Announcing EP series : Oregano & Paprika

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Hi everyone,
Yet another interesting series of herbs & spices is on its way for Sept @ Foodomania.First of all let me thank each one of you who have regularly supported the event at my space and had been sending me mails and comments for the betterment of the event.Looking forward for all feedbacks & suggestions always.The theme this month is "Oregano & Paprika".You can link your old as well as new entries with specifically these as the main ingredients.You can use either of the two in one dish and also you can link only veg entries ;however eggs can be included.Please don't link up any recipe that uses oregano  or paprika as garnish.The event is guest hosted by Kavi @ Foodomania.A bunch of Thanx to Kavi for taking up the initiative to host the event and she is also giving away three cook books this month,the details of which is here.Looking forward for more innovative and interesting yummy recipes,please do visit her space for the details of the event and the cook books give away.
I would also like to thank Poonam @ Spicy Aroma for hosting EP Series(Aug) -Curry leaves or Red dry Chillies,the round up of which will be posted shortly:-)

Tutty Fruity Cake (Wheat flour)

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Tutty fruity are my kids favorite in cakes & buns,I think many other moms would also agree to this.I remember me also as a kid loved to pick these colorful bits from buns and cakes.Usually plum cakes in Kerala use the tutty fruity in them but this is a very light tea cake which can be made simple.I have used wheat flour in this to avoid all purpose flour.If you use all purpose flour it enhances the look of tutty fruity in the cake more.The texture is more of dense in nature but a filling cake.Perfect for kids evening snack !!


Ingredients
wheat flour  2 cups (240 gms)
Sugar  1 cup
Butter 1 stick (113 gms at room temp)
Baking powder  2 tsp
Egg  2
Milk 1/2 - 3/4 cup
Tuti Fruity 1/3 cup
Vanilla essesnce/extract 1 tsp
Salt  2 pinch


Method
-Sift flour along with baking powder and salt twice.Keep it aside.
-In a mixing bowl,take butter and sugar and gently mix until it is soft and fluffy.
-Add 2 lightly beaten eggs and with an electric mixer( I used the hand mixer), turn on to mix and beat for 1 minute.
-Slowly add the flour and keep mixing. Also add 1/2 cup of milk and beat well. Check for the consisteny or add some more milk. The batter should be of dropping consistency.
-Also,add in the vanilla extract.When done add the tutti fruity and mix evenly.


-Grease a bread loaf pan(9*5*3") with butter and dust in some flour.Pour the mixture and bake at 350 for 35 - 45 minutes. Check with a fork or tooth pick in the center to see if it comes out clean.
-Remove and cool completely on wire rack.
-Cut and serve with tea !!


Servings~ 1 cake of 9*5*3"

NOTES
* You can use all purpose flour too instead of wheat flour.



Sending this to Bake fest # 11 guest hosted by Archana @The Mad Scientist Kitchen

Fish Cutlets

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Cutlets are always delicious,whether its veg cutlet or a non veg one,Isn't it?? We all love cutlets a lot.They serve as a inviting appetizer among parties and functions.They are easy way of sneaking vegetables,fish or chicken in mashed potatoes.This time I tried it with tuna packets as they have many health benefits on heart.The tuna cutlets are easy to prepare as they are minced and don't need to be cooked or minced again.Do try this at home for your loved ones!!

Check out Baked Chicken Cutlet,Baked bread cutlets,Baked broccoli cutlets, Soya Cutlets



Ingredients
Tuna 180gm pkt with less water(refer notes)
Potato 1 medium size
Onion chopped fine 3/4
Green chillies 2 fine chopped(refer notes)
Ginger garlic paste 1 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Pepper powder 3/4 tsp
Garam masala 1/3 tsp
Salt
Curry leave 1 sprig torn  in bits
Oil 1 tbsp + 1 cup (deep frying)
to coat
bread crumbs 3/4 cup
egg white 1



Method
-Boil the potatoes in a pressure cooker or microwave.Mash & keep aside in a bowl.
-Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan and saute onion till lightly browned.Add the bits of curry leaves,ginger -garlic paste and green chillies chopped.Saute till the raw smell of ginger-garlic paste disappears.
-Add the spices,salt on low flame and saute.
-Rinse the tuna packet twice with water after draining the water in the packet/can.Squeeze out excess water.
-Add the shredded/minced tuna in it.Toss with spices.
-Cover and cook for 7-8 minutes on medium flame.Uncover the lid,adjust salt.
-Add the mashed potatoes if tuna is cooked.Mix well until combined.Put off flame and cool down the mixture.
-In the mean time,Heat oil in another deep pan /wok .Take the egg white in a bowl and bread crumbs in a plate.
-Divide the mixture into 12 or 13.Make disc shapes out of each portions or your desired shapes.
-Dip it in egg white and roll in bread crumbs.
-When the oil is hot,dip each into the oil carefully without splashing.
-Turn and cook all sides until evenly browned.
-Remove on a paper towel and Serve warm !!


Serves 12 cutlets

NOTES
* You can use any boneless fish for making cutlets.If you are using any fresh fish,then cook the fish with salt,turmeric powder ,pepper powder and water.Drain the water and mince or shred the fish before adding to the mixture.I have used tuna packet in this to ease out this step.
* I usually don't add the green chillies in the cutlets as kids usually feel very spicy when biting through.Instead I increase the pepper powder to 1/4 tsp more.
* These cutlets can be shaped and refrigerated before making each time.You can just dip in egg white and roll in bread crumbs,fry and serve hot to untimely guests or quick snack to kids.

My First Fondant Cake - A Birthday Cake for my better half :-)

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Today is my husband's birthday and so I made this cake for his birthday.I would like to thank all my blogger friends who inspired me with their beautiful fondant cakes.This was a much awaited wish to prepare and so am very happy today that I could make a presentable cake for S's birthday.The base of the cake is Eggless Chocolate Cake that I already posted.Layered the cake with whipped cream and covered with homemade marshmallow fondant.The recipe for marshmallow fondant is taken from Manju's Eating Delights,Thanx manju for the recipe.Kids loved the cake very much as it was their favorite chocolate inside and yummmy fondant outside.Am very sorry about not posting the detailed pics,as I was short of time to click pics.Though am not an expert in decorations,just referred videos Hubby was very much impressed and was happy at my first attempt.And that made my day,feeling happy !!!


Ingredients
Chocolate cake (refer notes)
heavy whipping cream 1 cup
icing sugar 3 tbsp
gelatin 1/2 pkt(refer notes)
vanilla extract 1/2 tsp

for home made marshmallow fondant
mini marshmallows 10 oz bag
powdered or confectioners sugar 4 cups +extra (if needed)
water 1-2 tbsp
vegetable shortening to grease work surface and hands



Method
FOR WHIPPED CREAM FROSTING-
-Place the bowl in freezer for 30 mins and the blades of hand mixer as well.
-The whipped cream should be cold otherwise it will not form peaks.
-Add the whipped cream in the cold bowl,whisk on low speed.Continue to whisk along with sugar until you reach soft peaks.
-In the mean time,add cold water to gelatin.Leave for 6 mins and then add about 50ml hot water or bring the mixture to boil.Leave to cool.
-Add the gelatin mixture,vanilla extract to the soft peaks and whisk again until you reach the stiff peaks.
-Scrape and refrigerate until you use for frosting.


FOR HOMEMADE MARSHMALLOW FONDANT-
-In a microwaveable safe bowl,add 1-2 tbsp of water and the bag of marshmallow.Heat on high for 1 minute or until marshmallows begins to fluff and melt.Stir with a spatula to get a thick paste.
-Add powdered sugar little by little in the bowl and mix.
-Then finally grease your kitchen counters,hands and scrape down the mix on the counters,mix it well,kneading.Sprinkle extra sugar if required,knead until you get a smooth dough.(as I did the cake and marshmallows in a day,so couldn't click pictures.Sorry about that)
-Cover with a cling wrap and keep aside until you use.
-Add wilton icing gels to incorporate colors to fondant.(refer notes)
-This is the video link ,I referred to make fondant rose.



Serves~ fondant covers for 1 square cake of 8" size


NOTES
* I had not used gelatin in whipped cream and so the whipped cream became very soft by the time we cut the cake.Gelatin helps to stabilise the frosting.
* Add the icing gels in a short piece of fondant and knead softly until the gel is incorporated completely.
* Tried adding shades to roses,marbling effect-referred this video link.
* Always keep your fondant wrapped in cling wrap,If your fondant dries up.Add a tbsp of water.If your fondant is sticky add powdered sugar or corn starch or corn syrup.
* Usually gum paste is added to the colored fondant to prevent sticking,I haven't used that.
* You can use store brought cake mix to make the cake too.

Enjoy the yummy cake:)


PS: The round up of last month's EP Series -Curry leaves or Dry red chillies is posted here,please visit Poonam's space for details and Congrats to all the winners :)

S'Mores Granola Bars

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Granola bars are my favorite grab and go snack and you really can't get any easier than this recipe. I love the Quaker Chewy S'mores Granola Bars, so I tweaked the recipe to be as s'mores like as possible. I used Kraft mini marshmallows, they taste like the marshmallows in Lucky Charms, or the kind that come in those little packets of hot cocoa, so they were perfect for these bars. The finished product was quite similar to the Quaker bars, but a bit chewier and more chocolaty tasting. Definitely a keeper. 
No bake S'mores Granola BarsAdapted From laurenslatest.com1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups quick cooking oats {not rolled oats!}
1 cup crispy rice cereal
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips, plus more for topping1/2 cup mini marshmallows, plus more for toppingMix together Rice Krispies, oats, 1/2 cup marshmallows, and mini chocolate chips (if you want them with less chocolate flavor, leave out the chips till the end). Set aside. In a small pot, melt butter, honey, and brown sugar together over medium high heat until it starts to bubble. Reduce heat and cook for another two minutes. Stir in the vanilla. Remove from heat and pour over oat/rice mixture. Mix well ensuring that all ingredients are moistened. Line a small jelly roll pan (12x8x1) with aluminum foil.  Pour mixture into lined pan. Pack it in really tightly or the bars won't set and will fall apart when cooled.  Sprinkle the top with more chocolate chips and mini marshmallows. Let cool, then cut into bars. Have a sweet day! 

Kuzhi Paniyaram | Savory Unniyappam

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Paniyaram or savory unniyappam is a popular savory snack in the blogosphere made of made out of left over dosa/idli batter.Blogging introduced me to this wonder guilt free snack and thanx to all my friends who introduced the recipe to me.Now,this has become a regular snack at home and sometimes breakfast too.Everyone loves it at home and is quite healthy too.I hooked this recipe from 'show me the curry.com',this is a real delicious snack if you love savory.The only change I made in this recipe is I added corn kernels to it.Kids really love the crunchy and sweet corn kernels in the balls.These days am going quite busy with a number of activities going around at home,Thanx to all wishes on my hubby's birthday dearies..Conveyed all.Last weekend we had our group Onam celebration,now next week its my younger son's birthday coming up.So,now you can imagine the amount of work extra laid on me and that's the reason of my irregular visits in blogs.Hopefully by next week I'll be free,so enjoy this yummy snack at home !!


Ingredients
left over idli/dosa batter 3 cups
water (refer notes) as needed
salt to taste
green chillies chopped fine
cilantro 3-4 sprigs chopped
oil for frying
for seasoning
mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
onion 1/2 medium chopped
corn 1/3 cup
ginger 1/2 tsp
hing a pinch
oil  2 tsp


Method
-Add salt,green chillies,cilantro ,semolina and left over idli batter.
-In a pan,heat oil in a pan.Splutter mustard seeds and pop.
-Add asafoetida,curry leaves,onion ,corn kernels & ginger.
-Saute till onion turns translucent and add to batter.Mix well.
-Add water if required to balance the pouring of consistency.
-Heat the paniyaram pan / unniyappachatti and add few drops of oil in it.
-Spoon in batter in each mold and allow to cook.


-Once lightly golden brown,flip othe other side with the help of a skewer or fork.
-Remove them on a paper towel.
-Serve it with tomato chutney or coconut chutney !!

Servings ~ 4 adults

Spinach-Chicken | Palak-Chicken

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Spinach chicken /Palak chicken is a greeny,creamy & delicious combo.Kids who make faces looking at palak/spinach esp like the ones at my home will not even know a hint about spinach when its paired with chicken.My kids love chicken and so this was the easiest way I found to sneak in spinach to them.There was only one question while eating,"Mom,where did u buy a green chicken??"And his own reply before I could utter a word,like frosting cake,colored muffins...colored chicken !!ha ha..At this age it was easy for me,but after few years,they will understand the secret ingredient.Probably by then,they will start liking spinach,my wishes..lol. Anyways back to the recipe,though the ingredients are listed in four pairs and the list is long but it hardly takes an hour from preparation to cooking.The recipe uses just 1 tbsp of oil.The only thing I would like to tell my readers is its a must try recipe and it best pairs with rotis/naan :)



Ingredients
to marinate
chicken with bones  1 lb(approx 500 gm)
butter chicken masala 1 tbsp
yogurt 2 tbsp(not sour)
ginger-garlic paste 1tsp
salt

to grind
onion 1 medium sized
tomato 2 medium chopped
palak/spinach leaves 2- 2 1/2 cups chopped
green chillies 1 or 2
cilantro 4-5 sprigs
mint leaves 5-6 leaves
oil 1 tbsp

to season
ginger garlic paste 3/4 tsp
chilly powder 1 tsp
garam masala 1/2 tsp
coriander powder 1 tsp
turmeric powder 1/4 tsp

to garnish
heavy cream 2 tbsp(optional)



Method

1. Heat a pan,add the spinach leaves,mint leaves,cilantro and cover with lid,let it cook for 5 mins on medium heat.The water oozes out from leaves and is wilted by then.Put off flame,add the green chillies. Remove on a plate.Let it cool.
2. Again heat the same pan,add oil about 2 tsp.Saute the onion till slightly translucent and then add the tomatoes.Cook for 2 minutes.Put off flame ,let it cool.
3. In the mean time,marinate the chicken after a thorough wash and drain.Marinate with the ingredients listed above and make a smooth paste ,gently rub the marinade in all pieces and leave for half an hour.Leave covered.
4. Add both the step 1 and step 2 mixes in a blender when cooled and blend until smooth.
5. Heat another pan and add the remaining one tsp of oil,lower flame and add 3/4 tsp of ginger -garlic paste.Add the spices listed in seasoning on low flame and saute till raw smell disappears.Add the chicken pieces with the marinade and cook covered on medium flame until the water oozes out of chicken and is half way cooked.(about 15 minutes)
6. Uncover and let the chickjen cook for another 5 minutes,so that the water is slightly evaporated.Add the pureed spinach mixture in the chicken and let it come to boil and thicken.
7. The chicken gets a nice coating and is cooked in sauces,adjust salt.
8. Lower flame or put off and add 2 tbsp of heavy cream to add the taste and flavor.

Servings~4 adults

NOTES
* You can add cumin seeds to the seasoning too.I haven't added it.
* I usually add turmeric powder to chicken,you can skip that to retain the bright green color if u wish.
* You can even add 2tbsp paste of cashew too instead of cream if u wish.
* You can even prepare a veg combination with paneer or tofu or soya keeping the base gravy the same.

Sending this to Serve it boiled hosted By Krithi @Krithi's Kitchen

Chocolate Fudge Squares

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Chocolate fudge is a delicious homemade milk fudge which can be easily made with just a few easily available ingredients.The milk fudge can be made in large quantities and be stored in air tight containers.It tastes similar to the milk chocolate and can be cut in square rectangular pieces.My naughties just loved munching these and even chocolaty adults like me too..:)So,friends check it out for your kids kitty parties and play dates,you will gain extra points as a very loving mom :D
Recipe Source: Magic Oven

Ingredientsdark chocolate 120gm (grated 1 1/4 cup & refer notes)condensed milk  1 tinunsalted butter 50 gmssugar 1/2-3/4 cup(refer notes)vanilla essence /extract 1tsp

Method
-Heat a non stick pan and add the condensed milk,sugar and butter.Keep stirring the mix on medium flame until it reaches a soft ball consistency or when the mixture starts to leave the sides of the pan,bubbles appear on the surface (approx 20-30 minutes)
(Checking for soft ball consistency: Add a drop in a bowl of cold water and with your hands shape to form a ball)
-Put off flame and add the grated chocolate,vanilla extract.fold in the grated chocolate well until its cream and smooth without any lumps.
-Pour it in a square baking pan or any shaped molds.Wait to cool it for 1 hour,mark lines on the fudge in a way to break it easily.
-Leave it to set for another 4-6 hours,refrigerate and then cut into pieces and serve.


Servings ~ 18-20 pieces
NOTES* I used semi sweet chocolate bar,you can use your preferred variety.* You can increase or decrease the sugar content,the mentioned sugar of 3/4 cup gives a moderately sweet chocolate.* I have used fat free condensed milk.
Sending this to Kids Recipes Event hosted by Deep @ Deeps recipes

How to make your own bread crumbs at home ??

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Bread crumbs are mostly available in stores and then,why make these at home??True,but what do you do the top layer,bottom layers and the left over 3-4 slices from the bread pack after its used for breakfast & snacks??If you throw these slices in trash,then this is just meant for you.It hardly takes any time to turn these slices in bread crumbs and use it up in making cutlets,fish fingers,pop corn chicken,nuggets and so on.These are perfect bread crumbs just like the store ones,Do use up your left over slices and make these at home !!


Ingredientsbread slices 7-8Other accessoriescookie sheet/baking trayblenderstrainer

Method-Pre heat oven to 200 degrees F and place the bread slices arranged in one layer in the clean baking tray.-Place it in the oven for 10-15 minutes,remove from oven.-Turn all sides and place again for 10 minutes until its crisp and toasted.


-Break it in smaller pieces and blend it in a blender.-Strain the powder and repeat if there are larger pieces in the strainer.-Preserve it in clean dry bottles or air tight containers.
NOTES* Don't refrigerate the bread crumbs.Keep in air tight container at room temperature.* If you wish slightly coarse powder then pulse the blender 4-5 times without grinding.
* I packed it in my finished store brought tin sometime back.

Egg Curry

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Thanks a lot friends for all your wishes,likes on FB and inspiring comments on my 350th post yesterday.Hope to see you all in the coming posts as well.Today am sharing a simple egg curry which I make it frequently.This curry goes perfect to serve with rotis,idiappam and any Indian staples.Do give this a try and enjoy!!



Ingredients
eggs 6 hard boiled & peeled
onion 2 medium  sliced thin
tomato 2 medium chopped
ginger -garlic paste 1 tsp
green chillies 2-3 vertical slit
chilly powder 1 tsp
coriander powder 1 tsp
garam masala 1/2 tsp
turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
curry leaves
coconut milk thick 1/4 cup or whole milk 1/4 cup
salt
oil 1 tbsp



Method
-Wash the eggs and boil them with enough water and salt.Remove from heat,add ice cold water to it,and then leave for sometime.Peel the shell and wash,make a slit in each egg.Keep aside in a plate.
-Heat oil in a pan,saute onions till slightly browned.
-Add the curry leaves followed by green chillies.
-Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute till raw smell disappears.
-Add the chopped tomatoes.Toss and cover it till 5 minutes on medium flame.
-Uncover the lid,mix until mashed and combined.
-Add the spices and saute until raw smell vanishes.
-Add 1 1/2 cups of water to it,let the gravy come to a boil.
-Let it cook for 15-20 minutes until the tomatoes are mashed very well,and the gravy slightly thickens on moderately high.Adjust salt and add the eggs.
-Lower the flame,add the thick coconut milk.Mix well.
-Remove from flame and Keep covered for 10 minutes.Serve warm with idiappam or rotis.

Servings~ 3-4 adults

NOTES
* You can add boiled cooled whole milk too instead of coconut milk,though coconut milk adds more flavor.



Also,reposting two of my gram flour recipes to Know your flours-Gram Flour hosted by Ansh @ Spice roots 

Besan Laddu


Dhokla

making and canning a rustic tomato sauce

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Earlier in the week Erica from Northwest Edible Life wrote a blog post about making a thick tomato sauce. After reading her post I knew I had to give it a whirl.

One of the reasons I had been dehydrating the tomatoes this year instead of canning them was all of the work involved in making tomato sauce. The way I used to do it involved first crushing the tomatoes in the Saucemaster which separated out the seeds, cores, and skins and left just a smooth tomato puree. Then I had to cook the sauce down to the desired thickness on the stovetop. That method was pretty much a full day affair and lots of mess to clean up.

The new method has me chopping the tomatoes and placing them in a large stockpot. I turned the heat to medium and let them simmer for about 2 hours. I used my immersion blender to puree down some of the skins and larger chunks that hadn't fully fallen apart while simmering.




I was left with a rustic tomato sauce that was nicely thickened in just a fraction of the time it used to take me to make tomato sauce. From the time I added the chopped tomatoes to the stockpot until the time I removed the jars from the pressure canner was just 3 hours. If you add in the chopping time I'd estimate that this job took about 3 1/2 hours from start to finish. Contrast that with my old method that easily took 10 hours from start to finish. I won't say I'll never make a pureed and strained version of tomato sauce again, but it will be much rarer in our house.



For the actual pressure canning instructions, follow my old tutorial from the point where the tomato sauce has cooked down.

Here you see the final result - 6 quarts and one pint of rustic tomato sauce.

31 Days of Home Cooked Meals - Tuesday, October 9th

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Twice Baked Acorn Squash with Beef and Vegetable Filling

Twice Baked Acorn Squash Recipe

2 medium acorn squash
olive oil
sea salt
black pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 lb ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and shredded
1 stalk celery, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3-4 large leaves of kale, thick ribs discarded, finely chopped
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp paprika
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 400F. Cut squash in half crosswise. Scoop out the seeds and discard. Time ends of squash half so that they sit upright and don't wobble. Arrange squash cavity-side up in a 9x13inch glass baking dish. Drizzle each with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour water into the dish to cover about 1" of the bottom of the squash. Cover with aluminum foil and bake about 45 minutes or until squash is tender.

While the squash is baking prepare the filling. Heat olive oil and brown beef. Add onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and kale. Cook until vegetables are tender - about 5 minutes. Add seasonings, tomato paste, and water. Cook until a sauce is formed. Remove from heat and stir in raisins. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Divide the filling evening among the squash. Keep the squash in the pan with water and cover them with aluminum foil again and return to oven. Heat about 10-20 minutes. Serve immediately.