Chocolate Almond Cake Baking Partners

As a part of the Baking Partners we were to make a Christmas cake and when I saw the recipes my heart sank.

Don’t get me wrong there was nothing wrong with the recipes it’s my ability to make them that I questioned. I questioned myself how did I think I am capable of making anything here.

Somehow the cake senses that I am comfortable baking and it gives me trouble. Either it sinks or it burns or spills.

So when I saw the cakes here I was tense and I questioned my sanity. Well let me tell you that the family does not know about all the stress I go through when I am baking. Then it will be a full stop for my baking with an exclamation mark. For then I get one of my anxiety attacks and start coughing and get breathless etc. in short everything an asthmatic patient goes through.

I choose what I thought was easier of the two.

Also I have never tried writing with icing. In fact I realize now that the syringe kind of icing tube is of no use. So please ignore the mess that I have made with the writing part. As you can see the kid had no problems in fact she was pleased as punch. O I did complain that she did not eat the cake apparently she did and she likes it. In fact I am happy she has asked me make it again.

Butter Beer

Harry Potter has made his appearance in our household for the last 11 years. Yes when Akanksha, my kid no 2 was born. I still remember my husband coming to me and handing me the first HP book Philosopher’s Stone and from page 1 I was hooked!! Thankfully Akanksha was of the age when she slept most of the time so I could read the book.

Then I started with the book 2 and so on.

To get my elder daughter reading, she was 7 then, I read out the books to her. I just cannot imagine how I read out two full books then ditched her half way in the third book. Since she was interested in the book she finished it!! Down she went hook line and sinker!!! Now she is the one who is our HP encyclopedia.

My younger daughter celebrates her birthday on 6^th Dec. and I had expected to have party on the 8^th Dec a Saturday, but unfortunately that was not to be. So we are having her birthday on the 15^th Dec.

Why am I mentioning this?

I plan to have a HP theme party for the kid and she does not know, yes a surprise. She has already got her acceptance letter from Hogwarts!

In preparation I made this butter beer! There are more that I plan to blog but right now it’s just this.

It’s to be my welcome drink!!

Do let send me your feedback.

Here is the recipe from Mugglenet here. It’s just the same I have substituted butterscotch with chocolate an d Irish coffee syrup

 
Ingredients:

·       1 cup (8 oz) club soda 

·       1/2 cup less 2 tsp (4 oz) chocolate syrup   (ice cream topping)

·       2 tsp Irish coffee syrup

·       1/2 tablespoon butter

Method:

1.    Heat the chocolate and Irish coffee syrup with butter in the microwave 1 minute or until syrup is bubbly and butter has melted.

2.    Stir and cool for 30 seconds, then slowly mix in soda. Mixture will fizz quite a bit.

3.     Serve in two coffee mugs; a perfectly warm Hogwarts treat for two!

Sending this to Srivalli's Kids Delight guest hosted by me.

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Chocolate & Strawberries

I had made this Chocolate honey frosting for a cake (recipe follows).

The amount of icing as usual was more than I needed, for my kids love chocolate in any form. But before I offered the leftover icing to them I dipped some strawberries in them. Then dried them over a butter paper in the fridge.

And you can see even I could not resist the strawberries. Too bad that we had only one container of strawberries but them the season for the luscious berries has just started.

This is my entry for Magic Mingle

All rights reserved on photographs and written content are copy-written @The Mad Scientist’s Kitchen!! unless mentioned. Please Ask First
 

Caldin ~A Goan Catholic Veggie

You have heard me rant quite a bit that the Goans do eat veggies contrary to the popular view. Of course the veggies are few but they are tasty. My view of all the veggies was that they are all covered with masala in the Goan way.  How wrong can a person be!! Even after staying in Goa for 25 years I am still uncovering dishes, vegetarian mind you.

I was chatting with my friend Judy and happened to ask her what Caldin is. Caldin is traditionally a Goans Catholic veg dish. It means ‘in a gravy.’  

  Surprised? Even I was quite amazed.

I did ask her quite rudely, I might add, Catholics and veggies. Her reply was quite a revelation. We cannot eat meat all the time dear, she said we feel the need to eat veggies too. Of course the veggies used in Caldin are like cauliflower, lady finger, potatoes quite a few but we do eat them.

She did share the recipe with me. Not content that night we went out for dinner and Apeksha n I ordered Caldin and enjoyed it.

Now since I did not have all the veggies at hand thanks to the fact that I had not done my weekly shopping I had to make do. So my Caldin had only cauliflower and some tired looking carrots! And still the caldin was appreciated.

Ingredients:

To grind:

• A small knob of Ginger
•  4 cloves garlic
•  ½ tsp Coriander seeds
•  2 Green chillies
•  ¼ tsp Haldi
•  ¼ tsp jeera
•  ¼ cup coconut

For the coconut milk:

•  1 coconut grated

Rest of the ingredients:

•  4 cups mixed vegetables
•  3 medium onions, finely chopped
•  2 tomatoes, finely chopped
•  A lemon sized ball of tamarind
•  Oil
•  Salt

Method:

1. First extract coconut milk on e thin and one thick. In case you need here is how.
2.  In thin milk soak the tamarind.
3.  Grind all the ingredients under to grind heading to a fine paste using a little water.
4.   Fry onion till translucent add the tomatoes and fry till they are softer.
5. Add the ground masala fry on a low flame.
6.  Add the thin coconut milk. Add veggies, salt & boil covered till the veggies are par-boiled.
7. Add the thick juice. Cook till done.
8. Serve with steamed rice or rotis. The Goans will prefer it with pav or uno.

Linking this to Julies's Event Garlic and Spice Guest Hosted by Vidya

All rights reserved on photographs and written content are copy-written @The Mad Scientist’s Kitchen!! unless mentioned. Please Ask First