Creamy Cheesy Pasta

Pasta is a meal I usually make when I am totally not in the mood to cook. "White Pasta" was the choice of the day. I wanted to make sure it had some veggies to make the mother in me happy.

A little bit of chopping and some bit of stirring and this yummy dish is all ready. What makes it special is the addition of roasted vegetables. And the biggest plus - my kids absolutely loved it and polished off their plates :)

For the calorie conscious, please keep yourself miles away from this dish !!!

You need:

• 1 small head broccoli cut into flowerets
• I medium carrot small diced
• 4 baby corns quartered lengthwise and cut into 1" pieces
• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 1/2 small capsicum small diced (I used green and red capsicum)
• 1 pod garlic finely chopped or grated
• 1/2 cup packed grated cheese (I used processed cheese)
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3 cups boiled pasta of your choice
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• Pepper
• Salt

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180degrees C.
• Toss the broccoli, baby corn and carrots in a baking tray with 1 tbsp olive oil and a little bit of salt. Place it in the middle rack of the oven and roast it for about 25-30 minutes.
• In a pan, heat the remaining olive oil. Add the garlic and stir for about 20-30 seconds. Add the onions and stir till slightly brown. Add the capsicum and stir for about 2 minutes. 
• Add the milk and cheese and stir well till the cheese melts.
• Season with pepper and add the roasted vegetables.
• Add the boiled pasta and mix well.
• Serve warm.

Notes:

• You can stir fry the veggies in the pan before adding the milk and cheese.
• You can add a handful of peas and sweet corn along with the capsicum.
• I did not need to add any additional salt as the cheese was salty enough.
• You can use any pasta of your choice.
• You can substitute the milk with 1/2 cup cream and 1/4 cup milk for a richer and creamier taste.
• Add some dried herbs of your choice if your children like it.

Guacamole, Mango Salsa and Quesadillas with the Indian Twist

My blogger friend Sanjivni of "Experiments in the Kitchen" was coming home for dinner with her family. I wanted to serve them something different from a routine meal. I planned a Mexican meal with Guacamole, Mango Salsa, Quesadillas with an Indian Twist, Wraps and a Mango dessert.

Picture clicked by Sanjivni

It was only three years back that I tasted my first avocado. I fell in love with its rich and creamy texture. Since then this recipe has been a favorite at home.

For the GUACAMOLE you need:

• 2 avocados
• 1 small red onion
• 2 medium size tomatoes
• 1 small bunch coriander chopped
• Jalapenos - as required 
• 1 small lemon
• Salt
• Pepper

Steps:

• Finely chop the onions. Skin, deseed and finely chop the tomatoes.
• Cut avocados in half. Remove the seed. Scoop out and chop finely or mash slightly with a fork.
• Add all into a bowl along with the coriander and finely chopped jalapenos.
• Season with salt and pepper as required. Add the juice of a lemon and mix well. 
• Check seasonings and adjust as required.
• Chill and serve or serve at room temperature.

Notes:

• You can also add a finely chopped green chillie if you do not have jalapenos. Omit both if you do not want the spice.
• Serve with warm pita bread, crackers, bread sticks or tortilla chips.

This is a recipe I have wanted to make for long. The sweetness of the mango and the spice of the chillies were a perfect blend.

For the MANGO SALSA you need:

• 1 large Indian mango or 2 Thai mangoes
• 1/2 small red onion
• 1 red thai chillie
• 2 tbsps corriander chopped
• 1/2 lemon
• Salt

Steps:

• Peel and finely chop the mango. To that add the finely chopped onion.
• Deseed and add the finely chopped chillie along with the corriander, juice of the lemon, salt and mix well. 
• Check seasonings and adjust as per taste.
• Chill and serve or serve at room temperature.

Notes:

• I omitted the chillie while serving it for my children.
• This can be made with Thai or Indian mangoes. Both taste equally good. Avoid the Alphonso Mango due to its strong flavour.
• Make sure the mangoes are not too soft or too firm.
• You would need very little salt to season. Add a pinch or two, check taste before you add more.

For the QUESADILLAS with the Indian Twist you need:

• 5 whole wheat Tortilla wraps
• 1 cup cooked red beans / rajma
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 1 tomato, finely chopped
• 1 tsp MDH Rajma Masala (for my Indian Twist)
• 1 cup capsicum, finely chopped
• Shredded cabbage
• Grated cheese - lots of it
• Salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Steps:

• For the rajma mixture, heat olive oil in a pan. Saute the onions till soft.  Then add the tomatoes and when cooked, slightly mash the rajma and add along with the rajma masala. Add salt as required. Cook till well blended.
• Sauté the finely chopped capsicum. If you like the crunch, skip this.
• Divide the rajma mixture and the capsicum into five portions.
• To assemble, heat the wrap on a girdle for 30 seconds on each side. 
• Layer the rajma mixture on one half the wrap with the capsicum over it. 
• Over that, spread the shredded cabbage and top up with cheese. 
• Fold the other half of the wrap over it and press down gently with a spatula. 
• Toast well on the girdle on both sides. 
• Repeat with the remaining wraps.
• Cut into triangles and serve hot.

Picture clicked by Sanjivni

Notes:

• Instead of the MDH Rajma Masala you can use garam masala or any preferred curry powder.
• You can also add corn along with the capsicum.
• Alternatively grill it in a preheated oven at 180degrees C for 10-12 minutes turning it around half way.
• You can use shredded lettuce instead of the cabbage also.

Picture clicked by Sanjivni

To make the WRAP you need the same ingredients. Heat the wrap for about 30 seconds on both sides. Layer the rajma mixture, sauted capsicum, guacamole, mango salsa, shredded cabbage and cheese and fold the wrap. You can heat the wrap on a grill to further warm it. Enjoy it hot.

Picture clicked by Sanjivni

Picture clicked by Sanjivni

The Sun

The Sun to me depicts life, brightness, joy, happiness, cheerfulness. It means that there will always be hope, that good things will always happen eventually.  

This picture inspired me to add colour to it along with a few design changes.

10.5" x 8.5", acrylic on canvas.

I would love to hear your comments on my attempt.

Carrot Walnut Cake

I ate this cake for the first time at my friend, Sanjivni’s home. Sanjivni actually writes an excellent blog called “Experiments in the Kitchen” and I am a big fan of her desserts. Sanjivni’s carrot cake came with a yummy cream cheese frosting. What I loved best about the cake was that it had loads of carrots in it without you actually knowing it was there. What a great way to fool my kids and get them to eat the good !!!! That was the first thought that came to me :)

My kids are very kind to me. They like plain cakes and reject any cake that has any kind of frosting on it. Makes life very simple for me.

I have made this cake numerous times and it truly sells like hot cakes ;)

You need:

• 1 cup walnuts - roasted and coarsely chopped
• 2.5 cups firmly packed finely grated carrots
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1.5 tsp cinnamon powder
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 1 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 2 tsps pure vanilla extract

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180degrees C. Butter a large cake pan 10" x 2.5" size. You can also line the bottom with parchment paper.
• In a bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients - flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon powder.
• Beat the eggs until frothy, for about a minute, in a stant mixer or with a hand mixer. Add the sugar in slowly and beat for about 3-4 minutes till it is thick and light colored.

• In a steady stream add the oil and then the vanilla extract.
• Add the flour mixture and beat till just incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Fold in the grated carrots and chopped nuts with the help of a rubber spatula.

• Pour the batter into the prepared bowl and bake for about 40 mins in the middle rack of the oven. Check with skewer inserted in the centre to know if the cake is done.

• Remove from the oven and allow to cool. After about 10-15 minutes, invert the cake onto a wire rack and allow to cool.

Notes:

• You can toast the walnuts for about 8 minutes in the oven until slightly brown and fragrant. Allow it to cool well and then chop coarsely.
• I used a bundt pan (9" x 3.5") to bake the cake. I got approximately 25 slices.
• For details on how to frost this cake, please refer to the original recipe here on the joyofbaking.com website.
• I have also halved the recipe and baked the cake for about 25 minutes and it was equally perfect.
• If you like your cake a little sweeter, you can add an additional 1/4 cup of sugar, as mentioned in the original recipe. We do not like our cakes very sweet, I have therefore reduced the amount of sugar in my recipe.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

My dear friend was coming to the country for just a day. I wanted to give her something to take back for her kids. I decided to bake her cookies, something that I had always told her I would. I found this recipe at joyofbaking. The cookies turned out absolute perfect, and now I am scrambling to save them for my friend as my kids and hubby are gobbling them up faster than I can say cookie!

You need:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 1/4 cup heaped firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg - I used a regular egg, that's what I had at home
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 heaped cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup finely chopped nuts - I used walnuts, pistachios, cashew nuts and almonds

Steps:

• In a bowl combine the flour, baking soda and salt.
• In a separate bowl, with a stand mixer or a hand mixer, beat the butter till smooth and creamy. Add the white and brown sugar and beat for approximately 2 mins till fluffy.
• Add the egg and beat well. Add vanilla and beat till incorporated. Scrape the sides down as required.
• Add the dry ingredients to the egg and beat till well mixed. Mid way add the chocolate chips and the nuts.
• In case the dough is soft, cover and refrigerate between 30 minutes to 2 hours until firm.
• Preheat the oven to 190degrees C. 
• Line a baking tray with parchment paper and place spoonfuls of the dough at about 1.5inch gaps.
• Bake for about 10-14 minutes till the edges are golden brown. Mine got done in about 13 minutes.
• Cool completely on a wire rack.

Notes:

• The original recipe mentioned walnuts or pecans. I used assorted nuts.
• I have halved the original recipe. I made approximately 50 cookies of 1.5" - 2" size with this amount of dough.
• If you like your cookies a tad sweeter, add 2 tbsps extra sugar.
• The original recipe mentions that you can make balls and freeze them by placing them on a parchment paper. Once frozen place the balls in a plastic cover, seal and freeze. When you want to bake them, just place the dough balls on a lined baking tray and let them bake for a few more minutes.

Butter-Garlic Bread Rolls

Bread making can get very addictive. Once you have made bread at home, you start longing for those amazing aromas of bread baking in your oven.

I made some minor changes to the Garlic and Cheese Pull Apart Bread, and I had these superb rolls ready. The kids loved it. It goes well with soups as well as pastas.

I am reposting the recipe here with the changes that I made.

You need:

• 2 tsp active dry yeast
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 1 and 1/4 cup water
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp dried Italian herbs
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 3.5 cups bread flour
• Less 1/4 cup melted butter
• 3-4 cloves of minced garlic

Steps:

• In a stand bowl mixer, add sugar and 1 cup warm water. Add the yeast and let it sit for 5 minutes till it activates.
• Now, add the flour and the salt to the bowl and give it a mix with a spatula till it combines well.
• Using a dough hook, knead the mixture on a medium speed for about 6 minutes. Slowly trickle in the remaining water, as required.
• Mid-way through, add the olive oil and the herbs and knead till the dough is elastic.
• Lightly oil a bowl and leave the dough in it covered with cling wrap or a clean towel to rise for 2 hours.
• In a small bowl, mix the melted butter with the garlic and keep ready.
• At the end of 2 hours, the dough would have risen to double it's size.
• Punch the dough down.
• Divide it into two parts. on a lightly floured surface, roll it into a rectangle of a little less than 1 cm thickness.
• Brush with the butter and garlic. Roll it breath wise as tightly as possible.
• Brush a round pan with the butter and garlic on the bottom and the sides. 
• Cut it into 1 inch rounds and place it on the readied pan.
• Repeat with the other half of the dough. Brush the remaining butter on the top of the rolls.

• Cover the pan and let it rest for 30 minutes. The dough will again rise.
• Preheat the oven to 180degrees C. Bake it for 25-30 mins until golden brown.
• After about 5-10 minutes, turn it out on a wire rack to cool.
• Serve warm with soup or enjoy it as is.

Notes:

• You can also use all purpose flour.
• If you are kneading the flour with your hand, knead for approximately 10-12 minutes.
• Mix and match herbs of your choice for a different taste each time.
• Bake it for an additional 5 minutes if you want your crust deep brown.
• I used too much butter, hence you can see the bread dough floating in the butter. Use less than 1/4th cup and it will still taste heavenly.
• Be careful when you turn it out to cool, I was not attentive enough and it fell out in pieces :(

First Strokes - The Tree of Life

I have disappeared from this space for the last three weeks because something else has taken complete priority in my life. Two months of juggling it with all my other activities has finally borne fruit. The painting I started hesitantly is finally complete and ready to be framed.

What started out as a dream is now a passion. The need to keep filling a plain white canvas with colours is very strong. It feels like I have rediscovered another part of me, a part that gets completely mesmerized and lost in the world of colours. 

A big thank you to my teacher, Swati, for her guidance and encouragement. This would not have been possible without her help. Also my dearest friends who have been after me to complete it. And a special mention of my son - he has been so involved in it all along. He actually kissed the painting when he saw it complete. He surely makes me want to do more.

So, people, order one quickly, you never know how long you may have to wait to own an original one of your own ;)