Mac n Cheese

Creamy rich, kids favourite mac n cheese
08/21/2016 4:54:27 PM vindhyadesai

Every kid loves mac n cheese, it is creamy, tasty and it has oodles of cheese. It starts with a basic white sauce or bechamel sauce. Cooked macaroni, a type of pasta is added to it and finished with cheese and is baked in the oven till the cheese melts. Different kinds of flavours are added to this. This is Dish 7 of the World Cuisine Series and this is from America (ori. English as per wiki) but extremely popular in American and Canadian region. Enjoy with a slice of plain garlic bread. Make the dish creamy and not dry. Macaroni is made using tube or elbow macaroni pasta generally but any kind of small pasta which holds the sauce well can also be used. Here I have used small shell pasta. ... “Mac n Cheese”

Spinach Corn Cheddar Cheese Muffins | Mexican Savoury Muffins

Packed with a punch of jalapenos, with cheese, corn and spinach – Mexican style muffins
08/17/2016 9:53:27 PM vindhyadesai

I have a soft spot for anything savoury 🙂 Whenever I get an opportunity, I try to make savoury things to nibble on. This is Dish 4 of the World Cuisine Series and it is from Mexico. One of my favourite cuisines to prepare and of course to eat (gobble ’em all up). These are muffins with Mexican flavours, corn, jalapenos, cheese, what is not to like about them. Whenever I bake anything I try to make them all with whole wheat. Along with whole wheat flour, I have also used yellow cornmeal which is maize flour, easily available in stores/supermarkets. It gives a nice texture to the muffins, you also get to incorporate another grain and cornmeal is widely used in Mexican cuisine! The most important thing about muffins is not to overmix the batter/mixture which will make them chewy and hard. Mix and make muffins, enjoy them as a snack or for a quick nibble with a glass of milk in the morning. Also try other Mexican recipes! ... “Spinach Corn Cheddar Cheese Muffins | Mexican Savoury Muffins”

Vanilla Ice cream | Eggless Vanilla Ice cream | No cook vanilla ice cream | Homemade vanilla ice cream

Super creamy homemade favourite eggless vanilla ice cream
08/09/2016 8:29:13 PM vindhyadesai

I have not met a single soul who does not like ice cream especially vanilla ice cream. It has to be one of the most eaten, desired and versatile desserts in the world. Make ice cream at home without worries of added preservatives, artificial flavours and colours. This recipe does not involve any cooking at all. There is no need of making a custard for this recipe. The most important thing is to keep all ingredients and your ice cream container chilled and cold at all times to prevent crystal formation and solidfication during churning/blending.
I have used my ice cream machine to churn the ice cream mixture. But it can be very easily churned with a simple everyday use electric hand blender which I will describe below. It is a little extra effort when using an electric blender but worth it nonetheless. I do not have to mention the uses of vanilla ice cream, it is super tasty just plain, or with chocolate brownies or simply whipped up into a milkshake like musk melon vanilla milkshake or this decadent peach and blueberry crumble. Oh boy! Super creamy vanilla ice cream! Enjoy! ... “Vanilla Ice cream | Eggless Vanilla Ice cream | No cook vanilla ice cream | Homemade vanilla ice cream”

Mango Kulfi | Aam Kulfi

Dreamy creamy mango kulfi flavoured with pista, elaichi and kesar
07/24/2016 12:46:39 PM vindhyadesai

The most preferred dessert when you are looking for an authentic traditional recipe. Mangoes and thick milk flavoured with elaichi, kesar and pista-badam that is a dream combination of ingredients. It used to be made using thick milk rabri/rabdi and adding flavours to it. As the recipe has evolved over the years, it is made with condensed milk, evaporated milk etc. The thick mixture is then frozen in matkas (earthernware pot) to make matka kulfis. Now, one can buy kulfi moulds from shops or even use glasses to freeze kulfis.
One of the mango dishes I made this summer. Enjoy creamy mango kulfis! Try out other mango recipes ... “Mango Kulfi | Aam Kulfi”

Doodh Pedha | Milk Pedha | Doodh ke Pedhe | How to make soft milk pedhas | Doodh pedhas without condensed milk

A mouthful of milky fudgy goodness, soft doodh pedha
07/22/2016 8:05:28 PM vindhyadesai

A small thing of joy is to eat a doodh pedha. It is one of the most popular sweets sold in sweet shops. Imagine a big line of pedhas lined up on the other side of the counter. There are so many versions of this pedha, kesar-elaichi, elaichi, pista-kesar and so on. The ones that you get in Nandini (a milk brand in Karnataka) are pure milk pedhas. The marking on them makes the pedhas even more inviting. Try making these soft doodh pedhas at home, roll them up into small balls or pedhas/pedhe or even try and make the Nandini replicas. I used a fork to create a Nandini shop/bakery like pedha with a fork. It is actually a reverse of their shape (complementary shape). I love them nonetheless, they are milk  pedhas after all.
Here are I have used only milk and there is also a short-cut recipe with condensed milk which I will post soon. I have flavoured them with elaichi/cardamom, I wanted to make them plain this time. I sometimes add kesar/saffron or pista or both but elaichi/cardamom is something that I always add to the pedhas/pedhe. I have added a lot of pictures stepwise to show consistency in each step. ... “Doodh Pedha | Milk Pedha | Doodh ke Pedhe | How to make soft milk pedhas | Doodh pedhas without condensed milk”

Seviyaan Kheer | Whole Wheat Seviyaan Kheer | Shavige Payasa | Vermicelli Kheer

Creamy and delicious seviyaan kheer with roasted dry nuts
07/14/2016 9:40:46 PM vindhyadesai

This is one of the most common sweets/desserts made in India for any festive occasion. For festivals, celebrations, weddings, functions, seviyaan kheer/shaavige kheer is a default option. It tastes good at room temperature or warm or even chilled. I have used whole wheat seviyaan (thin and long) and added less sugar. Add more sugar if you like and add more milk if you want the consistency to be thinner. Chopped dry nuts like almonds, pistachios, cashews and raisins add a wonderful aromatic flavour and crunch. I have dolled up my vermicelli kheer, it is one of my favourite desserts and I love it slightly chilled. ... “Seviyaan Kheer | Whole Wheat Seviyaan Kheer | Shavige Payasa | Vermicelli Kheer”

Mango Milkshake

Super creamy and thick mango milkshake
07/09/2016 4:20:08 PM vindhyadesai

If you have a lot of ripe mangoes at home when in season, whip up this super easy mango milkshake. Thick, creamy and chilled mango milkshake is one of the best ways to enjoy mangoes. I usually do not add any sugar, add some sugar if you like it sweet or the mangoes are a little sour. Ensure not to use very sour mangoes. ... “Mango Milkshake”

Lauki Halwa | Sorekayi Halwa | Sorekayi Dumrotu

A simple homemade halwa for the sweet tooth
06/21/2016 9:56:35 PM vindhyadesai

A simple homemade halwa is very satisfying. Flavours added just from aromatic elaichi/cardamom and smooth creaminess added from milk. Lauki or bottle gourd is like butter and this halwa has an almost melt in the mouth texture. A quick fix sweet when guests are coming over. The best part is, it can be served at room temperature or even a little warm. It is soothing to the gut especially if you have eaten spicy food or feeling acidic. I have not added khoya/khova to this halwa. Dumrotu(special halwa of Karnataka) is generally made using white ashgourd but both vegetables are very similar in texture and their halwa is similar. ... “Lauki Halwa | Sorekayi Halwa | Sorekayi Dumrotu”

Musk Melon Milkshake | Musk Melon Milkshake With Vanilla Icecream

Thick and cooling musk melon milkshake with vanilla icecream
06/13/2016 8:03:29 PM vindhyadesai

You have a nice and juicy musk melon (kharbooja/kharbooj) and do not know what to make with it? Try making a creamy milkshake and serve it chilled. It can also be made into a juice (panaka) generally made during Ram Navami festival. Musk melon is a species of melon with many varieties like cantaloupe, honey dew. These fruits are very flavourful and are very pulpy. They are a rich source of Vitamin A and very rich in natural juices because most of the melon is water. I had a Galia musk melon(scales like skin). In India, Cantaloupe variety is generally available (distinctive longitudinal lines). Both taste very similar ... “Musk Melon Milkshake | Musk Melon Milkshake With Vanilla Icecream”

Kalakand

Soft moist milk sweet, a sure crowd pleaser
05/05/2016 7:18:09 PM vindhyadesai

Sweets made with milk which are soft, moist and rich are liked by most. The kind of colourful and tasty sweets lined up in a sweet shop always attracts everyone. But they can be quite expensive to buy and are mostly reserved for special occasions. But what if these kinds of sweets can be made at home with simple ingredients. One such sweet is ‘kalakand’, it is one of my favourite sweets and I absolutely love making it. They turn out to be so moist and are very fresh when made at home. They have to be made ahead of time because it needs some time to set and tastes better that way. ... “Kalakand”