If the ones you've got in the pantry smell musty or you can't remember when you bought them, restock.
INGREDIENTS
3 tbls butter or vegetable oil
6 chicken legs (drumsticks with thighs; about 1/2 kg)
freshly ground pepper
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely grated
2 tbls finely grated peeled ginger
2 tbls tomato paste
2 tsp garam masala
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground turmeric
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
3/4 tsp black pepper
3/4 tsp ground cardamom
8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup canned tomato purée
1/2 cup heavy cream
250g small potatoes, sliced 1/4" thick
Plain yogurt
torn fresh mint
naan, flatbread, or cooked rice (for serving)
salt to taste
METHOD
1. Heat butter in a large cooking pot over medium heat.
2. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Working in batches, cook chicken, skin side down, until golden brown (do not turn), 8–10 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
3. Add onion, garlic, and ginger to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is very soft and golden brown, 8–10 minutes. Add tomato paste, garam masala, cumin, turmeric, coriander, cayenne, and cardamom and cook, stirring often, until tomato paste is beginning to darken, about 4 minutes.
4. Add chicken, broth, tomato purée, and cream to pot; season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, skimming occasionally, until chicken is almost falling off the bone and liquid is slightly thickened, 1 1/2–2 hours.
5. Add potatoes to pot and cook, partially covered, until potatoes are fork-tender, chicken is falling off the bone, and liquid is thick enough to coat a spoon, 30–45 minutes.
6. Remove skin and bones from chicken, if desired, and return meat to pot; season stew with salt and pepper.
7. Divide stew among bowls, top with yogurt and mint, and serve with naan, flatbread, or rice.
DO AHEAD: Stew can be made 3 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill.
YIELD: Makes 6 servings
Deviled eggs (US) or devilled eggs (UK), also known as stuffed eggs, Russian eggs, or dressed eggs are hard-boiled eggs that have been shelled, cut in half, and filled with a paste made from the egg yolks mixed with other ingredients such as mayonnaise and mustard.
If you’re pressed for time, devilled eggs are your best bet. You’ll most likely have all the ingredients you need at home, and they can be ready in less than an hour. For texture, try adding chopped spring onions or finely diced pickles to the yolk mixture.
Ingredients
Eggs 4, hard-boiled
Mayonnaise 2 tbsp
Mustard 1 tsp
A dash of hot sauce (optional)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Method
1. Peel the eggs and cut them in half lengthwise.
2. Remove the yolks and add to a small mixing bowl.
3. Add the mayonnaise, mustard, hot sauce, salt and pepper to the yolks, and mash together until the mixture is smooth.
4. Carefully spoon the yolk mixture back into the egg whites. Sprinkle paprika powder on the eggs, and serve.
Serves four to six
This is a truly melt in mouth kind of kabab !! Though Sheekh kababs are authentically made with mince meat, but you can use any other boneless cut as well. Just marinade it more than 6 hours.
You can substitute chicken for beef but the papaya paste should be eliminated and it should only be marinated with the spices for one hour.
You will need skewers and a grill. If you are using wooden skewers, you may want to soak them in water beforehand so they withstand the heat of the cooking flame.
Ingredients
1 ½ kg. veal chunk/beef chunk, thinly sliced and pounded
¾ cup yogurt
6 tbsp. finely grated raw papaya with skin
¾ cups fried onions
4 tsp. freshly grated ginger
4 tsp. chopped garlic
1 tsp. nutmeg powder
1 tsp. cinnamon powder
1 ½ tsp. cumin powder roasted
2 tsp. paprika powder
2 tsp. red chillie powder, or to taste
2 tsp. poppy seeds
4 tsp. bihari kabab garam masala
¾ cup mustard oil (optional)
Salt to taste
(Mix in food processor and marinade meat)
Bihari Kabab Garam Masala
(Use coffee grinder to make powder, and store unused portion in tightly sealed jar for future use)
2 tsp. kabab chini
2 tsp. fennel
2 star anise
4 tsp. whole back peppercorns
2 cloves
½ nutmeg
1 tsp. mace
10 green cardamom
6 black cardamom
2 tbsp. coriander, whole
2 tbsp. cumin seeds
12 dried red chillie
Method
1. Heat a large pan with a heavy base, pour a little oil and heat, set meat chunks on pan, cover and cook for 10-20 minutes, flip and cook for another 10-20 minutes.
2. Transfer into an oven safe pan, broil for 15 minutes to dry moisture.
3. Heat coal, sprinkle with oil and set in oven for a few minutes to infuse kababs with smoke from the coal.
Serve with imli chutney, sliced onions, paratha or naan.
This salad has recently become one of my favorite things to make and eat. I make it at least once a week. It’s so easy to put together, the dressing is delicious, and all in all, it’s pretty healthy.
This Chinese chicken salad is a colorful and tasty way to use up some leftover chicken and makes for a light lunch.
I experimented with few different dressings and ultimately settled on this one which I think is just the right balance of soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, and sesame oil.
Again, it’s something that requires barely any cooking time; all you need to do is cook the chicken.
Ingredients
2 cups shredded lettuce (I used iceberg lettuce, but you can use whatever you like)
1 cup finely sliced purple cabbage
½ cup grated carrots
1 cup cooked and shredded chicken
1 tbs sesame seeds (optional)
For the dressing
¼ cup white vinegar
1 tbs sesame oil
1 tbs brown sugar
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp oyster sauce
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
Salt and pepper, to taste
Method
1. In a large platter, layer the lettuce, then cabbage, carrots, and finally the chicken. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients.
3. Drizzle the dressing over the salad before serving. Add salt. Lightly toss together and
Serves 8 to 10.
Note: You can add and/or substitute other vegetables as well, like thinly sliced bell peppers or green cabbage. To add a bit of crunch, sprinkle crushed peanuts or cashews over the salad just before serving.
If you decide to stay at home to mark the New Year, settle in with a big steaming mug of this indulgent homemade hot chocolate. I loved making hot chocolate as a kid but I never knew you could actually make your own Hot Chocolate Mix.
All you do is place a large sieve over a bowl and sieve together all of the ingredients. Now, the better the ingredients you use, the better the result you get out. Use a good quality unsweetened cocoa powder. The better the cocoa, the richer your hot chocolate.
Ingredients
Cocoa powder ½ cup
Sugar ¼ cup
A pinch of salt
Dark chocolate 4 oz (115g), broken into small pieces
Method
1. Add all ingredients to a food processor. Process until the mixture resembles a coarse powder and store in an airtight jar.
2. To make hot chocolate: heat one cup of milk in a saucepan until it is very hot; do not boil.
3. Add one to two tablespoons of the hot chocolate mix and whisk until smooth.
4. Taste and add more sugar, if needed.
Halwa is a aromatic sweet pudding made from cereals, fruits or vegetables. In Pakistan, halwas are usually prepared for all festive occasions like Eid, Ramadan, Milad and so on. some special halwa recipes like suji halwa or banana halwa are made to be served as prasad for religious occasion too. there are many variations and style of halwa recipes made in Pakistan. Here i am sharing Chanay Ke Daal Ka Halwa recipes posted on my blog for your easy reference.
Ingredients
2 cups chanay ki daal
Milk
Sugar
Oil
15 green cardamoms
1/2 cup blanched almonds, chopped.
¼ cup pistachios
Method
There's a lot of stirring involved in the making of this halwa, but the effort will be worth it
1. Soak daal 6 to 8 hours.
2. Drain and grind in a food processor until fine.
3. Pour the ground daal into a heavy based pan and cook on low heat, adding milk and stirring periodically.
4. Once the milk starts evaporating, add oil, cardamom and sugar to taste.
5. Now begins the heavy stirring, keep stirring and adding oil until the consistency is right.
6. As you keep stirring, the colour of the halwa starts changing to a golden brown. Do not lose heart, keep stirring, adding oil if required, and slowly but gradually the oil will separate.
7. Keep stirring until oil separates, and the colour is a rich beautiful golden.
Garnish with nuts, and serve.
This kid-friendly recipe is a takeoff on macaroni and cheese; it makes a large batch that holds well for two or three days. Serve with pickled jalapeño slices for grownups who like spicy food.
This recipe is a twist on the macaroni salad, except with lots of Mexican-inspired flavor in the creamy dressing. It takes very little time to put together and easily feeds a crowd. It is best served cold, so you can prepare it ahead of time and store in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve.
Ingredients
1¾ cups elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
1 large green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 large tomato, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 (400g) can sweetcorn, drained
½ cup sliced black olives
1 cup cooked and shredded chicken
For the dressing
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup yogurt
1 tbs lemon juice
1½ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt, or to taste
Method
1. In a large mixing bowl, add the cooked macaroni, bell pepper, tomato, onion, sweetcorn, olives, and chicken. Mix well.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together the dressing ingredients.
3. Add the dressing to the pasta salad and mix well.
4. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Serves 6 to 8.
Nothing says ‘celebration’ like rainbow sprinkles! These simple sugar cookies are a fun addition to any party spread and are especially likely to be a hit with the kids.
The recipe is quick. The cookies only take about 10 minutes in the oven. They will look undercooked and very soft. That’s ok – they will continue to bake as you let them cool on the cookie sheet.
Ingredients
Unsalted butter, softened ¼ cup (2oz/60g)
Caster sugar ½ cup
Egg 1, at room temperature
Plain flour ¾ cup
Baking powder ½ tsp
Baking soda ½ tsp
Rainbow sprinkles ¼ cup
Method
1. Add the butter, sugar and vanilla to a large mixing bowl, and beat on ‘high’ with an electric beater for about one minute.
2. Add the egg and beat until well mixed. Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and stir with a metal or wooden spoon.
3. Add the sprinkles and stir to combine. Take heaped teaspoons of the cookie dough and roll into balls. Place the cookie dough balls (you should have about 20) in a plate or tray, and refrigerate for two to three hours.
4. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Bake the cookies for nine to 10 minutes.
5. Remove them from the oven and leave to cool on the baking tray for five to 10 minutes. Then place on a wire rack to cool completely.
The cookie dough can be made up to two to three days in advance. Store it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake. The more time it has to chill, the better.
Makes approximately 20 cookies.
Beef Bihari Kabab is a mouthwatering BBQ dish. Marinated beef with spices and cooked on charcoal gives an ultimate taste to tongue. This is a warming dish for out door cooking and BBQ night. This recipe calls for undercut part of beef, but you can use any other boneless cut as well. Just marinade it more than 6 hours.
You can substitute chicken for beef but the papaya paste should be eliminated and it should only be marinated with the spices for one hour.
You will need skewers and a grill. If you are using wooden skewers, you may want to soak them in water beforehand so they withstand the heat of the cooking flame.
Ingredients
1 ½ kg. veal chunk/beef chunk, thinly sliced and pounded
¾ cup yogurt
6 tbsp. finely grated raw papaya with skin
¾ cups fried onions
4 tsp. freshly grated ginger
4 tsp. chopped garlic
1 tsp. nutmeg powder
1 tsp. cinnamon powder
1 ½ tsp. cumin powder roasted
2 tsp. paprika powder
2 tsp. red chillie powder, or to taste
2 tsp. poppy seeds
4 tsp. bihari kabab garam masala
¾ cup mustard oil (optional)
Salt to taste
(Mix in food processor and marinade meat)
Bihari Kabab Garam Masala
(Use coffee grinder to make powder, and store unused portion in tightly sealed jar for future use)
2 tsp. kabab chini
2 tsp. fennel
2 star anise
4 tsp. whole back peppercorns
2 cloves
½ nutmeg
1 tsp. mace
10 green cardamom
6 black cardamom
2 tbsp. coriander, whole
2 tbsp. cumin seeds
12 dried red chillie
Method
1. Marinate the meat for at least 24 hours, grill meat on skewers, set a coal to heat on the grill.
2. Drop oil on the coal and cover with metal lid (if available) to infuse meat with smoke from the coal. Remove once the meat is tender.
Serve with imli chutney, sliced onions, paratha or naan.
Kheer is a rice pudding from the cuisine of the Indian subcontinent, made by boiling rice, broken wheat, tapioca, or vermicelli with milk and sugar; it is flavoured with cardamom, raisins, saffron, cashews, pistachios or almonds. It is typically served during a meal or as a dessert. It is also known in some regions as payesh, payasam, payasa, phirni, gil-e-firdaus and fereni.
Ingredients
4 ltr full crème milk
1 quart half and half (substitute for half and half, mix 2 2/3 cup skim milk with 1 1/3 cup heavy cream) 14 oz. can of condensed milk
½ cup sugar, or sugar to taste
1 cup to 1 ½ cup boiled rice
15 green cardamoms
1/4 to ½ cup blanched almonds and pistachios for garnish
Method
1. Pour milk, half and half, and condensed milk in a large pot and let it simmer for 3 to 4 hours, stirring occasionally.
2. Blend rice, with a cup of hot cooking kheer mix in a blender, and pour into a pot.
3. Add sugar, cardamom pods and cook for another three to five hours, until milk mix is reduced to half and the colour is a light golden brown.
4. Pour out in dishes, garnish, chill and serve.
Enjoy!
Haleem is said to be one of the original “generosity dishes”, meaning it was always prepared with the intention of sharing with others
Haleem is made of wheat, barley, meat (usually minced meat of beef or mutton or chicken), lentils and spices, sometimes rice is also used. This dish is slow cooked for seven to eight hours, which results in a paste-like consistency, blending the flavors of spices, meat, barley and wheat.
Ingredients
1 cup wheat
¼ cup white maash (urud) dal
¼ cup 1 tbsp barley
¼ cup moong dal
¼ cup masoor dal
¼ cup basmati rice
1 cup channa dal
½ to ¾ cup oil
2 ½ lbs preferably boneless veal or beef stew (without fat), mutton and chicken can be used as well
1 ½ cup beef or chicken stock
1 ½ heaped tablespoon red chilli powder (increase or decrease according to taste if needed)
2 to 3 tablespoons ginger garlic paste,
1 tablespoon heaped coriander powder
1 ½ teaspoon level turmeric powder
1 ½ large onions sliced for frying
Salt to taste
Ingredients for sealed pot cooking
1 level teaspoon garam masala powder
¼ teaspoon nutmeg powder
¼ teaspoon mace powder
½ teaspoon black cumin
½ teaspoon green, cardamom powder
Ingredients for Garnish or served on the side
Lemon wedges
chopped cilantro and green chillies
fried onions
julienned ginger
chaat masala
yoghurt and naan.
Method
1. Wash and soak all seven grains for 6 to 8 hours.
2. In a pan, fry onions until golden-brown, adding meat, ginger, garlic, chilli powder, turmeric, coriander powder, stock and salt. Cook until korma is tender.
3. In a large separate pot, boil pre-soaked grains until tender, approximately for 2 to 2 ½ hours.
4. Eyeball the water quantity (for boiling and cooking) depending on the required consistency and thickness of the haleem.
5. Once boiled, put grains in blender and blend roughly, pouring the blended grains back in the pot for cooking.
6. Repeat the blending process with the meat korma, pouring the roughly blended korma into the cooking grains.
7. Mix thoroughly on low to medium flame, stirring constantly.
8. Cook and stir until the correct consistency, tasting for salt and chilli content. The haleem must be well blended.
9. Now add sealed-pot ingredients and mix well. Seal the pot and let steam for a few minutes.
10. Garnish and serve with a side of naan - Enjoy.
Ingredients
250g butter, room temp
500g sugar
5 egg whites, room temp
2 teaspoons vanilla
375g flour
4 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
350g milk, warmed for 30 sec in microwave to bring to room temp
Yellow, green, red, orange, , blue and purple GEL food coloring. Liquid will not be vibrant enough!
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.
2. Oil and line how ever many 9” cake pans you have
3. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
4. Cream the sugar and butter, then add the egg whites
5. Add the vanilla and mix until fully incorporated. Then, alternating between wet and dry, add the milk and flour mixture in two parts.
6. Divide the batter amongst 6 bowls, and then whisk a fair amount of the appropriate food color into each bowl. Keep in mind that the color of the unbaked batter will be the color of the baked batter.
7. Pour into the pans and bake for 15 minutes each.
8. When you remove them from the oven, let them rest on the cooling rack, in the pan, for ten minutes. Then flip, cover, and stash them in the fridge to cool quickly.
Ingredients
Toasts
1 loaf unsliced white bread
1/3 cups whole milk
2/3 cup heavy cream
4 large eggs
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp orange zest
2 tsp vanilla extract
Topping
2/3 cup granulated sugar
Method
1. Cut bread into 1 1/2-inch thick, generous slices; a 9-inch loaf should yield 6 slices.
2. Whisk together milk, cream, eggs, sugar, salt, liqueur, and vanilla extract,
3. Whisk vanilla extract with one tablespoon of custard, then whisk in another and a third tablespoon, then pour the vanilla bean-custard mixture back into the main batter.
4. This avoids having vanilla clumps that don’t disperse in your batter.
5. Preheat oven to 325.
6. Arrange bread slices on the smallest rimmed tray that will fit them in one layer (encourages maximum absorption) pour custard over slices.
7. Allow them to absorb the custard for 30 minutes, turning the slices over at one point to ensure they’re soaking it up evenly.
[Do ahead: You can also soak them overnight in the fridge. No need to flip them if so.]
8. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer custard-soaked slices to prepared sheet, arranging them with a smidge of space between each to avoid making one French mega-toast. 9. Flipping them halfway through if you wish, bake French toast slices for 30 to 35 minutes, until a slim knife inserted into the center of a slice and twisted ever-so-slightly does not release any wet custard. Keep warm until ready to serve.
10. To caramelize the tops: Either leave toasts on their baking sheet, or transfer to a serving platter.
11. Have ready a small offset spatula and a potholder or trivet to rest your caramel pot on.
Melt remaining 2/3 cup sugar in a small, heavy, completely dry saucepan over moderate heat, stirring with a small spoon or fork until fully melted and the color of honey.
12. Move it over to the potholder or trivet you’d set up and working quickly, spoon one generous tablespoon caramel over your first slice of toast, spread it thinly and evenly with your offset spatula and repeat with the remaining toasts.
13. Because your caramel will continue to deepen slightly in color as you work, it’s best to work quickly but carefully. Let no fingers or forearms be harmed in the melted sugar’s path and should a single drop land on the counter or on your towel or on the rim of the plate, do not swipe it. Just leave it until it cools.
[Hot water will melt all hardened caramel and make your clean up job easy. Simply soak your pot/spoon/spatula and all will melt off.]
14. Serve with fresh berries and if you’re feeling extra fancy, loosely whipped cream. We don’t find that it needs any maple syrup.
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
To fill and crumb coat:
9 egg whites
350g sugar
500g of butter, room temp
2 tsp lemon extract
To frost:
5 egg whites
200g sugar
250g butter, room temp
1 tsp lemon extract
Method
1. Cook the egg whites and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Test by rubbing some between your fingers. If it's completely smooth, it's done.
2. Pour into another bowl and whip on high speed until room temp.
3. Add the butter, waiting until each piece is completely incorporated before adding the next. After all the butter has been added, turn the mixer back to high speed and whip until it has come together, about five minutes. Add the extract, beat briefly and then use.
4. If the buttercream seems soupy after all of the butter is added and does not come together after whipping, refrigerate for 5 to 7 minutes and continue whipping until it becomes fluffy and workable.
Assembly
5. Stack the layers in your preferred order and fill and frost as you would any other cake.
6. Once frosted, the cake can be left on the counter without any problems, but feel free to refrigerate it.
7. Just be sure that the cake is at room temperature when serving or the frosting will be hard, not
Ingredients
1/2 kg small cut pasta
2 tbls olive oil
1 clove of garlic
1 small eggplant, cubed
1 fresh green onion
2 zucchini, cubed
3 tbls vinegar
200 grams spinach
60 grams feta cheese
1/2 bunch fresh coriander, chopped
Black pepper and salt to taste
Method
1. Heat the oil, add onions and garlic and sauté for a minute, add eggplant, zucchini, vinegar, salt and pepper and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.
2. In a separate pan boil spinach, drain and add to the mixed vegetables.
3. Now mix pasta, sprinkle coriander, and serve.
It’s so easy to put together, the dressing is delicious, and all in all, it’s pretty healthy.
Again, it’s something that requires barely any cooking time; all you need to do is cook the chicken.
Ingredients
2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce (You can use whatever you like)
1 cup finely sliced purple cabbage
1 cup cooked and shredded chicken
½ cup grated carrots
1 tbs sesame seeds (optional)
For the dressing
¼ cup white vinegar
1 tbs sesame oil
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tbs brown sugar
1 tsp oyster sauce
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
Salt and pepper, to taste
Method
1. In a large platter, layer the lettuce, then cabbage, carrots, and finally the chicken. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients.
3. Drizzle the dressing over the salad before serving. Add salt. Lightly toss together and serve.
Serves 8 to 10.
Alternative Note: You can add and/or substitute other vegetables as well, like thinly sliced bell peppers or green cabbage. To add a bit of crunch, sprinkle crushed peanuts or cashews over the salad just before serving.
It takes very little time to put together and easily feeds a crowd. It is best served cold, so you can prepare it ahead of time and store in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve.
Ingredients
1¾ cups elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
1 large green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tomato, finely chopped
1 (400g) can sweetcorn, drained
½ cup sliced black olives
1 cup cooked and shredded chicken
For the dressing
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup yogurt
1 tbs lemon juice
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
1½ tsp garlic powder
Salt to taste
Method
1. In a large mixing bowl, add the cooked macaroni, bell pepper, onion, tomato, sweetcorn, olives, and chicken. Mix well.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together the dressing ingredients.
3. Add the dressing to the pasta salad and mix well.
4. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Serves 6 to 8.
Ingredients
3/4 kg pasta
1/2 kg tomatoes
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons minced white onion
10 basil leaves, or bunch of coriander
2 tsp crushed garlic
4 tablespoons grated Parmigiano cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
1. Boil the pasta and set aside after draining the water.
2. Dip tomatoes into boiling water for about 10 seconds and place in a bowl of ice water for a minute. Remove from ice water, and dry.
3. Peel and slice the tomatoes.
4. In a pan, brown onions in olive oil, add tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes.
5. Fold the boiled pasta into the sauce, add coriander/basil and sprinkle cheese over it. Enjoy.
Ingredients
1½ cups rolled oats
¾ cup unsalted almonds, chopped
2 tbls flaxseeds
2 tbls sesame seeds
1 oz (2 tbls) unsalted butter
2 tbls honey
2 tsp ground cinnamon
½ cup raisins (you can also used chopped dates, chopped dried apricots, dried blueberries, or dried cranberries)
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
2. Use large mixing bowl, add the oats, almonds, flaxseed, sesame seeds, and 1 tsp cinnamon and stir to mix.
3. In a small saucepan, add the butter, honey, and 1 tsp cinnamon. Heat gently until the butter has melted.
4. Add the liquid to to the dry ingredients and mix well.
5. Place a sheet of foil on a baking tray and spread the granola mixture in an even layer.
6. Bake for 10 minutes, then stir, and bake for another 10 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
8. When the granola has cooled, stir in the raisins.
9. Store in an airtight jar.
Makes approx. 2 cups
Ingredients
200g flour
4 eggs
1 ½ tsp. vanilla essence
1 cup castor sugar
2 tsp baking powder
225g butter
Method
1. Cream butter and sugar with a cake beater.
2. Sift flour and baking powder, adding 1 tbsp. of the dry mixture and 1 egg into sugar/butter and beating it using cake mixer until all four eggs and vanilla essence are added.
3. Add remaining dry mixture and mix with spatula.
4. Divide batter into two 8-inch cake pans and bake in a pre-heated oven (350 degrees F. or 180 degrees C.) for 20 to 22 minutes.
5. Cool completely on wire rack and ice.
Icing
1. In a pan, melt 150g butter and ¾ cup white granulated sugar. Set aside to cool.
2. Add 3 beaten eggs to butter and sugar and cook on lowest heat until sugar dissolves and icing has thickened. Set aside to cool.
3. Once cool, add 1tbsp. coffee (dissolved in 1tbsp, water) to icing.
4. After setting the icing in the fridge for 20 minutes. ice one cake, then top with the second cake and ice it on top and all around. Set in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Your cake is ready for devouring and sharing!
This recipe results in a unique and tasty lasagna dish. The individual rolls are a great variation on the traditional lasagna.
Ingredients
3 cups chopped cooked chicken
1/4 cup milk
1 cup cheese
1/8 tsp white pepper
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
8 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups Spaghetti Sauce
Method
1. In medium bowl, combine chicken, cheeses, milk, and pepper
2. Spread 1/2 cup mixture on each lasagna noodle; roll jelly-roll fashion
3. In a baking dish, spread 1 cup spaghetti sauce
4. Arrange lasagna rolls, seam-side down in sauce in baking dish
5. Top with remaining spaghetti sauce
6. Bake at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes
7. Serve hot, if desired, with additional Parmesan cheese.
Yield: 8 Servings
Prep: 1 hour 10 min
Ingredients
for the cupcakes
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1-1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp peppermint extract
1 cup boiling water
Method
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Line 2 muffins pans with cupcake papers and set aside.
3. In a large bowl whisk together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
4. Add in eggs, milk, oil and extracts. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour in boiling water and whisk to combine. Batter will be thin.
5. Fill each cupcake paper 2/3 of the way full with batter and bake for 16-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.
for the frosting:
Ingredients
6 egg whites, room temperature
1 3/4 cups plus 2 Tbs of sugar
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) of butter, room temperature
2 tsp of vanilla extract
2 tsp peppermint extract
green food coloring, as desired
Method
6. Whisk together egg whites and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer.
7. Set bowl over a small pot of simmering water and whisk constantly until the sugar dissolves. You know it’s ready with the you cannot feel the sugar when you rub a small amount of mixture between your fingers.
8. Transfer the bowl to the stand mixer and use the whisk attachment to beat the egg whites into stiff peaks, about 10 minutes.
9. The bowl should be cool to the touch before you move on.
10. Switch over to the paddle attachment and set the mixer to medium speed.
11. Add the butter 2 Tbs at a time, letting it incorporate before adding another piece. Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and beat until the frosting comes together.
12. This will take a while, so don’t worry if it looks soupy or curdled at any point.
13. Place half of the butter cream into a small bowl and whisk in vanilla extract.
14. Set aside. Using the remaining half of frosting in the stand mixer bowl, mix in peppermint extract and green food coloring.
15. Alternately, you can mix 1 tsp of vanilla and 1 tsp of peppermint into each bowl if you want the peppermint flavor to be consistent through both colors.
16. Sprinkle cupcakes with chopped Andes or other chocolate mint candies.
makes 24 cupcakes
Ingredients
for crust
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup of powdered sugar
1/2 tsp salt
seeds from 1 vanilla bean
12 tbls of unsalted butter, cut into 1/4″ cubes
for filling
3/4 cup halved then sliced strawberries
1/4 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs lightly beaten
1 cup granulated sugar
3 tbls all purpose flour
1 tbls meyer lemon zest
2/3 cup strained meyer lemon juice
powdered sugar for dusting
Method
1. Line a lagre pan with enough parchment paper to go about 1″ up on all sides.
2. In the work bowl of a food processor, add the flour, rolled oats, powdered sugar, salt and vanilla seeds.
3. Pulse a few times to combine, then add the butter and pulse until the dough looks like pea sized gravel (about ten, one second bursts).
4. Sprinkle the dough evenly over the parchment lined sheet and use your fingers to press the dough into a uniform sheet of dough that goes about 1/2″ up all the sides.
5. Put it in the freezer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, place the oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
6. In a small bowl, combine the strawberries and 1/4 cup of sugar and toss to coat. This will release excess moisture and sweeten the strawberries.
7. To prepare the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, flour and lemon zest. Add the lemon juice and whisk to combine.
8. Remove the crust from the freezer and put in oven and bake for around 25 minutes, or until it is golden brown and fragrant. When the crust is done, take it out of the oven, then immediately scatter the strawberries around the crust, pour any accumulated juices into the lemon mixture and whisk to combine.
9. Pour the lemon mixture over the strawberries.
10. Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F, then put the pan in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the center of the lemon bars doesn’t jiggle anymore.
11. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool completely. Slice, then dust with powdered sugar and serve.
makes about 12 lemon bars
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups mashed ripe banana
1/3 cup skim milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 heaping cup Nutella
Method
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray loaf pan with nonstick spray.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda & salt.
3. In a separate large bowl, beat sugar and butter with an electric mixer at medium speed until blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Add banana, milk and vanilla. Beat until blended.
5. Add flour mixture, beat at low speed just until flour is incorporated (don’t over mix).
6. Spoon Nutella into a small dish and soften in the microwave for about 15 seconds.
7. Add 1 cup of the banana bread batter to the Nutella and stir until blended well. Spoon Nutella batter alternately with plain banana bread batter into the prepared pan. Swirl batters together with a knife.
8. Bake 50 to 60 minutes, it will seem a tiny bit undercooked but that’s what makes it good. Cool for at least 15 minutes in the pan, and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
