Awards And Some More Pictures On Popular Demand :)

I genuinely want to express how Lucky and Happy I feel on receiving these awards by my dear  blogger friends,who have accepted me right from the word Go and have always been very very encouraging at every step with their constant flow of  wonderful comments and appreciation. I love you all and want to wish everyone here a ,Happy Everything :)!!!!

The first award is by Nancy of http://kitchengypsies.blogspot.com/
The second one is by Gayathri of http://gayathriscookspot.blogspot.com/
The third one is by Suja of  http://kichencorner.blogspot.com/

Please do walk yourself  through their creative space,and discover  their amazing and finger licking recipes. It would be an understatement to say they are amazing cooks-Please do check out their blogs . Thanks and Best,Kavita



This award was given  by Nancy & Gayathri & Suja



Fire place mantle with snow flakes

Small Santa on the corner table

Sideboard with all the Christmas & new year greetings

Kitchen Window overlooking the deck

I wanted the maple to look festive

The small tree in the family room

Add caption

Manasi wanted every corner to have a Christmassy flavor,the regular things went in the basement and the Christmassy stuff took their spots:)

Stuffed Mushrooms

 Yesss:)!!! Another mushroom recipe, I can't seem to get enough of this earthy sensuous fungi,that me and my family is head over heels in love with :) Especially these stuffed mushrooms, I had put about 15 of these in the oven and you will be surprised to hear how many came out,most of them got wiped out during the process of checking how they were doing in the oven.Nooo, I am too embarrassed to reveal the number  but the picture tells it all -see for yourself ;)

It is hard for me to pick one mushroom dish over another,I love all mushroom preparations,but this one after yesterday holds a special mention of how superbly yummy these stuffed mushrooms were,and if you are fond of mushrooms then I bet you-You are ought to love this stuffed delicacy !!! I also have to make a special mention of how simple this recipe is,I had not planned on making these,but after my daughter got back from Sunday YG,she announced she was  hungry,which is unusual,as they get snacks and sometimes food also at YG ,anyways she got home famished and me and my husband were done eating,and there were no left overs either,so I quickly pulled out the remaining portobello/crimini mushrooms and quickly washed them and pat dried them with a paper towel. In a jiffy I took panko Italian style bread crumbs in a bowl,took out the mushroom stems,and put them in the chopper along with  green chilli,garlic ,parsley .Scooped that out from the chopper and mixed it with the bread crumbs and added grated sharp cheddar cheese and a tiny amount of parmesan along with kosher salt and cayenne pepper. Yes- I kept throwing in the ingredients, no I am not trying to look or sound smart here,but it is actually this simple and let me tell you-You can actually play with the stuffing ,go for the seasonings and the stuffing you fancy. You can also add sauteed onions and also saute the chopped mushroom stems along with garlic,I have not done any of this and YET this recipe is a keeper and a  true winner and much healthier than the ones which use a lot of oil .I have used just 1 tsp oil :)

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 25 -25 minutes

Ingredients:

portobella mushrooms: 15

 Italian style bread crumbs: 4 tbsp

Mushroom stems from these 15 mushrooms: Chopped very fine

Sultan's golden fried onion from Indian store: 2 tbsp for topping

Grated sharp Cheddar: 4 tbsp

Parmesan: 2 tbsp

Cayenne pepper: 1 tsp

Lime Juice: 1 tbs

Oil spray to spray the mushrooms

Kosher salt: to sprinkle on mushrooms

Garlic Crushed: 2 cloves

Parsley: 1 tbsp chopped

Method:

Take the mushrooms,wash them thoroughly and pat dry them with a paper towel. Remove the stems very carefully and put them aside for later use.

Pre-heat the oven on broil setting at 350 degree F

Run the mushroom stems in the chopper for 20 or 30 seconds.You don't want to puree them,just make sure the pieces are very tiny to fill in the mushroom cavity with other stuffing's.

Now take all the above ingredients except the mushrooms and  golden fried onions &mix these well along with the chopped mushrooms.

Fill this mixture in the mushroom cavity and press it a little with your thumb to make it nice and compact. Crush the golden fried onions with your hand and then top the stuffing with these to add a nice crunch to the mushrooms.

Now take a baking tray and cover the surface with aluminium foil and spray this with some oil. Arrange the mushrooms with the stuffing side on the top,sprinkle some kosher salt and some olive oil on these and broil them for 20- 25 minutes or till they turn golden brown and the stuffing starts to bubble. You can also remove it with the tongs blow on it hard and pop it in your mouth to see if they are done. Please don't burn your tongue and tell me I asked you to do so.....I mentioned Blow hard...the stuffing is sizzling hot :)

Note: You can use minced meat or turkey or chicken and finely chopped onions for the stuffing. You can also add some dry white wine to this stuffing . You will have to cook the minced meat or saute it in little oil along with fine chopped onions if you like and then add the white wine,and let the mixture become dry. Then you can add the seasonings to your taste and use this mix to stuff the mushrooms.

Sujatha here's the photo of the christmas tree . It has lights on it but they are not showing well in the picture,I should have probably subdued all the other lights in the room :( I will post some more, with the lights and the small tree as well:)

Mushroom,sweet Peppers & Thyme Toast And An Award

Yesterday was a very productive day,we set up our Christmas tree ,the small one and the big one (I know it is late for those of you who do it right after thanksgiving ) ornamented it and put up the lights,the home now looks so festive with candles and greetings and the Christmas classics playing softly in the background. Manasi loves this time of the year and it is fun to have her participate whole heartedly in all this. She enjoyed her hot cups of coco while decking up the tree.Mahir & myself were enjoying cups of tea as usual.

I was looking for something simple  for lunch which could be fixed in less time and was complete in nutritional values along with being tasty :) I looked through Light Bites And Lunches by Readers Digest and came up with this amazing recipe for Mushroom & Thyme Toast. I loved it ,it was healthy & tasty with fewer calories and we all love mushrooms. I have tweaked the recipe a little and  trust me the result is YUMMY !!!

Ingredients:
Ricotta Cheese: 4 tbsp
2 celery sticks finely chopped
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
Good pinch of cayenne pepper
chestnut mushrooms: 1 pound
sweet peppers: 6 yellow & red
Garlic clove: 1 crushed
fresh Thyme: 1 tbsp chopped
creme Fraiche: 2 tbsp OR Sour cream
Lime Juice: 1 tsp
8 Thick slices cut from a small loaf of mixed seed bread
Salt & pepper

Preparation & Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Note: This recipe will serve 4, so you can increase or decrease the amount of ingredients according to your requirement.

Method:

1. Put the ricotta,celery,parsley and cayenne pepper in  a bowl and mix well together.Set aside in a cool place until needed. Preheat the grill to high.

2. Leave any small mushrooms whole and halve larger ones. Place them in large heavy frying pan,preferably non-stick along with sweet pepper rounds and add the garlic,thyme,and sour cream or creme  fraiche  and 1 tsp of water. Cover and cook until the mushrooms are tender but crunchy to the bite. The mushroom should give up its juices,before you turn off the flame. Add 1 tsp lime and salt & pepper.

3.While the mushrooms are cooking,toast the bread slices on both sides under the grill.While still warm spread on one side of the toast some ricotta mixture and then spoon out the mushrooms and peppers on this spread & enjoy  it while it is crunchy and warm :)

Note: I have used the weight watchers bread for this recipe.
I have substituted dried parsley for fresh.

Ricotta Cheese:
Like other cheeses, ricotta is a good source of protein and calcium. Because of its high moisture content,it is lower in fat than many other varieties of soft cheese.

Are you on the look out for some lip smacking and drool worthy recipes look no further,here is where you should be http://tastyappetite.blogspot.com/  Jay the proud owner and my dear friend who owns this  special space has some amazingly wonderful recipes. For those of you who have not yet visited her blog please do,you will thank me for it:) And here is the award that was given to me & my blog by Jay.Thank You so very much Jay,I love it,it is so sweet of you and I loved those 5 petal roses they are my favorite and I have them in my backyard and they smell so wonderful when they just start to bloom in summer.

Questions & Answers

Hiiiiii*waves out to Elizabeth* Thank you for tagging me,my dear friend and the creative owner of http://foodandthriftfinds.com/ I always love reading your posts,they are so creative and original and always have that special Elizabeth touch,the person I am now getting to know,through these wonderful and fun activities that we have been participating in lately. Please everyone do visit her blog,if you are on the look out for some yummy recipes with exotic ingredients ,this is the place for you :)

1. Are you a vegetarian, or have you thought about being one?

 No,I am a big time carnivore,I did try  becoming a saint in '94 and stayed off non-veg for an year,and concluded that I am a complete slave to my taste buds:(

2. Who inspired you to cook or bake?

My mother and my aunts are excellent cooks and I was always fed very good food,so when I moved away from them I knew I had to cook the way they did. I never missed an opportunity to watch them cook & play with all the ingredients ,so I guess all that stayed with me,and I learnt my way around when it was time for me to cook.

 I would attribute the baking skills( if I have any) to my husbands stint at Haldia ,west Bengal. Haldia back then in the year 1991 used to be a major set-up of Indian Oil refineries and a couple other factories. We could just barely buy the basic stuff from one of the grocery stores, and cakes and fancy breads were  things of  a different world. So it was almost mandatory to bake in Haldia. There are many names that instantly come to mind who have helped me to learn the A B C's of baking: Ritu Uppal,Vibha Jhavar, Sadhna Mutreja,Vandana lal .

3. How do you celebrate Christmas?...or a favorite holiday of your choice?

I am a Hindu by birth and Diwali is to me what Christmas is to the Christians .The celebration is mostly centred around being with the family and enjoying the festivities which revolve around the food,gifts,new clothes,  decorations,and mainly fire works.The fire works is a a big part of Diwali celebrations back in India. I  must also mention here- That I attended a convent /catholic school through out, and Christmas was the second big festival and attraction for me. Our school left no stone unturned when it came to Christmas celebrations . So I grew up enjoying and cherishing both these big holidays.

4. Do you prefer to celebrate New Year's Eve with friends and/or family, or prefer to ring in the New Year quietly, and privately, at home?

Ours is a small family- me ,my husband and our daughter and we do not have family in this country,therefore celebrating New Year at home is not a bad idea provided there are plenty of friends ,music and dance to welcome the new year :)

5. If someone were to ask you to bring dessert to a party, what would you bring? Store bought, or homemade, and if you were to make homemade, what would you make?

I would prefer to make something at home,and it would mainly be decided around the rest of the menu and the guests. If the guests include plenty of kids then I would prefer to make a cake with some fun icing. I also don't mind buying something from the store- but it would have to be some special dessert which has a cult following .

6. How will you celebrate your next birthday?

My husband was very generous and took me to Alaska on my last birthday :) My next birthday  in 2011 is going to be just before our daughter leaves for college as a freshman and I would love for us to do something fun and memorable. I had not even thought of it actually until you asked me this question .  Honestly-We are such a last minute kinda  family.

7. Do you have a New Year's resolution-and will you be sticking to it?
YESSS my new year resolution is to continue writing the blog apart from loosing some weight, and staying fit by regularly exercising. I hope to stick to all of this as I have done in the past years :)

I am now tagging 12  and 2 more of my blogger friends to answer this same questionnaire. I enjoyed answering these questions and my dear friends, I hope you will have fun doing this:

banaras ka khana

Kitchen Corner-Try It

! Vazhayila !

Darjeeling Dreams

Food Mazaa

Healthy Gourmet

Kurinji Kathambam

Tasty Appetite

Pappu's Kitchen

Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes

Priya's Feast

RecipeGrabBag

Taste as you Cook

TREAT & TRICK

13 Bean Soup & day 2 Of Healthy Eating :)

Day 2 of eating yummy & healthy food :) This 13 Bean Soup Mix is absolutely delicious and packed with all heart healthy and nutritious ingredients.

Serving size 1/2 cup(104 g)
Total Fat per serving is -1 g
Dietary fibre- 15 g
Protein-18 g

I was thrilled to find my magic food, relish it and stay healthy and loose some weight ;) It is a myth that eating healthy is compromising on taste,I think if we choose the ingredients smartly we do not have to compromise on the taste. For instance this soup for lunch was so hearty  and had so much to offer in terms of flavors. The 13 assortment of beans after being pressure cooked had such a unique and creamy texture and the tomato's,onions & garlic seasoned with cayenne and basil made this soup a hands down winner for me.

I had saved some home made chicken stock from previous cooking and I used that to pressure cook the beans. Manasi does not like the edges of the bread,so I  normally cut the sides  for her and save those for later use. I pulled those out from the fridge and took a wide mouthed bowl and added 1 tsp of olive oil to it along with Penzeys Greek seasoning and then gave the bread sides a good shake in the bowl & then put them in the oven on toast mode and tasted them for 10 minutes on 300 degrees f. They were super crunchy with just a hint of oil and the magical Penzey's Greek seasoning gave them the extra edge which went so well with the soup.

Preparation Time: Overnight soaking of beans
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
13 beans mix: 2 cups
Chicken stock or vegetable stock or plain water to pressure cook
salt: to taste
Turmeric: 1/8 tsp
 Ginger Juice: 2 tbsp ( I pound the ginger and extract the fresh juice)
Tomato's: 2 medium sized
Onions: 1 medium thinly sliced
Cayenne pepper: 1 tsp
basil: dry a tiny bit
Garlic: 3 cloves chopped
Dash of lime
Olive oil: 1 tbsp

Method:
Take the overnight soaked beans and pressure cook them with salt and turmeric till the beans are soft and can be mashed between the forefinger and thumb.

Take a pan and heat 1 tbsp oil in it. Now add the sliced onions and saute them for 3 -4 minutes add the chopped garlic. Add the sliced tomato's to this and cook till it looks like a well blended puree. Now add the cayenne and dry basil and the ginger juice.

By now the pressure would have released from the cooker,take the lid off and check the beans,give them a good stir and see if it has enough water. If not add some water depending on how thick you want the soup consistency to be. I like my soup to be fairly thick. Now add the cooked tomato's and onion to the soup and let it cook for some time on low flame. Enjoy it with a dash of lime and some toasted bread,this is a good hearty soup at its finest and the different colors are so appetizing :)

Note: The different beans in this packet are navy, black, red, pinto, baby Lima's, large Lima's, garbanzo, red lentils, great northern, kidney beans, black-eyed peas, yellow splits, green splits, and lentils .

Cayenne Pepper Health Benefits: Cayenne today is used world wide to treat a variety of health conditions including poor circulation,weak digestion, sore throats,chronic pains,headaches & tooth aches. This is the most powerful herb and in Dr Richard Schulze the medical herbalist's words,"If you master only one herb in your life,master cayenne pepper.It is more powerful than any other".

Mushroom Chicken Sandwich

Every once in a while I  start watching the carb & fat intake  in my diet seriously. Especially when I want to shed a few pounds without starving myself and depriving my taste buds. So this time I came up with this yummy sandwich recipe for both me & Mahir . To my surprise both of us were feeling full and satisfied after one sandwich each with a generous portion of chicken and sauteed mushrooms. I used some pesto and Greek yogurt mixed together as a spread with some red chilli flakes in it to give it that extra kick. It worked wonders and we simply loved it. So we will  hopefully continue to eat healthy & tasty and also loose some weight . I will keep coming up with more healthy,nutritious and TASTY ideas and will also continue with my regular cooking as well.So stay tuned and read on....

Ingredients & method:
1.Weight watchers bread or pepperidge farms light bread with 50 calories per slice and weight watchers bread does not use high fructose corn syrup.

2.Sliced mushrooms sauteed in a non stick pan with 1 tsp of olive oil and very little salt some basil  & some chopped garlic and thinly sliced onions and chilli flakes with some crushed peppercorn.

3.Chicken breast cut into thin strips,boiled and drained( save the chicken stock & use it later) and then sauteed with the mushrooms in the same pan after the mushrooms have been sauteed for 3-4 minutes and still have a crunch to them. make sure there is some moisture in the pan from cooking the mushrooms when you add the chicken strips. This way they will blend well and not stick to the pan and get hard & chewy.

4. Some pesto, I take 1 tsp of pesto and 2 tsp of Greek non fat yogurt with some red chilli flakes and mix it to use it as a spread for the sandwich.

5. Now take the 2 bread slices and put them in the toaster,just to warm them a little. When they pop out,spread some spread.

6. Arrange the chicken and mushrooms on one of the slices and cover it with the other slice and press it with your hand .

Please note: This sandwich is high in proteins and  it would be a good idea to have it for breakfast or brunch as the protein intake will jump start the metabolism  and aid in burning calories faster also keeps you feeling full for long.

Mushroom is a low calorie food and most appropriate for low calorie dieting. Again a good source of protein.

Fage 's( pronounced fa-yeh!) is all natural non fat yogurt with 20 gms protein per serving (227 gms)

So what are you waiting for,enjoy this yummy sandwich with fewer calories and more protein :)

Broccoli Chicken,Mushroom & Pasta casserole

Manasi was going for the progressive supper,a yearly youth group event held by the Congregational Church  for the MSYG and YG and I had volunteered to make broccoli ,chicken,mushroom casserole entree for 20 kids. It is a three course dinner and parents volunteer to make appetizers,entrees and desserts along with giving rides to all  kids from the church to  the three house's where they go for the respective three course dinner. Everyone loved the casserole .

 I had to share it with all here ,even though I did not get to try it , I can take Manasi's final verdict  on this, as she  is - The food critique in the Bhagia house hold :) She could not stop raving about the buttery garlicky aroma  while  the casserole was cooking in the oven. The bread crumbs roasted with garlic and parsley were enough to arouse an intoxicating greed and the white sauce rich with  butter ,cheddar,egg yolk and black pepper, was ummm being savored by spoonfuls while it was still cooking in the pan. I had to finally shoo her away from the kitchen so that I had  enough to pour on the casserole. It is sad as I could not serve this on a plate and show you the layers of colors and the rich texture of the sauce as I had to send the casserole.But you have my  my word on  this one-As Manasi puts it , " Simply -The best caserole".!!!

Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 20
Serves: 6

Ingredients:
Broccoli:  Roughly1 pound florets
Chicken breast: roughly 1 pound, cut into thin strips and boiled till it becomes white.
Cooked elbow pasta: 2 cups
sliced mushrooms boiled in the microwave for 3 minutes: 2 cups
Garlic: 4 cloves crushed
Crushed peppercorn or paprika: To your taste
Bread crumbs: 1 cup
Italian style bread crumbs: 1 cup
Parsley: 2 tbsp
Olive Oil: 1 tbsp
Unsalted Butter: 1 tbsp

For the sauce:
Butter Unsalted : 3 tbsp
all purpose flour: 3 tbsp
Sharp Cheddar cheese: 1 cup
Milk: 1 1/2 cup
Salt: To your taste
Egg yolk: 1

Method for the sauce:

Take a pan and add 3 tbsp butter and add the 3 tbsp flour to it and cook for 4-5 minutes. Now add the milk gradually stirring constantly to avoid lumps.  The consistency has to be  thick and make sure there are no lumps .the sauce should be smooth and thick like the pancake batter. Now take some liquid from this and mix the egg yolk to this and beat well.Then add this to the rest of the sauce. Now add the cheddar cheese and continue to cook on low flame till it has acquired the desired consistency of a thick pancake batter. Turn off the flame and let this sit while you prepare the casserole.

The sauce should be thick and easy pouring consistency

Now take a baking dish and add 1 tbsp of olive oil along with 1 tbsp of unsalted butter and stick it in the oven along with 4 crushed garlic for roughly 2 minutes or till the garlic starts to make the sizzling sound in the butter. Remove it from the oven and add 1 cup bread crumbs along with 2 tbsp parsley and stick it in the oven for 1 more minute. Now scoop this mixture out and spread it on a wax paper to be used later.

Take the baking dish and spread the cooked chicken strips.

Now take the broccoli florets and boil them in hot water till tender and quickly rinse them in cold water,to retain the green color. Now spread a layer of these on the chicken pieces.

Now spread the 2 cups cooked pasta on the  broccoli.

Top this with boiled mushrooms,then pour the sauce and complete this  topping with Parmesan cheese and the roasted breadcrumbs with garlic and parsley.

Bake this at 350 degree F on the third shelf for 15 to 20 minutes or till the top starts to turn a golden brown color.

Notes: you can add paprika or crushed peppercorn on the sauce before adding the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. It gives a nice kick to the casserole :)
After boiling the chicken ,you can save the stock for later use.