mayurisjikoni

baking and some more baking I go through phases. At the beginning of the year, it was muffins and more muffins. Then it was breads and at the moment its the cookie bug. I love trying out new recipes and so the oven is forever busy. I still have loads of muffin, bread and cookie recipes to try out. As a Diwali present I baked cookies and gave some to my near and dear ones. This year there were no traditional mathias. Now I am busy baking cookies to take to Nairobi as my nephew is getting married. Many guests have already arrived and I am sure my sister in law will need tonnes of food 24hours to feed the huge gang. The best way I could help her is to bake some cookies. Today I made some wheat orange oatmeal cookies. The name is quite a mouthful but the cookies are pretty easy to make. WHEAT ORANGE OAT COOKIES Approx. 60 medium cookies 250 g butter 2 cups of wholewheat flour (atta) ½ cup chopped mixed nuts ½ cup desiccated coconut 2 cups oatmeal ½ cup orange juice 1 cup brown or white sug...

A very pink treat Special Theme: Redo old posts BM#78 Week 4 Day 1    Who doesn't love a bowlful of delicious slightly spicy rice? I love adding all sorts of veggies to rice to make it into a wholesome meal. Whenever, I run out of ideas what to make, rice comes to the rescue. I simply love this beetroot rice as its filling and any excuse to have some French fries!    Beetroot is so versatile. Juice it, cook it, soup it, add to salads, add to muffins, cakes and breads. Amazing the number of dishes one can make using beetroot. Either cooked or raw, I love beetroot. My sister in law Shreya makes yummy rice with beetroot. I didn't get the exact recipe from her as I want it to taste different from mine whenever she makes it for us. I made my own version of beetroot rice and I was pretty pleased with the result. Since then have made it thrice and forgot that I have not blogged the dish as yet to share with you all. So here's a good Sunday lunch treat, the kids may love it ...

a sweet treat When I was staying in Bangalore with Nami, we were hooked onto the jammie cookies for a while. Though sickly sweet, it was like a treat for us. Just as well they made small packages otherwise can;t imagine how many we would have gobbled. A little bit of jam appeared on top of the sandwiched cookies. Each packet had about 6 tiny cookies. I searched the net for jam thumbprint cookies and found countless recipes. The first time I made them, the cookies became too soft. I then read through a few recipes, read the comments and combined ideas from a few and came up with this one. Slightly crunchy and a wee bit chewy at the same time, but at least they stay for a while in the cookie jar without going all soft. I didn't like the ones where the jam was added after baking the cooking. I rolled them out pretty small, as I made them for the Annakut ceremony which took place at my aunt's place after Diwali.They looked pretty and dainty. Annakut is usually celebrated the day af...

kitchen smells heavenly Cinnamon rolls or Chelsea buns are my favourite. I love having them with a glass of cold milk. The best way to have the rolls is to unwind the roll as you go along. Sweet and full of cinnamon, I love the smell while they are baking. I store the leftovers in an airtight container, though they do become a bit soft. Place it under a medium grill or in the microwave to warm it up again. When the kids were young, it use to be their favourite tea time snack.  CINNAMON ROLLS Makes 12 4 cups plain flour/ all purpose flour 2 tsps instant dry yeast 1½ cup warm milk ⅓ cup sugar ( approx. 4 tbsps) 2 tsp vanilla extract ½ tsp salt 4 tbsp soft butter Filling : ¾ cup soft brown sugar ¾ cup raisins 2 tsp cinnamon powder 4 tbsp soft butter Glazing : 1½ cups icing sugar 2½ tbsp milk 2 tbsp melted butter ½ tsp grated orange rind (optional) extra flour for dusting extra butter for greasing little water for brushing pan size 13"x 9" Sift the flour. Add sugar and salt and m...

time pass Peanuts are not everyone's favourite, but I love peanuts whether boiled, fried or roasted. Ajay loves roasted peanuts and we usually come back from India with loads of little packets. However, during this trip Ajay couldn't bring any as he had to bring my saris from Bangalore. I have tried making salted roasted peanuts many times but either they get burnt or remain raw. I had given up trying to make them taste like the ones in India. Then I came across this recipe which is pretty easy. They are roasted but with the help of  a tiny weeny bit of oil. Quick and easy to prepare, so I tend to make fresh batches ever so often. In the meantime, someone told me to soak the peanuts in salted water and then roast for a specific time in the oven. At the moment they are roasting and hopefully they will turn out good. If they do, then I will share the recipe and if not, then I will keep on trying till I get it right. Roasted or fried peanuts are actually time pass munchies for me....

for chocolate fans Usually for Diwali, we tend to give some money or a bag of maizemeal to people who work for us directly or indirectly, tirelessly throughout the year. Moving into an apartment means more people to treat.... security people, sweepers, cleaners, vegetable, milk vendors etc etc. Due to popular demand, this year most asked for a cake and nothing else. I baked a huge batch of chocolate muffins. I couldn't do the frosting as I didn't have time. The muffins tasted equally good without it. Simple and a hassle free recipe. EGGLESS CHOCOLATE MUFFINS Makes about 12 to 15 1½ cups all purpose flour (plain flour) ¾ cup sugar ¼ cup cocoa powder 1 tsp baking soda (soda bicarbonate) ½ tsp salt 1 cup water ½ cup oil 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar or any vinegar Frosting if you want to use : 4 oz dark chocolate 2/3 (two third) cup butter (approx 11 tbsps) 11/3 cup powdered or icing sugar  1 tsp vanilla extract Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a muffin tray or moul...

Ice-creams, kulfis, sorbets are all welcome on a hot day. It is extremely hot these days in Mombasa and we are ever so often making a bee line for the fridge... cold water, cold drink, cold desserts etc. All sugar you may say, but on hot days the body is not satisfied till something sugary goes down the throat. After feeling cool for say, 5 to 10 minutes go on a guilt trip.... worked out this morning or haven't worked out and have consumed sugar, fat etc etc. Oh well, couldn't resist sharing this yummy kulfi recipe. Its not the quick condensed milk version, this is the real thing with mawa and boiled milk. Kulfi is usually a good ending to a spicy meal or any chaat dish.  KESAR BADAM PISTA KULFI 12 kulfis 2 litres of full fat milk 1½ cups grated mawa (solidified milk) ¾ cup sugar 10 to 12 almonds 10 to 12 pistachios ½ tsp cardamom powder (elachi) ¼ tsp nutmeg powder (jaiphal) ¼ tsp saffron  Put milk in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat and let the milk simmer t...