3rd Blog Anniversary with Condensed Milk kind of Zebra/Marble Cake!

I totally completely forgot about my blog anniversary (which passed by me couple of days ago). This tells you how much out of the loop I have been with my blog! How much I wish I could start posting everyday, but it just not happening. Lots of other stuff take up my precious time. And not only that I have been trying my other hobbies and so they have also kept me away from blogging. Well thats fine!!  :)

Things are going good on my side! How are things on your side? Kids in routine with school and activities and even our life falls into routine with them.
Holidays have come and passed us by. So there goes another year without snow and terrible cold temperatures. Can't complain as we have enjoyed every bit of it! Though I do like snow and wish sometimes that we had snow, won't complain as its not that far away, only a 3 hour drive and we get snow! With that on the back of my mind, I am not missing snow or the cold temperatures! My East Coast friends - I love you all!! :)

Other thing that I am totally hooked on to is Pinterest! I see so many great ideas, recipes and DIY stuff that I am so tempted to try all of them! I have already made a cowl and knitted a few scarves. If anyone is interested you are welcome to checkout my Photo Blog My PicXels. Yes! after a good year last year which was my first year to do a photo blog, I decided to continue with it again this year :) simply because I think I learned a lot about photography, but also because I love clicking pictures! So if you have time do check it out. Right now I am doing a mix of phone clicks and camera clicks so that I am not bored at all. :)


Since I forgot my Blog anniversary, I haven't had much time to prepare. I chose this simple, few ingredients recipe, which I have made a few times now and is fool proof. The only thing I tried new was to try the zebra pattern, hoping it will come out good! ............but I think I could have added more cocoa powder for the darker lines, so more like marble cake maybe! The lines came out very light in color....but overall it tasted good! YUM!!

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
4 eggs
4 tbsp butter (melted)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 can sweetened condensed milk (nearly 400g)

2 tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa powder (increase this for darker lines)

Method:

Mix all ingredients, except for the Cocoa powder into batter using your mixer.

For the chocolate part:

Divide the batter into 2 halves. To one half add 2 tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa powder.


Grease a pan with some butter and flour it.
Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees F.

Using a 1/4 cup, pour both the batters in alternate pattern. That is, once pour the regular batter in the middle of the pan. On top of that, pour the chocolate batter. Do this until all the batter is used up.

Bake it for 30-35 minutes.

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Coconut and Dry red chili chutney

With Holidays around the corner and all sweet and chocolaty all the time is what I see around me. And this is the time I feel like eating spicy all the time. So lets take a different route from the sweet section to the spicy section!
In times of need, you would try anything desperately ...Isn't that right? Well that's how my life works sometimes. Well maybe not every time, but maybe sometimes right.
That applies to when you cook too. what would you do when there is nothing in the house as in ingredients and you decide you want to go big ..haha...well that's how this chutney came up. Little of this and little of that and 'BOOM' a 'chutney' is made. :)
Too much drama know?...well simply said, I prefer to have frozen fresh grated coconut in my freezer almost all of the time. It really comes in handy at time of need. Like this time when I had to make a chutney for our breakfast dosas. And I like like my chutney spicy that's why all the chilies in the recipe. Try it you might enjoy it!
Quick and easy to make, delicious too. Goes good with Dosas, idlis or even hot hot pongal.



Ingredients:

1/2 cup fresh grated coconut (Frozen or fresh works good)
6 - 8  red dry chilies
2 green chillies
2 garlic cloves
less than a marble size of tamarind
salt to taste

Tempering :

1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp jeera or cumin seeds
1/4 tsp urad dal
1 dry red chili
few curry leaves
1/2 tbsp oil


Method:

Grind together the first five ingredients with a little bit of water. Add the salt.
Heat a small pan with the oil.
Add the urad dal, when it browns add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When they start to splutter, add the broken red dry chili and curry leaves.
Add this immediately to the ground coconut and chili.
Mix well and serve with dish of your choice.
Tastes good with idlis, dosas and even upma.
Enjoy!!!

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Pan Fried Masala Fried Fish Fillet

Well December is already here, which means few birthdays in our family and holidays for sure! Which also means lots and lots of cooking. I am hoping I can make some new dishes using some real easy ingredients! I will be sharing them with you guys so stay tuned! Dishes which will be easy to put together in time for busy days!
I am hooked on to Pinterest these days. There are some real cool stuff DIY stuff in there. if you haven't checked it out as yet, be sure to do it! Also knitting and crochet, one of passions, I have been looking at stuff and wish I could do all that I see. Which is like impossible but no wrong in wishing so right! :)
I am going to start on another knitting project, this time on the loom, a big project too, so lets see how it goes!

So with the first birthday in our home..here is what I cooked. Simple and easy to put together for sure. Delicious to eat too! Dish of the day was - Pan fried Masala Fried Fish on a bed of Vegetable pulao with a side of Onion Raita. :) wow big name!! :)


Ingredients:

4 Fish fillets (I used Tilapia, can use any white fish fillets)

Masala:

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp gus gus / khus khus / gasagasalu / white poppy seeds
2 tsp dried coconut powder or flakes
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1/4 tsp tumeric powder
1/2 tbsp chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp jeera / cumin powder
salt to taste
1 tbsp of oil for 2 fillets of fish.

Method:

Grind the masala into a smooth paste with very less water.
Rub the masala over the fish fillet, more like patting it on the fillet.
Let it marinate for about 1/2 hour to 2 hours.
Heat oil in a large pan and fry the fillets till they are cooked on both sides by flipping them once or twice, on medium low heat for about 5-7 minutes, till the masala also gets fried to brown in color.
Serve with Rice of your choice.
Enjoy!!!

** I made a simple rice cooker pulao to go with it. Ground all the dry masala and sauteed with the vegetables of choice, only till they are half cooked. Substituted 1 cup of rice for the rice with coconut milk. Some coriander leaves and mint leaves to go with it. Everything goes into the rice cooker to cook.
Another method: Simple Rice Cooker Pulao

** Onion raita

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Happy Deepavali 2012 / Happy Diwali

Wishing everyone a Happy and Prosperous Deepavali!! May your life be filled with happiness, health and wealth. May you be happy always and may positive energy surround you always! :)

I hope everyone had a fun day today eating all the yummy goodies and lighting lots and lots of diyas. I hope people in India and elsewhere where you are able to play with firecrackers have had loads of fun, enough that you will be waiting to do this again all over again next year!
Well we had some fun! Played with a few sparkles and lighted a few diyas! I just hope my kids are able to enjoy it and will not forget our culture and our festivals.
Tho they won't be able to enjoy like we did when we were young. They really won't know what a ladi is or what a atom bomb or a hydrogen bomb is..:) or what a Boo chakra or a vishnu chakra or even what fountain is! But at least they will know what Diwali is and I hope they will continue the tradition way into the future!

Once again Wishing each one of you a very happy, fun and safe Diwali!!

Here is what went into our goodies at home...Recipes will soon follow!

Kajjikayalu, Rosettes, Rice flour Murukku, Besan burfi, Whole Wheat Diamond cuts (Limkilu), Mixture, Chekkalu, Boondi Ladoo, Almond Mysore Pak.

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Atte ka Halwa / Maida Halwa / Sweetened flour with nuts and raisins

Its so easy to get side tracked with  so many "other stuff " to do in life. Thus is the story of my blog. Side tracked to the bottom of my 'to do' list and feeling the pressure of neglect for the past few months!
Too bad of me know!! I am not going to promise anything, I know I have made promises to get back on track, but never could keep up with any! I will just try!!

With Diwali around the corner and with the on going festival season, I am sure everyone must be preparing to make lots and lots of sweets and hots...ahh you know what I mean! What?? Diwali is next week? was my reaction when I thought about it. Well I guess its been on my mind, but didn't think it would sneak upon me like this. Like a few of you know, how I like to prepare well ahead for Diwali, but this time I am still so much behind. I just wish I could get up and go do something! :) Well I will be be surely doing something soon...but you guys be sure to go through my Diwali posts for something to make which are easy and quick.

Here today I am sharing Maida Halwa. This brings on nostalgia. I remember this from my childhood, when I was in Trinidad, where they used to make this or should I say this dish was a very important part of any festival celebrated. And I used to love it, never got bored of it once! I like it little bit drier and less sweet than usual. Hence I use less water.
Here I wrote a recipe using on 1/2 cup flour, since I make it in very less quantity at home, otherwise I have to end up eating it in the end.
As with any halwa, ghee makes a very big difference...How much you add is the key. Just to keep everything on the healthier side, I used Ghee in combination with olive oil.



Ingredients:

1/2 cup All purpose flour, Maida (dry pan roasted)
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup water
pinch of cardamom powder
1 tbsp cashews
1 tbsp raisins
3 tbsp ghee, clarified butter + 1 tbsp extra
3 tbsp olive oil

*Adding color is optional*

Method:

Dry roast maida, APF in a pan on low heat, stirring continuously, till it starts to turn color to light brown. Remove from  heat and keep aside.
Melt Sugar in water on medium heat. Then turn down to low or sim. Add the pinch of cardamom powder.
*You can add color to the sugar syrup if needed*
In 1 tbsp of ghee, roast the cashews and raisins to light brown and keep aside.
Put the maida back on medium heat.
Add the 3 tbsp ghee and stirring continuously until its all absorbed into the flour.
Add the 3 tbsp oil in a similar way, stirring continuously, it will seem gooey.
Stirring again, add a ladle of sugar syrup slowly, one ladle at a time, giving it time to get absorbed while stirring continuously. Do this till all the syrup is done.
If you prefer drier halwa, add lesser syrup.
Add the roasted cashews and raisins and mix it up well.
Serve warm or cold.
Enjoy!!!

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Winner of Giveaway of WTML

Sorry to post this so late....as usual I was caught in many other things other than the blog...I am hoping to get back to blogging as soon as possible :) (excuses...excuses)..

The winner of WTML for September, chosen by Gayathri is Sara of Sara's Tasty Buds for her entry Thengai kozhukatai. Sara - Please send me your address in India so that I can pass it on to Gayathri. 

Please be sure to check Gayathri's Blog for the next theme of WTML.

You can check and go thru all the entries for the September's WTML here.

Take Care and I will back soon!

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Event - 'Walk through Memory Lane (WTML) - Festival time' and Giveaway

"Walk Through Memory Lane - Festival Theme"

Hi everyone, I am here again guest hosting another event called 'Walk Through Memory Lane', brainchild of Gayathri of Gayathri's Cook Spot. A lovely event which takes you time back into your childhood days and reminds you of all the yummy food you enjoyed as a child.

Here is a chance revisit them and recreate them in your kitchen. As with the festivals around the corner, I thought how about I choose the theme as 'Festival time'. I know there are many dishes I would like to recreate, which I have enjoyed in my childhood with my brothers and sisters during festival time, which I haven't eaten much during recent times. It always fun to enjoy them now with my children.

Just a few rules for the event -

- Please link the recipe you have posted to this page and to Gayathri's Announcement page

- Usage of logo is optional. This will be useful to spread the word. 

- There are no restrictions for the number of new entries.

- Two entries from the archives  are accepted. 

-  If  linking an archived entry, please update it with the link to this page. 

- Only Vegetarian recipes accepted. Eggs not allowed.

- Non-Bloggers can also send in their entries by sending the recipe to my mail ID. 

- This time around I am using the Linky tool, which will make it much easier for you to link your recipes with me. In the end I will just visit each post and collect the picture I need for the round up. 

- You can also send the post in email, if that's what you prefer, with a picture attached, Name, Blog URL, and Recipe URL to Smitha(dot)Joga(at)Gmail.com.

GIVEAWAY - Gayathri is sponsoring a giveaway to this event and the book she chose is "KEBABS AND TIKKIS" by TARLA DALAL. She will choose a random winner at the beginning of next month.

This giveaway can only be shipped in India, though all bloggers are eligible. So for bloggers in US, you can get it shipped to your place in India, be it you Mom's, friend's relative's or even you In-law's home. You will still get the book, but in India ;)

So I hope everyone will join in with me and recreate some of your favorite festival recipes which are embedded deep down in your memories. 

Any questions, email me or leave me a message.

Looking forward to all your yummy dishes.
Event closes on 30th September 2012

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