Red Velvet Cupcakes

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Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1-3 tablespoons red gel food coloring (use as much or as little you need to reach desired color)
• 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together.
3. To the large bowl of a stand mixer add buttermilk, oil, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla and beat until well blended, about 2 minutes.
4. With mixer on low speed, slowly beat in flour mixture until blended.
5. Fill muffin cups two-thirds full.
6. Bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center of cupcake comes out clean. Let cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes; remove from pan and cool completely on rack.

Cinnamon Roll Poke Cake

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Ingredients

Cake

15.25 oz box white cake mix

1/2 cup Cinnamon Dolce BAILEYS® Coffee Creamer

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup oil

3 eggs

1/2 cup butter, melted

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk

Icing

1/2 cup butter

2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup whipping cream

1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 rectangle cake pan.

2. Add dry cake mix, coffee creamer, milk, oil and eggs to a mixer bowl and beat until smooth.

3. Pour batter into cake pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.

4. Allow cake to cool for about 10 minutes.

5. While cake is cooling, melt butter in a bowl in the microwave.

6. Add brown sugar to melted butter and whisk to combine.

7. Microwave butter and sugar for about 30-40 seconds more, until sugar is dissolved, whisking about half way through.

8. Add the sweetened condensed milk and cinnamon to the butter mixture and mix until combined.

9. Poke holes in the warm cake with the end of a wooden spoon or something similar.

10. Pour mixture over cake.

11. Place cake in refrigerator for 2-3 hours while it cools and soaks up mixture.

12. To make the icing, cream the butter.

13. Add 1 3/4 cup of powdered sugar and mix until smooth.

14. Add the whipping cream and vanilla and mix until combined.

15. Add remaining 1/4 cup of powdered sugar and mix for 3-4 minutes, until light and fluffy.

15. Ice cake and top with cinnamon chips, if desired. Store cake in refrigerator.

PASTA FAGIOLI

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Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 3 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 large Carrots, chopped
• 2 celery Stalks, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 14oz/400g can of chopped tomatoes or pureed tomatoes
• 1 quart/400ml chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 Cans Cannellini Beans
• 1 (3-inch) piece Parmesan rind (optional, but if you
• can get a hold of it, it adds a lot of flavor).
• 1¼ cups/125g Small Pasta (ie – Small shells or ditalini)
• A couple of good handfuls of Flat leaf parsley, chopped
• Salt & Pepper

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large stock pot, then cook the onion, carrot and celery until soft.
2. Add the garlic and cook another minute.
3. Pour in the stock, 1 can of beans beans (adding the liquid from the beans will add extra thickness to the soup) Parmesan rind (if using) and chopped tomatoes, and bring to a boil.
4. Puree or mash the 2nd can of beans with a little of the liquid from the can and then add it to the pot. Bring to a boil and then cover and lower the heat to the lowest setting. Let simmer for 1- 2 hours (stirring occasionally).
5. Remove from heat, remove the rind with a slotted spoon and discard.
6. Add the pasta, chopped parsley and seasonings. Cook until the pasta is cooked al dente (adding water if the soup becomes too thick).
7. Serve in bowls topped grated Italian cheese and a sprinkling of chopped parsley.

Strawberry Tunnel Cream Cake

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Ingredients

• 1 (10-inch) prepared round angel food cake
• 2 (3-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 (14-ounce) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk (NOT evaporated milk)
• 1/3 cup lemon juice from concentrate
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 to 4 drops red food coloring, optional
• 1 cup chopped fresh strawberries
• 1 (12-ounce) container frozen non-dairy whipped topping, thawed (5 1/4 cups)
• Additional fresh strawberries, optional

Preparation

1. Place cake onto serving plate. Cut 1-inch slice crosswise from top of cake; set aside. With sharp knife, cut around cake 1 inch from center hole and 1 inch from outer edge, leaving 1-inch-thick cake walls and 1-inch- thick base on bottom.
2. Remove cake from center, leaving 1-inch-thick base on bottom of cake. Reserve cake pieces. In large mixing bowl, beat cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Stir in lemon juice, almond extract and food coloring if desired. Stir in reserved torn cake pieces and chopped strawberries. Fold in 1 cup whipped topping.
3. Fill cavity of cake with strawberry mixture; replace top slice of cake.
4. Chill 3 hours or until set. Frost with remaining whipped topping; garnish with strawberries if desired. Store in refrigerator.

Dal fry - restaurant style dal fry

Ingredients (american measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml)

• 1 cup arhar dal/pigeon pea lentils
• 2.5 or 3 cups of water for pressure cooking the dal
• 1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium sized tomato, chopped
• 1 or 2 green chilies, slit or chopped
• 2-3 dry red chilies, kept whole
• 10-12 curry leaves
• ½ inch ginger + 3-4 garlic, crushed or made into a paste in a mortar & pestle
• ½ or ¾ tsp black mustard seeds (rai)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
• ¼ tsp asafoetida powder (if using a strong asafoetida, then just one pinch is enough)
• ½ tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
• ½ tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp kasuri methi/dry fenugreek leaves
• 2-3 tbsp oil or ghee or unsalted butter
• 1 tsp lemon juice (optional)
• 1 or 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves for garnish
• 1 cup water or as required
• salt as required

Instructions

1. pressure cook 1 cup of the arhar dal with a pinch of turmeric in 2.5 or 3 cups
2. water.
3. mash the dal lightly with a wire whisk or with a spoon and keep aside.
4. in another pan heat oil or ghee or unsalted butter. add the mustard and let them splutter.
5. when you hear the spluttering sound of the mustard seeds, add the cumin and fry them.
6. add the onions and fry till they become transparent or light brown.
7. now add the ginger-garlic paste and fry for some seconds till their raw aroma disappears.
8. add the green chilies, red chilies, curry leaves and stir.
9. add all the spice powders - turmeric powder, red chili powder, asafoetida powder. and fry for some seconds.
10. add the tomatoes and cook till they soften, for about 2-3 mins.
11. now add the mashed dal. stir well. add water + salt.
12. stir and simmer the dal for 3-4 minutes more or till you get a smooth and slightly thick consistency.
13. dal fry is not thin and is usually has a medium to thick consistency.
14. you can adjust the amount of water you want.
15. keep the dal medium consistency if you prefer. making it thin will spoil the taste.
16. lastly crush the kasuri methi on the palms of your hands and add them to the dal. simmer for a minute. switch off the fire. add lemon juice if you want, at this stage and stir well.
17. now you can garnish the dal fry with coriander leaves while serving or just add them to the dal and mix well.
18. while serving top the dal fry with some ghee or butter if required.
19. serve dal fry hot with steamed basmati rice, biryani rice, jeera rice or saffron pulao. dal fry also goes well with rotis or naan.

Egg Bhurji

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
  
  2 onions, finely chopped
  
  2 tomatoes, chopped
  
  3 green chilies or as per taste
  
  1 capsicum, chopped
  
  2 inch ginger, finely chopped
  
  1/2 cup coriander leaves
  
  3 to 4 curry leaves
  
  2 Tbsp vegetable oil or ghee
  
  1 tsp jeera
  
  1 tsp red chilli powder
  
  1 tsp turmeric powder
  
  Pav bhaji masala (as per taste)
  
  Pinch of hing
  
  Salt as per taste
  
  2 Tbsp butter (optional)

Method

Whisk the four eggs gently with a spoon and keep aside.

Take a pan, add oil or ghee to it. Now add jeera, onions, hing, green chillies, curry leaves, capsicum and ginger to it. Saute.

Add tomatoes and few coriander leaves. Saute for 2 minutes.

Add 1 Tbsp butter, pav bhaji masala, red chilli powder, tumeric powder and salt as per taste.

Lastly add slightly beaten eggs and keep whisking them until cooked.

Top it up with butter. Garnish with the rest of coriander leaves.

Serve hot with buttered pav.

Punjabi Dal Makhani

Ingredients (american measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml)

• 1 cup whole black gram/whole urad dal
• ½ cup kidney beans/rajma
• 4 cups water
• 1 tsp cumin or ½ tsp cumin powder
• ½ tsp red chili powder/lal mirch powder
• ½ tsp turmeric powder/haldi
• 1 medium size onion, chopped
• 2 medium size tomatoes, chopped
• 1 inch ginger/adrak, finely chopped
• 4-5 garlic/lahsun, finely chopped
• 1 tsp punjabi garam masala
• 2 to 3 tbsp butter or ghee or oil
• 2 to 3 tbsp full fat cream (optional)
• salt as required
• few coriander leaves for garnishing (optional)

Instructions

1. Soak the both the rajma and urad dal overnight if you are making this in the morning.
2. If you are making dal makhani in the evening, then soak the dals in the morning.
3. In a pressure cooker, add all the ingredients including the dals/lentils and white butter.
4. Add water. Pressure cook for some 12-15 whistles.
5. Open and check if the lentils are cooked.
6. You should be able to mash the both the urad dal and rajma with spoon if they are cooked completely.
7. If they are not cooked thoroughly, then pressure cook for 2-3 whistles more.
8. Add water if required.
9. Now again open the cooker and let the dal makhani simmer in the cooker itself without the lid for 10-15 minutes or more till you get a smooth and creamy consistency and texture.
10. If you wish to add cream, you can add cream now and let the dal makhani simmer for 5 or 10 minutes more.
11. If you like then you can Garnish Dal Makhani with coriander-cilantro leaves (optional).
12. Serve dal makhani hot with hot rotis, naan, or jeera rice.