Cheddar and Mozzarella Fingers in Oats flakes!

Hey world!! So the 4 course party menu I promised, is working its way into the blog. Today we will take a look at the first appetizer- a 2 in one cheese fingers coated in oats flakes.

It’s a neat snack for kids who don’t like oats J. I promise they’ll ask for more if you serve it like this!

Keep the cheddar slices thin and mozzarella thick but not too thick. If you wish to make it spicy add some pepper powder or chilli powder or some green chilli paste to the egg before coating. You can add caramelized onions and some red chilli flakes instead of oats, tat’s even yummier. I used oats so that my little one could have them too.

YBR monthly event and Quickies noodle Challenge!!

Hi guys...this is a quickie post on 2 events I am participating this month!

The first one is Your Best Recipe of the month hosted by Nancy at Spicie Foodie. Nancy has such a lovely blog and her recipes are awesome!! This event is a monthly round up of recipes that bloggers think is their best one of the month. You can submit recipes every month and Nancy will publish them at the end of that month. Check it out here:

Next one is a contest called the Quickie Noodles Challenge hosted at Quickies on the Dinner Table by Denise and Lazaro. They both have fabulous blogs, that I discovered just couple of days back. Denise and Lazaro are looking for an innovative noodles or pasta recipe that would be quick and yummy! And there is a prize too...go check it out at Quickie Noodles Challenge.

GARAM MASALA - THE EXOTIC MIX OF SPICES!!

This post is an important component for many of my recipes. So When I finally got my pictures done for Garam masala, I thought I should do the post asap. But guess what? I forgot to put cloves in the picture!! So please bear with the forgetful me and use cloves as per the recipe and don’t hunt for them in the pictures. For those of you who don’t know what clove is, just Google it and you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about J but otherwise, here is the secret recipe to my Garam masala mix. I am also going to give you the list of recipes from my blog that can be made exceptionally delicious using this mix of spices.

Lamb Roast in Garam Masala

Salmon Tikka

Prawn and Potato stew

Tuna & Pasta-Indian style

Grilled Green Chicken

Tandoor Gobi

Spicy Lamb Chops

Biriyani

Lamb Kebabs

I would encourage you to make your own mix and store it in an air tight container. Use within a few months and then replenish stock.

For a few recipes like Biryani and “Lamb roast in Garam Masala” I would recommend using freshly ground Garam Masala since that it the best way to infuse flavours into the meat. Also, because the main flavours in such dishes, come from these spices.

NIBBLES SALAD - CORN GARNISHED WITH ANAR!

Thanks everyone for voting me to the top 9 on FOODBUZZ.

Finally, I am back J....been really busy the last few weeks...now I have some great stuff ahead...recipes are ready but never got time to post them....so here on I’ll make it a point to do one post per day!

Over this week, I’m going to post a whole party menu for a four course meal....but of course, on a one dish per dayJ basis. For starters we’ll have cheese fingers with a twist and seared chicken breast with chettinad spices. In the vegetarian main course serving will be Garlic Parathas with yummy Mushroom and baby carrot curry. The non-veg main course will be Lamb Biryani accompanied by Pomegranate flavoured yogurt salad. And finally the dessert, how about Poached fruits in Ginger syrup and a Green apple surprise?

So, how did you like a glimpse of the menu for a week?  Sounds yum? Keep coming back to cardamom hills for more J!

Coming to today’s menu, I’ll do a salad that can accompany our four course meal....I call it the Nibbles Salad because all the ingredients have to be chopped to nibble sizeJ. It tastes best this way since you can scoop a spoonful and enjoy the delightful taste of every ingredient in one bit.

SPICY BUTTERMILK PRAWNS and Masala Chaas!

Firstly, Apologies! I know, I have been absconding since couple of days  and have been leaving all your comments unattended...but I swear, the week’s been terribly hectic, I was travelling, I could not access the internet for a couple of days and I just can’t find enough time to finish my “to do list”!! L That’s probably my first sad smiley in the blog J hehehe....but genuinely, thank you, all you lovely people who take time out to comment on my posts...you are the best and this signature recipe from MJ’s kitchen is dedicated to all of you!!! N please forgive me if I haven’t replied to your comments. I will, once I have plenty of time in hand, that I promise J

I am giving you a bonus recipe within this recipe for a spicy buttermilk drink that is so popular in India. It’s called ‘Masala Chaas’ in the north and ‘sambaram’ in the south. Actually, there are numerous names, if I start mentioning because we have so many languages and butter milk is a popular thirst quencher all over the country.

Getting down to the dish, it’s simple and delicious. We are going to marinate prawns in buttermilk and sauté it without oil. I used small prawns but it should come out fine with any size. Just make sure you have plenty of marinade. For accompaniments, it’s a great combination with plain rice.

Happy cooking J

BLUEBERRY CHEESE CAKE MINUS BAKING EQUALS PUDDING!!

Ok, I know I have been stuck with a sweet tooth from last few posts and my spicy blog has turned into a sweet creamy one J but I promise after this one last dessert I won’t do more for another month unless I just can’t get off my cravings or want to test my baking skills.

So what on the menu today?? Well, we all know the famous blueberry cheese cakes....i’ll make you a blueberry cheese cake minus the baking skills equals A Pudding!! Luscious and rich that you will want more...hehehe...please stick to the quantities or I’ll assure you that your pudding will turn into soupJ.

Just as we did for our bread pudding, I used an 8inches square dish and the quantity made will have to be adjusted according to your serving dish.

CHOCOLATE & WHITE BEAN ICE CREAM WITH GLAZED COCONUT!

How does it sound? Strangely exciting? Actually, this was an experiment that took place for the sake of a pending can of white beans. In India, we make sweet porridge with lentils. So, I thought why not try ice cream. Well, it was a good yield.

The best thing is you can completely opt out on the milk and add coconut cream to make it vegan and totally healthy ice cream. This is because the white beans give it a great ice creamy texture without having to work too hard on it. For more know-how on that section, check tips n tricks at the end of the post.

This ice cream has to be serve after 4 to six hours of chilling or it will harden (not crystallize). Then you have to leave it outside for 10mins and use a blender to get the texture back. But other wise it’s a hit!

QUICK MINCED LAMB KEBABS WITHOUT BARBECUE!!

Kebabs can’t get easier than this….by the way, I hope there is no one who’s not heard of Kebab! It usually refers to barbecued meat dishes that are marinated or mixed with various herbs and spices. There are many varieties of kebabs. Here, I am doing a variation of seekh kebab. I know those pictures are not the most appetizing ones you have seen but night lights are dim and that’s the best I could do before the plate was empty. Next time, I'll make them in the morning and post some great and clear picturesJ

I have not used a Barbecue but instead a non-stick pan/ tava to cook the kebab. It’s the same as grilling on the barbecue unless you are using the traditional charcoal grill. For lazy ones like me, making kebabs in my cosy kitchen is more effective! Plus, I could eat them whenever I want, even for breakfastJ

This is a simple and modified version of Indian Seekh Kebabs. And don’t try any other meat for this method because both chicken and beef will totally stick to you pan! While washing the meat, drain off water totally. Infact, keep it aside for a 30 mins to drain water completely. Otherwise, it will let out so much water while cooking that you’ll have a curry instead of kebab!! N we don’t want that do we?

My first award!

Elisabeth at Food & Thift finds has been extremely generous to honour me with this award!!!

Thank you soooo much for my first ever award.

Like she said in her post, thanks to foodbuzz for all the great friends, I have made in the foodie community :)

1.       Brown Eyed Baker

2.       Chacko's Kitchen

3.       eatGREEK

4.       Fork spoon n knife

5.       Flavours

6.       Gingerbread Bagels

7.       kitchen morph

8.       La Kocinera

9.       Mishmash!

10.   More Than A Mount Full - A Culinary Journey

11.   Orange Blossom Water

12.   Shab's Cuisine

13.   Taking On Magazines One Recipe at a Time

14.   Turkey's For Life...

15.   Yesim Style Kitchen

Rules:

Please copy & paste it on your blog and pass it on to 15 other bloggers of your choice.

Once again, thank you Elisabeth!!

BELL PEPPER & CINNAMON SPLASH – THE GREEN TONIC!!

Did you know that 1 medium bell pepper gives you as much Vitamin C as 2 large oranges?? Bell pepper is loaded with anti-oxidants which protect fight cardiovascular diseases and even cancer. There are a load of other nutrients which I haven’t mentioned.  So don’t we need to use them as much as we can? And cinnamon….well cinnamon is a power spice. It is rich in calcium, iron and various vitamins n minerals. A teaspoon of cinnamon improves insulin sensitivity and blood sugar control thus helps combating diabetics. So we truly have a tonic here and she is a beauty in taste too!

I know that’s hard to believe that it will be tasty especially when green bell pepper is slightly bitter but you have to trust me like alwaysJ. It’s more than worth a try and tasty as ever.

Well, I have added mint and cucumber also…..thought of adding lime juice also but let go off the idea as it would cover up all the other flavours in the drink. You can always choose to add limeJ. I used an inch long piece of cinnamon that went straight into my blender which gives a great aroma and zing to the flavour. If you can, do the same else use powder as per directions.