Sugar cookies

I can cook but baking cookies is my nemesis...I have tried and tried again. Either they turn to be very crunchy...which I do not like, or turn to be cake like. I want a chewy cookie not a cake EEEKKK!!!

But today I hit the jackpot. Finally found the recipe which makes the delicious chewy cookies I love love love.

So...I must tell you, I have never baked a sugar cookie. So I missed one BIG detail about baking it. I should have left them like a ball and with enough space between each of them. So :(  they spread out and touched each other...so no round nice looking cookies. But for the first time baker, the taste is fantastic. Anyone trying to bake a cookie for the first time should start with this recipe.

This recipe makes about 30-32 cookies.

Sugar Cookies

Sugar cookies

Ingredients:

1. 2-3/4 cup all purpose flour
2. 1 teaspoon baking soda
3. 1/2 teaspoon salt
4. 1 cup (8oz) butter melted
5. 2 cups sugar divided into 1-3/4 cup and 1/4 cup
6. 2 teaspoons vanilla
7. 2 eggs

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until  fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients until just blended. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls and roll the balls in remaining 1/4 cup of sugar ( I used the different colored sugars I had) . Place cookies 2 inches apart onto a cookie sheets and flatten slightly.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly browned at the edges. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Serve with coffee or as is :)

How to freeze sugar cookie dough

 Place the cookie dough after rolling them in the sugar on to a cookie sheet and freeze them. So once you need some sugar fix, thaw as many as you want and bake and enjoy 

eggnog pancakes

Eggnog is one of my favorites during Christmas time. Its super sweet and loaded with calories. What else could be wrong with it LOLLLLL. No Matter, I just luuuuuuuuuuvvvvveee it. I have one of the recipes for cooked eggnog. I make it when I have a hunkering for something sweet and creamy and its not December

So, once I found the eggnog in the markets, I got it. Ofcourse, there is only so much you can drink. And I was trying to find a good breakfast for Christmas. Ofcourse I made it before Christmas because I had to try it :) and boy oh boy it is sooo delicious. DO try.

Eggnog Pancakes

Eggnog Pancakes

Banana and Raspberry cane 

Ingredients:

1. 11/2 cup all purpose flour
2. 1 tablespoon sugar
3. 2 teaspoons baking powder
4. 1 cup eggnog
5. 1 tablespoon melted butter
6. 1 egg
7. 1/2 teaspoon salt 

Beat together the butter egg and eggnog. In another dish sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Add the liquid ingredients to the flour and add water little by little until you get the pancake consistency batter.

Heat a griddle and add some butter to it and add a ladle of batter. Cook until you start seeing bubbles and flip the pancake and cook for 2 more minutes.

For more festivity set the fruits...banana and raspberry or strawberry in the form of a candy cane and enjoy with syrup or without

dosakaya pulusu

Dosakaya is the Telugu name for the Yellow Cucumber. They look super cute. The only recipe I know how to make with this yellow cucumber is like a chutney. But today I made khatta...meaning the yellow cucumber in tamarind based thin gravy.
Khatta literally translated to sour...and in Urdu we use "khatta" to represent sour tamarind based gravy

So here is the recipe

Dosakaya Pulusu (Yellow cucumber in tamarind based gravy)

Dosakaya pulusu

Ingredients:

1. 1 medium  Yellow Cucumber peeled and cubed
2. 1 Tomato, chopped
3. ½ teaspoon each of  Chili Powder, Turmeric Powder, salt
4. golf ball sized Tamarind soaked in 3 cups of water
5. ½ teaspoon each of  Mustard Seeds and Cumin
6. 2 teaspoons Oil
7. Few Curry Leaves
8. 2 teaspoons Rice Flour (to thicken)

In a pressure cooker add 1 teaspoon oil and add chopped tomatoes and cucumber and fry for 5 minutes. Add turmeric, salt and chilli powder and stir to combine. Add the tamarind juice and close the cooker and cook for 3-4 whistles. Let the steam escape. 

In a pan heat the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and fry the mustard and cumin along with curry leaves and a red chilli till they start spluttering. Cut the heat and add the tempering to the cooker. Mix about 2 tablespoons of oil to the rice flour and add it to the cooker and simmer for 5-7 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and serve with steamed rice

Mysoor Bajji

When I was little there used to be a vendor who used to make these little fried flour balls and served them curry leaf powder and I loved them. It costed us 5 cents in those days in India. Mmmm nostalgia.

Anyway, here is the recipe for those yummy fried flour balls. But the difference here is, I have this dish 

This dish helps me make these yummy balls shallow fried, instead of deep frying them.

Mysoor Bajji (Savory deep fried fermented flour balls)

Mysoor Bajji

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup all-purpose flour 
2. 1/4 cup rice flour
3. 1/2  teaspoon each of salt, baking soda, cumin 
4. 1/2 cup plain yogurt 
5. 3/4 cups of water
6. 1 teaspoon each of  finely chopped ginger, fresh squeezed lemon or lime juice, finely chopped green chilis, dessicated coconut
7. 1 tablespoons  finely chopped cilantro
8. Oil for either deep frying or to apply to the above pan (if you have it)

Mix  together, all-purpose flour, rice flour, salt, baking soda,  cumin and coconut. Add yogurt and mix it well add the water to make thick batter. Add remaining ingredients and set aside for about 15-20 minutes. 
Heat the oil in a pan,  Add 1 tablespoon of batter into the oil. Fry the bajjis until golden-brown all around. This should take about 3-4 minutes.
Mysore bonda should be crispy from outside and should be soft inside.
Serve them with coconut Chutney. or with Curry leaf powder

corn confetti salad

Sometimes I want to eat different kind of vegetable salad then just lettuce and everything else added to it. This is one of those days and this is super colorful super delicious and filling salad.

Corn Confetti Salad

Corn Confetti Salad

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup corn
2. 1 red bell pepper cubed 1 cm
3. 1 medium carrot cubed 1 cm
4. 1 medium small zucchini and 1 medium small yellow squash cubed 1 cm
5. 1/2 cup chopped red onion
6. 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
7. 1/4 cup loosely packed chopped cilantro or parsley (whichever you like me) I used Tarragon, which is one of my favorite fresh spices
8. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, cumin powder, coriander powder, cayenne powder or lemon pepper

Heat a pan to high temp and add zucchini and squash and roast for 5 minutes. Add oil and add the rest of the vegetables for 5-7 minutes. Add all the spices and mix together. Add the cilantro or tarragon and serve/enjoy warm

Salmon burger

I cook Indian food devotedly Monday through Thursday but by Friday I am tired of it and I want to eat something else. Mostly I am just too tired on Fridays to cook anything elaborate and I just heat and eat

The salmon burger I made today was super delicious. And it is pretty easy to make also. So here you go
Salmon Burger

Salmon Burger

Ingredients

1. 12-15 oz salmon fillet
2. 1 teaspoon each of mustard (I use my fav Boars' head white wine and horseradish delicatessen style mustard), mayo, lemon juice
3. 1/2 teaspoon salt, chilli flakes, pepper
4. panko
5. 1 tablespoon finely chopped onions and cilantro
6. oil for frying

Ground 1/3 of the salmon into paste. The rest should be chopped into 1 cm cubes. Mix all the ingredients and divide it into four parts.Make them into patties with wet palms and put it on a wax paper and into the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

In a plate spread panko and press the patties into panko on both side

Heat an iron skillet or non stick skillet and fry the patties on high heat for a minute and cover and cook for 3 minutes. Turn and fry on medium high heat for 2 minutes.

Toast your bun (or not if you don't like it...but toasted buns are super delicious). Spread mustard and mayo or cilantro sour cream, add the salmon patty, top with lettuce, red onion slices and tomato slices and serve with potato chips :)

Baingan bharta rice

In this world there are two types of people: who love eggplant and those who hate eggplant. Me and my Big B used to be the people in the second group, but one day mom sent us to buy eggplants and that was the day we tried it and shifted to the first group.

So basically I love eggplant

This rice dish with eggplant is one of those dishes which will warm you up from inside. This is a great dish when it is cold and gloomy outside

Baingan bharta rice (creamy Rice with roasted eggplant and tomatoes)

Baingan bharta rice

Ingredients:

1. 1 medium sized American eggplant
2. 2 cups rice
3. 2 medium large tomatoes chopped
4. 1 cup chopped onion
5. 1 teaspoon each of salt, chilly powder, ginger garlic paste, coriander powder
6. 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin powder, turmeric powder, garam masala
7. 1 tablespoon oil

Cut the eggplant into half length wise. Roast it over the stove flame (if your stove is gas) until the skin starts to wilt. Else roast in the oven at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes. Scrape the flesh of the roasted eggplant once it cools down.

In a pan heat the oil and fry the onions till they start turning brown. Add ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute. Add the tomatoes and all the spices, stir to combine. Cover and cook till the tomatoes got pulpy. Add the roasted eggplant pulp and stir well. Add 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Add rice and cover and coo for 20-25 minutes or until rice is done. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy