A Big Thank You wth...Tomato Garlic Biscuits.

This post is a virtual way of thanking Srivalli @ Cooking 4 all Season who organized this wonderful event Cookie Mela.
I feel proud to be the winner of this wonderful book gifted by Valli  "taste of home" Cookies.
I received this book today and am super excited to bake each and every of the 623 recipes this book has.
From the bottom of my heart Thank You Srivalli.

This biscuit is heavenly and the best part is it is savoury and super easy to make.
You could use them for breakfast, as a evening snack or just a filler with a light salad for dinner, and i should not forget pin pointing that these biscuits are really low in calorie.
I played it a little safe this time by using AP Flour, m sure to experiment with Whole Wheat Flour soon.
You could bake them a size or two big and use them as a burger bun, a sandwich bread ....
This recipe had been bookmarked in my recipe book since really long.. and I am glad at last i gave it a try.

Tomato Garlic Biscuits
1 Cup APF

1/2 tsp Baking pwd

1/4th tsp salt

5-6 tbs Sun dried tomatoes chopped finely
1/2 cup low fat yogurt
1/3th cup olive oil

Chili flakes (Adjust to your taste )
Jalapenos (optional)
Pre-heat your oven at 180 deg C. 
Mix all the above ingredients until well combines. Line your baking tray with parchment paper.
Drop the prepared dough on the baking sheet and bake for about 12-15 minutes.. the top of the biscuits should have turned golden brown.
Enjoy them while warm.


**Note** The texture of these biscuits is cake like.

This post is off to Valli's Cookie Mela.

Choco-Vanilla Cup Cake

Happy Birthday Maa! ..
Having Internet makes it so much easier to make your loved ones feel special.
Here i take the full advantage.. and thought of presenting virtual cupcakes for my Moms Birthday.
Hope you like them.
I shall post the recipe soon.... for now do have a virtual taste of these Choco-Vanilla Cuppies :)

Happy Birthday Maa! - With loads n loads of love~

Decorated Cakes

Cakes.... m obsessed to them~ well not just eating them but making them as well. If  I have to bake a decorated cake i start planning for it months before and trust me i NEVER make what i plan. The end result is absolutely altered.

The urge to reach perfection keeps on aggravating with every cake Ive made. Here is a sneak peak to my recent requisite. 


I have used a basic chocolate cake in all these 3 cakes. Here is the recipe for the sponge:


Eggless Chocolate Cake

1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar (add 1/4 cup more if not using frosting)
1/2 cup plain yogurt / curd
1/4 cup butter
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking powder
A pinch of salt if using unsalted butter
Milk (as required)


 Pre-heat oven to  max  for about 15 min. Grease a your cake pan,. Sift together flour, salt , cocoa powder and baking powder 
 Mix sugar and butter at room temperature whisk well until frothy. Once frothy, add yogurt and vanilla. Mix well.
 Fold in the flour mixture and whisk until combined. The batter should be free flowing paste.. if it look thick at this stage add milk gradually until u reach the desired consistency. 
 Transfer batter to the greased tray and bake for 45 mins or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. 
Cool completely and frost if required.

Here i have used whipped cream for the frosting, and just changed the essence in them for a different flavor.

The characters were made of Fondant.

Angry Birds Scene Cake.

Angry Birds (Yellow Bird Cake)

Princess Belle Cake

Bluberry Almond Crumble.

A crumble is a dish of British and Irish origin that can be made in a sweet or savoury version, depending on ingredients used, although the sweet version is much more common. (Wikipedia)

Fresh Blueberries were not quite easily available around where i live,.... recently Ive been finding them a lot around and got hooked on to the lil purple balls :)

These Sweet and tangy berries are a amazing snack, there are a lot of thing you could try with this lil fruit. I decided to do a Blueberry Almond crumble, and the result was a yummy subtle delicate dessert.

Almond Blueberry Crumble. (Optionally Vegan)

3 Cups fresh Blueberries*(check note)
1/2 cup Sugar
Few drops of Lemon juice
1 Tbs cornstarch
2 Tbs hot water
21/2 cups Oats
11/4th cup All Purpose Flour
1 cup Packed Brown Sugar
11/2 stick Butter/ 1/2 cup Vegetable oil *(check note)
1 cup silverd  roasted almonds
Pinch of salt.

Preheat oven to 180 deg C, and grease you ramekins or you dish that you are using.

In a saucepan set over medim heat, combine the blueberries, sugar and lemon juice, bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to simmer and cook untill the berries are tender. This might take up to 10-15 min.
Whisk in your constarch mixed with warm water until a smooth paste is formed. Cook for about a minute.
Cool this sauce covered, to avoid a skin forming on top.

In a bowl stir in oats, flour and sugar, and a pinch of salt.
Cut in the cold butter with the above ingredients. If making it Vegan and using oil pour in oil little by little to make a crumbly texture. You might need more or less of oil.

Press 2/3rd of the mix on your prepared pan. Spread the cold blueberry mix over the top and sprinkle some roasted almonds.
Sprinkle with remaining mixture of the flour and roasted almonds.
Bake until golden brown or about 45 minutes.
Decorate with fresh blueberries or blueberry sauce. I swished on some caramel sauce too which tasted yum!

You could serve this warm or cold. Choice is your.

*NOTE:  
*If you donot get fresh blueberries you could defrost frozen ones. And if you using a readymade bluebery sauce just cut down on you sugar and boil untill thick.
*Opt for oil instead of butter to make this recipe Vegan.

This Post is off to- Tamalapaku Fruit/Veggie of the Month (This months choice is Blueberries.),  brain child of Priya 

Herb garlic focaccia

If my hubby had a option of reincarnation We'd choose to b Italians..
And id B a Italian cook:) lol
There is only one thing common between my hubby n me... n that is LOVE FOR ITALIAN FOOD:)
So i tried this new recipe for focaccia:) i wish i could master this cuisine to the best..

HERB Garlic FOCACCIA

1sachet(11gms) dried yeast
t 4-5tbs olive oil
1cup tepid water
2 cups plain flour , and extra for rolling out
3-4 Tbsp rosemary leaves , Thyme leaves. u could use fresh or dried.
1 Tbs garlic powder or fresh minced garlic is good too.
salt
sugar

Make the dough By first adding Yeast in a cup of water.
Let the yeast prove for about 5 -10 min.
Then add the yeast mix to the flour, add a pinch or more salt and sugar to it.
Knead the dough well and in a greased bowl wrap a cling film around the bowl and leave it in a warm place for about 1-2 hours to prove.
The dough will double in size.
Pre-heat the oven at 160deg C for about 10 min.
Then remove the dough and take the air off the dough, then roll it into desired shape.. round or a rectangle...Using your fingers .. make finger prints to make a nice design.
Rub a little olive oil on it, n sprinkle the herbs and garlic powder on it.
Bake it for about 30 min.You could eat it hot or cold:)The trick is to drizzle a little olive oil and Parmesan cheese before u munch on it:))Enjoy