, it will be easier. Add to meat and mix well. Correct salt. Make into cutlet shapes. Dip in beaten eggs , (beaten with salt and little pepper powder or chilli powder). Roll in breadcrumbs and deep fry till brown.

I am sending this to The Kerala Kitchen hosted by Magpie

Peanut Butter Cookies

I am on a baking marathon for the last two days. I was eagerly searching for recipes from all sites and blogs which I follow. I had to make few baked goodies for a sale. After a lot of blog hopping I finally decided to bake something from my favorite site joy of baking. I am hooked on to it. All the baked goodies in my blog are from that site. I have endless other recipes but I always end up trying something from this site. They give precise details and each recipes mentioned in it are always a hit at my home. This time I opted for a sweet and salty flavor. As a kid I enjoyed having peanut butter with bread during breakfast or for tea time. Peanut butter was not available at my hometown . Mamma (Maternal grandmother) always send it across through people who visits my home. She knows all her grand kids likes it. It was available in three flavors. Creamy, crunchy and chocolate and as always chocolate was my favorite.

Peanut butter cookies are instantly recognized by their criss cross marks made by using the tines of the fork. But I decided to bake it in my moulded pan. While baking the cookies you have to keep one thing in mind. Don't overbake it. Perfect cookies should be chewy inside and should have crispy edges. I added chocolate chips to the batter, so that with every bite you will get the richness of chocolate along with the sweet and salty flavor of peanut butter. These are perfect to have with a cup of coffee !!!

Recipe source : www.joyofbaking.com

Ingredients :

3/4 cup (170 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup (105 grams) light brown sugar

1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup (185 grams) peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)

2 cups (260 grams) all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chopped peanuts or 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Method :

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy (about 2 - 3 minutes). Beat in the peanut butter. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat to combine. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the peanut butter mixture and beat until incorporated. Fold in the chopped peanuts, if using. (If the batter is too soft to form into balls, place in the refrigerator for about an hour or until firm.)

Bake the cookies for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned around the edges. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Can be stored at room temperature, in an airtight container, for about a week. Freeze for longer storage.

Notes : I prefer crunchy peanut butter than smooth type.  I added semi - sweet choclate chips instead of peanuts for getting some richness to the cookie. Baking time mentioned in the recipe is 10 to 12 minutes. I baked my first batch of cookies for 10 minutes and all the other batches for around 8 minutes. If you want to get the criss -cross patterns then roll the batter into 1 inch (2.5 cm) balls. Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheet, placing about 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Then, using the tines of the fork that has been dipped in white granulated sugar, make a crisscross pattern.

Snickerdoodles

Snickerdoodles !!! Don't break your head by thinking so hard...These are wonderful cinnamon - sugar cookies. They may have an unusual name but it is best for snacking any time. It has got crispy edges and chewy centres. I love it's buttery flavor. They are so easy to whip up. Hardly takes any time. This requires only basic ingredients like flour, butter, sugar  and eggs. I am sure these will be there in everybody's pantry. I have bookmarked this recipe long back but taken a back by seeing it's simple look and the chocolate craver inside me is always partial to choclat-ey recipes. This time I wanted to try something which does not have chocolate in it but which gives you a good taste and trust me people you can't stop munching at one.  These cookies should be baked only until the edges begin to brown. This will keep the outside crisp with a soft and chewy interior. Baking them longer will make them more crisp and not as soft inside. They will keep very well so they make an ideal cookie for gift giving. I had to make it in batches as I am going to contribute it for Bake sale for japan.

My fellow bloggers informed me about the "San Jose Bake Sale for Japan" . All the sale proceeds will go to the Japanese Earthquake relief. I am so happy that two of my blogger friends Vijitha and Rose informed me on time and we are gearing up for the event. I will recommend everyone to do whatever we can to promote the event. If you cannot bake, please support this by spreading the word via twitter, FB and other mediums. You can get the full details about this event by clicking here.


Recipe Source : http://www.joyofbaking.com/

Ingredients :

2 3/4 cups (360 grams) all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated white sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla

Coating:

1/3 cup (66 grams) granulated white sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Method :

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. 

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until smooth (about 2 to 3 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat until you have a smooth dough. If the dough is soft, cover and refrigerate until firm (about one to two hours).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (190 degrees C) and place rack in the center of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 

Shape the dough into 1 inch (2.5 cm) round balls.

Coating: In a large shallow bowl mix together the sugar and cinnamon.

Roll the balls of dough in the cinnamon sugar and place on the prepared pan, spacing about 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Then, using the bottom of a glass, gently flatten each cookie to about 1/2 inch (1.5 cm) thick.

Bake the cookies for about 8 - 10 minutes, or until they are light golden brown and firm around the edges. The centers of the cookies will still be a little soft. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

Can store in an airtight container, at room temperature, for about 10 - 14 days.

Makes about 48 Cookies

                  

Prawn / Shrimp / Chemeen Biriyani

I am a sea food fan. Prawns always tops the list. Whenever I Visit home my mom preapares prawns curry. But I was not in the mood of having a curry. I wanted to make biryani. Biriyani is used to denote a dish where the rice  is cooked separately from the (curry of meat or vegetables). The curry and the rice are then brought together and layered, resulting in a dish of the contrasting flavors of unflavored rice and intensely flavored sauce and meat or vegetables. At my home everybody prefers using chicken for biriyani, So hopes of having prawn biriyani was never materialized.  I was searching for a good recipe for a long time. I got this recipe from maria. I prefer more masala in the biriyani. Her recipe was perfect for us. You should visit her lovely space. I have followed her recipe with very few variations here and there.  While making biriyani or pulao I always avoid the garnishing layer. I don't prefer corriander leaves in my food. So my readers please feel free to add corriander leaves, fried onions, raisins and toasted cashew nuts and garnish the biriyani. You can serve this along with raita , pappad and pickle.

Recipe Source:

Slightly adapted from www.mariasmenu.com

For the rice:

Basmati rice – 3 cups
Water – 6 cups
Cardamom & clove – 3 each
Cinnamon – 1 medium size stick
Butter – 3 tbsp (Unsalted)
Salt - To Taste

For the masala :

Prawns – 1/2 kg (cleaned & deviened)
Ginger garlic paste – 2 tbsp
Chilli powder – 1/2 tbsp
Pepper powder – 1/2 tsp
Onions – 3, chopped finely
Green chilli -5-6
Tomato – 2-3, chopped finely
Coconut – 1 handful
Curd – 1/2 cup
Cashews – 6-8 (soaked in 2 tbsp water)
Garam masala – 1 tsp


Rice preparation :

Wash and soak the rice in water for 25 minutes. Drain the water completely. Boil 6 cups water with half the quantity of whole masala & keep it aside. Heat butter in a vessel/pan, splutter the remaining whole masala and add the rice. Fry the rice for around 5-7 minutes or until the rice starts cracking. Add the boiled water,  & salt. Cook till the rice is done and water is completely dried. Spread the rice in a tray & keep aside.

Masala preparation :

Marinate the prawns with 1 tbsp of ginger garlic paste, red chilli powder, pepper powder and salt and keep it for 2-3 hours in the fridge. Meanwhile grind a handful of coconut  with a little water & keep it aside. Also grind the soaked cashews into a smooth paste.

Shallow fry the marinated prawns after the specified time. Once the prawns are fried, keep it aside and use the same oil to cook onions, remaining ginger garlic paste (1 tbsp) and green chilli. Once onions are fried well, add chopped tomatoes. Once the tomatoes are cooked, add curd, coconut,  paste. Once it boils add fried prawns and cook in low flame for 5-6 minutes. Add the cashew paste & 1 tsp of garam masala. Mix well. Cook for 2 more minutes & remove from fire.

Layering the Biriyani :

Preheat the oven to 180 degree 10 minutes before baking the biriyani. Apply some ghee to a baking dish. Put one layer of masala in the dish. On top of that spread some rice and make another layer. Again spread another layer of masala on top of the rice. Repeat the process until the masala and rice is finished. The top layer should be of rice. You can drizzle ghee in between the layers. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes.

Verdict : Strongly reccommended for any sea food lovers.


PS: Maria has suggested to put a wet cloth and cover the biriyani while baking. 


I am sending this to The Kerala Kitchen hosted by Magpie

Fried Rice

Fried Rice is a popular chineese food. It's mainly made of eggs, vegetables and some kind of meat. You can take it to next level by adding sauces and garnish it with parsely and spring onions. It can be eaten along with an accompaniment, or as a course by itself. Everyone have their own version of preparing fried rice. Each time I prepare the dish I make alterations. It mainly depends upon the stuffs available in my pantry. So when I was running low in my pantry shelf I made this in a jiffy and had a quick fix for my meal. 

Recipe Source : My Own

Ingredients :

Rice - 2 cups

Butter - 2 Tbs  (I prefer unsalted butter)

Maggi Chicken stock cubes - 4

Water - 4 cups

Carrot - 1/4 cup

Peas - 1/4 cup

Eggs - 4

Salt - To Taste

Method :

wash the rice and drain it for 15 minutes. Heat the butter and fry the rice in low flame. When it starts to crack, switch of the flame and keep it aside. Boil the water and put all the ingredients except eggs. Should be careful with salt. Cover it and cook well in low flame. When it becomes void of moisture content, remove the rice and keep it aside. Allow it to cool. Mean while beat the eggs with a dash of chilli powder and pepper powder and scramble it. Mix the eggs with the rice and serve it  hot.

PS: I am not mentioning the amount of powders used in eggs. It's based on your spice levels. I always prefer a level higher spice in all my food.

Chocolate Cheese Cake

Chocolate cheese cake tops as my favorite in the list of deserts. I would call a chocolate cheese cake as triple dose of chocolate. Chocolate is used in the crust , filling and over the top. The crust is made of chocolate wafers and melted butter. The middle layer is the main attraction. The sinful combination of chocolate, cream cheese and sour cream gave it a creamy texture. The final chocolate layer is made of cream and chocolate. Now you know Why I call it as a triple dose chocolate. I had a cousin who is coming by and I thought the cheese cake would be the perfect way to finish our weekend dinner. The best cheese cake I had was from a restaurant in vegas. Nothing can beat the taste of it. From then on the baker inside me was not giving me piece of mind. I was waiting for a reason to bake it. The chocolate cheese cake is a real showstopper. It hits you at the right spot.

Let me share a few tips in the baking of a cheese cake:

It is very important that the oven be at 350 deg F when you put the cake in it. I also recommend that you do not open the oven for the first 30 minutes at least! You bake essentially till the entire top of the cake has a dull finish, and the top just jiggles slightly when you tap the side of the pan. It should not move in waves as if it were liquid. To help prevent cracks, turn off the oven and let the cheesecake sit inside for an hour. To cut the cleanest slices, use a knife dipped in warm water. 

Recipe Source : joyofbaking.com

Ingredients :

Chocolate Cheesecake Crust:

1 1/2 cups (150 grams) chocolate wafer crumbs

1/3 cup (75 grams) unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

12 ounces (340 grams) semi-sweet chopped

24 ounces (680 grams) (3 - 8 ounces packages) full fat cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup (240 ml) full fat or light sour cream, room temperature

Ganache:

4 ounces (115 grams) semi-sweet  chopped

1/3 cup (80 ml) heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon unsalted butter, room temperature

Method :

Chocolate Cheesecake: Butter or spray with a non stick vegetable spray, a 10 inch (25 cm) spring form pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) with rack in center of oven.

Crust: In a medium sized bowl combine the chocolate wafer crumbs and melted butter. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom of the spring form pan. Cover and refrigerate while you make the filling.

For Filling: Melt the chopped chocolate in a stainless steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, in the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer) beat the cream cheese, on medium low speed, until smooth. Gradually beat in the sugar. Add the melted chocolate and beat until fully incorporated. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well (about 30 seconds) after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla extract and sour cream and beat until thoroughly incorporated. Remove the crust from the refrigerator and pour in the filling. Place the cheesecake pan on a larger baking pan and place in the oven.

Bake for about 50 - 55 minutes or until firm yet the center of the cheesecake will still look a little wet and wobbly. Remove from oven and carefully run a knife or spatula around the inside edge of pan to loosen the cheesecake (helps prevent the surface from cracking as it cools). Let cool and then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours before covering with the ganache.

Ganache: Place the chopped chocolate in a stainless steel bowl. Heat the cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil. Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for a few minutes. Stir until smooth. Cool slightly and then pour over cheesecake. With an offset spatula or back of a spoon evenly spread the ganache over the top of the cheesecake. Cover and return to the refrigerator for several hours or overnight. This cheesecake tastes best after being refrigerated for at least a day. Serve in small slices.

To freeze:  Place the cooled cheesecake on a baking pan and freeze, uncovered, until firm. Remove the cheesecake from the freezer, wrap it in heavy duty aluminum foil and place in a freezer bag. Seal and return to freezer. Can be frozen for several months. Thaw uncovered cheesecake in the refrigerator overnight.

I am sending this across to Crazy for Cakes

I am also sending this over to Sweets for a Saturday, hosted by Sweet As Sugar Cookies

Poori Masala

I am sure all my readers are aware of my love for cereals. I can eat cereals for any meal of the day. Sometimes if I don't have any leftovers in the fridge I used to have cereals for lunch. I know it's weird !!! But eating it any time of the day is fine with me. We usually take cereals for breakfast everyday. But only during weekends I cook something else. Once 'A' got so bored of cereals and asked me whether I can make his favorite poori masala. As usual I couldn't deny his request and started myself preparing it.

Recipe Source : My Mom

Ingredients:

For poori

Wheat Flour - 1 cup
All purpose Flour - 1 cup
Oil - 1 Tbs
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Water - 1/2 cup

For Masala

Potatoes - 1/2 kg
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Onions - 2
Green chillies - 4
Ginger - 1 small piece
Dry red chilli bits - Few

Method :

To make poori: Add the water and mix the dough. Make small balls. Then roll in flour and roll out into thin rounds and deep fry in oil ( preferably coconut oil ).

To make Masala: Wash the potatoes well. Put in pressure cooker with level water and cook with weight for 10 minutes. Peel and mash coarsely. Heat Oil. Add onions. When the onions are transluscent, add little water and salt and boil. Add the potatoes and mix well.

Ps: For any measure you use, remember equal quantities of wheat flour and All purpose flour.

I am sending this over to The Kerala Kitchen hosted by Magpie

Madeleines

Madeleine's are very small sponge cakes with a distinctive shell-like shape acquired from being baked in pans with shell-shaped depressions. Aside from the traditional moulded pan, commonly found in stores specialising in kitchen equipment no special tools are required to make madeleines.The flavour is similar to, but somewhat lighter than, sponge cake. I have never heard about Madeleines while I was in India. When I first came to U.S I came across the shell shaped beauties. After that I got addicted to these yummilicious treat. From then, the thought of making it at home started haunting me. During one of my regular visit to the baking store with my friend I was able to get the pan. I was very much excited to get the pan and from then I am searching for a reason to bake it.

I was planning to make it this weekend but was so tied up with several other things. I had a nice get together with my fellow bloggers on saturday. It was so nice of 'A' to drop me and wait for me while I  hang out with my blogger friends. And ofcourse after reaching home he started fishing for compliments. Now let's get back to the recipe.

Recipe Source : joyofbaking.com

Ingredients :

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter

1 cup (130 grams) all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs, at room temperature

2/3 cup (133 grams) granulated white sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Method :

First, melt the butter and allow it to cool while you make the batter. In a small bowl place the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk until well blended.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugar at medium-high speed until the mixture has tripled in volume and forms a thick ribbon when the beaters are lifted (about 5 minutes).  Add the vanilla extract and beat to combine. Sift a small amount of flour over the egg mixture and, using a large rubber spatula, fold the flour mixture into the beaten eggs to lighten it.  Sift the rest of the flour over the egg mixture and fold in being sure not to overmix or the batter will deflate. 

Whisk a small amount of the egg mixture into the melted butter to lighten it.  Then fold in the cooled melted butter in three additions.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or several hours, until slightly firm. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).  Generously butter two 12-mold Madeleine pans.  Dust the molds with flour and tap out the excess.  (Could spray pans with Bakers Joy instead.) (Make sure the pans are well greased or the Madeleine will stick and be hard to remove.)

Drop a generous tablespoonful of the batter into the center of each prepared mold, leaving the batter mounded in the center.  (This will result in the classic "humped" appearance of the madeleines.)

Bake the Madeleine for 11 to 13 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the centers spring back when lightly touched.  Do not overbake these cookies or they will be dry.

Remove the pans from the oven. Transfer the madeleines, smooth sides down, to wire racks to cool.  The madeleines are best served the same day but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days or frozen, well wrapped, for up to 1 month.

I am sending this across to Crazy for Cakes

Have a look at my Madeleine pan