Bebinca

With Christmas around the corner, I am sure most of you might be baking a lot of goodies for your family. With the covid-19 and lockdown here, we have been indulging in a lot of cooking experiments. It just doesn't see the light of the blog. Well the reason is pure laziness which I try to cover up by blaming on the technical glitches - instagram which doesn't let me post the links, image hosting sites changing their storage policies frequently etc.  Anyways, I am trying to make sure, that I post atleast one post per week this christmas season. I thought the comeback should be done with a special bake of the festive season - Bebinca. It is an Indo Portugese desert which is very popular esp. during the christmas season in Goa. This melt in the mouth pudding does require some effort, but all the effort seems to be worth it when you happen to taste it. So yum !

Without waiting another minute, lets move on to the recipe. I came across this  recipe when a fellow blogger had published it during my initials days of blogging. The very look of it made me tempt, because I had been looking out for the name of this dessert which I had, when I was a kid, and my tastebuds seemed to have recollected it from the memories. Without wasting any time, I tried the recipe. As usual, when a recipe is a success, I do note down the recipe, for future reference. Now when I look her up, I am unable to locate the blog. Well this is exactly what happens, when we stay disconnected with the blogging world. I hope that if you are reading this post, let me know so that I can link back to your blog. 

Peanut Butter Cookies (3 Ingredient Cookie)

One of the simplest cookies ever, with minimal ingredients, super addictive etc. are some of the characteristics of these cookies. They are so easy to make that you could even chose to involve your kids in making it. When we have the urge to make something sweet and have, this is one go to option. In minutes you have warm cookies, to calm down your cravings.

Now that kids are home, it is the best recipe to go with, for cooking with kids. It is hardly a recipe but hey correct measures are a must to make the cookies stay in shape. So why don't you grab the measures and make some cookies for your family.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Happy Easter everyone !

Hope everybody is doing good at the respective places that you are at. We are doing fine too. Before you start asking if I made it today, the answer is No, I didn't. This time we had a very minimalistic Easter celebration. Just because we have the groceries for the next two weeks stocked up, due to lock down, we didn't want to use it all up in a day. But, wanted to celebrate it in a simple way with so much thanksgiving for all that we have for today.

This cake reminded me of how simple things can also be made more special. With minimal ingredients this cake was made to happen in a matter of an hour or less, but was very yum and appreciated far better than the cakes that would have involved too much effort. You don't have to make things complicated or put in extra efforts to make it special. Simple things can also make it to your memories. Such was this year's Easter. No potlucks or family visits or get togethers but still it shall be in our memories with the simple menu and a lot of catch up with family and friends over video chats :).

Blueberry Icecream

Summer is going by like a flash. Lil J was sick when it was winter. We thought things would get better when it is summer. But looks like it is never gonna get better. The never ending fever and cold is draining us out of  energy and patience too. This year we have not been having any cold treat just to make sure we are not the ones who trigger the sickness.

When working on this blueberry icecream's post I remembered how much we enjoyed it last summer to make different flavored icecreams at home and have it post lunch on hot summer afternoons. They are simple to make and great to enjoy with your family. While we are yet to enjoy icecreams this summer, I would definitely like you too enjoy your summer with homemade and yummy icereams with your family. So make it and enjoy it.

Mango Pudding

Mango - one fruit that is always looked forward to be enjoyed during summer in different forms is my favorite among fruits. May be because of the rendezvous that we do have with the best tasting mango during summer. It always happens with us that we tend to research/try different mangoes available in the market  and by the time we have spotted the best source for the delicious mangoes the summer comes to an end and we have to wait for another summer to come to enjoy this fruit.

But no matter what, we do enjoy this fruit during summer as if there is no end to it. In the form of drinks, desserts etc. they are always in high demand at home. This time we tried the pudding that is very easy peasy to put together and highly appreciated by everyone. These are great to treat your friends for a summer party. So try and let me know if you liked it.

Cherry Icecream

The weather seems to be getting colder day by day. We didn't have unbearable summer this year. Not at all complaining about it. But the thought that winter seems to be so close, is not at all encouraging to me. Plus, some of our favorite fruits and berries are also vanishing from the market. So to bid goodbye to our family favorite cherry for this year, I thought I should post this cherry icecream that we enjoyed multiple times this summer. 

We love eating cherries as is. But for a change give it other forms like galette, jams or even this icecream. You cannot have enough of those juicy and sweet cherries. They definitely are addictive. This recipe is not even a bit difficult, but I must suggest you to make it in large quantities for your crowd is definitely going to go for multiple servings.

Cherry Galette

With summer comes cherries, one of our favorites to munch on. Not just raw, but it tastes great in the cooked form too. This cherry galette remains as just a fade memory, because it hardly survived 2 hours after it came out of the oven. As if it was a competition, each one of us just didn't stop untill the last crumb was wiped off. Ufff, they were delicious. 

If you happen to be in a region where you can get hold of fresh cherries, it is a must try. A warm piece of galette is just perfect for tea time snack. The crisp edges and the melt in the mouth cherries are a joy to have. You should try it to know what you are missing out on. It is just heaven !

Lemon Poppyseed Cake

How many of you associate lemon with summer? For me, I have some wonderful memories associated with, being served with lemon juice during my summer vacations. Well, who can forget the chilled lemon juice served to the very thirsty and tired kids after having run and play in the sun. Somedays we were given the task to make it by ourselves. It was so funny to see the younger ones wait for the elder ones to make the lemon juice. We, the elder ones would be stirring it for some time to get the sugar dissolved and younger ones would get impatient while waiting for the juice with the empty glasses in hand :).

Well, this summer we wanted to bake something with lemon and we chose to bake this Lemon PoppySeed and I am so glad we chose it. And my kido did most part of it. He thoroughly enjoyed making and eating it as well. And when Big J got back from work, little J with great enthusiasm served it to him saying he made it :). We would be cooking together as one of the activities for this summer. And by the way, I must share it here. For moms of picky eater, engage them in the cooking process of the the food that they hate. In our case, it has really helped us in bringing about a liking towards food that he used to hate.

Mango Kulfi - Instant and no cook version

Summer is no fun without Icecreams and Kulfis. And if the kulfis are flavored with some fresh mangoes then that makes the summer complete. Sourcing some good mangoes here is not easy. But we have succeeded in getting something nearest to the perfect ones. We have been lucky to have found out one such source and we have put it to good use in every way possible - Mango Shakes, Mango icecream, Mango Shrikhand , Mango Lassi etc. It feels good to have tried a little bit of this and that, that you have grown up enjoying in the Indian summer.

This Kulfi is one big hit. It being a no cook version makes it even more favorite to me. So easy to make and such a hit at home that we have been addicted to it. It was hard to say good bye to the mangoes last summer. Now that summer is back and so are the mangoes, I can't wait to try it again. Well, this post was drafted last summer and couldn't see its existence on the blog ever since. This time I thought to let it go free and get published without fail. So here you go. Kulfi making can never get so easy as this one.

Chowari Payasam / Sabudana Kheer / Tapioca Pearl Pudding

It may be known by different names that may make it sound like too complicated or sophisticated, but it is just a very basic payasam or kheer that you can put together in a matter of time. With Vishu around the corner, I thought what best can be served to my blog baby than a yummy payasam. 

Not just for sadyas, it can make a super yummy tea time/after school snack for kids as well as adults too. With just minimal ingredients and most importantly with least efforts...when you can make such a yummy payasam, then why think twice. Just go ahead and make it.

Strawberry Cheesecake in a glass

Desserts in a glass is what is preferred at home these days. It limits the amount of dessert that is made and consumed by a small family. Also they look so pretty. Plus, it could be directly served in a glass avoiding more dishes for you to wash 😜.

This strawberry cheesecake was made for our anniversary. I didn't add any gelatin in it for the firm texture as it would be served in a glass and I need not bother about its shape while serving. My lil one was also part of the party so I chose to just avoid using gelatin for him.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

When you have a chocolate fan at home, most bakes tend to be chocolaty. Jordan keeps asking for chocolate cake, chocolate cookie at weird hours of the day - just before going to bed or as soon as he wakes up. And I keep promising that I would offer him soon if he does his jobs quickly. He usually takes an hour or more to finish breakfast. So these chocolate cakes/cookies turn out to be something to bribe him to make eat something healthy before going for it.

These cookies were a super hit the first time I made it. He was little then. I handed over one warm cookie, while he was watching TV and he not only ate it but also kept calling out to me saying 'It's nice mama...It's delicious Mama...It's tasty Mama...:) Now he usually acknowledges, when something served to him is good or delicious. But this time it happened when he was totally engrossed into Peppa Pig. So I knew it was really yum for him and he kept coming back to the kitchen to get another once and then another. After couple of them I had to literally hide it. Kids, I say, are the honest of all taste testers. Jordan wouldn't hesitate to say straight on my face that 'Mama It's yucky' if he doesn't like something. So I have hired him as my taste tester ..he he. And he has been doing a good job so far.

Custard Halwa

Happy Diwali to all. We don't celebrate it but having brought up in North India, it definitely gets real nostalgic every year when Diwali comes. We have been sharing pics of Diwali sweets over the family whatsapp group for the past couple of days. Everybody is either making it or getting it from the market to refresh the memories of Diwali spend in the small township that I was brought up in. Getting days off from school or work was always the highlight. But nothing can beat the fun having some diwali sweets or snacks and busting crackers with friends in our neighborhood. Ahh well, those days are gone, having left us with some memories to cherish.

That last minute rush to make some goodie for festivals is always there. No matter what the festival is. Well at least in my case it stands true. I go for the last minute rush. Even though I would have made n number of things , I might just add up one more thing to make it even more memorable or interesting. If it stands true in your case too, then this might be the last and right thing to make this Diwali. A halwa that hardly has anything fancy involved but would definitely have its absence been felt if not put up on the menu. So grateful to have found this recipe while I was so badly craving for sweets having gone through so many Diwali posts from fellow bloggers and friends. Made me calm down the cravings so easily :). So go for it, this Diwali. 

Strawberry Shrikhand

Valentine's Day is incomplete without something red or pink is what the commercial world says. So I thought of adding something pink as my next post.

I hardly believe in celebrating Valentine's Day as the only day of expressing love. But when I decided to post strawberry shrikhand and saw that the Valentine's Day is around the corner, I thought of tagging this post as Vday special just in case my readers were interested in celebrating it and we're looking for recipes to make their day special. So here it it 

Tamukku ~ A Banana Delight !

This recipe, unlike other overripe banana recipes is for you if you are lucky to have too much of banana produce at home or got lots of bananas at a hugely discounted price and wondering what to make out of them to prevent getting spoiled or simply because, you love having Tamukku. In our case, the love for tamukku is the primary reason for making it.

Back at home, whenever we have a huge produce of bananas, apart from distributing and redistributing among relatives and friends and also having it every day for breakfast with puttu, upma, Aval villayichathu etc. we would make this tamukku. They are truly addictive. It is also sometimes given away in churches as Nercha. My intension of making it also had another reason and i.e. to make my lil banana hater, have bananas.

Papaya Halwa

Its a task to make my lil one eat some fruits. There are very few fruits that he would eat it raw, else I have to transform them into more yummier things to let it go in. Papaya is one such fruit. The way he would call out papaya and throw tantrums if we don't get it, while in a grocery store, you would think he is gonna hog on it all by himself. But no, that's not the fact. He loves Papaya Halwa, but doesn't know that papaya is in it. Mama hasn't told him yet with the fear that he would give up on that too.

I used to love papaya halwa. I still do. So we make it quite often and serve it as a dessert post meals. If you too would like to try it, here is the recipe to it.

Tiramisu in a glass - Eggless and Instant

If I ask Jacob what he wants for his birthday, he would say nothing. But if I insist he would ask for Tiramisu. Last birthday we made this instant tiramisu which is eggless too, in a glass. With an active toddler at home, this seemed to be an easy and perfect way to celebrate the birthday.

Since our lil one is also all game for the party and would want his share of tiramisu I avoided any addition of Marsala . It was awesome. Birthday boy was happy, his boy was happy to have tasted it and I was happy to see them both happy.

Coconut Ladoo / Indian Coconut Macaroon for a win !

Anything sweet with coconut in it , tops my list of favorites. Love those Bounty chocolates which has the richness of chocolate combined with the goodness of coconut. Coconut ladoos is a very close competitor to the bounty chocolates. Love the ease with which they are done. I have used a very shortcut method, which will help you make the ladoos  in just minutes to enjoy it.

I thought a sweet could be the next post to celebrate a win. Yes, Palaharam won the DMBLGiT or 'Does My Blog Look Good in This' contest, for the month of Jan 2016. It was the pic of the Pomegranate Raita that made me a winner under the Edibility category. Words fall short to describe my gratitude to all of you who have been supporting my blog. Thank you so much for being the pillar of support and helping me and my blog grow. Here is the link to it, if you might be interested to know more about it and know about other winners.

Pomegranate Raita

Curd lovers, we are. Both me and Jacob hate milk. Infact, we are kind of allergic to it. So the milk intake is substitutes in the form of curd, buttermilk etc. Guess what, our lil Jordan is following the same path.

Raita is another form in which we love curd. It is a must to go with Aloo paratha or fried rice etc. Growing up, I have usually had cucumber or onion raita. But pomegranate raita was kind of new to me. The first time we had it, it was instant hit. Every bite on the pomegranate seeds combined with the yogurt was so refreshing. It has the blend of tastes- sweetness of pomegranate, sourness of yogurt, salty and spiciness of the chillies. Ever since, we have been frequently making it to pair it with some main dish or to eat it plain.