Snicker doodle Cookies

 

 Every early December, I start looking (or rather scouring books) for new cookie recipes. This year, while I was marking such recipes, I found this snicker doodle recipe right under my nose! It was on the back of King Arthur Brand bread Flour. So I decided to try it.

Snicker Doodle Cookies
Ingredients

Beat
1/2 cup butter, soft
3/4 cup sugar

Add
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Add
1  1/3 cup All Purpose Flour/Bread Flour

Mix in a separate container
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon powder

Method
1. Preheat oven
2. Beat butter and sugar.
3. Add egg, vanilla , baking powder and salt.
4. Now, add all purpose flour.
5. Mix sugar and cinnamon in a separate container.
6. Make uniform balls.
7. Roll them in the sugar cinnamon mixture.

8. Place them on a parchment lined baking tray.
9. Take a drinking glass of 1" base diameter and flatten each ball with the bottom of the glass.

10. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes.

Note-
1. Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Credits
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/buttery-snickerdoodles-recipe

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Breadfruit & Peas Curry

Vilayat means foreign in Marathi. So Vilayati Fanas means foreigner jackfruit which is otherwise known as breadfruit in English. Fresh breadfruit is available in many south American stores or it's also available in the frozen section of Indian stores.

Vilayati Fanasachi bhaaji
Breadfruit +White Peas Curry
Ingredients
1/2 lb breadfruit pieces, I used frozen
1/2 cup white peas sprouts
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp. jaggery

Grind to a smooth paste
1/2 cup fresh coconut
1 tbsp. coriander seeds, roasted
5-6 black peppercorn, roasted
1/2 tbsp. tamarind pulp

Tempering
1/2 tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp asafetida
2 springs curry leaves

Method
1. Pressure cook white peas sprouts adding turmeric powder and water.
2. Pour cooked peas and breadfruit in a saucepan. Add ground masala.
3. Add water to get the desired consistency.
4. Add salt and jaggery. Bring to boil. Let it simmer.
5. In a separate saucepan, add oil. Splutter mustard seeds, asafetida and curry leaves.
6. Drizzle over the curry. Switch off the gas.

Note -
1. The consistency of this curry should be thick.
2. Since I used the frozen bread fruit, it didn't take any time to cook. Do not overcook.

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Patty Pan Saute

Patty Pan squash has now become a regular in my daily cooking. Of course, they are available only during summer - fall. Last time, I just sautéed them along with oven roasted tomatoes. Gudiya asked for seconds and thirds!

Patty Pan Saute
Ingredients
12 baby patty pan, quartered
2 tbsp. oven roasted tomatoes in oil
Salt
black pepper powder

Method
1. Heat cast iron skillet
2. Add oven roasted tomatoes with oil.
3. Add patty pan and sauté on a medium flame.
4. Keep stirring from time to time, till cooked and crispy.
5. Sprinkle salt and pepper.

Note -
If you like it spicy, add a pinch of crushed red pepper

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Kale Daal

 

I like to sneak in some leafy greens in our daily meals. I don't get traditional Indian leafy greens. If I am lucky, sometimes, I get fresh methi or gongura at Indian stores. So I use the American leafy greens.

Kale is very good for health but it's little chewy/rough. But in combination with chard and spinach, it tastes good. I buy this packet of deep greens troika (Kale+Spinach+Chard). It makes a delicious daal soup with rice.

Kale Daal
Daily Daal with Kale
Ingredients
3 cups Kale+Spinach+Chard - roughly chopped
3/4 cup toor daal
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
A pinch of asafoetida

Roast and grind
2 tbsp. fresh coconut
1/2 tbsp. coriander seeds
4-5 byadgi chilies, or per taste
7-8 black peppercorn
1/2 tbsp. tamarind pulp

Tempering
2 tsp oil
4-5 garlic cloves, smashed

Method
1. Pressure cook daal with turmeric powder and asafetida. In a separate container, pressure cooked, roughly chopped leafy greens.

2. Roast the spices and coconut one after the other. Grind to a paste adding tamarind and adequate water.
3. Mash cooked daal and greens lightly. Pour into a saucepan. Add ground masala paste. Adjust water.
4. Bring to boil. Add salt to taste. Let it simmer.
5. In a separate saucepan, heat oil. Add garlic cloves. Fry till they are golden brown. Drizzle tempered oil along with garlic cloves over daal.
6. Cover and switch off gas.
7. Serve with your daily meal or as a soup.

Note -
1. I generally add more leafy greens compared to daal. You may decide your own proportion per personal preference.




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Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo

Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo with Patty Pan Sauté

 

Gudiya loves Italian food more than anything else. So I try to recreate her favorite restaurant dishes at home.

 

Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo

Ingredients

2 1/2 Servings Fettuccine Noodles,

 

15 shrimp, deveined, cleaned

1 tbsp. pesto (store bought or home made)

salt and black pepper as needed

 

Tempering

1 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. spring onions, chopped

1/2 tbsp. garlic, minced

 

Whisk

2 tbsp. all purpose flour

1 cup milk

 

Method

1. Clean and devein shrimp. Marinate with pesto, salt and pepper

2. Cook fettuccine according to the directions. Set aside.

3. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan.

4. Add garlic and spring onion. Sauté till soft. Let it not burn.

5. Add all purpose flour and keep on stirring till it turns a shade darker.

6. Add marinated shrimp and stir fry for a minute.

7. Add milk. Keep on stirring till it reaches thick sauce consistency.

8. Add cooked pasta. Mix well till the sauce coats the pasta.

9. Serve warm.

 

Note -

1. I use my trusty pasta ladle that has circles which indicate 1, 2 or 1/2 servings. I measure my pasta before putting in the boiling water to get the exact serving size.

 

 

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Pineapple Bundt Cake

I wanted to bake a cake and was looking for a simple from the box kind of recipe. The birthday girl didn't care for too much frosting. Pineapple Poke Bundt Cake from Dole was just right. Any simple cake recipe gets elevated to another level after baking in  bundt pan.

Pineapple Bundt Cake
Recipe from Dole.com
Ingredients
1 box Yellow Cake
4 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 Instant vanilla pudding
1 can (20oz)Crushed Pineapple, drained {Save the juice}
3/4 cup Pineapple Juice
1 tbsp. vanilla or pineapple extract

Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp. butter
Remaining Pineapple Juice
1 tbsp. vanilla extract

Method
1. Preheat oven 350 F
2. Beat yellow cake mix with oil, eggs, vanilla pudding, pineapple juice & extract. Stir in crushed pineapple.
3. Grease bundt pan. Pour the batter.

4. Bake for about 40 minutes or till the inserted toothpick comes out clean.

5. Mix powdered sugar, remaining pineapple juice and vanilla extract.
6. Poke the baked and still warm cake with a skewer. Drizzle the glaze all over the cake.
7. Invert the cake on to a serving platter.

8. Let it cool down.
9. Enjoy!

Note -
1. You can also use pineapple extract instead of vanilla extract.

Recipe Credit
http://www.dole.com/Recipes/Pineapple-Poke-Bundt-Cake

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Tea infused Marbled Eggs - For Chinese New Year

 

Gudiya has several friends with Chinese heritage. So we knew way in advance that Chinese New Year was on the way. A friend also shared her delicacy - Steamed dumpling wrapped in Bamboo leaves yesterday(I have shared the picture on Twitter).

Gudiya wanted to make something special to chime in the Chinese New Year. We thought of making Marbled eggs. I took my friend's guidance and thought it can easily be done. Personally, I don't care for eggs but I love that intricate web-like pattern that gets formed on the eggs. I wanted to try it.

I didn't have any special Chinese tea at home, so I used just the regular tea that I had at home (Ahem, Wagh Bakri Chai!)

Tea Infused Marbled Eggs
Ingredients
4 eggs
Water as needed

To infuse the water
1 tbsp. Black Tea Powder
1 tbsp. Soy Sauce
1 knob of ginger
6 black pepper corn
1/2 tsp Chinese All Spice

Method
1. Bring eggs to boil. Switch gas to low and simmer for 15 minutes to get hard-boiled eggs. Switch the gas off. Cover and let it cool down completely.

2. Take one egg out at a time. Thump it delicately on a chopping board so that all the shells look cracked. DO NOT PEEL THE SHELL.

3. Repeat step 2 for all the remaining eggs.

3. Discard water in which the eggs were boil. Take fresh water, enough to submerge the eggs completely. Do not add eggs yet. Add tea powder, soy sauce, ginger, peppercorn and Chinese All Spice. Bring to boil.

4. Now, drop the eggs carefully. Simmer for 15 minutes.

5. Switch off the gas. Cover and let it stand for 4-6 hours. Make sure that the eggs are submerged uniformly.

6. Take one egg out, and start peeling off the shell.

7. Look at that beautiful pattern on egg and also on the shell.

8. You can slice the eggs, or serve it whole - sprinkle some salt and pepper if you like.

Note -
1. You can add or omit the spices (peppercorn, all spice, ginger) per your preference. But Black Tea and Soy sauce are needed for infusion.
2. Since I didn't have any fancy Chinese Tea at home, I used "Wagh Bakri" Chai. :-D


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