A Crafty Affair

Not a food post, this is. Weekend was pretty laid back other than going shopping with Ro which i shall never in my life do again! As it is men's things are so boring, on top of that formal wear and my husband is not an easy pleaser. Did you know there are four freaking types of collars for formal wear? The Windsor collar, the Prince of Wales collar, the Duke of York collar and the Buckingham collar. Is it only here in Britain or everywhere else that they name collars and make the confused, even more perplexed and impatient? (imagine what it would be back in India...a Salman Khan collar, a Mohanlal collar...hahah)

I needed a drink after numerous visits to the changing room and 'this is not right, that is not right' sagas. There was a TGIF nearby and we hopped in there to grab a couple of cocktails and eventually ended up having dinner as well. Their cocktails were massive enough to keep us occupied for the entire 30 minutes we waited at the bar for our beeper to go off.

Came back home at around 11 and I still was in 'high' spirits. Decided to put my crafty side to work. A few weeks back I stumbled upon this blog and was very impressed with the food and craft ideas. One particular craft caught my eye and i had to do it asap. So last week I picked up some cotton yarn from John Lewis and decided to start work on a photo frame inspired by this craft by Paul. I always start something and half way through get impatient and leave it at that. I have half painted vases and glass painting kits that are stored somewhere in a corner, card boards which i bought last Christmas, saying i would personalise my greeting cards and fabric paints that have ruined quite a few of my tees. Ro said i would leave this also half way through and dared me to finish it. I had to prove him wrong and so I started work on the frames. I was all done in a matter of 2 hours and was so so proud of myself. Since the first one worked out well, I made a couple more for my two best friends and I'm gonna send it out to them. I followed Paul's instructions, more or less, but here is what i did:

What you need:

Yarn- 4, in any colour of your choice. I liked Paul's colour combination and so i decided to follow the same. I used four cotton yarns in baby blue, baby pink, pista green and lemon yellow colours.

Strong cardboard- 1 cut in any size you prefer ( I used my greeting card boards- size 26 x 18)

Size 0 paint brush, Glue, Scissors, Utility knife, ruler

Patience :)

How to go about it:

I wanted to put in a 4x6 small print picture and so cut out the centre of the cardboard in that size.

Starting from the top, using the paint brush, spread the glue from one end to the other, horizontally..this would be the the front part.

Starting from one end, carefully stick the yarn (any colour you choose) across the entire length, take it around the back and continue till you get the required number of rows. I divided my frame into about 8 equal parts, so it was easier to figure out the rows required.

Continue gluing and sticking, till you finish the entire board.

I did an easy job of just sticking the photo from the back and then using a thinner cardboard to make a stand. It served the purpose.

The colours are so pastel and very warm, its a perfect bridal shower, baby shower or new born gift. Of course you can change the colour combos and patterns, I'm just illiterate about it. Pro's like Sunitha are so good at crochets and weaving, I am ashamed to say i used up beautiful yarn for crafts...but at least i finished what i started..so here's cheers to myself:)

Thanks a lot Paul, for inspiring me with your crafts.

This now holds a perfect place in our living area:)

Cheesy Mini Buns

I made some chicken curry buns (recipe shall follow) and half way through I was sick of stuffing the buns and decided to take the easy way out and make some tiny cheese buns instead. It was so adorable, that I didn't even feel like eating them....and after we gorged on the stuffed buns, we were too full and so we had these mini buns for breakfast this morning. Heated it up for a few secs in the microwave, dabbed some butter on and we were good to go.

I used the Hovis bread mix and followed their instructions. Rolled them into lemon size balls, placed them in a muffin tray and sprinkled some grated mature cheddar cheese on top. Baked in a preheated oven (200C) for about 30 minutes and they were pretty and perfect. Next time however, I would probably add a quarter cup cheese to the dough as well...just to jazz it up a bit.

Enjoy!

Reposting a few entries

Sorry peeps I have nothing new or impressive to post today, so I am reposting a few entries for an event id like to take part in.

Priya of Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes is hosting a Pancake Event and I just about made it. The deadline is tomorrow. So here goes:

My decadent (if I may say so myself) Wholemeal Buttermilk Pancakes with a Berry Compotewhich id like to say is pretty healthy and is a common brunch item on a Saturday morn.

The Buttermilk Blueberry Pancakes which are easy and taste just as nice and a perfect lazy day snack.

Oh and one more thing, the next season of Britain's Best Dish is starting soon, and the producer got in touch with me asking if i was interested in taking part. For those of you who are not too familiar with the show...it is hosted by ITV and is a competition for amateur cooks and they look for the best starter, main course and dessert. The winner gets 10,000 pounds(nice eh?). They are holding their regional auditions in May and if any one's interested, do put in a comment and il pass on details. I'm definitely an amateur cook, but I realised I can cook only for Ro and not anyone else....leave alone on TV! I go into panic mode if I have guests over and obviously Ro takes over then ;) So I'm gonna pass.

Have a fab weekend!

Beat and bake chocolate cake

Remember my 'sweet' cravings at night that i have mentioned before? Well, Tuesday night was one of those nights where i didn't want to have the Haagen Dazs Dulce de Leche ice cream in my freezer, but wanted an ultra moist cake instead. Ro hates it when i am still in cooking mode after he gets back home, and acts all cute saying its 'together time' and hates it even more if i need to use a blender at 9 in the night. So i gave him a choice...shopping and baking is therapeutic for me..so if it wasn't baking, then it had to be shopping and yes i wanted a Prada bag, nothing less than that :) He said shop, but do it right now...which I obviously couldn't and so I just decided to go ahead and bake. I wanted to bake this walnut upside down cake, but Ro begged and pleaded to bake a chocolate cake instead. He is so chocolate biased, and he tricked me into making this boring chocolate cake. Considering I made it in a matter of 1hr, it was nice and spongy and served the purpose, but i so don't want to make a boring chocolate cake on my 'bake or shop' day again.

This is adapted from my moms, extremely easy, Beat & Bake Chocolate Cake recipe.

(Post updated with new images)

All purpose flour- 110gms

Granulated sugar- 1 cup

Cocoa Powder- 45gms

Baking Powder- 3/4 tsp

Baking Soda- 3/4 tsp

Salt- 1/2 tsp

Oil- 1/4 cup

Egg- 1 large

Milk-1/2 cup

Boiling water- 1/2 cup (add 1/2 a tsp instant coffee powder once it starts boiling)

Vanilla extract- 1 tsp

Pre heat oven to 180C

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre and add all the wet ingredients, except the boiling water.

Beat with a hand mixer or a wire whisk for about 2 to 3 minutes till everything is well combined.
Add the boiling water slowly. Mix it well into the batter. It may be a bit watery, but its ok.

Transfer to a greased 9inch cake pan or cupcake moulds or ramekins like what i did
Cook for about 35 to 40 minutes (depending on the cake pan used) or until a skewer comes out clean.

Cool for 15 minutes before you take the cakes out of the mould.

Notes: You can use a little less than 100gms of butter instead of oil.

My cupcakes were ready in about 32 minutes.

I greased some ramekins and poured the batter into those. I got 6 normal cupcakes and 4 ramekin puds.

The oven temp matters a lot here, so if you feel its not cooked in 40 minutes dont panic, just keep increasing 3 to 4 minutes and keep checking. 

Its a very forgiving recipe. You can easily double it, use as a layer cake, sheet cake, whatever you please.
If too dense, pour some caramel on top and make it a fudge cake :)

Spicy Beef Curry

After 4 days of lazing around, watching movies, BBQ and eating out, Tuesday was such a pathetic day. Ro woke me up saying the weather was so good and to go out and do a buncha chores.. I nodded, turned around and went back to sleep. Woke up pretty late and was so lethargic and not in the mood for anything. I even skipped gym, in spite of it being a beautiful day. Hadn't cooked all over the weekend and so i was thoroughly dreading it. I wished, that by some mere luck, there would be leftovers in the fridge which i could use, but no, hadn't cooked anything for 4 days, then how on earth would there be leftovers?

At around 6 in the evening I got out of my comfort zone and decided to make something super easy. Had some diced beef, thawed them and decided to make a beef curry in the pressure cooker. Also, i hadn't made an Indian curry in a long time and thought this would be the best time. It was nice and spicy and absolutely easy...for me, easy would be something I don't have to keep stirring, don't have to cut a whole lotta veggies for, and should be tasty and serve the purpose..if only life was that simple right?

Diced Beef- 500gms

Onion- 1, roughly chopped

Tomato- 1, chopped

baby potatoes- 6, cut into bite size cubes

Mustard seeds- 1 tsp

Cinnamon- 1" stick

Cloves- 3

Curry Leaves- a sprig

Oil- 1 tbsp

To marinate:

Chilli Powder- 1 tsp

Turmeric Powder- 1/2 tsp

Coriander Powder- 1 tbsp

Fenugreek Powder- 1/2 tsp

Pepper Powder- 1/2 tsp

Meat Masala- 1/2 tsp (optional)

Ginger Paste- 1 tbsp

Garlic Paste- 1 tbsp

Salt- to taste

Marinate the diced beef with all the ingredients in the 'to marinate' section. Keep aside (I didn't have the patience and time to keep it for an hour or so, I cooked it immediately)

In a pressure cooker, heat the oil and splutter the mustard seeds, curry leaves, cinnamon and cloves.

When it is nice and fragrant, add the onions and sauté till light brown. Add the tomatoes and on high heat cook for another 5 minutes, or till they are mashed.

Add the marinated beef, diced potatoes and mix well. The masala would coat the potatoes and the onion mix.

Add half a cup of water, close the cooker and when you see the steam, put on the weight and wait for the whistle. After the first whistle reduce heat to medium and I wait for another 8 to 10 minutes...but it may be different for you.

Remove from the heat and wait for the pressure to die, or if you are in a hurry like me, let the steam escape and open the lid.

If it is too watery, put it back on high heat and cook for a few more minutes. If it is too thick, stir in some warm water.

Check for salt, spice etc. and add if required.

Serve hot with rice, rotis or even upma (instant MTR btw!)

Note: Substitute coconut milk for water, and I'm sure it would taste even better.

I have made this curry without any tomatoes and mustard and curry leaves etc...it still turned out pretty awesome.

Thin Cut Beef Steak with Herby Potato Wedges

We got some brilliant thin cut steak from the butcher and so decided to grill it. Added some blanched string beans, grilled courgettes and potato wedges and it was a wholesome meal. I didn't take pics of the final meal because the steaks smoked up and caused my smoke alarm to go off. I, as usual, panicked and then Ro had to turn it off. By then I lost my appetite and was in no mood to style it.

Thin Cut Beef Steak Marinade (for about 6 to 8 thin cut steaks)

Worcestershire Sauce- 3 tbsp

Soy Sauce- 3 tbsp

Chopped Coriander Leaves- 1 tbsp

Cumin powder- 1/4 tsp

Pepper Powder- 1/2 tsp

Chilli powder- 1/4 tsp (optional)

Salt- only if required

Place the steak slices in a shallow dish and season with salt and pepper, on both sides. Mix all of the above ingredients and pour over the steak slices. Cover with a cling film and marinate for a minimum of 3 hours in the refrigerator. Bring it back to room temperature before you grill it. Heat a grilling pan and cook the beef, about 2 minutes on each side, for medium rare (which is what we prefer) and since the slices were thin cut, it cooked really fast. If you want it well done, keep it on for a lil more time.

Herby Potato Wedges

Baby Potatoes- 6

Rosemary- 1/2 tsp (i used dry)

Thyme- 1/2 tsp (dry)

Garlic- 4 pods, roughly chopped

Shallots- 2, roughly chopped

Dry red chilli- 4. crushed

Salt- to taste

Oilive oil- 1 tsp

Boil the potatoes with enough water in a saucepan and cook on medium heat for about 20 minutes or till they are just about cooked, but not mashable consistency. Take off flame, keep it to cool and cut into wedges. Alternatives, place the potatoes in a microwave safe bowl and heat on high for about 8 to 10 minutes.

In a frying pan, heat the oil and sauté the shallots, garlic and chilli flakes till lightly brown. Add the potato wedges, herbs, season with salt and sauté well for another 4 to 5 minutes..or till the potato skin becomes lightly brown and crunchy.

You can mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, marinate the potato wedges in it and bake in a preheated oven (170C) for about 20 to 25 minutes, if you have lodsa time.

Thai Green Curry (Chicken) and memoirs from our Thailand trip

For our 1st wedding anniversary we took off to Thailand and had an amazing week in bothPattaya and Bangkok. A few kms off the coast of Pattaya is this brilliant Island called Koh Larnwith its pristine beaches and crystal clear water. After an adventurous deep sea diving expedition, we got to this Island and lounged around, sipping on Singha Beer and munching on all sorts of exotic sea food. In between a few dips in the water and sun bathing, we managed to try some exotic Thai food which I must say was bloody cheap and tasted out of this world. Since I wasn't too much of a seafood fan, I opted for chicken and other meat varieties which was not bad at all. Ro went berserk trying lobster and crab and everything fishy and wouldn't stop talking about it. Even now he brings up his savoured sea food expedition in Thailand. We also went with full enthusiasm about trying street food in BKK, but chickened out seeing all that was on display. I shall not say 'what' and gross you all out.

The Thai green curry and red curry in particular caught my fancy and I tried it at home quite a while back. It tasted just as how I remembered it to be and is one of the easiest curries i have ever made. Considering it was my first time with a Thai dish, it turned out pretty awesome. It was served with white jasmine flavoured rice, but we had it with just plain rice and it sure was good enough. You can make this with any meat, sea food, meat and seafood and as a vegetarian dish.. You more or less can decide what goes into it.

Chicken Breasts- 500 gms cut into bite cubes

Bell Pepper- 1 medium size chopped lengthwise(any colour)

Onion/ Shallots- 1/4 cup

Spring onions- 1/4 cup (optional)

Green chillies- 2 slit lengthwise

Thai green curry paste (any brand, store-bought)- 3 tsp (heaps)

Ginger paste- 1 tsp

Garlic paste- 2 tsp

Coriander pwd- 1 tbs

Chilli pwd- 1 tsp (can substitute with Chilli sauce as well)

Fish sauce- 2 tbs

Dark Soy sauce- 1 tsp (or 1 tbs of the regular soy sauce)

Coconut milk- 1 can

Coriander leaves- chopped fine, to garnish

Oil- 2 tbs

Salt- to taste

In a large wok, heat the oil and sauté onions and peppers till soft. Add the ginger and garlic paste, coriander pwd and chilli pwd to this and mix well. In goes the cleaned chicken pieces and once they become light brown, add the Thai green curry paste. Sauté for a few minutes and then add the sauces (fish and soy sauce and if using chilli sauce, that too at this stage) and salt and make sure the entire chicken is covered in this mix. In goes the coconut milk, simmer till the meat is cooked through. I left it on low heat for quite sometime so that the gravy and coconut milk flavour will nicely be infused into the chicken pieces. Add the green chillies and keep stirring once in a while. Just before you take the curry off the flame, sprinkle the spring onions and give one final stir and when you serve it, garnish with coriander leaves. I think the coriander leaves add that extra taste and flavour to the whole meal, try not to avoid that. Ro however got mad seeing the 'leaves' and managed to remove quite a bit of it.

If you do not have the store bought Thai Green Curry Paste, here is a recipe i found online.

Green chillies- 3 chopped

Garlic cloves- 2 minced or approx tsp of paste

Lemon grass stalks- 1, sliced

Kaffir lime leaves- 6

Shallots- 3 finely chopped

Coriander leaves- a handful

Ginger- 1 inch piece finely grated

Peeled rind of half a lime

Coriander pwd- 2 tsp

Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp

Shrimp paste- 1 tsp (optional)

Pepper- 1 tsp

Salt- to taste

Oil- 1/2 tsp or more if desired

Blend all the ingredients together till it forms a thick paste and voila you have your Thai green curry paste. If you have leftover, after using the desired amount in your curry, you can transfer it into a jar and store in the refrigerator for future use. It is an added task to make the paste, but an easy one if you can find all the ingredients.

Notes: You can throw in beans, corn, carrots, peas, potatoes, broccoli, egg plant or any other green vegetable you fancy. Paneer is also a good substitute for meat i guess

The entire dish is made uncovered.

If you have the Thai green curry paste and coconut milk, the desired taste will be achieved no matter what.

Leaving you with a few pics from the trip

Pattaya Bay as seen from the boat that took us to Koh Larn.

Told ya it was blue blue blue:)

Dry fish sold at Koh Larn Island

All sorts of exotic fruits being sold at the Floating Market

That's us at the Floating market...super tanned from our Pattaya expedition :)

This is a reposted entry, and I'd like to send it to Jagruti of Joy of Cooking for her event Joyful Eating Whilst Travelling