Sunday, July 31, 2011

Caramel Pudding


I love Caramel Custard(Flan) a lot but then it is a little long process and has to be left in the refrigerator to set...I don't have patience...
That too when i was craving for caramel...

I went to dear google to find for me and found this simple recipe...
Its yummiest..if you love caramel you will die for this :P

So i took it from here
Smitten Kitchen

I halved the recipe also replaced cornstarch with Vanilla Custard powder :)

Ingredients
milk - 2 cups
Vanilla Custard Powder - 3 tbsp
vanilla extract - 1 tbsp
salt - a pinch
sugar - 1/2 cup

Method

In a bowl, whisk 1/2 cup of the milk with the Vanilla Custard Powder with vanilla and salt until smooth.

In a big vessel, add the sugar with 3 tbsp of water and bring to a boil.

Cook over moderately high heat, undisturbed, until a deep amber caramel forms.please don't move away from the stove at all till the caramel is ready

Remove from the stove immediately...Gradually add in the 1 1/2 cups of milk.

Now the mixture turns deep dark color..which is good

Now put the vessel back to the stove,till the milk boils and darkens even more.

Now mix in the custard mix and stir in till the the contents thicken and switch of the stove

Refrigerate for 2 hours and serve




I had it the condensed milk :D



Love,
Varshini

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Chicken Tikka


My Hubby Loves chicken a lot....He always wants me to cook different dishes...
I wanted to try chicken Tikka for a really long time
This recipe gives you the Restaurant Style/Taste Chicken Tikkas

So here it is ...

Recipe Adapted(Modified According to taste) from: Sanjeev Kapoor's Book

Ingredients

Chicken Boneless - 400gms
Chilli Powder - 1 Tbsp
Garam Masala Powder - 1 Tsp
Ginger-Garlic - 1 Tbsp
Lemon Juice - 1 Tbsp
Curd/ Yoghurt - 1/2 cup
Salt
Olive Oil - 2 Tbsn


Method

Wash and cut the chicken into 1 1/2 inch pieces.

Now Mix Chilli powder, Lemon Juice and salt and marinate the Chicken for about 30mins

Now to the marinated chicken add yoghurt,Ginger Garlic paste, garam masala powder and marinate for 2 Hours

Now thread the chicken into skewers.

Heat Olive Oil in a tawa and place the skewers

Now cook the chicken by turning the skewers at regular intervals such that chicken cooks and browns evenly

When you see evenly browned chicken , Then its ready.

Serve it with a piece of Lemon.




Note:

Vegetarians can follow the recipe by replacing Chicken with paneer
If you don't have skewers , directly roast the chicken in the tawa
You can use other oils like sunflower oil too

Love,
Varshini

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Its time to celebrate with Eggless Chocolate Almond Cookies

Yes its my Dear Bloggy's Birthday :) Haiya..Finally the day has come to celebrate.... When i started this blog i was all passionate and everything..but then i wasn't regular..I should say last year i posted just 4 posts 3 recipes and my Welcome Post. Only this year that too after March i was kinda regular... I started this blog for my passion for cooking so named it "COOKING WITH LOVE AND FOR LOVE "  This one year i have learned so many things but first and foremost be Regular and Patient to reap the result :) Just like every other blogger i want my blog to be famous but for that i need to be dedicated and regular...which iam trying to achieve ... I would really like to take this opportunity to thank my hubby a lot...Seriously without his encouragement and help..I would have never continued posting at all..seriously..coming back from work everyday at 9:00 PM and then cooking dinner is a big task for me(Lazy Lazy) ....I try to do most of my relaxed cooking/baking on Saturdays/Sundays... Also I received The Versatile Blogger Award from dear Ikky and Rids too :) Thanks to all my fellow bloggers for the encouragement ,who never miss to leave a lovely comment in my blog every time a new post appears..That gives so much motivation for the next post :) So i have decided not to find reasons to be lazy and be regular and make my blog Famous someday :P Also take better Photos.. Soon :D So here is my treat for the anniversary :) I took the recipe from dear priti 's Blog :) Ingredients: All Purpose Flour - 1 1/2 Cup Powder Sugar - 3/4 Cup Cocoa Powder - 3 tbsp Butter - 1/4 Cup [at room temperature] Yogurt - 1/4 Cup Baking Powder - 1 tsp Vanilla Essence - 1/2 tsp Almonds - Chopped 1/4 cup Method Whisk Yoghurt, Powdered sugar and Butter till creamy Sieve flour, cocoa and baking powder Now add the flour mix to the butter mix and fold well such that there are no lumps Now add the chopped almonds and vanilla essence. Preheat the Oven at 180C Bake the cookies for about 10 - 12mins Yummy cookies are ready :) Love, Varshini

Monday, July 18, 2011

Methi Malai Soya


My hubby loves Soya chunks a lot...He was asking me to prepare soya chunks for a very long time but then i was postponing it since i dint wanna prepare it the same old way..I was in search of recipes with soyachunks and that too i wanted something that goes well with my Veg Pulao too :)

Finally I found it in Veg Bowl... Mallika is the lovely lady behind this amazing blog which has great recipes and amazing photography..Do check her blog ...its lovely:)


So here it goes

Ingredients

soya chunks - 2 cups
Kasuri Methi - 1/4 cup
Fresh cream/Malai - 1/4 cup
Tomato puree - Made from 2 tomatoes
Garam masala - 1 tsp
chilli powder - 1 1/2 tsp
cumin powder - 1 tsp
coriander powder - 1 tsp
cumin seeds - 1 tsp
water - 1/2 cup
Oil
Salt

Grind to Paste
Onion - 1
Green Chilly - 1
Ginger - 1 inch

Method

Cook soya chunks in boiling water with salt for about 10 to 15mins.
Once Cooked Drain it and keep it aside.




Heat oil in a Wok and add in cumin seeds

Now add in the ground paste and saute till raw smell goes


Add pureed tomatoes and all the dry powders and cook well

now add in little salt for gravy as we have cooked soya chunks with some salt

Add in the soya chunks and kasuri methi and cook for 10mins

Now add in the fresh cream and cook for another 5mins...

Now pour in 1/2 cup of water and let it simmer for 2-3mins.

Now garnish with coriander and server it with Veg pulao, roti, cahapathi :)


Can you see my reflection :)




Love,
Varshini

Friday, July 15, 2011

Veg Pulao


Veg pulao is my favourite rice dish...which I make quite often and every time guests drop by...I can call this as my perfect recipe...

Just follow this recipe and am sure you will be praised for this pulao :)

Serve Veg Pulao with any Spicy Veg Gravy

Ingredients:

Basmathi Rice - 1 1/2 Cups
Vegetables Chopped - 1 cup ( Carrot, Peas, Beans,sweet corn)
Onions - 2 Chopped finely
Tomato - 1
Green Chillies - 1
Cloves - 3
Cardamom - 3 pods
Cinnamon stick- 1 inch
Ghee - 1 tbspn
Salt - to taste
Water - 3 cups


Method :

Wash and soak basmathi rici for 10 mins

Warm ghee in a pressure cooker and add clove, cardamom and cinnamon stick

Now add chopped onions and saute till cooked .dont burn the onions

Add the slit green chilly.

Add the Chopped tomamto and saute till pulpy.

Add the chopped veggies and saute for 5mins.

Now drain all the water from the basmati rice and add it to the veggies and mix well.

Now add 3 cups of water and required salt and mix well.

Pressure cook for 2 whistles.

Yummy Veg Pulao is ready



Love,
Varshini

Tips:
Soaking the basmathi rice for loger time helps it to cook fast also grains dont stick to eachother

Dont overcook the rice else the pulao ill become mushy.

If using frozen peas and sweet corn...add it after adding the water in the cooker.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Mastering Baking - All about Baking - Oven Temperatures - Part 1

It has always been a herculean task for a person like me to find an information in the Internet Ocean especially regarding baking ...It has millions of resources but not all at one place for me to refer ...
Be it Temperature setting, Fahrenheit to Celsius, Measuring Cup size, Teaspoon, Tablespoon what not....
Also where to find chocolate chips , baking pans, chocolate rice/strands, cheese in my city...Oh my god the list is endless

I thought I should dedicate a space just for this in my blog...so that this will be a reference for my future endeavours (That's a huge word) and for other amateur bakers like me :)

Each week I will try to take up a topic and collect information and put it here..so that it will be useful for all of us :)

Let us start with

Oven Temperatures
Source for this info : http://www.joyofbaking.com/




Fahrenheit(F) Celsius(C) Gas Mark Oven Terms

225 F 110 C 1/4 Very Cool
250 F 130 C 1/2 Very Slow
275 F 140 C 1 Very Slow
300 F 150 C 2 Slow
325 F 165 C 3 Slow
350 F 177 C 4 Moderate
375 F 190 C 5 Moderate
400 F 200 C 6 Moderately Hot
425 F 220 C 7 Hot
450 F 230 C 8 Hot
475 F 245 C 9 Hot
500 F 260 C 10 Extremely Hot
550 F 290 C 10 Broiling






Love,
Varshini


You can send in your mails regarding the topics you want me to cover ?
Also if you have any info or queries and want to share it with me..
Please mail me : cookingwithloveandforlove@gmail.com

Monday, July 11, 2011

Eggless Blackforest Cake


Its time to Celebrate ...
Today is my dear Hubby's Birthday also my 55th post....What more i want to Celebrate...

I started out this blog, the very same month last year and i posted about guess just 3 recipes and then just forgot the blog...I was very busy with work...Didn't have much time to do anything...felt really guilty....Then i wanted this blog space to be all about my favs...So then included my makeup & skincare addiction...But then i started out proper blogging only in the month of March and renamed my blogspot with a relevant name ...So i can call it a roller coaster ride with it shares of both ups and downs....So from now on i will be a regular and plan for the 100th post atleast before this year end :)..
So wish me goodluck..Coming back to the cake

I wanted to make Blackforest cake for my hubby's birthday...because that is the first ever layered cake i tasted :D

So i actually used the recipe for Eggless chocolate cake from here Also saw so many videos on you tube about assembling the cake and referred VegBowl


And I bought heart shaped cake tin just for this :) ...It was perfect :D

Ok now to the recipe


Ingredients

For the Cake

condensed milk - 1/2 tin (200 grams)
self raising flour -125 gms
cocoa powder - 2 tbsp
Baking powder - 1 tsp levelled Spoon
baking soda - 1/2 tsp
melted butter - 60 ml
vanilla essence - 1 tsp
water - 100ml


For the frosting:

dark chocolate - grated 2 cups
fresh cream - 400 gm
Sugar - 5 to 6 Tbsp

For the filling:

cherries - 1 cup pitted and chopped
Full cherries for final decoration - 10

To be mixed into a soaking syrup:

sugar - 4 tbsn
water - Sugar


Method

For the Cake

1.Sieve the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and soda bi-carb together.

2.Mix the condensed milk, flour mixture, 100 ml. of water, the vanilla essence and melted butter thoroughly.

3.Pour the cake mixture into a greased and dusted 150 mm. or 175 mm. (6" or 7") diameter tin.

4.Bake in a hot oven at 200 degree C (400 degree F) for 10 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 180 degree C (350 degree F) and bake for a further 15 minutes.

5.The cake is ready when it leaves the sides of the tin and is springy to touch. When ready, takeout from the oven and leave for 1 minute. Invert the tin over a rack and tap sharply to remove.

6.Cool the cake.


For the Frosting

1. Cool the Bowl and the Hand Whisk in the freezer for about half hour
2. Now pour the chilled Fresh cream , Vanilla essence ,now add the sugar and whisk till peaks are formed
3.Refrigerate till use

For the Syrup

1. warm the water and dissolve the sugar and keep aside

Final Assembling

Now Cut the cake horizontally either 3 or 4 layers .

Take one layer and put it on the Plate and then sprinkle some 3- 4 tspns of sugar syrup .

Now spread the Cream on that layer and add some pitted and chopped cherries evenly

Now place the next layer and repeat the above steps till you place the last layer on the top

Finally decorate by applying cream all over the cake and decorate with the chocolate shavings/Strands and cherries..

And refrigerate overnight so that the syrup soaks the cake well :)



Can you see the layers..and the chopped cherry peeking out ?

Happy Birthday Dear Hubby :)
Thank you so very much...Without your support this cake would have never been possible...:D


Love,
Varshini


Info: I was unable to grate the chocolate due to clumsy hands...So i decorated with Chocolate Strands/Rice :)

Friday, July 8, 2011

Perfect Eggless Strawberry Cookies - Piped Cookies



I am always in search of Melt in Mouth cookies....I still remember some years back my mom got me some lovely yummy biscuits which just melted in my mouth...
Here in India Cookies are referred as biscuits...:)

As usual..I was blog hopping to find one...I found some hundreds of recipes..So I let dear google choose...I landed in Anushruthi's Divine Taste...Just as the name of her blog , Its a one divine place for all the foodies..well written ,lovely photography & lovely flowers...I have almost read all her post I can say..Please do check it out...Its Addictive

She has the recipe for the perfect eggless cookies...I modified that into a perfect recipe for Eggless Strawberry cookies...I know i can't stick to any recipe...

So here goes my recipe...

Ingredients:

APF/ Maida - 3/4 cup
Cornflour - 2 tbspn
Icing sugar - 1/2 cup
Butter - 1/2 cup
Strawberries - 2
Milk - 2 tbspn
Strawberry Essence - 1 tspn


Method

Preheat the oven at 180C

In a Mixie Jar/Blender blend the two strawberries with a 2tbspn of milk and make it into a paste.

Now take a big mixing bowl ,whisk the butter and icing sugar to a creamy consistency

To this add the strawberry paste and strawberry essence, blend well

Sieve Maida and courflour

Now add the flour to the wet mixture and mix well such that the consistency is smooth, creamy and lump free

Now put the cookie mixture into a piping bag a fit in your favourite nozzle(I used both star as well as drop flower) and pipe it in a greased baking tray . else you can make the usual round shaped cookies




Bake the cookies for about 12 - 15mins at 180C

Bake until top of the cookies turn slight golden brown...



can you see the teeny weeny bits of strawberry ? :D
Now let the Cookies cool and enjoy it with a cuppa Tea...

Tip :
Don't over bake the cookies as they might become little hard.


Love,
Varshini

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Apple Pie /Tart with Chocolate Chips- Eggless


"An Apple a day keeps the doctor away" Who doesn't know this quote
I had so many apples lying in fridge for a very long long time....I wanted to use them up ..i dint wanna eat them as it is...

So i went through my copy of " The Pleasures of Vegetarian Cooking" by Tarla Dalal

I saw Apple Pie and started preparing the dough...but then i can never stick an recipe..so i prepared the filling in my own way....And it was a Huge hit So sharing it with you all..

So here is the recipe

Ingredients:

For the Crust:

Plain Flour/ Maida - 1 cup
Butter - 1/2 cup & 1Tbsp
Cold Water - 2 to 3 Tbsp
Sugar - 1 Tbsp

For the Filling :
Apples - 5
Butter - 2 Tbpn
Milk - 1/2 Cup
Sugar - 1/4 Cup
Vanilla Essence - 1 tspn
Chocolate Chips - 1/4 Cup (Optional)

Method

For the Filling:

Peel, De seed and Cube the apples

In a sauce pan add the butter and saute the apples until the juices come out

Now add in the sugar and saute for a minute

Now pour in the milk and cook until the milk is absorbed and now turn off the heat and add in the vanilla essence, mix well.


For the Crust:

Mix Flour and Sugar in a large bowl

Now add in the Cold Butter and rub into the flour with your finger tips

Gradually add ice cold water and make it into a dough similar to poori dough (Rolling Consistency)

Now divide the dough into two parts

Dust the rolling board with some flour and roll out one part

Cover your pie/tart tin so that the flute tin is covered properly

Now bake the pie/tart for about 8 - 10mins at 150C

Take out the half baked shells and Add in the Filling as well as chocolate chips

cover the filling with the other rolled out dough and prick it with knife

else you can roll out and cut it into strips and make a Crissy cross pattern

Bake it for 12 to 15mins at 180C or until you the Pie/Tart Turns Golden on the Top



Yummy Pie/ Tart is ready
Serve it with Vanilla IceCream

Can you see the chocolate chips peeking ?

I used Small Tart tins instead of Pie Dish :)

Love,
Varshini

Monday, July 4, 2011

Eggless Whole Wheat Butter Cookies


Cookies...Cookies...Cookies
"Think what a better world it would be if we all, the whole world, had cookies and milk about three o'clock every afternoon and then lay down on our blankets for a nap." -Robert Fulghum

It was a Saturday afternoon and I was sitting in my balcony and gazing....saw the roadside biscuit seller ..When he saw me drooling at his biscuits & cookies ..he came towards my home with handful of samples....I thought what a lovely day..free cookies...but then my hubby has warned me not to let anyone in....especially these sales people..so i had to ask him to leave immediately...finally i was tempted...so rushed into the house...browsed through for eggless cookies.....

I wanted to bake(read eat) some immediately...So when i saw eggless butter cookies in Divya's Blog i had to make(read eat) them rightaway ...But then i ran out of All purpose Flour(Maida), so i replaced APF with Whole wheat flour ( Healthy snacking i thought...indeed forgot about dear butter)


So here is the recipe

Ingredients

Whole Wheat Flour - 1 cup
Cornflour - 1/2 cup
Icing Sugar - 3/4 cup
Butter - 3/4 cup(
Vanilla extract- 1 tsps
Milk - 2 tbspn(optional)

Method :

Preheat the oven at 180C
Sift Wheat flour, icing sugar and cornflour
Beat the softened butter with vanilla extract
Now mix the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients
if the dough is very dry add little milk and make it soft


Divide them in to balls and flatten them with your palm
Place the them in a greased baking tray and bake it for about 18 - 20 mins or till golden brown

(I made the pattern using the table spoon :D)
Cookies are ready...your house would be filled with the lovely aroma :)




Love,
Varshini