Coconut Rava Kesari

 INGREDIENTS:

Rava- 1 cup

Coconut milk-1.5 cups

Water- 1.5 cups

Grated coconut-1/2 cup

Sugar- 1.5 cups

Elaichi powder- To taste

Ghee-To your taste

Almond flakes and Cashewnut pieces- A handful

PROCEDURE:

1. Add ghee to a pan and add the nuts, then add rava and roast till golden

2. Once rava is roasted then add water and mix. Then add coconut milk

3. After rava is in thick consistency then add sugar and after a minute of stirring add grated coconut and add elaichi powder and turn off stove. Add a spoon of ghee before closing lid.

Mango tiramisu

 INGREDIENTS:

Lady fingers- 1 packet 

Milk-1 cup

Mango cream for tiramisu:

Condensed cup- 1/2 cup

Whipping cream- 1/2 cup

Mango pulp-1 cup

Mascarpone cheese- 1 cup

PROCEDURE:

1.Arrange the lady finger biscuits in a 13x9 pan

2. Pour milk over the biscuits evenly

3. Make a mix for the mango mix as above. 

4. Spread the mango mix evenly on the soaked lady fingers

5. Pour a layer of mango pulp over the mango mix and decorate with toppings like freshly cut mangoes, cherry or berries of your choice

6. Refrigerate for at least 4-5 hours or overnight

Caramel Flan

 INGREDIENTS:

SUGAR SYRUP:

Granulated sugar-12 cup

Water-1/4 cup

CUSTARD:

Egg yolks- 8 

Evaporated milk- 1 can

Condensed milk- 1 can 

Vanilla essence- 1 tbsp

PROCEDURE:

1. In a non stick pan, add water and sugar and heat in medium. 

2.Do not stir with spatula, simply only swirl the pan now and then

3. The caramel will bubble and turn white. Keep swirling now and then. Then allow the mixture to turn golden yellow/ brown.

4. Turn off the stove once the caramel is no longer lumpy and pour into baking pan and swirl around the baking pan until the caramel has completely coated the pan.

6. Now in a separate bowl, add 8 egg yolks, evaporated milk, condensed milk and vanilla essence and mix.  Pour this mixture on top of the caramel sauce in the baking dish. 

7. Set the oven temperature to 350 degrees, place the baking dish in a oven safe pan and add water till half to create a water bath and bake for 1 hour 15 mins.

8. Allow the flan to cool at room temperature for an hour or more and then keep in refrigerator over night to set. 

9. In a deep dish, turn the baking dish upside down and serve chill.

Tip: To separate egg yolks from egg white, crack the egg into half and move the yolk around each half of the egg shell until yolk is separate, with wet/clean hands remove the egg yolks only.

Chocolate Ganache frosting

  INGREDIENTS:

Milk Chocolate Chips-  1 packet

Heavy Whipping cream-2 cups

PROCEDURE:

1. In a microwave safe bowl add 2 cups of heavy whipping cream and microwave for 3 mins.

2. Remove the cream from microwave and while its still hot, add chocolate chips and stir will completely mixed.

3. Allow to cool and then pour on your cake. This consistency is best for cake frosting. 

Nuts laddoo with jaggery

INGREDIENTS

Cashewnuts- 1 cup
Unroasted unsalted Peanuts- 1 cup
Almonds- 1 cup
Pistachionuts- 1/2 cup
Jaggery- 6 cubes
Elaichi/cardamom powder- To taste
Ghee- To make laddoos

PROCEDURE:

• In a pan, dry roast all the nuts in low to medium flame until raw smell is gone. Be careful in making sure the nuts do not burn. Keep mixing now and then.
• Once cooled down, grind to a coarse powder in a mixie.
• Heat the jaggery cubes in microwave for 20 seconds and grind them in the same mixie to make a sticky powder and add them to nuts mixture
• Add cardamom powder and some ghee enough to be able to make laddoos with your hands.
• Enjoy guilt free. Nice dish for potlucks or quick prasadam for any puja. You can add dates if you like too but you must adjust the jaggery accordingly.

Badam Halwa- Almond pudding

INGREDIENTS:

Badam/Almonds- 2 cups
Milk- 5 cups
Saffron - A pinch
Elaichi/Cardamom powder- to taste about 1 tsp
Ghee
Sugar- 4 cups

PROCEDURE:

1. Soak almonds in boiling water for 2-3 hours and peel the skin. Add peeled almonds and a cup of milk in a blender and grind to a smooth paste.
2. In a pan add 2 tbsp ghee, add the ground almond mixture and add the remaining milk to the paste and stir continuously till raw smell is gone and mixture gets tight.
3. Now add sugar to the mixture and keep stirring continuously till ghee separates. You can add olive oil instead of ghee to prevent lumps.
4. Serve warm and enjoy.

Mango Ice cream

This is a super tasty and quick ice cream recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

Mango Pulp- 1 can
Condensed milk- 1 can
Whipping cream- 10 oz

PROCEDURE:

1. In a blender, add condensed milk and mango pulp and beat well.
2. Add the whipping cream and beat until evenly distributed.
3. Refrigerate at least overnight for best results.
4. If you are using an ice-cream maker, churn for 20 mins and freeze over night.
5. For Mango kulfi, add saffron strands and cardamom powder to your taste and garnish with pistachionuts before serving.

Godumai Rava (Cracked Wheat) Payasam/Kheer

INGREDIENTS:

Cracked wheat- 1 cup
Evaporated Milk- 1 can
Jaggery-5 cubes
Sugar- 1/2 - 1  cup depending on sweetness you want
Cardamom powder- 1 tbsp
Cashew Nuts, Almond flakes, Raisins - 1 handful
Coconut Flakes- 1/2 cup

PROCEDURE:

1. In 2 cups of boiling water, melt the jaggery.
2. In pressure cooker, add 1 cup of cracked wheat and 3 cups of water and cook until well done.
3. now add the melted jaggery water, sugar, evaporated milk to the boiled cracked wheat and bring to a boil.
4. In a pan with 2 tbsp of ghee, add the nuts and raisins and allow to turn golden brown. Add the cardamom powder and coconut flakes before turning off the stove and pour on the payasam. You can garnish with a pinch of saffron.
   

Asoka halwa

This halwa is one of Thanjavur's popular dish. We used to buy this halwa in a store called Bombay Sweets and enjoy. Good old days.

INGREDIENTS:

Moong dal- 1 cup

Wheat flour- 2 cups

Milk-1/4 cup

Sugar- 2 cups 

Cashew nuts , cardamom powder, edible camphor, red color- to taste

Ghee

PROCEDURE:

1. Dry roast the moong dal till raw smell is gone.
2. Pressure cook moong dal until well cooked. If the dal is not too paste like, blend it with blender or in a mixie and make it smooth.
3. Now in a pot, add a little ghee and sauté cashew nuts till golden brown and keep aside. 
4. In the same pot, add the wheat flour and sauté till raw smell is gone .
5. Now in a separate bowl, add the moong dal, sugar , wheat flour and mix well. Return it to the pot and stir well until halwa consistency.
6. Add the color powder now and mix well. Add some milk if the halwa becomes too thick. Add more ghee for consistency.
7. Turn off stove and add the edible camphor and cardamom powders and the already sautéed cashew nuts and mix well. 
8. Enjoy. Make sure you lick your fingers/spoon well after done.

Note: I am not a big fan of food coloring and hence have not added a lot of color. If you want more red color, please feel free to add more food color.

Rava (Semolina Kesari)

INGREDIENTS:

Rava- 1 cup
Milk- 1 cup
Water-1.5 cups
Sugar- 1.5 cups
Ghee- Enough to make the kesari smooth consistency
Cashew nuts- Handful
Craisins/Raisins- 1 tbsp appr
Almonds- Optional, 1 tbsp or more
Cardamom powder- 1 tbsp depending on the strength of the powder
Kesari powder- Optional, a dash for color.  Tamil people are used to the orange color for kesari.
Saffron- A pinch for garnish.

PROCEDURE:

1. In a pot with a little ghee, fry the rava until raw smell is gone and keep aside.
2. In the same pot, add a tbsp ghee and roast the nuts and craisins/raisins and cardamom powder until done and keep aside.
3. In the same pot, add one tbsp of ghee or more again and add milk and water and bring it to a boil. Add the color powder and mix.
4. Now add the fried rava and mix till smooth. Add more ghee if there are lumps. Thats the secret for a good consistency.
5. Mix the sugar and keep stirring until the kesari does not stick to the sides of the pot and moves freely from the edges.
6. Add the roasted nuts and craisins/raisins and mix well. Turn off stove and garnish with saffron.Serve hot.

Oreo Cookie Balls

 This recipe is an inspiration from the website: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/oreo-cookie-balls/


INGREDIENTS:

Oreo Cookies- 1 packet- 18 sandwich cookies for the balls and 2 cookies for crumbs for garnish.
Chocolate Chips- 2 cups
Cream Cheese- 4 oz or half a pack of Philadelphia brand cream cheese

Servings:

16-18 nos

PROCEDURE:

1. Remove the cream from the oreo cookies and powder the cookies alone using a pin or a food processor.
2. Now mix in cream cheese with the cookies into a smooth paste.
3. Make balls and refrigerate for at least 1 hour until the balls are firm.
4. Now in a microwavable bowl, add the chocolate chips and melt for approximately 2 minutes stirring it for every 30 seconds until the chips are melted into chocolate.
5. Drop the oreo cookie balls into the melted chocolate and smother it with chocolate until fully covered. You can use a spoon if you need to. Remove the cookie balls from the chocolate using 2 forks and remove excess chocolate and place in a wax or parchment sheet.
6. Garnish with some cookie crumbs or sprinkles or any other chocolate syrup for decoration.
7. Refrigerate for 2 hours until firm. Enjoy!

Microwave Doodh Peda

INGREDIENTS:

Milk Powder(Mawa Powder)- 2 cups
Condensed Milk- 14 oz, 1 can
Butter- 1 stick or 8 tbsp or 1/4 cup
Cardamom- 1/4 tsp or to taste
Saffron- A pinch

PROCEDURE:

1. Take a big glass microwaveable bowl and put the butter in it. Microwave for 1 minute until the butter is melted.
2. Now add the milk powder and condensed milk and mix well.
3. Microwave for 5 minutes. Stir every minute taking care not to let the mixture overflow from the bowl. The consistency of the mixture should be a thick paste.
4. Add Saffron and Cardamom powder.
5. Allow to cool for 20 minutes until you are able to touch with bare hands.
6. Grease a plate with butter or ghee so the pedas dont stick to plate.
7. Make balls and flatten them in the middle.
8. Garnish with craisins. cashew nuts or pistachionuts.
9. Refrigerate for a few hours or serve in room temperature as per your choice. 
   

Note:

Microwave heating may vary for different brands and power watts. Time of cooking may vary accordingly. 

Beetroot Halwa

INGREDIENTS:

Beetroot- 3 small nos
Sugar- 6 tsp or to taste
Mawa Powder aka Milk Powder- 2.5 tsp
Milk- 1/4 cup
Ghee- 4 tbsp
Cashew nuts- 1 tbsp
Cardamom Powder- 1/2 tsp

PROCEDURE:

1. Peel the beets and grate finely using a chopper or a grater.
2. In a separate pan add a tsp of ghee and saute some cashewnuts until golden brown. Keep aside.
3. In a pressure cooker, Add 2 tbsp of ghee and saute the chopped beets until raw smell is gone.
4. Now add the milk and cook for a whistle in sim. Make sure that the beets do not get burnt.
5. Open the pressure cooker and add the sugar and mix well until the sugar is incorporated well into the beets.
6. Add the Milk powder, one spoon at a time and mix well. 
7. Add more ghee if needed.Keep stirring until ghee separates from the beet halwa.
8. Add the cardamom powder and the sauteed cashew nuts into the halwa. Serve warm.

Semiya/Vermicelli Kesari

Ingredients:

Semiya/Vermicelli-2 cups
Sugar-1.25 cups
Milk-1 cup
Water-1 cup
Elaichi-1 tsp
Ghee-2 tbsp
Saffron-A pinch
Red color- A pinch(optional)
Raisins,Almond flakes and Cashewnuts-Garnish to taste


Procedure:

1.Pour a little bit of ghee and roast the vermicelli/semiya in a pot till it turns golden yellow and the raw smell is gone.Keep aside.
2.Add a drop of ghee and roast raisins,cashewnuts and almond flakes along with some fresh crushed elaichi or elaichi powder till golden brown and keep aside.
3. Now Add milk and water and let it boil. Add a little bit of color powder and the roasted semiya and mix till solid.
4.Add 1 1/4 cups pf sugar and keep stirring till it reaches a halwa consistency.
5.Switch off. Garnish with Saffron and the nuts and serve hot.

Berry Trifle

INGREDIENTS:

Strawberries-cut into small chunks-1 pack
Blueberries-1 pack
Blackberries-optional
Oranges-peeled-optional
Pound cake-1 packet ready-made
Whipped cream-Fat free 1 box in frozen section
Vanilla pudding or white chocolate pudding mix-1 pack
Orange juice-2 or 3 tbsp

PROCEDURE:

1.Make the vanilla or white chocolate pudding as per instructions in the box.
2.Fold the pudding with the whipped cream in a separate bowl.
3.Cut the pound cake into small cubes.
4.Take a big trifle bowl(if you have one) or take small individual plastic transparent cups and arrange pound cake cubes,fruits,drizzle the orange juice and the pudding-whipped cream mix in layers. The last layer should be fruits.
5.Cover tight with a food wrap and refrigerate for at least a night and serve cold.

Optional:
1.You can use any flavor of pudding mix you want.
2.You can change the white pound cake to chocolate brownies or chocolate cake.
3.You can add nuts or oats.
4.You can use any flavored jello instead of pudding.

5.I do not prefer apples and bananas as they tend to brown after a while.

Semiya(Vermicelli noodles) Payasam/Kheer

INGREDIENTS:
Vermicelli-1 cup
Milk-1/2 a gallon(Whole milk is better)
Condensed Milk-1/2 can
Sugar-1-1.5 cups depending on the sweetness you want

GARNISH:
Crushed/Ground Cardamom powder-1 tsp
Cashewnuts,Almond Flakes- As per desire
Raisins-As per desire
Saffron-A pinch

PROCEDURE:

1.In a pot,add some ghee and fry the vermicelli till the raw smell is gone and keep aside.
2.Add the milk,condensed milk and bring to a boil. Now add the vermicelli and keep stirring till it reduces to half.
3.Switch off and add saffron.
4.Garnish with nuts,raisins and cardamom powder fried in ghee and add to the kheer.
5.Serve hot or cold.

Croissant or bread Halwa(Pudding)

INGREDIENTS:

Stale Croissants or Bread without the crust-cut into small pieces.
Milk-Enough to soak the bread in the pan.
Cashew nuts, pistachio-nuts, almonds- A handful together
Elaichi-2
Sugar-1/2 cup or as desired to taste.
Ghee-1tbsp or as desired.
Cashew nuts-As desired.
Raisins-5 or 6.
Saffron- A pinch.

PROCEDURE:

1. In a blender/mixie,dry grind cashewnuts,almonds.elaichi/cardamom and pistachionuts into a fine powder.
2. In a spoon of ghee,fry croissants and the ground mixture till golden brown.
3. Add milk and stir till soft.
4. Add sugar to your taste and mix.
5. Garnish with cashewnuts and raisins fried in ghee.Add some saffron for flavor.
6. Serve warm.

Tips:
You can also add crushed pineapple or banana with the pudding for a different flavor.

Easy Breezy Pudding Pie

INGREDIENTS:

Readymade Pillsbury Pie Crust-1

Instant Pudding mix-2 boxes(Vanilla or White Chocolate pudding)

Berries of your choice-Strawberries,Blueberries,raspberries

Powdered sugar/whip cream -For garnish(optional)

PROCEDURE:

1.Make the instant pudding mix as per instructions in the box.

2.Layer the pudding mix on the pie crust.

3.Refrigerate for 4 hrs or more.

4.Layer again with fruits of your choice.

5.Garnish with powdered sugar or whip cream before serving.Enjoy!

Easy Tres Leches Cake

INGREDIENTS:

Betty Crockers Yellow Cake mix- 1 box
Cool whip Fat free-1 box
Evaporated Milk- 1 can
Condensed Milk-1 can
Whole Milk-1 cup

PROCEDURE:

1.Bake the cake as per instructions on the back of the box in a 13x9 inch pan.
2.Let it cool completely.
3.Mix evaporated milk, condensed milk and whole milk together.
4.Pour over the cake after it has cooled and refrigerate over night.
5.Smother coolwhip on the cake right before serving and keep the cake refrigerated for best results.
6.Garnish with fresh fruits like Berries,Pineapple, Kiwi and you can also garnish with some almond flakes.