One more award before I go

I know, I know....... I said I'm on a break. But just wanted to thank Pooja for giving me this wonderful award . I appreciate it Pooja. It means a lot. The award says chirpy and cheerful blog. Now, it does make me feel happy that my blog passes on cheer to many. Thanks again.

All of you have fun and take care. See you in a month.

Luv 'n' luc'
Smitha

Roasted bell pepper soup and something special for the deserving.

Hey guys. Hope all of your are in the pinkest of health and happy about good weather too. I'm doing great. I'm taking a long break from blogging for a month. Quite a lot of travelling, parties and picnics on the way. I'm really excited.

Before I go, I would love to pass on a very special award to some very special food bloggers . This award was given to me by Muneeba. I would love to hand it over to some of my blogger buddies in whose pages I see more of a "raw passion" for food and cooking than mere blog posts. According to me, these few have a big time infatuation with food. Their zeal never fails to impress and I'm always surprised at the time and effort that goes into each post of theirs. Love their recipes too.
So here's to that gusto.
Asha,
Superchef,
Ria,
Poornima.
I really meant every word and you are truly deserving.

About today's post. It's roasted bell peppers soup.I know summer is not the time for soups. But summer is the time when you get good bell peppers in the market. So why not make good soup? Here is a wonderful recipe of a wonderful fresh soup.

Bye everyone. See ya after a month. Y'all have fun and so will I:)

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 onions, chopped
• 1 small carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoons oregano
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup milk
• 3 bell peppers (red,yellow and orange)
• 1 small russet potato, peeled and chopped into 1 cm. cubes
• 1/4 cup dry red wine(optional)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 (3/4-inch thick) baguette slices, cut into 1/2 to 3/4-inch cubes
• 1/8 cup parmesan cheese
• 1/8 cup grated cheddar cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. To roast bell pepper, cut each into four pieces and remove the seeds. Toss the peppers in 1 tbspn olive oil and put them onto a tray lined with aluminium foil. ( I place them skin side down)
Roast for 20 mins. When done, put the hot peppers into a plastic box and let them sweat for 5 mins. This makes it easier to remove the skin of the pepper. When the skins are removed, set them aside.

• Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, garlic, and oregano and saute until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Add wine and let the alcohol in it evaporate completely( takes about3-4 mins)
• Add the broth, bell peppers, potato and sugar. Bring to a simmer over high heat.
• Add salt and pepper. Decrease the heat to medium-low. Partially cover and simmer until the potatoes are very tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.Add milk and cheeses and simmer for another 2 mins.
• Cool the soup slightly.
• Puree the soup in a regular blender, taking care while blending warm liquids.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the bread cubes and saute until they are crisp and golden, about 8 minutes.
• Ladle the soup into bowls. Top with croutons.

Luv 'n' luc'
Smitha

Party time - Pineapple cream cake

ONCE UPON A TIME................I think that's the best way to start today's story because this is a picture of a cake I made 4-5 months ago and the following story too dates back to that time( or should I say that age ;). I pulled this out from my archives.

So, it's once upon a time:)

5 months ago.......................

I looked right. I looked left. Turned right.Turned left. Backed up. Curb parked, parallel parked and finally.......... got my driver's license. By the way, did I mention that it was my second attempt. (And no, I am not proud of that).


My first attempt was a disaster. I shivered with nervousness and everything that could possibly go wrong,went wrong. I switched-on the wiper instead of the beams, I didn't stop at the "stop" signs and I never checked my mirrors because I was petrified of taking my eyes off of the road. I even put the right indicator and turned left :) I was so nervous, but there's atleast one thing I can proudly say -I DID NOT pee in my pants that day : P

I was determined not to let that happen again (talking about the nervousness). So, after a few more weeks of practice, I attempted again with confidence. My second shot at it was far, far better and fruitful. I was so thrilled with my success that I drove my way home with music blasting from my car stereo. You should have been there to see that proud look of triumph on my face when I tucked my license into my purse. ( I looked like I had hit a jackpot)

Atlast, a free bird, not having to depend on my partner everytime I want to visit the mall or a friend.....I decided to rejoice and planned a party for two . The highlight of that day was........no, not my license card, but a fine pineapple cream cake. Tasted scrumptious and it's become a household favorite.
Me excited today :)
I got this award from Lena. Thank you so much Lena. I feel elated.

There are some rules to the award:
1) Add the logo of the award to your blog.
2) Add a link to the person who awarded it to you.
3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs (Only if you like).
4) Add links to those blogs on your blog.
5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blog

As usual, now comes the difficult part. Deciding which blogs to pass the award to.
I would like to pass on the award to:
Rush
Ria
Suparna
Sushma
Yasmeen
Viki
Poornima

Ingredients:

• Butter( at room temperature) - 2 stick( 225 gms)
• Sugar - 1-1/2 cup
• Eggs(large) - 4
• Pineapple extract - 1 tspn
• All purpose flour - 2 cup
• Baking powder - 2 tspns
• Salt - 1/4 tspn(optional)
• Butter milk - 3/4 cup
  

For Frosting:

• Heavy whipping cream ( chilled) - 1-1/2 cups
• Powdered sugar - 3/4 cup
• Corn starch - 1/4 tspn(optional)
• Pineapple pieces - 1/2 cup
• Pineapple extract - 1 drop
  

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F( 177 C)
• Butter two 8" round cake pan or line it with parchment paper.Set aside.
• Sift together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
• In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar for about 5 minutes, until light and fluffy.
  Add eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition.
  Add vanilla extract and mix well.
• Now add the flour mixture and mix Stir in the milk until batter is smooth. (Do not over beat the cake batter as it will result in a hard cake)
• Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes in the preheated oven.
• Do the toothpick test to see if the cake is done.(See note below)
  If the cake is not done, reduce the oven temperature to 275 degrees F(135 C) and bake for 8-10 mins more.Repeat tooth pick test.
• When the cake is done, let it rest in the cake pan for 10 mins.Then remove the cake from the cake pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
  And tada! You are a great baker.

Directions for frosting:

• Whip the chilled heavy cream with an electric whipper and as it thickens add the powdered sugar and corn starch.
• When the cream starts forming stiff peaks, drop spoonfulls on the cake and spread it out neatly.
• To add additional details on top of the cake, like the curls, you need cake decorating cones and cone-tips.( available is all super markets). Fill a cone with the left over cream and pipe out the design of your choice on the cake and garnish with pineapple pieces.
  

Note:

The tooth pick test :Take a tooth pick or a bamboo skewer or a knife and poke it deep into the cake.If it comes out clean when removed, then the cake is ready.If it comes out with wet cake batter, it needs additional time to bake.

Luv 'n' luc'
Smitha

A trip to Holland, Michigan and a box of windmill spiced cookies

We drove 7 hours to Michigan. All for the sake of seeing my favorite flower- the tulip.

I was really disappointed that the field had scanty patches of tulips. I hated their fields(As you can see in the first snap)Maybe it's because I've visited Netherlands and seen their vast vast fields of tulips in bloom. I didn't care much for these here.

I thought that our trip would go to the dumps. But, fortunately, for us, the Windmill Island pepped up our day. Windmill Island features a 240 year old working Dutch windmill "De Zwaan" (meaning graceful bird).

It is the only authentic Dutch windmill in the USA. It was brought in parts all the way from Netherlands and rebuilt here.

Next came Neli's Dutch village. A lot of dutch dancing and fun rides. Nothing worth mentioning.

The stunner was Lake Michigan Light house. It's called the "BIG RED" and it's one of the most photographed light houses in Michigan. It looked cute. The best part was sunset. Oh! It was so breath taking and romantic ;)

Finally, about the cookies part. I bought a cute box of some authentic Dutch cookies from the Windmill Island. They were imported cookies which were made in Netherlands. Boy, they were awesome!
They were spiced with ginger and cinnamon and had that wonderful taste of dark brown sugar. They had a very crispy crunch too.
On the whole, it was a pleasant weekend.

Luv 'n' luc'
Smitha

PALAK PANEER

I had visited Holland, MI over the weekend. Was really tired after the trip. Got the energy to make a post only today :) Will do a write up about the trip soon with a few snaps too.

Today, I'm posting a nutritious, yet, delicious recipe. Palak Paneer.

I am extremely fond of any form of greens.
My amma( mother) recollects that I was crazy about spinach as a kid too. Itseems, she never had issues feeding me lunch when there was greens on the plate. I was a wierd kid :)

Beets were what I disliked the most at that time. My mother's frequent lines used to be " eat pink beetroot for pink cheeks". I was not keen on pink cheeks. But one fine day she was taken aback and astonished when I asked her why my cheeks did not turn green when I ate spinach. She had no answer for that.

That was my baby talk when I was three or so. Still obssessed with greens, palak makes me feel good.

I'm sending this recipe to the 15 minute cooking event conducted by Mahimaa.

Prep. time 15 mins

Ingredients -(makes 3-4 servings)

• Paneer- 200 gms cubed(pan seared or deep fried to prevent it from crumbling)
• Oil- 2 tbspns
• 1 medium onion and 1 green chilli(pureed together to a fine paste)
• Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tspn
• Palak(spinach) - 1 bunch
• Cumin seeds - 1 tspn
• Cumin powder - 1 tspn
• Turmeric powder -1/4 tspn
• Chilli powder- 1/2 tspn
• Garam masala - 1/2 tspn
• Salt - to taste
• Sour cream- 3 tbspns(substitute with heavy cream)
• Milk - 1/8 cup

Directions:

• Blanch(soak) spinach in boiling water for about 1 min.Remove from water and make a fine puree of it in a blender.
• Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seed and turmeric powder.Then add the onion-chilli paste and saute well for abt 6-7 mins(till the onions no longer smell raw).
• Add ginger-garlic paste and saute for 4-5 mins.
• Add spinach puree. Stir well.
• Add garam masala, chilli powder and salt.Let it cook for about 2-3 mins on low heat.
• Add 2 tbspns of sour cream and the milk and stir well.Add the paneer cubes
• Turn off heat and transfer the palak paneer into a serving bowl and
• Finally, top it with a dollop of sour cream.
• Serve with puris or chapatis.

Luv 'n' luc'
Smitha

Droplets from the rainbow.....

Like the rainbow dripped it's colors into these peppers during the spring rains.

This is my entry for Jai and Bee's click event. Topic- Spring/ Autumn

Luv 'n' luc'
Smitha

Tomato egg curry

Going straight to the recipe today.

Ingredients:( serves 2)

Eggs - 2 (hard boiled and peeled)
Oil - 2 tbspns
Ginger - 1/4 inch piece( sliced)
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tspn
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tspn
Black gram dal (Urud) - 1 tspn
Green chilli - 1 small
Garlic - 1 large clove
Onions - 1 large
Curry powder - 1 tspn( available at indian grocery stores or see masalas recipe)

• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tspn
• Chilli powder - 1/4 tspn
• Tomatoes - 4
• Coriander leaves - 1/8 cup(chopped)
  

Directions:

• Heat oil in a pan, add ginger to it and saute for a minute. Remove the ginger from the oil and discard.
• Splutter some mustard in the ginger infused oil.Add the cumin seeds, black gram dal and green chilli.Saute.
• Add garlic and saute and before it browns add onions.Saute.
• Once the onions turn translucent, add salt, turmeric, chilli powder and curry powder.
• Saute well for about 4-5 mins on a medium flame.
• Add tomatoes and stir.Cook for a minute, add 1/2 cup water and cover and let cook for 7-8 mins.
• Add coriander, stir and turn off the flame.
• Finally, make slits in the hard boiled egg and add to the curry.
• Serve hot. Partners well with any roti or even rice for a change.

Luv 'n' luc'
Smitha

Repost -Pav Bhaji

I'm making a repost today. This is being sent for the 15 minute cooking event conducted by Mahima
Mumbai is known for its street food as it is for Bollywood. I have visited Mumbai once, on a school excursion, and have a vivid memory of all the yummy street food availabe there. Gol gappas( pani puri), vada pav, pav bhaji etc.

Once, I heard Anthony Bourdain, famous chef and Tv personality, remark on a Tv show, that he expected all the politicians, street vendors and other citizens to break into song and dance, out of the blue, on the streets (like in Indian movies) when he visited Mumbai. But, it didn't happen. He was disappointed at that, but, the street food did not disappoint, he said. That's fair enough.

Pav bhaji is the number one street food in Mumbai and soon catching up in other states as well. Pav means bread and bhaji means vegetable gravy. It is Indian fast food and mind you- a very healthy version compared to it's american counterparts. Now, how many fast foods can boast of that? I have heard that it is also called the - Indian sloppy joe.

Always makes as a meal in itself. It is a great way to get your kids to eat their veggies. The homemade version of this dish may never taste as authentic as the style in which the street vendors make it. But, it, defintely, is a more hygienic preparation and the flavors come close.
This food is worth every minute you spend making it.
Prep time - 20-25 mins
Ingredients:(serves 2-3)

• Potatoes- 2 large( peeled and cut)
• Carrots - 2 ( chopped)
• Beans - 10 ( cut)
• Cauliflower florets - 1/2 cup
• Peas - 1 cup
• Capsicum( green pepper) - 1 small( diced)
• Onions - 1 medium (diced)
• Tomato - 1 (diced)
• Pav bhaji masala - 2 tspns (click here to see recipe)
• Cumin powder - 1 tspn
• Garam masala - 3/4 tspn
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tspn
• Paprika powder - 1 tspn ( substitute with kashmiri chilli powder)
• Chilli powder- to taste
• Ginger - garlic paste- 1 tspn
• Oil - 2 tbspns
• Salt - to taste
• Chopped coriander leaves - 3 tbsps
• Butter - 1 tspn (optional)
• Wedges of lemon and chopped onion -to garnish

Directions:

• Boil the carrots, beans, peas, cauliflower and potatoes with little salt. Drain the vegetable and save the stock(stock is the water in which the vegetables were boiled)
• Heat oil in a sauce pan.
• Add onions and saute till translucent.
• Reduce heat to medium and add ginger-garlic paste. Saute for about 3 mins.
• Add the pav bhaji masala, turmeric powder, paprika powder, chilli powder and garam masala. Saute for 5-6 mins. Add tomato, capsicum and 3-4 tbspns of the vegetable stock( which was saved earlier) and cover and cook for 3-4 mins.
• Add the necessary salt.( remember that the vegetables were cooked with salt earlier so add salt accordingly)
• Add cumin powder and stir.
• Add the boiled vegetables and mash with a potato masher.Mix well. Add 4-5 tbspns or more vegetable stock to this mixture till you get bhaji which is semi-solid.( it should not be too thick nor too dilute). Stir well till the masala is mixed well with the bhaji.
• Cook on low flame for 2 mins.
• Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with some chopped onions, coriander leaves and a blob of butter and a wedge of lemon.
• Serve hot with pav( bread).

I forgot to add onions to my bhaji garnish while taking snap shots. I realised it only after I wiped my plate clean :)
Luv 'n' luc'
Smitha

Awe striking Arizona

As we flew into Phoenix, the view was breathtaking. The city was surrounded by hills and mountains and I felt that there was a big similarity between Phoenix and Dubai- both are awesome, well developed deserts. That evening we drove 5 hours to Glen Canyon in page and checked into our hotel.
Day 1- Sightseeing in Page near the north rim.

We visited the Antelope canyons- upper and lower. We also visited the Horse-shoe bend. All these places looked like paintings (as you can see for yourselves in the snaps). I could not believe my eyes. I didn't even want to blink, I just wanted to keep my eyes wide open and take in all the beauty of Page. The day was perfect and went as planned and in the evening we drove from Page to Grand Canyon.

Day 2- It snowed so hard, drizzled and it was so foggy in Grand Canyon that there was no point going to the national park. The weather thought it could could screw our holiday. But we were the "smart" ones. We showed "a finger" to the weather because we had a back-up plan and drove 2 hours down the hills to the plains where it was so bright and sunny and saw the most intriguing sights.

We visited the Painted desert, the petrified forest and the meteor crater. At the end of the day, we were glad it snowed in Grand Canyon because, if not we would never have gotten a chance to see these amazing natural wonders. This pic shows the painted desert. It really looks painted doesn't it?

Day 3- We drove down to Sedona. It was the most scenic drive. And it is the most beautiful little town and believe me, it's a must-see if anyone plans to travel to Arizona. Pictures do not do justice to this place. You have to go and see it with your naked eyes to understand what I'm talking about. I was awe struck. ( I would not mind spending the rest of my life there). To me Sedona was a mini-Switzerland. The town center was ditto Switzerland with rock formations all around instead of snow capped mountains. My jaw dropped. If Switzerland was in a desert, it would definitely look like Sedona. Sedona was absolutely "love at first sight".

In Sedona, we saw all the rock formations, views and the Cathedral on the rock.

I must mention the wonderful handicrafts and curios that are handmade by the American-Indians. The painted earthern pottery and jewellery were the most stunning amongst all. I could not help myself when I bought a piece of pottery which I hope to carry to India in one piece. My fingers are crossed:)

And that evening we had our flight back home. On the whole, we had a great great trip.

Am I sad that we couldn't visit the Grand Canyon national park? The answer is a big NO, not the least bit. Why? Because, we have planned another visit to Arizona and Utah in August :)

I HOPE I HAVE NOT OFFENDED ANYONE BY MAKING A TRAVEL POST IN A FOOD BLOG. Just hoping no one will have issues with that.

Luv 'n' luc'
Smitha

LIKE THE BLISS OF RELAXING IN A LAGOON - PARADISE COCONUT CAKE LOG

Confession time: I confess that I'm a COCONUT ADDICT.

Kerala, truly, lives up to it's title -" God's own country" . Dominated by its greenery, paddy fields, palm trees and back waters, its beauty mesmerizes visitors and natives, alike. Being a romantic at heart, I yearn to visit Kumarkom - a captivating locale, sandwiched by the palm-lined backwaters and the western ghats. Though I have my roots in God's own country, time has never permitted me to enjoy the pleasure of journeying those waters in the tranquility of a house boat. That remains an unfulfilled dream.

Most people relate coconut to Kerala and why would they not. In Kerala, almost every household has backyards with tall,swaying palm trees and mounds of coconuts piled up in every nook and corner . As coconut is so vastly present and available in abundance throughout the year and relatively inexpensive, it plays a very bossy role in Keralan cuisine. Just about anything cooking in a Malayali's kitchen will have this authoritative chief in it.

With that kind of a background, I was steered into becoming a coconut addict and maybe, someday, I'll be put in rehab ;) I love its creamy flavor and anything 'coconut' reminds me of home. Sinking my teeth into this cake, always puts me in a trance. And, I think I have named this cake aptly.....................truly takes you to paradise.

And this snap is a really old one from my archive and is, by far, one of the worst I've ever taken. Sorry about that guys. ( But, what can I do? I was in too much of a hurry to dive into the cake:)

INGREDIENTS (Makes 7-8 servings)

For cake

• 170 gms (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• 1-1/2 tspn pure vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tspn baking powder
• 1/4 tspn baking soda
• 1/4 tspn salt
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup(abt 60 gms) sweetened shredded coconut

For Frosting

• 1/2 pound cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 tspn pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 pound powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 tbspns cream of coconut(optional) - [available in the liquor section of most supermarkets]
• 1-1/2 cups(abt 90 gms) sweetened shredded coconut

DIRECTIONS FOR CAKE:

• Layer a loaf pan with parchment paper(for those of you who have run out if it, you can just butter the pan and dust it with a little flour.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F(177 degree C).
• In a bowl cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed of an electric mixer for 3 to 5 minutes, until light yellow and fluffy.
• With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl once during mixing. Add the vanilla extract and mix well.
• In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add these dry ingredients and the milk and buttermilk to the butter-egg mixture. Mix until just combined.
• Fold in the coconut with a rubber spatula.
• Pour the batter into the loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake in the center of the oven for 40-45 minutes, until the tops are browned .
• Now insert a tooth pick into the cake.If it comes out clean the cake is done.If not, reduce the temperature of your oven to 275 degrees and bake it for 10 additional mins.
• Repeat the tooth pick check and baking process till cake is done.
  When done,Let the cake rest for 10 mins in the cake tin and then remove the cake from the loaf pan by inverting it gently.
• Cool the cake on a baking rack for 30 minutes or longer to cool completely.

DIRECTIONS FOR FROSTING

• Combine the cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract with a hand mixer on low speed. Add the powdered sugar and cream of coconut mix until well blended (do not bring this to a stiff consistency like if it were whipped).

DIRECTIONS TO FROST THE CAKE

• Spread coconut flakes evenly onto a baking sheet. Place in a 350 degree F oven for 2 to 3 minutes allowing the flakes to toast and turn a golden brown color.( Make sure you do not burn.The toasting happens very fast).When done,remove from oven and let it cool for about 7-8 mins.
• Cut the loaf cake lengthwise into 2 halves. Place the bottom half on a serving platter and spread some frosting on the top( see pic).Then, sprinkle some toasted cooled coconut flakes on the frosting.
• Now, place the second half on top of the first and frost the whole cake.To decorate the cake, sprinkle the top with coconut and lightly press more coconut onto the sides. Serve at room temperature.( You don't have be to obsessed about frosting the cake perfectly because the toasted coconut on the frosting will hide all the flaws )

Luv 'n' luc'
Smitha