Guest Hosting Celebrate Love

Love is universal language!  What better time to celebrate love then now in the month of February when spring is round the corner of course Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, Holi is not far away?  Come join us Jagruti and me in the celebration of love.

“ Pyar sharto par nahi hota” loosely translated it’s in love you cannot have conditions but events do have rules so here are the rules

1.    Make any dish it could be sweet, savoury, can be starter or main course.

2.    ONLY VEGETARIAN DISHES ALLOWED.

3.    Eggs are allowed in BAKING dishes.

4.    Link Jagruti's event page and this event announcement its compulsory. 

5.    Use of logo is appreciated.

6.    Only entries allowed are posted between 1st Feb-28th Feb 2013.

7.    You can send entries to our email if link doesn't work (themadscientistskitchen@gmail.com) with the following details.
1.Your Name
2.Your Blog name
3.Recipe Name
4.Recipe URL
5.Picture of your recipe
Also non bloggers can send their entries to my email ID and the subject line with your name, Recipe, and the picture of your recipe.

So do send me your entries and Celebrate love

 

Hi! First time here? Well then you are Most Welcome! I hope you keep coming back for more here. If you are my regular visitor then Thanks, for you encourage me to experiment more!! I would like you to please click on my link below and like myFacebook Page. I will be happy if you can follow me on on Twitter too!

DrØmmekage fra Brovst or Danish Dream Cake

Yummy Danish Dream Cake

If you are a regular reader of my space then you must be aware that I am a member of egg-less baking group.  The group is the brainchild of Gayatri and we try out making baking recipes from with eggs to egg-less.

 Recently Gayatri had asked members to give suggestions for different cakes and we have been trying new cakes. Most of them I will not even dream of. Have you thought of making molten lava cake, cauldron cakes all egg-less?

Boiled Cauliflower for BM #24

First let me wish you all

A Very Happy Republic Day!!

For the Blogging Marathon #24 I am blogging Weaning foods. The first weaning food that Akanksha was fed was boiled cauliflower!

I know this is quite unconventional. In fact I had the ire of lot of my Elders’ in the family they had wanted the traditional payasam to be fed, but I was adamant. You see my elder daughter was fed the traditional foods but no veggies then getting her to eat veggies was an uphill task that was running in 7 long years after a lot of threatening, cajoling, crying etc.  I did not want the same process repeated all over again. Thankfully the hubby and the paediatrician were there to support me.

Among veggies carrots and beets were favourites with Akanksha.

Coming down to boiled veggies there  is no recipe as such.

·      Just boil the vegetable washed, cleaned and in case of veggies like carrots scraped in the cooker for 2-3 whistles. Generally I soak them in salted water and turmeric.

·      It’s easier to mash the veggies with the back of a spoon.  Just before you feed the baby mash it again with your fingertips.

·      You can blend it too but the idea is to introduce some texture in the food.

The only precaution that you have to take is to check if the baby is allergic to any foods. So introduce only one new food to the baby and repeat it for a week.

Next week change the veggie or foods. Like this week its cauliflower next its carrots, then beets. The fourth week a combo of all 3. In the fifth week keep veggies as one meal and introduce something new like Dalia. How I wish I knew about oats then I would have fed the little one with different things made of oats. Gradually reduce her dependence on milk only diet to more and more varied diet.

One more feature was that Akanksha was never a patient baby, at least where food was concerned.  For her first birthday after slicing the cake I fed her a little cake and was still on the dais holding the slice in my hand looking out for Hubby’s Aunt  thinking she may want to feed Akanksha too. Well baby took matters out of our hands much to everyone’s amusement she took the slice and stuffed it in her mouth!! 

She never was spoon fed just bowl fed if that may be an expression. The bowl had to be at her mouth not the spoon as long as I fed her.

As Akanksha grew older and she was introduced to bread sticks any dal, mild rasam, amti, sambhar was given to her with the bread stick, rice anything she fed herself. There was a mess; in fact she had 2-3 bed sheets per day on which she sat to eat. Feeding her was never an option she had to do it herself. The paediatrician encouraged me in this.

“She will play when she has fed herself, she told me,” let her do it. She has to learn the texture of different food, the different tastes, let her make it interesting for herself. You unlearn having to feed her and your judgement that she has not had enough, she will not sit quietly if she has not had enough.”

 And I am grateful to her because of this I had no stress that my baby was not eating in fact she was a bouncy, baby always smiling and very healthy. Touch wood she rarely falls sick  even now.

By and by she started using me as her chewing machine anything she could not chew like nuts, went in my mouth and was given a instruction which was “HMMm!” I had to chew and after she had judged I had chewed enough she hooked her finger in my mouth transferred it to her mouth. Am I grossing you out? Well she did it and I used to get mad at her.  But when I watched on Discovery I think the baby gorillas or was it the chimp, anyway one of the great apes doing the same I just stopped getting so grossed out. Cannot argue with her papa’s genes can you?

With this I bring an end to my sermon on weaning your baby. This is what I have followed you may or may not agree with my methods but I hope this will make it less stressful to you both!
Bon Appetit'!

In this BM #24 I have in the linked
As Kids Delight
1. Chocolate filled Canapes
2. Ragi Cupcakes
3.Trifle Pudding

As Weaning Foods
1. Dalai
2. Lapsi 
3. Boiled veggies namely Cauliflower

Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#24

Hi! First time here? Well then you are Most Welcome! I hope you keep coming back for more here. If you are my regular visitor then Thanks, for you encourage me to experiment more!! I would like you to please click on my link below and like myFacebook Page. I will be happy if you can follow me on on Twitter too! 

Lapsi a Maharashtrian Delicacy

“Lapsi” this is a very delicious porridge that is great breakfast dish for young and old alike. The pro in “Lapsi’s”   favour is that its light to digest and very filling and most importantly very healthy.

But making “Lapsi” is tedious process. You need to soak the wheat to make the “Lapsi” for 3 days. The water is to be changed every day and on the third day the wheat is ground. The ground batter is strained and then the strained mixture is used to make “Lapsi”.

Tiring and backbreaking… and very difficult to manage with the help I had on a regular basis.

But   I was determined to feed Akanksha with “Lapsi”. I did this once! And realised it’s not possible for me to do this on regular basis. That’s when my husband’s aunt told me an easier way.

I do not think that the taste is like what you make with the soaked wheat but the baby does not lose out on the health factor.

Dalia or Porridge

This Blogging Marathon I will be posting Weaning Foods.

For my elder daughter I had no problems as my MIL and Mother were around and I just did what I was told.

But for my second daughter both were not around and I had to manage. So one of the first things that I had served Akanksha, my daughter no 2 after veggies was ’Dalia’!

 It’s simple to cook and good for health.  In fact I have served it to her both as sweet and salted flavours and she has loved both.

Today we will make the sweet kind. Basically I used very little sugar with Akanksha it was either jaggary or dates as sweetener.

Akanksha learnt to eat chocolates after she was 1 year because Smita, my SIL, who had come down for her delivery used to bribe Akanksha, to get Akanksha to come to her. Akanksha was not very social quite opposite of her elder sister who was never found at home from the time she could walk and talk, say at around 1 year. Yes both my kids were running and talking for their first birthdays.

But I am rambling… so getting back to sweeteners for babies the 3 basic rules are ... avoid refined sugar, salt and maida or all purpose flour!

Tawa Pulao

Tawa pulao the food that my teen often eats on the streets!!  So when I saw this at Cook-Eat- Burrp and by I changed my plans of making the much disliked matar pulao to tawa pulao.

Yes you read right my girls do not like green peas. They will eat them plain but in veggies or pulao …no.

So when I had mentioned that I am making Matar pulao it was not met with much enthusiasm. So I just made this tawa pulao.  As soon as I came home from work the first thing that I was told was the pulao is awesome!

 What more do you need?

Thanks Pallavi. Here is her recipe.

Mini Ghevar Topped with Rabdi ~~SNC Challenge

What is left of Rabdi and Ghevar

As a part of the North and South challenge, Divya’s  brainchild we try out new recipes. This time the north group has challenged the South group to make Ghevar. This challenge was suggested by Manjula Bharath of Desi Fiesta from Northern team, while Southern team challenged them with Vada Curry by Ramya Krishnamurthy of LemonKurry.

The first time I heard about Ghevar was in Jodha Akbar! Where Jodha cooks a delicious vegetarian meal for Akbar. The ladies come singing about what all is cooked. One of the dishes was Ghevar. I wanted to try it when I saw Priya recipe here.

Apple Pie

Wish you all A Very Happy Sanktanti or Pongal! Hope you have made delicious Pongal or Gulpolis and til ladoos.

There seems to be a lethargy on my part I am finding it difficulty in surfing the net.So there are hardly any comments from me or visits for that matter! Kindly excuse me  yet again!!

 I am tired and seem to have some kind of health problems (read lack excercise and have become fat) which needs me to exercise so most of my evening are spent cycling. If in case you get some invites from Facebook for Farmville etc then please feel free to ignore them. My daughter plays it under my name.

Coming to blogging

For Baking Partners #6 Sawati's brainchild we were to try tarts and pies.The girls wanted Apple Pie ! So Apple Pie it was!  Swati had provided us with the recipes but since these days I am not upto the mark in my cooking I just tried making the pie from the Joy of Baking site which I had already tried it out to make Quiche here. 

Now these pictures are taken in the night. I will set better pictures when I make it again. 

So there are 2 reasons for me to make the pie again plus the girls want me to make a "jali' of the dough.Three  reasons enough!

Ingredients:

·      2 ½ cups (350g) Maida or all purpose flour

·      2 tbsp (30 grms) white granulated sugar

·      1 pinch of salt

·      1 cup (226 grms chilled butter cut in 1 inch pieces

·      ¼ to ½ cup( 60-120 ml) ice water

 Apple filling

·      1.1 kg peeled, cored and sliced to ¼ inch thickness

·      ¼ cup (50grms) white granulated sugar

·      ¼ cup (55grms) brown sugar

·      1 tblsp lemon juice

·      ½ tsp cinnamon

·      2 tblsp 928grms) butter

·      1 ½ tblsp corn flour

Method:

·      Mix well the sugar, salt and flour till well combined.

·      Add the butter and rub till the mixture resembles crumbs.

·      Pour ¼ cup water and mix well. Add more water if needed. Do not knead for long.

·      Make a ball of the dough. Then make 2 pieces one big and one small. Flatten and refrigerate for 1 hour.

·      After 1 hour remove the bigger ball on a lightly floured surface and roll out in a disc to a 12 inch circle.

·      Dust the flour and transfer to the pie dish. Since the recipe called for an 8 inch pie tray and mine is 7 inch tray I had some excess dough. Which I used in these small muffin moulds. Cover with plastic and refrigerate.

·      Roll out the smaller ball to a disc dust and cover with a plastic. Refrigerate.

Pie fillingMethod:

·                     Mix well the sliced apples with sugar, ground cinnamon lime juice. 

             Let it sit at room temperature for about 3 hours.

·       Strain the juice of the apples with a strainer in a bowl.

·       Let the apples drain 15-30 minutes or till there is ½ cup of juices.

·       Transfer the liquid to a greased micro safe bowl add the 2 tbsp of butter and boil for 5 to 10 minutes till the liquid reduces to 1/3 cup.

·       Meanwhile remove the crusts and let it sit for at least 10 minutes on the counter.

·       To the drained apples add the corn flour and mix well. Then mix the syrup on the apples and combine well.

·       Pour the apples and the syrup in the crust and pat the apples and arrange them in the dish.

·       Moisten the edges of the pie crust with a little water then place the top crust. Tuck the excess under the bottom crust.

·       Make slits with a sharp knife from the centre to edge about 5 cms on the top crust. Cover and refrigerate.

·       Preheat oven to 220ºC for about 45 to 55 minutes or till the knife when inserted in the slits feel tender and not mushy.

·       Serve about 3-4 hours later.

Linking to

 Baking Partners #6

Bake Fest hosted by Sumee

Hi! First time here? Well then you are Most Welcome! I hope you keep coming back for more here. If you are my regular visitor then Thanks, for you encourage me to experiment more!! I would like you to please click on my link below and like myFacebook Page. I will be happy if you can follow me on on Twitter too!

Tousule for Magic Mingle #13

Tousule is a Goan delicacy made in the rainy season.

Why rains?  Well cucumbers the main ingredient of Tousule is grown in plenty in the hilly areas and is sold not only on the roads but also in the markets. Its common sight for the farmers themselves selling the freshly plucked cucumbers. Also one more ingredient the turmeric leaf that is used to give a delicious aroma to the Tousule.

Traditionally the Tousule is made out of rice suji or rava or wheat rava fine or thick kind, cashew nuts, coconut and jaggary are used to create this beautiful steamed delicacy called Tousule.

When Kalyani announced the Magic Mingle of cucumber and walnuts I was sure I will never make it. Then I saw Gayatri post of zucchini bread and something went click in my head and I thought Tousule.

Well if you are a regular visitor here you will know sweets, let me clarify some sweets, are unmentionables in my place this happens to be one of them. I made minimum quantity of 1 katori. But please let me not put you guys off the Tousule it is amazing. Do try it out.

Ragi Cupcakes BM#24

After I made these strawberries once they disappeared encouraged I made them again. Only to be told they are too sweet. Unwilling to bin them I made these muffins.  

The basic recipe is what I learnt at Vandana’s I have only replaced the maida with ragi.

Ingredients:

·        100 grms ragi flour

·         100 grms amul butter

·         1 cup strawberries & chocolate puree

·         100 grams sugar( you can use upto 125 grms but then I found these sweet enough)

·         2 eggs

·        About 40 grams chopped walnuts (optional)

·         ½ tsp vanilla essence

·         ½ tsp baking powder

Method:

1.      Melt butter in aluminium container carefully. Cool it.

2.      Beat the eggs and sugar in a mixer and keep aside.

3.      Sift the ragi with baking powder.

4.      Pre heat the oven to 150°C for 5-10 minutes.

5.      Add the sifted ragi to the butter. Mix.

6.      Add the eggs and sugar mix.

7.      Add the vanilla essence and mix.

8.      Finally add the pureed strawberries and nuts (if using) I did not. Reserve a few for garnishing.

9.      Pour the batter in the prepared tin and bake at 150°C in a prepared tin bake for 1 hour or 1 hour 10 minutes till the knife inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Notes:

1.      After 10 15 minutes remove the batter and add nuts on top.

Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#24 
Sending this to Kids delight, valli's page, WTML, Makar Sankranti, New U, Makar Sankranti, 

Hi! First time here? Well then you are Most Welcome! I hope you keep coming back for more here. If you are my regular visitor then Thanks, for you encourage me to experiment more!! I would like you to please click on my link below and like my Face Book page. I will be happy if you can follow me on Twitter too! 

Round up of Know Your Flours~ All Purpose Flour

Hi here is the round up for Know Your Flours~ All Purpose Flour/ Maida.

I must thank all of you for your delicious entries.  Thanks Jagruti for giving me this opportunity it has really shown me the delicious use of this flour from mundane everyday's food to the delicious and exotic.

So lets see 

1.Eggless Chocolate and Mug Cake by Jaleela 

2.Plain (Maida) Flour Onion Dosa/Pancake

3.Oakland Eggless easy double dream Fruit cake by Jagruti 

4. Pineapple Cobbler by Julie

5.Kulkul by Julie

6.Christmas Wreath Cookies by Julie

7. Macadamia nut white chocolate cookies by Laavy

8.Cinnamon shortbread Cookies - eggless by Latha

9.Fruit Cake or Christmas Cake or Plum cake by Latha

10.Beet-Dates Wheat Cake - Eggfree,Microwave by Princy Vinoth

11.Butterscotch Shortbreads by Malaysian Delicacy 

12. Promogranate Cake by Ramyakumar

13.Badami Cake by Ramyakumar

14.Chocolate Cream Cookies/Eggless n butterless by Nitha

15 Multigrain Bread by Sowmya

16.Eggless Molten Lava Cake by Sowmya 

17. Eggless Banana Bread by Sowmya

18. Eggless Blueberry Muffins by Sowmya

19. Eggless Chocolate Cake – Chocolate cakesheets by Sowmya

20.Eggless Garlic Mozzarella Muffins – SavoryMuffins by Sowmya

21. Eggless TrutiFruti cake with condense Milk by Pari Cash

22. Garlic Bread Sticks by Kitchen Queen



23.Cinnamon Rolls with icicnd by Kitchen Queen

24.Banana Walnut Bread by  Sandhya Ramakrishnan

25.Apple ChocolateChip Muffins  by Sandhya Ramakrishnan

26. Badusha  by Sandhya Ramakrishnan

27.Molassas Drop Cookies  by Sandhya Ramakrishnan

28.Pecan Short bread Cookies  by Sandhya Ramakrishnan

29.Neapolitan cake (Baking Partner’s)  by Sandhya Ramakrishnan

30.Hazel Butter Balls(Eggless) by  Sandhya Ramakrishnan

31.Sugar Cookies by Sandhya Ramakrishnan

32.Fruit Cookies/Christmas Fruit Cookies/TuttiFrutti Cookies (Egg less)  by Sandhya Ramakrishnan

33..Steamed eggless Banana Cake by Sara

34.Eggless Beet Cake by Sara

35.Molten Lava Cake by Archana

36.Chocolate Almond Cake by Archana

I have missed some entries here. Can you please point me in the right direction.I have been trying to locate them with no success. Sorry

Hi! First time here? Well then you are Most Welcome! I hope you keep coming back for more here. If you are my regular visitor then Thanks, for you encourage me to experiment more!! I would like you to please click on my link below and like my Face Book page. I will be happy if you can follow me on Twitter too!