Feed me!

Influenster spring beauty voxbox opening!

Wed, 16 May 2012 20:31:04 -0400

Influenster spring beauty voxbox opening!

One of my first Birchbox opening videos :-)

Tue, 08 May 2012 19:32:56 -0400

One of my first Birchbox opening videos :-)

Bagels! There is nothing I love more than a crusty, chewy bagel-...

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 18:47:49 -0400

after boiling and adding toppings

before boiling them

Bagels!

There is nothing I love more than a crusty, chewy bagel- preferably sesame seed- with creamy,salty butter. Recently, I have been on a bagel binge- eating 1-2 bagels per day. Instead of having an intervention with myself- I decided to continue with my binge and see if I could create a garlic and sesame seed bagel. I love the combo of the salty garlic with nutty, sweet sesame seeds. You hardly ever find the combo so I decided I shall do it on my own! The recipe is on the low to medium side for ease but definitely a high on outcome. It is a two day recipe so make sure you plan ahead!

Serves- 12 medium sized bagels Cook time- Day 1= 3-4 hours Day 2- 1 hour

For the Starter

2 1/2 cups of warm water

4 cups of unbleached bread fliur

1 tsp of instant yeast

For the dough

1/2 tsp instant yeast

3 3/4 cups unbleached bread flor

2 3/4 tsp salt

2 tsp brown sugar

Finishing

1 tbsp baking soda

semolina flour or cornmeal ( I used semolina)

toppings- sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried minced onion or garlic, grated cheeses, kosher salt

Day 1

1. In a large bowl- stir the yeast and flour together. Add the water and stir until it gets nice and thick. It’ll create a thick- sticky batter.

2. Cover the bowl with saran wrap and leave at room temperature for 2 hours. The starter will expand and get all bubbly.

3. Add the additional yeast,salt and brown sugar to the bowl of starter and stir.

4. Now add 3 cups of flour and mix in the flour into the starter- forming stiff dough.

5. Add the additional 3/4 cups of flour and continue kneading. Knead for about 10 minutes or until the dough passes a windowpane test. You can find out to to do the windowpane test here. If it doesn’t pass the test- just continue kneading- work out your arms! I had to knead for almost 20-25 minutes to get to this point. I have awesome biceps :-) The dough should be fully hydrated- if its flaky- just add a few drops of water and continue kneading. The final dough should be satiny soft.

6. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and spray them lightly with oil. Break the dough into 12 equal pieces and create little balls/rolls and place them on the lined baking sheets. Cover with a damp towel.- Let them rest for 20 minutes at room temperature.

7. Next- using your fingers, poke a hole in the middle of each roll and stretch to 2-2.5 inches wide to get your pretty little bagel shape. Place each bagel back onto the lined baking sheet and spray lightly with oil once all the rolls have been hole-ified. Cover with saran wrap and let them rest for 20 minutes at room temperature.

8. Now its time for the awesome float test. Fill a small saucepan 3/4 way up with water. Now place one of the bagels into the water- it should come up and float under 10 seconds. If the bagels doesn’t float under 10 seconds then take the tester bagel and pat it dry and return it to the saran wrap covered baking sheet. Let it rest for 10-20 more minutes and try again. Once the tester bagel floats - put the bagels into the refrigerator overnight. You can keep them in there for up to 2 days.

Day 2

1. Pre heat your oven to 500 F.

2. Boil large wide mouthed pot of water and add 1 tablespoon of baking soda.

3. Take the bagels out of the fridge and drop 1-3 bagels ( or however many can fit into your pot without overcrowding) into the boiling water. Boil for 1 minutes on each side- I boiled them for 2 minutes on each side because I like my bagels chewy.

4.On the baking sheets - add new parchment paper and lightly spray them with oil and sprinkle with semolina flour. This prevents the bagels from sticking.

5. Use a slotted spoon and remove the bagels once they are done and lay them onto the floured baking sheet. At this moment add your toppings while the bagels are still wet. Continue with steps 3-5 until all the bagels are topped and ready to go.

6. Place your oven racks in the middle two slots of your oven- place one baking sheet on each rack and bake for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes switch the two sheets and rotate 180 degrees. Now lower your oven temperature to 450 F. Bake for 5 minutes or until your bagels are the right golden color you want them to be.

7. Cool your bagels on a rack for 15-20 minutes before enjoying!

Mexican Style Pizza! Today I was craving some crusty pizza and...

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 18:35:00 -0400

Mexican Style Pizza!

Today I was craving some crusty pizza and my dad wanted Mexican, so I combined the two and made Mexican style pizza. My inspiration came from CPK’s tostada pizza. I used the same recipe for the pizza crust from my previous pizza post, just without adding the oregano. Enjoy!

Serves: 3-4 people Cook Time - 1 hour

1/2 bell pepper chopped

1/2 medium size red onion chopped

3/4 cup of corn

1 cup of shredded lettuce

sliced jalapenos - to your taste

1 can of pinto beans _ you ca nuse black or kidney instead as well

1 tablespoon of taco seasoning

Mexican cheese

your choice of salsa

olive oil

1. Pre heat your oven to 430 F.

2. Make your pizza crust from this post.

3. Make your beans - Empty your can of beans into a sauce pan and using a potato masher…or your hands…smash the beans up. Now add the taco seasoning and mix well over low heat. After 2 minutes or take it off the heat and put the beans aside.

4. Start building the pizza- Spread the beans onto the pizza crust. Then sprinkle on half of each topping ;chopped bell pepper, corn, and onions. Now sprinkle on your Mexican blend of cheese- ad as much as or little as your want. I’m a big cheese fan so I went all in. Now add the other half of the toppings onto the pizza along with the slices of jalapeno. Brush olive oil onto the crust/edges of the pizza.

5. Bake your pizza for 15-20 minutes or until the crust is nice and golden.

6. Sprinkle the shredded lettuce onto the pizza and drizzle your favorite salsa onto the pizza

7. Get fatty! :-)

Easy, quick, and hits the spot!

Chocolate Dipped Pistachio Cookies For my baby cousin’s...

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 19:49:23 -0500

Chocolate Dipped Pistachio Cookies

For my baby cousin’s birthday I experimented a little with chewy cookies. These cookies are eggless and amazingly delicious. The nutty pistachios and the sweetness of the chocolate make this cookie one of best cookies I have ever made.

Cook time- 1 hour Makes- 3 dozen, 2 cookies/person = 18 people

2 sticks of butter- diced

1/2 cup of sugar

1 1/3 cup of brown sugar

2 teaspoons of vanilla

1/2 cup of applesauce

3 cups of flour

3/4 teaspoon of salt

1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda

3/4 cups of crushed pistachios

melted chocolate- about 4 oz

Preheat oven at 350 degrees

1. Take the 2 sticks of butter and cream it, mixing very well. (dicing the butter helps it cream quickly- especially if the butter isn’t room temperature) I did this in a Kithen Aide mixer on low for about 3 minutes.

2. Add the white sugar to the butter and mix for 30 seconds. Add the brown sugar to the butter and mix for an additional 2 minutes. Make sure everything is well incorporated and creamed!

3. Add the applesauce and vanilla and mix for 1 minute.

4. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix with a spoon.

5. Slowly add the flour mixture 3 spoonfuls at a time while the mixer is on low. You don’t want a cloud of flour over everything so take it slow. Once all the flour is incorporated mix on medium high for 2 minutes.

6. Roll the dough into small 1 inch balls and press down. Bake on parchment paper over a cookie sheet. It should take 10-12 minutes for a nice brown color.

7. Let the cookie cool for 10 minutes. While the cookies cool- chop up the pistachios if you haven’t already done so.

8. Melt the chocolate in the microwave- mixing every 15 seconds. I used almond bark- which has the same instructions as chocolate for melting.

9. Roll the edges of the cookies in the chocolate- using a spoon to wipe off excess…or your finger- whatever works best. Next roll the edges in crushed pistachios and set onto a foil covered plate. Once the plate is full- chuck it in the freezer for 1 minute to let the chocolate set. Repeat until all the cookies are covered. Enjoy!

More places to eat in Boston :-) 1. Quincy Market- Once again- I...

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 18:42:00 -0500

Cannoli

Mike's Pastry Shop

More places to eat in Boston :-)

1. Quincy Market- Once again- I visited Quincy Market nearby Fanueil Hall. This time I went for some chocolate cake from Carol Anns Bake Shop. Super rich, moist, chocolate-y cake made the cold day a little bit warmer. :-)

2. Mike’s Pastry- Nestled in the Italian neighborhood, Mike’s Pastry is famous for their amazing cannoli. I am not a HUGE fan of cannoli because they make my mouth super dry. But I am always willing to give food a second chance, and I am glad I did. I ordered a caramel pecan cannoli- and it was AMAZING! I kept eating and eating- not wanting to stop and share with my boyfriend. Mike’s Pastry shop totally changed my mind about cannoli and whether you are a fan or not- definitely check them out!

3. In Salem, I went to the Ye Olde Pepper Candy Company, America’si oldest candy company. In there I bought Gibraltars- the first candy ever made in America. They have the consistency of after dinner mints- but the lemon flavor one is delicious. A little tough on the teeth- but delicious with just enough sweetness.

Dabeli!

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 11:41:36 -0500

Dabeli!

Food of Trinidad! I went on a trip to Trinidad this break and...

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 11:37:57 -0500

Portugal fruit

mango tree in rainforest

coconut trees

nutmeg

baigan

cocoa pod

aloo roti

kachori

Saheena

Solo- Banana Cream Soda

Food of Trinidad!

I went on a trip to Trinidad this break and was able to try some authentic street food and fruits while I was there. A little background on Trinidad:

-Trinidad is a diverse mixture of Indian, African, British, Portuguese, and Spanish cultures. This is shown in the food in that all the cuisines are somewhat mixed together.

- There is a LARGE Indian community in Trinidad. This made me super excited to try new Indian style food.

Trinidad was originally a large agricultural city, with crops like sugar cane,grapefruit, rice, cocoa and bananas. These plants also grow naturally in the rain forests as well. During our hikes we picked mangoes,cocoa pods and a fruit called Portugal off trees and ate them as snacks along our way. Portugal looks like a lime on the outside, but tastes like a fragrant orange/mangosteen mixed together. During our hike up to Mount Tamana we stumbled upon a nutmeg tree and smelled the spiciness of the seed. We also found cocoa trees and split upon a mature yellow cocoa pod. We sucked on the seeds and sucked the sweet and tart white pulp off the seeds. Rhut loved them so much he held onto the pod and ate them while we hiked up.

We also tried their street food. On our way back from Paria Bay we stopped by Maracas Bay to try the famous Bake and Shark- well Bake and Cheese for us vegetarians. Unfortunately I was so excited and hungry, I forgot to take a picture. :-( Basically its a pita-like bread filled with raw cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, and an assortment of sauces you can pick. I added a sweet tamarind sauce, garlic sauce, and spicy hot pepper sauce to mine. It was AMAZING, I still think about it now and drool. I must find a way to make it here!

After our Mount Tamana hike, Emile took us to get traditional roti and a roti stall in St. James, the Edison Little India of Trinidad. The woman made the roti in front of us and filled it with a curried mashed potato mixture and a green pepper sauce. the aloo roti looks like a mini burrito but tastes oh so Indian. The roti is a mixture of rotlie and naan- soft and chewy.I ate one, while Rhut ate 1.75 - he kept eating until he couldn’t eat no more.

Out last street food stop was after our Pitch Lake tour.We stopped at the South Oropouche junction to try the kachori, doubles, aloo pie, baigan, saheena, and Solo sodas. We were as gluttonous as anyone could get. The kachori was very different from the traditional kachori that I know of. Trinidad’s version of kachori is a hush puppy made of chicpea flour cut in half and filled with curried chickpea and various chutneys. The baigan was by far my favorite. Baigan is eggplant coated in chickpea flour and fried. I usually hate the texture of eggplant, but this was crispy and crunchy. Saheena reminded me of normal methi na bhajia- except instead of fenugreek leaves they use taro leaves (or dasheen as they call it). Once we were loaded with good food we left with our bellies protruding while we tried fighting off the itis as we drove back home. Rhut lost.

All this food over the week cost us $15 US dollars for the both of us! Rhut and I were so surprised since most of the restaurants in Trinidad are SUPER expensive. We went to our hotel’s restaurant and were charged $304 TT Dollars (60 dollars) for just soup and pasta. The service was poor on top of that. I would suggest if you ever visit Trinidad, skip the restaurants and hit up the streets- it’s worth it.

My new travel blog

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 14:44:12 -0500

My new travel blog

Homemade “Ritz crackers” I love simple recipes with...

Sun, 28 Aug 2011 16:50:23 -0400

Homemade “Ritz crackers”

I love simple recipes with simple ingredients. Crackers are that type of recipe. SUPER EASY and SUPER CHEAP. The crackers are sweet and salty and buttery and would be great with some chai or cheese.

Cook time- 1 hour, Serves: creates 4 dozen crackers

1 cup of all purpose flour ( you can use whole wheat if you are trying to be super healthy)

3 tablespoons of cold butter- chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder

1/2 tablespoon of sugar

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/3 cup of water

1/4 teaspoon of salt

TOPPING:

1 1/2 tablespoon of butter

2 teaspoons of honey (optional)

2 teaspoons of salt ( plus or minus a few depending on your taste)

Preheat oven at 400 F

1. In a food processor- add flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and pulse once of twice to mix well

2. Add the butter and pulse a few times.

3. Add oil and pulse a few more times

3. Add water a little by little and pulse until a smooth dough ball forms

4. Roll out the dough as thin as you can - without it becoming translucent- and cut out your cracker shapes. I used a small baby cup to cut mine out, but you can use whatever you have handy.

5. Place the cut out crackers on a lightly greased pan and bake until golden brown ( about 6-8 minutes)

6. While the crackers are baking- in a bowl add the butter, slat, and honey from the topping list and nuke it in the microwave for about 20 seconds.

7. Once the crackers are done baking brush the melted butter mixture on the crackers and let them cool.

Enjoy! They are delicious on their own or try them with various cheeses or teas. Plus its great for kids since there are no preservatives or unnecessary additives.

Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu I love South Indian food, but I...

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 17:45:31 -0400

Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu

I love South Indian food, but I don’t havea clue as to how to cook some of my favorite dishes. Dhosa and idli sambhar are a few dishes that known to be from South India, but are also famous for being notoriously hard to make at home. Today I decided to start small and found a recipe off Sharmis Passions website. As usual I found I had a few missing ingredients and substituted them with other items. Enjoy!

Cooking time: 1 1/2 hr ,Serves: 4-6 people

Urundai

Toor dal - 1 cup

Channa dal (Kadala paruppu) - 1/2 cup

Onion - 2 tbsp
Ginger paste - 1 tbsp

Garlic paste - 1 tbsp

Coconut grated(optional) - 3 tbsp

Dried red chillies - 4 (to remove some heat, remove a few seeds before hand if you want)

Fennel seeds - 1 tsp

Salt - to taste

Coconut Paste

Coconut - 1 cup

Big onion – 1 small chopped

Tomato – 1 small chopped

Sambhar/soup/Kuzhambu:

Oil - 4 tbsp

Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp

Mustard seeds - 2 tsp

Small Onion – chopped

Tomato - ½ small chopped

Curry leaves – 4-5 leaves

1 lime- squeeze

Small piece of jaggery (can be substituted with ½ tbsp of brown sugar)

Red chili powder- 2 tsp

Coriander powder- 2 tsp

Turmeric- 1 tsp

Salt to taste

1. Soak the toor dal and chana dal in warm water for 2-3 hours.

2. In a food processor add all the ingredients under the urundai section. Blend well.

3. Make small balls with the urundai mixture and set aside.

4. In a sauce pan heat the oil. Add the mustard seed and wait for them to crackle and pop. Next add the fenugreek seeds, onion, curry leaves and tomato. Let this cook for 3-4 minutes.

5. Add 5 cups of water to the saucepan along with the turmeric, red chili powder, coriander powder, jaggery, lime juice and salt. Let this come to a boil.

6. Once the water start boiling drop the urundai balls into the water slowly. DO NOT STIR!!! it will fall apart and you will have mush.

7. Let the balls cook in simmering/boiling mixture for 5-10 minutes, the balls will start floating to the top when they are done.

8. At this point add the coconut paste to the saucepan and gently stir. Let it simmer until the the gravy gets thick. Cool and enjoy!

Vegetable Manchurian! My boyfriend came over to visit this...

Sat, 19 Mar 2011 14:18:00 -0400

Vegetable Manchurian!

My boyfriend came over to visit this weekend and we decided to make something that I never ever attempted before. I have never made vegetable manchurian, I love it, but I never attempted to make it myself. So after hunting down various recipes, I decided the best thing was to mix up 4 different recipes I found into something I felt I would like. It turned out really good! My bf ended up eating about 6 Manchurian balls in one sitting and then had 2 more the next day for breakfast. It’s actually quite easy and has simple ingredients. Enjoy!

Cook time -1 hour Serves: 3-4 people

Veggie Balls

1/2 cabbage grated

1/2 onion grated

4 carrots grated

1 green chile pepper, grated/minced

3 teaspoons of salt

2 teaspoons of pepper

6 tablespoons of all purpose flour

2 tablespoons of corn starch

oil for frying

1. Mix the grated cabbage, onion,green chile pepper and carrots in the bowl.

2. Add the salt, pepper, flour, and cornstarch and mix well.

3. Make 1 1/2 - 2 inch balls with the cabbage mixture using you hands. Make sure not to totally squeeze out all the water, otherwise it’ll be a really dense.

4. Deep fry the balls until golden brown. ( I heated oil in a frying pan (1/2 inch of oil) and just stirred them around when the bottom side was done)

Sauce

1/2 cup ketchup

sri racha to taste

3 tablespoons of soy sauce

1/2 tablespoon of sugar

1 cup of water

2 tablespoons grated ginger

1/4 onion minced

2 cloves of garlic minced

3 tablespoons of oil

1 tablespoon of cornstarch

1. In a bowl mix the ketchup, Sri racha, soy sauce, sugar, and water.

2. In a saucepan, heat the oil until hot and add the onions. After about 1 minute add the ginger and garlic. Mix for another minute.

3. Add the ketchup mixture to the pot and simmer for 2 minutes.

4. In a separate cup mix about 2 tablespoons of water with the cornstarch and add to the sauce pan. Make sure you stir fast and quickly so that the cornstarch doesn’t turn into one giant lump! This will make the sauce thicker and into a glaze.

5. Now just serve the fired Manchurian balls with the sauce on top and enjoy! FYI it’s even better the next day!

so pretty..wonder where i can find these….hmm click on...

Sat, 05 Mar 2011 22:46:24 -0500

so pretty..wonder where i can find these….hmm

click on the picture to see a great sauce recipe to have with these pretty little pasta bowties..

craving fries so bad right now…they are my...

Sat, 05 Mar 2011 22:43:34 -0500

craving fries so bad right now…they are my kryptonite…

PIZZZAAAA! My mom is famous for her pizza. I have family member...

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 20:32:00 -0500

thick crust with bell peppers and onions

thin crust w/ spinach, tomato + ricotta

PIZZZAAAA!

My mom is famous for her pizza. I have family member who come over specifically asking her to make pizza for dinner. In my kitchen I always end up being the prep chef, so I have seen her little secrets to a perfect crust. My parents actually had some of my pizza when they came over and loved it, so I know this recipe is a keeper for sure!

Pizza under an hour- it can be done! with the right ingredients that is :-) I use Fleischmann’s Pizza Crust Yeast . Just follow the directions on the back of the packet and you’re set.

Cook time- 1 hour Serves- 4 people ( makes one 12 inch thin crust pizza or one 9 inch thick crust pizza)

CRUST

1 packet Fleischmann’s Pizza Crust Yeast

1 3/4 c - 2 1/4 c of all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar

3/4 teaspoon of salt

2/3 cup of very warm tap water

3 tablespoons of oil ( I did 2 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tbsp of garlic oil)

1 tablespoon of dried oregano

Pizza Sauce

1 can of diced tomatoes

1/4 tablespoon of dried oregano

3 teaspoons of garlic powder

1/4 tablespoon of dried basil

1/4 tablespoon of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

1 teaspoon of salt

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F

2. In a bowl mix 1 cup of flour, yeast, sugar, oregano and salt.

3. Add water and oil and mix for 1 minute.

4. Add 1/2 cup of flour or more slowly to the mixture and knead until a smooth dough ball is formed.

5. Knead for 4 minutes with floured hands. You know the dough is done when the sides of the bowl are clean because the dough has picked up all the flour.

6. Grease a pizza pan or baking sheet with oil. I pour about 2 teaspoons onto the sheet and then spread it around with my fingers. Then i ball up a napkins and wipe the board with it so that there isn’t an excess of oil and that it is coated evenly.

7. Using your hands press the dough into a 12 inch circle (thin crust) or 9 inch circle (thick crust). Make sure the dough is level and even.

8. In a blender add all of the pizza sauce ingredients and blend for 30 seconds. Pour the sauce onto the crust.

9. Add your toppings. I did the following:

a. sauce, mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese, bell peppers and onions

b. sauce, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese, onions, spinach, and tomato slices. * my favorite one so far

10. Once you have added the toppings,brush olive oil along the edge of the pizza to get a nice crust.

11. Bake in the oven on the bottom rack for 25-30 minutes. You can see it is done when you lift the pizza you have a even browning of the crust and all the cheese is nice and melty.

ENJOY! Seriously so good, I am never ordering delivery again.

Gnocchi (eggless) My mother came to visit this weekend. That...

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 20:09:15 -0500

mash the potatoes

keep mashing!

knead it into a ball

cut in 1 inch nuggets

shaped with a fork

topped with marinara sauce and parmesan

yum

just one more for fun :-)

Gnocchi (eggless)

My mother came to visit this weekend. That means an absurd amount of food has been given to me. I am now left with enough groceries to feed a family of four for 2 weeks. I received 15 potatoes…..I know….

As I am a huge fan of the starchy tuber, I figured I should probably try something new. I have had fried, baked,sauteed, boiled, mashed potatoes, which is pretty boring. Then I realized I have never made gnocchi. It seems like a pretty simple recipe, and it is. Once again minimal ingredients make the best food, at least in my opinion.

Cook time- 2 hour Serves- 4 people

2 large potatoes

all purpose flour

1/2 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon of flavored or herbed olive oil (optional)

1. Boil the potatoes in salted water for 30 minutes.

2. Remove the potatoes and let them cool.

3. Once they are cool, peel the potato skin off and then mash in a bowl with a fork. Make sure you “fluff” them with a fork after you are done mashing them.

4. Add the salt and a little bit of flour (~ 1/4 cup) and start mixing with your hands. Add the flour little by little until you form a smooth un-sticky ball of dough. ( I added a tablespoon of garlic EVO to my mix to give it more flavor, you can do the same with other flavored oils or herbs.

5. Drape a clean cloth over the dough and let it sit for 20 minutes.

6. Roll portions of the the dough in to a 1/2 inch thick ropes. Lay the ropes down on a flour-dusted board. Cut each rope in to 1 inch nuggets of potato-y goodness :-)

7. I rolled each gnocchi down a fork and curled them in half. To do this- gently push the gnocchi against the back of a fork and then curl the gnocchi over so that both ends meet.

*****If you have more than you need, you can freeze them at this point for later like I did. IF you do decide to freeze the gnocchi, put them in an airtight container. When you recook them just boil until they float to the surface.

7. Cook the gnocchi in boiling water until the float to the surface and remove them with a slotted spoon. (this takes less than a minutes so be quick) You will see the gnocchi puff up and it’ll be a little soft when you take it out. The gnocchi with firm more as it cools.

I had some leftover homemade marinara sauce which I ate with the gnocchi, but you can do pesto, alfredo, or my favorite, Gorgonzola sauce.

Enjoy!

robot-heart: Real Parties: Rock Star Birthday Party {Part 2} //...

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 19:29:02 -0500

robot-heart:

Real Parties: Rock Star Birthday Party {Part 2} // Hostess with the Mostess®

made a few cake truffle early this month..yumm these look great

Eggless Banana Bread! I had a few bananas left over that were...

Sun, 23 Jan 2011 12:47:00 -0500

Eggless Banana Bread!

I had a few bananas left over that were REALLY turning brown..well black really..so I decided to make some banana bread! I love moist, sweet banana bread for breakfast with a glass of milk. This recipe is def a keeper!

Cook time - 1 1/2 hours Serves- 6 people

3 bananas- ripe

3/4 cup of white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

4 tablespoons of butter, melted

2 tablespoons of sour cream or yogurt

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1/4 cup of milk

1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour

1/2 cup of chopped walnuts (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

2. Mash the bananas in a bowl.

3. Add the brown sugar, white sugar, and sour cream OR yogurt to the bananas and mix well.

4. Add the butter, flour, and salt to the mixture and mix well.

5. Add vanilla, baking soda, cinnamon, milk and walnuts and stir until it’s a nice batter.

6. Pour into a greased bread pan and bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out dry when inserted into the middle of the bread.

Enjoy!

Methi na Paratha- Fenugreek Flat Bread This morning I went to go...

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 09:35:00 -0500

Methi na Paratha- Fenugreek Flat Bread

This morning I went to go babysit and was asked if I could make paratha for the kids for lunch. Here’s a quick recipe for about 5-7 paratha! Super easy

1 bunch of Methi (fenugreek) chopped

1 1/2 teaspoon of cumin powder

1 1/2 teaspoon of coriander powder

2 teaspoons of ginger - grated finely

1 1/2 teaspoon of garlic paste

1 teaspoon of red chili powder

salt to taste

1 tablespoon of oil

1 1/2 cups of atta (wheat flour)

1. In a saucepan heat the oil on low heat, add the ginger and garlic paste and stir.

2. Next add the methi leaves into the saucepan and saute the mixture for 3-4 minutes, stirring continuously.

3. Add the cumin, red chili, coriander, and salt to the mixture and cook for another 2 minutes. Let it cool when done.

4. In a large bowl, add the flour and a cool methi mixture and start kneading! You may need some water to bring it all together ( I ended up adding about 1 1/2 tablespoons of water) and knead for about 5 minutes.

5. Roll the dough into a ball and spread oil on the dough ball and let it sit for at least 15 -30 minutes.

6. Break the dough up and roll into small 1 1/2-2 inch balls and flatten slightly. You will make 5-7 of these. Dip each ball into some flour before flattening it out so it won’t stick to the board/counter.

8. Roll each ball out into a circle using a rolling pin so that it is 1/10 of an inch thick ( so pretty thin but not so thin that it is translucent)

9. Heat a frying pan or tawa (if you have one) and add a few drop of oil. Lay the rolled out dough onto the pan and let it cook for about 30-50 seconds and flip and fry on the other side. You may need to add a few drop of oil here and there to get it to continue cooking without it turning into a hard disc.

10. The bread is done when you see light and dark brown spots on both side :) enjoy with a veggie curry or with some yogurt!

White sauce

Tue, 18 Jan 2011 19:50:15 -0500

White sauce

So today I got my teeth whitened and I was told to not eat any food that is not white for 24-48 hours. Which I thought meant lots of vanilla ice cream, potatoes, and marshmallows…but a quick search on google led me to think differently. Here is a quick recipe for pasta with white sauce!

Cook time- 15 minutes Serves- 2 ( makes 1 cup)

2 tablespoons of butter

2 tablespoons of flour

1 cup of milk ( I used fat free)

2 teaspoons of garlic powder

1 teaspoon of salt

pinch of pepper

2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese

1. In a saucepan, melt the butter on low heat

2. Add the flour to the butter and whisk on low heat for about 2 minutes. DO NOT LET IT BROWN!

3. Add in the milk little by little whisking continuously

4. Add the garlic powder, salt, pepper, and parmesan to the mixture and continue whisking

5. Stir on low heat until it become as thick as you want it.

6. Add cooked pasta to the sauce and enjoy!

You can add veggies like steam broccoli to make the recipe a bit more healthier. Enjoy!