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WEEKEND HERB BLOGGING WITH NASTURCIUMS...the pretty edible flower!!
2008-04-14 17:54:00
?In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.?William Blake Weekend herb blogging with flowers & herbs!Summer is almost beating down on us & we harvested the last of the nasturtiums over the weekend. The garden was literally over-run by these very pretty & hardy flowers.Even a bunch of caterpillars visited to enjoy the leaves...they chomped their way through an entire flowerbed overnight!!The burst of colour has now gone...but I have a fine bunch of pressed flowers & leaves, & seeds collected for next year.Ever since I read online that nasturtiums are edible flowers (their leaves too), have been keen to throw them into a salad. These pretty flowers are said to have a peppery taste & do well in salads & stir-fry's. Not sure if they added much to taste, but certainly made the salad worthwhile with visual appeal & Vitamin C! I served individual portion on nasturtium leaves ... even the boy willingly tried a bite if only to prove he could chomp...
More About: Flowers , Blogging , Flower , Pretty

CURRY CONNECTIONS...LAMB CURRY & POTATOES
2008-04-12 15:29:00
?What I say is that, if a fellow really likes potatoes, he must be a pretty decent sort of fellow.?A. A. Milne What's Cooking ? Curry , I said!Ben @ What's Cooking US asked me one day if I'd like to contribute something from my part of the world for his 'What's Cooking World' series. C'mon Ben, I said....wouldn't I just? Any foodie worth his/her salt jumps to a good opportunity that knocks. I had to put on my thinking cap though, as I had posted most of my favourite lamb curries earlier. Suddenly remembered this one...a lamb curry with the very humble potato. Lamb , curry & potatoes make a delicious dish...the flavours blend beautifully & this is a nice, comforting curry! With 2008 being declared the 'Year of the Potato', how good it feels to be sending this off to my dear friend Ben. We've shared our 'yeastophobias', celebrated out strengths of baking powders, exchanged notes on chrysanthemums, encouraged each other on DB challenges...this is an extension of our ...
More About: Indian , Potatoes

CHOCOLATE-CHIP PISTACHIO COOKIES...& SERENDIPITY!
2008-04-11 13:33:00
"Me want cookie!"Cookie Monster Chocolate -chip Pistachio Cookies This was the day after making the chocolate pistachio fudge. I was plenty inspired with the great combination of chocolate & pistachios & decided to explore it some more. Time to substitute the walnuts in my chocolate chip cookies with pistachios! Oooooooooooh...for a nut which is not quite popular or as visible as pecans or walnuts, I'm amazed at the potential it has! This cookie tasted great; very nice indeed. I've also seen some great pistachio panna cottas on the net. Another delightful thing about pistachios is the visual appeal. They add a burst of colour to whatever they are added to, more so as a garnish. I'm so glad I've discovered these pretty nuts...Chocolate-chip Pistachio CookiesIngredients:Butter - 1/2 cup / 100gmsBrown sugar - 1/3 cupGranular Sugar - 1/3 cup Egg - 1Vanilla Extract - 1 tspFlour - 1 cupWholewheat flour - 1/4 cupBaking soda - 1/2 tspPinch of saltChocolate chips - 1/2 cupPistachio...
More About: Serendipity , Chip , Pistachios

CHOCOLATE FUDGE BY OUR OWN LITTLE DOMESTIC GODDESS IN THE MAKING!
2008-04-09 02:27:00
"Fudge is a noun, a verb, an interjection, and delicious!" Jessi Lane Adams Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Pistachio FudgeThe daughter was on my case for ages..."Want to make FUDGE!!!" She stacked all my chocolate books in a pile & copied down recipe after recipe, my pleas falling to deaf ears that the books were mine & here to stay. DH was witness to the pointless conversation! She would have none of it...aaaaaaaaaaargh!! Securing her future...with chocolate? Hmmmmmmmm...She writes down all her favourite stuff from my blog just in case the 'www' disappears one fine day with my precious blog! Horror of a thought...but nevertheless, a thought! As fate would have it, while the DH was surfing channels that night he hollered for me...transfixed by Nigella Lawson, the Domestic Goddess herself. Nigella Express was racing through the show & she was making chocolate fudge. Coincidence...& I badgered him thereafter to tell me whether it was her mesmerizing self or the fudge ...
More About: Christmas , Dessert

ONE PERFECT INGREDIENT...RINGING THE BELL FOR PEPPERS!
2008-04-07 11:00:00
"In cooking, as in all the arts, simplicity is the sign of perfection."Curnonsky My 'One Perfect Ingredient ' would be 'BELL PEPPERS'. When Maninas: Food Matters left me a message the other day, I did a little jig. Said it was OK to post for the 'One Perfect Ingredient Competition' for the book from Marcus Wareing 'One Perfect Ingredient'...even if we weren't resident in the UK or Europe.Quoting from Maninas...'Marcus Wareing is one of the best British chefs today: he is a two Michelan-starred chef, he worked with the (in)famous Gordon Ramsay, and he won the Great British Menu competition with his custard tart with Garibaldi biscuits. The winning dessert was served to the Queen and her guests at a banquet celebrating her 80th birthday.Focusing on one ingredient at a time, Michelin-starred chef Marcus Wareing presents at least three imaginative, delicious but simple ways of cooking with it, offering a wealth of fresh ideas on how to use the everyday ingredients that repeate...
More About: Bell , Peppers

ROLL OVER BEETHOVEN...MAKE WAY FOR DINNER ROLLS!
2008-04-05 12:10:00
?Bread , milk and butter are of venerable antiquity. They taste of the morning of the world.?Leigh Hunt Knotted All Over...for dinner!I've had dinner rolls on my mind for a while with the Chuck Berry song that hums in the background. Yeastophobia being a thing of the past, I'm gingerly inching my way forward to make things I dreamt about for long. The last time I bought dinner rolls was the last time I bought them. They were so 'not real'...nothing to them. So I got on & read a few baking books about shaping & knotting breads...what fun!Dreaming of Garlicky Dinner Roll s...Then came the time for recipe searches. I had a couple ingrained in my brain for months, but the one that kept coming back was one @ Aparna's My Diverse Kitchen. I made these pretty rolls adapting her recipe. Changes...hmmm...plenty because of overconfidence! Measured all wrong, mixed everything together & did a double take; too late. March on you daring baker, there was only one way to go. ROLL AW...
More About: Make , Beethoven

LIME YOGURT PANNA COTTA...GUILT-FREE INDULGENCE!
2008-04-04 11:01:00
"It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all."Laura Ingalls Wilder Yogurt Panna Cotta...the healthier Option! My love for panna cotta knows no bounds. This is one versatile dessert & absolutely sublime. The regular panna cotta is indulgent, creamy & quite the best thing that happened to my list of desserts recently. You can find my previous panna cotta posts here (Coffee) & here (Strawberry). Who can resist a panna cotta...& with a fruity, tangy lime sauce? YUM!!Nutmeg flavouring the sauce...This time I made it healthier too...by substituting a part of the cream with yogurt. It's adapted from a recipe I chanced by while at Baking Bites & was sold on the idea. This recipe is one that can make an appearance more often, without me feeling guilty of so many calories. ( I have to add that DH loves the 'authentic' Italian one...he says that's the real thing! Hmmmph, so much for my healthy attempt...but he lapped this one up nevertheless...
More About: Dessert , Free , Guilt , Lime

FRESH, LIGHT & 'AU NATUREL'...BASKETS A LA MELON!
2008-04-01 08:02:00
?Give me book, fruit, French wine, and fine weather and a little music out of doors played by someone I do not know.?John Keats Basket a la Melon s!! Spring is in the air! Doing away with decadence, though very temporarily, it's Spring in the air. Melons are beginning to show up here. These pretty yellow fruits are probably called cantaloupes, casabas or melons overseas, but are called 'sarda' locally. Till last year, they were imported from Afghanistan & were priced quite steep. I didn't buy them last year because I like to subscribe to the' grown within the 100 mile radius' way of life. I'm not completely steadfast though; will buy the odd kiwi etc.Make Melons Part of Your 5 A Day Plan...This year the prices are way more affordable because these pretty melons are being grown in nearby farms. Fresh , juicy & ever so sweet! That's why I went & bought a couple the minute I got to know. Just helps in looking after the environment in my small way & so I tend to bu...
More About: Baskets , Light

MARCH MADNESS & A DARING BAKERS PERFECT PARTY CAKE!!
2008-03-30 04:46:00
"Spring is nature's way of saying, 'Let's party!' "Robin WilliamsGimme a layered cake to make & I'm in 7th heaven!As you can obviously guess from my blog posts, I love baking cakes. I have Morven @ Food Art & Random Thoughts to thank for posting such a wonderful challenge..Dorie Greenspan's 'Perfect Party Cake '. After my first 2 challenges I was pretty much on shaky grounds (what with LMPs & French loaves), I must admit I procrastinated even going to check on March 's challenge! Crumbs...by the time I checked, had already begun work on our anniversary cake (Chocolate Orange Cloud Gateau; nice one) so felt like kicking myself! The next opportunity was grabbed with both hands & I marched into a cake baking frenzy!COFFEE stamped all over it!As Morven, the large-hearted lady said...put your stamp on it. In her words..."I wanted to pick something that had potential for putting your personal stamp on. Although this is essentially a white cake I know there are some ...
More About: March Madness , Bakers

BALANCING THE BREAKFAST ACT...WBB / GRILLED TOAST!
2008-03-28 14:51:00
?All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast.?John GuntherO the perils of months' coming to an end & blog events piling up sky high. I'm huffing & puffing to catch up...for Mansi @ Fun and Food has chosen "Balanced Breakfast Meals" as this month's theme for WBB#20.WBB, short for Weekend Breakfast Blogging, was started by Nandita of Saffron Trail almost a year ago with the aim of collecting interesting recipes for a weekend breakfast. Preparing balanced meals is not as difficult as you think. Its just mixing up all the good stuff and packaging in a way that's visually appealing and good for your body too! I agree totally...but time, deadlines & camera batteries doing the number are the big issues in my little corner of the world! Mansi says...A balanced and wholesome breakfast is something that combines 2 or more of the food groups below to fulfill nutrition needs. Fruits or vegetables (dried fruits are fine too)Grains and Cereals (whole grains, oats, high-fiber fo...
More About: Toast , Grilled

GRILLED COTTAGE CHEESE...LIVESTRONG!
2008-03-27 06:46:00
"Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts. And we are never, ever the same."Unknown QuotesGrilled Cottage Cheese ...for Live STRONG Day 2008This is a really healthy & delicious dish marinated in an olive oil dressing, & then grilled to yummy heights...served with a salad on the side. Makes for an appetizing first course, or even for a main course with a soup & freshly baked bread. It's kid friendly too...& wholesome all the way. The original recipe was possibly with halloumi , a cheese indigenous to Cyprus. I have been making this with cottage cheese for ages & we all love it.LiveSTRONG Day 2008 is on May 13th. My entry is specially put together for a foodie event at Barbara's blog @ Winos & Foodies. In her words, "Here in the food and wine blogging community we will be supporting LiveSTRONG Day with our A Taste of Yellow event. Please join me again as we remember those loved ones who are no longe...

MARCHing on to SUGAR HIGH FRIDAYS...SWEET GIFT BROWNIES!
2008-03-24 09:07:00
"A gift consists not in what is done or given, but in the intention of the giver or doer."Seneca A gift of love...Brownies in a box!This is a box of brownies that I baked for a dear old lady who lives nearby. She is about 78 years old & makes sure she stops by to say 'Good Morning' to me at the childrens' bus stop every single morning! Two days without a meeting, & she comes by our place to catch up with me! She is a warm, wonderful person, so positive & so full of life, that one wonders why we crib about silly little things! Always helpful, always forthcoming & forever smiling! A very large-hearted lady indeed. Her husband was in the Indian Army & passed away several years ago; she now lives with her daughter, & can teach many of us how to live life fully!! I baked these for her birthday a while ago...coz she said she used to make brownies when she was young & loved them. She loved these so much...that she actually set out to bake them a couple of we...
More About: Sugar , Dessert , Sweet , Gift

ADDING COLOUR TO SPRING...The festival of HOLI!
2008-03-23 17:00:00
"The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts." Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Holi - the festival of colours Holi, an Indian festival, heralds the arrival of Spring - the season of hope and new beginnings and marks the rekindling of the spirit of life. Gulmohurs, corals, silk-cottons and mango trees start flowering, gardens and parks present a glorious spectacle of a riot of colours - crimson, red, pink, orange, golden yellow, lemon and a variety of glittering greens. A pallette of colours from my garden...As the brief spring warms the landscape, northern India cuts loose for a day of hi jinx and general hilarity. The festival of Holi is celebrated on the day after the full moon in early March every year. The spring season, during which the weather changes, is believed to cause viral fever and cold. Thus, the playful throwing of the colored powders has a medicinal significance: the colors are traditionally made of Neem, Kumkum, Haldi, Bilva, and other medicinal herbs prescribed ...
More About: Festival , Colour

CUP-a-CAKE THIS EASTER...Eggciting Chocolate!
2008-03-22 09:17:00
" 'Twas Easter -Sunday.The full-blossomed trees filled all the air with fragrance and with joy."Henry Wadsworth LongfellowCupcakes for Easter...Spring is in the air!!Stephanie @ The Adventures of Pie Queen has this neat Devil's Food Cupcakes recipe that I tripped upon one day. It's been on my mind ever since & I set to work making cupcakes that I wanted to make for Easter. My sis sent bags of Easter eggs & jelly beans for the kids from the US last week, & I had to make full use of them before the kids did! Jellybeans KaleidoscopeOf course the devil was dancing in the mind with a festive theme at MASTER BAKERS' for March being announced...Easter candy. ! The concept of Master Bakers is Nikki's brainchild. It's sweet & simple. She picks the ingredient & you can bake whatever your heart desires as long as it has the ingredient! Can it get any simpler? I missed cinnamon last month, & made sure I got there in time this month. With candy as this month's theme...
More About: Cake , Chocolate

A TALE OF DIRT PIES & SPICY COOKIES!
2008-03-19 17:28:00
?You become about as exciting as your food blender. The kids come in look you in the eye, and ask if anybody's home.?Erma BombeckSpicy Cookies Sometimes I think I'm running my personal blog patrol event & the frequency seems to be increasing with all the yummies doing the rounds! Made these 'healthy' cookies the other day. I don't think they can get more healthier than this & stay edible, specially with kids. While browsing Sunita's blog I stopped at these. She was inspired by traditional gingersnaps & these looked ever so pretty & sounded simple too. I had all the ingredients on hand & couldn't wait to get started. They made 15 perfect cookies...warm, deep flavours emanating from them. These are healthy, healthy cookies & good for a change from butter! More of a dunk in the coffee sorta cookie! The kids liked them, & the boy had a picture idea...to hold it against the sky; eventually we settled for somewhere in between! And therein begins the tale ...
More About: Cinnamon , Pies , Dirt

LOAFING AROUND...FOCACCIA with garlic, onion & fresh basil
2008-03-17 10:49:00
"A crust eaten in peace is better than a banquet partaken in anxiety." Aesop VICTORY LOAF....FOCACCIA!Come spring & you find breads being baked with renewed fervour. Easter holiday breads are popping up all over the blogosphere...from hot cross buns to sweet braided loaves! I too have abandoned with glee my yeastophobia & jumped into the fray... though not with a sweet bread. I decided to make focaccia the other day. For me this finally symbolises victory over my fear of yeast! I'm ready to conquer the world of breads!! What better time but with the advent of Spring...Fun with dough... mastering the plait!This flat bread topped with olive oil, spices and other products is an early prototype of modern pizza. The basic recipe is thought by some to have originated with the Etruscans or Ancient Greeks.Focaccia, known and loved in Italy and abroad, is a yeasted bread dough, often mixed or spread with oil, herbs, or onion, and ancient way of cooking bread dough quickly, possibly...
More About: Garlic , Basil , Bread , Fresh , Onion

Mid-Summer's Day Drink...A Ginger-Lime-Mint Cooler for MBP
2008-03-16 06:32:00
" Remember: "I" before "E," except in Budweiser." Author Unknown Ginger Lime Mint Cooler And then the blogs come alive again...with the buzz of something new, something being missed. Events are popping up each day, one more enticing than the other. The addiction is maddening & the pace of calendar days flying by sometimes terrifying! Then comes the MBP...a special event. Foodies across blogosphere will always bookmark & save something they've got tempted by for the next one on the things-to-do (& SOON) list. I've been eyeing this lovely Ginger-mint-lime cooler @ 28 Cooks for ages waiting for warmer days to come. Come they have...& I hit my patch of mint pronto! Lovely drink...refreshing, full of flavour...evocative of long lazy hot summers that come & go each passing year. Couldn't have asked for a cooler cooler!! Thank you Fiber... we LOVED this drink; even the kids did!!It's the Monthly Blog Patrol or MBP which affords us a platform to get there...novel &...
More About: Drink

MAKE MINE COFFEE with chocolate...ALLURING PANNA COTTA ESPRESSO!
2008-03-14 15:25:00
"Fervet olla, vivit amicitia: While the pot boils, friendship endures."(Meaning the man who gives good dinners has plenty of friends).Latin Proverb Living my coffee dreams...with some chocolate too!My dream run in the kitchen continues...I'm lucky to have moulded family tastes to quite an extent that coffee is lapped up in any dessert avatar. As I mentioned the last time I made panna cotta, the delectable strawberry coulis delight, it wouldn't be long before I made it again. Sure enough, the next time I had to make dessert, it was right back to my favourite, new Italian discovery! This time I hit the coffee trail with some chocolate ganache. Mmmmmmm...wait; then it got even better... added some freshly made almond praline to crown the glory. Incredibly alluring, deeply satisfying, silky smooth...in one word 'ambrosial' !! Sublime & satisfying!! For the panna cotta:Cream - 400mlWhole Milk - 1 cupSugar - 1/2 cupInstant Coffee - 2 tbsp (acc to taste)Gelatin - 1 1/2 tbspsWater -...
More About: Dessert , Chocolate , Mine , Espresso

PITAS FULL OF POCKETS...with FALAFEL, KABOBS OR COTTAGE CHEESE!
2008-03-10 18:14:00
"If the divine creator has taken pains to give us delicious and exquisite things to eat, the least we can do is prepare them well and serve them with ceremony." Fernand PointGetting into the FALAFEL of things...Quite a few blogs are buzzing with Middle Eastern food these days & I'm trying hard to catch up. By the time I get to making falafel & pita bread after getting pockets-full of inspiration from Val @ More Than Burnt Toast, she's already hitting a new trail...'Zataar'! O Boy... so much to do as usual, & so little time! I must admit I've been living under a rock. For some insane reason, each time I heard of falafel I assumed it was a sort of bread. Having had donna kebabs several times in the UK & in Canada, it never crossed my mind that there might be a vegetarian option. I always associated the Middle East with kebabs served on a bed of rice or in pita pockets!!! Can you imagine my surprise when I read at Val's that it was chickpeas they were talking abou...
More About: Cottage , Cheese , Full

FIRST AMONGST EQUALS...Flowers from the winter garden!
2008-03-09 17:29:00
"Please don't eat the daisies."Jean KerrWinter has beaten a hasty retreat from our part of the globe & summer is approaching far too soon. Maybe it's global warming, maybe changing patterns...whatever...but it's becoming hotter & hotter under the sun each day. Ruing the sudden departure of winter chill, here are pictures of the first blooms that opened their eyes in our garden this past winter. The following picture is one of my favourites. It has left a footprint on my mind...a lasting impression...which will be renewed next year again! Nature never ceases to amaze!! Perfect pairing. FOOD & FLOWERS......One enhancing the glory of the other!Posted by Passionate baker & beyond.
More About: Flowers , Garden , Equals

LIME CHOCOLATE ALMOND SHORTBREAD TART...Making it YELLOW for IWD!!
2008-03-09 15:25:00
“Men become passionately attached to women who know how to cosset them with delicate tidbits.”Honoré de Balzac Lime Chocolate Almond Shortbread Tart ...making it YELLOW!!Got a mail from the talented Zorra @ Kochtopf the other day announcing an event being co hosted by her for International Women's Day on 8th March. In her words..."fiordisale asked me to organize with her a special event for International Women's Day. March 8 is a major day of global celebration for the economic, political and social achievements of women. Food connects people, so we would like to invite you to cook or bake something yellow for this special day. Yellow because on this day in Southern countries there is the tradition to give sprigs of bright yellow Mimosa flowers to women. The flowers are intended as a sign of respect and also an expression of solidarity with the women in their support for oppressed women worldwide.So this year, instead of the Mimosa sprigs, we will make yellow food! It can be w...

CHOCOLATE ORANGE CLOUD GATEAU...WALKING ON CLOUDS!!
2008-03-06 15:28:00
"After about 20 years of marriage, I'm finally starting to scratch the surface of what women want. And I think the answer lies somewhere between conversation and chocolate."Mel Gibson Chocolate Orange Cloud Gateau...I love cake making occasions & am beginning to explore newer avenues. Loads of experience & some success has made me bolder! One of the 2 books that are parked at my bedside are 'Cream Cakes & Gateaux' by Sue Ross. She says ...'Homemade cream cakes are irresistibly compulsive - and you don't have to be an expert to gain perfect results. Even the most spectacular results need no more than a quick final assembly of parts that have been cooked ahead". How true, & beautifully worded. I advocate her theory completely... Sheer indulgence...delightful & delicious!!This cake is an adaptation of the 'Mandarin Orange Cloud Gateau' from her book. The basic sponge & sandwiching are quite the same, & I chose to make the topping dark chocolate. Th...
More About: Walking , Clouds

SPUDS-WE-LIKE...OVEN-BAKED FRIES with CRUMB FRIED FISH
2008-03-04 18:20:00
"Money is the root of all evil, and yet it is such a useful root that we cannot get on without it any more than we can without potatoes."Louisa May Alcott OVEN-BAKED FRIES...SPUDS-WE-LIKE!!While visiting London in the late 80's, we would often stop by at a quaint little potato joint called Spuds -U-Like. Spud is a slang for potato. On a cold winter evening, nothing seemed better than a hot potato, baked to perfection (or so it appeared to our hungry selves), with topping choices galore & creamy to the hilt. We (me & my bunch of friends) would stare at the potato in awe...never had we seen such a HUGE spud & we were spoilt by the choice of toppings. The eating joint has been long gone, but the spudtasty feeling remains! Such was the magic of the humble potato...& we weren't even foodies then, just cold & hungry souls!!The year 2008 has been declared the International Year of the Potato (IYP) by United Nations to raise awareness of Solanum Tuberosum. Sia @ Monsoon...
More About: Baked , Fish , Fried , Fried fish

WRAPPING IT UP... Indian Flatbread / Chapati Wraps with Turkish kebabs
2008-03-04 08:38:00
“Blues is to jazz what yeast is to bread. Without it, it's flat.”Carmen McRae, Jazz vocalist and pianist Indian Flatbread ... Chapati / RotiWrapping it up...fresh,healthy & fun!Here's what I did with part of the Turkish Adana Kebabs I made a few days ago. I made Indian unleavened flatbreads, chapati or roti, & made wraps using the kebabs as the filling, with bell peppers, onions, a Yogurt dip & a new discovery...Pomegranate Molasses. Served it with a Mexican corn salad on the side. I find unleavened flatbreads very healthy & versatile. They are made out of whole wheat flour dough only, which just has to be kneaded (as the Daring Bakers tag line comes to mind...We need to knead), no question of leavening agents, prior preparation etc, & above all, no preservatives . I usually leave the dough standing for 30 minutes for the gluten strands to develop...& then am ready to roll!!Turkish Adana Kebabs...you can find the recipe hereA flatbread is a simple bread...

FROSTED STRAWBERRY ORANGE CHOCOLATE-CHIP CUPCAKES...Strawberry fields forev
2008-03-03 09:37:00
"Find something you're passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it." Julia ChildFrosted Strawberry Orange Chocolate -chips Cupcakes...merging flavours! I was making mini vanilla cupcakes for a friend's daughters' birthday the other day,& had some batter leftover. With Arfi's Cupcake Spectacular 2008 on my mind, I scrabbled around in the fridge looking for something different I could put together...other than a regular vanilla muffin. AHA...found 4 strawberries which were crying out to be used! Further exploration revealed some oranges too, so I set to work. These cupcakes were flavoured beautifully & made luscious little bites...good enough for dessert too; can't go wrong with strawberry, orange & chocolate! Topped them off with a strawberry buttercream & a chocolate ganache!A cupcake (the common US term) or fairy cake (the common British term) is a small cake designed to serve one person, usually made in a small paper cup container. As with larger ca...
More About: Fields , Chip

GLAZED LIME/LEMON BUTTERMILK POUND CAKE...An easy cake to make with a delic
2008-03-01 02:54:00
"When life hands you a lemon, say, "Oh yeah, I like lemons. What else ya got?"Henry Rollins GLAZED LEMON BUTTERMILK POUND CAKEThis cake is SO good & is one of our favourites. It's a simple, no fail cake, with a light & delicate crumb. It brings back memories of old-fashioned tea cakes, home-made just like we loved them, & with the fresh tangy taste of lime! Both my SIL, & another close friend, swear that this is the perfect tea cake. I had misplaced this recipe a while ago, & my friend from Kiev has been kind enough to send it back...as she said "Your recipe back to you"!The lemony flavours are enhanced further when you drizzle the hot cake with a lime/lemon sugar glaze icing...PERFECTO!! It's delicious on its own, & also makes for a pretty dessert with whipped cream & berries. This wonderful cake is lime 'n' lemony to the core & just the entry I'd like to send to Coffee at Spice Cafe, who is hosting this months' JFI-Lime/lemon. She's been awa...
More About: Lemon , Cake , Make , Easy , Pound

IS IT A BAR, IS IT A COOKIE? Guess what...It's a BAR COOKIE!
2008-02-29 14:16:00
"In the nut, nothing is lost, except perhaps the noise it makes when breaking." World Wide WalnutPistachio, Cranberries & Golden Raisin BarsWas flipping pages of one of my favourite cookie books, 'The Colossal Cookie Cookbook', wondering what snack to make for the kids snack box for school. Thought I'd quickly do a batch of brownies, got the tin ready, lined it etc, & then had a change of heart. Wanted something other than chocolate...I like introducing them to as many flavours as possible, when they are still willing. Found something I liked the sound of... 'Cranberry & Golden Raisin Bars' hmmmmmmm. Passed a handful of golden raisins to the boy, who gave them a disdainful look, but tried one...& decided they weren't that bad after all. Then the pistachios were chomped happily & the craisins too, which were a big hit! (The craisins were Ocean Spray's 'Orange Flavor Sweetened Dried Cranberries' that I had lying around for a while. They are seriously good ...
More About: Cookies , Guess

YEASTLY TALES;DARING BAKERS with JULIA CHILD'S FRENCH LOAF!
2008-02-29 14:01:00
"Everyone is kneaded out of the same dough but not baked in the same oven." Yiddish ProverbJulia Child's French Loaf...The 29th is finally here...it's been such a looooooooong wait!Presenting this month's Daring Bakers challenge...'Julia Child's French Loaf'...hosted by Breadchicks Mary (The Sour Dough) & Sara (I Like to Cook). Did it evoke some response or what? There were pages & pages of comments (126 at last count) - quite a few understandably anxious & panicky (like me) & others over the moon (???). I procrastinated for long, very unlike me, because baking & me are mutually inseparable. Then read up posts & updates & websites...finally got some gentle inspiration from Dharm. The mind was made up. On the 12th of Feb DH was off to Dubai for a day & I had the whole day to overcome my battle with yeast. PHEW...sure it took all day, right from kneading from 8 in the morning! But the yeast worked & the 'first rising' rose & with it my s...
More About: Tales

FRUITS AT WORK...A FRUITY DESSERT & A WIERD MEME!
2008-02-26 17:02:00
"There is greater relish for the earliest fruit of the season."Marcus Valerius Martialis, Roman poetFruit s at work...Strawberry , Kiwi, Orange & BasilThe minute winter begins to go away, the mind defrosts & begins to work overtime again. There is so much colour in the fruits & veggies appearing on the shelves, that I find it impossible to sit back & relax!! This is the result of one such instance...one fruity dessert that I tried for the first time last year & we loved it. It's very simple as there's no cooking involved; full of fruit, full of flavour, & colourful as ever. Very tropical & summery feel to it...the addition of fresh basil leaves makes it even more interesting.Colourful all the way...I find this dessert just right to bid adieu to winter & to welcome spring. The zest is optional; I thought it added a slight but nice bitter taste, & thought I would run it past the kids. Amazingly they loved it, with just a drizzle of cream on it. The ...
More About: Meme , Dessert

TURKISH ADANA KEBABS...Transcending borders, Finding flavour!
2008-02-25 09:19:00
"Do not dismiss the dish saying that it is just, simply food.The blessed thing is an entire civilization in itself"Abdulhak Sinasi Turkish Adana Kebabs...from a cuisine which is unique!Here's something new I made yesterday...Adana kebabs. The recipe comes from my younger sister who's known as the 'chicken queen' of our family. We're constantly digging into her reservoir of recipes because she's always trying different chicken recipes from cuisines across borders. These days she's exploring Turkish & North African cuisine, & I sit & wait for 'reviews & must try recommendations'! Lucky me...these kebabs from her Turkish-Mediterranean Cookbook were on the list of 'must tries' & were certainly worth the recommendations. The only hard work is the chopping...so for those of you who are game to chop, take out your Santuko knives & hit the deck!! My life is a lot easier & fun ever since my sis presented me with my 2 fave kitchen tools...the microplaner...
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