Easy Baked Cat Fish

1. 2 Filets of catfish
2. ¼ tsp Pepper powder
3. ½ tsp cumin powder
4. ¼ tsp turmeric powder
5. 2 tsp paprika
6. 1 sprig rosemary                                                 
7. ½ tsp thyme
8. 2tbsp hot sauce
9. 3 Tbsp any vegetable oil
10. 6 cloves crushed garlic
11. 2 tsp lemon juice 
12. salt to taste

Combine ingredients 2-12 in a small bowl. Mix and brush the marinade over the fish on both sides and leave it aside for half an hour. Layer a pan with foil and spray with some cooking spray before you lay the fish.Bake at 450F for around 14 mintues. If you do not have an oven and are unable to bake, pour 3 Tbsp oil and individually fry the fish in a pan till done.

Paella

               It started as a very regular Saturday morning with some music playing in the background and munching on some breakfast. All of a sudden my husband was lost in thought and I was wondering whats on his mind. He just looked at me and narrated a story of his bachelor days and how his friends and he loved food and on one of their weekends they went to a Spanish restaurant and he so loved the Paella. I realized where he was heading. I smiled and said lets try it out. I usually love trying out a new dish on weekends since both of us are relaxed and I don't have to finish the cooking  in a hurry.  While I plan out my dish I have my ever talented husband and his love for photography right behind me to record and snap a picture of all I do.

                 Paella is a famous Spanish dish which actually originates from Valencia and for those of you who are a little confused with the pronunciation,it is pronounced as 'pah EH yuh'  The rice used in Spanish dishes is always a medium to short grain variety and is slightly sticky when cooked.  It is sturdy, survives the cooking technique for paella and can absorb much liquid

Valencia is a coastal Mediterranean city, surrounded by rice fields. As such, the cuisine is based on rice and fish / seafood, and quite often both in the same dish.

Paella Valenciana, the most traditional kind, is what I have attempted and I think it was pretty good for my first time with a Spanish dish.

Ingredients

For 4-6 people
1-2 large onions
1 head of garlic
2 large peppers (I use a green one & a red one)
Plenty olive oil
1 chicken stock cube (use a fish one if you prefer)
500 gms chicken chopped up into small pieces
250g small prawns or large prawns (as per your choice and taste)
250g clams or 15-20 mussels ( whichever you prefer or you can use both)

1 Kielbasa (this is an Eastern European sausage you can add any type of sausage-I personally think it enhances the flavour)
Food colouring (optional)
Rice (short grain Mexican rice)
1 bag of frozen or fresh peas
Tin of pickled red peppers (optional)
Lemons

Since I do not have a Paella pan I just cheated and used a regular cooking dish and I must say it turned out good for my first time

1)Take a large, deep saucepan and cover the bottom with the olive oil ... Add the chopped chicken and stir for a few minutes . Now throw in the chopped onion, pepper and garlic and fry gently until everything is cooked. During this stage leaving the chicken begins to give out juices and this gives a nice aroma. Put this pan aside now as you won't need it till the final stage.
You'll need to take the heads and shells off all the small  and large prawns and keep the heads and shells aside. This is the little messy part of the preparation which you can begin while you are cooking the chicken.
This is a very important stage to get your Paella right You MUST work with the correct quantity of liquid in this recipe.  

 For every cup of rice that is used you need to use double the quantity of water.If you chose to make 2 cups of rice then you need to use 4 cups of water.  Now add this measured water to another deep saucepan and throw in the mussels and clams. Bring them to the boil and continue until all the shells are open (discard any that don't open) then sieve the water into another large saucepan and save this water. Set the mussels and clams aside as we won't need them until the final stage.

 Now in the water which you've just boiled the shellfish add the heads and shells from the prawns. Once they're boiling add some yellow food colouring (saffron is of course my choice since it gives a very different flavor). Also add the chicken stock cube. The rice will take its salt from this stock cube.

After a few minutes of gentle boiling, the water will take on the flavour of the prawn heads and shells and will have turned into a deep yellow colour. Turn off the heat and sieve out the shells.

Heat up the pan with, once these start sizzling throw in the Stir the rice into the juices and don't worry if some bits stick as this becomes the favourite part of the paella, then add the peeled prawn at this stage.

Immediately pour in the yellow stock, stir and allow boiling very gently. Don't worry if all the stock doesn't go in immediately, just let some cook off and add it later. Now you throw in the frozen peas and place the mussels, large prawns and strips of red peppers carefully to make the dish look as attractive as possible. Cook the paella gently for around 20 minutes, turning the pan occasionally to make sure that all parts of it are cooking equally. Once most of the liquid has been soaked up by the rice your masterpiece is finished. Just place a few halves of lemon on top and and its tasting time

Who can resist a chocolate cake?

Having family and friends over has always been a wonderful experience. Since I was having a friend flying to the US just to spend time with me I thought I must make it very special. It was wonderful to recount all the wonderful things we did and recollect all the naughty things that are always an important part of our conversations.

The ganache and the chocolate cake was a heavenly combination and for every chocolate lover this is something you cant miss out on.

And if you cant come here in person to taste it here is your share

Leg of Lamb Roast...Do it my way

As I grew up my siblings and I loved having BBQ parties and trying our hand at roasting different meats. As I was doing my daily grocery I came to the meat section and suddenly thought to myself..why not try my hand at roasting the leg of a lamb. I put together what I thought would give me the best roasted lamb leg ever. Since it was a herculean task to handle such a huge piece of meat I needed my husband to help me with it and we decided that we will try it on the weekend.

 Ingredients:

• 4-5 lbs lamb leg

• whole spices- 1 pc cinamon, 5cloves, 5cardamom, 8 pepper
• crushed chillie-1table spoon
• fennel seeds-3/4 tablespoon
• star anise 2
• oregano-1 tsp
• 5 whole garlic pips-crushed
• paprika-1tsp
• juice of 1 lemon

Marinade

• 1 cup whole milk yogurt
• 1 Tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 3 Tbsp ketch up
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 3/4 tsp corriander powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp garam masala powder
• 1 Tbsp Tandoori powder

 Method:

• Wash the meat and wipe it with a paper towel to dry the meat.
• Make cuts on the meat so that the meat is well marinated.  
• Use Shaan meat tenderizer and rub it on the meat. 
• After a while use a mortar and pestle and crush the whole spices along with the garlic and the paprika and smear it on the meat. Keep for a while and apply lemon juice or vinegar and let it stay for some.

                 

• Make the marinade by beating up the yogurt for 2 minutes to get rid of the lumps. 
• Add the remaining ingredients and stir well. 
• Double the quantity if you like the meat to be well covered with the marinade. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator. 
• Add salt 2 hours before baking. Keep the meat out of the fridge 2 hours before marinating wrap the meat in silver foil and bake at 350 F for 3 hours.

Carefully slice the lamb roast into thin slices and serve as desired. The soup can be poured over the meat to give it a moist soup flavor. Serve the slices while they are hot.

Bon Appetit !

Meat Loaf

               Meat loaf as I know is originally a German or a Dutch dish and is a cousin to the famous Italian meat balls. It is basically ground beef which can also be substituted with Turkey,Veal, sheep or poultry. ground meat is combined with a few ingredients and formed into a loaf before baking.

                 This recipe is one of the easiest and the simplest. Every beginner will love this recipe. Try it...

Ingredients:

• 3/4 kg or 1 1/2 lbs beef mince
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 3 pips garlic
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp corriander powder
• 3/4 tsp cumin powder
• 1 large onion
• 1 egg
• 3 Tbsp brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp prepared mustard
• 1 cup chillie ketch up

Method:

1. Wash mince well and drain out all the water
2. Preheat oven to 350 F
   
3. Chop onion and saute on medium heat.
4. Add corriander, cumin, and turmeric powder and stir well.Stir in some salt and pepper powder as required.
   
5. Remove from the heat,add the mince and stir and add the milk, egg and the bread crumbs. Place in a lightly greased pan or roll into a loaf and place in a greased dish.

 Stir ketch up , mustard and brown sugar and pour over the meat loaf.

There's nothing like homemade donuts

As a little school girl I always looked forward to coming home from school. My mum was an excellent cook and tried her hand at something special every evening. It ranged from cakes, puddings, souffles, desserts, tarts,  savory, Indian chaat and a variety of different eats that we relished. One on of those special evenings when I came back from school I saw something special which looked like doughnuts. I thought to myself that this cant be true. Before she realized we had wiped the plate clean. I asked my mum to make them again for the school fund raiser and I felt very proud when all my friends told me I was very lucky to have a mommy who made such delicious treats. Well I must say I am lucky but I never got to taste doughnuts again. She always promised me that she would make donuts for me sometime and I thought I must surprise her by making them myself.

I chose a couple of recipes from different books and online and made a recipe of my own.

• 1 envelope active dry yeast( if using rapid rise yeast directly add it to the flour)
• 1/4 cup warm water (Heat to 110 degrees)
• 3/4 cups lukewarm milk
• 1/4cup  + 1 Tablespoon white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 3 Tablespoons shortening
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
•  vegetable oil for frying

• If you are using active dry yeast sprinkle the yeast over the warm water, and let stand for 5 minutes, or until foamy. If you plan on using rapid rise yeast add it to the four and continue with the next step

• In a large bowl, mix together the sugar,yeast, milk, salt, shortening, 1 cup of the flour. Mix for a few minutes at low speed, or stirring with a wooden spoon.Then add the eggs and mix it gradually into the flour. Beat in remaining flour a little at a time at a time, until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl. Knead for about 5 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Place the dough into a greased bowl, and cover. Set in a warm place to rise until double. You can also preheat an oven and place the dough in warm oven after switching off the oven.Dough is ready if you touch it, and the indention remains.

• Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and gently roll out to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with a floured doughnut cutter. Let doughnuts sit out to rise again until double. Cover loosely with a cloth.  
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large heavy skillet to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Slide doughnuts into the hot oil using a wide spatula. Turn doughnuts over as they rise to the surface. Fry doughnuts on each side until golden brown. Remove from hot oil, to drain on a wire rack.

For the Glaze

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in 1 cup confectioners' sugar or icing sugar and vanilla until smooth. Remove from heat, and stir in 4 tablespoons hot water one tablespoon at a time until the icing is somewhat thin, but not watery. Set aside.Dip the fried donuts into the glaze on one side and place it on a mesh placing the undipped side flat on the mesh so that it dries

Variations:

1. Use a chocolate ganache and then dip in roasted walnuts. 
2. U can also use an icing nozzle and insert jam into the fried donuts.
3. On the glaze use ready sprinkles for an extra special look.

Be Creative and keep me updated when you try out these donuts. I must say it was delicious and I heard people say they enjoyed every bite of it.

Grilled Pork

               
                        It was the best feeling to have family over. After all the cooking and desserts from my side Russell came up with a welcoming idea...Pork on the grill with sweet corn and a few margaritas. As we sipped on the margaritas and waited at the grill we walked down memory lane reminiscing many nostalgic moments of being pampered by my aunts and uncles especially since I was the oldest girl in the family. The ride on the bike, the ice-cream each time I fell for their tricks, the head and foot massages, never ending stream of chocolates and toys...it feels like it was just yesterday.
                      Oooops! gettings back to the pork. Since this is Russell's specialty I give him due credit for it. It was delicious and the few tips he gave me were of great help.

Ingredients:

• Pork Slices
• Minced garlic-2 table spoons
• Minced ginger- 2 tablespoons 
• minced chillies - 1
• Yogurt- 1/2 cup
• Ginger Gralic paste-1 tablespoon
• Soya sauce-1 teaspoon
• Lemon - 1
• turmeric  -1/4 tsp
• Cumin powder 1/2 tsp
• Garam masala powder -1/2 tsp
• Vinegar- 1/4 tsp

  Mix all the above ingredients well to get a paste like consistency. Make neat cuts on the meat carefully seeing to it that you don't cut through the meat but just enough for the meat to marinate.

   Mix all the ingredients. Make neat cuts on the meat so that it absorbs and marinates well. Keep it over night.

Doesn't that look like it is perfect to grill. Heat the BBQ grill to 350F and cook for around 15 minutes on each side. The time differs based on the oven and the preference of how well you like it cooked. We like it well done and hence it takes a little longer. You can also try this in an oven.Spray the tray with oil or PAM and put a silver foil over it. Spray a little oil again and put the pieces. Keep checking to see if it is cooked. BBQ is all about how you want it to taste. It all depends if you like it rare,medium or well cooked. Go ahead and try it yourself.

Whip it up...Mocha Fudge

This was absolutely delicious and is a welcome dessert for any occasion.If you have a sweet tooth and nothing else can do justice to it...go ahead and try the Mocha Fudge.

                     Desserts take a very special place when I plan to have guests over. Before I think of the appetizers and the Entree I have to have my dessert planned. I was having my my dear U.Kevin over along with his Lorraine,Anaika and Aditya. I said this is the gonna make their day and indeed it did.

8 servings
Ingredients:
1 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup +1 table spoon dark or light cocoa
3 eggs
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup finely chopped pecans
thin sugar syrup ( 1cup water: 1/2 cup sugar- dissolve)

• Heat oven to 350F. Butter bottom and sides of 2 round pans- 8*2".
• Melt butter in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and add the cocoa, stirring until blended (u can also microwave the butter for 30 seconds and add the cocoa); cool slightly.
• Beat eggs in large bowl until foamy.
• Add salt and vanilla.
• Gradually add sugar  beating well.
• Add cooled chocolate mixture,blend thoroughly.Fold in flour. Stir in pecans/walnut( roasted tastes better). pour mixture into prepared pans.
• Bake 25-30 mins or until wooden pick it  inserted into cake comes out clean.Dont over bake. cool 5 mins. remove from pan to wire racks.
• Make the sugar syrup and pour it on the cake preferably when it is hot or when u have it cooled. Dont make it too soggy or it will be hard to pour the cream filling..(Optional)
• Spread CREAMY COFFEE FILLING over top and sides of cake. Garnish with chocolate curls,if desired and refridgerate for 1 hour or longer before serving.

CREAMY COFFEE FILLING:

• 1 1/2cups cold whipping cream
• 1'3 cups packed light brown sugar (u can also use white sugar)
• 2 tsp gelatin

Freeze the bowl you plan to use for beating for 15 minutes.Soak gelatin in 2 Tbsp water and heat for 10 seconds on microwave. Start whipping the cream on low till it kind off becomes stiff. Gradually add the sugar and instant coffee and the gelatin.Beat until soft peaks form.Spread over cake and decorate as desired.

I mixed a few recipes and got this recipe. Cant seem to remember the exact site. but hope you enjoy it. Forgot to click any better pictures. Try it out and let me know how it tastes.

Nostalgic Nectarine

Having a keen interest in cakes made me want to make a cake that I tasted and relished all through my growing years. I cant say it tasted the same but it was well appreciated by all who tasted it. For those who visit Bon Bon Cakes will know what i am talking about. You wont regret trying it out.

Ingredients:
Pure Ghee - 4 1/2 Tablespoons
Vanilla essence- 3/4 teaspoon
Cake Flour- 1cup (lightly spooned into the cup)
Cornstarch- a little less than 1/2 cup( lightly spooned into the cup)
Egg Whites- 6 large
Sugar- I cup minus 1 tablespoon
Water -1/2 cup
Grated Lemon Zest of 1 lemon(optional)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease and prepare 8 * 3"
cake pans.

1. Heat the ghee so that it melts. Let it clarify and when it is clear sieve it through a fine strainer. Add the vanilla essence and the lemon zest.
2. Sieve the flour and the corn starch
3. In a large mixing bowl beat the egg whites on high for atleast 7 minutes until light peaks are formed

•  Gradually stir in the water into the whites with a spatula. Take cake as you stir in the water so that the fluff of the whites is not lost.Use a spatula and fold in the water with whites. Take care not to reduce the air that has been incorporated into the cake.
• Remove 1/2 cup of beaten egg whites and carefully mix it into the butter. This step is very important. If you add the butter directly to the whites it wont incorporate and will settle at the bottom of the bowl.
• Fold in the flour little by little and fold it in gently with a spatula until all the flour has disappeared
• Fold in the butter mixture until just incorporated.
• Pour into pans and bake for 25 minutes
•   Unmould onto lightly greased racks

Syrup

• Sugar- 1/2 cup
• Water 1/4 cup

Heat water and sugar till both dissolve. Use a pastry brush and smear about 4-5 tablespoons on each layer.

Filling 1 

•  Jello Instant Vanilla Custard

Filling 2

• 1 nectarine cut into small pieces
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup water minus 1 table spoon water

Heat the water and sugar and add in the nectarine pieces and cook for 5-10 minutes.Cool

Whipped Cream

•  1 cup whipped cream
• 2 tablespoons sugar

Put the vessel being used to whip the cream on ice and whip on medium speed and then on high speed.When the cream start to form peaks add in the sugar to make it stiff

Assembly of the cake

• Use a serrated knife and cut horizontally into 3 equal pieces
• Use the syrup to wet the cake. Don't make it too moist ( it will be hard to handle the cake)
• Pour the custard filling on the first layer
• Place the second layer on top of this layer carefully so that all sides are aligned
• Sprinkle as mentioned above with syrup and put the nectarine filling
• Repeat with 3rd layer  if needed and cover the last layer with sugar syrup
• Use the whipped cream and cover the sides
• Decorate it and enjoy the hard work.

BON APPETIT

Shutter Bug

Yet another birthday darling....and wondering what cake to make...I remember your passion for photography and click comes an idea...how about trying my hand at a camera...I I thought to myself this birthday has to be very special since it is a milestone birthday. and there the genie brought Samantha here for a holiday. So all wrapped in one I hope you had a great birthday

Knitting Niche

After trying my hand at cakes I decided to do something different. I glanced upon the church bulletin and as I went through it I read about Sr. Eileen volunteering her time to teach knitting at the church for those interested. I was keen on learning something new. Having been at home most of my time other than my volunteer agencies I was looking forward to meeting a few more wonderful people and learning something new.
                               The date chosen for our first meeting was Wednesday,February 3rd 2010 at 2 pm. I walked in and saw so many new faces. I was introduced to them- Terry, Lucy, Mary, Bridget, Susan S, Joanne and not to forget Sr.Eileen. We also had Susan B, Kecia and a few others who joined in later. I enjoyed their company and the little stories they shared every week along with new knitted things they made.
                                   Sr.Eileen showed us a few things she had made and they were so beautiful. I was touched by her passion for new born life, her dedication to the cause close to her heart against abortion. The little things she knitted for the new born were precious and so perfect. I wished that one day I would able to make something close to her beautifully knitted baby cap,booties and socks. She patiently taught me how to knit and even more patiently removed the wrong stitches. She was indeed an excellent guide and I am glad to say I did pick up a little bit of knitting from her. I made this set of a baby blanket with a cross stitch teddy bear on it,booties,bib and cap.

                               We were all glad to learn so much from Sr.Eileen and me in my own little way wanted to thank her for her patience and time. I couldnt think of anything more appropriate..

Since all were not able to make it we have Sr.Eileen,Mary, Terry and Susan in the snap all well versed with knitting and myself as the novice.

                       I am now looking forward to the knitting niche to commence once again this Fall

Welcome Madison

As Dan and Carrie were all set to welcome their little one, there was excitement all around. It was my first time in America that I attended a wedding and now it was their baby shower and before we knew Madison was there. I just wanted to share in their happiness and what better way to tell them we care...

Dr. Seuss- Cat in the Hat

A friend of mine called me and said it was her twins birthday's and she planned to have Dr. Seuss-Cat in the Hat as the theme. I just was wondering as to how I could make a cake that would be apt to the theme. I always consult my very knowledgeable husband for his good advice and novel ideas. As I sat thinking I could see him sketching and planning and involved in deep calculation. In a matter of seconds he was ready with a design to make the perfect cake with every angle marked to get the perfect curve to the hat. I was all set and ready to go and in just 5 hours I put it together. I wasn't satisfied as yet and  then came up with the idea to make a little sketch of the Cat in the Hat. As I always do I asked my ever talented spouse and in a matter of few minutes I was indeed surprised to see what stood in front of me.....

 

My Little Basket of Flowers

As spring arrives after a long drawn winter; the new shoots of grass and the leaves on the tree bring forth a new sense of life. The buds that bloom on every branch heralds a new meaning with every blossoming flower that brings forth a new inspiration.