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COOKIE TIME - 'FOUR IN ONE' COOKIE DOUGH...the versatile sugar cookie!
2008-01-07 13:15:00
"A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand." Author UnknownCOOKIE TIME...I felt a bit like Martha Stewart...though I didn't get time enough to make 7 cookies out of the same dough! Anyway, barely had time to make 1 portion of sugar cookie dough, my adapted recipe that I trust blindly! This time I made 4 different sorts outta the one dough...hence, decided to call 'em 'FOUR-IN-ONE COOKIES'...Its great fun making these, & this is the first time I've made a variety out of the same dough. I made between 2-3 dozen of each type, & the son has literally begged me for 'any broken or burnt ones that you don't need' cookies! I've posted the first 3 before...links included. The 4th type were dipped into melted dark chocolate, then dipped into sprinkles, & once set, were drizzled over with white chocolate. Simple, yet effective! Smartie Cookies ...using M 'n' M's- Can use Smarties, M 'n' M's, Gems...whatever!Iced Party Cookies Stained Glass CookiesBefore baking...crush...
More About: Sugar , Time , Gurgaon , Chocolate

MENU FOR OUR MAD TEA PARTY...
2008-01-06 03:29:00
"Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we're here we should dance."Unknown So here's what found its way on the menu for the daughter's birthday. Some I have posted before & the rest I shall put into words by & by.I made the stuff over a period of 3-4 days. The fact that its winter here & freezing cold helped 'coz its so much easier make stuff in advance. There were Sugar cookies made in four different avatars out of the same dough; Mini Vanilla Cupcakes topped with a buttercream icing & chocolate embellishments; Tartlets with either chocolate ganache & marzipan decorations, or buttercream & chocolate embellishments; Mushroom canapes; Corn canapes, Dip with chips & veggies ; Cheese cookies; Jam tarts...& of course our 'Yin Yang Chocolate Cake'! All in all, quite a mad tea party with boisterous 12teens & 2 naughty lads!!
More About: Party , Gurgaon , Birthday , Menu

YIN YANG CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH MARZIPAN...My daughter's birthday cake!
2008-01-04 15:49:00
"And Above All?Think Chocolate !"Betty CrockerMy daughter's 12th Birthday Cake ..'YIN YANG CHOCOLATE CAKE' " The time has come", the walrus said, "to talk of other things". These words from 'Alice in Wonderland' have been playing in my mind all morning! Hmmmmmm...Time to post my daughter's 12th birthday cake. Chocolate cake it had to be because of its universal appeal; in addition, the daughter wanted a 'yin-yang' on top. DH suggested marzipan. That too was readily agreed upon. Having got direction of some sort from all quarters (the son's direction was just 'cake mama'), I painted a picture in my mind. The tough part was to transfer it from a virtual state to 'reality'. WAS FUN (can say so now...Phew!!) & CHALLENGING!'YIN-YANG' - The black & white symbol in the centre 'The concept of Yin Yang is one of the fundamental concepts of Chinese philosophy. It is a concept of relativity between two elements of a whole. Nothing in this concept is absolute. Not only is ...
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HAPPY NEW YEAR 2008
2008-01-01 03:36:00
"Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right."Oprah Winfrey Wanted to share a beautiful message from a dear friend that I got the other day. Its makes so much sense, is so simple...but still so elusive!Sian says..."Happy New Year to you also, let's hope 2008 brings us compassion and peace in the world. We need more baking and less war!If people ate more sweets, they would feel the love in every bite and there would be no need for harmful disagreements, because they would feel so content.See I have it figured out, how come they don't?Oops, sorry, got carried away... I just want peace."Can't agree more; I think that's what we all want.Have a safe & peaceful 2008!
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WRAP ON 2007...the year that whooshed by!
2007-12-31 15:32:00
"We have so much time and so little to do. Strike that, reverse it."Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory View from my window in 2007... That time of the year again; am racing as usual...still so much to do, and so little done. Even the year has almost come to an end! Huff Puff!! Will make an attempt to get onboard Nupur's blogevent 'Best of 2007' to mark the end of 2007...a chance to do a SWOT on ourselves!I'm not sure I'm good at this, but will give it a shot since I committed. Am still pretty new around here, and have been hooked onto blogland only since August this year. The experience has been truly exhilarating! The only blog I used to visit often was Jugalbandi because I found it quite intriguing. In August '07, I began blogging on unsteady feet...just to pass time & maybe document some stuff that I did. Didn't know a soul; didn't know how to begin; where to blog from; what a blog was. Now am a true blogaddict!! Find myself sneaking in to type madly, set t...
More About: Year , Wrap

MARZIPAN DECORATIONS...made from scratch!
2007-12-30 10:07:00
"The preparation of good food is merely another expression of art, one of the joys of civilized living."Dione Lucas MARZIPAN FROM SCRATCH...stuff to go on top of the cake! It's time again for our daughter's birthday, and she turns 12 in January. Every year begins on a note of complete frenzy where there is so much to be done for her birthday party. For the cake this year, DH suggested we make marzipan decorations like we had done for her 9th birthday. The 9th Birthday Cake...That cake was one of our favourites...so we've begun the preparations. Thankfully marzipan decorations can be made in advance, so a little of the work is done. This is how the toppings are looking now...the cake will follow after the 2nd of January! I've figured out my own way of making marzipan because we don't get it ready made here. This one is fresh, it's pure...& it tastes GREAT!! We had a tough time resisting the temptation of having 'just another bit'! These can be used for decorating cupcak...
More About: Made , Almonds , Scratch , Decorations

CHOCOLATE SPONGE CAKE with a GANACHE ICING
2007-12-28 17:02:00
"Chocolate is ground from the beans of happiness. " Alexis F. Hope Chocolate Sponge Cake with a Ganache IcingAnd now finally, the recipe, as I had promised, for the Chocolate Cake I made for my household helps' son . Sorry this is late, but life is busy, busy, busy!! The kids are home for the holidays; they are ALWAYS hungry; the daughter's birthday is around the corner... & everything is happening all at once!! Chocolate is special, it's addictive & it's a universal favourite.Am posting this for JFI - January, a blog event which I committed to, & very nearly missed. It's hosted this time by Deepz at Letz Cook, who has picked every body's favourite ingredient...CHOCOLATE!! Great choice Deepz...Ingredients:SpongeEggs - 3 (150gms)Powdered Sugar - 75 gmsFlour - 50gms Cornflour - 1 tbs (makes the cake texture lighter)Cocoa - 2 tbspsBaking powder - 1tspSalt - 1 pinchVanilla Essence/Extract - 1 tspTopping:Cream - 400ml (whipping/35% fat)Dark chocolate - 100gms (for the ...
More About: Birthday , Nach

SAVOURY CHEESE COOKIES...Crisp, tasty nibbles!
2007-12-27 03:31:00
"Cheese , wine, and a friend must be old to be good."Cuban Proverb SAVOURY CHEESE COOKIESA favourite savoury cookie that has a made permanent place at the kids birthday party table. It's crisp, it's buttery, it's cheesy...& attractive too. I usually make these with sesame seeds on top, but this year have tried some with poppy seeds as my friend from Kiev got me a bag of poppy seeds! This recipe is adapted from one of my oft used cookie books, "The Great Big Cookie Book". The book has a few other savoury bites too, which I plan to try in the near future. I love playing around with cookie cutters; different shapes, scallops, shapes inside shapes...and this time did some miniature nibbles too. Heard they go great with wine, & make attractive finger food. Must add that a friend of mine from school loves these cookies with my yogurt dip! Festive Nibbles...Savoury Treats...Poppy 'n' Sesame...hand in hand!The recipe as adapted from 'The Great Big Cookie Book'Ingredients:Flou...
More About: Gurgaon , Cookies , Birthday

WISHES FOR A PEACEFUL, BEAUTIFUL & JOYOUS CHRISTMAS!
2007-12-25 03:31:00
MY CHRISTMAS WISH FOR YOU...My Christmas wish for you, my friendIs not a simple oneFor I wish you hope and joy and peaceDays filled with warmth and sun. I wish you love and friendship tooThroughout the coming yearLots of laughter and happinessTo fill your world with cheerKRISTEN M SACCARDI
More About: Beautiful , Wishes , Peaceful

QUICK CHRISTMAS FRUIT CAKE...Last bastion accomplished! PHEW!!
2007-12-24 17:19:00
"For the spirit of Christmas fulfils the greatest hunger of mankind. "Loring A. Schuler QUICK CHRISTMAS FRUIT CAKE...got there just in the nick of time!This is the cake that we bake every year around this time & always under pressure! My mother usually gets there only by new year, so hers' is now more or less a 'New Year Fruit Cake '. It's from an old recipe of hers from a baking course she did many many moons ago when my Dad was still in the Air Force. I've adapted it, made a few more changes this year...& we'll get to know how it tastes tonight. Its sitting there, smelling great, all wrapped up & maturing, under the watchful eye of our very own little red nosed reindeer! His nose actually flashes!!Ingredients:Mixed cut fruit - 1 kg approx. (currants,peels,crystallized ginger, tutti-frutti,cashew nuts,raisins,almonds etc)Juice & zest of 1 orange (approx 3/4 - 1 cup; you can used a mix of juice & rum/brandy if you like)Garam Masala - 3 tsp ( I made fresh gar...
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IT'S CHOCOLATE ORANGE CUPCAKES FOR CHRISTMAS THIS TIME!
2007-12-22 16:36:00
"Let's dance and sing and make good cheer, For Christmas comes but once a year."Sir George Alexander MacfarrenCHOCOLATE ORANGE CUPCAKES FOR CHRISTMAS...festive food! In a span of 2 days I baked over a 100 cupcakes & iced them as well. The first 80 were vanilla cupcakes, the ones for the playschool Christmas party. These last batch I had to do a little different for my own experimentation & therapeutic pleasure! The flavours of chocolate & orange complement each other beautifully. I love the way the Christmassy ones turned out with the red, white & green; & also the pink 'n' purple 'very girly ones'. For the chocolate stars & flowers, I drizzled the stars, flowers, zigzags etc onto butter paper, & peeled them off gently once they were set. These can be made in advance and stored in an airtight box in a cool place. Fix them onto the top of the cupcake with a little melted chocolate. Makes the cupcakes look so good & 'dressed up'.Ingredients: Flou...
More About: Time , Orange , Chocolate , Pistachios

'GOSHT DO PIAZA' ...A hearty & popular lamb stew.
2007-12-21 17:06:00
"An onion can make people cry, but there has never been a vegetable invented to make them laugh."Will Rogers 'GOSHT DO PIAZA'...A popular & hearty lamb stew Dopiaza, Dopyaza "Do" is "two" and "piaz" is "onion"; so dopiaza is a dish which has twice the amount of onions, usually added in two stages. Different regions have different versions, some as far as from Bengal. This is my mother's version from North India. A beautiful blend of flavours; a hint of the sweetness of onions, & the warmth of garam masalas giving it depth. Keep it as hot or as mild as you like. A simple stew , 'grindless', & perfect for even a one dish winter meal. Serve with naan, rotis or parathas. Since it's 'grindless', it's gotta be at SRA's for her 'Grindless Gravies' blog event!! Do Piaza means ?two onions? or rather double onions. Legend has it that this delicious dish was invented by Mullah Do-Piaza the renowned and celebrated cook at the Mughal Emperor Akbar?s court. One of the Nav...
More About: Popular , Lamb , Pula

VANILLA CUPCAKES FOR A CHRISTMAS PARTY...Merry Christmas!
2007-12-20 17:09:00
"'If 'ifs' and 'buts' were candy and nuts, wouldn't it be a Merry Christmas ? "Don MeredithVANILLA CUPCAKES FOR CHISTMASOK...am back again. Yesterday & today were busier than I imagined they would be. I got literally talked into volunteering to make , hold your breadth, 80 cupcakes for a Christmas party for a little play school nearby! They were in a bit of a soup, & I eventually volunteered to bake. The only memory of yesterday morning is of the muffin trays going into the oven & out!! There were cupcakes as far as the eye could see. And then the usual rush...off to school to pick the kids after guitar etc. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...this morning went in meeting with teachers before school broke-up for the holidays, and icing stars onto the cupcakes. They've been boxed and delivered!! Always enjoyable after the job has been done! Ingredients:Flour - 2cupsBaking powder - 2 tspSalt - 1/2 tspButter - 1/2 cupSugar - 1 1/4 cupMilk - 1 cupVanilla Essence / extract - 1 tspEggs - ...
More About: Party , Recipe , Merry Christmas

A PEEP INTO HOW TODAY WHOOSHED BY...BAKERS' DAY IN!
2007-12-18 17:40:00
"I am not afraid...I was born to do this."Joan of Arc BAKER'S DAY IN!Life goes on...with stormy days that follow calm seas! Did I say 2 days ago that I was itching to bake after a 3-day no-bake gap? When it rains it pours, and thus in my case too. Today was a tiring day...I was literally on my toes from the word go. Before I knew it, it was past 2pm, and I raced off to get the kids from school. HUFF PUFF!CHOCOLATE SPONGE CAKE WITH A GANACHE ICINGFirst made a cake on request for my household helps son, who requested a cake from no other than 'only madam' (in his words). I was honoured! It is his birthday tomorrow, and the little fellow is more excited than words can say. So I baked this chocolate cake for him...recipe shall follow in a couple of days.DATE & WALNUT WHOLE-WHEAT LOAF WITHOUT SUGARNext was a request from a teacher in the kids' school who is on a restricted diet...very restricted indeed. She pleaded me to make her something with just whole-wheat flour, no sugar, n...
More About: Indian , Gurgaon , Cake , Biscotti

HEALTHY DELICIOUS LIME CAKE...with whole wheat too!
2007-12-18 16:39:00
"Good food is a celebration of life."Sophia Loren HEALTHY 'n' DELICIOUS LIME CAKE...with whole wheat too!A day without baking is tough to pass. 3 days went by, and the symptoms began. The itch to get back & do something, bake anything..anything to turn the oven on again. My mantra...the only constant is change, a variant of Heraclitus's Greek philosophy. One of the first things we were told when I had started working many years ago... the philosophy remains. So decided to try my recipe lemon cake again, with a healthier turn to it. Substituted some regular flour for whole-wheat flour & threw in some walnuts too. Disaster struck halfway through baking...yes, the electricity disappeared. It happens very often here, so now I'm just used to it! Hmmmmm...it reappeared after an hour, & the poor cake, taking pity on me, began to rise again. Once done , it was fine!! How forgiving can life get? The kids enjoyed it, & the whole-wheat flour make no difference to them.Am gl...
More About: Wheat , Cake , Chocolate , Healthy , Lime

FUSION FOOD...Noodles with Stir-fried veggies & Chicken
2007-12-17 01:16:00
"Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what's for lunch."Orson Welles FUSION FOOD...Noodles with Stir-fried veggies & chickenThis is my attempt to recreate some really delicious Pan Asian food we had the other day. I ended up with a 'confusion' of sorts; not quite authentic, even by my own meagre standards...but delicious nevertheless. We loved it, so did our young lad. Sadly my daughter didn't enjoy it too much. But for me as a mother, even 50% is passing with flying colours!! With both the kids developing strangely similar tastes one day, and then being poles apart the next, uncertainty at the dinner table is part of the game! I heave a sigh of relief the day they concur, and do a little jig!!!! Served on a bed of noodles.......When I read blog posts about the farmer's markets in the US etc, I know exactly what the feeling is. In North India, at this time of the year, the local bazaars are overflowing with fresh produce. Every little corner stall will offer colou...
More About: Food , Recipe , Fusion , Chicken

CHRISTMAS TREE HANGING COOKIE ORNAMENTS...Edible & Festive!
2007-12-15 11:48:00
"Christmas Cheer Recipe-Combine loads of good wishes,heartfuls of love and armfuls of hugs,sprinkle with laughter and garnish with mistletoe,top off with presents. Serves everyone!" Author Unknown CHRISTMAS TREE ORNAMENT COOKIES... ...With Christmas almost here, here are a set of cookie Christmas tree ornaments...edible, colourful and festive. They can be made with an assortment of Christmas cookie cutters, topped with coloured sugar crystals, sprinkles &/or M 'n' M's . Do remember to make a hole on top of each cookie before baking; also, they need to be handled delicately whilst threading the ribbon. SPIRIT OF THE SEASON...The recipe for the sugar cookies is my basic sugar cookies recipe that can be found here. The M 'n' M's are put on the cookie prior to baking. The coloured sugar crystals, sprinkles & dragees are sprinkled onto an icing drizzled onto the cookie after it is baked. I make the icing by combining castor sugar with water to get a thick consistency. Som...
More About: Cookies , Tree , Edible

'NALLI GOSHT'...A lamb curry on the bone & a 'grindless gravy' at that!
2007-12-14 17:35:00
"This curry was like a performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony that I'd once heard.....especially the last movement, with everything screaming and banging 'Joy.' It stunned, it made one fear great art. My father could say nothing after the meal."Anthony Burgess NALLI GOSHT...A robust, traditional lamb curry.Here we go again. With winter here, a finger-licking good, different curry is most welcome. This is a hearty, 'mild on spices & full of flavour' lamb curry, made from a recipe my sister-in-law sent with huge recommendations! A Sanjeev Kapoor recipe. She proved her point. Lovely tasting curry , 'grindless' (thanks once again to the microplaner), & delicious! More so, very very simple.Off to Sra's 'Grindless Gravies' ...nice one to share!This is a 'curry on the bone', traditionally slow cooked for 3 hours or more, where the juices are slowly released & the flavours mature. My energy conservation mode kicked in, & much as I would have loved to slow coo...
More About: Recipe , Indian , Curry , Lamb , Bone

'CITRUS' DESSERT CAKE - Happiness is...a burst of FRESH flavour!
2007-12-13 16:38:00
"Ponder well on this point: the pleasant hours of our life are all connected by a more or less tangible link, with some memory of the table. "Charles Pierre Monselet 'CITRUS' DESSERT CAKE...like a happy sunflower!!Another nice dessert I created from the lemon cake sans sour cream. We had my brother-in-law over for dinner the other day, and as usual, I wanted to try something different. Put this together as the day went by with whatever ingredients I had on hand. Must say that DH was very skeptical about this 'experiment' but held his comments fearing an outburst. I can be pretty unpredictable at times, & who knows better than him!! The cake was scrumptious. It tasted a lot like a cheesecake...but wasn't a cheesecake. BIG HIT with the kids too, who had a second slice each, after a hearty dinner!!A cake that thinks its a cheesecake, but isn't!!So I made the lemon cake, recipe posted here, right upto dousing it with syrup etc. Thereafter...Chill the cake well for a couple of ...
More About: Recipe , Lemon , Dessert , Happiness , Cake

KHEER / INDIAN RICE PUDDING...Special Occasion Food
2007-12-12 17:56:00
"Seize the moment. Remember all those women on the Titanic who waved off the dessert cart."Erma BombeckTraditional Indian Dessert s...KHEER / RICE PUDDINGHere's one of our great Indian desserts, quite similar to the English rice pudding, & much loved in our part of the world. The earlier recipe for rice pudding that I posted a while ago doesn't use condensed milk; this one does, and tastes very rich & creamy too. It is a popular egg less dessert, & a great way to finish off a meal. I find the freshly grated nutmeg gives this a warm and comforting flavour. The raisins & almonds are quite optional, & one, or both, can be given the miss if need be.Ingredients:Rice ? 1 cup (washed & dried)Milk ? 1 ½ ltrs (whole milk)Condensed Milk ? 1 can / 400mlSaffron strand ? 1 pinchGreen Cardamom ? 5-6/ seeds crushed in pestle & mortarNutmeg ? 1/4 tsp / freshly gratedRaisins ? 1 handfulAlmonds ? 1 handful / without skinSugar if required Method: Grind the rice in a coffee...
More About: Food , Special

SPICY CINNAMON SHORTBREAD...Think Spice Cinnamon!
2007-12-10 16:42:00
"Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all."Harriet van HorneSPICY CINNAMON SHORTBREADThis is a sweet & spicy shortbread, not the traditional sort, because I made it with brown sugar that gave it a very different texture. In addition, I went further and sprinkled the tops with a mix of brown sugar & cinnamon before baking, which enhanced the flavour of cinnamon! Flowers on stars!!I love the 'Think Spice ' monthly event at Sunita's World. It does make you put on your thinking cap, and actually think the spice...at least with me it does! Can you imagine...I been thinking 'Cinnamon ', her spice of choice for December '07, ever since I read her post. I madly tried to stick a stick of cinnamon into anything & everything, but wasn't quite there. This spicy cinnamon 'shortbread of sorts', which is my own creation, finally did it! Cinnamomum ZeylanicumNative to Ceylon (Sri Lanka), true cinnamon, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, dates back in Chines...
More About: Christmas , Cookies , Spicy

MOCHA WALNUT CAKE- Healthy Chocolate-Coffee Cake
2007-12-09 16:10:00
"I orchestrate my mornings to the tune of coffee." Harry MahtarMy recipe 'MOCHA WALNUT CAKE'...with chocolate chips thrown in for good measure! A variation to my own recipe...this time it's a 'MOCHA WALNUT CAKE'. I love experimenting, and even though the kids never seem to tire of the regular stuff I bake, I'm always restless for a 'change'. The original recipe, a YUMMY PICNIC CHOCOLATE CAKE , was one that I had created & posted a while ago trying to put together a good, tasty & healthy chocolate cake, with just 1/2 a cuppa butter. This is just a variation off that one, is delicious, & has a light crumb. It tastes great warm. More than anything else, it has a portion of whole wheat flour & doesn't need frosting.Ingredients:Butter ? ½ cupEggs ? 4Sugar ? 1 1/2 cupsFlour ? 1 cupWhole wheat flour - 1/2 cupCocoa ? ½ cupInstant coffee powder - 1 tbspBaking powder ? 1 tspBaking Soda ? 1/2 tspSalt ? ¼ tspYogurt ? 4 tbsp / thickCream ? 2 tbsp / 25 % fatJuice of 1/2 l...
More About: Coffee , Cake , Chocolate , Birthday , Mocha

KASHMIRI MEATBALLS IN A GRINDLESS GRAVY!
2007-12-08 10:04:00
"Red meat is not bad for you. Now blue-green meat, that?s bad for you!" Tommy Smothers Kashmiri Meatballs in Gravy Kashmiri cuisine or Wazwan has always held a fascination for me by way of how different it tastes. The other day I found an interesting sounding recipe for Mutsch Kashmiri Meatballs at A Mad Tea Party. After browsing the write-up, right up to the last 2 meatballs et al, the mind was made up. This I just had to try, & promptly put it on my agenda of interesting 'must-makes' in the near future! Hesitatingly, with fingers crossed, I even used mustard oil as the recipe suggested. I made this dish a couple of days ago...it was very different & pleasing in taste; surprisingly simple to make . The last 2 meatballs were indeed at a premium!!Love the palette of colours the ingredients made!Must admit that when I read about the 'Grindless Gravies' , SRA's blog event at 'When My Soup Came Alive', I thought, NAH, impossible!! All my cooking life gravies have meant ple...
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Back to baking again...ORANGE SHORTBREAD COOKIES
2007-12-07 08:32:00
"And every day when I've been good,I get an orange after food."Robert Louis Stevenson ORANGE SHORTBREAD COOKIESOrange Shortbread Christmas cookies from the 'Great Big Cookie Book'...crispy, buttery & just right on sweetness. Its the orange zest that adds a burst of fresh flavour to this shortbread. Its amazing how much of a difference natural flavours can make to food!The orange before it lost its zest!The recipe is quite similar to the Lime Shortbread Cookies one I posted a few days ago; except there are no twists to the original recipe this time, but for the shapes. If you haven't got cookie cutters, worry not! Just cut the rolled out dough into fingers with a sharp knife, place the fingers on the tray, prick the tops with a fork & bake. Great with a cuppa tea or coffee... or wrapped as a gift. Always appreciated!!"Shortbread...A biscuit (cookie) rich in butter, which is served with tea and its traditionally eaten at Christmas and New Year. Originating from Scotland an...
More About: Baking , Birthday , Back

ON A VERY DIFFERENT NOTE...CHRYSANTHEMUMS!!
2007-12-05 13:16:00
"Flowers always make people better, happier and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine to the soul." Luther BurbankJust in case you guys think I'm obsessed with baking & not just passionate about it, time to burst the bubble! I do plenty of other tinkering around too; lots of which is in the garden.Been thinking of posting these for a while, but each day was bringing a change. Now finally, here are the Chrysanthemums growing in our garden, which I have been tracking from the bud stage to full bloom. This is the season for these picture perfect flowers here in North India, & they are visible in full glory everywhere. "The Earth Laughs in Flowers"Ralph Waldo Emerson
More About: Note , Diff

"NUTS ABOUT STREUSEL COFFEE CAKE...with the zest of orange!" CLICK:December
2007-12-03 16:21:00
?Avoid fruits and nuts. You are what you eat.?Jim Davis, 'Garfield' "NUTS ABOUT STREUSEL COFFEE CAKE......with the zest of orange!"Here's my entry for CLICK:December 2007 " Show us your NUTS" For probably the first time in my life something clicked...literally. I made this Streusel Coffee Cake day before because of an image from Joy of Baking that was maddeningly stuck in my brain. Last night, the nuts suddenly struck me as very very familiar...CLICK NUTS!!! Yippee! Now I've cut a slice, clicked a picture & I'm all set for Jai & Bee's! VOILA! Couldn't have asked for more. And as you can see, my son is making hay while the sun shines. He's been on cloud nine ever since this blogaddiction overtook me...his sister & he gets to taste different stuff every other day. HE'S LOVING IT...even though he's only allowed ONE slice a day! He's perfectly happy to just sit & look at it!! The cake was simply delicious. A moist & light crumb....& tasted heavenly, ...
More About: Click , Orange , Nuts

STREUSEL COFFEE CAKE...A Delectable Cake for Tea or Dessert
2007-12-02 17:46:00
"Laughter is brightest where food is best."Irish Proverb STREUSEL COFFEE CAKEThis recipe is adapted from one of the first baking sites I used to browse many many moons ago...the 'Joy of Baking'. Just the other day my friend from Kiev & I were chatting online & looking for poppy seed muffin recipes on this site. One thing led to another, & eventually to this delectable looking 'Streusel Coffee Cake '. This was last week, but the picture had been haunting me ever since & I just HAD to bake it. I made a few small changes here & there; one for sour cream & the other being orange rind... (couldn't resist the combination of the plump orange & magical microplaner staring at me). My sister had made an almost similar coffee cake when we were in Dallas this summer, & it was really good. I have used bittersweet Ghirardelli chocolate chips inside & mini chocolate chips in the topping! Didn't use cinnamon because of the orange rind. This is a lovely, eas...
More About: Dessert , Chocolate , Walnuts

CHRISTMAS COOKIES...the colours of the season!
2007-12-01 03:51:00
"It's good to be children sometimes,and never better than at Christmas ." Charles DickensICED COOKIES SPECIALLY FOR CHRISTMAS...Christmas Cookie s ...I make these special 'Iced Cookies' at this time of the year when I am at my creative best ; they are my 'signature cookies' and are much awaited ! They do everything to cheer up the table, are vibrant and full of Christmas spirit. Closer to Christmas, I will be doing a batch to hang up on the small tree that the kids dress up. Our favourite Christmas cookies, 'Iced Sugar Cookies', iced in Xmas colours. The basic cookie recipe is the same one that I use for 'Smartie Cookies'. Its a very versatile one, and works well with this recipe, as well as for the 'Stained Glass Christmas Cookies'. For the icing, I used powdered sugar mixed with just enough water to make it thick & flowing, then coloured it with Christmas colours, and drizzled it on the cookies. I leave them to dry out overnight, and sometimes give them a minute in a h...
More About: Colours , Season

DATE & WALNUT LOAF...AFAM - a DATE with you!
2007-11-30 07:25:00
"Vegetables are the food of the earth; fruit seems more the food of the heavens."Sepal Felicivant AFAM (A Fruit A Month) is a wonderful blog event which highlights different fruits. The event this month is being hosted by AkshayPatra and her fruit of choice is 'DATES'. Golden opportunity for me to try the 'Date & Walnut Loaf ' which I have been dying to try but have never quite got there. Last evening was a mad frenzy of date chopping & general confusion since I got to the event announcement late as usual! Huff Puff!!! Loaf was out of the oven last night, looking good, smelling great....& I couldn't wait to slice it this morning to get pictures for the post. WOOHOO...Now that's done, the loaf has gone back to the tin...shall wait for the kids to get back from school & do the honours. What an addiction this is...phew!Ingredients: Flour - 1 cupBaking soda - 1 tsp Baking powder - 2 tspSugar - 1 4/ cupMargarine - 25gms (I used butter)Dates - 350gms (chopped)Water -...
More About: With You

LIME SHORTBREAD COOKIES...Stringing them along for Xmas!!
2007-11-28 16:09:00
'Once in a young lifetime one should be allowed to have as much sweetness as one can possibly want and hold.'Judith OlneyLIME SHORTBREAD COOKIESA variation of Orange Shortbread Fingers from the 'Great Big Cookie Book'...an exciting book with over 200 recipes. A crisp, buttery cookie with a twang of lime! I used lime juice & rind to make this cookie; gave it a nice zesty/citrus flavour-FRESH!! Decided to go a step further later in the day, and sandwiched some with a chocolate ganache. This made it even more interesting, and a bigger hit with the kids. Here's my version of the recipe which is a very simple one;keeps in an airtight tin for up to 2 weeks (incidentally mine lasted 2 days!!)For zesting the lime, I used something really interesting & essential by my standards...a 'Microplane Zester Grater' (see picture below) that my sister got for me from the US. It's magical for zesting limes & oranges, & also for Parmesan, coconut etc. For those who haven't got ...
More About: Cookies , Cake , Chocolate , Lime , Xmas