BIRTHDAY UPDATES!

Hello everyone,hope you all are doing good! Every time I tell you guys that I will be regular here, I end up doing just the opposite! We were in Kannur for the whole of Summer and got back about a month ago. While we were there, I was literally buried in orders for my Doughnuts, Brownies,Jams, Cakes & Desserts! It was a lot of fun and work. I got to meet a lot of you this time when you came to pick up your orders, at various Malls, at Supermarkets etc. It felt really good to put a face to your name!

Before we left for Kannur, Jobin & I celebrated our birthday's in the month of May. We baked each others cakes, like we do every year. The kids were really excited about it, more than us actually. There's something about cake cutting & candle blowing for them and of course, for us. Turing a year older with my beloved family around was definitely the best way to celebrate my birthday! For his birthday, I baked a Fresh Pineapple Cream Cake with a naked cake style appearance of sorts. And for mine,they baked a moist Yellow Cake with Chocolate Buttercream. This year, I was actually home for my birthday,so we celebrated mine a few days early,before we left. :-)

While we were in Kannur, we celebrated Ian's 6th Birthday. It was a small birthday party with a few of my niece's & nephew's. Ian wanted a Mario cake this time and I was pretty sure that we will not get anything related to that in Kannur. So I carried a few things along with us when we went home. Jobin had come down around Ian's birthday and we travelled extensively and reached Kannur a day before his birthday. So basically, I had only one day to prep and host the birthday party. The menu was designed around what Ian enjoyed the most. Since Amma was around to help with everything, it was such a breeze. The only person I can work smoothly with, is Amma. No one else understands my workflow or how I think in my head!

Menu for Ian's Birthday

Mario Birthday Cake 

(Chocolate cake with Chocolate Buttercream)

Guava Punch

Monaco with Onion & Garlic topping

BBQ Chips

Chicken Lasagna

Batura

Chicken Ghee Roast

Channa Masala

My little brother Ritchie, now works in Dubai and was home for a month while we were home. So we all got to spend some quality time together and the kids had a great time having their Uncle around them. His birthday is on September 25th and since he would be spending it alone, I felt like celebrating his day while we were together. So I made a Chocolate cake layered with cream cheese frosting, covered with Nutella buttercream and finally covered with Chocolate Ganache with little swirls of Nutella buttercream on top. When Appa asked me the name of the cake, I was lost and he was like,' If you needed to make this again,do you know how?'. I nodded in agreement! :-)

Then when we got back home in Minneapolis, I started planning for Zara's 2nd birthday party. I knew I wanted it to be a Tea Party,so Tea Party it was! We had a bunch of our good friends over and Zara had a really nice time! There were a lot of kids this time,which is always a good idea, so the noise level was really high with joyful screams & laughs! We have a life size playhouse in our backyard and therefore, most of the kids were playing inside it. The weather also co-operated so all in all, it was a spectacular day!

Menu for Zara's Tea Party

Teddy Bear Cake

(Vanilla Cake with Vanilla Buttercream)

Madeleines

Strawberry Cheesecake Macarons

Glazed Orange Scones

Sausage Rolls

French Onion Puffs

Cucumber Cream Cheese Bites

Egg Salad Tea Sandwiches

Waldorf Chicken Tea Salad Sandwiches

Malabar Chatti Pathiri Bites

Stuffed Paneer Buns

Peach Iced Tea

Passionfruit Lemonade

It really feels good to come back here and share some photographs and updates about our life in general. Ian is in First Grade this year and loves going to school. Zara is one talkative child! She speaks non stop, fluent Malayalam so it's so much fun to have her around during the day while Ian is in school. She is a big helper and loves to do the chores I give her around the house. If you really like to catch upon more about us, please follow me on Instagram where I share a LOT of snippets from our daily lives!

I hope you all had a fabulous Summer and is ready for FALL! It's been a really cold day here today. Brr!

A YOUTUBE CHANNEL & A LAZY DAISY CAKE

Yes, people! I have finally decided to start my own Youtube Channel! Today is a BIG day for me as I am stepping forward to explore a world unknown. And guess what? I will need your support just like the way you have supported this blog of mine for the past 9 years. Jobin helped me shoot and edit the video and we both are just beginning to figure out how this whole thing works! So please bear with me.

This cake is OMG good! It is one of the best cakes that I've baked and it's literally to die for in taste and texture. That coconut topping will leave you wanting for more! This recipe is from KAF. So please do me a favour...watch the video, grab the recipe and bake that cake! Don't forget to share it with your loves ones...the cake and my channel! If you like what you see,don't forget to hit the subscribe button! There's plenty more to come!

LAZY DAISY CAKE
Makes one 8 inch square cake

Ingredients:
Cake
2 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup all purpose flour /maida
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 tablespoon butter

Topping
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 cup sweetened coconut (watch the video for substitutions )

Method: Preheat the oven to 350F/180C. Line an 8" square or 9"round tin.

Cake: In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs until frothy,the add the sugar,beating at high speed until the mixture is thick and lemon coloured. Stir in flour,baking powder and salt.
In a saucepan,heat the milk and butter together to boiling. Add to the ingredients in bowl and beat to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 25- 30 mins or until the top is springy to touch.Let it cool on a rack for 5-10 mins.

Turn on the broiler in the oven.

Topping: Mix all the ingredients together in saucepan and cook on medium-high heat till the butter melts. Spread it over the cake and broil for 2-3 minutes or until the topping is golden brown and bubbling.
Enjoy!

You will love this cake! This one barely lasts for 5 hours in our house. It's super addictive! Don't forget to watch the video to grab some tips for substitutions! This cake lasts really well and stays very moist and tender at room temperature for a good 4-5 days.

BAKED MAC & BEANS

I did my undergrad from Mount Carmel College in Bangalore and pretty much anyone who've studied there around that time would be familiar with Raj shop on Loafer's Lane / Vasanthnagar. He makes the best ever Mexican Chaat and he is the only person whom I know that makes it. It was one of our indulgence during the hostel days when we would try to restrict our spending within our pocket money. My other indulgence was the Sweet Chariot's Chocolate Mousse Cake which I later mastered in making and was super duper thrilled about it . You can read about it here...my post from way back in 2009.

In February, while Jobin was in Bangalore for work, we joined him and spent close to 2 weeks roaming around town dining at new restaurants and revisiting our old favourite restaurants.So one day, I asked him if he could take to me Raj's shop to eat a Mexican Chaat. I was not really sure if the joint was still open. When we reached there, the shop was open and Raj was inside bossing around the girls who came to buy the goodies from his store. He is known for the way he talks with the college girls. When I asked him for a Mexcian Chaat he was like,'What are YOU doing here now?'. It's been 11 years since I last visited that store and nothing has changed. Nothing at all!

One of my favourite past time is to play some videos on Youtube while I cook or pretty much do anything around the house. Cooking videos are my current favourite and I happened to chance upon this one by Ruchi. She made me want to give it a try at home and I am really glad that I did! As I was eating spoonfuls of the piping hot pasta just out of the oven, I was reminded of a very familiar taste. I couldn't for some reason figure out what that was and then when I reached the rock bottom of the bowl, while scraping out the leftover baked sauce I realized that it tasted like Raj's Mexican Chaat!

Ruchi makes her Bechamel sauce a.k.a White sauce in a different way. It's much easier and tastes good. I couldn't find the proportions to the ingredients for her recipe so I have added and decreased the ingredients the way I thought we would like it. It's a very forgiving recipe, so feel free to play with it. With all the beans and oregano in it, it does have a Mexican taste to it.

BAKED MAC & BEANS
Serves 2-3

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup cooked macaroni

1 tablespoon cornflour
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup milk

1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup chopped onions
2 large cloves garlic, made to a paste
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup frozen sweet corn
1/2 cup baked beans (tinned)
2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
A few dashes of hot sauce (like Tabasco,Cholula)
Salt & pepper

Shredded Cheddar, as needed

Method: In a saucepan, mix together cornflour, butter and milk. Cook on medium heat till it boils becomes thick. Set it aside.
In a saute pan, heat the butter and saute the onion till soft and translucent. Add the garlic paste and give it a mix. Add the remaining vegetables and saute for a minute or two. Then add in the beans, ketchup, oregano, red chili powder and hot sauce. Cook for 2-3 minute or until it thickens up. Turn off the heat and mix in the white sauce. Add the cooked pasta and mix well.Season to taste.

Transfer this mixture into a small baking dish and top it with cheese. Bake at 180 C/ 350 F for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
Serve hot and enjoy!

So Zara thinks no matter what I cook, it is all for her. She will not keep quiet until I let her taste it. So today,she got her first share of pasta. She wasn't very sure about the texture of the pasta so she gave me a wide toothless grin while chewing it.It's really funny to see her push the food back into her mouth if it happens to comes outside.She is seriously one joker who loves to try everything. She thinks we all need to eat the same food,adult food that is! I am waiting for Ian to get back from his Montessori to listen to his 'dialogues' about this dish. He loves pasta,so he might like this too.

CHAKKARAPULI

This recipe comes from the cookbook Malabar Muslim Cookery that Appa gave Amma way back in 1995. That's the very first time I heard about Mrs. Ummi Abdulla. I also very quickly learnt that she is our family friend's mother! I met her for the first time sometime in the late 90's and I remember how exciting it was because I finally got to see that person who wrote one of Amma's favourite cookbooks for real! Little things, right? But those little things make up my life for the most part.

Amma has been making this recipe for the longest time. She first served it with a 'Kadachakka Bajji' / Breadfruit Bajji and it was so so good! Even though I've made many other North Indian versions of this sauce, I think I still have a soft spot for this Malabari condiment. There's something about the tangy,sweet, spicy kick that the sauce gives you. It pairs very well with Chaats,Dahi Vada & it's extra tasty even just to lick it straight out of that shot glass. I did just that after I was done photographing them. It was just so good!

Those glasses I've used in the photographs were the ones I used in 2011,when I won the title of Vanitha Pachakarani. I used them for making my dessert in the final round. When I am home, I find these little little things that reminds me of so many good things. It's like I am reliving my past. Hmm. I am not complaining one bit!

We hosted a YWCA meeting at our home the other day and we served Crackers with Green Onion Topping as the appetizer and  an Orange & Watermelon soda as the welcome drink. The mains were Paneer Mousakka, Dahi Vada (on which we lavishly drizzled this wonderful Chakkarapuli), Vegetable Biriyani & a Cucumber-Mint Bread Salad. The desserts were Tiramisu (with homemade Mascarpone), Triple Chocolate Walnut Pie & Petite Boston Cream Doughnuts. By the way,have I told you guys already that I am on Instagram and I pretty much live there? Follow me on Instagram if you haven't already!

CHAKKARAPULI
Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients:
100 grams tamarind
150 grams jaggery,grated
10 dry red chilies
6 cloves garlic
salt
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 tablespoon oil

Method: Soak the tamarind in about a cup of water for 1 hour. Break it down with your fingers,knead and squish to take out the pulp. Strain it into another bowl. Grind together the red chilies, garlic and salt using about 1/4 cup of water.
In a medium saucepan, heat the oil and crackle the mustard seeds. When it begins to pop, add the tamarind pulp, jaggery and the ground paste. Bring it to a boil* and take it off the heat. Let it cool completely and use as needed. Leftovers can be refrigerated and should be consumed within 2 weeks.

*If you had to use more water to extract the tamarind pulp or to grind the paste, that's OK. You will have to boil the mixture just a little bit more to get it to a thick sauce like consistency.

So exactly a month ago, we celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary in Bangalore. So I didn't make a cake for us this year. Aaaaannd last year,for our 6th, we were in two different countries,so I didn't make a cake for us. So two years back to back with zero cakes! Too much,right? :-) We are still in Kannur and we are planning to head back after Easter. So maybe this year for our birthdays, we might go all out with cakes! :-) Aaaaand Zara turned 6 months old yesterday! She even uttered a first word about 5 days ago and that first word was....guess what? Cheta!! Ian was SO over the moon then! She is one fast learner, can hold and stand up for like 5 minutes and blabbers non stop already. Ian & Zara are going to be quite a talkative pair for sure! I wonder where they got that trait from? ;-)

To get updates like these along with food pictures, follow me on Instagram!

STRAWBERRY BUTTERMILK CUPCAKES with STRAWBERRY BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

I know Summer is almost a year away (sadly!) but that doesn't stop me from baking with berries as long as I can get hold of some good ripe ones. I've been eyeing these Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes from Jaclyn's blog for the longest time now and there's no other perfect time to bake them than October as it's the breast cancer awareness month.It reminds me of all the pink goodies I used to see back in the day,when my blog was little during October. Now, I honestly get zero time to blog hop which in a way is good,since all those posts would make me want to recreate them all at home and everything eventually will find it's way to my hips!

These cupcakes are very moist and so full of fresh strawberry flavour,both in the cake and frosting. They are light and uses two egg whites along with a whole egg in the cupcake batter,which I think is a smart move to make some very light cupcakes. I tried them straight out of the oven,literally burning my hands as I held them...they were so good! Light and fluffy like clouds! Recipe testing with Amma is always fun as we hold our breath together while tasting what we made, to see and feel if it has turned out the way it described itself to be. These cupcakes were worth it's time and effort.

Many of you must have already heard about Susan.G.Komen and her initiatives.This October, you can make a difference just by baking and sharing cupcakes.Join KitchenAid to support Susan.G.Komen. Learn more here!

STRAWBERRY BUTTERMILK CUPCAKES with STRAWBERRY BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
Makes 16 cupcakes

Ingredients:
Cupcakes
1 2/3 cup cake flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 large egg whites
1/3 cup fresh strawberry puree
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
5 drops red food colour (optional)
1/2 cup diced fresh strawberries

Buttercream
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoon strawberry puree
3/4 cup unsalted butter
a pinch of salt
2 1/2 - 2 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
4 drops red food colour (optional)

Method:Preheat oven to 350F and prepare a muffin tin.

Cupcakes:In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix together buttermilk, colour and puree in a another bowl.In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar on high speed using your KitchenAid hand mixer until creamy and pale. Add in the whole egg and mix well to combine. Add in the egg whites one at a time and beat in well. Add the flour and buttermilk mixture alternately and gently mix it in. Fold in the diced strawberries and divide the batter among the lined muffin tin (about 1/3 cup full) and bake for 18 - 20 minutes.Let the cupcakes cool in the tin for several minutes, then transfer them onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Frosting: Cook the strawberry puree in a small sauce pan over medium low heat until it reduces to 3 tablespoons, about 15 minutes. Chill it well.
Cream butter and salt until almost white. Add the strawberry puree, 1 cup of powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat well to mix. Add in the remaining sugar and beat well.If your buttercream is stiff, adjust the consistency with heavy cream. Frost the cupcakes as desired.

Ian has his favourite flavour picked out for a cake,which by the way is Chocolate. He asks for the same old chocolate cake and chocolate brownies,so I rarely make any other flavour these days . If it's a Marble Cake,it's okay with him but other than that, if I were to give him a choice, he would always go with his most favourite flavour. So when I baked these, I made a separate batch of chocolate cupcakes for him. Even then, when he saw these pink cupcakes, he grabbed one and then he ate another one before bed. Today, as soon as he was back home from his Montessori, he casually walked past by the cake box and picked out one for himself.

I think that can only mean one thing, these turned out pretty good!

HIS & HERS BIRTHDAY CAKES

Hello June! I hope you are going to be as kind as May was to us. May literally flew by for us.  We both celebrate our birthday's in May,literally at the beginning and at the end so it's a busy month planning what to gift each other and what cake (s) to bake for each other. Our schedules have been so crazy that there have been days where I don't see Jobin at all! Sometimes I feel I need the time to stop moving by so fast because there's a little boy in our lives who is growing up at lightning speed! His vocabulary has increased so much now and he talks ALL the time! Jobin thinks he has taken after his mother when it comes to talking! ;-) I think so too!

Jobin had two cakes for his birthday this year. His most favourite Lamingtons,which is slowly becoming 'our' favourite and another super soft,delicious Lemon Cake with Mascapone & Lemon Curd filling. That cake turned out super awesome! This month, our dear fridge had no space for anything else other than cakes and desserts. We are not complaining one bit,okay? :-)

It was my birthday yesterday and as always, Jobin & Ian baked the most delicious cake for me! It was so soft that it fell off of the fork! Ian was super excited this time as he loves spending time in the kitchen,especially when it involves chocolate. The little spatula that he is using to stir, is his own. He's got two of those!It was my Golden Birthday, as well. For some reason, I did not want a cake this year which kind of put Jobin into a sad mood.He's been baking all my birthday cakes for all these years,so he was really excited for this year too! Finally, I gave in around 7.30 pm (on May 30th - which happens to be my parent's wedding anniversary!!)when he was watching a Suresh Gopi movie on T.V. I told him I needed a cake and I decided that to be a chocolate cake since that's Ian's most favourite flavour in cakes. Jobin loves Suresh Gopi's movies and likes the entire house to be pin drop silent when he watches any movie.So I was literally laughing in my head when I gave him the green signal for the cake. In return, he was offered some Kerala Porotta's & my Amma's special Kozhi curry for dinner that night! ;-)

This small tradition that we built for ourselves, is something that I look forward to every year. There's something really special and magical about having your birthday cake baked by your beloved!

COCONUT OATMEAL SNACK BARS

Idon't think I have told you that I love Coconut Oil or have I? It shouldn't come as a surprise since I come from the Land of Coconuts, Kerala.Given a chance I would cook everything in it,I mean, Kerala stuff. So when I was packing to move to the US one of the two things I held precious were my cookbooks and then 2 packets of Coconut Oil. Unfortunately, in the last minute hurry, I forgot to take the 2 precious packets and I realised that only after I landed here :-( You can guess it, I was definately not happy! So when Amma got a chance, she sent 2 packets with Jobin's bro when he got back after his visit to India.

That second packet out the 2 packets is almost over now and that's when Jen from Kelapo wrote to me asking if I wanted to review their product,Kelapo 100% Pure Virgin Coconut Oil. I jumped up with joy and grabbed the offer and she put it in the mail for me that day itself. As soon as I received the packet, I tore it open , unscrewed the bottle's cap and sniffed into it. It smelt so good but much more coconut-y almost like coconut cream. Maybe it's the difference in the processing that it smells different from the regular Indian Coconut Oil.

I have read a lot about using Coconut Oil in baking and since I love coconut oil and baking, I decided to combine the two and see how it works in Megan's recipe. The results were good and we loved it. I shared most of it with a friend of ours and she liked it too.

The folks at Kelapo has offered you readers a 20% discount if you want to try some of that wonderful oil,so at the checkout use the code Ria20 (It's case sensitive!) to get some bucks off!

Aaaannnd my little brother passed his board exams in super flying colours!! So watch out for the next post...there will be some cake in it :)

COCONUT OATMEAL SNACK BARS
Makes 12 bars
Ingredients:
1/4 c coconut oil (You can use regular vegetable/canola oil)
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1/4 c granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tbsp skim milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup oats ( I used Quaker)
1/2 c + 2/3 c  wholewheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 c dessicated coconut

3/4 c chocolate chips, melted
Method:
Pre-heat oven to 350F/180F

Beat together oil, sugars,milk,egg & vanilla for 2 mins or till the sugar dissolves.
Dump the dry ingredients into the wet and mix together until just combined with a rubber spatula.
Spread this in a lightly greased 8 x 8 in. square baking tin and bake for 20-25 mins or until golden( It will be soft to touch).
Take it out and spread the melted chocolate over it. Cool completely and cut into bars.
Store in an airtight tin.

Verdict: Delicious to the last bite! The coconut oil can be substituted for your vegetable/canola oil and still get perfect results! I know I am going to try many other recipes with Coconut Oil. Like I mentioned in my previous post, I really am falling for wholewheat in baking!

EASTER SPECIAL - A Menu

This post is just a 'blast from the past' sorts and not a new recipe post. I know, most of you are gearing towards breaking the fast and gorging on non-veg curries and desserts so I thought I could put two and two together and create a small menu for you, just in case you are here looking for 'Easter Special'  recipes :)

Appetizer:
Chicken Cutlets
Honey Roasted Almonds
Mini Chicken and Bell Pepper Spring Rolls
Chicken Samosa
Mini Cheese Pasta Rolls
Chicken Gold Coins

Beverage:
Pink Surprise
Purple Granita

Main Course:
Kashmiri Chicken & Tomato Coconut Pulao
Kuttanadan Chicken Roast
Kappa Kuzhachathu
Meen Vevichathu
Beef Fry/ Erachi Ularthiyathu
Chicken Biriyani
12- layered Chatti Pathiri
Kothu Parota
Prawn/Shrimp Biriyani

Desserts:
Vermicelli & Sago Payasam
Chocolate Marble Pudding
Chocolate Biscuit Pudding
Chocolate Truffles
Mocha Chocolate Mascarpone Verrine

Haven't found what you are looking for, yet? Check out my ever growing Recipe Index!

Wishing you all a Happy Easter!