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Chocolate and Nut Brownies!

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 Yesterday mom requested me to bake some ‘plain’ nut brownies for her. I began firmly focused.Very firmly.No chocolate Ayesha. No chocolate. Then I forgot all about my resolution and put in just a little chocolate.Just a little. Not too much.Then  I went…uh..a little over the top. By applying milk chocolate on the surface as well. And then you have to put dark chocolate chips over the lighter milk chocolate. You absolutely have to,it’s the rule. When my mom saw them, she sighed ‘ I just knew it’. 

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Ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 cup roasted peanuts and walnuts
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 6og dark chocolate
  • 2 tbsp peanut butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 3 oz sweet milk chocolate melted( for topping)
  • chocolate chips( to sprinkle)

Instructions

  • Grease and Flour the baking tin.Preheat the oven.
  • Sift flour,baking powder, baking soda and set aside.
  • Melt butter,brown sugar, dark chocolate over a double boiler. 
  • Combine peanut butter, eggs and milk in a bowl and whisk.
  • Fold in the roasted nuts
  • Finally put together all ingredients and whisk.
  • Set to bake
  • Apply melted Milk chocolate over the surface of brownies
  • Sprinkle chocolate chips

 The way to eat everything and not get fat is to have moderate to small proportions of everything.Santa ate fifty of these brownies in one go. And look what happens.So be careful. Moderate proportions. Those are the magic words.

Love, Hugs, Lots and lots of Best Wishes For All The Years To Come.

xxx

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The Chocolate ‘Moo’ Cake

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      Cows are lovely creatures. Innocent,dewy eyed and beautiful….. And really, who am I kidding? They are pretty dangerous as well. Our Punjabi maid comes from  the farming and animal rearing region of Punjab. In fact, she and her family used to reside on the farm. She used to take cows out for galloping and feeding in the fields. There are countless stories of cows breaking free of the rope and running away. My maid sometimes singlehandedly and sometimes with a group of other people used to get the cow back from where ever it chose to hide. And now moving from cows to………well yes…the cake. The cows were the inspiration for this cake.The Lovely Chocolate ‘Moo’ Cake.

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What You Need:

  • A Chocolate Cake- Use any recipe you like.I used the one I have taken ages perfecting.Find it here.
  • Oreo Cookies
  • White Chocolate
  • Whipped Cream
  • Milk Chocolate
  • Chocolate Chips

I made three of these on all the three shapes. Demonstrating on the cylinder.111

Soak 10-12 Oreos in milk ,depending on the size of the cake.

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Soak for about two minutes.We don’t want an Oreo milkshake.Just soggy Oreos.

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Melt white Chocolate.Mix it into whipped cream and drizzle over cake.

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Last Step. Melt milk chocolate and put dollops over the cake. Sprinkle chocolate chips. 555

Lastly A BIG thanks  to MISS MOO for being an inspiration for the cake.You rock Miss Moo, like totally.Thanks to your awesome system I got the milk and the chocolate. 

xxx

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/12/30/daily-prompt-brainwave/

Delectable Low Calorie Pizza!

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    I was a little low today. Maybe because of a dream-cum-movie( It was hours long!) I watched while asleep. I wouldn’t call it a nightmare. It was, for the want of a better word,’zany’. The kind of bizarre film that leave you feeling lethargic. Anyway I should be happy that it wasn’t Paranormal Activity 5. It could have been, given that I read a lot of true horror stories yesterday. An American haunting(truth behind it) and The exorcism of Emily Rose(truth behind it) being just two of them. Pictures never lie, words may or may not. These stories are accompanied with pictures of the horrifying details.I cried and even prayed for the alleged victims. Do we ever wonder how blessed we are,like ever?  If we look at those who actually suffer, we might stop whining about our so-called miserable lives and start being thankful for once. A lot of us don’t even know the S of suffering, and God forbid that we ever do. Its about time we began looking at the fuller part of the glass, rather than moan about the empty space. Anyway, I had to do something to get rid of yesterdays lethargic sadness. For that I made a feel good pizza today. It was the most absolutely delicious one ever. And there was no guilt, since it was low-fat. Not overloaded with cheese like pizzas usually are. To accompany the pizza I also read a lovely novel ” I’ve got your number” by the absolutely marvelous, my all-time favorite author Sophie Kinsella. For those of you who don’t know Kinsella, I pity you. She writes such light, witty ,amazing novels and has such a perfect comic timing. I was left absolutely refreshed and revitalized after the pizza and the novel! 

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What you Need(For Dough)

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp yeast
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 tbsp Yogurt

Method(Dough)

  • Dissolve sugar and yeast in 4 tbsp warm water
  • Mix rest of the ingredients
  • Knead to make a soft dough(With warm water)
  • Cover it with cloth. And leave it to rise for 1 hour.
  • After one hour roll out the dough. Personally I prefer a thin crust over a thick one.But roll out as you wish.

What you need(for Topping)

  • 1 small onion diced
  • 3/4 cup boiled and shredded chicken
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 2 tbsp all purpose flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • salt to taste
  • 1 tsp black pepper powder
  • 1 tsp oregano powder
  • 1 capsicum diced
  • 1 carrot diced
  • 2 spring onions chopped
  • 4 green chilies sliced 
  • 1 egg beaten

Method( Topping)

  • Melt butter, add onions,cook till transparent.Add capsicum,salt,black pepper and oregano.
  • Add flour. Stir and cook for a minute
  • Add milk and cook till it thickens.
  • Add green chili,spring onion,carrot and shredded chicken.
  • Leave this filling to cool.

For Garnishing(Sprinkle over Topping before and NOT after baking )

  • 5 tbsp Cheddar cheese. Yes that’s all the cheese in our pizza. Just slice it all over the pizza randomly.
  • One small tomato sliced. Place slices randomly over the pizza.

Tip

* I bake the rolled out dough for 10 minutes BEFORE applying topping on it. The crust is firmer and tastier. The rest of baking will take place after applying the topping( that is 10-15 minutes more). Overall 20-25 minutes.

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xxx

Coffee-Walnut Crumb Cake!

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             I am an Asian  teenager for whom South Africa is another planet and Nelson Mandela is the man I see sometimes on television,sometimes online, sometimes in newspapers. So before  I began writing this post, I was asking myself, “Do I have the right to say something about this man?”. Because  all my life I have been a carefree soul. And have never really delved deep into thought provoking matters.I’m a self professed basic, not a poet. Yet I am writing about a man who went ahead to change many lives by the mercy of Almighty God. A man who fought matters of race, of freedom, of  peace, of poverty and most important of all…of humanity.A man who thought, dreamed and did, rather than stay confined into his own  little selfish world like I do. From early childhood I remember hearing , “Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.” Today I found out it was piece of wisdom delivered by Nelson Mandela,that had crept slowly into my  house and hugely shaped the person I’ve now become. Resentment is the last thing that will ever come to me, because the idea of it being a poison has deeply sunk into my roots. I’ve seen people ruin themselves through resentment, wallowing in it until it  swallows them completely. I realized that it is a gift that he has given me, and to all of those who dared to listen and to learn. For those who loved him should not cry, because he lived a life of substance unlike many. A man who was truly worthy of being called a man. A man who shall live after death in the minds and hearts of many.

How far that little candle throws its beams! So shines a good deed in a naughty world”.
William Shakespeare 
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Blog’s One Month Anniversary and Coffee-Walnut Crumb Cake

It’s my blog’s one month anniversary today. That is, if there something like a one month anniversary. Well,anyway I made some bittersweet coffee and walnut crumb cake for today. A bittersweet cake for a bittersweet day. It was soft, crumby and melt-in-the-mouth delicious. It has been a good one month of blogging. My perspective on food has already begun to change. I’ve began to look at it as a work of art rather than just a ‘thing’ to feed my growling tummy. The bloggers I’ve begun to get familiar with have been very kind and so have been the visitors. But all along I’ve never lost sight of why I made this blog. It was accidentally made, not intentionally.I blog for the love of food, rather than food for the love of blogging. Will never forget this, InshaAllah!

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Ingredients:

  • 1 Tablespoon flour, for coating the pan
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 10 Tablespoons (1 and 1/4 stick) unsalted butter, lightly softened at room temp
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk, see how to
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature*
  • 1/4 cup strongly brewed coffee
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease  a spring-form pan with butter. Sprinkle the bottom of the pan with 1 Tablespoon of flour and tap out the excess.
  2. Whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together in a large mixing bowl until combined. Cut in the butter in very small pieces. Whisk around with a whisk or mix with a fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside 1 cup of the flour mixture.
  3. Mix the baking powder and baking soda into the remaining flour mixture. Add the room temperature buttermilk, coffee,egg, and vanilla – you may want to do this with a mixer. The batter is very, very thick. Vigorously mix everything together until the batter is smooth, fluffy, and resembles frosting – about 2 full minutes. Spoon the batter into the prepared spring-form pan, smoothing the top.
  4. Add the brown sugar, chopped walnuts and cinnamon to the reserved flour mixture. Toss with a fork until well blended. Sprinkle the crumbs over the batter, pressingly lightly so they stick. Bake the cake until the center is firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean – 45-55 minutes. Mine took 55 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes( or 5 minutes in fridge), then remove the sides of the spring-form pan and allow cake to cool completely before serving (about 2 hours).

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Mac and Cheese!

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If I was a cartoon character, I’d be Jerry. Yes Jerry from the good ole Tom and Jerry. Not because I’m too clever by half  (that too) but because I adore cheese. I’ll even fight menacing cats and  huge dogs to get to a nicely treated chunk of Swiss cheese. Or any kind of cheese for that matter. Cheddar cheese for example is another Swiss  cheese for me. Forgive me cheese connoisseurs for saying that. I really am basic when it comes to explaining my choices. While preparing a pizza, lasagna,mac n cheese etcetera etcetera I do pop a huge chunk of cheese in my mouth. I roll it around till the tang settles deeply into my taste buds. Then I chew it bit by bit. My canines, molars and premolars gnawing cheerfully. I savor my cheese to the last particle. Then, I lick my lips in a classic 80’s villain faced-with-pitiful-victim style . A suitable end to a lovely odyssey.

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Mac N’ Cheese Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cup boiled and shredded chicken
  • 2 cups cheddar
  • 1/4 packet macaroni boiled
  • 1/2 onion chopped
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • salt to taste
  • 1 tsp black pepper powdered
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • 2 tbsp all purpose flour
  • 3 tbsp + 1 tbsp butter

Mac N’ Cheese How to:

  • In a pan melt butter  on low heat
  • Add onion and garlic clove and stir.
  • Add milk and whisk.
  •  Season with black pepper, salt and oregano.
  • Let the milk thicken.
  • Fold in the shredded chicken,boiled macaroni and cheese.
  • Empty the pan contents into a baking dish.
  • spread  the 1 tbsp butter all over it.
  • set to bake.
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Ricotta Cheese DIY

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I made ricotta cheese for my Ricotta Cheese Meaty Pizza the other day and I was amazed at how easy this was. The only thing bad about this is that if you aren’t careful, cheese bits or milk can stick to the edges of the pan in which you’re cooking cheese. And they are very difficult to remove.

All you need:

  • 4 cups whole milk (Not low fat and other varieties)
  • Juice from one large lemon(or 2 tbsp white distilled vinegar)

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  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 4 tablespoon fresh cream(Optional)

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  • A bowl for straining out the liquid

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  • A cheese cloth/ muslin

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How to go about it

  • Whisk together milk and cream with a stand mixer. Or use the milk only.
  • Add Salt and whisk
  • Set these on a low heat in a pan.
  • Add vinegar/ lemon
  • Keep stirring.Prevent Cheese/milk from sticking to the edges of the pan.
  • Pour the material in the pan into a cheese cloth.Tie it.
  • Keep this on a straining bowl.
  • Your Cheese will be ready in half an hour after liquid drains out. If you want firmer slabs of cheese, allow the cheese to stay in the cloth for 2 hours or even longer.
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Beef Skewered Kebabs : Its Barbecue Time!

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Family get togethers are perhaps the best time to get elaborate with food. Enhancing the “redness” quotient by grilling kebabs, and a lot of spices with it makes simplest of gatherings moments to be remembered. I am someone who loves the idea of  barbecuing with family. Loads of pointless and not-so-pointless chatter reminds me of how much I love my family and how happy we are whenever we are together. This is also a time when i email a big thank you note to God from the computer of my heart, thanking Him for his numerous blessings 🙂 Here, before I totally get off the topic. I shall go ahead and share the recipe for making amazing Shish/Seekh/Grilled Kebabs.

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On my plate :)
On my plate 🙂

Spicy Mint-coriander chutney                                                                 Spicy Mint-coriander chutney

Ingredients (Serves 2):

  • 500 gms beef/mutton mince
  • 1 large onion finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp yogurt
  • 1 tbsp garlic paste
  • 1 tbsp ginger paste
  • 1/2 cup fresh chopped coriander
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp garam masala powder(see how to make it)
  • 2-3 green chilies very finely chopped 
  • Salt to taste
  • Vegetable oil ( To apply on shish kebabs before grilling)

How to go about it:

Put on your rubber gloves (Or take a wooden paddle) and mix all the ingredients very well with mince meat. Let the mince cool in the fridge for about an hour. Take the skewers and apply meat over them with hands. Apply a little oil on the meat. Set it to grill. Keep turning over the skewers so that the meat is well cooked. This is not something you can leave to cook on its own, while you tidy up your kitchen 😛 

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Serve with:

Grind mint and coriander leaves with  some water salt, lemon juice, red chili powder and green chilies. This makes really spicy mint- coriander chutney. Kebabs to be served with this chutney. Slice thin onion rings and cucumber rings to serve with kebabs. Have a delicious meal 😀

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Super Spicy Haleem !!

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Haleem is a traditional hyderabadi food which we all love. Its super spicy, meaty and ofcoarse lip-smackin’ yummy. When it comes to eating haleem sprinkled with green chilli,ginger shavings and lime, there is no stopping us. Too much becomes too little 😛 Now a days we have packed masalas for everything and similarly for haleem we get the ever so popular shan haleem mix. But in my dictionary there can be NOTHING that can compete with home-cooked, traditionally-traditional haleem. EVER. 🙂 So here’s the recipe which makes this mouth-watering haleem.

Garnished Super Spicy Haleem :)
Garnished Super Spicy Haleem 🙂
Ingredients

1 kg boneless meat- mutton or lamb
3 cups cracked wheat
4 tsp ginger-garlic paste
3 green chilies
5 teaspoons fresh grated coconut
1 cup each urad, tur and chana daal
1 cup long grain basmati rice
1 tsp red chilli powder
¼ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp black pepper corns
1 teaspoon zafran
1 teaspoon black cumin seeds
1 cinnamon stick,
2-3 cardamom cloves
1/2 cup oil(or ghee)
1 cup fresh coriander leaves,
¼ cup fresh mint and
5-6 green chillies
Salt to taste
Oil and ghee as required

For garnishing:

Green chillies
1 cup crispy golden fried onions
chopped corriander leaves
5 teaspoons of onion flavored oil
Sliced lemon

Method
– First wash and soak the cracked wheat for at least half an hour. Then wash and clean the mutton thoroughly. Do trim away excess fat.

– Mix the mutton with ginger-garlic paste, ½ tsp salt, red chilli powder and turmeric powder.

– Cook the mutton on high flame for 8-10 minutes in a pressure cooker and then let it simmer simmer for another 15-20 minutes. After it cools down, shred and keep aside.

– Boil the cracked wheat along with rice, urad, tur and chana dal. Add ginger-garlic paste, pinch of turmeric powder, 2-3 green chillies, ½ tsp black pepper corns in 8-10 cups of water until it’s cooked completely and the water is almost absorbed by the wheat.

– Put this wheat in a blender and puree it in batches. Remove and keep aside.

– Heat the oil in another container adding all the whole spices and shredded meat, ½ cup fresh coriander and saute for a 2-3 min.

– Add 3 cups of water and bring it to a boil. Add the cooked wheat and mix well. Keep adding a little bit of ghee from time to time so that the mixture doesn’t stick to the pan. Add zafraan. Do check the salt and add if needed.

– Let it simmer for half an hour. Ideally, it should simmer for 9-10 hours. Keep stirring in between. Serve hot with garnishing of fried onions, sliced green chillies, lemon juice  and freshly chopped coriander.

Have a Spicy Cooking Day 🙂 🙂 xoxo

Cooking in an extra large steel pan for the family :P
Cooking in an extra large steel pan for the family 😛

Have a seat please :)

Have a seat please 🙂

 

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