First Post of the Year

We stepped into a 2021 on a very holy note with a visit to our Kula deivam temple and our Guru. For the last 4 years, every time we planned a visit to our Kula deivam temple, something would come up and the trip never happened. Finally, all graces worked to make it happen. 

Work suddenly picked up pace too all of a sudden after almost a year's lull. Schools are gradually beginning off-line classes. Vs classes will be beginning on Monday, thrice a week. Offices have not opened yet, but I did visit office once this month to pick up my laptop

Front line workers slot for Covaxin will come to an end by end of February and people over 50 years of age will get their chance. Probably rest of us will get our chance around May, fingers crossed 🙏 

Baking

I wanted to bake these cookies around Christmas, but it's never too late for these 

Peppermint cookies. I could not wait to find the traditional striped candy canes, so used Andes mint chips instead. Here's the link to the recipe

 V and I have been watching The Crown on Netflix, because of which we get a lot of suggested videos and facts about the royal family. One that caught our attention was about the royal family's favorite food. 

One of those is this super easy, no-bake dessert. It is so rich and chocolate overload. V made a white chocolate topping to add to it. Here's the recipe link

Stitchy Update

I already have my first finish of the year!! Unfortunately, it is a secret project and I cannot share pictures in any social media till I am able to give it to the recipient

But here are the ORTS from my first finish. It is going to be a gift to a very special person 

So dear friends, that's the update from me today. Till next time, take care.. stay safe.. be happy.. keep stitching.. Au Revoir!! 

More Recipes

V and I are continuing with trying our hands at new recipes from the stash. Sharing with you today 2 more new ones that we tried recently

White Chocolate Mud Cake

My husband loves anything white chocolate and we had to try this one out for sure. I was totally dead on the day V wanted to bake this and was not in a mood to bake at all. So, this was totally her bake and it came out really well

The original recipe is available here - http://floursandfrostings.com/eggless-white-chocolate-mud-cake/

Next recipe we tried is also a white chocolate one!! This is a recipe from Nigella's show called Nigella's table

We used crushed Bourbon biscuits and caramel sauce as topping. Nigella used ginger biscuits as base but we could not get ginger biscuits, so had to use Marie biscuit. If we had used ginger biscuit it would have tasted even better
Here’s the link to the recipe - https://www.bbc.com/food/recipes/white_chocolate_22234

That's about it from me today friends. Till next time.. Take care.. Be happy.. Keep stitching.. Au Revoir!!

Mangoes and Desserts

There was a challenge announced by a Facebook group to create desserts with Mango and we could submit as many entries as we wanted. I usually never participate in culinary challenges, but this one was totally irresistible. This was sponsored by Rena Germany. If not for winning, I just wanted to participate. These were my entries:

Mango Kulfi:

Here's the recipe:
 ingredients (measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml):
2.5 cups almond milk or cow's milk
2.5 cups mango puree - approx 3-4 large sized alphonso mangoes can be used
¼ or ½ cup sugar - depends on the sweetness of the mangoes. so adjust accordingly.
4-5 green cardamom crushed or ¼ tsp cardamom powder
a pinch of saffron/kesar
12-15 unsalted pistachois - blanched or soaked, peeled and sliced. keep some for garnishing
2 to 3 tbsp almond paste/almond meal or khoya/evaporated milk (optional)
21/2 or 3 tbsp rice flour or 2 tbsp corn flour dissolved in 3 tbsp almond milk or regular milk
Method:
take saffron and almond milk in a pan.
heat on a low flame. just let the almond milk come to a gentle heat. don't boil the almond milk.
if using cow's milk then simmer on a low flame for about 15 to 18 mins.
add sugar. stir till the sugar has dissolved.
dissolve the rice flour in 3 tbsp milk.
add this rice flour paste to the milk. keep on stirring so that no lumps are formed.
cook on a low flame. stir in between.
continue to cook till the mixture thickens. switch off the flame.
add the almond paste/powder/meal or khoya/evaporated milk. stir and let the mixture cool.
add the mango puree, chopped pistachio slices and mix well.
pour mango kulfi into serving bowls or kulfi moulds. freeze for 8-10 hours.
serve mango kulfi cold and sliced with topped with saffron, sliced pistachios, cardamom powder

The 2nd one was a sugarless Mango brownie topped with Mango mousse. Now this was very interesting as I am trying to cut down on the sugar and also the hubby is diabetic!! So, this was a must try

Here's the recipe

Mango brownies
To Be Sieved Together
1 cup plain flour (maida)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
a pinch salt

Other Ingredients
1/4 cup melted dark chocolate
1/4 cup mango pulp
1/2 tsp mango essence
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp crushed almonds (badam)
2 tbsp chopped chocolate

Method
Combine the olive oil, melted chocolate, mango pulp and essence in a deep bowl and whisk well using a hand beater.
Gradually add sieved flour mixture and whisk well.
ADd the remaining ingredients and consistency with mango pulp or water only if required.
ADd the chocolate pieces and almonds, mix well and pour in the greased cake tin and bake in a pre-heated oven at 200 degree Celsius for 40 minutes or till cooked.
Cool on a wire rack and cut horizontally into 2.
Garnish it with mango pieces and whipped cream.
Serve it immediately on sizzling plate with cold vanilla ice cream.
sprinkle some roasted almonds and chocolates pieces on vanila ice cream.

Mango mousse recipe
ingredients (measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml):
2 medium size mangoes, chopped
½ cup thick cream
1 tbsp honey or 1 tbsp sugar (I used honey) - ad more or less for your preferred sweetness

Method:
in a blender, add the mangoes and honey.
blend till smooth.
now add the cream and blend till smooth.
chill the mousse in the refrigerator for some 20-30 minutes or more.

With that I wind up my post today folks!! Till next time.. Take care.. Be happy.. Keep crafting.. Au Revoir!!

Oohh Caramel!!

That's right, I've been experimenting with various ways of using caramel

Last time you saw that I made some Dulce de Leche. Now we can't use everything up in one go. So, V was very curious to know how I plan to use the remaining

I found this yummy recipe to make brownies with Dulche de leche. Recipe can be found here. It was so irresistible that I could not wait for it to cool completely before unmoulding, resulting in a brownie crumble

There was some home made caramel from earlier, which I used as topping.

Enough of caramel, let's eat something healthy. I made Apple walnut custard tarts last weekend for dessert.

The tart shell was so soft and came out so well, I fell in love with it. Apple is not V's favorite, so it did not go down very well with her

Now as you know, seashells is progressing at snails pace, but yes I am making some progress there. I have decided my next picture will only be after I make some good progress

Till next time dear friends.. Take care.. Be happy.. Keep stitching.. Au Revoir :)

Cookies and Cheesecakes

I agree, I am definitely on a baking spree now. I found this super simple recipe for peanut butter cookies that I HAD to try in the BBC GoodFood magazine

It just calls for 3 ingredients -80g each of Peanut butter, butter, Icing sugar and 100g flour. Mix everything and bake.

I have been wanting to try a chocolate cheesecake for a long time and found this recipe on BHG.com

The only problem I had here was with the fresh cream I bought. I did not get the brand that whips up real fast (milky mist), so had to make do with Amul, which is less fat and takes ages to whip up. V and I took turns whipping it. Here's the link to the recipe.

I have made some progress on seashells as well. Promise to post a picture next time.

With that friends I will close today's quick post. Till next time.. Take care.. Be happy.. Keep crafiting.. Au Revoir

A Sweet post

BAKING - yes, looks like that's what I've been doing of late!! So, this post is going to be a "sweet" one :)

The first one is Choco-peppermint choco-chunk cookies. I know it was a mouthful of chocolate.

I got this recipe from my Williams Sonoma book. I used chunks of chocolate rather than chocolate chips and for the first time got real bites of the chunks. Was sooo gooey, just loved it

Next - of course it has to be something with mango

A very simple Mango and dark chocolate mousse. So simple yet yummy. All we need is melted dark chocolate, mango pulp and whipped cream. The original recipe called for blending in all the 3. But I thought it would be better to layer them out. I also folded in some of the mango pulp into the dark chocolate

And finally - Whole wheat custard almond cake

This has no butter and just 2tbsp of oil. And it's whole wheat too. The recipe can be found here. It is best served warm and if you wish a dollop of butter

I picked up seashells again, after months I think, only yesterday!! Absolutely no stitching has been happening. But I am determined not to allow this to become a UFO. Well, there are 6 more months to this year and I am determined to catch up on all the stitching I missed the first 6 months

That's it from me today friends. Till next time.. Take care.. Be Happy.. Keep Crafting.. Au Revoir

So much baking.. still no stitching!!

Dear friends, I have been very quiet again this last month. Neither have I posted nor kept myself update with the happenings around here. I have been missing you all terribly, and promise to catch up soon. 

So, here I start with all my baking expeditions. 

I have been wanting to try my hand again at trying to bake a bread loaf with yeast. Ever since I had a not-so-successful attempt at making cinnamon rolls with yeast, it has been intimidating me. Finally, I got over that and decided to move out of my comfort zone. Here's the herded bread I baked a few weeks back for breakfast

The house smelled heavenly for a very long time. 

The norm in the home front these days is to have a new dessert every weekend, and mostly Fridays to kick off the weekend with a bang. Last weekend it was Cherry-Lemon "cheese" cake. Only I did not use cream cheese, but whipped cream.

Got the recipe from a Jamie-Oliver show. I had bought a bottle of lime curd a while back and wanted to use that up before it expired. The base was ginger-nut biscuits and pounded hazelnuts. The combination of flavors was absolutely wonderful and a must-try

Last but not the least, the cottages are all done up!!!

I have no idea why this picture is turned, the original is not. I am not able to rotate it :( But anyway, aren't they all beautiful. This has been a wonderful project to work on. I have started working on seashells again the last 2 days. Hope to share some pictures of progress next time

Well, that's it today from me friends. Till next time.. Take care.. Be happy.. Keep stitching.. Au Revoir

Some more desserts

I really seem to be on a dessert roll, thanks to all the inspiration from the FB group Home Baker's Guild. I tried a new dessert and an old tried and tested recipe.

The already tried is carrot cupcake.

I was going to make them into a cake, but V preferred cupcake. The idea is to prepare something every week for V's school snack. Something interesting.

I tried a no-bake chocolate tart.

I have been wanting to try chocolate tart for years. This dessert makes me extremely nostalgic, as it goes way back to my college days. There used to be this bakery near my college called Baker's Inn, which sold the best ever chocolate tarts. Ever since we moved to Chennai in 1996, I have been on the look out for tarts that taste atleast close to this, but have only faced disappointment every time I buy one. Having gained so much confidence in desserts now, I decided to try making these myself. Pardon me if I sound conceited, but I am happy that I tried. Finally I think I have (almost) matched the taste of my favorite dessert.

I was too lazy to bake the tart shells, so used the digestive biscuit+butter as base. For the filling, made chocolate ganache using the recipe from Martha stewart. It was an instant hit with the family as well. And so simple to make.

And guess what my new toy is

Isn't it a beauty?! V says "Amma this is too much, you have not put your phone down ever since you got it". I am addicted to it. Have been fidgeting with it non-stop. And I have not even started downloading any apps or music!!

Having said so much, you would have guessed that I have made zero progress in december cottage. I have picked it up again, and am making slow and steady progress.

Well, that's all from me today. Till next time.. Take care.. Be happy.. Keep stitching.. Au Revoir

Mid-year post

We are in the 6th month of the year already!!! And so, time for me to put up the next month all done up

I almost forgot that May was over and I had to finish up June. I had just enough card board for the finish, phew.
I am not very happy with the red cord finish. By the time I could stick the cord to the piece, it losened up a bit :(



I tried another mango dessert over the weekend - Mango mousse

The recipe source was an old newspaper cutting.

I have cut down on my gaming time and have made a little progress with November. I now have only the border at the bottom left. Will post a finish soon.

That's about it from me today friends. Till next time.. Take care. Be happy.. Keep stitching.. Au Revoir

More mango...

Yes, I tried my hand at another mango dessert. I am not quite sure what to call it though (a mango cheese tart maybe??)

 I adapted this idea from a recipe I saw on a TV show - David Rocco's Amalfi getaway. The recipe that was shown was called Cassata Rustica. You can find the original recipe here.

These are the changes I made in my recipe:
- Skipped the sponge cake
- For the filling, I mixed ricotta cheese, mango puree and sugar

I am sure it could do with a few extra flavors, will work on that next time. Also, the pie shell could have been baked some more, was too white for me

V and I went mall hopping last Friday. There's a new mall that's opened near our place, so we decided to drop in and had lunch there.

I do not have any stitchy updates this time. I have not picked up November at all since my last post. V introduced me to this new game on the kindle - Subway Surfer.

I have been addicted to the game ever since and November lies untouched. Hope to finish it during the week

Well, that's all from me today friends. Till next time.. Take care.. Be happy.. Keep stitching.. Au Revoir

Another mango dessert

I am making most of the mango season this year. It's almost like I have made a resolution to try a mango recipe every week.

This week I tried mango souffle

I did not expect it to be so easy to make. The hubby and V just loved it. V said of all the mango dishes so far she liked the cheese cake and the souffle the best, and she even wants me to make them again!!!

On the stitchy side, I decided to post a pic of November cottage at its current stage, though I only wanted to show a "finished" one.

I love the colors in this. They are so different from the others

The temperature went to the 40 degree mark yesterday and is expected to stay that way for atleast a week!! God help us all!!

So, that's all from me today friends. Till next time.. Take care.. Be happy.. Keep stitching.. Au Revoir.. And if you are in Chennai, stay indoors if possible!!!!

After a long silence..

..am back. Hello my dear friends. First of all, thank you very very much for your kind wishes and comments on our anniversary. I am really overwhelmed and very deeply touched.

I have been away from any kind of crafting for almost a whole month now. My brother and his family visited India on a holiday for 3 weeks and also to celebrate my niece's 1st birthday. It was an absolutely lovely 3 weeks.

Last weekend was a good one crafting-wise. After about 4 months, I did some beading

This is for my cousin to go with one of her sarees.

Next, some sweets - nope, this is a no-bake dessert.

Choco-mint Oreo cookie balls. Recipe is from here. I did not have white chocolate. So, I made a choco-mint topping instead. It is absolutely yummy

Last but not the least, an update on Feb cottage. As much as I wish, I do not yet have a finish. It is still WIP and here it is

Doesn't it look gorgeous!! I  simply love the colors there. Am hoping to put in the last few stitches tonight. Those are my new q-snaps that I had shipped to bro before he came. I guess I could buy more snaps of other dimensions and mix-n-match.

So, my dear friends, such is my update for today. And again, thank you soooo much for stopping by and leaving behind your lovely, kind, encouraging comments.
Till my next update.. Take care.. Be happy.. Keep stitching.. Au Revoir

Desserts and stitching

Hello dear friends. I am sure all of you have been very busy stitching and crafting.

This time I decided to try something simple for weekend dessert. I made a cheesecake base and had 2 desserts in a weekend

This was the cheesecake base. V wanted to have strawberry and chocolate variations. So...

That's the strawberry cheesecake. And...

That's the "chocolate" cheesecake. I had a little bit of nutella left over. So, used that as the topping along with hershey's chocolate syrup. Yes, it was as sinful as it sounds. And totally yummmmm...

And I do have a little progress to show you on Jan cottage

I am simply loving each stitch that I am putting into this design. Love the way the colors stand out.

So, my dear dear friends that's the update from me for now. Till my next update.. Take care.. Be happy.. Keep stitching.. Au Revoir