Ingredients

Directions for the Cake & Mousse:

1. The easiest way to make is to buy the Betty Crocker Triple chocolate fudge cake and bake it per instructions.
2. While the cake is baking make some mousse from a ready made packet and let it set in the fridge.
3. Remove the baked cake, and place it on a cooling rack and cut it into two halves…let the top and bottom half dry.
4. Take some juice, that will compliment the mousse and slowly brush it into the cake on both the halves. This will help keep the cake from getting dry and give it some moisture.
5. Remove the mousse from the fridge and generously spread it on the bottom half at least 1/4″ thick. Place the top half on top and let the cake set for few minutes in the refrigerator.

Directions for Chocolate Icing & Decoration:

1. While the cake is setting take some chocolate chips or baking chocolate and melt it with some half and half over medium flame. The chocolate should be slightly runny.
2. Pour the runny chocolate over the cake. Do not spread with a spatula. If you just let it flow and guide the chocolate to cover the cake with gravity and slight movement the icing will spread without blemish and will have a shine to it. Set the cake in the fridge to let the chocolate icing harden.
3. Take the remaining mousse into a ziploc bag, cut off the corner to desired opening and make some decoration. Use whipped cream to make some decoration. A cheery at the top of the whipped cream will make it look more appealing.

Directions for Chocolate Crisps & Final Setting:

1. For chocolate chips, melt chocolate chips or baking chocolate in microwave. Spread the melted chocolate on the back of a metal baking dish to a 1/8″ thickness. Set in fridge for 5-10 minutes. Remove and then you can either twirl the chocolate or break it into pieces like I have in the cake.
2. Put the entire cake in the fridge for another 30 minutes and it is ready for the show.

Yummy Cake! Enjoy!

Ingredients

Makes 18 cookies

Directions

Cream butter using the hand held mixer for about 1 min.  It is important to have the butter at room temperature before you start the process

Gradually add the sugar, while still beating. Keep beating for 2-3 min, so that  the sugar is completely incorporated into the butter.  At regular intervals, scrape the sides of the mixing bowl to bring all the ingredients into the center.

Stir the extract into this mixture.

Now add the sifted flour and salt into the mixing bowl. Mix it into the creamed butter using spatulas or fingers.  What you will get is a  dough that is almost sticky.

For the filling, fill a sandwich bag /Ziploc bag with the preserve/jam. Cut a small hole at one of the corners.

Preparing the oven: Preheat the oven at this point to 350 F for 10 min. On the cookie sheet, line parchment paper.

Roll out the dough into 1.5 inch balls.  Press them down on to the cookie sheet.  Use your thumb or the back of a measuring spoon , to press a well into the dough. Fill the wells with the filling prepared.

Pop the cookie sheet into the oven for 15 min.  Keep watching until done.

Variations

You can use a fork and mark lines on the dough..to give it a texture.

Instead of strawberry preserve, you can use seedless raspberry preserves. The possibilities are endless.

Ingredients

Directions:

Filling:

 In a pan heat a teaspoon of olive oil. Then add refried beans to the pan and a pack of tack seasoning mix. Cook it on medium heat for about 6-7 minutes.

 Assembly:

Take a taco shell and half fill it with the bean mixture. On top add lettuce and cheese and taco is ready!

Variation:

I have not tried any variation but guess you can add chicken instead of beans.

Ingredients

Directions:

 Vegetable sauce:

 Add olive oil in pan and sauté vegetables on high heat ( at low heat veggies get soggy). Then, add mushroom soup to the vegetables along with salt, pepper and Taco seasoning mix.  Cook for some 10-15 minutes until you form a smooth paste and then sour crème and salsa and turn the heat off 

Red sauce:

Mix Tomato and Enchilada sauce in a mixing bowl and add a little cayenne pepper. 

Assembly:

In a tray spread some red sauce at the base, then add a few fresh tortillas and on top add the vegetable sauce and a layer of cheese. Repeat the steps and bake in oven for 10 minutes at 350 F. This melts the cheese and gives a nice crispy touch to enchiladas.

Variation:

You can add any vegetable or meat in the layers. You can add garlic while making the garlix mix.

Ingredients

Directions

• Heat oil in a large vessel.
• Add tej patta, meeri, lavang and when it is hot, add cashews and roast them till brown
• Add onions and saute them till brown. Add laal mirch and heat it for few minutes.
• Add remaining veges and saute them for few minutes.
• Add washed rice and jeera powder.
• Add water and cook covered.
• Rice should be fully cooked in 10-15 minutes.

Cheesecake… one whole cake it way too rich.. but a slice is just purrfect!!

Anudivya a fellow blogger comes with interesting substitutes of making healthy dishes… this is her reicepe.. you can find the original version here..

http://mixtomatch.blogspot.com/2008/10/easy-low-fat-cheesecake-with-strawberry.html

Ingredients

Directions

• Preheat oven to 325F.
• Beat the eggs.
• Add softened cream cheese and beat for a about 3-5 minutes till the mixture becomes smooth and soft.
• Add the vanilla extract, condensed milk, and evaporated milk and mix.
• Pour mixture into the graham cracker crust and bake at 325F for 50-60 min. Insert a toothpick and check if it comes out clean. It there is cheese sticking to it, bake it for some more time. The center should be almost set at this point.
• At that point, remove and let rest for at least 4 hrs in the refrigerator after bringing it to room temperature. Letting it sit in the fridge overnight is a better option.
• Slice and serve chilled.

Ingredients

Directions

1. Chop cabbage and onions into small pieces.
2. Add Green chilli and asafetida to it.
3. Add in enough besan to create a binding agent out of it and set aside. The water that the onions give away should be enough to make the besan soft and pasty. Remember to add salt to taste now.
4. Make small balls and flatten them and place them on a heated frying pan. Add little oil on top on these flattened balls.
5. Wait for one side to turn brown and turn them over.

Tastes sublimely yummy eaten just by itself or with dal and rice.

Variations

• 1. You can deep fry the dish.
  2. You can roll the flattened ball over bread crumbs before frying to give it a cutlet-y texture.

For the original recipe visit here:  http://www.sanjeevkapoor.com/Recipe.aspx?RecipeId=3935

Ingredients

Directions

Slice the pumpkins, and roast them with a little bit of oil in the saucepan.

Add some salt to the pumpkin

In a foil ( here is where  I deviated from Sanjeev Kapoor because, his recipe called for whole onions and whole garlic pods and I already had some chopped left overs from my cooking. ) , rub the inside with some oil. Place the chopped onions, garlic pods and green chillies inside it. Cover it up and place in the toaster oven for 5-7 min.

Once done, add these to the pumpkin slices and roast for some more time.

Add some water to this and let it cook on medium heat, till the pumpkin gets mushy.

Turn off the heat and blend all this with the remaining water in a blender

Bring the soup back into the pan and boil for a few minutes.

Serve with a dollop of cream if you want the rich taste.. I preferred some pepper.

Variations

Follow Sanjeev Kapoor’s recipe as it is…

Ingredients

Directions

Custard:

Follow directions on the box to make custard of medium consistency.

Pour over cut fruits and mix in sugar.

Add milk to desired consistency (I prefer it thinner)

Chill in the fridge before serving!

Ingredients

Seasoning

A handful of peanuts (optional)

Mustard

Cumin seeds

½ tsp turmeric

4-5 currry leaves

Cilantro

Directions

Chop the rotis into small pieces like diamonds.

Marinate the rotis with 4 tbsp of curd for 10 min.

In a kadai, roast some peanuts and keep aside

Add the oil and once it heats up, add mustard, cumin and curry leaves.

Slit the green chilies lengthwise and add to the hot oil

Once the mustard seeds have split, add the onions and fry till translucent

Add the roasted peanuts

At this point, you can add the tomato if you want and cook till the juice starts coming out.

Now add the marinated roti pieces and keep frying it, till they become dry.

Add salt and lemon juice(instead of the tomato) at this point  .

Cover and cook for some time

Add Cilantro to garnish it.

Variations

Back home, we would buy Wibs bread and invariably get bread and jam to take to school. But we would not eat the end pieces and mom would collect them and keep them in the fridge. She would save all these pieces and finally make the the dish with old bread pieces as well.