Mustard/Mayo Grilled Minced Meat Balls & Grilled Veg

 

I had taken out minced meat to make Koftay, and as the process is a bit lengthy i thought to take out the half and make some Mustard balls, are quick to make and very delicious. Later I also cooked Koftay for tomorrow : )

For small portions of meals I usually use my Mini baking oven, it has those fine thin rods and cooks all fantastic!

 

 

Mustard balls are a favorite item as a snack on parties or as starters, they are also served cold, they taste very good, mines turned a bit darker than normal as I put a bit more mustard In it and spread some on the balls too, next time I won’t spread on the top :(

 

I made the simple butter rice with it, but made it in a small non stick frying pan, I enjoyed cooking  in the pan, spread some yellow food color to give it a richer look :)

Cut fine thin slices of ginger, paprika, or any Veg you would like to have with rice, I took the hot chilies too, spread 2 tbs oil in the baking tray and lay all on it to grill. The whole process took like 20-25 minutes. Prepared the rice as the balls were in the oven

 

So let’s get set and cook:

300 gram minced meat

1 medium onion (fine chopped)

3 tbs bread crumbs

1 egg

½ tsp salt or more to taste ( be careful as mustard is also salty!)

½ tsp red chili flakes

½ black pepper

1 ½ tsp hot mustard paste

1 tbs mayonnaise

1tsp fresh garlic paste

1tbs butter ( to melt and brush on the balls later)

2tbs of milk (to knead all smoothly)

 

~Veg~

1 red/yellow paprika

6-8 slices of ginger

4-8 chilies

You can also take any Veg you like to. It’s your free choice.

*I chop the onion adding the 3 powder spices into so it is very easy to mix all evenly

*mix the mince well and then add the rest ingredients in it

*knead all very well till all the spices get mixed in

*make walnut size balls and prick a shashlik stick through 3-4 balls

*brush some butter on each ( I brushed mustard paste also)

*place the wire rack on the baking tray and lay these sticks on it

*bake or grill on 200°C for around 20 minutes, just turn the stick once so the other side also gets grilled/baked

*as the balls are ¾ done, you can lay the Veg in the tray so all gets ready at the same time.

*you can grill Zucchini or egg plant too, I like only paprika.

 

I loved to serve in the pan, you can dish out and, so as soon as the balls are ready, just serve with one stick each or as demand.

It may seem dry to some, you can use any dip or raita with it, we liked it only with the grilled Veg and hot steamy buttery rice!

No fuss, very easy, quick with a tasty outcome :)

Happy Grilling!

Some beauti for the eyes :D

I find this a really master creation of some human mind.Gives a very fresh feeling by looking at this "Big Bunch of Flowers" :)

 

 

 

~Apple Puree Streusel Cake~

 

Different sort of Apple cakes are very much loved and are widely popular especially here in the North. You can get them at each bakery and confectionery shop.
...
I had bought a lot of organic apples and as it is usually, that the last 3-4 remain in the bowl till the end : ) I had made the normal apple cake many times and the crumble is a constant dessert in winter, so I thought why not make a purée of it for the pancakes, but then I changed plan A and started plan B lol….

I just used the recipe of my butter cake; I added butter in the batter, reduced some measurements, spread the puree and then topped with lots of streusel (butter crumbles)

As it was ready it was extreme delicious with the puree filled in each hole and crumbs yummmmy : )
The streusel makes it super divine and Ah so scrumptious.
Okay enough praises, just make it and taste it yourself : )
I took a 9”x9”square form to bake this

 

 

Here’s how I baked it:

~Apple Puree~
Make the puree ahead and let it cool down

4 apples
2tbs sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
1 cup water

*wash, peel and cut the apples in cubes
*let it cook till it turns thicker and the apples seems mushy
*just crush and press with a cooking spoon, no need to blend it forms into a puree automatically.

~Cake batter~
250 gram butter
400 gram plain flour
200 gram sugar
3 eggs
2 ½ tsp baking powder
Few drops of milk if the batter is too heavy and thick

 

~Streusel~
200gram flour
100gram sugar
150gram butter

*in streusel the butter and sugar are of the same ratio, but I use less sugar and it is perfect!
* take soft butter so you can mix it well with flour and sugar, just add the flour slowly and keep crumbling with fingers till you have chunks of crumble

Baking procedure:

*beat the butter and eggs till very creamy
*add the sugar and beat all till fluffy
*sieve the flour and baking powder together and add in
*beat into a creamy batter
*Lay a parchment paper or grease and dust with flour well
*Pour the batter into the tray, spread the cold puree evenly all over
*spread the crumble thick over the top
*bake in a preheated oven on 170°C around 35-40 minutes
You will see when the crumbles are light brown and the butter oozing from sides, it is ready.

Enjoy the Crumbly moist apple cake!

 

 

** Many of you have asked why the cake bakes fast but stays uncooked, many think increasing the heat may bake is fast and it doesn’t matter if it is 180°C instead of 170°C!

My dearies,It is important NOT to increase the heat of the oven as the cakes gets brown and one thinks it is ready, but the inner part stays uncooked, the raising agent needs the due time and warmth to fluff up evenly!**

 

 

Chicken Tikka Sandwiches

Sandwiched can be eaten at any time of the day, they only be yummy : )

There are surely thousands of ways and recipes to make the chicken sandwich, I for myself find this very tasty and I use Coleslaw in it so it is so fresh and juicy and delicious : )

I usually always cut the carrots and cabbage and freeze them, but   this time i bought the fine julienne cut carrots and cabbage bag, they were so fresh and organic and I was so happy to find them because I just needed these two Veggies.

 

I used the light whole meal bread and brown bread with sunflower seeds for my sandwiches, it gives a far more delicious taste, many like white bread, so it’s your choice, but brown bread is honestly yummier  : )

You'll  find the recipe for the coleslaw here in the blog

 So this is how I made these Sandwiches:

 

 

400 gram chicken breast fillet

2-3 tbs Soya sauce

¼ tsp pomegranate powder (Anar dana powder)

¼ tsp salt ( I took less because the soya sauce is also salty)

½ tsp chaat masala

½  tsp red chili flakes

¼  tsp

½ lemon’s juice 

Mayonnaise

Remolade

(a form of mayo with herbs mixed in it)

Iceberg salad leaves

*wash and dry and cut in fine stripes

*marinate with all the above given spices and let it rest overnight

*next day fry this on a high heat; keep stirring gently so they don’t break in pieces

*don’t prick or press, they will stay very juicy

*now cut the edges of the bread, spread mayo and remolade on each side

*place 1tbs spoon coleslaw on one side of the bread

*spread the chicken stripes all over and cover with some coleslaw again, lay one leaf of salad

*cover with the second slice and prick a tooth pick to hold firm

I made them half an hour ahead and then covered them with a very light wet kitchen towel and covered in a nylon bag

They were very soft and fresh at the time of serving.

 

 

Enjoy making them, they are cold sandwiches and taste really good.

You can surely increase the spices to your choice, but they should not be hot or else you won’t feel the delicious combination of coleslaw and chicken!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Philadelphia cream cheese

I had this sweet little Angel Helena coming to visit us and as I heard that she loves Chocolate cakes, I made these here for her and so that they are not extreme chocoy I added some fresh cream cheese in it and believe me it was really divine!

These here have a taste of  fudge chocolate, yet one can feel the creamy yummy taste while biting in it : ) I used the normal bread spread salty cheese so the mix of sweet and very very light salty cream is really delicious, at least I found it very tasty and they were all gone faster than one could think : )
 

I searched this recipe from the net, where she added yoghurt to the muffins so I thought instead of yoghurt I can use fresh cream or something similar, so I thought of Philadelphia, was really a good thought ; ) So here is what I did, I took 1 ½ measurement more than it was given and added and subtracted according to my feeling.

 

I did not take 2 tsp of Soda and I used a bit more butter than it was given, which made the cupcakes soft and moist. They became a bit firm after 3-4 hours, obviously butter gets harder in the cold : )

I used my Cadbury bar for the topping by melting it in a double broiler. I made the buttermilk at home by using 1 ½  tbs of vinegar and I cup of milk, it is just perfect!

 

So let’s start to bake:

200gram plain flour

80 gram soft butter

150 ml butter milk

2 eggs

100gram sugar

2 tbs cocoa powder

1 ½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp cinnamon powder

2 tsp vanilla sugar

80 gram Philadelphia cream cheese

2-3 tbs of Choco chips or chunks

( I added chunks of Cadbury)

For the coating

300gram Milk Chocolate

White Choco flakes for deco

*mix the cream cheese with the vanilla sugar and keep aside

*make the buttermilk, pour 1tbs of vinegar in a cup, add 1 cup milk

Let it stay 4-5 minutes, it is ready

*mix the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder together in a bowl

* beat the butter and sugar till creamy

*add eggs and beat again till all creamy and fluffy

*now add the dry ingredients (flour and co) and beat on high speed

*pour in the butter milk and if you feel it is a bit thicker, add drops of milk to beat it into a creamy batter

* just mix in the choco chunks with slight hands

*place the pastry paper cups in the pastry baking tray

 

*drop 1 tbs  of choco batter, let set, drop 1 tbs of Philadelphia, let spread then drop 1tbs of choco again on the top

*fill all cups this way and bake in a preheated oven 150°c for around 20-25 minutes

*you will see the cheese melt form sides, no worries, it will set after it is cold

*place another pastry paper cup under the baked cupcakes to make it stable

In the mean time I had melted the Choco couverture on a low heat; if the heat is high it will start making lumps so be careful.

*Now just spread around 1 tbs of it on each cupcake and sprinkle any topping you like, I wanted the combination of brown and white so I used white Chocó flakes : )

 

 

I made18 cupcakes with this recipe
Viola! Yummy Chocoy Cupcakes are ready J
Enjoy!

Spinach Tortellini in Cheese Sauce

 

I lately had Broccoli Tortellini with Fish and Vegetables with my friend and since then I was craving to eat it again but was too lazy to make it. Though it is not too hard to make but it does take some time to prepare it.
So to have it done fast I took the frozen spinach for filling : ) you can surely take any Veg...etable like broccoli, paprika, cauliflower or even minced meat.
I used julienne cut carrots and cabbage which I always have in my freezer because I prepare the packs and freeze them for my pan fried Veg : )
We can also make the Roux for it if we want a bit less Calorie bomb : ) but I prefer the original and classic way, the yummy cheese sauce….when, then in full bloom : )

 

It is best to prepare all beforehand then all is done quite fast.

So this is what I did:

Tortellini:
100 gram plain flour
1 egg
2 tbs oil

-Make soft dough out of these 3 ingredients
-Sprinkle drops wise water to make dough soft if needed.
-Cover and let it rest at least an hour
-Roll out the dough thin and flat
-Cut out round circles with help of a cutter or any sharp round thing like a pastry ring.
-I just made less for the first try so I made like 9 tortellinies, they are very filling so it’s okay for the start for 2 people.
The circle was 8cm

 

 

 

 For the filling:
50 gram spinach
(i took frozen cubes)
3-4 tbs Ricotta cheese
Salt to taste
Black pepper from the mill
Dash of mixed dry herbs
(oregano, rosemary, thyme)

-Thaw the spinach first and then press and drain if any water, and then mix in salt and Black pepper in the cheese and add in the spinach and mix well.
This is not hot at all so we have to stick to these spices : ) Of course you can add any other spice to taste, no restrictions…

Vegetable:
You can use any according to taste, but the usual ones are carrots, cabbage, cauliflower, peas and beans

I took:
1 cup together Julienne cut carrots, cabbage
Handful of peas and beans

For the Sauce:
200 gram fresh cheese spread(Exquisa)
100 gram grated Cheese ( Gouda)
150ml milk
2-3 tbs butter
Salt and pepper to taste
½ tsp mild curry powder

 

-Now start the process
-fill in the spinach, take care don't fill too much,leave space to overlap them, and then press the edges well so they stick firm, then turn them back ways and press hard so they stick together
-as my friend says it so sweetly, it is like we have overlapped our hands behind our back: D
-make all 9 and cool them a bit so the flour gets hard and it seals well

-boil half a pot of water with some salt and oil and put the Tortellini’s in it
-just let them boil 3-4 times not longer or else they will start to open
-take them out and place in a bowl

-On the other hand prepare the cheese sauce:
-Heat butter in a non stick pan
-add all the Vegetable and fry till it is half done, I don’t fry much as it tastes super when it is crunchy
Add the curry powder-salt and pepper
-Now pour the milk
-Mix the cream cheese smooth with a fork and add into it
-Keep stirring so it does not burn
-Add the curry powder ,mix well
-now drop in the Tortellini’s and keep stirring slightly , but not so hard that they break : )
-cook on low heat around10-13 minutes
-drop the grated cheese along so it melts and makes a nice thick creamy structure.

There you have a very yummy Lunch ready : )

 

 

 

**The Wedding Cake**

My sweet friend’s daughter was getting married and I thought what would be better than a handmade sweet gift on this special day : )

This cake seemed to be perfect for the delicate bride and as I knew she had chosen a white and red dress for the ceremony I thought this Red Velvet Cake would be the best!

 

I have already uploaded the recipe of the normal size cake, but for those who ever plan to make this Wedding Cake of 6 kilo, I will write the measurements for this too.
 

I would like to mention here that it is best to use the brand ingredients for this as it does make a difference if we use any other equal product in place. This is my experience especially for the cream cheese and shortening!

If you want the frosting to be firm and that it stays firm really long use the best brands.

 

I had refrigerated this cake the whole night but on the Wedding it was in the hall in the room temperature around 2 hours but the cream and the shape of the flowers were exactly the same even after that : )

I have made this cake thrice so I must say now I add ingredients without any accurate measurements, I just feel and know it will be okay, but I will try to write more or less the exact here for you all : ) You can follow the process as mentioned in the recipe on my Birth-Day Cake.

Here’s what I did:

 

-I baked 3 cakes, 2 large sheet cakes and 1 half sheet cake.( A normal oven’s baking sheet)

-Let the cakes cool down completely only then they are ready for the heavy frosting.

-After layering the 2 large sheet cakes, I inserted 6 straws in the middle before I placed the half sheet cake on the top. This is important so it can hold the weight of the top most layer, or else after a short time it will sink in the middle and spoil your whole cake.

-In the end i inserted 5 more straws from the top till the bottom to hold all tightly. Just cut the extra length with a scissors.

For the large sheet cake:

(The same ingredients but baked twice, and the half of it for the small half sheet)

 2 ½ cups flour

1 ½ tsp cocoa powder

2 cups sugar

1 ½ cup oil

3 eggs (M)

1 ½ cup butter milk

1 tsp baking powder

¾ tsp baking soda

Pinch of salt

1 tsp Vanilla essence

1 ½ tsp red powder color (more for more brightness if needed)

1 tbs Vinegar

 

Baking time 30-35 minutes on 170°C preheated oven

Insert a tooth pick to check if done, don’t increase the heat as the red color will burn into brown!

Grease the sheet tray and dust with flour so the cake will slip out very easily.

Cool all three at least 2 hours till you feel they are really cold!

 

The cream Cheese frosting:

 

*I used butter in my first cake, it was good enough but it melted a bit sooner as I was decorating my cake. The color was also a bit yellowish in the end, so I wanted a really white icing and I read somewhere that the shortening is best for this purpose.

 

*I used the full fat Philadelphia cheese cream as it has no water contents and the cheese stay firm.

In my second cake I had used a similar cream with no brand and it had some watery effect and the cream turned a bit soft while whisking so important to use a full fat cream

cheese!

 

** For this cake I took:

750 gram Mascarpone cream ( 3 small tubs)

800gram Cream Cheese (full fat from Exquisa a 200 gr)

400gram Biskin shortening (2 packets)

450 gram castor sugar (more if you feel the frosting is soft, 2 ½  box)

4 tsp Vanilla essence

This made a great amount, but I needed this for the sandwich, the sides, the top and then the flowers.

 

I did one coating and kept it in the fridge over night, so next day it was even and I could cover up the whole cake easily

 

I made the frosting and kept it in the fridge over night so it was very smooth and firm to do decorations the next day! You can also freeze the left over and just mix in some more castor sugar if it is watery.

 

So you can follow the method according to the recipe.

I think I will take a long pause before I make it again as I have already made it thrice in this one month and that is really too much : )

Good Luck if any of you plan to make this : )

 

Here’s the link which I molded accordingly:

http://cookiescupcakesandcardio.com/?s=red+velvet+cake

 

For the Frosting

 http://cookiescupcakesandcardio.com/?s=cheese+frosting