Chocolate Truffle Cake

Baking cakes have become once a month or atleast once in couple of months task. I just love to try all flavors of cake, and chocolate comes on the top of the list. Sundar loves all flavors of cake and so my daughter.
This cake is decadent and a great treat for chocoholics!

During the process of baking this cake, I realized that my little champ is seems to be a chocolate lover. Maybe I can call him, chocolate boy. He seems to be enjoying every single lick that I gave him out of the chocolate cake. He also liked Nutella, hazelnut spread with cocoa. Of all these things, he is quite fond of my oven. When not in use and when not hot, he loves to use it as his play area.

Mushroom Mutter Makhani

Mushrooms are tasty and healthy, you can add them with any kind of food. Either in dosa, or soup, or in pulao or kuruma, they are good source of protein. Every-time, I buy mushrooms, and they just lie around for a week. But this week, some how the mushrooms were put into use very early.

All the time, I prepare chilli mushrooms, and they have never disappointed me. But some how quite other recipes with mushrooms were not liked by Sundar. Mushrooms have a peculiar, but unique taste that makes them perfect with perfect kinda recipes. I adopted this recipe online. I was quite bored of preparing the same paneer makhani or paneer butter masala. So I opted for this healthy replacement for paneer in the makhani. If you are a mushroom lover, then just go for this.

 

A rich and creamy Makhani sauce filled with hearty Mushrooms and some bites of Mutter lingering around makes it a great side dish for rotis, or pulao. If you are not a diet conscious person, then just go blindly with the below recipe. Or else cut off the cashews and cream and just replace with a cup of milk, although the taste does differ.

Idli Milagai Podi

One of the must haves for the kitchen, esp., if you are making idlis or dosas quite often. Each of us make our own version of the podis. All the recipes are very tasty to have with idlis. And more to that they are always handy when you run out of stock to prepare your chutneys. Some times, I rather eat my idlis just for the sake of the podis.

I prepare the podis rich in dhal content, and so they are good to have. Along with the dry chillies, they still arent too spicy when dhals are added to give a nutty spice flavor. When I was in my childhood days, I just have podis even for my curd rice. Grind this and store in air tight containers for about 6 months. But I tell you, you are not going to let them stay there so long. They get exhausted as early in a month.

Paneer Tikka | Tandoori Paneer Kebabs

All of us are so crazy about paneer and paneer dishes. What kind of paneer dishes you like? Just anything you name it, we love them to eat, when they are with paneer. Everytime I buy paneer and prepare something that gets to my mind quick. So, it took me almost 6 months to put the skewers into use. I bought these steel skewers before the start of winter, and it came to use only now. I too have bought those use and throw ones. But, I tell you, how much ever you soak them in water and try to barbeque, they tend to burn at the end of process. So, I prefer to use the steel ones and transfer to use and throw ones or you can serve by adding them to the little tooth picks.

These are great party starters. Anyone could love it, and for any kind of people. They are too spicy, nor sweet, just tangy enough to tickle your senses :)

I remember eating these tikkas when I was in my school days. I had them in Shakes and Creams. They had their special taste of tikkas, and loved their mint chutney which came along with the tikkas. It is always that, tikkas used to just disappear the moment they come to the table. I remember we used to look at each other and keep munching one by one. Well, who finishes the tikkas early gets the chance to have that one extra piece. So, just too yummy to eat too fast! One or two or three, the tikkas makes you to crave for more and more.

Love Lock with Soups

Love Lock Series has headed into the 3rd series successfully. Lets come out of the sweets and think something that relates to everyday cooking. Since, there are more weeks of winter lingering around, I wanted to have the event to be on Soups.

All of us certainly look around for some hot pot of soups during those very cold, windy days! Do you prepare them part of your everyday cooking or at least once a week? When I talk about Soup, I remember a story I say to my daughter about soup. A girl brings home a very big pot which gives her unlimited soup every-time she asks for. The girl just says, "Cook little Pot", and the pot cooks different soups everyday. Unless the girl says, "Stop little Pot", the pot keeps cooking soup for her. Once, her mother forgets those words and says something else, just to realize that the soup has overflowed and filled the entire house and finally the entire town. The girls comes and says,"Stop little Pot".

I would certainly say that I hardly knew 3 or 4 soup recipes until I started blogging. Just wondered if all the soups would taste good? But, once got hold of some nice recipes for soup and prepared them for myself, just realized all soups are too good to have them for any time. I wonder how many beginners are there like me.
Lets start by saying, "Cook little pot" or "Start, little Chef" and cook all kinds of vegetarian soups and enjoy the winter days! and lets share the recipes through this event!

Idli Upma

Have left over idlis, well then go for these simplest idli upma. The most chosen in any South Indian home for the left over idlis and the very reason being is simple to prepare. But sometimes, since I love to have them, I prepare more idlis and let them stay to be prepared for the next day.

This upma is one of those which does not require to be posted separately. Simply to give an addition to the upma varieties, I'm adding these to the list. A very simple recipe of the idli upma is seen here. You can add as many as vegetables as you like to. Or you can simply have the basic version.

Love Lock Series - A Global Event

First, I would like to thanks to all who supported and encouraged with your entries and your comment for the Love Lock series event.

When I said I wanted to make this a global event, I have got quite a good response for guest hosting. I have left the topic for the event to be choosen by the guest themselves. I feel this creates an opportunity for each of us to know more about others and there by help expand our co-bloggers and know more recipes. The below is the list of guest host with the date schedules.