Mango Mousse Cake

Mango Mousse Cake ,i was eyeing a mango mousse cake on naughty curry for a long time, so tried making  this Cake for my Mom's Birthday ,but didn't come out as i thought it would,but nevertheless it tasted gud and i sent her some pics as she is in India which made her very happy.The flavor of mango was awesome as i used the Alphonso Mango puree in the recipe and i have written the Mom with melted chocolate .If you want to make the perfect cake then check  for the detailed and perfect recipe at her blog NaughtyCurry.I have to strive for perfection next time i make it. :).

Strawberry Icecream with No Egg and No Icecreamaker

I have a new lovely neighbor, Usually when i go out of my apt i smell something  delicious , i can't imagine her to be a good cook,i mean that was my perception , but looks are always deceptive , last week i shared with her some cake and this week she returned me the favor with some homemade mango icecream  ..woww and  i asked her surprisingly did u make it ? Yes !!!and to my surprise it  was so smooth and melted in my mouth ..ummm...and though i was thinking for quite sometime to make it but she inspired me to try my hands on ice cream,"Love thy Neighbor",hence proved.
So i thought of making strawberry ice cream as i had lot of strawberries in my fridge which we got from strawberry picking ,we went to a farm close by and they gave us a basket and a farm which had very few strawberries left , as we were late for the season , but still we managed to fill our basket and i can't tell you how much fun it was to find berries ,it was like we are finding treasure, hehe.. .And yes now the recipe..

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Strawberries 
• 8-10 chopped strawberries
• 1 tin Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 1 Cup Whipped Cream

Directions:

1. Wash the strawberries and puree them in a blender.
2. Add the condensed milk and whipped cream and fold in the pureed strawberries.
3. Mix well and keep it an air tight container in a freezer.
4. After 30 minutes whisk it with a wire whisk  and break all the ice crystals and add the chopped strawberries and keep it back in the freezer .
5. Repeat the process 2-3 times, untill its difficult to break apart anymore.
6. Refrigate it overnight and enjoy the next day!!

Tip:You should add the chopped strawberries in the last step after the breaking process, or the pieces will get crushed in the process of mixing,you can use the mango in the same recipe for mango ice cream.

Tiramisu Cake

You don't have to go to Italy , or your nearby store for a Tiramisu, its an Italian cake and dessert you can easily make it at home ,what i have made is not the traditional one but it tastes really great.Its an easy dessert ,and the best part is preparations can be done well in advance ,I had to make it for my party , and couldn't find the ladyfinger biscuits so i did the alternative by making the sponge cake ,and i made a whole Tiramisu Platter and everyone loved it , its quite a heavy dessert to indulge into, but good for a party, once a while its required to satisfy your soul.I have to make it handy so haven't done in a glass bowl , though it will look beautiful in a glass bowl or trifle glass, i have used a cake pan to make small square pieces of this dessert.

Ingredients:

• 1 Pkg Philadelphia Cream Cheese softened 8oz
• 1 stick Butter 8 oz
• Sponge Cake 
• Crushed Cookies 10-12
• 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
• 2-3 Tbs Cocoa Powder to dust
• Silvered Almonds for garnish
• 1tbs Instant Coffee powder
• 1 Cup Warm water

Procedure:

1. Beat Cream Cheese and sugar till it is nicely whipped , cover it and re-frigate.
2. Prepare a Sponge Cake, in advance.
3. Now crush the cookies in a blender and add the stick of butter in it ,line a pan with parchment paper and press the cookies in the pan firmly and bake it in preheated oven at 350 degrees F , for 12-15 minutes.
4. Let it cool for sometime.
5. Take a cup of water and add coffee and sugar and warm it for 2 minutes in microwave , let it come to room temp.
6. Now lets do the layering,now spoon a few drops of Coffee Liquor on the cookie crust , add a layer of cream cheese and then dust it lightly with cocoa powder.(Take a scoop of cocoa powder in a sieve and tap it over the dessert.)
7. You can add  a layer of the chocolate cake now on top of it  and then another layer of cream cheese and then dust with cocoa powder again .Be liberal with the cream cheese.
8. Garnish with few silvered almonds and grated chocolate.
9. You can add more layers, but i didn't want to add more calories as it was a all girls party and i felt short of the filling too.;)
10. Chill for at least few hours and cut into squares and apply the literal meaning of  the word Tiramisu which means " Pick me up".

Everyone in the party liked it a lot including my critic ,my husband, but i think i felt short of cream cheese, next time i am gonna make a smaller cake with much more fillings...aaahh..

Minnie Mouse Cake

Just got busy these days as it was my Darling Daughters 3rd Birthday , so was busy shopping and preparing for the party and in between got some time to make a Minnie mouse cake  for her as she has chosen the Minnie theme this time...i thought of baking a  special  cake for her,browsed a lot of minnie cakes, had a lot in my mind  but as always there was not much time in hand so whatever time i was left with ,i made one of her favorite Vanilla Cake with the Pink Butter cream frosting ..she was lucky this time as she got to cut 3 Minnie Mouse Cakes on her 3rd Birthday, one made by me , another by her best friends Mom  and one at the Party...

The taste was not bad i must say ,my husband said that the frosting was towards the sweeter side :( ,but my DD loved it and she was happy n excited ...so worth the effort ..:)..

Orange Rabri Cups

Rabri  is an Indian sweet dish ,a thick creamy dessert made from thickening milk ,don't mistake it with Rabri Devi the Chief Minister of Bihar..jus kidding..I had this at an Indian restaurant and i wanted to make this for quite some time now , and finally i got a chance to make it ,u can spread it on a fried sweet bread as in  Shahi Tukda or serve it chilled with some fruits,tastes great on its own.

Ingredients:

• Whole Milk- 1 litre
• Condensed Milk- 1tin 
• Bread- 1 slice
• 1tsp Cardamom pwdr
• Few strands of Saffron
• Chopped Almonds and Pistachios

Directions:

1. Pour the Milk in a thick bottom pan on medium heat ,simmer till reduced to half.
2. Grind the slice of bread in a blender and add in the milk.
3. Add the condensed milk to it and mix further, adding the bread and the condensed milk makes the process faster and you need not add any sugar.
4. Now add the saffron ,cardamom,and nuts to the mixture.Keep aside.
5. Slice the Oranges into halves vertically, and scoop the pulp , keeping the shell intact.
6. Fill the Orange cups with the mixture .
7. Chill the Cups till it sets for an hour or so.
8. Garnish with some more nuts and serve chilled.

Stuffed Green Peppers

Stuffed green peppers or  Shimla mirch as u call in Hindi ,there are a lot of versions of these peppers available, different colors and different fillings,so here is my version of it.I have made these stuffed peppers on electric griddle which requires a very little oil to make it and came out really well,you can make it in a nonstick or normal pan with a little extra care and of course a little more oil.Its an Excellent side dish and you can alter the filling as per your choice.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 Green peppers
• 2 Boiled and chopped Potatoes
• 1/2 cup corn kernels
• 1 tsp Mustard seeds
• 1-2 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1tsp Red chilli powder
• 1tsp Garam Masala
• 1-2 Green chillies chopped
• 10-20 Groundnuts coarsely grinded
• 1 tsp Mango Powder(Amchur)
• Salt to taste
• 2 Tbs Oil
• Cilantro Chopped

Direction:

1. Wash and cut the Green peppers into halves and de-seed them.
2. Heat Oil in a pan and  fry the nuts ,take it out and keep aside, add in the mustard seeds and let them splutter then add the masalas .
3. Now add in the potatoes, corn ,chopped cilantro and the fried nuts, Mix well.
4. Let the mixture cool and fill in the halved green peppers.
5. Heat the Griddle on Highest, add a few drops of Oil and keep the green peppers upside down .
6. Let it cook on high heat for 3-4 minutes and lower down the heat and let it cook on medium heat.
7. Turn the sides and let it cook on both the sides , till it appears to be cooked.
8. Garnish with Grated cheese or cottage cheese.
9. Serve as a side dish ,with Dal and Chapati.

American Baby sponge cake

A baby cake to bake when you want to make it for your child and their friends , a very basic sponge cake to make anytime and everytime you feel like having it.

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup all purpose flour
• 3 Eggs(Yolks and white separated)
• 1 Tsp Baking powder
• 1 tsp Baking soda
• a pinch of salt
• 1 Cup  granulated sugar
• 3/4cup Oil
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract

 Directions:

1. Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F,Mix all the dry ingredients except sugar and sieve them.
2. Now beat in the Egg whites and sugar till it reaches the stiff peaks stage with the help of electric mixer.
3. Lightly whisk the Egg yolks n vanilla essence and the oil.
4. Fold in the liquid ingredients and dry ones ,starting and ending with flour.
5. Bake in the oven for 25-30 min, till the knife inserted comes out clean.
6. Enjoy with icing or dusting with  sugar like i did.

A Big thanks for my fellow bloggers for showering with some beautiful awards, it makes me feel so motivated and inspired ,Reshmi of Noel Collections, Lavanya of  Tickle your Tastebuds and make your life delicious and Divya of You too can cook -Indian Food recipes have shared so many awards with me and  Divya has also tagged me.So as per the rule sharing some facts here..


1.Inspiration to start a blog :My Inspiration for blog was my new love for cooking and experimenting and so much of ideal time in US a with a  high speed internet, which  needs to be used productively...:)
2.Favorite food :My favourite food is Paneer in any form , starting from Paneer Tikka to Khoya paneer to Rasgulla and Rasmalai..
3.How do you keep in touch with friends? :I keep in touch with my old friends thru Facebook which has given me a lot of lost friends back and calling  them occasionally, asVonage has made life in US more talkative with cheaper phone bills,and ofcourse blogging as it has given me a lot of new frens.

4 How do you feel when you get awards/tagged:.Awards ,it makes me very happy and motivated and help me know more about my fellow bloggers and make new friends.
5.How happy you will be when you get comments  for your recipes: Comments are the best way to appreciate and interact with other bloggers and your visitors ,otherwise its just a one way communication.These are the only rewards we get everytime apart from these precious awards.


I would like to share all these  awards with my lovely friends 


Cathleen of A taste of Madness
Zari of Zaiqa e hind
Julie of Ervium Pulivum 
Supriya of Supriya's Rasoi
Misha of Kitchen Magic
Radha of A liberal dose of Masala
Swasthi of Swasthi the Health Freak


So friends pass these awards and answer any 5  random facts about urself  and keep appreciating the efforts.