PENNE PASTA IN WHITE SAUCE !!!!!!

My today's recipe is inspired from food blog LILY LUNA. I skipped few ingredients like chicken broth etc & substituted milk instead of it. & used italian seasoning which comes with Dominoz pizza instead of  dried parsley. An ideal dish for Potluck, kitty parties, kids bday parties. & i used button mushrooms & frozen green peas too.

INGREDIENTS:-

1 Lb penne pasta
3 tblsp butter
3 tblsp all purpose flour
2 cup milk
1/2 cup grated amul cheese
8 sliced button mushrooms
1/2 cup frozen green peas, boiled
2 tsp minced garlic
1 or 2 tsp Italian seasoning
salt & pepper to taste

METHOD:-

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Melt butter in a medium sauce pan & add garlic. Cook for 1 minute over medium heat.

3. Add sliced mushrooms & cook over low/medium flame for 2 mins(close lid)

4. Add flour & cook for an additional minute stirring contantly.
5. Add milk stirring constantly until sauce boils & thickens. Add boiled green peas.
6. Add italian seasoning & parmesan cheese, Add desired quantity of salt & pepper. Stir continuousely until cheese melted.
7. Pour sauce over pasta & serve. OR mix boiled pasta in sauce well & serve.

HAPPY COOKING :)))))

RED BELL PEPPER HALWA !!!!

My todays recipe is from the blog FLAVORS AND COLORS. Believe me i was not sure about the taste until i tried it.  It tasted just like carrot halwa & was awesome in taste.

INGREDIENTS:- 

Red bell pepper(capsicum), grated - 1/2 cup                            
milk - 1 cupsugar - 1/2 cupcardamom powder - 1/2 tspghee - 2tblsp

METHOD:-

1. Wash, clean, cut & deseed the capsicum. Grate it & squeeze the water out & keep it aside.
2. Heat ghee in a pan. Add grated capsicum & saute it for a minute
3. Now add the milk & bring it to a boil. Simmer the flame & continue cooking till the milk is reduced almost to a dry mixture.
4. Add sugar & mix it well. Keep stirring at intervals until all the water evaporates & the mixture starts leaving the sides of the pan.
5. Add the cardamom powder & mix it well.
6. Switch off the flame & garnish with the nuts of your choice.

HAPPY COOKING :))))))

BANANA KHEER !!!!!!

Kheer is my son's all time favourite & i love to try new new type of kheers, This ime i got banana kheer recipe from AWESOME CUISINE. Made many dishes like buns, sheera , podis n all using banana but made this awesome banana kheer for the first time. Believe me it tasted excellent ! I added horlicks powder too to enhance he taste of kheer .

INGRDIENTS:-                                                                

Riped bananas, finely chopped- 6 small
Raw rice - 1/2 cup ( i used basmathi)
Milk - 4 cups
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Almonds, chopped - 2 tblsp
Cashew nuts, chopped - 2 tblsp
Horlicks powder - 18 gms



METHOD:-

1. Dry roast the rice & grind it to course rava like consisency.
2. Mix this with milk & cook until mushy.
3. Add sugar & bring to a boil.
4. Add horlicks powder & mix well.
5, Add the chopped bananas & mix well & bring it to boil.
6. Heat ghee in a small pan & shallow fry chopped almonds & cashewnuts till light brown.
7. Add them to kheer & mix well.
8. Serve it hot, warm or chilled.

HAPPY COOKING :)))))))

DRY FRUIT MILKSHAKE !!!!!

Milkshakes are must for summer season to beat the heat. If you add dry fruits for milkshake then it is like TASTE BHI ! HEALTH BHI ! So. here i present dry fruit milkshake today. But i forgor to note down that from which blog i noted down this recipe :( But i really wana thank that person for this tasty & healthy recipe. 

INGREDIENTS:-

Almonds - little less than half cup
cashew nuts - 1/4 cup
raisins - 1/4 cup
dates, deseeded & chopped - 10
saffron strands - few for garnishing
sugar - 2 tblsp or according to your taste
milk, chilled - 4 cups or 1 litre

METHOD:-

1. Soak almonds, raisins, cashewnuts, dates in water for about half an hour.
2. Blend them in mixer adding 1/2 cup of milk + 1 tblsp sugar to smooth paste.
3. Now add remaining milk & blend it again.
4. Pour them in glasses & decorate with saffron strands & serve.

HAPPY COOKING :))))))

STRAWBERRY KHEER !!!!!!!

Today i came up with some unique recipe STRAWBERRY KHEER. I adopted this recipe from TARLA DALAL. 

INGREDIENTS:-

Strawberries, chopped - 1/2 cup

strawberry puree - 1/2 cup

cornflour - 2tsp

cold milk - 2tblsp

full fat milk - 3 cups

sugar - 1/2 cup

cardamom pow - a pinch

METHOD:-

1. Combine the cornflour & cold milk in a bowl, mix well & keep aside.

2. Boil the milk in a deep pan on a high flame, which will take approximate 5 to 6 mins while sirring twice inbetween.

3. Lower the flame & cook for 5 to 6 mins, while stirring continuously.

4. Add the cornflour milk mixture & sugar, mix well & cook on a low flame for 7-8 mins while stirring continuously & scrapped the side of the pan.

5. Add the cardamom powder, mix very well & cook on a medium flame for a few seconds.

6. Switch off the flame, add the strawberry puree & strawberries, mmix well & cool slightly.

7. Allow the mixture to cool completely. 

8. Refrigerate atleast 1/2 an hour & serve chilled.

HAPPY COOKING :))))))

KHOA JAMOONS 2 !!!!!!

I got this KHOA JAMOONS recipe from gorgeous friend SANDHYA KAMATH who is an excellent cook & khoa jamoons are her signature dish. What i learnt while trying this recipe is if your jamoon turns harder even after soaking in sugar syrup, place them in pressure cooker along with sugar syrup & take a whistle, switch off the burner, release the pressure & now eat your jamoons. It just mels in your mouth. You can try this trick with all types of jamoons. 

INGREDIENTS:-                                                                     

                                                                                                         

                                                                                                                                                                       

Khoa - 200gms
all purpose flour - 100 gm
baking powder - 1/2 tsp
milk - as needed
sugar - 2 cups
cardamom powder - 1/2 to 1 tsp
oil for deep frying
cashew nuts- few for garnishing

METHOD:-

1. Knead khove till soft.
2. Add all purpose flour & baking soda to this & knead well with required milk to make a soft dough.
3. keep covered for 15 mins.
4. Make sugar syrup by adding 2 cups of water & 2 cups of sugar in a thick bottomed vessel & boil it for 10 mins. Add cardamom powder & cover sugar syrup with a lid & keep it aside.
5. After 15 mins make balls from kneaded dough & deep fry them in oil.
6. When they turns light brown , take them out from oil & soak in sugar syrup.
7. Garnish khoa jamoons with cashew nut pieces.

HAPPY COOKING :)))))))

SCALLOPED POTATOES !!!!!!!!!!!

I found this recipe from the blog EASY RECIPES. & i realised it is nothing but baked version of amchi batate upkari i mean konkani's potatto stir fry. Here we add cheddar cheese & white sauce, thats it. But i made little varification in original recipe & used ingredients easily available here.
.

INGREDIENTS:-

Potatoes, thinly sliced - 2 cups (i removed the skin actually no need to remove the skin of potatoes)
butter - 25 gm OR 1&1/2tblsp
all purpose flour - 3 tblsp
milk - 1 cup
salt - 1/2 tsp +1/2 tsp devided
pasta mix seasoning - 2ttsp
cheddar cheese - 3/4 cup / 100gm
white pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
red chilly powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)

METHOD:-

1. Melt the butter in a pot & whisk in the flour, cooking for 1 min over medium heat.
2. Whisk in the milk, 1/2 tsp salt , pasta mix seasoning & white pepper powder.
3. Cook till the mixture thickens up, remove from the heat & stir in the cheese.
4. Place half of the potatoes in the bottom of a lightly greased microwave dish.
5. Pour half of the cheese mixture over the potaoes & spread around.
6. Repeat the remaining potatoes & cheese mixture.
7. Sprinkle the top with a little of red chilly powder.
8. Bake in a 350 degree oven, uncovered, for 45 mins.

HAPPY COOKING :)))))).

CAULIFLOWER CHEESE !!!!!!!

Cauliflower cheese is a dish from England & i adopted this recipe from BBC GOOD FOOD.

INGREDIENTS:-

cauliflower - 1 large, broken into pieces
milk - 500 ml
butter - 50gm
cheddar cheese - 100 gm, grated
breadcrumbs - 2-3 tblsp (optional)

METHOD:-

1. Bring a large saucepan of water to boil &
then add cualiflower pieces & cook for 5 mins.t
2. Lift out a cauliflower piece to tesr, it should be cooked. Drain the cauliflower, then tip into an ovenproof dish.
3. Heat oven to 220*C/200*C.
4. Put the sauce pan back on the heat & add the milk, flour, butter.
5. Keep whisking fast as the butter melts & the mixture comes to the boil.. Flour will disappear & sauce will begin to thicken.
6. Whisk for 2 mins while the sauce bubbles & becomes nice & thick.
7. Turn off the heat , stir in the most of the cheese & pour over the cauliflower.
8. Scatter over the remaining cheese & bread crumbs.
9. Bake it for 20 mins until bubbling.

HAPPY COOKING :))))))

OREO LAVA CAKE !!!!!!

I tried many recipes using oreo biscuis like oreo shake, 5 min oreo cake which tasted like brownie etc. Next in my to do listt is oreo cheeswe cake. This time i tried OREO LAVA CAKE. I adopted this recipe from the blog BETTER BUTER. If you make & store chocolae balls in freezer, then you can make it within a minute. A must try recipe, am sure kids will love it & an perfect dessert for kids parties.

INGREDIENTS:-

Oreo biscuits - 3
milk - 5 tblsp
baking powder - a pinch
dark chocolate - 100 gm
water - 30ml

METHOD:-

1. As a preparation step, heat the water and melt the dark chocolate in it.
2. Once the chocolate completely melts, turn off the flame and transfer the content to a bowl. Cover the bowl with a cling wrap and allow it to cool overnight.
3. Scoop out the dark chocolate mixture and make them into balls. These can be frozen and stored for later usage.
4. In a mixer jar, add the oreos, milk and baking powder. Grind it till everything is combined well together.
5. Transfer half of the mixture into a cup cake mould. Place one of the previously prepared chocolate balls in the centre.
6. Pour the remaining oreo mixture into the mould and microwave the cake at full power for 1 minute.
7. Serve it hot with vanilla ice cream.

HAPPY COOKING :))))))

And here's an tip:-

Do not over cook the chocolate mixture as it might solidify.