Dates Cake

Ingredients:

• Egg 3
• Dates 2 cup
• Sugar 1 cup
• Milk1/4 cup
• Veg oil 1 cup
• Baking soda 1/2 Tsp
• Baking powder 1 Tsp
• All purpose flour 2 cup
• Vanilla essence 1 Tsp
• Cashew nuts (optional)
• Water

Soak the seedless dates in little water for 15 mins and grind it with  milk. Keep it aside. Add baking powder and baking soda into the flour and sieve it. Beat the sugar and egg well. Then pour oil into this and mix it. Combine together flour, egg mixture and vanilla essence. Finally add the grounded dates and chopped nuts (optional). Pour this batter into a greased pan and bake it for 40 to 45 mins at 190 deg C.

Double Chocolate Cake (a surprise cake for my sweet hubby's b'day...!!)

For the cake:
Ingredients:

• All purpose flour 1 1/2 cup
• Warm water 1 cup
• Cocoa pdr 1/2 cup
• Baking soda 3/4 Tsp
• Sunflower oil 1/2 cup
• Vanilla essence 1 Tbsp
• Distilled white vinegar 2 Tsp
• Salt 1/2 Tsp
• Sugar 1 cup

For Chocolate Ganache:

• Dark Chocolate 200 gm 
• Amul fresh cream 200 ml

Preheat the oven to 190 deg C. Grease one 8 inch pan and keep it aside. Mix warm water and cocoa pdr without lumps. Combine flour, baking soda, sugar and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Then pour cocoa mix, oil and vanilla essence into it and beat well. Finally add vinegar. Transfer it into the greased pan and bake it for 30 to 35 mins. (It took 50 mins for me.) Bake and cool well. 

For preparing ganache, cut the baking chocolate into small pieces. Heat the cream until it starts boiling and pour it over the chocolate. Stir well and allow it to cool to room temp and refrigerate it. Pour it over the cake and slowly spread it using a spatula.

[Recipe Courtesy: Marthastewart.com and http://divyascookbook.blogspot.com]

Fish Phyllo Cup

Ingredients:

• Phyllo (aka fillo) sheets 2 to 5
• Tilapia 2 to 4 pieces
• Chopped onion 1 big
• Sliced mushroom 1/4 cup
• Chopped red capsicum 1 small
• Chopped green capsicum 1 small
• Chopped ginger 1 small piece
• Chopped garlic 2 to 5
• Pepper pdr 1 to 2 Tsp
• Turmeric pdr 1/2 Tsp
• Soy sauce 1 Tsp
• Salt

Cook fish with salt, pepper pdr and turmeric pdr. Heat oil in a pan and add chopped onion, ginger and garlic. When it turns light brown, add chopped capsicum, sliced mushroom and stir it for a few mins. Add pepper pdr, soy sauce and little salt into this. Mix and add the cooked fish. Combine it well using a wooden spoon and make the fish mix. Allow it to cool.

Preheat the oven to 180 deg C. Prepare the phyllo cups according to the instruction on the cover and place it in a greased muffin pan. Fill the cups with fish mix and bake it in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 mins.

Chilly Chicken Pizza

Ingredients:

• Ready-made pizza base 2
• Pizza cheese 150 g

For Marinating:

• Boneless chicken 150 g
• Red chilly paste 1 Tsp
• Chopped capsicum 1 small
• Chopped onion 1 small
• Soy sauce 1 Tsp
• Vinegar 1 Tsp
• Salt 1/2 Tsp
• Pepper 1/2 Tsp
• Oregano 1/2 Tsp
• Cornflour 1 Tsp
• Oil 1 Tbsp
• Chopped garlic 4 pods
• Ready made tomato puree 1/2 cup
• Tomato ketchup 3 Tbsp

Marinate the chicken with all the ingredients for 1 to 1 1/2 h. Cover it and microwave it for 3 min. For preparing pizza, arrange it on a wire rack or greased tawa. Add some cheese and spread the chilly chicken. Sprinkle the remaining cheese. Preheat the oven to 250 deg C and bake it for 8 min or till the base gets crisp and the cheese melts.

[Recipe Courtesy: Nita Mehta's Cookbook, Tastes of India (Microwave recipes)]

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]

Pita bread with Garlic yogurt sauce

Ingredients:

Pita Bread

• Dry yeast 2 Tsp
• Warm water 1 cup
• Flour 3 cups
• Salt 1 Tsp

Dissolve the yeast in 1 cup warm water. Sift together the flour and salt. Add yeast and water into the flour and make it into a dough and knead for several minutes. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place for 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 350°. Divide the dough into 6 equal portions. With a rolling pin, pat and press each portion of dough into a thickness of 1/2-inch. Place on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until the pita are light golden brown.

Garlic Yogurt Sauce

• Plain yogurt 1 cup
• Garlic 2 pods grounded
• Pepper pdr 1 pinch
• Olive oil

Beat yogurt gently with a fork or whisk until it's smooth and creamy. Add all the other ingredients and mix well. Cover and chill until needed.

Sponge Cake with Walnuts

Ingredients:

• Maida 1 cup
• Sugar 1 cup
• Butter 2 Tbsp
• Baking pdr 1 Tsp
• Hot milk 1/2 cup
• Chopped walnuts 1/2 cup
• Grated lemon rind 1 Tsp
• Vanilla essence 1 Tsp
• Honey 1 Tsp
• Salt 1/4 Tsp
• Egg 2

Preheat the oven to 180 deg C. Grease the baking pan with butter and maida and keep it aside. Sieve together maida, salt and baking pdr and keep it aside. Add butter to the milk and heat it. Beat egg until it thickens and slowly add the sugar. Beat it for another 5 min. Add the dry ingedients into it and mix well. Then add the hot milk, vanilla essence, honey and lemon rind and combine well. Finally add the chopped walnuts into the batter. Pour it into the greased pan and bake it for 35 to 40 mins.

[Recipe Courtesy: niyasworld.blogspot.com]