Very Berry Strawberry Trifle....

If you have a few guest coming over and you wish to serve a fancy dessert then this one surely is an easy take. This dessert is more to do with compilation. It has different flavors, colors, textures to give that complete feel. It can have as many layers as desired. Cakes, Biscuits, Macaroons, Cookies, etc along with custard fresh fruits, fruit sauces, Whipped cream. The sky is the limit to your imagination. Yoghurt, cream sheese, sour cream, Mascarpone cheese can be used as well. So its time you whip up some creativity.

INGREDIENTS


Cake / Cookie / Biscuits - I used Cakes cup into 1 inch squares - 200 g
Cut fruits - Strawberry - 1 cup
Custard (made by following the instructions on the pack) - 2 cups
Whipped cream - 1 cup
Fruit juice - for soaking the cake
Glasses / Trifle bowl 


METHOD


1) Take a glass / bowl and place the cake pieces at the bottom and soak them with juice.
2) spoon some custard on it and top some fruit and then fruit sauce and then place some cake pieces and repeat the layers.
3) Pipe out some whipped cream and top some fresh fruits and desired toppings.

Oooh La Laaaa.. :D :D

Sinful Mac 'n' Cheese

Often I wonder how some people don't like cheese. It has such a smooth, melt in the mouth, complete flavour. It is just so tempting. I cant resist. I love cheese with practically everything. (I am actually closing my eyes and imagining the experience). Food is all about experience and indulgence. If I had to spend a guilt - free 'EAT' day. I would dig into my all time favourite Mac 'n' Cheese. So buttery, so smooth, so yummmm... This is a very popular american dish. It can be a casserole dish for a large gathering. Kids love it as it is ful of cheesy moments. It should have nice rich Cheddar.Guess what ?? U.S. of America has a National Macaroni and Cheese day - 14th july :D :D :D It is extremely simple to prepare and barely takes minutes.

INGREDIENTS

Macaroni - 100 g
Oil - 1 tsp
Butter - 2 tsp
Refined flour- 2 tsp
Milk - 1 and a half cup
Processed / Cheddar Cheese - 1 and a half cup
Salt - if needed (cheese already has salt)
Pepper - Optional

METHOD

1) Boil water in a vessel, add the macaroni along with salt and oil. Both salt and oil are important as oil prevents them from sticking and salt to balance the taste as macaroni will not absorb salt later.
2) Prepare mornay sauce with other ingredients http://therecipebay.blogspot.com/2011/10/sauces-heart-of-recipe.html
3) Mix the sauce and the macaroni together and either put in a baking dish or plate as desired. Grate some cheese on the top. Bake them for about 20 minutes at about 150 degrees C. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Dig into this fun -tastic casserole.

 Howz that ???

Hara Bhara Kebab ..

I would generally go to a restaurant and order a Paneer Tikka or a Hara Bhara Kebab for my appetizer. I simply love them both. I can not resist and keep popping them. This recipe is a simple, extremely yummy one and you definately cant go wrong with this one. Its really going to be worth it making this appetizer. Makes a perfect blend of flavours. This can be made and frozen and stored over a period of about 3 months.

INGREDIENTS


Potatoes (Boiled) - 3 medium
Onion - 1 medium
Garlic - 3 to 4 cloves
Ginger - 1/2 inch piece
Green chillies - 2 medium
Cottage cheese / Paneer - 100 g
Spinach (Blanched) - 100 g pureed
Green peas (Boiled) - 1 cup
Cornflour - For binding only
Bread (Ground in the grinder) - 4 slices
Salt - As per Taste
Oil - for frying


METHOD


Pre-preparation - Boil the potatoes and peas, Grind the Onion, ginger, garlic, green chillies together, Grind the bread slices, blanch the spinach and puree it.


1) Mash the potatoes and add the ginger - garlic - onion - chilli paste, Add the peas, bread powder, spinach puree, salt , crumbled cottage cheese and mix everything together.
2) Add the corn flour if you feel it is required (i.e. if the mixture is too wet)
3) Keep the mixture aside for about 10 minutes and in the meanwhile heat the oil for frying.
4) Make small ball and flatten them and fry in hot oil till they get a brown coating on the top.

5) Serve hot with green chutney, ketchup, etc

I hope you all like it :) :) Enjoy.

** Fantastic Burritos **

Burritos are again a popular ON - THE - GO snack in the Mexican cuisine. It is generally made of a Redined flour tortilla and has numerous fillings made as per choice. The most common and popular vegetarian fillings are Refried beans & Cheddar Cheese. There can be a lot of add ons to it which include Guacamole, Sour cream, Salsa, Stir fry vegetables, etc. Oh I missed Jalapenos, Tastes super. :) I completely enjoy making and eating Burritos and I am sure you are going to love it too.


Tortillas, Refried beans and salsa can be made and frozen in advance and used over 3 months.

INGREDIENTS


Flour Tortilla
Refined flour - 2 cups
Oil - 2 tsp
Salt - To taste
Luke warm water - To knead the dough


Refried Beans
Red Kidney Beans / Pinto beans - 2.5 cup soaked and pressure cooked.
Onion - 1 medium chopped and 1 medium Pureed
Garlic - 4 to 5 cloves chopped
Tomato - 3 to 4 tomatoes pureed
Salt - To taste
Oil - 2 tsp
Chilli powder - As per taste


( Authentically there is no Tomato in Refried beans but i like the tang tomato add to the recipe. It doesnt make the filling taste dry.)


Toppings
Guacamole
Mexican cheese sauce
Shredded cheese
Salsa
Sour cream


METHOD


Tortilla
1) Knead a dough with all the above mentioned ingredients.
2) Make chapatis / flat breads not very thin but not very thick as well.
3) Cook them on the griddle very lightly to make them more pliable.


Refried Beans
1) Cook the onion and garlic paste in oil, add the tomato paste and cook till completely cooked.
2) Add the beans and salt and chilli and mash partially. Keep aside.

Assemble the Burrito and serve as per your wish. :)

Hope this tastes good and u enjoy making it :)

Salsa Time ;)

What comes to your mind when you think about Mexico ? 


The first thing I think is Salsa. I love mexican food. It is all about spicy stuff... There are over 100 types of chillies in mexico alone. There is a lot of use of 'Masa' - This is corn flour (not starch ), Makki atta. I am sharing a basic recipe of Salsa , Cheese Sauce and Tortilla for nachos and tacos.

INGREDIENTS


Tortilla
Corn flour - 1 cup
Refined flour - 1 cup
Warm water - 3/4 cup (in accordance for kneading a dough)
Oil - 2 tsp
Salt - To taste


Salsa
( Generally the salsa has uncooked veggies but I dont like the paste of raw onions in salsa and hence I prefer cooking my onions a little bit)
Tomatoes - 3 medium
Onion - 1 medium
Garlic - 3 to 4 cloves (optional)
Jalapenos - 1/2 cup (Green bell peppers can be used instead if Jalapenos ain't available)
Tomato puree / Paste / Ketchup - 1 cup
Chopped corriander - 2 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp
Salt - To taste
Vinegar / Lemon juice - As per taste (1 tsp is generally enough)


Mexican cheese sauce
Processed cheese - 100 g ( I use britannia, It makes a difference)
Milk - 3 to 4 tbsp ( Adjust the milk according to the consistency and thickness desired. Milk is only added to facilitate melting of cheese)
Turmeric - as per colour desired
Salt - If needed ( cheese already has salt)


METHOD


Tortilla
1) Make a soft dough of the corn flour and refined flour. Let it rest for about 30 minutes. (This is very important as it helps in the gluten development and improves the workability of the dough)
2) Roll the dough into flat thin chapatis. (Do prick them with a fork) Cook on the griddle only to reduce the moisture. They will just become drier.
3) Cut these into triangles and deep fry in hot oil.


Salsa
1) Take oil in the frying pan, sweat the onions (only till pink). Add the garlic and cook for about a minute.
2) Add the tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes till tomatoes are partially cooked.
3) Add all the other ingredients and keep aside. This can be stored upto a week.


Cheese Sauce
1) Grate the cheese. In a heavy botton pan. Heat the milk and add the cheese. Cook till the cheese melts and add turmeric. Add milk as per the desired consistency. Remember the sauce thinkens as it cools.

You're done !! Have fun :)