Many months ago I saw this recipe on Pinterest. I made it for our Friday movie snack and it was a super hit. The idea of slicing a bread in a crisscross pattern and stuffing them with cheese, garlic and onions appears delicious instantly. This type of garlic bread is very popular and belong to the pull apart bread family. What I loved the most is the explosion of textures when biting into a piece. It has a warm crunchy crust on the outer layer, soft bread texture on the inside, melted, stringy and gooey cheese awesomeness clinging to the bread, the great flavor from onion and garlic and the freshness from the basil all coming together in a perfect bite. It is a true experience and its like a blank canvas where you can add ingredients to ones liking. Please do try this the next time you have guests over for dinner.

Gadgets:

Bread Knife

Cutting Board

Measuring Cups and Spoons

Foil

Baking Tray

Ingredients:

Italian Bread - 1 loaf

Cheese ( Monetary Jack, Mozzarella or some gooey melt able cheese) - 1 cup and 1/2 grated or cubed 1/4 inch bits

Red Onions - 1/4 cup finely chopped plus 1 tsp for spreading on foil

Garlic - 3 tbsp minced

Oil - 3 tbsp

Crushed Red Chilli Pepper - 1 tsp ( this will add spice, so adjust accordingly) 

Fresh Basil / Parsley - 3 tbsp finely cut

Preparation:

1. Set the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Cut a loaf of Italian bread into 1 inch slices on the diagonal going from left to right. Cut on the diagonal from the right to left to from a crisscross pattern. 

3. Drizzle oil in between the squares and spread some on the top. Add the cheese in between the cuts. 

4. Spread the garlic, onion and crushed peppers in between the cut pieces. Sprinkle basil.

5. Spread or spray some oil on the foil. Wrap the whole bread in the foil. Place it in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. 

6. Remove the foil on the top and bake the bread for another 20 minutes until the cheese is melted well. 

7. Remove from oven and enjoy the bread like we did this afternoon. 

I thought I will be having a down time after school was out, but the last week had been a very busy one. Making food for get togethers and / or prasadhams ( offerings) kept me busy. All these activities also taught me a lot of things when it came to cooking for a crowd. Curd rice as simple as it sounds,can be tricky. It can absorb all the liquid and become very clumpy easily. After making big batches last week, I have a fool proof, go to recipe to follow next time. This recipe makes a big deep tray full of curd rice that can feed about 75 people. It reminded me of the days my Amma used to make curd rice during summer vacation and feed all my cousins and us in the night while telling us some stories. A staple in south Indian household and one rice preparation I need to understand when making it for a crowd.

Gadgets:

Rice Cooker / Pressure Cooker/ Ipot

Measuring Cups and Spoons

Bowls to place inside the pressure cooker/ rice cooker

Big Bowls

Seasoning ladle

Potato Masher

Ingredients:

Makes - 1 big deep aluminum tray that feeds about 75 people

Rice - 5 cups

Water - 18 cups Plus 3 cups for yogurt sauce

Milk - 4 cups

Yogurt - 4 lbs

Sour Cream - 3 lbs ( can use Greek yogurt)

Salt

Ghee - 3 tsp

Oil - 3 tbsp

Asafoetida - 2 tsp 

Mustard Seeds - 1/4 cup

Ginger - 5 inches finely diced or grated

Green Chilies - 12 ( medium spice) diced

Salt

Curry Leaved - a few strands 

Cilantro - 1/2 cup chopped

Preparation:

1. Wash the rice well in water about 3 times or until the water is clear when mixed with rice. Very important step.

2. Add the required amount of water plus 2 cups of milk and cook the rice until it is well done and almost mushy.

Note: If using Ipot cook in rice setting.

3. Remove the rice and mash it well and allow for it to cool in the aluminum tray.

4. Meanwhile in a large bowl add  sour cream and yogurt. Add enough water to make it resemble dosai batter. Set aside.

5. Heat the seasoning wok with some oil and ghee. Season with mustard seeds, asafoetida, dry chilies, green chilies and curry leaves.

6. Mix this into the rice that is set to cool in the tray.

7. Once the rice is cooled add 2 cups of milk and then add the yogurt sauce and mix well. Add cilantro to garnish.

NOTE: In warm weather or in tropical climates, add more milk and 1 cup of yogurt. If you are going to serve the curd rice in 2 hours, it will be perfect.

Best to mix closer to eating time so the rice does not suck all the yogurt and become cakey and dry.

Ghee is also known as clarified butter. It is prepared by melting butter and cooking it until it foams aa golden syrup like color. Its aroma will spread and take over your home. I love making ghee at home and the taste from home made ghee cannot be replaced. Ghee is very popular in the south Asian countries. In India, it is used for cooking, as medicine, as beauty aid, in religious ceremonies and lighting lamps. A small tsp of ghee has power to purify whatever food it is added to ( annasudhi). If you happen to listen to Desi 1170 AM, a very popular radio station in Bay Area, you would have listened to Dr. Apte an Ayurvedic doctor, recommending a tsp of ghee for various health benefits. Some families treat ghee as oil and apply it on their scalp to nurture healthy hair growth. In temples, they use ghee to light lamps for lord Shiva on Monday's, to get over seva dhosham on Tuesdays, On Fridays to curb spending, avoid delay in marriage for daughters and sons in the family. Ghee, is fat and addition of a little bit to our daily diet is very healthy.

Here is a video that shows how to make home made ghee. My nephew Kapil who loves making short videos has shown how ghee is made and what to watch out for with time as the most important factor.

Gadgets:

Heavy Bottom Pan

Ladle


Ingredients:

Organic Butter - 1 cup or 2 sticks

Preparation:

1. place the butter in the frying pan. Allow it to melt. You will see a pale yellow liquid. Takes about 5-6 minutes.

2. The liquid will start to foam. At this time the milk solids will start to separate. 1-2 minutes

3. The liquid will froth again and slowly a golden liquid will form underneath the foam. At this point the ghee is done. 2-3 minutes

The reason I made the condensed milk was to make coconut ladoo's / truffles. I was very happy with the texture and taste of the condensed milk. I was trying to make coconut ladoo's with dessicated coconuts and I saw many posts titled "coconut truffles". In Morocco, they referred to coconut ladoo's as coconut truffles. It was super easy to make and can be done is less than 10 minutes. They remain moist in the center and is perfect to give as gifts, serve as desserts or as a snack. It was delicious and chewy and perfect for a little something after dinner.

Gadgets:

Frying Pan

Spatula

Measuring Cup and Spoon

Plate

Blender

Ingredients:

Dessicated Coconut - 2  1/2 cups plus 1/4 cup 

Condensed Milk - 1 cup

Pistachios - 10

Cardamom - 4 pods powdered

Ghee 1 tsp

Preparation:

1. Heat the frying pan on medium. Dry roast 2 1/2 cups of coconut until it gets aromatic while still remaining white. 

2. Add condensed milk, cardamom powder and mix well for a minute or two. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

3. Coarsely powder pistachios and coconut and place them in a plate. 

4. Make small balls with the cooled mixture. Roll them in the coarse mixture and enjoy them. 

It was one of those days when I needed condensed milk and I did not have any in my pantry. Thanks to you tube, there are many versions for making the condensed milk. I followed One pot chef show's recipe. Made half a portion of his recipe which took me 5 minutes to make at home. Three ingredients was all it takes to make condensed milk. All this time I was thinking that it was made by reducing milk for many hours. I was kind of happy that I was able to make some condensed milk, but on the other hand it was disappointing to see that condensed milk was made with milk powder. Anyways, I thought it was a very useful recipe to document to use in times of need.

Gadgets:

Blender

Measuring Cup and Spoons

Kettle

Ingredients:

Makes 1 cup ( 8oz) of Condensed Milk

Sugar - 1/2 cup

Milk Powder - 1 cup ( used Deep's Mava Milk Powder )

Boiling Water - 1/2 cup

Preparation:

1. Boil some water in the kettle. 

2. Add sugar, milk powder and boiling water into the blender. Blend until smooth. Allow to cool and store in the fridge.

Until this afternoon, I was not ready to bake for the HBC #2 hosted this month by Sangee Vijay. The weather had been very hot and I did not want to turn the oven on. Today, when I started preparing the cake, I changed my mind and decided to bake them into bars instead of a cake. I was not very convinced about using mango with chocolate, but I still went ahead and decided to use the recipe to bake the bars. I however, made a wet batter with mango and a dry one with chocolate, to bring a  contrast in the bar. The chocolate sprinkled with brown sugar on top was almost crunchy. This bar was interesting to me because, it was moist in the base, doughy in the middle, crunchy on the top and mildly sweet. Keith our handy man had stopped by to fix our back door. I offered him the mango chocolate bar which he enjoyed a lot. He asked if I had more and he was happy to take a couple of them for the road.

Gadgets:

Measuring Cups and Spoons

Bowls

Spatula

Strainer

Cutting Board

Knife

9x9 Baking pan

Foil

Ingredients:

Makes 9 bars  ( Used half of recipe given)

Pulp From 1 Ripe Mango - 1/2 cup

All Purpose Flour - 1 cup

Baking Powder - 3/4 tsp

Baking Soda - 1/4 tsp

Salt - 1/8th tsp

Cocoa Powder - 4 1/2 tbsp ( Used Godiva Hot Chocolate Mix )

Heavy Cream ( instead of milk ) - 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp (instead of water)

Oil - 2 1/2 tbsp

Vanilla Essence - 1/2 tsp

Brown Sugar ( instead of sugar) - 1/3 cup plus 2 tbsp ( my addition for topping)

Preparation:

1. Set the oven to 375 degrees F. In a bowl measure out flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Mix well. Remove 1/2 cup of this mix and set it aside.

2. Heat 2 tbsp of cream and drinking chocolate together. Mix with 1/2 portion of the flour mix to form a crumb like dough.

3. Mix in a bowl heavy cream, sugar, oil, vanilla essence, mango pulp and give it a mix. Mix 1/2 portion of the flour mix.

4. Line the baking pan with foil. Pour the wet mango batter into the pan and level it with a spatula. Sprinkle the chocolate crumbles evenly over the wet batter and gently press. Sprinkle 2 tbsp of brown sugar and bake for 22 minutes or until it passes the tooth pick test. Remove the foil gently out of the pan and allow it to cool. Cut into 9 cubes and enjoy them with a hot cup of tea or cold milk.

Summer is here and I love making ice cream once in a while. I was looking for eggless ice cream recipes and came across Alton Brown's "seriously vanilla ice cream" recipe and decided to give it a try. My daughter was having a play date and I promised the kids that I would make them ice cream as a treat. The recipe calls for pear preserve but I had strawberry preserve at home so I changed the recipe to a strawberry ice cream. Please try the recipe, it tastes amazing. No fuss at all. It is so delicious and most important, you know what's in the ice cream. No stabilizers or any other chemical that you cannot pronounce. Worth making it for you family. Sure it is very rich, but so is the store bought ones.

Gadgets:

Saucepan

Candy Thermometer

Spatula

Plastic Container With Lid

Measuring Cups and Spoons
Ice Cream Maker

Ingredients:

Whipping Cream - 1 cups

Half and Half - 2 cups

Sugar - 1 cup plus 2 tbsp

Strawberry Preserve - 2 tbsp ( not jelly)

Vanilla - Bean 1 seeds scrapped ( I used vanilla essence 1 tsp)

Fresh Sweet Strawberries - 5 cut into small pieces ( optional)
Salt- a pinch

Preparation:

1. Mix all the whipped cream , half and half and vanilla together. Place it on the stove and heat it up until it reaches 170 degrees. Remove and add sugar, preserve and salt. Mix well.

2. Remove cool and transfer into a plastic container ( add the berries). Place in the fridge overnight.  Pour this liquid into an ice cream maker and allow it to reach a soft serve consistency. Remove, transfer into smaller containers and freeze. 

3. Enjoy the ice cream.

For weeks I have been aiming at making granola at home. Most store bought brands contain  high fructose corn syrup. The prep work was very simple but the baking time was over an hour. The whole house smelled divine and warm. The aroma of freshly baked granola was so comforting and the granola tasted crunchy and delicious. Here is my version of granola adapted from Alton Brown. I think its worth making them at home and its fun to mix ingredients that we love.

Gadgets:

Baking Sheets 2
Bowls
Whisk
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Parchment Paper

Ingredients:

Rolled Oats - 3 cups
Walnuts - 1 cup
Cashew nut/ Pistachios/ Pecans - Mixed 1 cup
Raisins - 1 cup
Sweetened Coconut - 1 cup
Sunflower Seeds - 1 cup
Brown Sugar - 1/3 cup
Maple Syrup - 1/3 cup
Vegetable Oil - 1/3 cup
Kosher Salt - 3/4 tsp

Preparation:

1. Set the oven to 250 degrees F. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Mix together all the dry ingredients except salt in a large bowl.

3. Mix the wet ingredients and salt together. Combine the dry and wet. Transfer to the baking sheets and bake for 1 hr and 15 minutes. Make sure to mix every 15 minutes to get the desired color.

4. Cool and store in airtight container.

For a while I have been in persuit of making bagara baigan (BB). It all began when I tasted the bagara baigan at Hawali (Dublin, Ca). Every Friday, they served it in their lunch menu and that was a sure reason for us to have lunch there. This week at the farmer's market we were able to get some baby eggplant and I decided to make BB. Today for dinner I made almost 3 quarts of this delicious side dish and served it along with pulav. This recipe is adapted from the Vah chef's recipe and so delicious. I however think, at Hawali they added cream and made it super rich. I skipped the cream and I think the sauce was rich enough and delicious.

Gadgets:

Food Processor

Frying Pan

Cutting Board

Spatula

Slotted Spoon

Measuring Cups

Knife

Kuzhi Appam Pam

Ingredients:

Eggplant - 12 

Onion - 1 1/2 diced

Ginger - 2 inch

Garlic - 4 cloves

Green Chillies - 1

Cilantro - 1/4 cup for garnish

Oil - For For Shallow Frying 

Oil - 2 tbsp for Cooking

Jaggery - 1 tbsp

Fenugreek Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Raw Peanuts - 1 cup

White Sesame Seeds - 1/4 cup

Dry Coconut - 1 fist full

Cumin Powder - 1 1/2 tsp

Coriander Powder - 1 tbsp

Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp

Cinnamon - 1 inch
Cloves - 3
Bay Leaves - 2
Cardamom - 3

Hing - a dash

Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp

Tamarind Juice - 1 cup

Water - 4 cups

Salt to taste

Preparation:

1. Heat the appam pan with oil. Keeping the stem of the eggplant intact, slit the eggplant vertically and horizontally. Place them in the appam pan and fry them until they are cooked.

2. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a frying pan. Add peanuts and roast them on medium heat. Add sesame seeds and dry coconut and toast it well. Remove and add to a food processor, Add 2 cup of water and make it into a sauce that is kind not a fine paste, but lightly grainy.

3. Heat the frying pan again with 2 tbsp of oil. Add cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, bay leaves and allow to mix with the warm oil for 30 seconds. then add the onions, ginger garlic paste and salt. Cook the onions.

4. Add the peanut sauce to the onions, and cook on medium heat. Add some water and cover and cook for 10 minutes, but make sure to give it a mix regularly.

5. Add tamarind water ad jaggery and cook for 5 minutes. Add the eggplants in the sauce and cook it on low flame. Garnish with cilantro and serve it hot with rice or naan. 

Last week was a busy one with too many things to cook and bake. It was Teachers appreciation week at school. My daughter wanted to make some cookies for her teachers. She has been talking about baking chocolate chip cookies for the last 2 weeks. We baked cookies and delivered them still hot off the oven to her teachers. I am big fan of America's Test Kitchen show on PBS and wanted to try out their recipe. I think this is the best chocolate chip cookie I have tasted. I baked it for 10 minutes and removed it from the oven and allowed to cool slightly, this I think created a very chewy texture. They are amazing when warm. We made two batches of the recipe and served them warm as a late night snack to our family and friends. 

Gadgets:

Saucepan
Spatula
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Bowls
Cookie Sheets
Parchment Paper
Whisk

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies Courtesy of America's Test Kitchen

Ingredients:

1 3/4cups unbleached all-purpose flour (8 3/4 ounces)
1/2teaspoon baking soda
14tablespoons unsalted butter (1 3/4 sticks)
1/2cup granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces)
3/4cups packed dark brown sugar (5 1/4 ounces)
1teaspoon table salt
2teaspoons vanilla extract
1large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 1/4cups semisweet chocolate chips or chunks (added an extra 3/4 cups chocolate chips for nuts)
3/4cup chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted (optional) ( Skipped this ingredient)

Preparation:

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large (18- by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.

2. Heat 10 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and, using heatproof spatula, transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into hot butter until completely melted.

3. Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Add egg and yolk and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let mixture stand 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth, and shiny.  Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if using), giving dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain.

4. Divide dough into 16 portions, each about 3 tablespoons (or use #24 cookie scoop). Arrange 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets, 8 dough balls per sheet. (Smaller baking sheets can be used, but will require 3 batches.)

5. Bake cookies 1 tray at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 10-14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack; cool cookies completely before serving.

Some weeks ago, I happen to taste this awesome cake at a family gathering. When asked for the recipe, they graciously shared the link to the real simple lemon bundt cake recipe. I had booked marked the recipe and wanted an occasion to bake the cake. Yesterday, we celebrated my friends daughter's birthday at their house. It was a surprise birthday party and I offered to bring the cake. I substituted pineapple in place of lemon and the cake turned out really delicious. It is rich, but this is one quality cake that I wanted to document for myself and for friends who asked me for the recipe. The original recipe is a bundt cake, but I made it into 9 inch cakes. Try this recipe if you are in need of a good cake recipe.

Gadgets:

Electric Mixer

Bowl

Spring Pan 9 inches 2

Whisk

Measuring Cups and spoons

Parchment Paper

Ingredients:

Unsalted butter (2 sticks), at room temperature, plus more for the pan - 1 cup 
All-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus more for the pan - 2 1/2 cups
Kosher salt - 1 tsp
Baking soda - 1/2 tsp
Baking powder - 1/2 tsp
Granulated sugar - 3 cups
Crushed Pineapple - 1 can
Finely grated lemon zest - 2 Tbsp
Pineapple juice - 4 tbsp ( reserved from the crushed pineapple can)
Large eggs, at room temperature - 6
Plain full-fat Greek yogurt - 1 cup
Confectioners’ sugar - 4 tbsp
Heavy Whipping Cream - 2 cups
Cookie Cutter (optional)
Sprinkles (optional)

Preparation:

1. Heat oven to 325° F. Butter and flour the spring pans and line the bottom with parchment paper. Place a bowl and whisk in the freezer to get them chilled for whipped cream. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.

2. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and lemon zest on medium-high until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in 4 tablespoons of the pineapple juice, then the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

3. Reduce mixer speed to low. Add half the flour mixture, then the yogurt, and then the remaining flour mixture. Mix just until combined (do not over mix).

4. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for 30 minutes, then run a spatula around the cake and carefully unclasp the spring pan.Transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely.

5. Using the chilled bowl, add the whipped cream and whisk until the cream starts to thicken, then add the confectioner's sugar and whisk to a stiff peak. 

6. Spread the crushed pineapple in the top of  one 9 inch cake. Add the whipped cream on top and spread lightly. At this point you can place the second lawyer and do the same. I served only one 9 inch cake as this is a very rich cake. 

7. Place the tulip cookie cutter on top of the cake. Inside of the flower sprinkle some colored sugar sprinkles. Remove the cookie cutter and the cake is done.

When you are pressed for time and do not have a clue as to what to prepare for tiffin, breakfast or dinner, rava adai can be an easy option. This is a recipe that I had made a note of from a cooking book some time ago. I was not sure as to what to expect when I started mixing the ingredients, but as soon as I tasted it, instantly it became one of  my favorites. The ease in preparing the adai and the taste, made me want to make it more often. This adai can be made in 15 minutes and might be a blessing if you have unexpected guests.  I loved them without any chutney as I found them crunchy and tasty. The little bits of coconut created a nice texture. 

Gadgets:

Bowl

Ladle

Cutting Board

Knife

Iron Tawa

Spatula

Measuring Cups and Spoons

Pan

Ingredients:

Makes 2 Adais

Roasted Rava/ Cream of Wheat/ Semolina – ½ cup

Grated Fresh Coconut – 2 tbsp

Sour Cream – 1 tsp

Cumin Seeds – ¼ tsp

Sugar – a pinch

Green Chillies – 1 sliced

Ginger – ½ inch grated

Curry Leaves – a few

Water – Enough to make a pancake type batter

Salt to taste

Asafoeida – a pinch

Oil – 2 tsp

Onions – 2 tbsp diced (option)

Preparation:

1.  Dry roast the rava in a pan until the raw smell leaves.

     2.  In a bowl, mix together all the ingredients other than the roasted rava. Add ½ cup of water and mix well. 

      3.   Add the roasted rava and some water enough to get to adai type batter consistency. 

      Note: I choose not to mention the water requirement because, when you mix the cream of wheat in liquid mix, it will start to absorb more water. So it is important to add water  depending on the batter thickness. 

      4.  Heat the iron tava on medium high. Add some oil and spread evenly with the spatula. 

    5. Add a ladle of the batter on the iron tawa and make a thick dosai/ pancake ( about 8 inches cirlces). Spoon a tsp of oil around the adai. Cook them until you see it getting toasted on one side. 

   

      6.    Cook on the other side, and when done serve them hot.

Note: If you make the batter and set them aside, make sure to add more water before making the adai.