Guilty Pleasure.....

Want to eat a chocolate cake? Do you want it now? 

Make a chocolate cake in a cup. It takes 3 minutes. It's easy to make!

I am in love with it……..

Recipe coming up soon with entire presentation on how to serve!

Snack Time!

School days are the best days or holidays were the best days when we were in school? 

Our school timings were from 9 am to 3 pm and with extra-curricular activities added to it I used to leave home at 7:30 am and come back by 4:30 pm. Well and in that whole day of activities we had two breaks short break as we used to call it and lunch break. Short break for me was tolerable I used carry things like chips, biscuits and all. But then the dreaded lunch break! I hated whatever I carried for lunch because of one simple reason it was dead COLD since it was packed in the morning 7 am. 

(And I don’t think still in schools in India we have the facility of microwaves to heat up the food kids bring for lunch)

But after this entire days ordeal when I used to come home there was always a surprise waiting for me, the 5 pm snack time, my mother used to make the best snacks ever. 

They were warm, delicious and very inviting. 

As I grew older and graduated out of school, then college, started working, coming home late this part of my life where my mother made fabulous snacks at 5 pm for me just phased out.

Later I got married and as I was working at 5 pm some girls working with me and I started a new tradition - “Tea Break” - where we girls working together used to huddle up and enjoy ourselves gossiping along with some lame tea bag tea. 

Then another change in my life happened I moved to US with my husband and since the visa rules here would not let me work I had all the time in the world at my disposal. And guess what I introduced, the routine of 5 pm snacks for my husband. (Though he actually gets to eat at 6:30 pm after he is home from work but still it counts as 5 pm snack) 

Soon I realized it is fun thing for me to do because I get to be both innovative, creative and experiment these new culinary triumphs on my husband which I think he secretly loves. I sometimes wonder does my husband enjoy the food that I make more or enjoys being my guinea pig more…….?

Well and why did I tell you all such a big story for because I wanted to share these pictures with you. 

Inspired by the Italian bruschetta but introducing my very own Indian in taste my onion capsicum cherry tomato bruschetta.

Ingredients:   Onion, garlic, capsicum, parsley (I used it just for green color), cherry tomato, soya and red chilli sauce. A little bit of oil, salt, pepper and oregano. 

Most important toasted bread.

Procedure: Fry the garlic first and then add all the veggies. Except cherry tomatoes slice them and keep aside so as to just arrange them on the bread later. Once the veggies are soft add the sauces and spices.

 Divide all the vegetable mixture in equal parts and spread it over the toasted bread. Arrange the tomato slices over it.

Sprinkle some cheese over it, I prefer mozzarella cheese just like pizza and pop it into the oven which should be preheated at 350 degree F for 5 - 10 min or till the cheese melts.

And for those of who are thinking where is the final picture.....well ask my husband he ate them all without wasting a minute straight out of the oven!

Baking Love 'n' Eating Love

Baked Rainbow Trout

Healthy eating introduced me to baking.

Baking introduced me to butter sticks.

Butter sticks introduced me to weight gain. 

Did I say healthy eating introduced me to baking?

I always claim that I hate cooking but fortunately I love baking. 

Baking is joyful you prep – prep – prep dump it all in a container and bake – bake – bake. And voila what do you have! A lovely fluffy cake or a golden crusted pie, or a crumbly top mac n cheese, or in case of today’s recipe a moist and tangy baked rainbow trout.

This is a fresh, herby and lemony fish something new I tried and loved and wanted to share.

Melt 2 Tbsp. of butter…BUTTER….in a pan. Doesn’t seeing melting butter melt your heart? And the scent of it while melting…..yum!

Finely chop 2 Tbsp. parsley and 5 cloves of garlic. Showing my fine knife skills!

Next when the butter is beautifully melted add garlic to it cook till the raw smell of garlic goes off and has just started to brown. Then add the chopped parsley.

Zest one lime and Juice it. Add both to the parsley butter garlic. Don't forget to turn off the heat.
Slice another lime and keep ready. 

Take a nicely cleaned and descaled rainbow trout medium sized. Cut slits on both the sides of the fish make them nice and deep. Rub the fish with salt and pepper inside and out.  ]

Do you think the fish looks startled?Or it is just me......

Then place it on a baking sheet which was sprayed with cooking oil.
Now stuff the fish and slits on it with the lemon, garlic and parsley butter sauce. Also remember the diced lemon, you got to stuff that in the fish tummy too.
It looks like this now....

Don't forget to stuff the other side slits too you don't want a fish tasting differently on both sides.

Now in the oven it goes at 410F for 25 min on top most rack and then 5 min on the lowest rack. 

So 30 min you can do whatever you want....that is why I love baking you get a break till it cooks you don't have to stand near the stove and stir - stir - stir.

And after 30 min your dream has come true! A beautiful baked dish of fish. Moist and tangy, fresh and delicious!

Baked, healthy?? Did I mention 2 Tbsp. of butter!




 

Happy Diwali & A Happy New Year!

To summarize my Diwali celebrations I can say I visited friends who stay just two buildings away but we still never meet, had a blast at a family party met new people ………. I am revived again.

Well at last all the five items that I had planned to make were done successful including a repeat of chivda. (It was so well done. It was my first attempt and I nailed it.)

So here are the karanjis and rava ladoos. Would you like to have some?

* those karanjis are baked not deep fried.

Chivda (this second batch I made and is already over as I write of it now)

Since Diwali is a festival to revisit friends and families I thought of packing the sweets and savories in neat little take along boxes and gift it to them. Smart right? 

Visited friends, had a family party, felt good, felt social rather I should say felt human and mostly felt festive the most important feeling I was trying to search for this Diwali season.