Chicken Biriyani... Wish you all a wonderful New Year....!!

Ingredients:

For Rice:

• Rice 1 kg
• Water 7 1/2 to 8
• Lime juice of 1 lime
• Cinnamon 1 big piece
• Cardamom 1 to 2
• Cloves 2 to 3
• Ghee as rqd
• Salt

Wash the rice and drain it for 10 to 15 mins. Add 1 tbsp ghee, lime juice, crushed whole spices and salt into water and boil well. At the same time saute the rice in little ghee. When it starts to crack, pour the boiling water into the rice. Cover it and cook well. When it becomes void of moisture content, remove the rice and keep it aside.

For Garnishing:

• Cashew nuts 1/2 cup
• Raisins 1/2 cup
• Fried onion as rqd
• Rose water 1 to 2 Tbsp
• Corriander leaves as rqd
• Mint leaves as rqd

Fry thinly sliced onions in ghee till it turns golden brown. Fry cashews and raisins in the same ghee and keep it aside.

For Marinating Chicken:

• Chicken 1 kg
• Curd 1/2 cup
• Corriander 1/4 bunch
• Mint leaves 1/4 bunch
• Crushed ginger 1 big piece
• Crushed garlic 1 pod
• Green chilly 4 to 5
• Turmeric pdr 1/2 Tsp
• Crushed pepper 1/2 Tsp
• Chilly pdr 1/2 Tsp

Marinate the chicken pieces with finelly chopped mint and coriander leaves. Add the crushed ginger, garlic and sliced chilly along with turmeric pdr, chilly pdr and crushed pepper. Finally add the curd and mix well. Keep it aside for 2 hrs.

For Curry:

• Onion 6 to 7 med
• Tomato 3 to 5 med
• Green chilly 2 to 3
• Mint leaves 1/4 bunch
• Coriander leaves 1/4 bunch
• Ginger garlic paste 2 to 3 Tsp
• Turmeric pdr 1/2 Tsp
• Chilly pdr 1/2 Tsp
• Coriander pdr 1 Tsp
• Garam masala 2 Tsp
• Crushed pepper 1 Tsp
• Cashew paste 30 g
• Oil or ghee

Grind together coriander and mint leaves into a paste and keep it aside. Heat oil or ghee in a pan and add ginger garlic paste and sliced onion. Stir it till it turns light brown. Then add the turmeric pdr, chilly pdr, coriander pdr, crushed pepper corns and garam masala. Cook it well. Pour the above prepared coriander mint paste into the masala and stir it well. Now add the tomatoes and green chilly. Add the marinated chicken and mix well. When the chicken is half done, add the cashew paste. Add rqd amount of salt into it and cook well.

For Layering:

Add fried onion, coriander leaves and mint leaves on the top of chicken. Then add the rice and spread it with a spoon. Sprinkle little rose water and add the fried nuts, raisins and onion. Repeat the same process. Arrange the top most layer with rice and garnish it with fried nuts, raisins, onion and rose water. Cover it well and cook it or bake it for 5 to 10 mins.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Do you love broccoli cheese soup as much as I do? Oh my, I am absolutely addicted to Panera's broccoli cheese soup. I try to eat it at least every 3 weeks. It's actually part of my recharging I do when I drop my boys off with my mother in law and go out on my own. I take a magazine and go to Panera, order my soup and sandwich and recharge my batteries. I am so thankful for my in laws to be able to watch the boys! OK, back to the soup. I've made a broccoli cheese soup once before, and it was terrible. I didn't eat it. This one was delish! Definitely eat it hot, because as it cools, it has just a slightly more grainy texture. I am assuming it is the real cheese starting to solidify from cooling off. It still tastes good, just a different texture. If you're looking for another soup to add to your collection, this is one to try!

 

Broccoli Cheese Soup

slightly adapted from Annie's Eats

Ingredients:

6 tbsp. butter, divided

¾ cup onion, chopped

1 cup carrot, chopped or shredded

4 cups small broccoli florets (I used frozen.)

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

½ tsp. onion salt

½ tsp. garlic powder

4 tbsp. flour

2 cups milk

3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (original recipe calls for 2, but we all know I love cheese.)

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the onion to the pan and sauté until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add the carrots to the pan and cook a couple minutes more. Stir in the broccoli, chicken broth, onion salt and garlic powder. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.

In a medium saucepan, melt remaining butter. Add the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes until golden brown, whisking constantly. Whisk in the milk and cook until the mixture thickens and bubbles. Once the mixture has thickened, whisk in the cheese until completely melted. Remove from the heat and add the cheese sauce to the soup pot. Allow to simmer until warmed through and broccoli is tender. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

This recipe is linked to Prairie Story Recipe Swap Thursday.

LUSH Very Berry gift box cake

A cake made to look like a Very Berry gift box from LUSH. It was made for someone starting a new job.

Sweet Treat Tuesday-Rocky Road Chocolate Cake Recipe

This dessert is so yummy! My mother in law made it a couple of weeks ago and everyone raved about it. The best part is the topping, so good! This cooks in your crock pot so you don't have to worry about taking up space in your oven. And I promise you, that you will want vanilla ice cream, so don't forget to buy some before making this chocolate dessert!

Rocky Road Chocolate Cake Recipe
from my mother in law who got it from My Recipes.com

Prep: 15 min.; Cook: 3 hr., 40 min.; Stand: 15 min. This cake will look like it needs to cook just a little longer, but by the time the topping is set, it's ready to serve.

Yield: Makes 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients:
1  package German chocolate cake mix
1 (3.9-oz.) package chocolate instant pudding mix
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup sour cream
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/4 cups milk, divided
1 (3.4-oz.) package chocolate cook-and-serve pudding mix
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
Vanilla ice cream (optional)

Directions:
Beat cake mix, next 5 ingredients, and 1 1/4 cups milk at medium speed with an electric mixer 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. Pour batter into a lightly greased 4-qt. slow cooker.

Cook remaining 2 cups milk in a heavy non-stick saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, 3 to 5 minutes or just until bubbles appear (do not boil); remove from heat.

Sprinkle cook-and-serve pudding mix over batter. Slowly pour hot milk over pudding. Cover and cook on LOW 3 1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, heat pecans in a small nonstick skillet over medium-low heat, stirring often, 3 to 5 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant.

Turn off slow cooker. Sprinkle cake with pecans, marshmallows, and chocolate morsels. Let stand 15 minutes or until marshmallows are slightly melted. Spoon into dessert dishes, and serve with ice cream, if desired.

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas from Cake Fixation.  I hope your day was filled with love and laughter!

Daddy's Sausage Balls

Sausage balls have always been a part of my Christmas morning tradition. The same goes for my husband. It is not Christmas, if he doesn't have sausage balls to eat for breakfast. I've been a slacker the past couple of years and bought the frozen, already made sausage balls. This is mainly due to the fact that every time I would try and make them, they would turn out too dry. Well last weekend, while visiting with my dad, he made sausage balls for us. He let me in on what I had been doing wrong. I've always used 2 cups of Bisquick/baking mix  instead of only using 1! So this morning, as I've been slaving away in our kitchen for tomorrow, I made some of these yummies and they turned out just perfect. Thanks dad!!

Daddy's Sausage Balls

from my daddy

Ingredients:

2 pounds sausage (I used one regular and one hot.)

2 cups cheddar cheese

1 1/2-2 cups Bisquick/baking mix (I used the Bisquick Heart Healthy kind.)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl. I used my kitchen aid mixer for this because, well, it makes my life easier. I used just under 2 cups of Bisquick for these sausage balls. Mix all ingredients together until everything is incorporated and there is no longer any cheese or dry Bisquick in the bottom of the bowl. Form mixture into small balls, about an inch in diameter. I used my cookie scoop for this. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet, at least a finger apart. These don't expand, so you can put them pretty close together, just make sure they don't touch. Bake in a preheated oven for 13 minutes. Check to make sure one of the sausage balls is completely cooked through, which means no red when you open one up. Let cool for a few minutes and then transfer to a paper towel so that any extra grease will be absorbed. Serve warm. Store in refrigerator for up to a couple of days. Just pop them in the microwave to warm them when you want to serve them. This recipe makes 70 sausage balls, and can easily be halved if you don't need that many.

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Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!

We would like to wish all of you

a Merry Christmas

&

a Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

Ho Ho Ho!  Warm wishes for the happiest holiday!

Open Season on Cakes

It's deer season in North Carolina... but who needs a shotgun when you can just roast marshmallows with the deer?  I made this cake for one of my favorite former preschool students who was turning 15.  (Yikes!)  He is a real outdoorsman, but he's also a true gentleman.  So, of course, he has offered the deer his protective vest and a nice toasty treat.  Such a nice boy! 

Happy Birthday, Coleman!

Melting Moments Cookie... Happy X'mas to all....!!

Ingredients:

• All purpose flour (maida) 1 1/2 cup
• Powdered sugar 1/4 cup
• Unsalted butter 1 cup
• Cornflour 1/2 cup
• Vanilla essence 1 Tsp
• Salt 1/4 Tsp

In a bowl mix together all purpose flour, corn flour and salt. Keep it aside. In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar until it's light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and the flour mixture into the butter and combine well. Cover and refrigerate the dough for minimum 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 350 deg F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and keep it aside. When the dough is firm, form it into 1 inch balls and place it on the tray. Bake it for 12 to 15 min or until the edges starts to turn brown. Remove it from oven and cool it. When it cools completely, sprinkle powdered sugar on the top of the cookies.

[Recipe Courtesy: JoyOfBaking.com]

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