Eating is Bliss

All through the festival season , that begins with Navratra’s upto Deepavali we can never have enough sweets. Especially after coming to the US I long for those festive times spent in India where sweets would be a very very integral part of all festivities. Having found nothing even similar to the delicious & very very professional looking sweets that are available in India I have always tried to make my own sweets now & I really like doing things with a twist , so this time I have tried these little sweeties with a delectable pistachio filling . I do not want to be basking in self pride guys but one of my friends refused to believe me that these were home made . I feel that is the best compliment ever & what more could you ask for. So not saying much here goes the recipe: Ingredients: 1 cup desiccated coconut  ( coconut powder) + 1/2 cup for rolling the ladoos 200 Grams sweetened condensed milk  /  1/2 tin 1 cup milk ( I used 2%) 1 tsp ghee ( I used Desi Ghee/ Clarified butter) 1 tsp cardamom powder 3-4 slices of fresh Beetroot For The Pistachio Filling : 1/2 cup coarsely ground Pistachios 1 tablespoon Sweetened condensed milk Pinch of cardamom powder Method: For the filling: Add 1 tablespoon of condensed milk & pinch of cardamom powder  to the 1/2 cup of coarsely ground pistachios  & mix well. Form it into a dough like consistency. Now roll it into very small  grape size balls & keep aside. Grease your hands with a little oil while rolling the balls that makes it very easy as the pistachio mix is really sticky. For the Coconut mixture: Heat 1 tsp of ghee in a heavy bottomed pan. Add the coconut powder & stir for 1-2 minutes till you can smell that very fragrant coconut. Now add milk & beetroot slices , keep stirring for another 1-2 minutes till the milk is all absorbed in the coconut. Add condensed milk & cardamom powder & stir continuously on low heat till the mixture starts to leave the sides of the pan . Switch off the heat  as soon as the mixture leaves the sides of the pan. Let this mixture cool for 10-15 minutes .  Remove the beetroot slices as the coconut mixture will be perfectly pink by now. When the mixture cools off divide it into 12-15 equal portions . Taking each portion of the coconut mix into your palms just spread it a little as we would do for stuffed parathas. Now place one pistachio ball into the centre of this coconut spread & close it from all sides. Roll into small round  balls  & to finish off  roll these balls into more dry coconut powder . Refrigerate  for a couple of hours before serving as I found them to be even more delicious after refrigeration. I think I will be making a lot of these for Diwali  as these can be made a week in advance & refrigerated. Wishing Everyone A Very Happy Deepavali…….. Enjoy……………………. Linking this post to:  Contest : Food of the Month : Desserts by Food Corner    Contest: Food Of The Month Sending this to Only-Sweets & Desserts   By Gayathri Kumar  Linking this to Anu’s    diwali-festival-of-lights-event

Karva Chauth is a centuries old tradition observed annually in North India  with great pomp & fervor where all married women dress up & observe  a fast for the day , for the health , wealth,  prosperity & longevity  of their husband’s &  seek the blessings of Godess Gauri for a blissful marital life. This festival comes 9 days before Diwali on Kartik Ki Chauth i.e on the fourth day of the new moon. The term” Chauth “means the fourth day &” Karwa” is an earthen pot with a spout – a symbol of peace & prosperity which is necessary for the pooja hence the name Karwa Chauth. The fast begins at daybreak around 4 am  when women get up &  feast on Sargi ( sweets & fruits , sweets mainly consisting of pheniyan, ghevar & many other sweets) In the earlier times the married girls would visit their parents for the festival season beginning as of Teej & Raksha Bandhan & their stay  at the parents house would end at the auspicious Karva Chauth when the Husband would arrive to spend the day with his wife & bring along with him ( Sargi) sweets & fruits , new clothes mainly consisting of a saree & also jewellery  sent by the girl’s inlaws & the girl would begin her fast by having this Sargi at daybreak. Although it is a tough fast as it begins before daybreak & ends only after moonrise when women offer prayers & water to the moon , it is still a much awaited event for northern Indian women.  I always remember my Mom waking us up early morning to have Sargi with her & we would all enjoy the sweets & savouries with her. And the day would be longer for  us than for her coz we would wait for the time when we would get to eat all that she made during the day. It was really amazing to see her dish out awesome sweets & savouries all day long without even drooling at them even though she had not had anything to eat all day. I think we have really run out of the energy & gusto that she had & the love & patience she prepared the dishes with. So whatever little I could manage is here in this recipe. Ingredients:  1 & 1/2 cup all purpose flour ( 150 Grams) 1/4 cup Desi Ghee / Clarified Butter ( 50 Grams) 2 tablespoons Yogurt ( 25 Grams) 1/8th tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp Cardamom powder water for kneading the dough Oil for frying the Vadas For the Sugar Syrup: 1 cup Sugar ( I used Brown sugar) 1/2 cup water 3-4 pods Cardamom 1/2 tsp lemon juice Method: For the dough: Start with sifting the flour, soda & cardamom powder together a couple of times ( This helps in equal distribution of soda in the flour & the vadas will be more flaky) Now add the Ghee &  Yogurt & start kneading . The flour will be crumbly but will start getting together . When the ghee & yogurt is well combined in the flour, sprinkle some water & try to bring the dough together( i used only 1/8 cup of water)  The dough should be soft but not smooth. We do not have to knead the dough for a long time to make it smooth. All we need to do is bring the dough together in a lump that will take only 1-2 minutes. You will see a lot of crackles in the dough. when the dough is done , cover & keep it aside for 20-25 minutes. After the waiting time is over knead the dough again for 1 minute light handedly . Divide the dough in 10-12 equal parts & roll them gently into small balls. We do not need to make perfect balls as we need the edges of the dough to be imperfect with a lot of crackes so they cook well in the oil. Once the dough is rolled into a ball make a dent in the centre with your finger . For Frying the vadas, heat oil in a wok ( kadhai). Now comes the tricky part, the oil should be medium hot. To test if the oil is  hot enough drop a pinch of dough into the oil , the dough should sizzle but come up very slowly , if the dough comes up immediately means the oil is too hot – in this case switch off the heat for a couple of minutes . If the oil is perfect , at first the vadas will just sink into the oil & the oil will sizzle a little, it will take about 2 minutes for the vadas to puff up & start to float on the oil. Do not touch or try to turn the vadas at this time , let them fry on one side for 4-5 minutes & then turn. It will take about 15 minutes for one batch of 6 vadas to fry perfectly pink. In the meantime make the sugar syrup on the other stove by adding 1/2 cup of water to 1 cup of sugar . Add the cardamom pods &  lemon juice ,make the sugar syrup to one thread consistency , keep aside. Once all the vadas are done frying , put them in sugar syrup & turn them very gently with a spatula so they soak the syrup on al sides. Let the Makkhan vadas sit in the syrup for about an hour. Garnish with Pistachios & saffron strings. The vadas are very very soft & flaky & just melt in the mouth like butter hence the name Makkhan Vada. In the evening women adorn new colourful sarees,  new bangles ,jewellery & makeup , henna is applied to the hands the day before , women from all over the neighbourhood gather & narrate mythological stories related to the significance of Karwa Chauth. The fast of Karwa Chauth truly sets the merry tone of the fun & frolic , fasting , feasting & festivities that come in good measure during Diwali – The biggest of all Festivals. LInking this to Anu’s Diwali Diwali-festival-of-lights-event

Pesto is an Italian sauce made of fresh basil leaves, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil, Parmesan cheese and salt. The word “pesto” originates from the word “pestle” which means ground or pounded. The original method to prepare pesto with marble mortar and wooden pestle. Pesto is savory sauce for spaghetti or lasagna, gnocchi, or any kind of pasta. Serve it with vegetables or add to vegetable soup. Make traditional pesto without nuts, but it always include basil, garlic and olive oil. Pesto having many variety, A Peruvian version of pesto uses spinach, different kind’s of nuts and is made with grilled red or green pepper. other kinds of pesto use black olives, mushrooms, as well as lemon peel and coriander leaves or also mint leaves. Pine nuts are costly in Asian markets so many company use walnuts, hazelnut and cashew too. it’s very easily make at home like Indian “chutney” and its very chip too. Ingredients: For Pesto: 1.       1/2   bunch coriander, 2.       1/2 bunch parsley,  3.      1/2 bunch basil (just leaves), 4.       2 scallions ( spring onion), 5.       1/2 cup roasted walnuts, 6.       1/4 cup roasted cashew nuts, 7.       5 to 6 cloves garlic, 8.       1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 9.       1/4 cup olive oil, 10.   1 tablespoon lemon juice, For pasta: 1.       3 cups cooked pasta, 2.       4 to 5 pieces sundries tomatoes, 3.       1 tablespoon   olive oil, 4.       Freshly ground pepper, 5.       Salt to taste, Method: 1.     Wash basil, parsley, coriander and spring onion and pick the leaves off of the stems. 2.     In food processor add garlic and nuts and chopped. 3.     Now add all leaves and olive oil and chop. 4.     Now blend in the grated Parmesan and chop the mix until it forms a thick, smooth paste. 5.     Add lemon juice and store in refrigerator for about a week, or you can freeze it and it will last for 2 to 3    months. 6.     Add one tablespoon oil in pan than add   sundries   tomatoes and toast. 7.     Add pasta and salt mix well than add one cup pesto and mix well ( Most people serve it over pasta.). 8.     Now add black pepper and garnish with parsley.

Happy Diwali to All My Dear Blogger Friends…!!! On  this auspicious occasion I am posting a very unique sweet recipe. “Fig Burfi” its very easy and quick sweet and my family love it so……it is here. Ingredients: 1.       1 cup khoya, 2.       Dry fig 10 to 12 pieces,( here I use Indian dry figs ) 3.       2 tablespoon clarified butter (ghee), 4.       2 tablespoon semolina (suji), 5.       1/4 cup sugar, 6.       2 tablespoon clarified butter (ghee), 7.       1 teaspoon cardamom powder (Elachi), 8.       1/8 cup Sliced blanched almonds,             Method: 1.       Cut the figs in small pieces and   keep aside. 2.       Heat the pan very slow flame and add the ghee than add semolina and roast until semolina is pinkish color. 3.       Now add khoya until its change color or 2 to 3 minutes (time is depending to your khoya quality). 4.       In this mixture add sugar and cook 2 minutes. 5.       Now turn of the heat. Add cardamom powder and mix well. 6.       Add fig pieces and mix well. 7.       Buttered square baking dish/tray. Decorate with fig and almonds same like picture. 8.       Transfer mixture of fig   in this tray and chill for 8 hours or put in refrigerator for 4 hours. 9.       Cut into 1 inch diamonds or squares.

I’ve had a weird diet today.  I’ve been using up veggies from my CSA boxes.  For lunch, I had a spinach salad with diced zucchini, cucumber, kohlrabi, purple bell pepper, and a tomato.  It was a huge salad, so I saved half of it for tomorrow.  Tonight, I decided it was time to roast some veggies. I cut up probably a dozen small gold beets, a head of cauliflower, a big sweet potato, and 2 medium sized white potatoes.  I tossed them in a mixture of 3 tbsp.extra virgin olive oil, 1 tsp. cumin, 1 tsp. hot curry powder, 1/2 tsp. Spike seasoning, and 1 tbsp. lemon juice.  I roasted them for 30 minutes at 400º.  They weren’t done, which didn’t surprise me because I had so many veggies in the pan.  I stirred them and put them in to roast for 20 more minutes.  They still weren’t done to my liking, but they were drying out and sticking to the pan.  ACK!  I drizzled a little bit more olive oil on them and sprinkled them with red cayenne pepper and smoked paprika.  I gave them a good stir, turned the oven temp down to 350º and cooked them for 20 more minutes.  Finally, the veggies were done to my satisfaction.  They have just a hint of a “kick.”  These are very tasty.  I’m glad I got a significant portion of my veggies on hand either eaten, ready to eat, or roasted.  I will be eating these roasted veggies over the next day or two.  I think I’ll have some of them in a wrap for my supper tomorrow for a little variety.

Soooo … about a week ago, my older son told me that the PC wasn’t working.  He was right; it wasn’t.  When booting up the PC, we get a black screen with a blinking cursor.  This is NOT good.  Luckily, I have another PC tower.  My younger son blew the motherboard in his PC, so I had it replaced and something else replaced (goodness, I can’t remember what, only that it cost me $150).  BUT, in the mean time, my younger son begged me to buy him a new “gaming” PC that would be better for gaming, so I did.  He used his old PC for about a week before he received his new one.  Then, it sat in my dining room until a week ago when my PC died.  Did I back up my PCs?  Well, yes, I did.  Did I do it recently?  Ummm … no, I didn’t.  It’s been a year.  I’m afraid my hard drive is corrupt, but I’ll still take it somewhere to try and get the pictures and documents off of the hard drive.  :::sigh:::  In the meantime, I’m trying to get my son’s old PC up to speed with the programs I need.  It’s actually a faster PC, with 4 gig of RAM.  My old PC only had 1 gig. I finally installed the picture software I need so I can blog again. This holiday weekend, I was determined to be productive, and I have been.  Today, I did some laundry and cleaned out my pantry.  I dug deep to the back of the shelves and threw out all of the old canned goods, sauce mixes, etc. that were in the pantry.  It’s amazing how much space there is when I threw out the old/expired stuff.  After that was done, I made a vegan apple crisp.  It’s quite tasty, too!  I converted a recipe that I got from my ex-mother-in-law.  Here it is. Apple Crisp 4 to 5 apples, pared and sliced thin (I used Fuji) 3/4 cup oatmeal (quick or old fashioned) 3/4 cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 cup Earth Balance (I used 1 stick cut in 1/2″ squares) Preheat oven to 350º.  Put apple slices in ceramic baking dish.  (I didn’t grease, but you can.)  Combine oatmeal, brown sugar, cinnamon, and Earth Balance in a food processor.  Pulse until crumbled.  Spread over apples.  Bake for 40 minutes.  Enjoy warm plain or with vegan vanilla ice cream.  After the Apple Crisp was done baking, I got really serious about dinner.  I peeled some potatoes for mashed potatoes made with unsweetened Almond Breeze.  I served those with some Tofurky gravy. It’s my first time having Tofurky gravy and it was pretty good.  I also threw 6 ears of corn into the oven to roast at 350º for about 30 minutes.  I used the instructions that I found on Susan Voisin’s blog for Oven-Roasted Corn-on-the-Cob , but really, it’s just literally throwing the corn in the oven.  I pan fried some vegan Chicken Scallopini to go with it.  Finally, I threw some rolls into the oven to warm.  The entire meal was very tasty! Earlier this week, I made a vegan veggie pizza.  First, I cleaned and sliced some baby bella mushrooms and sauteed them.  Next, I cut a yellow bell pepper into strips and some black olives in halves.  I used half of a container of whole grain pizza dough I had bought at Whole Foods.  I rolled it out very thin.  I drained a jar of the Bruschetta in a Jar that I canned a couple of weeks ago and put it on the pizza.  I followed that with some fresh spinach leaves, the mushrooms, yellow bell peppers, black olives, and the Zuma Grape Tomatoes that I had roasted and frozen a month ago.  I let it bake at 400º for about 20 minutes.  It was mighty tasty! Tomorrow, I think I will cut the seedless watermelon into cubes and made Watermelon Sorbet with half of it.  I really enjoyed that.  It is quite the refreshing frozen dessert. Since I may have lost all of my pictures from last September until now (yes, it’s been a year since I backed up my PC … I’ve learned my lesson!), I thought I’d take some more pictures of the girls, but from their level. Jordan, trying to ignore me First I took Jordan, and she wasn’t really happy about it.  She really HATES getting her picture taken.   But she posed pretty and looks so regal, that the picture is a winner! Kobe, trying to ignore me because she was licking her paws. Kobe usually doesn’t mind getting her picture taken, but she was upset with me, so she wouldn’t look at me.  After Kobe’s anterior crucial ligament surgery, she was still limping a bit and the vet put her on DuraMaxx to control the pain.  DuraMaxx has some less desirable side effects.  One is depression or restlessness.  I believe Kobe has that and licks her paws to relieve some of it.  I think she’s been licking them until they are raw.  I had been fussing at her to stop licking her paws right before I snapped the photo.  I’ve taken her off of the medication for now and will keep her off of it for a few days (she only takes 1/4 pill, so she’s on the minimum dosage).  She didn’t have this problem until she was on this medication for such a long period.  If it stops the problem, I will ask the vet to change her medication to something else. Jordan trying to back up on Kobe, while Kobe pays no attention and licks her paw. Here’s a classic picture.  One, Kobe is licking her paw … ugh!  But the reason this is a classic is that Jordan is always backing up on Kobe and putting her behind in Kobe’s face.  I swear it’s an act to try to establish dominance.  Jordan is a nut! I hope I can recover all my pictures from the last year.  bah!  PC problems!  They drive me nuts!

I feel accomplished when I don’t fry when the food could be fried.  These zucchini rounds were breaded and baked and are delicious.  A smidge of oil is used when I spray the tops of the rounds, when on the baking sheet. Baked Breaded Zucchini Ingredients: 1 egg, beaten 2 zucchini, peeled and sliced about 1/4 inch thick 1 cup seasoned breading ( I used Rice Chex with curry powder – 1/2 teaspoon curry powder) Spray cooking olive oil Method: Preheat oven to 400 degrees Put egg in a shallow bowl.  Mix crumbs and seasoning and place in a shallow soup bowl. Take each zucchini slice and dip into egg and then into breading.   Place on baking sheet and s pray olive oil lightly on top of zucchini. Bake for 20 minutes, until cooked through but not squishy. You can add salt and pepper, if you like it spicier.                                               Linked to    Friday Food       Trick or Treat Tuesday

Going through a recent Woman’s Day magazine, I was pleasantly surprised to come across a few recipes, I want to make.  The first recipe that grabbed my attention was one for sweet potato soup.  Not leaving recipes the way they are presented, this became an Autumn Root Vegetable Soup, with parsnip, turnip, carrots, onion, and sweet potato.  The sweet potato gave this mixture, a subtle sweet taste which is delicious. Sweet Crockpot Root Veggie Soup (adapted) Ingredients: 2 onions, chopped 2 medium carrots, cut into 1-in. pieces 2 sweet potatoes, cut into 2-in. pieces 1 turnip, cut into 6 pieces 1 parsnip, cut into inch pieces 1 tablespoon(s) grated fresh ginger 1 tablespoon(s) mild curry powder 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon black pepper Method: In a 3-qt slow cooker, combine the onions, carrots, potatoes, ginger, curry, cinnamon, ¼ tsp pepper and 4 cups water. Cook, covered, until the vegetables are very tender, on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours. Using an immersion blender, purée the soup. Top with the almonds and dollop with the yogurt, if desired. Tips from Woman’s Day — Freeze the soup for up to 3 months. T haw in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat in a large saucepan, covered, over medium heat for about 15 minutes. /> Cranberry Pecan Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette from Hezzi-D’ Books and Cooks    3 Minute Lentil Bocconcini Salad from Beyond the Peel Vanilla Toffee Ice Cream from Gluten Free Pantry Black Forest Cupcakes from Gloria of Canela Kitchen Linked to Sunday Night Soup Night                   Real Food Wednesdays             We are That Family     Trick or Treat Tuesday               Cast Party Wednesday         Whole Food Wednesdays         Pennywise Platter Thursday

One more dessert for the Christmas….. few days back my Niece wrote about the banana muffin make by her mum,,,,,,she said it was very yummy and tasty…..even I wanted to prepare banana muffin..so i asked sister-in-law about the recipe…..it seems very interesting and easy..so I decided to prepare for this Christmas eve…….when I prepared I really felt very nice to see that loaf..it was so nice with a nice aroma..and coconut crunchy flavor..as pre recipe i have not made muffins..but i have used loaf tin for the same….the recipe goes like below… Ingredients: Riped banana 3 (medium or 2 big) desiccated coconut 1/2 cup white sugar 2TBSP Brown sugar 2TBSP Whole wheat flour 1 cup Sunflower oil 1/2 cup baking powder 1/2 tsp Cinnamon powder 1/2 tsp(optional) baking soda 1tsp milk 3-4 TBSP(add if ur cake batter seems very thick) Any nuts chopped 1/4 cup(optional)(I have used mixed chopped nuts) How to prepare: chop the banana and make smooth pure in blender ans add in a big mixing bowl. Add sugar(both the sugars) and oil to this pure and mix well by using the whisk or you can also add sugar and oil along with banana while making puree.. Mix together flour,baking powder and baking soda. Now add the desiccated coconut and cinnamon powder to the pure and mix properly then add the flour gradually and fold in the batter carefully,(add milk if required). When the batter is well mixed, it will become creamy and smooth. Preheat the oven at 350F/180C or gas mark 4(as i am using gas cooker ). Take a loaf tin,(I have used 23cm x 13cm tin) grease it with butter and dust with flour..Pour batter into the tin pat the tin and sprinkle the chopped nut on top of the batter and bake for around 50-55 mins(or till the tooth pick comes out clean. once the cake is done..take out from the oven and keep it on wire rack for getting cool(or u can have a warm cake with tea also… or once it is cool…cut and just eat…yummyyy.. Sending this to the below events….. visit event-announcement-Christmas Delicacy visit jingle-all-way-event visit ONLY-COOKIES-AND-CAKES-event visit abc-series-cakes-for-christmas-event visit christmasnewyeareve2011.html-event Guest hosted by Raksha visit CEDD 5-event Even found by Raven visit CookEatDelicious-event visit Yummy-Dessert-4-New Year event glitter-graphics.com

Hi all my blog reares and evry one I wish you all a Wonderful Christmas…..hope you all are enjoying with your friends and family…. MERRY CHRISTMAS..ALL OF YOU………have a nice time… glitter-graphics.com