I close my eyes and I see a winter coat. Furry, soft, black my favorite color when it comes to coats. The nostalgic dream doesn't end there. We are in a big garment factory and there we are standing in front of aisles of coats. Beautiful ones getting ready to be worn for the upcoming winter. It will be my first winter in US and am secretly praying there will be snow, lots of it so that I could make a snow man.
On that day, after much prodding from my roommates I chose a woolen coat with big buttons but sadly the price was exorbitant. Not something I could afford with my meager salary from working at our University food court. But my heart pleads to go for it...and I did. I was a proud owner of my first ever black furry coat. For many many winters after that, I remember digging my mitten-covered hands into its pockets and walking on snow filled streets. Many coats came later that but the memory of shopping for my first one is always special. :-)
Just like in the 90's, I am still obsessed with fresh or driedaloo bukhara. This ruby colored fruit is from plum/prune family and is a bit tart + sweet to taste. Biting into it takes me back to my grandmom's house where she used to bring home these luscious fruits every time they are in season. Few months ago, a good friend of my dad sent us a bag full of freshly harvested fruit from his backyard. Resisting the urge to eat them right way and making the usual jams or chutneys, I made few upside down mini cakes with them which turned out to be super moist and delicious. :-)
This is Recipe 63 added to 2013 Recipe Archive. Check out the rest of the recipes too.
The season of festivities has already begun here in India (Dussehra + Deepavali) and in US (Halloween + Thanksgiving + Christmas). While I was US, October brought two things - lots of snow and the exuberant holiday spirit. It was very hard to give it a miss and not get sucked right into it. I never wore a Halloween costume myself but I have seen many friends who used to start their planning on what to wear and whom to scare with such gusto.
Hoot Owl Cookies
Now that I am staying far far away and terribly missing them, I made a batch of hoot owl cookies, right at the very last minute. I had all these plans to write about a cake recipe today but the nostalgia of celebrating couple of Halloweens with my friends back in US got the better of me. :-)
The hardest part of this super fun cookie recipe is the wait of at least 2 hours for the dough to set a bit. Other than that, it is a real breeze to make these and store in an air tight container. I have been munching all day on these and my 4 month old little nephew got real excited looking at them. Make some and enjoy this year's Halloween with friends and family.
Do I look scaryyyy?
This is Recipe 62 added to 2013 Recipe Archive. Check out the rest of the recipes too.
Oh boy! What a wonderful feeling it is to celebrate 6 years of non-stop food blogging. I really didn't have a clue what I was getting myself into when I started this blog on a hot Sunday afternoon way back in 2007. I was neither a good cook nor good photographer then. I was nothing. Just someone who was tired of waiting, someone who was hoping something nice would happen in her life.
What's with this rain, I say? Not one evening went by since past one week where we had a clear sky after 6pm. and the weather forecast says the situation will not change for next 24 hours. It's not like I detest rain. Don't get me wrong. But, an overdose of anything will get on your nerves by some point.
...and I am at that point!!.
To pep myself up, I wanted something that can be made quickly, grab a coffee and eat in peace. What else other than "muffins" that perfectly fit the bill. :-) Just combine few ingredients that are commonly found in pantry, mix, pour and bake. In less than half hour, you have a fresh batch of muffins ready to be devoured. These are THE most enticing food when its raining or when I am craving to have something quick.
So, next time when it rains, make these Dried Blueberry and Banana Muffins - soft & cake-y from inside and light golden brown crumb with a subtle banana flavor and succulent blueberries to bite into. Enjoy!
4 tbsp (1/2 stick butter), at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 ripe banana, mashed (~ 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup milk
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 cup dried blueberries (fresh or frozen works too)
Preparation:
Step 1: In a medium bowl cream butter and sugar (with an electric mixer or hand). Add egg. Mix in bananas and milk.
Step 2: Sift together - flour, baking powder and ground cinnamon. Carefully fold in blueberries. If you are using frozen blueberries, fold them while they are still frozen or they will turn the batter purple. Dried blueberries do not need to be reconstituted before they are added.
Step 3: Fold (flour + blueberry mixture) into banana mixture carefully, only until the batter is moist.
Note: Do not overmix.
Step 4: Preheat oven to 375 F or 190 C. I used silicone muffin cups with a paper cup inside. If you are using a muffin pan, grease lightly with butter. Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling cups until 3/4ths. Top with one or two blueberries or chocolate sprinkles. Bake for 10-15 minutes until muffins are light golden brown. When a tooth pick inserted in the middle, it should come out clean.
Let them cool for 5 minutes in the muffin cups, then transfer to a cooling rack. Serve for breakfast, brunch or just as a snack. You really don't need a reason and specific time to enjoy a fresh home-made muffin. Isn't it.
Storage: Tightly wrap each muffin in a plastic wrap and store in an air tight container. Since it has banana, its recommended to consume these within few days.
There are some recipes which make your mouth water just by the very mention and some which are considered as "comfort food" which pep you up on a not-so-good day. For me, Olive Garden's "Eggplant Parmagiana" fall into both the categories. This classic Italian-American dish is a lovely way to serve eggplant. The very combination of fried eggplant with tomata sauce, pasta, cheese and basil on the top is too good to resist. It is a scrumptious vegetable dish, perfect for any parties or potlucks.
Instead of baking in a casserole dish, I chose to assemble the fried eggplant individually on a bed of pasta & tomato sauce. Since its just two of us eating dinner most of the times, this works as I don't need to worry about left overs.
But, for a bigger group, to make things simple - in a shallow baking dish, arrange fried eggplant slices with cheese, pasta and tomato sauce as layers to form a stack and bake until cheese bubbles. Top with shredded basil leaves. Yum!
Just pinch me Will ya? I can't believe its been 5 years since I started this little blog of mine. 5? Are you kidding me? that is like half-a-decade!. Every single moment, every single recipe and every single thought I put in here is so worthwhile and so exhilarating & relaxing at the same time. How can such feelings co-exist? Well, I am still figuring that out. :-)
Right now as I look back, its not the numbers that matter to me but the evolution and the experience itself. I got to know an amazing bunch of people through blogging. They inspire me. teach me and be there during my happy times and also at the times of despair. Some live in various parts of the world, many whom I never met but they are just a phone call or an email away!. Wow, can such virtual relationships sustain over time? Apparently yes. I am eternally grateful to God for sending them to me. You know who you are and Thank you for your love and for just being a part of my life.
A birthday is never complete without a cake. Isn't it? But, for today I made few quickJalapeno Corn Bread Muffins served with Vegetarian Chilli. It is a combination I very much miss since we moved back to India, so I thought what better occasion do I need to feature these two recipes on the blog. As a way to say Thank you for your affection and support over all these years, I planned a few exciting giveaways for you all. Enjoy!
3/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (atta)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1.5 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup tightly packed herbs - mint & coriander/cilantro
2 tbsp chopped jalapeno peppers
1 egg
2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup milk (or buttermilk)
Preparation:
Step 1: Pulse cornmeal until smooth texture. In a mixing bowl, add cornmeal, whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix.
Step 2: Add herbs and jalapenos to it.
Step 3: In an another bowl, beat together - egg, olive oil and milk.
Step 4: Add wet mixture to dry ingredients and gently mix everything.
Step 5: Preheat oven to 180 C or 350 F. Grease ramekins with olive oil and pour 3/4ths with batter. Top with some chopped jalapenos if desired. Bake for 18-20 mins until a toothpick or skewer when inserted in the center comes out clean. Rest for 10 mins.
Step 6: Run a knife around the edges and carefully unmold. Serve as a side accompaniment with soups, stew or chilli (recipe below). Wrap the rest of the muffins in a plastic cling to prevent from drying out. Microwave for few seconds and they are as good as fresh.
I won this set of ramekins as a giveaway from Divya's blog. :-)
{Recipe} Easy Vegetarian Bean Chilli
Ingredients:
3 cups boiled beans - I used chickpeas, black eyed peas, pinto beans and soya beans.
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 cups water
1 tbsp cumin powder
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
grated cheese, for topping
Preparation:
1. In a big pot, heat olive oil and saute onion and garlic for few minutes. Add carrot and peppers. Cook until soft.
2. Stir tomatoes and beans. On a low heat, cook for 3-4 minutes. Season with salt, chilli and cumin powder and pepper. Add water and continue cooking by stirring once or twice in the middle for 30-40 minutes.
3. Top with grated cheese and Serve hot with cornbread. Save left overs in refrigerator or freeze.
Now for the fun part. To celebrate the blog-o-anniversary, I have some goodies for you all. Just like before, there are two giveaways. One for Indian readers and other for rest of the world.
"Dessert is probably the most important stage of the meal, since it will be the last thing your guests remember before they pass out all over the table."
~ William Powell
Almost everybody love desserts, but hate the extra calories that come with them. Isn't it. I wished there was a way where I can enjoy a general serving of cake or a muffin, without worrying or feeling guilty and particularly without using any artificial sweeteners or other fancy synthetic substitutes. I would rather put some pounds than using such stuff. Trust me.
In short, recipes that are low calorie, high in flavor and nothing less than spectacular always appeal to me. I am sure that is the case with you guys too.
..and for the same, I stumbled upon a perfect cookbook during my quest. Those who love baking are already aware of Nick Malgieri's popular book - "How to Bake" and for the cookbook - Perfect Light Desserts: All Under 300 Calories per generous serving, he teamed up with David Joachim, a health food writer to create lighter desserts that are not high in calories using real butter, sugar, flour and eggs. And they do it by using them in moderation and in perfect combination. Each recipe featured has a nutritional breakdown, perfect for people who are dieting and watching their calories. Today I chose to make these simple "David's Skinny Chocolate Chip Cookies" which are super duper delicious and very moist. A keeper recipe.
Enjoy!
{Recipe} Best Skinny Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from Perfect Light Desserts by Nick Malgieri and David Joachim Makes around 30 cookies Nick's Notes: My co-author David Joachim eats tons of these moist cookies but still stays very thin. What I love about them is the fact that they are reduced in fat and sugar, yet every bit as good as traditional chocolate chip cookies.
Ingredients:
11/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt (omit if using salted butter)
4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
5 tbsp granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips
Preparation:
Step 1: Soften butter to room temparature. Sift flour, baking soda and salt (omit if using salted butter). Set aside.
Step 2: In a mixing bowl beat butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar, on medium speed for a minute.
Step 3: Add egg, milk and vanilla.
Step 4: Beat with an electric mixer using a spatula to scrape down the mixture from edges.
Step 5: Add flour, 1/2 cup at-a-time and beat on a low-speed.
Step 6: Fold in the chocolate chips.
Step 7: Cover and chill the dough in the bowl for about 15-20 minutes to keep the cookies from spreading too much while baking. I made just half a batch immediately and the rest on next day. Both the times, I had amazing results. Chilling the dough overnight definitely helps to hold their shape better.
Step 8: Preheat oven to 180 C or 350 F. Form small balls using two spoons or ice cream scoop and arrange on a cookie sheet or a baking sheet 2 inches apart.
Step 9: Bake for about 8 to 12 minutes until the cookies look dull on the surface, have spread and still quite moist. Cool the cookies on the pans and then on wire racks for 5-10 mins. Slide them off and cool them completely. Keep the cookies between sheets of wax paper in a tin or an air-tight container.
just out of the oven. cooling.
all stacked up
A cookie tastes best when enjoyed with a glass of milk. Now you can have them as many as you want, guilt-free. No one can eat just one as the calorie count per cookie is less than 100 calories. How cool is that! :-)
Best Skinny Chocolate Chip Cookies
P.S - this is not a paid or sponsored post. I bought the cookbook, loved the recipes tested, hence decided to feature here on my blog. Stay tuned for more in coming days.
