5-Ingredient Mango Crumble

I have been missing my blog as much as it has been missing me...I don't have any illusions that anyone out there has been missing my blog though! Anyway, I'm back with something sweet, to celebrate a very sweet achievement in my life.

I baked this delicious mango crumble for my dad and mom because of whom I have been able to follow my passion and interest in the Montessori educational philosophy. They supported me to study, with a 3-year-old in tow, having to travel 60 kms daily over 1 year (ensuring that we were comfortably chauffeur driven!!). They looked after both my son and me while I gritted my teeth and worked my way illustrating, writing, studying, re-writing, re-drawing 5 folders, each about 200 pages....some nights I have not even slept (especially the day before folder submission!). Because of them, I am now the proud holder of a diploma in early childhood education, from the AMI in Netherlands. Because of this, I now have a renewed interest, passion, and direction in my life. So, even though both my parents are (borderline) diabetics (!) I baked and dedicated this mango crumble to them!

This is also for my (sweet!) husband who has never stopping me from following my heart and dreams!

Mangoes are in season now, especially in a state like Kerala which has a tropical climate. I love having mangoes in any form but in desserts have only made them in the form of a mousse. A mango crumble was news to me when I saw this recipe in the latest issue of "Vanitha", a Malayalam magazine. I put this together in no time, just 10 minutes needed to have this going in the oven. So this is perfect for the general theme of this blog-effortless cooking easy baking! Hope you too will try this out and enjoy it like we did!

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup mango, cut up into thick slices (midway between ripe and raw)
2. 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg powder
3. Sugar-to taste, depending on the sweetness of the mangoes
4. 3/4 cup all purpose flour
5. 50 grams butter + 1 tablespoon extra
6. 1 tablespoon sugar (for sprinkling on top)

Method

• Preheat oven to 180 C.
• Combine the mango slices, nutmeg powder and sugar (to taste) in a saucepan.
• Cook it on a low flame until the sugar is just dissolved.
• Transfer the mango mix to a baking dish.
• Cut up the butter into small pieces and mix it into the flour with your fingers until it becomes like breadcrumbs.
• Spread this on top of the mango mix, flattening it with your fingers or the back of a spoon.
• Dot the top with the extra 1 tablespoon butter, randomly.
• Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
• Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the top becomes light brown.
• Serve plain or with a dollop of cream or vanilla icecream.
• Enjoy the summer!

Linking this to two events:
Mango Delights

SriValli's Kid's Delights co-hosted by Cook's Hideout

Puddina-Chocolate Bread Pudding

This is originally a recipe from Malta and I'm guessing it was their take on the classic English bread pudding! It is a very useful recipe to have in hand when you get unexpected guests or even when you're suddenly hit with a craving for dessert...Any self-respecting cook will have all these ingredients in their pantry/fridge already, so there's no special shopping involved. 

This caught my attention one Sunday while idly watching the Fox Traveller channel, on the Italian Food Safari. It seemed so easy and the name was intriguing enough that not only did I google it immediately but also sprinted to my kitchen and had it all ready to go into the oven in barely 15 minutes! It turned out tasting chocolatey, dense on the inside and crusty outside, with all the crunch of the nuts and sweetness of the dried fruits adding to an overall satisfactory dessert, considering how easy it was to put together! 

I didn't get time to write down the measurements so this is something I'm just approximating, which means you too just have to wing it and see.

     Ingredients

1. Bread-1 loaf or 10-12 slices (preferably a day old)
2. Eggs-2, beaten
3. Sugar-6 to 8 tablespoons
4. Custard powder-2 tablespoons (vanilla flavour)
5. Cocoa powder-2 to 4 tablespoons
6. Cornflour-2 tablespoons
7. Vanilla essence-1 tablespoon
8. Dried fruits-1/4 cup (I used dates)
9. Almonds-1/4 cup, slivers or flakes
10. Rum or brandy-1 tablespoon (optional)
11. Cherries-A few, cut into half

      Procedure

• Preheat oven to 180 C.
• Crumble the bread slices in a bowl and pour water over it enough to submerge everything. Keep aside for 15 to 30 minutes.
• Transfer to a sieve/colander and drain out the liquid.
• Transfer to a shallow baking pan and just add in all the other ingredients one by one and mix it all well.
• Place the cherries on top, alternating with some of the almond slivers or flakes.
• Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
• Cool and serve.

TIPS:
Personally, I think it would go really well with a dollop of ice cream or fresh cream :-)

If you dig bread puddings, then you mightalso  like these that I've blogged about before:
Marmalade Bread Pudding
Shahi Tukra-Baked and Royal As Ever!

I am sending this over to the Tea Time Treats event hosted by Kate at What Kate Baked for this month's theme which is "The Perfect Pudding"

Until next time, ciao!

Lasagna with homemade pasta-in the oven in one hour!

My love for anything Italian obviously had to include the quintessential lasagna. Although I used to order it at any given opportunity, I never thought of making it at home, thinking it was a hassle (even with storebought lasagna sheets!). Traditional recipes require the sauce to be thickened for hours to get the full-bodied flavor. Also, if making fresh pasta sheets, they need to be first cooked for a bit in boiling water, drained and used.

Then I chanced upon a recipe that while having to make the pasta sheets fresh at home, still made me want to take the plunge and make it. This recipe, from the blog Veg Bowl is what inspired me to try it out and I have to thank the blogger Mallika for that! Seeing my family, and especially my 3 year old son enjoying it and asking for seconds, and my dad preferring this over many other choices for his birthday dinner, inspires me to make it many more times in the future.

The first time I made it, I followed Mallika's recipe to the T for the dough but made some additions like chicken to her vegetarian filling recipe. The second time, I modified it with a recipe from the Smitten Kitchen and one given by my friend Renisha, also adding my own spur-of-the-moment touches. Yes, a mishmash of recipes this is, but it can hold its own with the best of them. Even though I was initially intimidated by the classic version, this experience has taught me that once you've got the basics right, you can just follow your heart and add, subtract, multiply, whatnot, and still come up with a winner of a dish. It is deliciously comforting and satisfying, both for the body and soul!

I absolutely love this recipe because it takes only one hour from the time you start kneading the dough till you finally put the dish into the oven (with a bit of multitasking, of course!). The filling is entirely up to you, depending on if you are a vegetarian or nonvegetarian. Vegetarians can use carrots, mushrooms, bell peppers, tomatoes, spinach, etc.  Nonvegetarians can use chicken, lamb, pork (I made this once with luncheon meat). I use a combination of both veggies and meat.

Serves 4 (generously)

For the pasta

1-1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 to 2 tablespoons water (only if needed)

For vegetarians:

Substitute eggs with 4 tbsp oil and increase the amount of water to 1/4 or 1/2 cup, like Mallika does).

For the Bechamel sauce

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons all purpose flour

500 mL milk

Salt, to taste

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

For the Bolognese sauce filling

1 large onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 medium size carrot, finely chopped

1 medium bell pepper, finely chopped (or a mixture of different colored peppers)

1 cup button mushrooms, finely chopped

1 cup tomato puree

1 tablespoon dried mixed herbs (or just thyme)

Salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons olive oil (or other neutral tasting vegetable oil)

Red wine (if no children are involved! and as much as you like!)

Nonvegetarian filling:

To the ingredients above, add 250 grams minced chicken or minced mutton or minced pork or a tin of luncheon meat

To layer:

1 cup (plus a bit more if required) Parmesan or Mozzarella cheese, grated

Procedure:

Start off with making the dough first:

1. Beat the eggs with a fork.

2. Combine the flour and salt well.

2. Put the flour either into a large bowl or on a clean surface and make a well in the middle.

3. Slowly pour the eggs or oil into the well and mix with fingers, bringing it all together into a ball.

4. Knead, adding more flour or water if needed, until you get a smooth but stiff ball.

5. Let it rest, covered with a cloth or plastic wrap, for about 15 to 20 minutes (this is the time to start off on the sauce)

6. After 20 minutes (by this time, the sauce should be at step #5-see below), divide into 4 balls.

7. Dust your work surface with flour and roll out each ball into a sheet that is as thin as you can get. Either cut each sheet into smaller rectangular sheets to overlap and line your pan or roll it out as 4 large sheets. Keep aside.

Now start making the Bolognese sauce:

1. Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan (or nonstick).

2. Add the garlic and when the garlicky flavor wafts out, add the onions and fry till it turns pink.

3. Add all the veggies at the same time and cook for 5 minutes.

4. Add the minced meat (if using), salt and pepper.

5. Cook on high heat for 5 minutes, then cover with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes or until the meat is cooked through (now is the time to start making the Bechamel sauce and grating the cheese and rolling out the pastry sheets!).

6. Add the tomato puree and mixed herbs. Simmer again for 5 minutes.

7. If required, add some water (or red wine) and simmer again for 5 minutes.

8. Take off the heat.

And the Bechamel sauce:

1. Heat the butter in a saucepan.

2. Before it starts smoking, add in the flour and stir until it turns a light brown..

3. Add in the milk, a little at first to mix it with the flour, and then add the rest gradually, whisking it well until it becomes thicker.

4. Add salt and pepper.

5. Simmer and stir for 5 minutes.

6. Take off heat.

To assemble:

1. Preheat oven to 180 C or 200 C.

2. In a rectangular baking dish, first spread the Bechamel sauce

3. Carefully place the first lasagna sheet over this (or overlap and place 3-4 sheets).

4. Pour enough of the Bolognese sauce to cover the sheet.

5. Top with the Bechamel sauce.

5. Sprinkle with the grated cheese.

6. Repeat this twice: the pasta sheet-Bolognese sauce-Bechamel sauce-grated cheese.

7. Lastly, cover with the last pasta sheet, pour some Bechamel sauce, and top with grated cheese (you can finish off with a pasta sheet and cheese alone to get a crunchier top).

8. Bake until the top becomes brown and the cheese has melted and bubbles over, about 25 to 25 minutes, depending on your oven.

PS: Try your best to wait for at least 10 minutes before plunging in!

  

I am linking this to Bake Fest which this month is being hosted at Anu's Kitchen.

Until next time, ciao!

Butter Chicken 'Chak Le India' Style and book review

Aditya Bal's show on NDTV Good Time's, called Chak Le India, was a "don't-miss" one for me back when I was in Hyderabad. But here in Kerala, it's not part of the local cable network so it's been a while since I watched it. So obviously I jumped at BlogAdda's book review program to review his first cookbook. I was thrilled when I was one of the 10 bloggers to get copies of the book. So far, I've cooked one of the dishes-butter chicken. This is one dish that is my favorite (but which self-respecting Indian doesn't like butter chicken?!). Surprisingly, I haven't attempted to make it even once in my kitchen because most of the recipes required elaborate grilling or tandoorifying the chicken and I wasn't up to it. This recipe, though, charmingly lures you into trying it out, making the process seem simple. No need to grill the chicken, just sear it on high fire and make the different bases for the curry and combine them and you're done! The flavor was restaurant-style (if I may humbly say so myself!). Even though I was in a hurry and didn't give any time for marination, this dish got done in about 45 minutes and still the taste was spot-on. Do try this out! I'm going to review the book now. The recipe is given at the end.

If you buy this book, you have to read the introduction section at leisure. I have read many an introduction to many cookbooks, but I felt this was the one that was written from the heart and because of that, really struck a chord with me. It has been written in a heartfelt, genuine way that makes you feel you know Aditya on a first-name basis! He also gives detailed notes in "The Indian Pantry" section, that touches on everything from aromatics to dairy, herbs, spices, oils, and everything in between. Coming from a guy who has not professionally studied the culinary arts, this knowledge base struck me as really indicative of his passion and interest in all things food related. After all, I've been cooking for almost a decade and a half now but I never thought of researching stuff in such depth! The main sections are divided into the usual suspects-meat, chicken, seafood, vegetarian, snack, and sweets.

Thumbs up:
Aditya Bal's television program showcased a lot of traveling and food from different parts of India, so it follows that this cookbook has diverse recipes from a variety of states, from Kashmir to Kerala. Every recipe has a small note introducing the dish, with a little bit of its history. The photographs are mouthwatering. Aditya gives thorough instructions in every step. The unique thing about his descriptions, which I think is missing from most cookbooks, is how at the end he describes how the dish should look and taste once its cooked. Super like!

Thumbs down:
This is something very subjective. I'm a person who likes to spend minimal time in the kitchen, even though I'm a foodie and enjoy cooking and baking (yes, I'm contradictory that way). After all, that's why my blog is called effortless cooking easy baking. So for a person like me, this book seemed to be full of recipes that required a lot of time and effort. This could also be an illusion stemming from the fact that most of the recipes had about 15 steps on an average. While this could be the other side of the coin (since I praised his thorough instructions in the previous paragraph!) I feel it could have done with some tighter editing, leaving only the really essential details in the recipe so as not to put off people like me who are lazy gooses! And for the photographs, I really would have liked to see less of close-ups and more of some elegant food styling with great props that gave off a whiff of the dish's ambience (for amateur food photographers like me, this is something that I still can't achieve, so I expect it from the best blogs and cookbooks!)

One more thing, especially since I'm from Kerala-his recipe for Kerala Chicken Stew on page 52, was frankly, something that I had never come across in all my years of making stew in Kerala. This is not the way I've seen my mother, grandmother, aunts, or anyone I know make stew! Basically, its a very complicated version of a recipe that's essentially so simple that it should not take more than 20 minutes to make and not more than 5 to 6 steps! Here is the Kerala chicken stew which is the way we make it in our family:
Swift Chicken Stew

I wish Aditya all success in life....would love to see him come up with even better cookery shows and cookbooks for us as the years go by!

Enjoy the butter chicken recipe, which is a keeper, and note Aditya's description in the end, which I have highlighted.

Butter Chicken Chak Le India Style (as in the book)

Ingredients
500 gms boneless chicken
1 tsp salt
A few drops of refined oil
50 gms butter
1/2 tsp sugar
Juice of half a lime

The marinade
3 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1/2 an onion, pureed
4 tbsp whisked curd
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp turmeric 
1 tsp hot red chilli powder
Juice of 1 lime

The rich tomato gravy
7-8 ripe red tomatoes
A few drops of refined oil
50 gms butter
1/2 inch ginger, chopped fine
2 green chillies, chopped fine
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp hot red chilli powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar, to balance the acidity of the tomatoes
4-5 tbsp full cream

The garnish
2-3 tsp chopped fresh coriander leaves
A knob of butter

      Method

1. Wash the chicken and trim it.  Cut it into tikka-sized chunks.

      The Marinade

1. Combine all the marinade ingredients in a small bowl.  Put the chicken into a large glass or plastic bowl.  Add the marinade and mix it well into the chicken with your hands.  Cover and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.
2. While the chicken is marinating, prepare the rich tomato gravy.

     The Rich Tomato Gravy

1. Blanch the tomatoes, peel them and puree the flesh.
2. Heat a medium-sized saute pan and add the oil and butter. Keep the pan on medium heat, till the butter is foaming. The oil prevents the butter from burning as it has a much higher smoking point.
3. Once the foam subsides somewhat, add the chopped ginger and green chillies and saute for a couple of minutes on medium heat.
4. Add the spice powders and saute till they are aromatic and richly coloured.
5. Now add the fresh tomato puree and stir to mix with the spices. Simmer on low heat, till the tomato gravy is thick and has a rich, deep red colour and the oil rises to the surface.
6. Season well with salt and add the sugar. Stir through and simmer for a few minutes longer. Turn off the heat and set the gravy aside to mature.

     To Cook The Chicken

1. Remove the marinated chicken from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature. Season with salt and mix well.
2. Heat a heavy nonstick frying pan and add a few drops of refined oil and the butter.
3. Once the butter is hot, add a few chicken pieces at a time and sear them on high heat, till they develop a rich caramelized crust and are slightly charred around the edges. Remove to a plate and repeat with the remaining pieces.
4. Now, return all the seared chicken pieces to the pan and fry them all together. Add the sugar, lime juice, and any remaining marinade. Continue to fry the chicken, till it is almost fully cooked and turns a lovely, charred, golden brown.
5. Add the thick, spicy tomato gravy to the chicken and deglaze the pan to lift up those intense pan deposits. Cook on medium heat, stirring well to make sure the chicken is fully submerged and coated in the delicious gravy.
6. Simmer uncovered to reduce the gravy.
7. Turn the heat down to a simmer and add the thick cream. Stir through to combine and cook for about 5 minutes to blend well.
8. Check for a balance of flavours; the gravy should be rich and buttery, bursting with the spices and concentrated tomatoes; the chicken, perfectly tender and packed with the rich flavours of the creamy tomato gravy.
9. Sprinkle some coriander leaves, add a knob of butter and enjoy this home-style butter chicken with naan or tandoori roti.

This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com. Participate now to get free books!

Until next time, ciao!

Marmalade Bread Pudding

Bread pudding is a comforting childhood dessert for most of us, no matter which part of the world you may be from...Very easy to put together, with minimal ingredients that are there in any home. More often than not, I find myself putting together a bread pudding when there are loads of leftover bread in the fridge. This recipe, however, has a nice twist to the traditional one, with the marmalade used as a topping for the bread. Try it out and you won't be disappointed! Having tried this, a little voice in my head was whispering about getting more creative next time and using even Nutella or other types of jams...do try it and let me know! Please note that after making this a couple of times, now I just eyeball the measurements but whatever I threw into the mix, the end result was always delectable!

Adapted from the Delia Smith website

    The What

1. 4 tablespoons orange marmalade
2. 6 to 8 slices white bread, with crusts left on (number of slices will depend on your baking pan)
3. 1 cup (or more) milk
4. Half cup (more or less) fresh cream (I used Amul fresh cream)
5. 50 g softened butter
6. 2 to 3 eggs
7. 5 tablespoons sugar (but adjust to taste)
8. 1 to 2 tablespoons demerara sugar

     The How

• Preheat the oven to 180 C.
• Butter the base of your pan.
• Make a bread and butter sandwich first:
• Spread the butter on all the bread slices.
• Spread the marmalade on top of the buttered side of half the slices (if you have 6, then spread marmalade on 3 of them).
• Place the marmalade-sided slices on top of the buttered-sided slices.
• Spread butter on the top side of the sandwich.
• Cut each into a triangle shape (or square).
• Arrange these slices, butter side up, overlapping each other and slightly erect.
• Combine the milk, cream, sugar, eggs, in a bowl and pour this all over the slices.
• Let it rest for about 10 minutes.
• Sprinkle the demarara sugar on top.
• Bake in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes (it will puff up really golden and crisp).
• Serve warm with fresh cream or just as it is.

TIPS
Adding some vanilla extract to the milk mixture is an option.
Also adding some orange zest or candied peel is mentioned in the recipe, but I didn't.

Linking this to the event Kid's Delight, hosted this month by Pradnya at her blog The Pumpkin Farm, originally hosted by Srivalli at Spice Your Life.

Until next time, ciao!

Book Review-Southern Flavours by Chandra Padmanabhan

I’m excited to be writing my very first book review on this blog. Blog Adda sent me this book last week and I’m proud to be one of the 20 bloggers that have been selected in India to review this book, Southern Flavours, by the award winning Chandra Padmanabhan. I love this initiative of Blog Adda. Along with the book, there was also a note from the founder, Nirav Sanghavi, as well as a bookmark, which I thought was a nice personal touch. I love reading and collecting cookbooks-almost 98% of them being gifts from my dad and the one book which is my touchstone being the one handwritten by my mom. Still, I’m sure this will be a book I refer to quite often in the years to come!

Before you go into the review, let me first answer the most basic question that should be answered in any book review-Should you buy the book? Well, I would wholeheartedly recommend this to all of you, vegetarian foodies as well as nonvegetarians (because as we nonvegetarians know only too well, “you gotta eat your veggies!!!!)”. Anyone from any part of India, not just South India, but anyone with a curiosity and love for good food would love this book. It is reasonably priced at Rs. 599 and comes in a sturdy hardbound edition from Westland Publishers.

Christmas Jam Drops and Stars

Wishing all my dear friends and readers and bloggers a merry Christmas! May the joy and warmth of the season fill your hearts and homes!

During this time of the year, the blogosphere abounds with recipes for rich plum cakes and wines and other home-made delicacies, with bloggers generously sharing family recipes and secrets that have brought much joy to them over the years. My family always believed in celebrating festivals irrespective of religion. I received a beautiful Hamlyn illustrated children's bible from my parents for my 6th birthday, so I grew up knowing and loving Christmas for everything it stood for.My childhood Christmas memories involved decorating the manger, the Christmas tree, and my mom roasting a turkey or chicken and of course, the mandatory wine and cake!  There's this lovely rice wine that my mom makes, which I have personally never made, but hopefully will feature on this blog some day...I decided to feature for Christmas these simple and easy-to-make jam drops, which children absolutely love. I baked these for the Christmas potluck party at the school I work at and it was a hit not just with the kids, but my colleagues too! This recipe is from a book called "Grandmas's Quick and Thrifty Cookbook" published by Reader's Digest, gifted to me by my dad and mom. My dad has this lovely habit of  buying books, cookbooks as well as general knowledge and novels "abridged-version" books, from the Reader's Digest catalogues, from as long as I can remember! As a result of this, I have an enviable collection of recipe books, all of which are real treasuretroves. I will be sharing more of these recipes as and when I cook/bake from them...

Baked Falafel (Chickpea Cutlets)

This recipe hits a double jackpot-one, its baked rather than fried and two, chickpeas kick up the protein quotient, especially if you're a vegetarian or have kids who you want to get some protein into, the tasty way!


Falafel is a very popular Mediterranean snack, usually deep fried. It is so popular that in Egypt, McDonalds has even introduced a McFalafel! I got this recipe from Prabha aunty, who is a gifted homemaker, having a warm, lovely house with a very inviting ambience to it. She obviously has a green thumb as there is a beautiful garden full of non-flowering plants (cacti, mostly). She is also a culinary expert, going by the taste of these cutlets that she made (and also the pineapple cookies that she had baked the morning that we visited her). I immediately mentally filed this away as the perfect savory snack for my son to take to school. I may have made some modifications in it from what she said. So far, I've made it twice or thrice already, freezing it in batches. I just happened to bake it one day and it came out perfectly browned and crisp, with just a drop of oil on both sides! Here's the recipe now-

Banana Nutella Mini Muffins

Anyone who has been reading my blog over the last few posts must be now nodding their heads and thinking, "this lady really has gone bonkers over Nutella". Oh well, not that I can defend myself against that! I've been reading so many recipes for Nutella cupcakes, most involving only 3 ingredients-Nutella, flour, and an egg. I was wondering how they will rise up without the mandatory baking powder or baking soda and while I do admit that it is a problem with these recipes (at least for me), it does not in any way detract from the taste of these mini-beauties. I have adapted this from here. 

For this, I just whipped up all the ingredients in the Nutella jar itself! Of course, it had just the right amount of Nutella remaining-so I thought why mix it up in another bowl when I can make sure every drop of Nutella is utilized this way-scraping it off would have left some precious chocolate back in the jar anyway. These were baked for my son to take to school this week-as I mentioned before, I usually bake a batch of cookies, cupcakes or freeze a dozen cutlets/nuggets on Sundays, to be used during the following week. So I am filing this away in my Toddler Treats Section, although now I know it byheart as I've baked these twice already :-).

Before I go into the recipe, I'm happy to say I've been presented with the Leibster Blog Award-that too by the only novelist in my family-Dan Smith. In German, "Leibster" means "sweet, kind, nice, beloved, endearing"...you get the drift! And the award is given to encourage new and upcoming blogs that have a following of less than 200. Thanks, Dan!

A word about Dan- he has already written many books, of which Dry Season, was shortlisted for the Author's Club Best First Novel and the Brit Writers Award. Here's to more books from him-you can read his blog here. I'm passing on this award to one of my best friends Emreen who blogs at Liven Things Up and also to the very talented Panjami Anand who writes the most thoughtful and lovely poetry over at Rumination Amidst Solitude. She has recently brought out an ebook of her poetry (which you can buy at her site).


These are the rules of the award:
1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you. 

2. Copy and paste the award on your blog.

3. Award it to your five favorite bloggers and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.

Doesn't this call for a celebration with a sweet treat? Here's the recipe now!

Nutella Butter Cookies-Pinwheel and Stuffed Paradise!

This is one of the few times when I really really wish a photograph could bring you the real taste, aroma, and texture of the food I blog about. These cookies are the absolute best of any cookie I've baked so far, and I've tried quite a few recipes over the years-everything from magazines, blogs, to the cookie recipe on the back of the Wilton cookie cutter set-but this one beats them all hands down! Its from one of my favorite bloggers, Shaheen of The Purple Foodie (see original recipe here). I also used some tips from another blogger I like, Magpie, who had baked these and blogged about it here. After a long weekend break, getting back to work also required making a fresh batch of sweet and savory snacks for my son to take to school and this was something I knew would be just right for him. But don't fool yourself into thinking this is just for kids (even though I'm adding it to my Toddler Treats section). Everybody who loves butter and Nutella will find this irresistible! You'll find the original recipe below, with my modifications in brackets, and further tips below that.

Citrusy Fresh Orange Cake

Update: This recipe was chosen on Haley's popular blog as the "Sweet Recipe I Can't Wait To Try" for the event #53, first week of November 2011. Thanks Haley for the sweet thumbsup!

This is a cake that I had first baked for my husband's birthday a few years ago (since he's not a fan of chocolate, I obviously couldn't bake any of my favorite chocolate cakes!). This recipe has been a keeper ever since! I baked it again a few days ago, this time adding some Nutella as an extra topping. Whether you choose to have this cake on its own (without any topping or glaze) or use the orange glaze or add an extra topping like chocolate syrup, Nutella, vanilla icecream, whipped cream, etc., you can be sure you'll get a perfect blend of flavors with the soft and moist citrusy orange cake. Its perfect for any occasion or just as a treat to make your everyday teatime special. Sadly, I have not noted down the original source of the recipe, so can't attribute any here, but if any of you know, please let me know and I'll be happy to update with it!

Caramel Cake with Butterscotch Icing

This is the cake I baked for my dad's birthday a few days ago. We had an amazing time at home with my aunts and uncles and cousins, having a blast! Everyone loved this cake, especially my mom's sister, Geetha aunty, a culinary expert herself who still whips up mouthwatering dishes that are part of my fond childhood memories. Nowadays, when anyone asks me for recipes, I always refer them to this blog and airily say "check my blog/I'll post it on my blog"! So when she asked for this recipe, I promised to put it up here in no time-and so here it is-a surefire way to bake a decadently delicious, rich and moist buttery caramelly cake that will take your heart away!

Happy Diwali-with a deliciously rich Carrot-Dates-Cashew Kheer!

Wishing all my readers a very happy Diwali-May "the festival of lights" light up your life and bring much needed joy and positive energy to the whole world!

There are so many different sweets that are traditionally made for Diwali. One of the more commonplace ingredients is carrots-this is made into halwa and and burfi and kheer and whatnot....My recipe here is one my mom gave me a few years ago and which is always slurped up and finished in no time whenever I make it...Here's the recipe, which can be made in no time!

Snow Pea (Avara) Stir-fry Kerala Style

This is one vegetable that has so many different names! In Kerala, it is commonly called "avara", in Tamil Nadu its called "amarakkai", in English it is known as snow pea/mangetout/broad beans. I'm not even sure if this is 100% accurate, but based on my superficial Internet research, I have to leave it at that. It is one of my favorite vegetables, while also having the dubious honor of being the one I very rarely get right! You know there are some dishes that only your mom can get right and no matter how hard you try, you can never match up to how she makes it? Know what I'm talking about, right? For this, I find it  quite tricky knowing just when to take it off the flame, since it cooks quickly, but it's also very delicious, healthy and elegant in its simplicity. Just a few basic ingredients thrown together give this simple vegetable a lovely flavor...So here's how my mom makes it!

Free Download-100 Yummy Diwali Sweet Recipes E-book from Indus Ladies!

I'm so thrilled to announce that one of my recipes has been selected to be included in the Indus Ladies Diwali sweets ebook. If you read my previous post, you'll know that I had submitted 6 recipes to the contest. Now I'm even more happy to say that the ebook is now available for free download on Indus Ladies website, so now all of you have a ready reckoner for all your Diwali sweets. Just refer this one book which are tried and tested and trusted recipes from food bloggers around the world! I'm so proud to have my name and my blog included along with the best. This is surely a milestone in my blogging journey that I will remember fondly in the years to come...

Psst...the recipe from my blog that got selected is on page 187...Choconut Swirls-my son's favorite!

Just click here for the free download, which will take you the Indus Ladies forum page. Scroll down a little and you will find the link for the ebook. Just in case, here's the link again:

                                                             

http://www.indusladies.com/forums/announcements/148569-free-download-100-yummy-diwali.html