May Fiestas!!

The first was my anniversary cake..

A Victoria Sponge Cake:

The ingredients

The mixing..

 The oven!!

Done!!

 Cooling the sponge!

Cut it into shape & the icing (using amul fresh cream and cadbury!!)

Next: Almond Cookies.. my first cookies

Recipe from Bhavna's Kitchen

1/2 cup atta
1/2 cup maida
1 tbsp each of: gram flour, almond powder, rawa
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup white butter
1/2 tsp cardamom
pinch of nutmeg
1 tsp baking powder

Beat sugar and butter well
Mix the dry ingredients well and add, mix to form a foam like dough
Pre heat oven at 180C, bake for 15 mins
Bake for another 10 mins at 100C
Keep in oven for 20 mins after that and then take out to cool

 

In Law's Anniversary!!
This was the Eggless Milkmaid cake, and we used Pilsbury ready icing

Niece Birthday Cake

These are 2 no fat sponge cakes, made with eggs
4 eggs seperated
1 cup maida - 100 gms
1 cup sugar powder - 120 gms
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp vanilla essence

Mix & seive the baking powder and maida

Beat the egg whites till light and fluffy
Add sugar in 2-3 batches, beating till light, fluffy and forms peaks that stay when the beater is lifted
Then add the yolks and essence and beat till light and fluffy
Fold in the flour
Bake in a preheated oven at 180c for 25 mins

Tried my hand at marzipan flowers - almond powder, sugar powder and food color made into a dough with very little water

Made butter cream icing - home made white butter, icing sugar and vanilla essence
The choclate icing is Pilsbury..

Ready!!

Baked Macroni in White Sauce

White Sauce

Red Sauce:
Made a paste of 3-4 tomatoes, 2 onions, some ginger
Heat olive oil, add finely chopped garlic, red chilli powder, the paste, salt, mixed italian herbs and tomato ketchup

The Macroni:
Saute in olive oil - ginger garlic paste, red chilli powder, mixed italian herbs and salt, with semi cooked mushrooms, sweet corn, baby corn, chicken sausages, and boiled macroni

Took a deep dish, and arranged layers of white sauce, pasta, red sauce...white sauce, pasta, red sauce and so on!! Topped it with grated cheese.
Baked in a preheated oven at 180c for 20 mins

 Ready to eat!

Nachni Malpua

A quick and very healthy breakfast option for kids .. My 19 month old baby enjoyed it :)

Makes one malpua

3 tbsp nachni atta
1 tbsp atta (wheat)
1-2 tbsp finely chopped jaggery
a pinch of turmeric
salt to taste

Mix all the ingredients in water so as to get a batter of a runny dosa consistency
Heat a tawa, grease it with ghee, and pour the batter. Cook on both sides (applying ghee) till done (Color changes from brown to a little white when done)
The gur gives a very nice flavour!

Tzaziki/Chachik

Tzaziki is a traditional Greek dip which is made from cucumber and yogurt.It could be an accompaniment to food or a salad also.I had seen this recipe in Master chef Australia and had tried it in 2010.It was yummy

Cacık is a turkish form of dip which is a variation of Greek tzatziki,


Ingredients
yogurt (Supposed to be from goat's milk but u can try cow/buffalo milk too),
cucumber,
salt,
garlic peeled and finely chopped,
mint
honey
olive oil
lemon

Peel the cucumbers and grate it corsely on to a tray covered with a clean cloth so the liquid from the cucumber can drain in to the tray. Then sprinkle it with the salt and allow to sit for about 5 minutes. The extra liquid will get separated..so now squeeze it and transfer in a mixing bowl
Add the yogurt,garlic,lemon and honey.Season with mint leaves

Cool it in fridge before serving

Pasta in Pesto Sauce with Mushrooms

Ingredients:
Fresh Basil leaves
Pine nuts if available,if not walnuts and almonds
Garlic cloves peeled
Salt
Pepper
Grated cheese
Olive oil
Pasta cooked All dente
Mushrooms roasted in olive oil
Black olives pitted
Cream/milk
Additional oregano /thyme as per taste


Procedure:
For Pesto sauce,put fresh basil leaves,Nuts,cheese and garlic cloves in a blender.Add olive oil and puree till smooth.
Now mix the Roasted Mushrooms,Olives,Cooked pasta together.Add the above sauce to this mixture.Top it with Cream,grated cheese.Cook on medium flame till cheese melts.Add salt ,pepper additinal herbs.

Serve hot with garlic bread

Poha "Risotto Style"

Accidentally prepared this when had extra Poha left..turned out to be yummmy



Ingredients:
... Poha washed and a bit damp
Olive oil
Onion chopped
Garlic cloves peeled and cut
Boiled corn/baby corn
Mushroom stock
Chopped Vegetables like cabbage,capsicum,mushroom etc as per your choice
Herbs
Cheese Grated
Milk
Salt
Ground Pepper

Procedure
In olive oil fry onions and garlic..till golden brown
Add all vegetables
Add the poha now..let it fry a while
Now add vegetable stock
Add some milk
Let it gain the right consistency
Add salt pepper and herbs
Top up with grated cheese.
Cook till cheese melts

Serve hot..Enjoy this Italian version of Maharashtrian Poha

Salad this week

Chopped carrots
Chopped cucumber
Lettuce leaves

Add to it a dash of olive oil, pepper powder and/or oregano, lemon juice and salt to taste!

Sauted Exotic Vegies & Chicken

Ingredients:
1/2 cup each of chopped:
Mushrooms (already sauted in butter, till all the water is dried)
Brocoli (steamed)
Zucinni

1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp olive oil

ready to eat chicken (like nuggets/kebabs etc) - shallow fried and chopped

Heat oil in a pan, and add the ginger garlic paste. Add the zuccini & cook for 2 mins. Then add rest of the ingredients, and cover and cook for 3-4 mins. Finally add salt, pepper & a dash of lemon juice.
Very simple, and tasty. Of course, you can add any seasoning as per your liking!