NO BAKE CHEESECAKE!!! X'MAS SPECIAL

No Bake Cheeeeeeessssssssssssseeeeeeeeeeee Cakeeeee!!!

 
Ingredients:
 
For the Base :
Marie Biscuits - 15 nos
Butter - 40 grams
 
 
For the Middle part:
Whipping Cream - 1 sachet of dream whip (total of 500 ml of whipped cream)
Sugar - 1/4 cup powdered
Cream Cheese - 300 ml (any brand will do)
Vanilla Essence - 1 tsp
Mango Puree / mango pieces - see notes
 
For the Top part:
Mango - 3 big
Gelatin - 1 tbsp

Preparation:
 
Powder the biscuits using chopper. Then add in the butter and again run the chopper in three pulses. Transfer equally to the glasses you plan to serve as base layer. Press lightly with spoon and place the glasses in the fridge to set.
 
Meawhile peel and chop mangoes roughly. Puree them in a grinder.
 
In a bowl beat the whipping cream tiff. Add in vanilla essence and sugar. Beat cream cheese in a seperate bowl till soft and fluffy. Add to the whipped cream and mix properly. Add in half of the mango puree to the mix and stir till all is mixed well.
 
Take the glasses out of the fridge. Now on the top of the biscuit layer, layer the cream based mixture on top (almost 3/4 of the glass) and keep it fridge to set for atleast 2-3 hours.

 
After 3 hours, prepare the gelatin as per instructions written (Boil required amount of water and add gelatin to it). Once the gelatin had cooled a bit, add rest of half  of the mango puree to the prepared gelatin. Pour over top of the set cream part filling all the glasses till top (every glass will have 1/4th of this mango part). Keep again fridge to set for about 4 hours. It would be best if kept overnight. Garnish with chocolate shavings, pista or almonds. (refer pics for layering)
 
Except for the setting time, this dessert is very delicious and easy to make. I can bet you will be a star in front of guests ;)
 
Cheers,
Neetz ;)
 
Notes:
The amount ingredients mostly depends on the amount of serving glass and its quantity. So adjust accordingly.
Add required amount of powdered sugar to the gelatin mix if mango is not sweet.
China grass can also be used in place of gelatin.
For the cream base, instead of mango puree you can even add roughly chopped mango pieces.

(The mix of ingredients i have found in many of my fellow bloggers and otherwise. So I really cant pin point the recpe from so and so :) )

BANANA BREAD (Cafe Style)

Banana Bread (the best bread ever baked!)

When it was time for blog hop wednesday, i was paired with Priya. I was awestruck with the recipes and especially the baking section which was my fav!. Seeing the cafe style bread made me no hesitant to try it out immediately. I had no confidence at first that it will turn out as good as she had made. But out of my surprise it came out well and the best part everyone was happily relishing on the bread slices asking for more. Doesnt that make you even more happier!!!.. Thanks a ton Priya for sharing and I m so glad i tried it out :) :)

Ingredients:
All Purpose Flour (sifted) - 1 3/4 cup
Sugar - 1 cup
Baking Soda - 1 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Eggs - 2
Ripe Bananas - 3 large
Oil - 1/2 cup
Buttermilk - 1/3 cup
Walnuts - 1/2 cup chopped
Chocolate Chips - 1/2 cup

Preparation:

Grease a loaf pan with butter and keep aside.

Sift the flour with baking soda. Then beat the eggs first till pale. Then add in the sugar and bananas and beat till smooth. If you need bananas to be chunky you can roughly crush before hand and add to the wet mix. Then add in buttermilk and salt. Whisk nicely and add in all the dry ingredients little by little.

Bake at 190C/375F for 1 hour and 5 mins. I bet the hosue will be smelling awesome right now :) :)...

Relish on warm or cold slice :)

Cheers,
Neetz ;)

TRADITONAL X'MAS CAKE

X'mas special Kerala Plum Cake

About 1.5kg
Ingredients:

All Purpose Flour : 300gm
Powdered Sugar - 300gm
Butter - 300gm
Egg - 300gm (approx 5 large eggs)
Baking Powder - 1 tsp
Orange Juice - 1/2 cup
Caramalized Sugar - 6 tbsp
Lime Juice - 1 tsp
Orange skin - 2 tsp*
Vanilla Essence - 1 tsp
Cardamom - 2
Nutmeg Powder - 1/2 tsp
Clove - 2
Cinnamon - 2 sticks
Cashew nuts -  a ahndful roughly chopped
Tutti frutti - 1/2 cup
Cherries in syrup - 1/2 cup
Dates - 10 nos
Rum - 2-3 tbsp*

For the Caramalized Sugar:
Sugar - 1/3 cup
Boiled water - 1/3 cup

In a thick bottom pan, add in the sugar and melt it over low-med flame. After some time you will see the sugar startes melting and changing its color to light brown. Gradually it will turn dark brown and almost blackish color. Switch off the flame and pour in the hot boiling water. Keep aside to cool. (While pouring hot water be very careful as it will splatter)

Preparation:

Soak the cherries, dates, tutti frutti and raisins in rum for atleast a week. I had soaked themmore than 2 weeks. When needed, drain them and keep them aside.

Sieve the all purpose flour and baking powder.

Seperate the egg whites and egg yolks. Beat till egg is fluffy. Same way beat egg yolks till light in color.

Powder the spices together and keep aside.

In a bowl, add in the powdered sugar and butter and beat till creamy. Add in the egg yolks and mix once again.

Now add the egg whites and whisk nicely.

Then add in the flour little by little and start whisking. Add in the caramilized sugar, lime juice, essence, orange skin, nuts and the masala powder and whisk nicely till all are properly mixed.

Now in a plate add in the fruits and dates and rub in flour lightly. his helps the fruits to be in the flour. Otherwise if its wet it will go below while baking.

Add this to the batter and mix. if you want you cna save few for garnish too.

Transfer the batter to a pan and into the pre-heated oven at 180C/350F for about 50 mins. Since the quantity was more my oven took more time. Some may take hardly 30-40 mins. Check the cake with toothpick test.
Cheers,
Neetz ;)

Notes :
Youc an use freshly grated skin of an orange and then powder them or even dried orange skin. I used fresh powdered skin.
For the orange juice, you can freshly squeezed one and also add a bit more than the said quantity if the batter is too thick.
If you dont have rum, you can use brandy or even wine too.

PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

Pineapple Upside Down Cake (quick and simple recipe)

I love this cake and i would highly recommend everyone to make this whenever you feel like making some special cake as it is very easy and sure to be finger licking ;)

Ingredients:

Pineapple Rings* - 7 (See notes)
Softened Butter - 3 tbsp
Brwon Sugar - 3/4 cup (packed)
Cherries in Syrup

For the Cake batter

All purpose Flour - 1.5 cup
White Sugar - 1/2 cup
Softened Butter - 4 tbsp
Eggs - 2 nos
Baking Powder - 1.5 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Milk - 1/2 cup
Vanilla Extract - 1tsp
Pineapple Syrup from tin - 3 tbsp

Preparation:

Pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F

For the caramilization:
Rub in some extra butter all over the round 9" pan first. Then mix in the softened butter and brown sugar nicely. Pour into the pan evenly. Take the Pineapple rings from syrup (tinned ones) and press lightly to take out the soaked syrup in the rings. Place them evenly round and centre onto the sugar-butter mix and press lightly. Then place cherries in the centre of the rings and press lightly. Placing cherries is purely optional but i highly recommened it, as the cake will have a classy effect :).

For the cake:
Seperate the egg yolks and whites. Then beat the whites till fluffy. In a bowl beat the egg yolks and white sugar till pale and light. Then add in the butter. Whisk slowly and nicely. Then add in the salt, milk and vanilla extract and whisk again till all are dissolved properly. Then add in the flour little by little and whisk slowly. Add in the baking powder and the pineapple syrup from the tin. Whisk again. Finally add in the egg whites and whisk slowly till you get a smooth batter.

Pour this cake batter over the pineapple rings-sugar set pan. Tap the pan slightly. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 40 mins till you get a clean inserted toothpick. Wait to cool down for 15-20 mins. Run a knife slowly on the sides to lossen the cake and then place a plate on top of the pan and turn over the pan tot he plate. You are gonna get an expression of wowww when you see the top layer now!. enjoy having a slice of warm cake.. yyyyuuuummmmmmmmm!!

Notes:
- Amount of pineapple rings depends on the size of your pan. anywhere from 5-7 nos will be used mostly.
-Use tinned pineapple rings. If you want to use the real one, clean and cut the pineapple slices thin and evenly.
- In case you are not using the tinned version, for the tinned pineapple syrup you can use pineapple juice.
- Skimmed or low fat version of milk works fine here. I used low fat one.

I would like to send this over for the event Christmas Delicacy conducted by Julie. I m so glad she reminded me to send over this recipe for a wonderful super event! Thanks Julie.

Cheers,
Neetz ;)

FRUIT KABAB

Fruit Kabab

This is one of the easiest of easiest dish to get it prepared for kids parties and your kid will love helping you with these. A very innovative way to get your kid to eat his/her fruits too ;)

Ingredients :
Different fruits - cut into cubes (I used sweet melon, grapes, mango, pineapple, pomegrenate for decoration)
Bamboo Sticks

Preparation:
All you have to do is insert the cubed fruits in order of your choice to the bamboo sticks and serve chilled :)

Isnt it very easy? :D

Cheers,
Neetz ;)

APPLE BURFI (Diwali Special)

Apple Burfi

Ingredients :
Red Apple - 4 nos grated with skin
Apple juice - 1 cup
Mawa/Khoya - 1 cup grated
Sugar - 3 tbsp
Lemon Juice - 1/2 lemon
Ghee - 1 tbsp

Almonds, Pistas, Nuts - 8 nos each chopped

In a small rectangular tray, rub ghee all over and spread the chopped nuts evenly and keep aside.

In a pan/kadai, add in 1 tbsp ghee and when the ghee gets hot add in the grated apple (no water should be added). Cook till the apple gets dry. To the cooked apple add in the sugar and apple juice and cook till the mixture gets thick. Then add in the mawa/khoya and cook again till the mawa gets cooked. You will know the mawa gets cooked once it startes to leave the sides of the pan. Transfer this to the nuts greased pan and press and cool for some time. I kept it in fridge overnight and then cut into squares. Flip and serve.

Recipe  Courtesy : Food based channel

Cheers,
Neetz;)

BANANA CHOCOLATE SMOOTHIE AND AWARD

BANANA CHOCOLATE SMOOTHIE

Its been quite few weeks since i have posted somethign new. Laziness is the key factor. Ohhh i really wish i was not lazy like this.. :(.... Yesterday was my b'day and yes, i did celeberate in a moderate way. I loved my glass set gift which i got from my best friend Roshu.. I always wanted those type of glasses and she read my mind!! :)..."U r a sweety Roshu"... Now I can show off my recipes in those glasses :)...

This recipe i made long back and i had the pic in my drafts. So this is not the glass which she gave me.....he he he... Easy recipe and really quick one when you have guest visits.

Ingredients :

Banana (Robust) - 1 no
Chocolate Icecream - 2 scoops
Milk - 1 cup (adjust the quantity as per the consistency you need) - this measurement is approx
Ice (optional)
Chocolate syrup (optional)
Chocolate Icecream - 1 small scoop

Preparation:
In a blender add in the banana, chocolate icecream, milk and ice and vroom vroom vroom!!.. serve in a tall glass and decorate the side of the glass with chocolate syrup. Add in small scoop of chocolate icecream on top and serve chill..

I recieved this award from Nivedita and I am really honoured. Thanks so much Nivedita. She is one bloggy friend who never gives up. She fights the toughest and really is one winner.. You will find various and exciting recipes in her blog. Do visit her blog :)...

Cheers,
Neetz ;)

FROSTED DATE BALLS

Frosted Date Balls

I am back again with a easy recipe which can be sweet at the same time lovely for a snack or anything.Just name it!!!... Its very easy to make and you can make it ina jiffy.This is a middle east sweet and usually people have this more during ramadan season during their fast breaking. Here dates is the most consumed during the fasting period and have them first when they break their fast... I would like to dedicate this sweet to my best friend Roshu. Since ramadan is around the corner, i actually thought of her while making this :)


Preparation:
Dates - 200 gms -seeds remove and made into paste (I had the paste packet with me)
Nuts and Almonds - approx 8 each (depends upon how much balls you get)
Butter - 1 tbsp
Dessicated Coconut - half handful for rolling the mix

Preparation:

If you have a packet of dates as paste then thats the best to use as it is time saving too.. Otherwise remove the seeds of the dates and then make them into paste ina grinder.

In a pan add butter, roast nuts and almonds and remove. In the same pan with butter, add in the date paste and saute for 15seconds - 30 seconds till butter is mixed properly with dates. Then remove and keep aside to cool. Meanwhile keep the dessicated coconut ready or grind the the grated coconut.

Make small balls of the date paste and then flatten them with hands. In between place one almond and cashew nut and cover and roll again to a ball. Roll it in coconut powder and serve!!!!

I m dedicating this recipe to all muslim blogger friends, especially to Ayeesha, Suhaina and Fajeeda :)

I would like to send this over to

Umm Mymoonah for Iftar Moments

Akilas kitchen for Celeberating Independence Day

Pari for Kids Delight

Sarasa Corner for MM Party Treats

MANGO LASSI/SMOOTHIE

Mango Lassi/Smoothie

Yummy yummm...right :)..The thoguht of it makes you droollllllllllll... ;)

Lassi is an indian smoothie mainly made by adding sugar and curd/yoghurt. Here i have used riped mangoes. Alternatively you can use mango pulp which comes in can.

Ingredients:
Ripe Mango : 2 nos
Milk - 1/2 cup
Curd/Yoghurt - 1 cup
Suagr
Cardamom Powder - 2 liberal pinch
Pista slivers - for garnishing

Preparation:
Except pista slivers, blend all the ingredients to a smooth paste. Serve chilled garnished with pista slivers. Enjoy the hot summer :)

Cheers,
Neetz ;)

AVOCADO MILKSHAKE/JUICE

Avocado Milkshake/Juice

The fruit avocado is known to be very healthy and it is very good for heart :).... eating Avacado as it is might not be very tasty..not for me anyways..he he he..to get kids eat this to make them drink like this :) This was told to me by dearest friend and my best friend Roshu :).. The juice is so sweet as she is :)... @ roshu - the credit still goes to me for making this one..he he he :D

Ingredients :
Ripe Avacado - 2 nos peeled and cut into cubes
Cold Milk
Sugar - as per taste
Cardamom Powder - 2 liberal Pinch

Preparation:
In a blender, add in the avacado, 1.5 cup milk, sugar, cardamom powder. Blend to a smooth juice.. Add in milk if the mix is too thick. I actually did not take the measurement of the milk. Add milk according to the consistency you need. Serve chilled in a glass and garnish with cardamom powder.

Cheers,
Neetz ;)

WATERLEMON DRINK

WaterLemon Drink

Last few days I had watermeleon kept in fridge and was tired of eating it. I wanted to make some drink and i tried fusing it with lemon and sugar and the outcome was cool. This drink would definitely be a thirst quencher in summer :)


Ingredients:


Watermelon - approx 1/2 piece
Lemon - as per your taste ( I used 2 nos)
Sugar - 1 cup
Water - 1/2 cup


Add in the all the ingredients to a mixer and vroom vroom vroom... Sieve and serve cold :)...


Cheers,
Neetz ;)

LEMON GINGER REFRESHMENT

Lemon Ginger Refreshment

Ingredients :
Lemon - 2 nos juice
Ginger - 1 small piece
Mint leaves - 4-5 nos
Sugar - as per taste
Salt - a pinch
Water - 2 cups


Preparation :
Grind all of them in a blender, chill and serve with ice cubes in :)...good for cool summer :)




Cheers
Neetz ;)