Chocolate Stuffed Cookies for Happy New Year 2012

I hope you all have great time during Christmas, swimming in delicious cakes and cookies. Now let me add another baking delight from my treasure box for the New Year 2012. The whole credit for these chocolate stuffed cookies goes to my aunt, who helps me to bake the lime cake. She was by my side to make this wonderful delight but I must admit the first batch was a funny disaster, my aunt went to attend a phone call and brilliant me add something more and the result was broken batch of cookies. But finally she takes the charge to teach me the perfect chocolate filled cookies and you can see the result. The last batch of the cookies came out perfect and I think they knew that they are the models for the last photo shoot for 2011.They posed perfectly like a super model, now it’s your turn to give them an opportunity to walk on the ramp of your serving dish!


Ingredients:

Unsalted butter softened  1cup
Brown sugar   1cup
Granulated sugar 1cup
Vanilla extract  2tsp
Peanut butter ½ cup
Egg     2 large  
All purpose flour  2 ½ cup
Unsweetened coco powder 1cup
Baking soda 1tsp
Chopped chocolate for stuffing the cookies

Procedure
Preheat the oven to 350 F and line cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a bowl mix flour, coco powder and baking soda. Cream butter using a electric mixture at medium speed in a bowl. Now with this gradually beat granulated sugar, then brown sugar and peanut butter until everything is well blended. Then add the egg, vanilla extract and continue beating until this whole thing is well combined with each other. Then fold the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Now wrap the dough in a cling film and let it rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Next roll the dough and then cut out circles of 1.5 inch. Place the chopped chocolate and gather together the side to enclose the chocolate. Place on the cookie sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove on a cooking rack and just enjoy.

Wishing you All A Very Happy New Year 2012.
Hope you like this video of mine.I make this video to wish you all and the flowers in this video are from my roof top garden.The theme of this video is -"One last look back - and then the best wishes for the New Year:)"



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Lime Cake for Christmas

You all know by now that I am not a person who excels in baking. Soups, salad and various other easy quick dish and Indian dishes are my forte but when its Christmas there is something magical about baking. So this year I went to my baking expert aunt, asked her to help me out to make a delicious cake but which will be super easy. She suggested me to make lime cake, this is easy for her but not for me..(haha)... it took lot of patience but worth the effort. I make this cake in her house under her supervision which I must admit one of the best cake I ever made till date. I hope you will like this lime cake too!
Ingredients:

All purpose flour  11/2 cup
Baking powder  ¼ tsp
Baking soda  ¼ tsp
Salt ½ tsp
Sugar 1  cup or to taste
Eggs   2
Lime zest ¼ cup 
Lime  juice ¼ cup
Unsalted butter softened   ½ cup
Whole milk   ½ cup
Vanilla extract  1tsp
Lime syrup:
Sugar  ¼ cup
Lime juice ¼ cup

Lime Butter Cream Frosting 
Unsalted butter  softened  ½ cup
Lime zest 1 tsp
Vanilla extract  1tsp
Salt 1/8 tsp
Lime juice 3 tbsp
Milk 2 tbsp
Powdered Sugar to taste

Garnish 
Strawberry jam 1 tbsp
Chopped almond 1 tbsp
Lime zest  1 tsp

Procedure:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a loaf pan (8 ½ by 41/4 –inch) and line the bottom by parchment paper or with waxed paper to fit the bottom only. Take flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Mix well. Keep aside. In another bowl take butter and sugar and with a stand mixture beat until fluffy for about 4 to 5 minutes. Turn the speed down to medium and then add the eggs one at a time, after adding each egg mixed for about one minute. After that add lime zest and mix well. In another bowl whisk the vanilla extract, lime juice and milk. Now come the tricky part alternatively add the flour and the wet ingredients to the large mixing bowl starting and ending up with flour mixture. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean from the cake. Remove and let cake slightly cool in a pan on a rack. After about few minutes remove the cake from the pan and put it on the rack. It should be still warm, but not hot. Now, simply whisk the sugar and the lime juice together, and slowly spoon this lime syrup on top, so it soaks into the cake. You can skip the lime butter frosting and relish the cake like this but to give this cake a more festive look I make the lime butter frosting. For that beat butter, lime zest, vanilla extract and salt at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar and the lime juice and 1tbsp of milk beating at a low speed until blended and smooth. You can add more milk to get desired consistency. Now spread evenly over the cake you can also put some in a piping bag and make a design and to add more color top with strawberry jam and sprinkle some lime zest and chopped almond. Your delicious lime cake is ready to relish.

                                                   Merry Christmas!

Sending this recipe to blog event Christmas Delicacy




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Beetroot Soup

Beet root is one of my favorite veggie, I love it because of its vibrant color and various health benefit. Other day I visited my friend Parsley Sage blog and saw a wonderful red color beetroot soup. I can’t resist making my version of beet root soup the very next day and telling you it comes out great. A warm comfy beetroot soup in winter evening sitting on a cozy sofa listening to my favorite songs is just….. too heavenly.

Ingredients:

Beetroot grated 1 cup
Garlic clove    1 chopped
Roasted cumin and coriander powder  ½  tsp
Butter ½  tbsp
Vegetable stock   3 cup
Sour cream  1 dollop
Fresh cilantro chopped
Corn flour ½ tsp (optional)
Sugar   a pinch
Salt and pepper  to taste

Procedure:
In a pan heat butter, add chopped garlic. Saute and then add grated beetroot. Stir and then add vegetable stock. Let it boil and cook it for 7 to 8 minutes then add salt, sugar, pepper and roasted spice mix. Mix well, if you want your soup a bit thick then mix corn flour with little water and add it to the soup and cook for another minute. Put off the flame. Serve hot with dollop of sour cream and few chopped cilantro. Your warm comfy beetroot soup is ready. The mild flavor of garlic when mingle with roasted cumin and coriander powder it taste awesome. I hope you will love this beetroot soup.

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Buttered Peas With Chicken Chunks

Winter means lots of fresh veggies in the farmers market and one of my favorite is sweet fresh peas. The other day when I visited the market I can’t resist buying a large lot of fresh peas. Now the game begins after I buy the lot I could not found out any suitable recipe. Then one of my favorite chef came into my thoughts and she helped me ……. Guess who? Its Julia …..our Julia Child. This recipe is inspired from her buttered peas from her book the Art of French Cooking.
I just add chicken chunks with this recipe and I am telling you when peas and chicken are mixed in such a friendly ambience they work wonder.


Ingredients:

Shelled fresh green peas    2 ½   cups
Chicken cube   ½ cup
Garlic    1 clove 
Sugar   1 tsp
Butter   3 tbsp
Fresh mint leaves 3 tbsp finely chopped
Lemon juice   1 tsp
Kosher salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Procedure
First take the chicken chunks and boil with chopped garlic and salt till they are tender. Drain. Now in a pan boil water and drop the peas and cook uncover for 5 minutes until they are almost but not quiet done. Now in a pan take ½ tbsp of butter and roll the boiled chicken chunks in it with a little salt and pepper. Keep aside. Now in that pan roll the peas over moderate heat for a moment so that the moisture evaporates. Then roll them with sugar, salt pepper and butter and cover and cook over low heat for about 6 to 8 minutes, tossing occasionally, till the peas are tender. Now add the chicken chunks adjust seasoning. Put off the flame. Mix freshly chopped mint leaves and lemon juice. Take it in your serving dish and serve hot as soon as possible. I hope you will like my version of buttered peas.

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Hearty Chicken Clear Soup

Chicken soup are always soul soothing. In coming festive season when you will be bombarded with heavy brunch menus in parties what do you do in between to keep yourself fit? Well for me chicken clear soup comes as a savior. The restorative powers of chicken soup are legendary; a ultimate comfy food is what I want to share with you all, as I think this will be very helpful for you in this season. This chicken clear soup is very delicious, simple and easy to make and I promise it will keep you guilt free in midst of all those meaty, spicy, creamy and chocolaty menu.
Ingredients:

Chicken cube    1 cup
Water     3 cup
Bay leaves  1
Garlic    1tsp chopped
Onion     1 medium size chopped
Carrot  1 sliced
Parsley leaves  1 tbsp chopped
Saffron  few sprigs
Butter /diet butter  ¼ tsp
Spring onion  1 tsp chopped
Salt  and pepper  to taste

Procedure:
Heat water in a sauce pan then add all the ingredients except butter and spring onion. Cover with a lid .Let it boil till the chicken become tender and well cooked. Now remove from heat and cool slightly then strain the broth through cheese cloth. Now add butter and garnish with spring onion. If you wish you can sprinkle little black pepper above it. Serve hot. Hearty chicken clear soup is ready. I hope you will love it.

Be Happy And Stay Healthy.