I read this article on MSNBC just now, and I had to share the video of Christian the Lion.
To read the article and watch the video/photos, click here:
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/29751849
Very touching and heartwarming story!!
Love transcends all!
You know what we did last night, instead of ordering a pizza, we went to the grocery store, got a pizza base, some mozzarella cheese, and basil, and with some ingredients at home, made an awesome, pizza!!
Ingredients:
large pizza base (pre-baked, bought from a store)
mozzarella cheese grated (as much as you like)
fresh basil leaves chopped up (they have a strong flavor, so use a few leaves only)
olive oil for brushing the top of the base
fresh tomato cut in slices
salt, pepper
a little pizza sauce or tomato ketchup (like 2 tbsp)
Method:
Brush the base with olive oil, then spread the sauce, sprinkle half of the cheese, then arrange the tomatoes, sprinkle the basil, some salt and pepper. Finally put the remaining cheese. Bake as per the instructions on the pizza packaging. (The one we got, needed to be baked in a preheated oven at 425 deg F for about 12 minutes)
I wait until the cheese is evenly melted and started to bubble.
Yumm Yumm! We almost ate the whole pizza!!!
This turned out to be cheaper, fresher (and may I add healthier) than a store-bought pizza.
My neighbor, Mrs. Vanard loved this. She kept saying she loved the texture and flavor of this dish, compared to the old fashioned cream of wheats they had for breakfast.
Upma is a very common breakfast option in India, I think it is a South Indian recipe. But many enjoy this simple, healthy, and delicious food.
Ingredients:
Oil, about 4 tbsp
Mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds, 1/4 tsp
hot green chillies/peppers, 1-2 chopped
1/2 chopped onion
asafoetida (hing) a pinch,
Udid dal about 1/4 cup (optional)
curry leaves, 2-3
salt, about 1 tsp
water 2 cups
Cream of wheat (Rava / Suji) 1 cup
Method:
First heat the oil in a shallow pan. When its hot, add the mustard seeds, after they crackle, add the cumin, and the udid dal. When the udid dal turns golden brown add the hot peppers and the onion. Fry till the onion is translucent, then add the curry leaves and the asafoetida. Add salt, mix well, then finally add the water. Let it come to a boil, then slowly add the cream of wheat, while constantly stirring.
When the cream of wheat is well mixed, cover and cook on simmer for about 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, turn off the heat, and let it sit for another 2-3 minutes.
Its done, serve hot. I like it best mixed in with some hot pickle, like mangoes, or mixed veggies.
Enjoy!
I never ever ever could make halwa, but tonight, inspired by a recipe I saw on YouTube, from Vahchef which is very much like my Turkish Un (flour) Halwa recipe, I finally did it!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup ghee (I used 1 stick unsalted butter),
1 cup suji (use fine, but coarse works too – suji is basically cream of wheat)
1 cup sugar (more or less, depending on taste – start with less, you can always add more at the end)
2 3/4 cup milk + water (1 3/4 milk, 1 cup water) – cold
almonds slivered (cut length wise) (optional: cashews, raisins, pistachios, etc)
saffron soaked in warm water (few pinches of saffron)
Method:
I started by roasting the almonds in the butter, till they were about pinkish in color. Then I added the suji. On low – med heat, I roasted the suji for a long long time (my mother and Rudaba aunty say that when you get the sweet smell, then its done). Since I have a blocked nose tonight, I went by the color, so look for pink-tan color. (I almost burnt it, so be careful).
Then, after its nicely roasted, add the sugar, mix quickly, and pour the cold milk water mixture slowly, while stirring constantly.
Let it come to a boil, then reduce the flame/heat to medium. Add the saffron soaked in water now. Let it cook, till it reaches the consistency you like (dont make it really dry, let it be little gooey). When most of the liquid evaporates. Put a lid over the pan, and turn off the heat, and leave it like that for about 5-8 minutes.
That’s it, its ready. Serve hot!!
Note: You can freeze this. Just while serving, thaw completely, and microwave till its nice and hot.
I usually dont buy the organic mixed green salads, but sometimes for parties, I do, it looks so colorful and interesting. And usually I end up using a store bought balsamic vinaigrette or raspberry vinaigrette dressing. It is good, no doubt.
But I recently was reading the ingredients and found out that they both contain red wine vinegar, now I am not sure if that makes it alcoholic! But, just to be safe, I thought of making the dressing myself. And this is what I came up with.
Ingredients:
balsamic vinegar 2-3 tbsp
olive oil (less than half cup)
sugar (1-2 tsp)
salt and pepper for seasoning
Method:
Just whisk the above ingredients and pour over the mixed greens/ baby spinach, chopped up walnuts, dried cranberries, any chopped fruit (strawberries, mandarin oranges, apples), cheese (feta, cottage, gorgonzola, etc). Mix a few times, and serve after 10 minutes.
Let me know, if you like it!