Apple Pie Cake (with a crunchy cinnamon sugar topping)

Apple pie is one of those American Desserts that makes you go 'yes please!'. I have always loved apple pie with the flaky crust and the gooey apple cinnamon filling. Well, I had no patience to make the pie crust and I wanted to have an apple pie. What is the next best thing to do? Yes, you try and make a cake that tastes like the apple pie.
While I was looking for pie crust recipes - I had stumbled upon this cake recipe. Something that had been on my mind but never got to the oven. I took inspiration from this recipe at 'Pinch of Yum'
I tweaked the recipe a bit in terms of the sugar I used (used a little less than mentioned) and the amount of apples I used too (used a bit more - just because I did not want to munch on raw apples). I also had an orange sitting on my table, so used the zest and the juice. Was not my intention to change the recipe......... lets just say.....it happened.
We loved the cake. It tasted good warm and cold. And we had it with a side of vanilla ice-cream on one occasion too.

Ingredients

1 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour

2 cups chopped apples

1 teaspoon allspice powder

1 teaspoon orange zest

4 tablespoons orange juice

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Method

Preheat the oven to 325 F and grease a 9X13 pan. 

Cut the apples into small pieces and add the orange juice to it (this will prevent it from browning). Sieve the flour, allspice powder, baking powder and baking soda together and keep aside. In a bowl, mix the brown sugar, oil, buttermilk and egg. No need to beat the mixture. To this add the vanilla extract and the orange zest and mix well. To this add the dry flour mixture and incorporate the mixture well. Add the chopped apples and incorporate everything well. I used a spatula to do this. Pour the batter into the 9X13 pan and spread it evenly using the spatula. 

Mix together the butter, cinnamon powder and sugar. Using your fingers spread this mixture on top of the batter very evenly. Pop it into the oven.

The recipe said bake for 45 minutes. Insert a toothpick and check for doneness. If it comes out clean, your cake is baked, if not, you need to bake for another 5 to 10 minutes. 

At 45 minutes my cake was still very raw. So, I had to bake for another 10 to 15 minutes. 

Remove from oven and cool a bit. Slice and serve warm with vanilla ice-cream or just like that. 

Chocolate Marble Cake (Hot Milk Cake Method)

Mr. A turned a year older and wiser this Tuesday. As always - his birthday cake is always a new trial. Thankfully it has always been a hit and never a miss. Imagine your birthday cake going bad with no backup. This year Lil Miss A insisted on a chocolate cake - she only wants everything in chocolate flavor. Well, our birthdays are just another day for her to get excited and so we obliged. I had told her that it will not be a full chocolate cake, but will have some vanilla (white) cake too She was excited as long as I promised the frosting was going to be chocolate. Well, this girl sure knows what she wants.
So the search for something new started. I always wanted to bake this old method of baking cake. It was a cake during the depression era - it uses the most basic ingredients - and as described, it is so sweet and soft on its own, that it feels like a rich dessert. I stumbled upon this recipe on pinterest with only a picture of the written recipe (no source) - but, this is such an old recipe that the origin is not known and its simple and common. You will find so many blogs and sites with the same recipe. 

There is something about old recipes that has an old world charm and they are simple and you feel like a part of history. Also, a great tasting dish makes them all the more special.

The cake is a vanilla cake - but, since Lil Miss A wanted it to be a chocolate cake - that is what she got with the addition of the chocolate syrup in half the batter.

Ingredients

For the cake

4 eggs at room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 cups All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1/4 cup chocolate syrup (I used Hershey's syrup)

For the frosting (ganache)

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
3 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon coconut oil/butter

Method

For the cake

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and keep aside. In a saucepan, warm the milk and the butter till the butter melts and there are bubbles formed on the side of the milk.
In a big mixing bowl, beat together the sugar and the eggs until they become nice and fluffy. This should take about 10 minutes. It should look like its doubled in size. Add the vanilla extract and mix well. Add the milk and butter mixture and mix well till all is incorporated. Add the flour mixture 1/3 at a time and fold it in. Do not over mix but fold in to get a smooth batter. This batter will be a little more thin than other cake batters.
Grease a bundt pan and add half of the vanilla batter into it. In the other half, add the chocolate syrup and mix well till all is incorporated. Pour this mixture over the vanilla mixture.
Bake it in the preheated oven for 50 minutes to an hour. After 50 minutes check to see if a toothpick inserted comes out clean - if yes, the cake is done - else let it bake for another 5 minutes before checking.
Once done, remove it from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes and then remove from the mold onto a wire rack to cool completely.

For the frosting (ganache)

In a bowl add the semi sweet chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons milk and microwave for 30 seconds - stir it well and microwave for another 30 seconds. Add 2/3rd part of the coconut oil and mix well till smooth. Let it cool a bit. In the same manner get the white chocolate ganache made.
Added them both to two ziploc bags and sealed it shut by removing all air. Make a small opening in the tip. Spread the ganache - one at a time on the completely cooled cake. Cut the cake and serve with coffee or tea or just like that.

Pesto filled yeast rolls

Lil Miss A learnt about 'Taco Tuesday' at school and then came the turn of 'Friday Pizza Night' - so, these are 2 traditions that we have at home. Well, the same taco or the same pizza is not allowed for atleast a month, that is another house rule. We are foodies and we truly believe in the saying "variety is the spice of life". 

Last Friday - we had our first 'Friday Pizza Night'. Lil Miss A had her pepperoni pizza (turkey pepperoni) and we had our spicy italian sausage topped pizza. We had some leftover dough, and these yummy spiral babies came from that. They pulled apart like monkey bread and the pesto filling made it colorful and tasty.

The pesto used was a basil pesto - the most simple one. Topped it with some cheddar and mozarella shredded cheese. 

I have cut the recipe to make a round pull-apart spiral roll in a 9 inch round cake pan.

Ingredients

For Pesto

1 cup packed  basil leaves
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic
1 green chilli
salt to tastee
pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

For Bread Rolls

3/4 cup warm water
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups bread flour OR All Purpose Flour (APF)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dry Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
5 tablespoons shredded mozzarella cheese

Method

For Pesto

Mix all the ingredients in a food processor - except the oil. Pulse it a few times to get everything together. Now start the processor and pour olive oil through its inlet. I like my pesto to be creamy, so the processor ran for about a minute. If you like it a bit chunky, process accordingly. Pour it into a glass jar and refrigerate. You can use this in pastas, or as a spread on sandwiches or as a dip or for the yeasty rolls we made here.

For Bread Rolls

you can knead this by your hands too - but, I prefer using my kitchenaid bowl mixer. In the bowl add the warm water and sugar and yeast. Let this sit for about 10 minutes. You will see bubbles coming up and a sweet beer like smell - it just shows that the yeast is active and you can go ahead with the other ingredients. Now add the flour, salt, italian seasoning, garlic powder and oil. First use the stir function and then mix it using the dough attachment. I generally knead the dough for a good 7 to 10 minutes to get the gluten going. When a nice smooth dough is formed - cover it with some oil and put a clean kitchen towel over the bowl and let the dough rest for 1 and 1/2 hours. In this time the dough will rise and become double. This time can vary between 1 to 1 1/2 hours depending on how warm and humid it is.
Once its doubled in size - punch the dough and knead it for another 2 minutes. Now take some flour on a flat surface and put the dough on it and roll it into a rectangle shape about 10 inches long and 6 inche wide. Now put the pesto in the middle and spread it all over the rolled dough. I used about 4 tablespoons of pesto. sprinkle some shredded cheese, about 3 tablespoons. Now roll into a round shape like you would for cinnamon rolls - you will roll on the 10 inch side to get a 10 inch long roll. Cut it into equal portions - I got 17 portions. You could do less or more. Grease the 9 inch round cake pan and line these portions equally around keeping some space between each of them to allow them to rise. Cover and let it rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes. In the last 15 minutes preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.Once the rolls have doubled in size - put them into the preheated oven. After 10 minutes remove the pan and added the remainder of the shredded cheese. Put it back into the oven for about 5 minutes.
Serve hot with pesto on the side or tomato ketchup or just savor them as is.

Banana Bread/Cake with Coconut and Rum

Bananas are something that generally end up getting brown at our home. I still wonder why I get bananas from the store. But, then Lil Miss A will ask for a banana once in a while. If you remember from my earlier posts...... I get barely 4 to 5 bananas when I go to the store and that too once in 2 weeks. And every 2 weeks we end up having banana bread in some way.

This time I tried to make it a fun banana bread for Mr. A and myself. The kid does not like the cake/bread version unless its made with chocolate.
I made use of the coconut rum that was sitting in our small bar. I had got this rum when I had made the Puerto Rican Coconut Rum Cake for last years New Years Eve Party. I will update the recipe here soon.
I think this is our favorite banana bread so far - ofcorse it has rum...... but, you can completely not use it and still make this and enjoy a simple coconut banana bread.

Ingredients

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup coconut rum (totally optional)
3 bananas
1 and 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour/Maida
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsweetened coconut shreds

Method

In a big mixing bowl add the oil and sugar and mix it well. Now add the eggs and beat it well for about 5 minutes. To this add the coconut rum and the mashed bananas and mix well. To this add the All Purpose Flour, baking soda, salt and coconut shreds and just fold everything together. You do not want to mix this batter too much or the cake will turn flat.
I baked this cake in a bundt pan (just because I love how the bundt pan shapes the cake). You can bake it in a 9X5 loaf pan too. Bake it in a preheated oven at 350 Fahrenheit for about 50 minutes to an hour. A toothpick inserted should come out clean and your cake is ready. Let it cool before cutting it.

Notes

• The rum will actually cook through and you will not taste it except for the coconut flavor. If you want it to be a boozy cake - use a toothpick and make holes in the cake about 1 inch apart and then add 2 tablespoons on rum all through the cake. This will make it taste and smell of rum too
• If you do not wish to add rum - then add 1/4 cup of milk and 1 tsp of coconut extract or vanilla extract. The cake should still taste great.                          

Easy & Quick Baked Doughnuts with a Chocolate Ganache Glaze

My kiddo whom I lovingly refer to as 'Little Miss A' is a huge huge doughnut lover. She has loved those dunkin doughnuts for a long time. Now, she looks at pictures and asks me to make them at home. Guess, shes just like her Dad - ask mom to make something and she will do it types. No complains there. I love to cook food for these two most important people in my life - and it makes me very happy when I see them savoring every bite. Its like 'Mission Accomplished'
Now, traditional doughnuts are fried and then to top it they also have that sugary glaze - too many calories to indulge in on a regular basis. So, I was very fascinated when I saw these doughnut baking pans. I purchased one to make them for her. I saw quite a few recipes that used cake mix to make these baked doughnuts. I do not use cake mix and hence I kinda put baking these aside. Untill this Monday - 'Little Miss A' just sat breathing down my neck - saying doughnut doughnut since she woke up in the morning. So, the evening was spent in making these yummy fluffy treats.
She was happy - and I got the stamp of approval from her dad too.

Ingredients

For Doughnuts

1 cup All Purpose Flour/Maida

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vinegar

1/4 cup oil (I used canola)

1/4 cup yogurt

1/4 cup water

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence

For Chocolate Ganache Frosting

1/2 cup chocolate chips

2 teaspoons milk

1/2 teaspoon butter

colorfull funfetti for added garnish

Method

To make the Ganache

microwave the chocolate chips, milk and butter in a bowl at 30 second intervals 2 times. Mix well till you get a nice and velvety chocolate sauce. Let this sauce/ganache cool down before you frost the doughnuts.

To make the Doughnuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Add sugar, salt, flour, baking soda in a mixing bowl. Mix well and let it sit aside.
In another mixing bowl add oil, yogurt, water, egg, vanilla essence, vinegar and mix well till everything is combined. Now add this mixture into the dry mixture and combine everything well. Do not overmix.

Grease your doughnut pan with oil. 

You can use an icing bag, a doughnut pouring bottle, those ketchup bottles you get or just a simple ziploc back (cut a small hole in the corner to pour the batter). Add the batter to the doughnut mould/pan - just fill half of it (as shown in the picture) 

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes till the tops turn a nice golden brown. Remove them from the pan and let them cool on a wire rack. The color should be like its in the picture below.

Dip the doughnut in the ganache and then let ti sit on the wire rack. You can sprinkle some funfetti for added color.
Savor with a cup of coffee or with a glass of milk.

We baked a total of 12 doughnuts with these measurements. If you do not have a doughnut pan - you can make them in a mini muffin pan (they will resemble doughnut holes) or even a cupcake pan (here the baking time may vary - just insert a toothpick and see its baked through in 12 to 15 minutes)

Baked Doughnuts - We Knead to Bake # 6

We had baked these doughnuts in June 2013 in the 'We Knead to Bake' group with is the brainchild of Aparna who pens at My Diverse Kitchen

I loved doughnuts a lot.... well, loved is a wrong term as I still love them. However, once I knew they were these deep fried goodies, my love became rationed. I used to savor them on a very rare occasion. When Aparna said that we were going to bake doughnuts as bread #6, I was very very happy.

Well, my doughnuts turned out a bit flat, because I rolled the dough very thin and got a very big doughnut hole in the middle too, blame it on the katora/vati that I used to get the doughnut shape. But, overall - it was fun to bake these yummy things and even a good feeling to have a guiltfree baked doughnut. However, if you personally ask me - I would always go in for the deep friend doughnut, even if it means an occasional treat for me.

This recipe was adapted from Lara Ferroni’s Doughnuts

Ingredients

For the doughnuts
1/4 cup superfine sugar
1 cup warm milk (110 F)
1 tbsp active dry yeast
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups cake flour (or all-purpose flour) divided, plus more for kneading
100gm butter, cut into 1 inch cubes

For the topping
75 to 100gm butter, melted
1 cup superfine sugar + 2 tablespoons cinnamon (more or less, depending on your taste), mixed together
OR
glazes of your choice (I used a readymade chocolate glaze)
OR
jam to fill your doughnuts

Method

Using a processor to knead helps but you can do this by hand.
Put the sugar, milk, yeast, salt and vanilla in the processor bowl and pulse to mix well. Add 2 1/2 cup cake flour OR all-purpose flour and process, adding a little more of the flour as necessary till the dough is thick and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.Now add the butter pieces one at a time and process till there no large chunks of butter are left in the bottom of the bowl. Now add a little more flour until your have a soft, pliable and elastic dough that is moist but not overly sticky.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead gently until the dough no longer sticks to your hands. Shape the dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased large mixing bowl., turning it to coat well. Cover and let it rise till double in volume. This should take about an hour.
Punch down the dough and roll out to a thickness of 1/2" (I rolled it thinner like a chapatti and hence those flat doughnuts). Cut out doughnuts using a doughnut cutter or whatever you have on hand to cut out 3” diameter with 1” diameter holes. If you’re making doughnuts to fill with jam, then do not cut out the holes. Place the doughnuts and the holes on parchment lined or lightly greased baking sheets, leaving at least 1” space between them.
Re-roll the scraps and cut out more doughnuts.
Let them rise for about 20 minutes or till almost double in size and then bake them at 200C (400F) for about 5 to 10 minutes till they’re done and golden brown. Do not over bake them.
Take them out of the oven and immediately brush them with the melted butter and then dip them into the cinnamon sugar mixture. If filling the doughnuts with jam, let them cool. Put the jam into a piping bag with a writing nozzle/ tip and press into the doughnut from the side and gently press out the jam into the doughnut till it starts oozing out. Jam doughnuts do not need too much jam to fill them. If glazing your doughnuts, let them cool completely and then dip one side of the doughnut in the glaze of your choice and let it set.

This makes about 15 doughnuts.

Makke ki Masala Poori (Masala Poori made with Maize Flour)

Makke ka aata (Maize flour) also called masa here is awesome to make makke ki roti along with some nice sarson ka saag or even baingan bharta. I can have hot hot makke ki roti with a dollop of ghee and gur (jaggery) - its just heaven.
Yesterday, we made makke ki masala pooris for snacks along with some adrakwali chai (Ginger tea). It was amazing on this cold and wintery day. 

Ingredients

2 cups makke ka atta (maize flour)
1/4 cup wheat flour
salt to taste
water to knead
1/4 teaspoon ajwain (carom seeds)
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 teaspoons kasuri methi (crushed)
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida
1 cup oil for frying

Method

dry roast the ajwain, cumin and fennel seeds untill a nice aroma fills the kitchen. Cool and grind to a fine/coarse powder in a spice grinder. Mix in the chili powder, turmeric powder, asafoetida, kasuri methi and salt into the ground spices and mix well. Add this to the mixture of maize and wheat flour and mix well. check for salt, add more if needed. Add enough water to make a pliable dough - the dough should not be soft. It will look like chappati dough, but will not feel as glutenous.  make small round balls o this dough to make pooris.
Heat the oil in a karahi - the heat is kept as a medium high I used a tortilla press (you can even use the poori press you get in India). I used a ziploc bag - I gut it so as to seperate the two sides. Place one plastic sheet on the bottom round of the tortilla press. Now place a dough ball on it and place the other plastic sheet on top. Now cover the tortilla press and press the lever to make a round  flat poori shape.  Carefully remove it with your fingers (very lightly). Put it in the oil and fry till it puffs up - now carefully turn it over and let the other side get a golden brown. Remove on a plate lined with a paper towel (tissue paper).
Savor with pickle, ginger chai - I am sure this will taste good with saag and the bharta too.

Buttery Croissants - We Knead to Bake # 2

Croissants - well that word itself takes you on a beautiful buttery, flaky, aroma filled tasty journey into France. Well, atleast thats what it does for me and for my better half too.
We love croissants - but, then who doesn't???
I had never baked croissants before. You can say that the amount of butter thats goes into the preparation and then the consumption was what had scared me the most. Infact after getting to know how croissants are made, we had avoided these yummy treats - yup, its been over 5 years, we have savored these yummm treats only about twice a year, every year.
Ofcorse when Aparna mentioned in the facebook group that the bread we will be baking for the month of Feb is a buttery indulgence - somehow we all knew it was going to be a croissant. And yes indeed croissants it was.
After reading the recipe she posted and watching the amazing informative video - I was a bit intimidated with regards to the length of time needed to get the final crescent shaped pastry. She did mention we could give this month a pass if we did not want to use butter for health or any other reasons. I actually thought of letting it go this month. But, then the posts started pouring in and after looking at all the buttery and yummy goodness - I was tempted to make them too.
I am so glad I got over my fear of cooking with butter and making a pastry and flaky dough and made these beautiful looking treats. My almost 3 year old kiddo loved them the most - and thats like the most amazing appreciation anyone could ever ask for.

I adapted the recipe from girl vs dough. I just halved the recipe, as I was just trying it for the first time and was really not sure how it would turn out. Well, no complaints there - it turned out great. Do visit the site for all the steps - she has done a fabulous job.
I am taking the liberty to write the recipe kinda just like how Stephanie has written on her blog. However, the measurements are half as I used half of everything she mentioned.

Ingredients

3/4 cup warm whole or 2 percent milk (about 105-110 degrees F)
1/8 cup sugar
1 and 3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon salt
3/4 cup (1 and 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled in the fridge
1 tablespoon milk for the wash over the croissants

Method

In the bowl whisk together warm milk, sugar and yeast until yeast is dissolved. Let the mixture stand for about 10 minutes untill it becomes nice and foamy. This shows that the yeast is working and its now ready.
Add 1 and 1/2 cups flour and salt to this yeasty mixture and mix well till it forms a nice and sticky dough. It should take about 8 to 10 minutes to get there.
You can do this by hand or use your stand mixer with the dough attachment to do it for you.
Remove dough from bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. Knead by hand for 2-3 minutes, adding more of the remaining flour as needed just until the dough is smooth and elastic and no longer sticky. Shape dough into a 1 1/2-inch thick rectangle. Cover it lightly with flour, so that it does not stick to the plastic wrap you are going to wrap it in. Place in fridge 1 hour to chill.
While the dough is chilling, make the butter packet. Place sticks of butter together on a sheet of plastic wrap. Top with another sheet of plastic wrap - using a rolling pin and your hands, thwack, beat, roll out and press the butter into an even, flat, 4-by-2 and 1/2-inch rectangle (be as precise as possible). Wrap the butter up in the plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to chill.
Remove dough from fridge and from plastic wrap. Place on a lightly floured surface and press the dough into a 8-by-5-inch rectangle (be sure the edges and the corners are as well-shaped as possible) - Do this with a rolling pin and shape it with your fingers. Remove butter packet from fridge and from plastic wrap and place in center of dough, short ends of butter packet parallel to long ends of dough. Fold top half of dough over butter packet, then fold bottom half of dough over it like a business letter. Rotate dough so the short end faces you.
With the short end facing you, flatten the dough evenly by pressing the rolling pin onto the surface (try not to roll it out right away). When the dough has flattened, roll it out to a precise 7-by-5-inch rectangle. Fold the dough again like a business letter, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill for 1 hour.
Repeat the above step (“With the short end facing you… chill for 1 hour”) three more times, chilling the dough for 1 hour between each fold, for a total of four folds. After the fourth fold, cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge overnight, or 8-12 hours.
The next morning, unwrap the dough and place it on a floured surface. Roll out the dough into a large rectangle about 10-by-16-inches. Using a pizza cutter or a sharp knife, divide the dough into 12 triangles. Cut a small slit at the bottom of each triangle and roll up like a crescent roll. For chocolate croissants, place 1/2 to 1 ounce of dark chocolate in the bottom center of the triangle before rolling up.
Place croissants about 2 inches apart on parchment paper lined baking sheets. Cover with tea towels and let rise until puffy, about 1-2 hours.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Brush each croissant with milkwash and bake 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool completely on baking sheets before consuming.

Note: Croissants will keep fresh in a plastic bag or airtight container at room temperature for 3 days. For longer life, keep them in a plastic bag or airtight container in the fridge for 5 days, and in the freezer for up to 1 month. (These were notes from Stephanie)

I baked about 6 of those croissants. The balance I froze immediately after getting them into a crescent shape. When I want to bake them - I will just thaw them in the fridge for about 8 hours and then line them on a baking sheet and let them proof at room temperature for about 3 to 4 hours or till they get fluffed up. Bake them at 450 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes and savor them with jam, butter, tea or make a nice sandwich out of them.

Oats & Carrots Thalipeeth

I have friend who is a foodie and she had made these thalipeeths yesterday - They looked so lovely and the ingredients were so healthy - well, I had to try them. 

Thanks Neelam Kane for this wonderful recipe - my husband who does not like heavy breakfasts was amazed by this and he ate 2 of them today. 

I did not use old fashioned oats as Neelam had used - well, thats because I did not have them and hence used the Quaker quick Oats.

To make it a bit more exciting - I added some kholamba masala to the mixture. You could use sambar masala too.

Ingredients

1 cup instant oats (coarsely powdered)
1/2 cup rava/semolina
1 carrot - grated
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 medium onion - finely chopped
2 teaspoons kholamba masala (recipe for the masala - http://merakitchen.blogspot.com/2012/04/kholamba-konkani-sambar-masala.html)
salt to taste
1/2 cup yogurt
oil to grease thalipeeth

Method

Add the powdered oats, rava, carrots, onions, cilantro, kholamba masala and yogurt and mix well. If you feel that the batter is too thick, then you may add some water. The dough should be more watery than chapati dough but not as runny as dosa/pancake batter.
Heat a non stick pan. Drizzle a teaspoon of oil over it. Take a tennis ball sized dough in your hand and place it in the centre of the pan. Spread the dough into a circle using your fingers. Dip your fingers in water to help with spreading. The disc should be even and not too thick. Be careful while doing this and do not burn your fingers :)
Add a little oil along the sides of the thalipeeth and fry on medium high heat for about 3 to 4 minutes. Drizzle some oil on the top and then flip it over and cook the other side for about 4 minutes.  The thalipeeth should get a couple of brown patches. Serve with butter or chutney.

Ham & Caramelized Onions Panini

Ingredients

6 slices of sourdough bread (any other bread works too)
6 slices ham - cute into small pieces
1 big onion - thinly slices
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
1 teaspoon sriracha
1 tablespoon oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon brown sugar (regular sugar works too)
1 cup cheddar cheese - shredded (optional)

Method

In a frying pan add the oil - when it gets hot, add the sliced onions along with the salt and brown sugar and let it get a nice caramelized golden brown. Remove the caramelized onions into a mixing bowl. To the same pan add the chopped slices of ham along with the worcestershire sauce, tomato ketchup and sriracha and mix well untill you get a nice caramelization on the ham. Add this to the same mixing bowl with the onions. Mix well till onions and ham are incorporated.
Place a bread slice on the panini maker/press and add the ham and onion mixture to it. Sprinkle cheddar cheese and place another slice on top of it. Close the panini maker or press with the panini press till the bread gets a nice crust and grill marks on top.
Serve with colseslaw and fries or chips.

Sweet Peppers stuffed with Crab Meat

Ingredients

8 to 10 sweet peppers - I had red, yellow and orange
1 cup cooked crab meat
1 medium onion - finely chopped
9 to 10 garlic cloves - grated
1 cup - chopped spinach
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg
2 teaspoons dhania jeera powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder
2 teaspoons oil
1/2 cup cheddar cheese (optional)
salt to taste

Method

Clean the peppers and cut it lengthwise in the middle into 2 portions. Remove the seeds and the veins and get the hollow to fill the stuffing in.
In a karahi add the oil. When it gets hot, add the onions and garlic and let it saute till the onions turn translucent. Then add the spinach and let it cook. when the spinach is all wilted, add the dhania jeera powder and the garam masala and the crab meat and mix everything well. Add salt to taste and mix well. Let this mixture cool down. Pour it into a mixing bowl and add the egg and bread crumbs and mix well.
Line a baking sheet with aluminium foil and spray oil on it. Lay the peppers in a line. Fill the pepper cavity with the crab mixture. Sprinkle the cheese on top of the crab mixture and spray some oil over it again. Bake this in a 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven for about 20 to 25 minutes.

Deviled Eggs (Wasabi flavored)

Deviled eggs have been an all-time favorite with hubby and me. We have savored the best deviled eggs at Dinosaur BBQ in Rochester, NY. I have never made deviled eggs at home - though always wanted to try em. Yesterday was the ideal day - baked a focaccia and was too bored to make anything great for dinner - so ended up whipping some deviled eggs - and it was some yumm and easy dinner :)
Traditionally - once the deviled eggs are stuffed - it is covered and is refrigerated for 24 hours to get that mayonnaise and other things to mix well. Here, we just made the mixture and added it to the egg whites and relished the dish.

Ingredients


8 hard boiled eggs, peeled and cut lengthwise
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon grated wasabi (you can add more if you want it spicy - wasabi is very spicy)
1 celery stalk - chopped fine
2 spring onions - chopped fine
1/2 teaspoon sweet relish (optional)
pinch of salt
pinch of crushed black pepper
1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
chopped parsley for garnishing



Method


Pop out (remove) the egg yolks to a small bowl and mash with a fork. Add the mayonnaise, celery, wasabi, spring onion, relish, horseradish, tomato ketchup and salt & pepper and mix thoroughly. Fill the empty egg white shells with the mixture and garnish with shopped parsley
Cover lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to one day before serving - you can serve it right away too.

Sabudana Khichdi

Ingredients

1 cup sabudana/sago
1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts (coarsely ground)
1 medium potato thinly cubed
1 teaspoon cumin seeds/jeera
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 green chilli - slit int he middle (you can add more if you like)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt (add more according to taste)
2 tablespoons ghee/oil

Method

Wash the sabudana in lukewarm water about 3 to 4 times. Then add just enough water to soak the sabudana untill its covered  and let it stand for 6 to 8 hours.
When sabudana is soaked - run a fork through it and get all the pears loosened up. To this add sugar, salt and the groundnut powder and chopped cilantro and mix well - taste it to see if it salt is okay.
In a karahi add the ghee/oil. When it gets hot add the cumin and let it sizzle. To this add the slit green chilli and let it get charred a bit. Now add the potato and mix well. Cover and cook on medium heat till potatoes are nice and tender. Once potatoes are done - add the sabudana mixture to it and mix well. Cover and let it cook on medium low heat for 5 to 10 minutes or till the sabudana turns translucent. Remove from heat and savor with cold curds/yogurt.

Banana Bread (with pecans & raisins)

Ingredients


1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup semolina (rava)
1/2 cup Quaker oats
1 packed cup brown sugar
3 Ripe bananas
1 egg OR 1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup butter/vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg powder
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chopped pecans/walnuts
1/4 cup golden raisins

Method

Mash the bananas in a mixing bowl. To this add the melted butter/vegetable oil and the sugar and mix all well. Then add the egg/milk and mix well with the banana and sugar mixture. Add the vanilla essence, cardamom powder and nutmeg along with the baking powder and baking soda and mix. Now add the whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, semolina and oats (one at a time) and mix everything well. : lastly add the chopped pecans and golden raisins.
Pour this mixture into a greased baking pan - you can use a loaf pan, a square pan, a round pan (I used a bundt pan) - bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for about 50 minutes to an hour. Check the cake by inserting a toothpick in the center - if it comes out clean - the cake/bread is baked.

Mix Dal & Legumes Vada

Who does not like fried food - At my home, we love fried stuff. Its just not something we make on a daily basis. Frying foods is done once in 3 to 4 months at my place. Was kinda tired of doing the same pakodas or moong vadas, medu vadas, dal vadas etc. Thought of making something different - Used all the pulses that I could lay my hands on in the pantry and made these mix dal vadas. They turned out pretty good I must say - we enjoyed eating them. Also, felt less guilty indulging in fried stuff - as it had lots of different dals and legumes in it ;)

Ingredients

2 cups of the following dals/pulses/legumes/beans
you can add any other pulses/beans/legumes/dal of your choice
tuvar dal
channa dal
kabuli channa (chick peas)
black eyed peas
rajma
black channa
safed vatana
moong
matki
masoor 
1 medium onions - finely chopped
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
6 to 7 garlic cloves - finely grated
2 green chilis - chopped
salt to taste
a pinch of asafoetida
oil for frying

Method

Soak all the dals & legumes for 6 to 7 hours in water. They will puff up and become soft. Then coarsely grind it without adding any water. To this ground mixture, add the chopped onions, grated garlic, chopped cilantro, asafoetida and salt and mix well.
Take a tablespoon of the mixture in your hands and make a pattie of it and deep fry in hot oil on medium till its nice and golden brown.
Serve with tomato ketchup or with mint chutney along with tea or coffee.
yummy treat on a rainy or snowy day :)

Egg Stumbler

Thanks to Shireen Sequeira - Shes a fellow member at a foodie group I love. She shared this amazing recipe with us. Traditionally its a snack called 'Egg Stumbler' - but, my husband prefers to call it 'Bread Upma with Eggs'
I just tweaked the traditional recipe a bit by adding the love of turkey bacon to this mix - loved the smoky flavor we got from the bacon.

Ingredients

4 strips turkey bacon (you can use regular bacon too) - cut into bite size pieces (this is totally optional)
4 eggs
1 medium onion - finely chopped
2 green chillis - chopped
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon dhania jeera powder
2 teaspoons oil
Salt to taste
6 slices of bread - cut into i/2 inch cubes

Method

In a non-stick pan add the oil and cook the bacon till it gets nice and crispy. To this add the chopped chillis and the chopped onions and fry them till it turns transparent. Then add some salt (be careful if using bacon as it already has some salt), the turmeric, chilli powder and dhania jeera powder and mix well. Add the eggs and mix well with the onion mixture and cook just like scrambled eggs. Once this is cooked, add the bread and mix well till bread gets toasted and a bit crispy. Sprinkle the cilantro and serve with coffee, tea or juice.

You can sprinkle some grated cheese on top too - makes it yummier.

Leftover Rice Appe

I just had a i/2 cup of rice leftover from previous nights dinner. What do I do with 1/2 cup rice? 

Well, just added a few things together and pulled out my appe/paniyaram pan and made these savory appes. Well, they were delicious and made a good snack with chai/tea

Ingredients

1/2 cup cooked rice
1 small onion - chopped fine
1/4 cup cilantro chopped
1/4 cup yogurt
1/4 cup besan/chick pea flour
2 tablespoons rice flour
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida/hing
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon dhania jeera powder
salt to taste
cooking spray like PAM

Method

Mix the rice and yogurt along with the asafoetida, chilli powder, turmeric, dhania jeera powder, salt and mix well. Mash the rice with the back of the spoon. Let it stand for 15 minutes. To this add the chopped onion, chopped cilantro and the besan and the rice flour and mix well. Add salt to taste.
Heat on medium - high heat a non-stick paniyaram pan (http://www.hotdishes.com/Paniyarampan_guntapanganalu.htm) and spray it with oil. Add the batter one tablespoon in the pnaiyaram mold. After 5 minutes turn them carefully on the other side and let it cook for another 5 minutes. Serve hot with tomato ketchup or green mint chutney.

Surlichi Vadi / Khandvi

Ingredients

1 cup besan/bengal gram glour/chickpea flour
1 cup yogurt
2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida/hing
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
5-6 curry leaves
1 green chilli chopped
2 tablespoons chopped coriander/cilantro
2 tablespoons oil

Method

Prepare a clean surface for spreading the gram flour mixture - something like a cookie sheet (I used my huge glass cutting board and a cookie sheet) big enough to spread a wide spread of mixture. If you have a granite counter top thats the most ideal as you will be able to spread the entire batch of mixture on it and get this done in one go. I had to make 2 rounds to finish making my khandvi on a cookie sheet and a huge glass cutting board.
Whisk the yogurt, water and gram flour. Add asafoetida, turmeric powder and salt. Whisk until well blended. Transfer the mixture into a non stick pan and heat on medium heat, stirring constantly to prevent the formation of lumps. The mixture will slowly begin to thicken. After about  15 minutes of stirring, taste to see if the gram flour is cooked or yet smells raw - if its raw cook for another 5 minutes or so. To check if its the right consistecy - take a small teaspoon of the mixture and spread it on a flat plate - let it cool and if it easily rolls when you try to then the batter is perfect.
Spread the hot mixture on the prepared surface with a flat spatula and spread it as thinly as possible. Allow it to cool a little and settle down. Once it is cooled, take a knife and cut long strips about 1 inch apart. Roll these pieces into a khandvi and take them out on a serving platter.
If you are doing this in batches - keep the remaining mixture warm over the stove at very very low heat over by placing the non-stick pan over a tawa.
Heat oil in a karahi -add mustard seeds and when they splutter add the cumin seeds and sesame seeds and then add the chopped chilli and curry leaves. Sprinkle the seasoning over the khandvi and garnish with chopped cilantro.

Arbi/Colocasia Thick Chips

Chips - I know I know, it sounds unhealthy. But, what if they are not deep fried? Yes, that does sound like a crunchy yummy snack.

Ingredients

1 pound arbi/colocasia

salt

crushed pepper

chilli powder

chat masala

oil for shallow frying

Method

Clean the arbi very well to remove all dirt. Place it in a vegetable steamer and steam till its cooked. Do not overcook it or cook it in water, it will become mushy.

Once its cooled down, remove the skin and make 1/8 inch slices. In a cast iron pan add oil and shallow fry the arbi disks. Once it gets golden brown on both sides, remove it an place on a paper towel. Sprinkle salt, pepper, chilli powder and chat masala when the arbi disks are hot.

Enjoy it just like that or as a side with plain dal and rice.

Apple, Cranberry and Oatmeal Cookies (Soft)

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup white sugar

1 cup oats (I used Quaker oats)
1 cup diced apple without peel
1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup dried cranberries

2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farhenhite
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs until well blended. Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt and stir into the sugar mixture until well blended. Then add the pecans, cranberries, oats and apples. Drop dough by spoonfuls about 2 inches onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Let it cool on wire racks.