Chocolate Sponge Cake

Preparation time: 25 min
Baking time: 45 - 50 min at 350 F
Difficulty level: easy
Servings: 10 to 12

Ingredients:

Eggs – 4 (at room temperature)
Butter (melted and cooled) or Oil – ¾ cup 
Sugar – 2 ¼ cups
Flour – 1 1/3 cup
Baking powder – 2 teaspoons
Unsweetened dark cocoa - ¾ cup
Vanilla extract - 1 tspSalt – just a pinch
Water – 1/2 to 3/4 cup (hot water)
Buttermilk - 1 cup
Bake at 350 F
Pan size - 8" round/8" bundt/13"x9" rectangular/ 24 cupcakes

Procedure:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Grease the baking pans, line them with parchment paper and dust with a little flour.
2. Sieve flour, baking powder, salt in a small bowl and keep aside.
3. Stir cocoa into half a cup of hot water, until well blended. Allow it to cool.
4. In a medium blow, beat sugar and butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.
5. Beat in eggs, one at a time.
6. Using a spatula or stir attachment on low speed, stir in half of the flour mixture until just smooth, alternately with the cocoa mixture.
7. On low speed, mix in the buttermilk and finally, add vanilla extract.
8. Pour batter into prepared pan(s).
9. Bake for 45 - 50 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

White cake

Preparation time: 20 min
Baking time: 30 - 40 min
Difficulty level: easy
Source: Cake Boss on Rachel Ray's show
Pan size: 13" x 9" pan or 24 regular muffins or 8" round pan

Serves: up to 25 people

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup butter, softened or oil

4 eggs (room temp.)

2 1/2 cups flour

2 1/4 tsp baking powder

1 cup milk (room temp.)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour baking pan.
2. Sieve flour and baking powder. Keep aside.
3. In a mixing bowl, beat sugar and eggs using wire whip, until slightly thickened, about a minute.
4. I  prefer using a spatula or stir attachment from here  on wards.Stir sieved mixture into the batter, alternately with oil. 
5. Add milk.
6. Blend in vanilla extract.
7. Pour batter into prepared pan.
8. Bake for 30 - 40  minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
9. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about half hour before tapping out to cool completely on a wire rack.
10. Frost and decorate the cake once it has completely cooled.

Strawberry cake

Preparation time: 20 min
Baking time: 25 - 30 min
Difficulty level: easy
Source: allrecipes.com, less the strawberry puree
Pan size: 13" x 9" pan or 24 regular muffins or 8" round pan

Serves: up to 25 people

Ingredients:

2  and 1/8 cups sugar

3 oz strawberry flavored jello

1 cup butter, softened

4 eggs (room temp.)

2 3/4 cups flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 cup milk (room temp.)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour baking pan.
2. Sieve flour and baking powder. Keep aside.
3. In a mixing bowl, cream butter, sugar and jello using wire whip, until light and fluffy.
4. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each.
5. Stir sieved mixture into the batter, alternately with milk.
6. Blend in vanilla extract.
7. Pour batter into prepared pan.
8. Bake for 25 - 30  minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
9. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about half hour before tapping out to cool completely on a wire rack.
10. Frost and decorate the cake once it has completely cooled.

Paneer Frankie

Preparation time: 25 min
Cooking time: 15 min

Level: moderate
Source: self
Serves: 2 people

Ingredients:

For the wraps:

Roti atta: 2 cups 

Flour: 2 tbsp

Oil: 1 tsp

Water to knead

For the filling:

Onion, diced or finely chopped: 1 medium sized

Tomato, diced or pureed: 1 medium sized

Fresh coriander, chopped for garnishing

Garlic, finely chopped: 6-7 segments

Ginger paste: 1 tsp

Paneer, diced: 16 - 20 pieces

Red chili powder: 1 tsp

Garam masala: 1 tsp

Amchur powder: 1/2 tsp

Chaat masala: 1 tsp
Coriander mint green chutney (or Bandar cilantro sauce available at Sprouts)

Shredded cheese of your choice.

Salt to taste

Procedure:

For the wraps:

Mix ingredients of the wraps with water, just enough to knead into a soft dough.Keep closed for 10 minutes. Scoop out small balls of dough, roll them into small circles. Apply oil on each circle, fold into half and then into quarter (look live curved edged triangles). Roll out the triangles using a rolling pin into round or triangular wraps. Heat oil on a griddle pan, roast wraps until golden brown. Keep aside.

For the filling:

Heat oil in a pan/pot. Add garlic and saute for a minute till it turns golden brown. Add ginger paste, fry for a few seconds and then add 1/2 the quantity of onion. Saute till onion turns translucent. Then add tomato and cook until the oil separates out for about 4-5 minutes. Add chili powder,  amchur powder, chaat masala and finally garam masala. Fry for a minute and then add paneer. Mix well and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Turn off heat. Garnish with fresh coriander.

Frankie assembly:

Place a wrap on a plate; spread a tsp of green chutney on it. Place the filling at the center. Garnish with chopped onion, chaat masala and cheese. Fold one side of the wrap and roll adjacent sides into a frankie. You can use parchment paper or aluminum foil to roll the frankie. Serve with your favorite hot sauce or ketchup!

German chocolate crave

Preparation time: 30 min
Baking time: 30 - 35 min
Difficulty level: moderate
Source: www.bettycrocker.com with some modification
Pan size: 13" x 9" pan or 24 regular muffins or 8" round pan

Serves: up to 15-17 people

Ingredients:

Cake

Bitter sweet German chocolate: 4 oz 

Water: 1/2 cup

All purpose flour: 2 14/ cupBaking powder: 2 tspSalt: 1/4 tspGranulated sugar: 2 cupsButter at room temperature: 1 cup4 large eggs, separatedVanilla essence: 1 tspButtermilk: 1 cup

Chocolate Ganache
Bitter sweet or semi-sweet chocolate: 4 oz
Whipped cream: 1.5 to 2 cups

Procedure:
Cake

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Grease the baking pans, line them with parchment paper and dust with a little flour.
2. Sieve flour, baking powder, salt in a small bowl and keep aside.
3. Coarsely chop chocolate and stir it into half a cup of hot water, until chocolate melts into a well blended mixture. Allow it to cool.
4. In a medium blow, beat the 2 cups of sugar and 1 cup of butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.
5. Separate the eggs; save the whites in a bowl while you beat in the yolk, one at a time into the butter - sugar mixture. Allow yolk to completely blend in before adding the next yolk.
6. On low speed, beat in the melted chocolate and 1 tsp vanilla.
7. On low speed, beat in half of the flour mixture until just smooth, then beat in half cup of buttermilk. Repeat beating in flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk just until smooth. Do not over beat.
8. Using a clean mixer beater, beat the egg whites until light and fluffy. Mix this into the batter by hand, by cut and fold technique. Do not beat.
9. Pour batter into prepared pan(s). Bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
10. Let cake cool completely before topping and filling with ganache.

Chocolate ganache

1. Heat cream in a saucepan until just starts to boil.

   Turn off heat and drop chocolate cubes into it.

   Stir to melt chocolate completely.

   Let cool for about half hour before topping it on cake.

Modaka

It's been a tradition at my mom's place to make modakas for Ganesh Chaturthi every year. I made my first modakas two years ago and have now continued this tradition of making them every year for the festival. Who would mind a dash of these sweet momos to the festive season. They can either be steamed or fried or baked. Make your pick based on your calorie intake!

Preparation time: 50 - 60 min
Cooking time: 80 - 90 min (includes rolling out dough and frying modak)
Difficulty level: moderate to difficult
Source: Mom
Servings: Makes about 25 modakas

Ingredients:

For the filling:

Shredded coconut: 4 cups

Jaggery (coarsely ground or powdered): 2 cups

Cardamom powder: 1 tsp

Cloves: 2 – 3

Roasted Bengal gram/dahliya/putani (powdered): 1/4 cup

Poppy seeds/khus khus: 4 tsp

For the dough:

Rava/Sooji/Semolina: 1/2 cup
Oil: 2 -3 tblsp
Maida/all purpose flour: 3 cups
Salt: 1/4 tsp
Saffron: 3-4 strands

Procedure:

For the filling:

Add jaggery and coconut to a non-stick pot or wok; cook until the mixture melts and just starts to boil. Turn off heat. Let cool for about 15 - 20 minutes. Add cardamom powder to it. Keep aside. Now, heat a saute pan/thawa, and roast the poppy seeds for a couple of minutes. Grind cloves and roasted poppy seeds. Add this ground mixture to the jaggery - coconut mixture in the pot. Finally, add powdered dahliya.

For the dough:

Soak sooji and salt in a little water (just enough to completely soak) and keep aside for 15 minutes. Add flour and saffron to this. Knead into a dough adding as much water as needed for a stiff consistency (slightly harder than chapati dough).

Put it all together:

Make small balls of dough (8 to 10 at a time). Roll them into small (poori-sized) circles. Cup filling at the center of each circle. Moisten the sides of the circle with a little water  and then fold from points on the circumference  such as to meet at a pointed dome in the center (shape to a modaka). Heat oil on medium high, in a kadhai and fry modakas to golden brown. You can alternately steam modakas or bake them.

Pasta salad

Preparation time: 15 min
Cooking time: 25 min

Difficulty level: easy
Source: allrecipes.comwith certain alteration
Serves: 2 people

Ingredients:

Pasta (penne/bow tie/rotini): 3 cups

Celery: 4 stalks, finely chopped

Spinach: about 20 leaves

1/2 of 1 big cucumber, julienne cut

Tomato: 1 medium size, diced

Bell pepper: 1/2, julienne cut

Olive oil: 1 tblsp to saute & 2-3 tblsp for dressing

Balsamic vinegar: few drops

Dried basil: to garnish

Salt, pepper, lemon juice: per taste

Croutons: as much as you like

(optional) Cashews: 4-5 roughly chopped

Procedure:

Boil water with a little salt. Add pasta & cook till al dente. Drain & keep aside. Toss the pasta with a little olive oil to avoid sticking. In a wok, add a little olive oil, saute celery, bell pepper & spinach on high heat for a couple of minutes till just soft but crunchy. In a salad bowl, toss in the pasta add the sauteed veggies; mix in tomato and cucumber; dress with dried basil leaves salt pepper and lemon juice. Garnish with croutons and cashews.