Melting Moments

Iam back after a loooong break!!I was tied up with work and other things.

Its always good to be back in blogosphere...Hope you guys are doing great!

I made these cookies long time before...They were so good.

Recipe courtesy:Joy of baking

Ingredients:

Allpurpose flour - 1 1/2 cup

Corn Starch - 1/2 cup

Butter - 1 cup softened at room temperature

Icing sugar - 1/4 cup to mix in and another 1/2 cup for topping

I made my own by grinding regular sugar in blender.

Vanilla extract - 1 tsp

Method:

In a medium sized bowl whisk together the flour, cornstarch and salt. 

 

In the bowl , beat the butter and sugar until creamy and smooth (about 2 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat just until incorporated. 

Cover and refrigerate the batter for an hour or two, or until firm. 

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

When batter is firm, form into 1 inch balls and place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart. Bake for about 10 - 14 minutes or until the edges of the cookies just start to brown. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 3-5 minutes.

 Transfer the cookies to a wire rack that is placed over a sheet of parchment or wax paper. Put the confectioners sugar in a fine strainer or sieve and sprinkle the tops of the cookies with the sugar.

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Condensed Milk Pound Cake

I baked this pound cake last week and it tasted exactly like Sara Lee's as mentioned in the website.I took this recipe from here and it came out soft and moist.It tasted even better  the next day.A perfect snack with a hot cup of coffee.


Ingredients:

Cake flour  - 1 cup

Make your own cake flour by measuring 1 cup of all purpose flour.Remove 2 Tbspln of flour and add 2 tablespoon of cornflour/cornstarch and sift for 2 or three times.

Butter - 1/2 cup softened at room temperature.

Condensed Milk -1 cup

Vanilla extract- 2 tsp

Baking powder -3/4  tsp

Sugar - 1/4 cup

Eggs- 2

Salt -  1/4 tsp


Method:

Preheat the oven to 350 deg F.

Grease and flour a loaf pan.

Sift cake flour and baking powder together.

Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.

Add the salt,vanilla extract and mix well. Pour in the condensed milk and cream well.Add in the flour in 3 additions.Mix well.

Finally add eggs one at a time and mix well till smooth.

Bake for about 1 hr.Mine was done within 50 minutes itself.So start checking after 45 minutes .

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Chocolate Chip Blondies

 I cant believe I didn't blog for almost 2 months.I tried a lot of recipes but I must admit it was my sheer laziness that kept me away from my blog baby.I had pinned this recipe long ago.

It was so easy to put everything together to make this wonderful Blondie.

Don't know why ..my blog has only 1 or 2 blondie recipes.Blondie got its name from the color it takes after being baked.Unlike brownies,blondie batter do not use cocoa powder to mix it up in the batter, though chocolate chips are being used as addons.

Recipe courtesy:Taste of Home website

Ingredients:

Allpurpose flour - 1 1/2 cup

Brown Sugar- 1 1/2 cup

Baking Powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt -  1/2 tsp

Butter -1/2 cup melted and cooled

Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp

Eggs - 2

Semisweet Chocolate chips - 1 cup

Method:

 In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla just until blended. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to brown sugar mixture. Stir in chocolate chips .

Spread into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into squares.

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Vegan Chocolate Bundt cake

 Happy Valentines Day to all the readers!!This recipe is one cake you can make for your valentine who is vegan.

This vegan bundt is absolutely a breeze to make.I had no idea of baking a  vegan cake until I discovered that there were no eggs in  my fridge.I was so lazy to run to the store.So when I browsed,I found this vegan chocolate bundt cake in baking bites.com.It was unbelievably moist and no one can tell it is egg less..I skipped the glaze part.

Ingredients:

All purpose flour -2 1/4 cups

Cocoa powder - 1/2 cup

Sugar - 1 cup

Brown sugar - 1/2 cup

Baking soda - 1 tsp

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Water - 1 cup

Vegetable oil - 9 Tablespoon

Vanilla extract - 1 tsp

Apple cider Vinegar /White vinegar - 1TBSPn I used apple cider vinegar because it has a fruity flavour which blends well in baking cakes.

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 350F.

Grease and flour a 9 inch bundt pan

In a large bowl,sift together flour and cocoa powder.Whisk in sugar,brown sugar,baking soda and salt.
Pour in water,vegetable oil,vanilla extract and vinegar,whisking thoroughly,until the batter comes together and is without lumps.

Pour into prepared pan.Bake for 45 minutes or until a tester comes out clean and cake springs back when slightly pressed.


 Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

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Udupi Sambar Restaurant Style

This recipe is from Kugan's kitchen of forumhub.

Kavitha,who is the author of Kugan's kitchen  is one enthusiastic cook and her thread is one of the popular threads in forum hub..Ive tried many recipes of hers and they never let me down.Thanks Kavitha!!


Ingredients:

Roast and grind to a paste:

Coriander seeds -  1 ½ tsp

Dry  red chillies - 6

Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp

Urad dal- 1/2 tsp

Coconut grated - 2TBSpn

Curry leaves - 1 sprig



Other Ingredients: 

Oil - 2 tablespoon

Asafoetida -  1/4 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Urad dal - 1 tsp

Green chili- 1 , slit into 4

Curry leaves - A sprig

Onion - 1 medium size,diced.The original recipe called for shallots

2 drumsticks, cut into 3 inches in length -Didn't have drumstick,so added carrot,cauliflower and green pepper.I  microwaved carrot and cauliflower for 4 minutes

Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp

Water - 1/2 cup

Tamarind - lime sized ball.Soak in water and extract about a cup

Jaggery - 1 tsp

Toor dal - 1/2 cup cooked and mashed

Salt to taste

Method:

Heat oil in a pan.When hot add mustard seeds.When it pops,add the urad dal,slit green chili,asafoetida and curry leaves.


Now add the onion and saute for 2 minutes .Then add green pepper and saute.Now add the carrot and cauliflower and a little bit of salt.


Then add the tamarind extract,turmeric powder and jaggery and simmer for 10 minutes,


After the raw smell of tamarind goes off,add the mashed toor dal and the masala paste and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.You can add a 1/2 cup of water if the sambar is thick and allow to simmer for 2 minutes.


Garnish with coriander leaves.Serve with idli or dosa.

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Paneer Tikka Masala

I love paneer dishes especially tried with home-made paneer.I tried this paneer tikka masala from the vahchef website.I made a few changes..
The outcome was excellent and it tasted almost restaurant-like.

Ingredients:

Paneer - 10 ,1-inch cubes

Tomato - 2 medium(fully ripe).Puree it in a blender.

Bell pepper - 2 cut into inch cubes

Onion - 1 medium diced

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Chili powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp

Ginger garlic paste - 1tsp

Kasoori methi - 1 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Garam Masala Powder - 1tsp

Oil - 6 tablespoon

Yogurt - 3 tablespoon

Salt - to taste

Method:

For the marinade :

Combine paneer,yogurt,salt,kasoori methi,chillipowder and allow to marinate in a airtight box in the refrigerator for 1 hr.
After 1 hr ,in a pan with 1 tsp oil,saute the marinated paneer pieces till slightly brown and drain them in paper towels.Keep aside

In the same pan,heat oil.When hot,add the cumin seeds.When it splutters,add the onion and allow to brown a little.

Now add ginger-garlic paste and saute till raw smell goes off.Add the turmeric powder ,chili powder and a little bit of salt.Add the capsicum pieces and saute for 2 minutes.

Add the tomato puree,garam masala and saute till oil oozes from the masala.Add 1 1/2 cups of water and allow to boil.Then add the paneer pieces,boil on medium heat till the paneer gets soft and absorbs the masala.Check for salt and garnish with coriander leaves.

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Dulce de Leche Brownies

I had bookmarked this recipe looong ago.I kept on postponing to try this recipe  due to some reasons..Finally here Iam with the famous Dulce de leche brownies by the pastry chef David Lebovitz.
It was soo easy to make and it has become my new favorite brownie recipe.
 Adapted from The Sweet Life in Paris (Broadway Books)                                               

                                                               David Lebovitz

Ingredients:

Unsalted Butter - 8 tablespoons

Semisweet chocolate chips- 6 oz

Unsweetened Cocoa powder - 1/4 cup

Eggs - 3

Sugar - 1 cup

Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp

All purpose flour - 1 cup

Dulce de leche - 1 cup .I microwaved the dulce de leche for 20 seconds because it was so hard to swirl.

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 350 def F.

Line a 8*8 square pan with foil leaving a little extra down the sides.Grease the bottom and sides with little bit of melted butter.

In a pan,on medium heat melt the butter.Add the semisweet chocolate chips and sir constantly on low heat to melt the chocolate.

When it is slightly cool add the cocoa powder and whisk till smooth.Add eggs one at a time,then sugar and all purpose flour till combined.

Now add the batter(half of it)into the prepared pan.Then add 1/3 of dulce de leche .Drop spoonful leaving space between them.Swirl with a knife.

Then add the remaining brownie batter and spread them evenly.Then add the remaining dulce de leche in dollops.Swirl with a knife slightly.

Bake for 35 minutes.Check by inserting a toothpick in the center.If it comes with little crumbs,then it is done.

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How to respond to plagiarism

Hello fellow bloggers,
My blog content was stolen by iloveindia website and a recipe blog called recipesnow.I was just shocked to see my Pulipongal recipe with picture was copied line by line.I know so many of you have experienced this problem from time to time.

Since I had no idea where to start or even respond,I googled and found out valuable information which I wanted to share with you all

What should you do if you found out your blog content has been plagiarized :

Step1:Take a screen shot of your stolen content to keep for future reference/evidence even before contacting the person

Step2:Email send/desist letter to the content thief

There is a tailor-made letter Jonathan Bailey in the following website which was sooo useful to me!!

http://www.plagiarismtoday.com/stock-letters.

This website has lotsa information on plagiarism!!

Step 3:If he/she does not respond send a DMCA complaint to search engine

In my case when i sent cease/desist letter a man from iloveindia website immediately responded and removed my content from the website.

But I could not send a mail or even contact the recipe blog called recipesnow because the author has disabled the comments section.There is no contact information too.So Iam planning to send DMCA complaint to all search engines

Hopefully it gets resolved!!

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Microwave Doodh Peda

Wishing all the readers of "Simple Vegetarian Recipes"a very happy and prosperous New Year!!

Hope you all had a great vacation and loads of good food!!

I made a simple MW doodh peda for the new year. which I had bookmarked long ago from spicytasty.com.It was so easy to make and tasted very close to the traditional stove top pedas

Ingredients:

Milk powder - 2 cups

Condensed Milk - 1 can(14 oz)

Butter - 1/2 cup(1 stick)

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

Method:

In a deep microwave -safe bowl melt the butter(around 40 secs)

Then add the milk powder and condensed milk,mix well and microwave for 4 mins.For every 1 min,take the vessel out and stir.

At the end of 4 mins add the cardamom and microwave for another 1 minute.Stir and then microwave for 1 more minute.It took 6 minutes for my pedas to get to a somewhat solid state.

When still warm roll the pedas into small balls and flatten them a little.Decorate with chopped almonds

Store in airtight container.Refrigerate the remaining pedas.

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