"Sweet Treats"- Strawberry Trifle

Short on time...but still want to make a beautiful and luscious dessert??? Here it is buddy!
This is one of those semi-homemade type desserts...which is quick and easy to  make, looks gorgeous and tastes....come on strawberries,whipped cream sponge cake...what can go wrong there???? It  will surely please the pickiest of the eaters!!!

For 6 servings:
Ingredients:
6 slices of store bought/ home made sponge or pound cake.I used store bought blueberry sliced cake.
8-10 strawberries sliced
6 strawberries sliced like a flower for garnishing
1 and 1/2 cups vanilla whipped cream
2 tsp sugar
1tsp Strawberry jam

Whipped cream:
1 Cup heavy whipping cream
2tsp sugar
1tsp Vanilla essence


Method:
1) You can make the vanilla whipped cream ahead and store in refrigerator.Here goes the recipe-
http://www.joyofbaking.com/WhippedCreamFrosting.html

2) To the sliced strawberries add 2tsp sugar and 1tsp jam and let them macerate for 30 mins.
3) Cut the Sponge cake into bite size pieces
4) Assembly-
Place a dollop of whipped cream at the bottom of the serving cup/glass/bowl
Add a spoonful of the macerated strawberries
Place few pieces of cake on top.
Layer with whipped cream....strawberries...cake..cream...
Continue layering till the top of the glass
Decorate with Whipped cream and fresh strawberry.
5) Chill the glasses till ready to serve. 
Done!

 You will love the smooth chilled fluffy whipped cream with the juicy strawberries and the cake soaking up all those juices!! Layer by Layer......satisfy your sweet tooth!

"Appetizers"- Asparagus-Chicken Kababs

Aren't they gorgeous and mouthwatering????
I just love myself, when I make something which looks this good and makes everyone drool!!!
These are perfect little bundles to have as an appetizer and also to grill outside,especially now since the summer is sizzling!

I had invited a couple friends over...and was pondering on what to make as appetizers to go along with Chicken Biryani.. as the main course. While grocery shopping.....I found these "Asparagus Tips" at Jay-C ..and in my head sizzled this idea..of Asparagus- Chicken Kababs!!!!

Ingredients:
1 bundle of Asparagus Tips

Chicken Kababs:

1lb minced chicken/kheema

1 medium onion chopped finely
2tsp mint paste/ dry mint powder
1tsp ginger garlic paste
1tbsp chopped cilantro
1tsp Cumin seeds
1/2tsp chicken curry masala
1/2tsp garam masala
 2 tsp red chili powder
1/4tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin-corainader powder
1/4tsp black pepper
salt to taste
oil to brush hands

Olive oil to shallow fry/ grill the Kababs

Method:
1) Wash and dry the Asparagus tips and keep aside.
2) Mix together all the above ingredients for the kababs.Do not over mix,otherwise the kababs will come out tougher.
3) Take couple asparagus tips and cover the center part with Chicken mixture cylindrically.Use oiled hands to press the mixture on the tips.

4) Heat a nonstick pan. Place the Kababs on the pan and drizzle with little olive oil. Cover with a lid. In a couple mins(once the kababs brown up on one side), turn them to the other side.Cook till browned from all sides and the asparagus looks tender.

5) Serve hot by themselves or along with sliced caramelized onions. Your guests will love these kababs for sure!!

"Appetizers"- Spinach-Rice Vadas

Potluck Potlucks potlucks...sometimes I run out of ideas..what should I make??? I remembered my friend 'S' telling me about how she uses up the leftover rice.
I thought why not try these vadas and add some spinach so that you feel just a bit less guilty about eating fried food ;)

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked rice (leftover or cooled)
1/2 cup finely chopped spinach (you can add more for more greener vadas)
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1tsp finely chopped green chilies (add more for spicier vadas)
1tsp finely chopped garlic
1tsp cumin
1/3 cup Chakali bhajani or  Rice flour  ( they will be tastier with chakali bhajani)
salt
oil to fry

 Method:
1) Mix together rice, spinach and all the above ingredients. Mix well.
2) Make into 'doughnut' or medu vada shape.
3) Deep fry in oil till golden brown. Drain on paper towel

4) Serve hot with your favorite chutney/ hot and sweet sauce

My Kitchens Aroma gets a makeover!

My Kitchen's Aroma will now be...... 'The Sizzling Pan'
www.thesizzlingpan.com

Hope you will love the new look and name of My Kitchen's Aroma and visit the newbie....."The Sizzling Pan".
Thank you for your support and visiting my blog!
You all are the BEST and inspire me to cook,click and blog!!!
 Spread the word and this link-
www.thesizzlingpan.com
Also, bear with me a few weeks..... as I will be experimenting with the design and layout of the blog.
Thanks,
Deepti

"Everyday Cooking"- Chicken meat ball curry/ Kheema ball curry

We have a little 'Dinosaur" or to be precise "Triceratops" at home and he has been liking 'Dinosaur food" lately!! Yeah..that's what my 4.5 year old 'E' has been telling me. Since Dinosaurs ate 'meat'....he loves anything with the word 'meat' in it.
The other day I made these as appetizers and he gobbled like 4 of them...which is very unlikely of him. He said he lovedddd the 'Meat balls'.
http://my-kitchens-aroma.blogspot.com/2009/11/appetizers-chicken-kheema-balls-minced.html

Other one of his favorites for a long time now is.. 'Naan' and 'Orange bhaji' (that's what he calls the red colored Punjabi curries')
I made this 'Meal Ball Curry' to go along with his favorite Naan...

Ingredients:
Chicken Meat balls :
2 cups Ground Chicken
1 small onion chopped finely
1tsp ginger garlic paste
1tsp  Chicken masala/garam masala/kitchen king masala
1tsp Chili powder
2tsp chopped mint
4tsp chopped cilantro
1/2tsp cumin
1/2tsp turmeric
salt
1tbsp oil to fry
Baked version of meat balls:
http://my-kitchens-aroma.blogspot.com/2009/11/appetizers-chicken-kheema-balls-minced.html

Curry:
2 large onions finely chopped
2 tomatoes finely chopped
1tsp ginger garlic paste
1tsp chicken curry masala
1tsp chili powder
1/2tsp turmeric
1/2tsp shahi jeera
1 bay leaf
2-3 cloves
4-5 Black pepper corns
salt
oil
Cilantro for garnishing

Method:
1) Mix together ground chicken, onion, mint and all the above ingredients. Mix till well distributed.Make small lemon size balls.
2) Heat 1 tbsp oil in non stick skillet. Place the balls and fry til brown on one side. Turn/ flip the balls gently and fry till golden on all sides.Drain and keep aside.
3) In the same pan ( with the left over oil of the meat balls), add the shahi jeera, pepper, bay leaf and fry for few seconds. Add the onions and cook till tender and browned.Add the tomatoes and ginger garlic paste. Fry till cooked.
4) Add the dry masala powders, salt and water and boil.
5) Add the meat balls and boil for 2-3 mins. Garnish with lots of cilantro.

Serve hot with hot Naan/Roti or Rice

"Pat a Cake"- Zebra Cake with Chocolate Whipped Cream frosting

It was 'M's birthday , and like every year...I wanted to bake a special cake for him. I knew ...he loves the Zebra cake ( there is still a kid in him!!) and I didn't have to think much on what to make.
I decided to frost the cake with a Chocolate whipped cream frosting as I had wanted to try it out for so long.

The cake I baked was from the recipe I found here on AZ Cookbook:
http://www.azcookbook.com/zebra-cake/
I did everything as the recipe said ...except I added 2tbsp powdered sugar to the 'cocoa batter' ( last time i tried it...it was less sweet for my taste)

For Extra Moistness-
*****Once the cake was baked, I let it cool and spray it with Sugar-vanilla syrup to make it extra moist and delicious
Recipe-
Boil 3/4 cup water with 1/3 cup sugar for 8 mins. Let it cool.Add 1/2 tsp vanilla essence.Spray with a spray bottle on the cake and let it soak for 40-50 mins before frosting the cake.

Chocolate Whipped Cream frosting:
http://www.joyofbaking.com/WhippedCreamFrosting.html

The icing tasted heavenly!!! But it was a lot thinner/softer to make good icing patterns.
Next time I am going to try the gelatin in the icing to make it sturdier....

Finally....
I grated/ shaved some Dark chocolate onto the cake to give it that extra chocolaty taste and pretty look!
Garnished the cake with a fresh strawberry.


'M" loveddddd the cake and it was gone in no time...

My Kitchens Aroma coming with a fresh new look and name soon....

Hi friends,
 Due to the similarity in the name with some other blogs....I have decided to rename My Kitchens Aroma.
I am still looking for possible names.Do you have any suggestions????
Hope you will visit and love the fresh and new look of the blog...

Deepti

"Sweet Treats"- Thumbprint Cookies

Aren't they gorgeous? So pretty....... but yet so simple to make!

Couple weeks ago, 'N' made these for the tea party.They looked cute as a button and I couldn't wait to try them out.'N' had used Ina Garten's recipe, but I made mine with a twist....
I made mine along with Flax seed meal and Wheat germ(that's why you see those brown specks in the cookies) and made two toppings- Strawberry jam and the other Peanut butter with Honey and a dark chocolate chip tucked in.

Here goes the recipe:
Ingredients:
1.5 cup All purpose flour
1/8 cup Wheat germ(you can skip this and add all purpose flour instead or Almond powder)
1/8 cup Flax seed meal(you can skip this and add all purpose flour instead or Almond Powder)
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4tsp salt
1tsp Vanilla essence
1 egg
1tbsp orange juice/ Water

Topping:
Strawberry jam
OR
Peanut butter mixed with honey + chocolate chips

Method:
1) Bring butter to room temperature. Cream sugar and butter with hand mixer.
2) Add the egg and mix again.
3)Add all the other ingredients and mix till blended.

4) Wrap in plastic wrap and chill the dough in refrigerator for 1 hour
5) Preheat the oven to 350F

6)Make small rounds of equal size.Press in the center with your thumb/pointer finger/ melon baller

 

7) Bake the cookies at 350F for 10 mins.

8) Place a little Strawberry jam/ Peanut butter+honey+ chocolate chip in the center of the cookies

9) Bake again at 350F for 8 mins.Take cookies out.Then turn the oven to OFF.After about 10 mins of the oven cooling,place the cookies back in for 8 mins(Oven is off)This 'low heat' baking helps the cookies to crisp up.Do not let them brown. Cool before storing.

"Nutritious and Delicious" Homemade Cereal Bars with Oats, Wheat puffs, Pistachios and Cranberries

With the success of the first homemade cereal bars made with Oats, Rice crispies, nuts and dark chocolate chips (http://www.my-kitchens-aroma.blogspot.com/2012/04/nutritious-and-delicious-homemade.html) ...I dared to try this new combination of cereals for the bar.
In the breakfast isle of the grocery store, I found this new 'super' food..Wheat germ. It is supposed to be full of vitamins and nutrients.Since it seems like everyone is eating this either in their cereals or baked goods....I thought I should add this to the cereal bars.( I am even adding it to the Chapati dough now!!!)

Super cereal Bar:
So these cereal bars have - Oats, Wheat Puffs, Wheat germ, Flax seed meal, Pistachios, Cranberries....what else do you need..to fill you up in the morning???? It's all in there and all good for you!
The texture of this bar came pretty close to the  Kashi  'Go lean crunch' .
So go ahead and Crunnnch Crunnch and Munnch!!

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cup Quick Cooking oats
1 and 1/2 cups Wheat puffs cereal (unsweetened)
1/4 cup untoasted Wheat germ
1/8 cup Flax seed meal
1/4 cup Light brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup Honey
1/4 cup toasted Pistachios
1/8 cup dried cranberries
1/8 cup peanut butter chocolate chips
1 egg
1tbsp oil
1 tbsp All purpose flour
1/4tsp cinnamon powder
1tsp Vanilla extract
1/4tsp Salt

Method:
1) Preheat oven to 350F. Spread the oats and nuts on a cookie sheet and warm in the oven for 8-10 mins...until slightly toasted. reduce temperature to 325F. Coat a 8*11 inch pan or 9* 9 inch pan with aluminum foil.Spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2) Beat the egg.Mix oil, sugar and all of the above ingredients, stir well.
3) Press the mixture in the coated pan.
4) Bake at 325F for 12 mins ....till slightly golden brown

5)  Let them cool.Cut into bars.
6) Crunchy bars:
Place them on cookie sheet again and bake again for 15 mins at 300 F. The bars will be crunchy after cooling.
If not..bake again for 10 mins at 300 F and cool. The slow baking and cooling process gives that crunch.
7) Store in airtight container after cooling.

Feel good about starting the day with a nutritious bar straight from your own oven!

"Sweet Treats"- White Chocolate Bark with Pistachios,Almonds and Cranberries

I had seen Ina Garten ( Food Network) make this a long time ago. It looked so pretty and yet so easy to make..I had decided to try it out! It was my friend 'A's b'day and I was looking for some 'sweets' to carry along with the gift. This was a perfect thing to carry along ...looked so pretty,tasted delicious with those nuts and cranberries and was 'homemade' after all!

Chocolate Bark--
 According to 'baking bites'  a chocolate bark is- Chocolate bark is actually a sheet of chocolate that is usually covered with nuts, dried fruits, candies or even additional pieces of chocolate. Its is rustic looking in the sense that it is just thrown together, not laid out with a specific pattern to how the ingredients are placed, and it is broken into shards of various sizes to serve. The name “bark” starts to seem much less unusual when you see a box full of chocolate shards that actually do bear a slight resemblance to rough pieces of tree bark – albeit tasty tree bark.

 Recipe-
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/white-chocolate-bark-recipe/index.html
1) I followed Ina Garten's recipe but used toasted Pistachios and almonds and dried cranberries as the additions to the white chocolate.
2) I toasted the nuts in microwave safe plate in the microwave
3) I used vanilla flavored white chocolate waffers as my white chocolate.

Recipe Verdict:
Loved the crunchy toasted nuts with the luscious white chocolate
Pretty easy to make...looks good too!
Will I make it again: Yes for sure!