RV Cake - CC Frosting ~ Egg Puffs ~Vegetable Pulao

Constructed a Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting which was appealing to me since loooooong... the toppings are semi sweet chocolate chips frm Hershey's, few cherries and sprinkles on the sides.

Resource : From here.

Made some Egg Puffs for evening , which did a disappearing act the moment they were out of oven :D

Source : Vahrehvah dot com. Chef : Sanjay Thumma.



This simple recipe took only ten mins preparation time, baked at 180C / 13 mins.

Lastly our Dinner was from Sanjay Thumma's technique: Vegetable Pulao, was instantly over!!

Vegetable Pulao with Dahi Raita and Paapad.

The occassion -

Some days are simply special, especially if its the day you were born on! :D




Blogger Gal's B'day! Have a slice!!

Onam Special -Recreated Earlier Posts for Priyanka

POOKALAM - OUTSIDE THE MAIN DOOR

SADHYA DISHES

Sadya served : L to R (top) Sambhar in vessel, Semiya Paaysam and Taak or Mooru Vellam
L to R on banana leaf : Papadam, Pickle, Kela chips, Kela sweet, Kaalan(semi-ripe banana+ash gourd), Olan (Ash gourd only), Avial, Rice (Usual Sona Mussorie)


THE REFERENCE FOR ALL DISHES EXCEPT OLAN -Shn- MISHMASH BLOG.

ALL THIS IS GOING TO PRIYANKA OF ASANKHANA HERE.



Thanks Priyanka for making me a part of this event.


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Mooga Daali Usli - Chocolate Chip Cookies and Bowl made of Ice

This simple and healthy Konkani breakfast with Moong Daal is as per my mother's style of cooking. There are variations and different techniques implied as well, but I would love it this way.

Mooga Daali Usli (Moong Daal Upma)


Ingredients :
1 cup moong daal
2 1/2 cups water
2 red byadgi chilies
2 green chilies
1/2 tsp rai
1 tbspn freshly grated coconut
oil
salt

Method :
In a heavy bottom kadhai, heat oil, crackle rai add the red and green chilies. Add the water and add salt to taste and the grated coconut- bring to boil. Wash the moong daal in the meanwhile. Once the water boils, reduce flame and add the daal. Keep stirring for 5 minutes.
Cover and cook for another 10 mins or until cooked. Uncover the lid, keep stirring till all the water is evaporated.
Serve hot. (Serves 2)
( A sprig of curry leaves during tempering and half tsp grated fresh ginger is added as well, I didnot add it though. Tastes heavenly if coconut oil is used.)

Tip : Water should be little more than double the volume of daal.

Here is another angle of Pookalam for you - AMMA.

MANY MANY HAPPY RETURNS OF THE DAY ...ENJOY UR 62ND!!

This calls for baking, you lovvvve cakes, but this time its Cookies!!

Chocolate Chip Cookies



Ingredients :
1 1/4 cup maida
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar (tightly packed) Muscavado
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 large egg
1 stick butter (100 gms) at room temperature
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips (Hershey's)

Method :
Preheat oven for 10 minutes @ 350F or 170 C. Line a tray with waxed paper or parchment.

1. In a bowl sift together - maida, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
2. Beat the softened butter with white and brown sugars , add vanilla. Combine egg and beat till creamy.
3. Add the flour mix in parts and allow to mix in well. Stop beater and add the choco chips and mix it uniformly with a spatula.
4. Drop the cookie batter with a spoon - 2 inches apart from each other as they spread while baking.
5. Bake for 12-13 minutes or till top and sides are browned.
(Bake no more than this, it may appear mushy in the center, but after cooling attains crispiness. Leave it on baking tray for two minutes, since they are delicate to be handled at this point of time. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely before storing them in an airtight container. Enjoy till it lasts. :D)

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I loved this easy food art when I first saw it at Mishmash!-Shn's Beeeeeeeaaaaaaaautiful blog!

I googled few days ago and found a less complicated Floral Ice Bowl and made it as per Shn and instructions here. Recipezaar too has gorgeous ones, but I loveeee Shn's Orange Ice Bowl!! Though finesse is absolutely missing in this Ice Bowl that I made, I used Karkady petals and Chamomile for this.



I would call it Brim-challenged Bowl- as it lacks perfect brim half side. :D
Yet staring at it makes me feel good that I attempted it! :))

Amma take it as your virtual GIFT! :D
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A Festival and Few Other Dishes

Onam Special, Pookalam in my doorstep, two days ago! ( I must say, I am improving! :D )

Special breakfast, for special occassion.....knowing me, nothing special, but a new to me dosa ...
its made of rice and toor daal (1 : 3/4 ratio)




Dal and Rice dosa - As Seena/Simple & Delicious ! likes to call these, they look real crisp n thin and have been a beautiful round shape! Thanks for sharing this healthy dosa, I used toor or tuvar daal and also processed the onions, curry leaves, cumin seeds and green chillies coarsely for that extra crunch. Served with Ulli Chutney.

Ulli Chamanthi / chutney is what I learnt from hubby's grandmom. It tastes great!! Uses up lot of oil but I prefer this chutney over soaking the dosa podi in oil.

ULLI CHAMANTHI/CHUTNEY (Serves 2)
Ingredients : 2 onions, 3 byadgi chillies, 1/2 Cup vegetable oil, salt to taste.

Method : In a deep kadhai, heat a tbspn of oil and fry the thinly sliced onions till transculent, add the halved chillies and stir in. Put off the flame, cool it and grind to fine paste. While grinding to fine paste, do not use water but a teaspoon of oil every interval and check how fine the chutney has become. Add salt and pulse it. ( Tip.. if more onions are used, you may require less oil to grind it.) Serve with dosas ideally, would go along with idli , appams or any ricey-breakfast item too. Can store upto two days refrigerated.

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This lovely Capsicum Masala Rice from Sailu's Kitchen, was a great way to use up my cooked rice and bell peppers lying around, and the aromatic masala she prepared added magic to the rice and peppers taking the flavours to a whole new level.... thanks so much Sailu for sharing a lovely and tasteful recipe!!

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Shilpa posted a very tasty looking dish with her Goda masala, and the dish had me hooked.
Its Kale Vatanechi Amti, I used the white ones, tasted good with few ingredients, both my kids liked it too! Thankyou Shilpa.











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Ending the post without a treat, impossible...:D
Her kids love it, the Ginger powder n Cinnamon powder added a flavour n aroma to it and these are butter-free cookies! Though it was not as gorgeous and shapely as her's, yet the flavour was great ! My kids enjoyed the flavour!

Spiced Cookies or yummy GINGER SNAPS from Sunita/Sunita's World! Any time I visit her blog it feels like I am in a different world, as she rightly names it her world, its a deliciously sweet world you have created! Thanks so much Sunita!! ( The only change I did was substituted Maida-all purpose flour in place of whole wheat flour as I did not have it that time. :D )








Ginger Snaps - The first ever spiced cookies I tried. :D













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Zucchini Toor Daal Gravy - Cluster Beans Dry Subzi

Simple meal is what we all crave for.

This dal and subzi is one such meal full of simplicity, very quick to make and flavourful.

Ingredients for Zucchini-Dal :
1 Cup Toor daal (washed, boiled upto three whistles
2 medium sized Zucchinis (washed and diced)
1/2 tomato diced
1/4 tsp turmeric
salt

Tadka Ingredients :
2 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp urad daal
pinch hing(asafoetida)
2-3 red byadgi chillis

Method :
In a sauce pan, cook the diced zucchinis with salt and turmeric covered, until done.
Combine the daal and cooked zucchinis, cook over medium flame upto one boil, add tomato, simmer, put off the flame. In a tadka pan, heat oil, crackle rai, then splutter jeera, add urad and saute till light brown, add the hing, put off the flame, halve the red chillies and add to hot oil, mix the same with boiled daal mixture, cover and let the flavours seep.

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Ingredients for Gavar (Cluster beans) Dry Subzi :
250 gms cluster beans (washed, topped n tailed, broken to half inch pieces and steamed*)
1/2 of a medium tomato
1 medium onion -sliced
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1/2 tsp haldi
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 pinch garam masala (optional)
salt
oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
(* steam the broken beans for upto one whistle for tenderness)

Method :
In a deep bottom kadhai, heat oil, crackle the mustard and splutter jeera. Add the onions stir till transculent, add the tomatoes and stir till cooked but not mushy. Combine the ginger garlic paste and masala powders (except the garam masala) , add the steamed pieces of cluster beans and mix well. Cook for five minutes and sprinkle garam masala, cover and let the flavours mingle.


Thats done..you can serve with accompaniment (pickle or paapad) and have a Trupti-bhara meal!


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Stuffed Brinjal is from Ranji/Ranji's Kitchen Corner - Stuffed Baby Eggplant , I used medium purple brinjals and made it to gravy, followed her instructions and didn't otherwise alter anything!

Thanks for sharing, Ranji! (Not so Brinj-liker hubby too praised the dish!)







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Bappa Morya!!

Happy Chaturthi to All Of Us...
May Ganapathi shower His Blessings on all!

Ukdiche Modak - Top, Sweet Karanji -Below.

(I am not so good at it, goofed up at various steps, yet still tried my hands at it. :D
Modak from Anupama/Food-n-More, Karanji cover from Ramya/Mane-Adige. Thanks to you both!)

Celebrating my FIRST BLOG-VERSARY with 90 posts, sweets for sweet visitors and fellow bloggers!

&

HAPPY TEACHER'S DAY (TO ALL THOSE WHO HAVE TOUCHED MY LIVES BY BEING TEACHERS TO ME AS I HAVE ALWAYS GOT SOMETHING TO LEARN FROM ALL THOSE LOVELY PEOPLE WHOM I HAVE COME ACROSS IN VARIOUS PHASES OF LIFE... THANKYOU.)

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A Zebra Striped Cake N Few Food Pics

Zebra Stripes Cake welcoming new month, September 2008, and a nice way to feed my blog what it loves the best...'FOOD' - has been pretty loooooooooong since I last posted an entry!

This cake comes from Farida, posted by her in Feb '08 and bookmarked and forgotten, until Deeba, Divya baked n blogged :) Its butter free, moist and tastes great, for people with liking towards bittersweet delicacies, its just right. For those who want it more sweet can add half-a cup of extra sugar.

Thanks Farida for sharing and updating minute details every time you bake it! Pretty useful for bake-lovers like us!

One Common Breakfast, Upma, turned into a Veggie Delight by combing Vermicellis with frozen veggies (corn+peas+carrot+beans)

The precious tiny hands, which demand macaroni with tomato sauce!

What to do with the excess boiled and cooled Elbow Macaronis??

Turn them to ' Mac-Pakoras' and Kissi Ko Pata Nahi Chalega!

Sanjay Thumma of Vahrehvah.com fame with his cookery videos on Youtube has simplified the dishes and I had prepared few of the common dishes with his techniques and must say that they tasted absolutely heavenly. The cooking time is reduced incredibly with the shortcuts that he advises.

I have no pictures, but made 'Paneer Butter Masala', ST's way, thrice in the same week on demand by family members! Its absolute must if you are a paneer lover!

Matar Paneer : Made from fresh - 'Melts in mouth' Paneer for lunch

Corn Pakodi : A fast snack, great treat!

And lastly to end the post, the very best of cakes that I keep baking over and over again-

Deeba's (Passionate About Baking)- Vanilla Muffins...this time topped with Whipped cream, decorated with M&M's..mmmmmm yummm

And also Shilpa (Aayis Recipes) Eggless Dates Cake topped with almonds.

(sorry, but displaying the only pic which shook...as much as the taste of this cake shook the family members! )

Both these cakes were absolutely loved by my folks back in my homeland, on my vacation.

Thanks Deeba and Shilpa for blogging about and sharing these absolute crazed over n always in demand recipe for cake!!

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