~Sausage Souffle~

Alice, my friend and colleague, gave me a nice recipe which I recently put to great use! The result was an easy and very tasty dish which my hubby thoroughly enjoyed! Here goes.

Ingredients

• Eggs - 3 ~ usual 6
• Milk - 2 cups
• White Bread - 2 slices ~ cubed (we used Tuscan Pane)
• Salt - 1/2 tsp ~ calls for 1 tsp
• Dry mustard - 1 tsp (optional)
• Sausage - 1 lb. ~ browned and drained 
• Grated cheddar cheese - 1 cup ~ we used Pepper-Jack :)

Method
1. Heat oven to 350F. Beat eggs, add milk, then salt. Add mustard now, if using.
2. Stir in bread cubes. Add cheese and sausage.
3. Bake in lightly greased pan, uncovered for about 45 mins.


~Enjoy warm or even cold!

~Strawberry Banana Smoothie~

It is very very easy to make wholesome smoothies at home . Smoothies are a good way to get rid of those frozen bananas or older fruits!  All you need are a few ingredients and a blender. On a hot summer day recently my hubby and I enjoyed this delicious, refreshing smoothie. 

Ingredients

• Yogurt - 1 Cup ~ plain
• Strawberries - 1/2 Cup 
• Bananas - 2 
• Sugar - 1 tbsp ~ per taste
• Ice ~ per desire

Method
1. Cut up bananas and strawberries (you don't necessarily need to chop the strawberries too small).
2. Place yogurt in blender followed by strawberries, then bananas, blend at high speed for 30 secs.
3. Open and add sugar, mix and add ice, as needed, and blend into a nice smoothie batter!


~Enjoy this nutritious smoothie by itself or with a meal or snack :)

~Kerala Beef Fry~

This is one of my most favorite dishes from Kerala! I knew I had to make it one day. The first time, since I used frozen desiccated coconut, it didn't come out well. Second time was a charm. This dish was absolutely delicious. It takes more cooking time, but it is well worth the wait :)

With chappatis

 With rice

Ingredients

Roast, Grind, Marinade
Dry red chillies - 5
Black Peppercorns - 1 tsp
Fennel seeds - 1.5 (heaped) tbsp
Cardamom cloves - 4 ~ seeded
Cinnamon stick - 1 one inch stick
Bay leaves - 3


Also for Marinade
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 (full) tbsp
Salt - to taste
Green chillies - 2-3 ~ to taste 
Vinegar - small splash
Lime - juice of 1/2 a lime
Coriander powder - 1/4 tsp


To fry
Olive oil - 3 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 2 tsp
Pearl Onions (Kunjulli) - 6
Yellow onion - 1/2 of one
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 18 leaves
Tomato - 1 small
Coconut pieces - 1/4 cup ~ medium slices
Beef - about 2 lbs ~ medium thin cubes
Red wine - 2 tsp ~ just a small splash




Method
1. Cut beef into medium thin cubes and place in bowl to marinade.
2. Without oil, roast the first batch of ingredients for about 5-6 mins. Then grind in a mortar pestle and rub all over meat.

3. Add the second batch of ingredients to the meat, mix well and marinade meat on counter top for 30 mins, or more in the fridge. 
4. Heat olive oil in a pan, and splutter mustard seeds.
5. Now add both types of onion and cook until golden brown.
6. Add the turmeric powder, garam masala mix well, then add curry leaves. 
7. Add the tomatoes and cook for at least 5 mins. Now add the coconut pieces and cook until you can smell the coconut aroma.
8. Now place beef into this mixture and fry in med-low heat, being very careful to mix well, for 30-40 mins. until meat color changes to a dark brown! Add a splash of red wine within 5-10 mins. of frying meat.


~Have with rice, appam, or chappatis (rotis) :)

~Marble Coffee Cake~

I had a craving for coffee cake and then found out that not all cakes have actual coffee in them. I decided to bake a real coffee cake with coffee in it and practically just modified my basic vanilla cake recipe, from a few weeks ago. The result was nice! The coffee flavor was subtle so more can be added per taste. Also, walnuts (which I didn't have) can be added for a nice variety. Enjoy this cake with a coffee beverage or just on its own.

Ingredients

• Butter - 1/2 cup ~ melted
• Sugar - 1 cup ~ or less
• Eggs - 2
• Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
• All purpose flour - 1 & amp ; 1/4 cup
• Baking powder - 1 tsp
• Baking soda - 3/4 tsp
• Salt - 1 pinch
• Yogurt - 1/4 cup ~ may need additional bit
• Instant coffee (Nescafe) - 2 tsp
• Hot water - 1 tbsp

Method

1. Heat oven to 350F. Add sugar to melted butter and whisk until it looks and feels light and fluffy. I literally hand-whisked 200 rotations!
2. Drop in eggs one by one and continue whisking.
3. Add vanilla, then strain in flour, baking powder and soda. Mix well, then add yogurt to form a thick batter.
4. Place half of the above batter into a greased/floured 8" pan - leave gaps in between.
5. Mix the instant coffee with the hot water and add this to the rest of the flour in bowl with batter for a chocolaty-brown color.
6. Now add the chocolate colored batter in the gaps you left previously in the batter in 8" pan - it should look like a checker board.
7. Take a fork or knife and gently swirl the batter once or twice.
8. Bake in oven for 35-40 mins. Check at 30 mins.
~Bon Apetit!

1.bp.blogspot.com
1.bp.blogspot.com

~Mutton (Goat/Lamb) Curry - North Indian Style~

I have enjoyed this dish time and time again at my friend's house and finally got the recipe from her dad, Uncle Manohar. The next day I was hunting for goat meat at the local grocery store, totally unaware that grocery stores don't really sell goat meat but that the lamb they do sell is a nice substitution! Here is some lamb curry :)

Ingredients

• Olive oil - 1 tbsp ~ or less
• Onion - 1/2 of one ~ finely cubed
• Ginger Garlic paste - 1.5 tsp
• Tomatoes - 1 small ~ chopped fine cubes
• Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 1 tsp ~ to taste
• Garam Masala - 1 tsp
• Meat (mutton) masala - 1 tbsp
• Salt - to taste
• Water - 1/2 -1 cup
• Meat - 2 lbs or so

Method
1. Heat oil and then brown onions. Add ginger garlic paste and cook for at least 8 mins.
2. Add tomatoes and again cook for another 5-8 mins.
3. Add turmeric, red chilli powder, garam masala, meat masala and cook for another 6-8 mins.
4. Place goat meat in pan, then add salt and fry up for 4-5 mins.
5. Pour in the water (more water for more gravy but meat will also add to the gravy), simmer for about 15-20 mins with lid on. Stir in between.
6. After meat has fully cooked, simmer covered, and turn off stove.


~ Enjoy with rice or rotis!

~Super Easy Bread Pudding Souffle~

My hubby and I made a sausage souffle recently using a recipe from a friend's collection. It was so simple to make and the bread tasted so good I thought, why not try the same recipe for something sweet, like bread pudding! I am so glad I tried it because it was easy and delicious!

Ingredients

• Eggs - 2 ~ whip
• Milk - 1.5 cups
• Cardamom - 10 pods ~ finely powder
• Sugar - 1/3 cup
• Bread - 2 slices ~ we used Tuscan Pane

Method
1. Warm oven at 350F. Slice bread into small cubes.
2. Beat two eggs in a bowl. Add milk, cardamom, sugar, and mix well.
3. Now stir in bread cubes and nix in well.
4. Bake uncovered for 35-40 mins.


~Enjoy with or without syrup. Mmm...

~Lime-Tomato Prepared Chicken Legs with Rosemary-Thyme Roast Potatoes~

Another one of Jamie Oliver's creations caught my eye as I thought of a dinner meal. Both his "roast chicken with lemon and rosemary roast potatoes" (http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/chicken-recipes/roast-chicken-with-lemon-and-rosemary-ro) and "tender and crisp chicken legs with sweet tomatoes" (http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/chicken-recipes/tender-chicken-legs-with-tomatoes) looked so good. Since I didn't have all the ingredients listed to complete either of the recipes, I thought, why not combine and create one dish out of two (hence the long name)?! This is what I did and the following appeared.

 

With pasta


























With idlis












Ingredients

• Angel hair pasta or any kind - enough for number of people served

• Potatoes - 3 ~ I used 1 large and 2 medium, cut in medium cubes
• Lime - 1 whole
• Garlic cloves - 6 large pcs

• Chicken legs - 8 pcs
• Salt and ground black pepper - a few tsps.
• Dry basil - a good tbsp ~ fresh basil is better
• Green chillies - 1 ~ finely chopped
• Red pepper - 1/2 of one ~ finely chopp
• Yellow onion - 1 small - chopped thin lengthwise
• Roma tomato - 1 small
• Chilli-ready diced tomatoes - 1 can
• Chicken Broth - 1/4 Cup
• Olive oil - a few drops
• Rosemary - 1 stalk ~ rip up
• Thyme - 1 small stalk ~ rip up

Method
1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. In salt water, cook pasta and drain. In another dish, cook potatoes with whole lime and garlic cloves for 12 mins. Drain and toss so the sides are rough. Take the lime and garlic cloves out and puncture the lime a few times.
3. Rub chicken with salt and pepper and place in fridge. I skipped this step and instead smeared chicken in stage 5.
4. In a 8x11 pan, layer with canned tomatoes, then add a bit of chicken broth. Now add the lime and garlic pcs.
5. Add the chicken legs (smear with pepper and salt if haven't already marinaded in 3.). Add a bit of olive oil to chicken.
6. Add onions, red pepper, tomatoes, green chillies.
7. Now add potatoes on and around the pan.
8. Sprinkle the basil, then add rosemary and thyme over the potatoes.
9. Place in oven for 45 mins (potatoes get roasted very well]). Bring chicken to the top and roast. After another 45 mins. turn chicken around and place in oven for another 30 mins. 
Total cook/roast time = 2 hrs. 

~ Remember the chicken will give off juices too so you can omit the canned tomatoes and chicken broth for a dryer version. I made more gravy because I can use this atop the pasta in the end :) We also had some with idlis!