Life 'n' Such

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These cookies look like rocks for real. Ulfet made this last week and gave me the recipe. I will be making it in a day or two. Hopefully they will turn out as good as hers! These are really delicious; filled with raisins and walnuts and not too sweet. This recipe has only about 1/2 cup of sugar.

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 stick margarine
1/2 turkish tea cup oil
1 cup raisin
1 cup nuts
1 pkt vanillin
1 tsp baking pdr
½ cup sugar
2 ½ cup flour

Mix all the make a dough (soft but not too soft). Then just pinch off a little dough and drop it on a cookie sheet/baking tray. Do not make it round or anything. The irregular shape is on purpose to look like rocks. Bake at 350 deg F till they are gold colored. Serve with tea or coffee. Yumm!

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I made this tonite, it was very easy and quick. I had marinated boneless chicken(yoghurt, lemon, salt, red chilli powder, black pepper, ginger garlic paste).

Ingredients:
methi (fenugreek leaves) dry (abt 2 tbsp) /fresh about a handful
whole spices: bayleaf, 6-8 cardomoms (Elaichi), cinnamon stick (daalchini) 1 inch
dry spices: corriander (dhania)powder, chilli powder, turmeric (haldi), garam masala
3 medium sized onions chopped
oil for cooking
butter about 3-4 tbsp

Bake the chicken in the oven for about 45 mins. Keep this aside. In some oil, fry bay leaf, cardomoms, cinnamon stick. Add chopped onions to the oil. Saute until golden brown. Add the spices, fry for 15- 20 seconds, add water to prevent burning. Add tomato sauce, and leave it on med heat till the oil seperates.

Add the baked chicken to this. Add salt as per taste. Add about 1/4 cup water. Boil and then let it simmer for 10-15 mins. Add the methi leaves and the butter, and let it simmer for another 5 mins.

Done! Eat with paratha, pilaf, pita, or bread.

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This is a very easy recipe by Sreekala, they are all now in Chicago. I miss Eesha. She has the cutest curls

Ingredients:
1 onion chopped fine,
2 tsp ginger garlic paste,
spices (1/2 tsp red chilli powder, 1/2 tsp garam masala, 1/2 tsp corriander (dhania) powder, 1/2 tsp cumin (jeera) powder, 1/4 tsp turmeric (haldi))
1 lb minced chicken (or minced meat, whichever you like)
oil for cooking,
salt as per taste
1/2 tsp black pepper powder,
few drops of lemon juice,
Frozen Puff Pastry Sheets (thawed as per the instructions on the box)

First fry the onion in oil, then add the ginger garlic paste to it. Fry well. Add the spices, be careful, they burn quickly. Add water to prevent burning. Finally add the chicken and cook well, till done. (it should look oily, there should be not water left). Mix in few drops of lemon juice, salt and black pepper.

After the puff pastry sheets are thawed, put spoonfuls of mixture in the middle, wrap and finally bake according to instructions on the package.

Enjoy as an appetizer or a snack.

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I found this recipe in a magazine, tried it, and I love it! It was written by Susan R. Thanks Susan.

Ingredients:
1 -18 oz Nestle Tollhouse cookie dough (divided in two parts)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts,
1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping

Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Grease 9 inch square baking tray. First take 3/4 of the cookie dough, and press it into the baking tray. Bake for 10 mins. Sprinkle 1/4 cup nuts, drizzle all of the caramel topping. Then press the remaining cookie dough gently on the top. Finally add the remaining nuts. Bake for 14 -18 mins or until done.

Cool and cut in squares and serve. Yumm Yumm!

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Its the best time of the year for shopaholics (like me)! Every where in the malls, things are like 75-80 % off! Kaufmann’s had the best sale last week. JC Penny, Sears, Target, Kohls; all have amazing sales now.

If you have the time and energy, go shoppin!

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I ate Shahi Tukda for the first time in Rudaba aunty’s brothers wedding in Lucknow. It was fantastic! I think I ate about 3-4 servings of it.

Leyla, from Turkey, also made a similar dessert using Toast biscuits (the ones that you dip in tea).

For Indian recipe (Rudaba aunty):
——————-

Ingredients:
white bread slices as many as you like,
oil for frying the bread,
sugar syrup,
Egg halwa or Condensed milk
Nuts

Deep fry the bread slices in oil and then soak them in sugar syrup. Arrange on plates. Top with egg halwa or condensed milk. Garnish with nuts.

Turkish recipe (Leyla):
—————–

Ingredients:
toast biscuits,
sugar syrup,
whipped cream or vanilla pudding

Arrange one layer of biscuits in a tray. Pour hot (not boiling) sugar syrup over the biscuits. Let it soak and cool completely. Then serve with whipped cream and nuts. Or spread warm vanilla pudding over the layer. Let it set. Refrigerate. Garnish with nuts, cut into pieces and serve.

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Iman is from Palestine, they moved back there last year. I miss her so much. She has the most adorable kids; Ragadh and Omar. Ragadh is all stylish and dresses like a princess and Omar is rough and tough who loves being kissed and hugged. I miss them so badly.

Iman makes fantastic food and desserts. She is very creative. She has the most fun parties and she cooks all of the food herself!! This is one of her most quickest recipes for really good chicken with practically no effort.

Ingredients:
Chicken pieces, (preferably legs/things/breasts)
lots of onions,
lots of garlic (almost handful cloves, if you are baking a big tray of chicken)
sumack (a special spice from Palestine)
nutmeg powder,
cinnamon powder,
allspice (another middle eastern spice)
cumin powder (I have made this without it, and it still is all good)
salt,
black pepper,
lemon juice,
olive oil

Slice the onions, coarse grind the garlic, and wash the chicken pieces thoroughly with lemon. In a large baking tray, put the onions, then the garlic, then the chicken. Now sprinkle lots of sumack and salt, little cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin, all spice, lemon juice, and black pepper all over the chicken. Now with your hand, mix well, rubbing the spices in the chicken. Pour the olive oil over the chicken and again mix once.

Now bake at 375 deg F till done. (Water evaporates, stir once after about 20 mins)

Eat with pita bread or pilaf or steamed rice.

Update: As a garnish, slightly fry almonds in oil or butter and put it on the chicken.

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food/cat_ear.jpg

Dont be shocked! Its not really Cat ears. They just look like that. This takes a real long time!!! But totally worth it. So healthy! So delicious! But just takes too long. So I would suggest taking up this project with a friend or two.

Zhonghua made this for me once, and I helped her to make these ‘cat ears’. I was amazed. It is really simple. After you make a few, you get a hang of it, and then its really fast.

I might not be able to explain the process perfectly, but if you dont understand, just roll out the dough into tortillas, cut them into diamond shapes, and they should be fine, but in this case, do not call it cat ears

Ingredients:
for the dough,
all purpose flour, (maida in India)
salt,
water

For the sauce:
tomatoes,
eggs,
green onion,
ginger,
garlic,
salt,
oil

Mix water into flour gradually to make a soft dough. To make the cat ears, pinch out little dough, place on the palm of your left hand, and then roll out with the right thumb, do this really action fast. Be patient! Finish all and keep aside for now.

Now make the sauce. Chop green onion, garlic and ginger into small pieces. In a pan, heat oil, fry eggs first, remove, keep aside. Now fry the onion, garlic and ginger in it. Add tomatoes, and a little water after a few minutes. Let it boil. Add the egg, and some salt. The sauce is done.

Boil water in a big pot, throw in some handfuls of the cat ears, cook (i think when they start floating, they are done). Remove, draining as much as water as possible. Serve in bowls, with the sauce topping. Enjoy!

I will ask Zhonghua the name for this dish in chinese.

Update : the name in Chinese is ‘Mao Er Duo’ Meowwww

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Another super recipe from Vanessa’s collection! Great as an appetizer or snack or a dessert. If you do not have some of the fruits listed, it should be ok. Consider approx one tortilla per person.

Ingredients:

For the fruit salsa:
2 kiwis, peeled and diced
2 apples, peeled and diced
1 lb strawberries,
8 oz raspberries,
2 tbsp white sugar,
1 tbsp brown sugar,
3 tbsp fruit preserves, any flavor

For the chips:
10 flour tortillas,
butter / butter flavored cooking spray,
1 1/2 – 2 cups cinnamon sugar

Mix all the ingredients listed for the salsa in a big bowl and refrigerate.

To make the chips, preheat the oven at 350 deg F. Coat the tortilla with butter/butter flavored spray on each side. Cut into wedges, arrange on a baking sheet, and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on it.

Bake for 8-10 mins, remove the sheet, let it cool. Serve with fruit salsa!

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This cake was made by Angie, our friend (she reminds me of Lindsay Lohan) at a potluck party. It was a hit. Try it. It is so easy and delicious!

Ingredients:
1 Box chocolate cake mix (Angie had used Dark chocolate, but she said anything is fine)
1 can condensed sweetened milk,
1 jar caramel topping,
1 bowl of cool whip, thawed to room temperature
1 bag chocolate chips

Make the cake according to the directions on the box, let it cool for about 10 mins. Poke holes all over the cake with a round ended wooden spoon. Pour the condensed milk evenly over the cake. After it is absorbed, pour the caramel. Let sit for about 30 mins till completely cooled. Refrigerate for 2 hours, and then spread the cool whip on top and sprinkle the chocolate chips. Refrigerate.

Cut into pieces and serve with hot coffee!

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