"Sweet Treats"- Fruit Custard in Filo cups

For last weeks Potluck, I was in charge of making the dessert.Potlucks are a lot of fun, especially since, you get to meet everyone and also taste variety of good food. Needless to say, it adds 'happy pounds' on you!!!
So the menu for this weeks potluck was...2 types of pastas, a soup, a salad and then a dessert.Everything tasted good and we had a satisfying meal at 'V''s new house.

Ingredients:
For Fruit Custard

Milk
Custard powder of your favorite brand and flavor
Fruits cut into bite size pieces: Apples,peeled oranges,Pineapple, grapes, bananas
Handful of chocolate chips
Vanilla essence
Sprinkles for decoration

1) Make the custard according to directions on the custard powder can.Let it cool
2) Add the Vanilla essence,chopped fruits,chocolate chips and chill in refrigerator.

Phyllo/Filo Dough Cups:
6 Phyllo sheets
2tbsp melted butter
muffin pans
1) Thaw the filo dough as per packet directions
2) Place 1 rectangular sheet of filo on cutting board. Apply melted butter gently with a brush.Apply through the whole sheet. Be gentle, otherwise the sheets will tear.

3) Place next sheet on top of this buttered sheet.Apply butter.Repeat the same and stack all sheets on top of one another.Cut into 6 squares and place them in muffin pans.

 4) Bake at 350F for 8-10 mins till golden brown.Check packet for exact baking time for that brand of filo dough.

5) Let the filo cups cool before filling with fruits custard.

6) Just before serving, fill the cups with cold Fruit custard till the top and garnish with sprinkles.

The crisp buttery filo along with chilled creamy fruit custard gives a wonderful explosion of textures in every bite!

"Appetizers"- Black- Eyed Beans Fritters/ Chavali che Vade/Vada

 'M' is out for work for 2 weeks, and my friends have been taking good care of me!!!!Almost everyday I have been going to lunch or dinner at some friends house...love you all for being so nice!!!
"A" had invited me over for dinner a couple days ago. I decided to make these fritters to take over, which I had been wanting to try out for so long.This is my friend Manisha's recipe.She says it was passed onto her by her 'in -laws'. The fritters/ vadas are crisp on outside, soft and spicy on the inside and have an 'irrestible' taste.
You got to try these out!

Ingredients:
1cup Black-eyed beans
1-2 green chilies
2 clove garlic
1tsp ginger paste
1tsp cumin seeds
1/2tsp Turmeric
salt
oil to fry

Method:
1) Soak the black eyed beans for 5-6 hours in water. Drain all the water.
2) Grind the beans along with ginger,garlic, green chilies,cumin,salt etc with minimal water into a coarse paste.
3) Add the turmeric and mix well.

4) Add small lemon size batter into hot oil and fry on medium heat till golden brown.
5) Serve hot along with a 'tangy' sauce like 'Maggie hot and sweet chili sauce' or plain ketchup.

My version of 'Hot and sweet' sauce:

1/4 cup Plain ketchup
1tsp Red chili-Garlic paste (store bought)
1/2 tsp sugar add more for more sweeter taste.
1/4 tsp salt
water to thin out the sauce
Mix everything together to get Spicy-Tangy-Sweet Sauce that goes well with anything and everything!!

"Appetizers"- Eggplant Rollatinis

Are there any 'food choices' that are different between you and your significant other? They say that....after years of living together, a couple becomes 'like' each other. Do their food preferences change too???

Between me and 'M', there are many 'food differences'. I love Rice and dishes made with rice.He eats rice in the form of 'Biryani' only. I like eggplant.He hates eggplant.I like bananas.He can't stand bananas.I like prawns....he can hardly taste them....

So, when he is out for work..I indulge into my favorite foods!!! 

This was one such 'Eggplant' indulgence for me....

Ingredients:
8 Eggplant slices(about 3/4th cm thick, cut from center of a large eggplant)
1/4cup Cream cheese
1/4 cup pepper jack cheese shredded
2tbsp Parmesan cheese
1/2tsp red pepper flakes
1/4th tsp ground black pepper
1/4tsp garlic paste
1/4th cup chopped cilantro
salt
oil
Maggie hot and sweet sauce/ Marinara sauce/ ketchup

Method:
1) Apply salt and pepper on the eggplant slices. Rub a little oil.Grill on a 'grill pan' for a minute on both sides to cook the eggplant and get those gorgeous 'grill marks'.
( I love to eat the grilled eggplant just by itself too!!!!)

2) Mix the cheeses, red pepper, black pepper, salt, cilantro,garlic. etc to get the filling.
3)  Place the filling in the center of the grilled eggplant and roll it up into 'Rollatini'

4)  Serve along with Maggie hot and sweet sauce ( this one is my favorite.I can eat anything and everything with it!!!)  or Marinara sauce or Plain ketchup.

5) You can also bake the Rollatinis before serving with extra sauce and cheese on top.

                Enjoy the cheesy,spicy eggplant rollatini warm or hot!!

"Sweet Treats"- Brownies

Brownies brownies and more brownies....

The theme for 'A's 1st and 'E's 4th birthday party was 'Candyland'.

Along with the various other types of candies and chocolates....I made these brownie squares and brownie pops to go with the theme.
I started with "Betty Crocker' Brownie mix and then jazzed up the brownies..my way.

Brownie Squares

1 Box Betty Crocker brownie mix ( plus water, oil, eggs etc mentioned on the box)
3/4th cup all purpose flour
1 Unsweetened Apple sauce can(4oz)
Icing writer/icing gun/ pastry bag
flower candy for decoration

Method:
1) Mix brownie mix, water,oil,eggs, all purpose flour, apple sauce.
2) Grease a cookie sheet and spread the brownie mixture onto the cookie sheet to get 'thin' brownies.
3) Bake as per box directions
4) Let the brownies cool for 1/2 hour. Cut into squares.
5) Decorate each individual square with icing and decorative candy

Brownie Pops
These are a fun way to eat brownies!

1 Betty Crocker brownie mix
Icing writer/tube in pink and white
Sprinkles for decoration
Lollipop sticks
plastic wrap
ribbon
Muffin pan
Wilton 'flower' shaped brownie pan

Method:
1) Bake the brownies in flower shaped pan and in muffin pans.
2) After cooling, decorate as desired with icing gun/pen etc.
3) Decorate with sprinkles

4) Wrap with plastic wrap, insert lollipop sticks and tie a ribbon