Western / Denver Sandwich

Yesterday was a busy day; we  were all so engrossed with what we were doing that we didn't  realize we hadn't had our breakfast. At about 11 Aishwarya told us that she has made us a special brunch; an all American sandwich called a Western/Denver Sandwich. When we took a bite into the sandwich we realized that  it is none other than our own omelette sandwich from India. This led to a big argument about the origin of the sandwich and its name. So to put everything straight we googled Western/Denver sandwich and Aishwarya was indeed right there existed a sandwich by this name,we also learned that in some places its called a cow-boy sandwich. Whatever the name or wherever it originated I guarantee this is one yummy and filling sandwich and that  we were  so proud that our little girl was so thoughtful and could put together such a delicious brunch. I am now looking forward to more dishes to be made by Aishwarya.

Ingredients
1/4 cup chopped onion
 1/2 teaspoon diced green chilli
1/4 cup diced red/ green pepper
 1/4 cup diced cabbage(optional)
 1/4 cup diced cooked ham (optional  )
 2 tablespoons
 1 tablespoon  milk
 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley(optional)
 4  Eggs
 1/4 teaspoon  freshly ground pepper
 1/4 teaspoon   Salt
 4 slices bread, toasted

Method:
In a large nonstick skillet, saute onion and green pepper in 1 tablespoon butter until tender. Stir in ham if using and parsley. Whisk the eggs, salt, pepper and milk. Add egg mixture to skillet (mixture should set immediately at edges).
As eggs set, push cooked edges toward the center, letting uncooked portion flow underneath. When the eggs are set; cut into wedges. Spread each slice of toast with  remaining butter. Serve omelet wedges on toast.

Caesar Salad and Dressing

Caesar salad doen't have anything to do with Julius Caesar. The name is attributed to restaurateur Caesar Cardini, who is credited with inventing it. The recipe for the dressing doesn't use anchovies just like how the original recipe is, though this is not exactly the original one. Instead of using coddled eggs, this recipe uses mayonnaise for ease and convenience. Typically for Caesar salad, it is lettuce that is used predominantly and there would be croutons to go with it. But in my variation below, though I have used lettuce, there is almost an equal amount of carrots, tomatoes, olives and onion - and also as we were having it with pizza, I opted not to put croutons in it.
Recipe source:Food.com
Ingredients for the dressing:
2 tbs lemon juice
3/4 tsp Dijon mustard
3/4 tspWorcestershire sauce
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup vegetable oil or 1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh parmesan cheese, grated
Method:
Add mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic,lemon juice and black pepper to a bowl; whisk until blended. Add mayonnaise; whisk until smooth.  Whisking, add oil to mayonnaise in a thin, steady stream. Continue whisking until blended; stir in parmesan cheese. Cover; refrigerate until ready to serve. Store dressing covered in refrigerator up to 2 weeks.

Ingredients for the salad:
2 cups torn romaine or iceberg lettuce
1/4cup pitted ripe olives
1 tomato deseeded and diced
1/2 onion diced
1 small carrot grated
1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated
1/2 cup feta cheese
Croutons (optional)
Method:
Combine all the above ingredients in a bowl and drizzle with dressing and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Classic Baked Macaroni and Cheese

I have not met a child who doesn't love mac'n cheese and mine is no exception. Most of the time when I ask her what she wants for dinner, her first answer would be mac'n cheese. I too have used the blue box on the days that I was too lazy to cook an original meal, but on the other days when I am in a mood to play good mommy this is the recipe I use. It is not a difficult recipe to make, and tastes far better than the out of the box ones. So if you have a mac'n cheese lover at home, just go for it!

Recipe Source:Food.com
Ingredients:
1 /2 lb  macaroni
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
½ teaspoon salt
fresh ground black pepper , to taste
2 cups cheddar cheese , shredded good quality
½ cup breadcrumbs , buttered
Method:
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Cook and drain macaroni according to package directions; set aside.In a large saucepan melt butter.
Add flour mixed with salt and pepper, using a whisk to stir until well blended.Pour milk and cream in gradually; stirring constantly. Bring to boiling point and boil 2 minutes (stirring constantly).Reduce heat and cook (stirring constantly) 10 minutes.Add shredded cheddar little by little and simmer an additional 5 minutes, or until cheese melts.Turn off flame.Add macaroni to the saucepan and toss to coat with the cheese sauce.Transfer macaroni to a buttered baking dish.Sprinkle with breadcrumbs.Bake 20 minutes until the top is golden brown.

(You can also freeze this recipe in zip-lock bags for later use - once you have mixed the macaroni along with the cheese sauce allow to cool to room temperature before adding to your freezer - pull it out the night before and allow macaroni and cheese to reach room temperature; then add the macaroni and cheese to a buttered baking dish, sprinkle with bread crumbs and then bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until golden brown on top and bubbling.)

Vegetarian Chili

 For this weeks Blog Hop Wednesday by Radhika I was paired with Sumedha and this vegetarian chili is what I choose to try from her space.This spicy stew was tasty as anticipated and it was a  filling lunch and to top that it was perfect for this cold climate.
Ingredients:
Soy granules Morningstar meal starters/ Ground Sausage Style Veggie protein from Trader Joe – 1     pkg. ( 14 oz/ 2 cups - .)
Onion – 1 medium size/ 1 cup chopped
Tomato – 1 medium size/ half cup chopped
Green bell pepper-1chopped
Garlic - 6 Cloves -  Finely chopped
Turmeric powder – ½ tsp.
Chili powder – 1½ tsp.
Taco seasoning  powder – 2 tsp. (½ oz)
Tomato paste – 1 Can
Kidney beans – 1 Can
Garbanzo beans – 1 Can
Oil – 2 tsp.
Water – As required/ about 4 to 5 cups.
Method :
In a large pan, add some oil and fry onion till translucent. Add garlic, soy and fry them on medium heat until soy  is cooked (about 5  to 9 minutes).Add salt just enough for this mixture.Now add turmeric, chilli powder, taco seasoning and saute for a minute. Add tomatoes ,bell peppers and tomato paste and continue to saute for another 3 minutes.Add a cup of water to this and mix  thoroughly.Now add kidney beans and garbanzo beans with their liquid and mix thoroughly. Adjust the water as required. [ Water should be little more water than soup consistency.]Simmer on low heat for 25 minutes. Then, open the lid and continue to boil for another 5 minutes.
 Serve  hot with cornbread.
Sending this over to Blog Hop Wednesdays

Keylime Pie

I have mentioned before that I am a dessert person; for me the dessert is more  important than  the main course. So when I plan a dinner I plan the dessert first. During summer my first choice dessert is always keylime pie due to the ease of its making and the refreshing feeling it leaves behind after the meal. If you're planning a get together this weekend give this a try and enjoy all the lovely comments that are sure to come your way.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup fresh lime juice (used 2 lemons and 1 lime)

4 teaspoons grated lime zest(used 2 lemon and 1 lime zest)

2 Eggs

1 - 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

14 graham crackers

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Method:

It's easier to remove the lime zest from whole limes so I would start with that. Then I would cut the limes in half and squeeze out the juice being careful not to include any pits.

Process the graham crackers in a food processor or blender and then melt the butter and have it at the ready.

Whisk the eggs and lime zest together in a bowl until tinted light green. This takes about 2 minutes

Beat in milk, then juice and set aside at room temperature till it thickens.( whipped everything in the blender)Preheat oven to 325 degrees.Mix graham cracker crumbs and sugar in another bowl. Add butter and stir with a fork until well blended. Pour this mixture into a 9-inch pie pan and press over the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Try using the bottom of a measuring cup to make sure the graham cracker mixture forms a firm crust on the bottom of the pie pan. Bake on the center rack for about 15 minutes until the crust is lightly brown, remove and let cool to room temperature. Pour the lime filling into crust, spread evenly, and then bake for 15 minutes until the center sets, but still wiggles when shaken. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for at least three hours until well chilled.

Some of you might like to serve it with a whipped cream topping or a meringue topping, but I prefer keeping it simple. If the pie seems to be sticking to the pan when serving, try dipping the pan into a bowl of warm water to loosen it

Source:THE RELUCTANT GOURMET

Outrageous Brownies

Adapted from Ina Garten's recipe
Ingredients:
1 1/4 sticks of unsalted butter
6 oz semisweet chocolate chips
3 oz unsweetened chocolate
3 large eggs
1 ½ tsp instant coffee
1 tbsp pure vanilla
1 cup Sugar
½ cup flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt

For tossing together:
2 tbsp flour
1  chopped walnuts or nut of your choice
6 oz dark chocolate chips
Method:
Grease a muffin pan. Pre-heat oven to 350 degree F. Melt together butter, semisweet chocolate chips and the unsweetened chocolate in a medium bowl over simmering water (double boil). Allow it to cool slightly. In another bowl stir together eggs, instant coffee, vanilla and sugar. Stir in warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and allow it to cool to room temperature. Sift together ½ cup flour, baking powder and salt. Add into the cooled chocolate mixture.Toss the dark chocolate chips and walnuts together with the 2 tbsp of flour and then add it into the chocolate batter. Mix well and fill the batter into the muffin tin. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when tested

Vegetarian Sheperd's Pie

I was looking for a dish that is easy to make and transport and also would be a  crowd pleaser to take for potlucks. It was thus I found this recipe for Sheperd's Pie. I gave it a try as I wanted to make sure that it was indeed a good one as it sounded.When I was cooking this for lunch today my little girl, who was enjoying her spring break, asked me what I was making for lunch. When I told her it was Sheperd's pie she was very happy as she thought it was a  sweet pie like the ones which she is used to. When the Pie was done and I called her for lunch she was not a happy camper knowing that it was not sweet but still gave it a try  as it smelled good. She had one piece and ended up having a second helping. And she even insisted that I save her a piece for dinner. I was  a bit surprised at this coming from her, because she is a girl who doesn't like leftovers or even having the same dish repeated within a week . So,  my friends, in short what I intented to say was this dish was well liked by my family and I am sure this will be liked by yours too. Even though I have made the vegetarian version of Sherperd's Pie, those of you who eat and love meat can substitute the meal starters with ground meat.
Recipe Source:Simply Recipes
Serves:4
Ingredients:
Morningstar meal starters/Soy granules -1 cup-1 1/2 lbs
Onion chopped-1
Vegetables - chopped carrots, corn, peas-1-2 cups
Potatoes (3 big ones)-1 1/2 - 2 lbs
Butter (1 stick)-8 tablespoons
Broth-1/2 cup
Worcestershire sauce-1 teaspoon
Salt, pepper, other seasonings of choice
Method:
Peel and quarter potatoes, boil in salted water until tender (about 20 minutes).While the potatoes are cooking, melt 4 Tablespoons butter (1/2 a stick) in large frying pan.Sauté onions in butter until tender over medium heat (10 mins). If you are adding vegetables, add them according to cooking time. Put any carrots in with the onions. Add corn or peas either at the end of the cooking of the onions, or after the meat has initially cooked.
Add Soy granules Morningstar meal starters and sauté for about a minute. Add salt and pepper. Add worcesterchire sauce. Add half a cup of vegtable broth and cook, uncovered, over low heat for 10minutes.
Mash potatoes in bowl with remainder of butter, season to taste.Place soy and veggies in baking dish. Distribute mashed potatoes on top. Rough up with a fork so that there are peaks that will brown nicely. You can use the fork to make some designs in the potatoes as well.Cook in 400 degree oven until bubbling and brown (about 30 minutes). Broil for last few minutes if necessary to brown.

Samosa Hand Pies

I had some leftover pie-crust and I didn't want to put it in the freezer again as I tend to forget about little quantities of left overs. Since the pie was sweet, I wanted to make something savory. So I thought of making a samosa hand pie. And it turned out pretty good. I find this a good substitute for the traditional fried samosas  - something I can prepare ahead and serve the guests hot as I can make it all at one go, unlike the tedium of frying samosas one by one.
Ingredients:
Pie crust
Potatoes,boiled ,chopped-2 cups
Green peas,cooked-1/2 cup
Oil-3tbs
Green Chillies,chopped-4
Salt to taste
Chilli powder-1/2tsp
Amchoor powder(or can substitute with lemon juice)-1 tsp
Garam masala-1/4 tsp
Anardana(dry pomegranate seeds)-1/2 tsp
Cilantro,chopped-1/4 cup
Method:
Heat oil,add green chillies after about half a minute add potatoes and peas.Mix well and add all the spices and cilantro leaves.Mix well and remove from heat.
Roll  out the pie-crust on parchment and cut whatever shapes you want. Put a tablespoon of filling over this  and cover with another piece of pie-crust similarly cut. Crimp the sides. Make a small  X shaped cut for the steam to escape.  Transfer your samosas onto a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Cook them for about 20 minutes at 350 degree F. Keep an eye on them and remove them when they start to become generally light brown and darker brown in spots.

Blueberry Pie

I love pies - for that matter, anything that is sweet. Blueberries were on sale at the Safeway supermarket that I frequent - two packs free when you buy one. An offer I couldn't resist. For all its nutritional benefits these where not a big hit at our household and I found them sitting uneaten in the refrigerator after a week. So I thought of putting good use of it (or should I say making them bad by adding sugar and fat:-) ) by making these pies so that these get consumed. But the final verdict - as the proof of the pudding is in eating - we three finished a 9" pie in a day. Not a bad achievement considering all the goodness of blueberries that went into our system!
Ingredients:
All purpose flour- 1 1/4 cup
Wheat flour - 3/4 cup
Vegetable shortening - 1 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Cold tap water - 1/4 cup
Method:
Put all the above ingredients except water in a food processor and pulse it till they are mixed well .Add water and mix it well to form a uniform dough .Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.Roll out half the pie dough and drape it over a 9- or 10-inch pie pan to extend about 1/2-inch over the rim. Don't stretch the dough; if it's too small, just put it back on the board and re-roll it.Use flour while rolling out the dough so that it doesn't stick.
Ingredients for the filling:
Fresh blueberries, washed- 1 quart
Cornstarch -3 tablespoons
Sugar-3/4 cup
Ground cinnamon-1/8 tsp
Dash of freshly grated nutmeg
Lemon juice-1 teaspoon
Butter-4 teaspoons

Method:
Add to the washed berries corn starch, sugar, cinnamon, and freshly grated nutmeg. Stir gently.
Place the berry mixture in the prepared pie crust and sprinkle lemon juice over it. Spread1/2 teaspoons soft butter evenly over the top of the berry filling. Roll out the other half of the dough and place it over the filling. Crimp and flute the edges.Cut slits for the steam to escape. I like sprinkling some sugar over the pie crust before baking. Bake in a preheated oven(400 degree F ) for 30 mts and further 12mt at 450 degree F.

Sending this over A.W.E.D-British by DK hosted by Revathi

Eggnog

Eggnogs used to be an enigma till I came to US but once I got the recipe I realized that this is something I grew up drinking. My mum used to feed us a version of this when we were babies and had just started on other foods apart from milk.There are  lots of eggnog recipes that use raw eggs but this one uses cooked eggs and you can use alcohol or not depending upon your taste. Hence kids need not miss out on this.

Source : Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

2 cups milk

2-1/2 whole cloves

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

6 egg yolks

3/4 cup sugar

2 cups light cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Method:

Mix together milk, cloves, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, and cinnamon in a saucepan, and heat at the lowest setting for 5 minutes till the mixture comes to a boil.

In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar until fluffy. Whisk in hot milk mixture slowly into this. Pour  this mixture into saucepan. Cook  for about 3 minutes at medium heat, stirring continuous until thick. Do not allow mixture to boil. Strain out the cloves, and let it cool for about an hour.

Mix in  cream, 3/4 teaspoon vanilla, and powdered nutmeg. Refrigerate overnight before serving.

Serving suggestions : Stir in 1-1/4 cups light rum and serve with whipped cream or stir in 1-1/4 Kahlua and serve with whipped cream or serve as it is with whipped cream.