witches night out.

last week, after our yummy dinner at parker's, my mom, sis and i headed over to my aunt's fabulous store belle book & candle for her annual witches night out celebration. she has the most fabulous, creepy halloween decor and it's always so fun to go each year and pick out a few new goodies to spook up our place.

if you're local you really must check out her store, it's filled with beauties all year long.

belle book & candle
6 south 100 west
american fork, ut 84003

you will love it.

Oats and Dalia Laddoo

~ Oats and Roasted Gram Laddu ~
Ingredients :

Oats : 1 cup
Roasted Bengal Gram (Dalia) : 1 cup
Sugar : 1 cup
Sesame Seeds : 1 tbsp
1/2 cup ghee or 4 tbsp of warm milk
Cardamom pods : 3 or 4

Method :

Dry roast the oats in a heavy bottomed pan till it turn light brown color and allow it to cool. Dry roast the sesame seeds on low flame till it becomes light golden color. Grind the dalia , roasted oats, roasted sesame seeds, cardamom seeds and sugar in a blender into a fine powder. Take it out in a wide bowl. Add the melted ghee or warm milk to the oats powder and mix well. Divide into equal portions and shape them into round balls.

Cooking Safety Tips

* Take care in putting food in hot oil. Any moisture will cause the oil to splatter, possible causing burns.

* Keep knifes sharp. A sharp knife is safer than a dull one.

* Never use shrimp if in doubt of it's freshness. Dispose of it.

* Always keep pets and children at a safe distance from the stove or outdoor grills.

* Always use a knife with cutting strokes away from you, not toward the hands.

* Keep a fire extinguisher handy near the kitchen and know how to use it.

* Have a working smoke detector near the kitchen

* Never allow chicken (or other raw meat) to contact other food, utensils, cutting boards or your hands before washing.

* Keep hot food hot and cold foods cold.

* Keep pot holders handy and use them.

* Wash down counters with a weak bleach solution periodically to sanitize them.

* Do not leave food cooking on the stove unattended.

* Use a meat thermometer to determine the doneness of meat.

* Keep your freezer at 0 degrees.

* Keep pot handles turned away from the front of the stove.

* Uncover pots by lifting the side of the lid away from you.

* Never pour water on a grease fire. Use a proper fire extinguisher.

* Wipe up spills on the floor immediately to prevent falls.

* Eat or freeze refrigerated leftovers within four days.

Baking Tips

• You always pre-heat the oven to the temperature specified in the recipe.

• When making biscuits, don't overwork the dough. Just two or three folds is all that is needed. Overworking the dough results in heavy biscuits.

• Use an oven thermometer to determine the accuracy of the temperature control on your oven. You will only have to do this once. If you set the oven for 400 degrees F. and find that the thermometer shows the oven is actually 415 degrees F., you will know in the future to set the control just slightly below the 400 degree setting when you want 400 degrees.

• Bleached and unbleached flours can be used interchangeably.

• Use the cookware specified in recipe. If it says glass, use glass. If it says cookie sheet, use a cookie sheet. It makes a difference in the final product.

• When baking breads or any dish calling for baking soda, baking powder or yeast, use measuring cups and spoons to measure accurately. Breads to not take well to eye-ball measurements.

•  Baking powder and baking soda are not interchangeable

• Invest in a biscuit cutter and rolling pin for smooth edged symmetrical biscuits.

• When baking pies or any dish with a crust on top, cover the outer edge of the pie with aluminum foil to prevent burning before the rest of the crust is brown.

Poultry Cooking Tips

Safety First

The most important tip in cooking poultry concern is safety. Raw (uncooked) poultry contains bacteria can make you sick. Bacteria can destroyed by cooking. Its is advise to consumers to cook raw poultry to a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees F. If roasting an entire chicken, the temperature should reach 180 degrees as measured in the thigh with a thermometer. Insert the meat thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken's thigh, without touching the bone. Poultry should be roasted at an oven temperature of 350 degrees. Never lower than 325 degrees.

 It is very important to take care in handling and preparation of poultry. The juices of a chicken can contaminate anything it touches. This means cutting boards, utinsils and your hands that touch the chicken should not touch other food or utinsils before being washed. Additionally, care should be taken, when placing poultry in the refrigerator, that the juices do not drip onto other food.

Poultry should be refrigerated, frozen or on the stove being cooked at all times. Never leave poultry out on the counter while you attend to other matters. All frozen poultry should be defrosted in the refrigerator. Or you can defrost in cold water in a plastic bag, replacing the water every 30 minutes. Never defrost at room temperature.Poultry should be consumed immediately after cooking. Leftovers should be refrigerated within two hours of cooking. Use refrigerated leftovers within 3 to 4 days. In the freezer you can keep cooked poultry 3 to 4 months.

Cooking Tips

• When buying turkey, allow one pound of turkey for each adult person (8 people = 8 pound turkey). This provides a little leftover for later meals.
• Look for a turkey that has a pop up timer. This eliminates all concern of determining when the bird is cooked.
• Place a small onion and 4 or 5 cloves of garlic into the body cavity.
• Rubbing the poultry with salt inside and out before cooking will enhance the flavor.
• For more flavor, season your poultry inside and out with herbs such as rosemary, thyme, sage or Tarragon.

Beef Grades-Beef Storage-Beef Cooking Tips

Grades of Beef

There are many grades of beef, only 3 are generally used by grocery stores and restaurants: Prime, Choice and Select. These grades differ in texture, age and marbling, among other factors. Marbling is what gives the meat its flavor and tenderness. In order of tenderness and flavor (and price) Prime grade is the top grade, then Choice, then Select. The label "lean" is used very loosely on beef and can apply to very different quality meat. It is probably better to ignore "lean" and look for "round" or "loin" on labels if you want what most people consider "lean".

Storage and Safety of Beef

Beef may be stored in the refrigerator set at 35 to 40 degree F. or in the freezer at 0 degrees or colder. Steaks may be refrigerated for 3 to 4 days and in the freezer 6 to 12 months.

Ground beef may be kept in the refrigerator 1 to 2 days and in the freezer 3 to 4 months.

Cooked beef may be kept in the refrigerator 3 to 4 days and in the freezer 2 to 3 months. If  the meat in a purchased package has turned gray or brown, it may be beginning to spoil. It is probably best to discard it.

Never leave ground beef or any perishable food out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

You should fully defrost beef before cooking to prevent the exterior becoming overdone before the interior is cooked. It is best to thaw frozen beef in the freezer. You can also defrost in the microwave oven or in cold water. If using the microwave, cook the ground beef immediately because some areas may begin to cook during the defrosting. To defrost in cold water, put the meat in a watertight plastic bag and submerge. Change the water every 30 minutes. Cook immediately. Do not refreeze ground meat thawed in cold water or in the microwave oven.

Bacteria on food will rapidly multiply when left at a temperature between 45 and 140 degrees F. Beef should be cooked as soon as possible after it is defrosted.

It is recommended to use a meat thermometer when cooking ground beef and cook to an internal temperature of at least 160 degrees F.

Tips on Cooking Beef

To slice meat thin, as in many Chinese dishes, place in the freezer for 10 or 15 minutes first and it will be much easier to slice.Cheaper cuts of meat can be very tough. However, meat may be tenderized by beating it thin with a mallet, marinading or cooking in liquid for extended times. One of the best ways to cook a tough cut of meat is to cook it in a crock pot (slow cooker). Five or six hours in a crock pot will make practically any meat tender.

When cooking over an open flame, as in barbecuing, do not place the meat directly over the flame. Place to one side, over glowing coals. An open flame will discolor the meat and impart undesirable flavors.

Be aware that meat with a bone in it will take longer to cook than without a bone.

Sea foods Cooking Tips

Buying Seafood

For buying seafood, you want to get the freshest product as possible. So, how do you tell if it's fresh? By using your eyes and nose. Pick a proper place to buy seafood. If the location has a fishy or offensive odor, walk away. Find another place for your purchase. Also a store with a fast turnover will have fresher seafood. You may find a better price at a small, out of the way market, but you may be buying fish that has sat there for days. Ask store personnel when they receive fish shipments. Arrange to purchase the day the seafood arrives. Inspect the proposed buy. Look and smell . Fish should have clear eyes, firm (non-slimy) skin and bright reddish gills. There should not be any strong fishy smell. Live shellfish should be active, not sitting listlessly in a corner of the tank.

Clams and mussels should be tightly shut. Or if slightly open, they should close quickly when touched. Avoid clams and mussels that are open and do not close when touched.

Shrimp should look shiny and wet with no strong odor. Clean shrimp can take a little practice. Beginner cooks would be better off buying de-veined (pre-cleaned) shrimp.

Many foods seem to lose a degree of flavor when frozen, but seafood handles being frozen very well and loses little flavor.

 

Storing Seafood

All fresh seafood is best consumed the day it is purchased. It should be transported from the point of buy directly to the refrigerator (40 degrees or low) or the stove for cooking. If frozen, defrost in the refrigerator. Or you may put in a sealed plastic bag and submerge in cold water to defrost. Replace water every 25 minutes. Do not use hot water.

Shrimp is especially prone to spoilage if handled improperly. If shrimp has a strong odor or if in doubt, dispose of it. Getting sick from bad shrimp is one of the worse sicknesses you can experience.

You should use fresh fish within 1 to 2 days of purchase. Live shellfish should be consumed the day it is purchased. Cooked seafood, in general, may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Fresh shellfish (not live, not frozen) should be used within 2 to 3 days.

Cooking Seafood

Seafood is one of the most versatile of foods when it comes to cooking methods. Nearly all fish, shrimp and shellfish may be fried, boiled, steamed, grilled or baked. And in the case of sushi, raw! There are so many seafood recipes it is difficult to recommend a particular one. In general, cook fish until it is flaky but still firm. Cook shrimp until it changes to a pinkish color and crab or lobster according to size and cooking style. Follow recipe recommendations for cooking times. As a general rule cook fish 10 minutes per inch thickness, turning it halfway through the cooking process. Uncooked crab legs should be cooked 20-25 minutes in boiling water.

To prevent lobster tail from curling, run a skewer through the tail length ways prior to cooking.

Avoid over cooking any seafood as it becomes tough and very bland.

Vegetable Cooking Tips

 

The big mistake for beginners make in cooking vegetables is in cooking time. Over cooking or under cooking  to be a problem for many. And then, it has a lot to do with preference. Just like people prefer their steak rare, medium or well done, people also have a preference for their veggies. Some prefer soft and tender some prefer crisp and crunchy. If you are cooking for someone that you do not know their preference, it is usually best to under cook vegetables. If needed you can always toss them back in the pan for a few more moments.

Vegetable Cooking Tips
 

• Start cooking larger cuts of vegetables first since they will take longer cook.

• Cook dense veggies first (Carrots, celery and broccoli ), then softer veggies (Onions,Peppers and garlic last).

• Chop and mince all vegetables before you begin, then you will be able to devote full attention for cooking.

• Invest in a good quality vegetable peeler. It has many uses and is invaluable in the kitchen.

• For boiled corn on the cob that literally explodes in  mouth, bring a pot of water to a boil; put the corn in the pot and wait for the water to return to a boil. Boil 3 minutes. No longer. Remove and enjoy real corn flavor.

• Try the Southern style of cooking green beans. Cook until beans lose all green color and turn an olive drab color and are very tender.

• You must know that tomatoes are technically a fruit, not a vegetable?

• To make lighter and fluffier mashed potatoes, add a pinch or two of baking powder to the potatoes before whipping.

• Buy a quality knife set for chopping all those vegetables and keep them sharp. More cuts are due to a dull knife than a sharp one.

• Use day old rice for making real Chinese style fried rice.

• Avoid cooking acidic foods (vinegar, tomatoes, ) in reactive cookware. This can discolor the food and impart an off-flavor. Reactive cookware is aluminum, copper and cast iron. Frequently aluminum pans are coated for this very reason. Non-reactive cookware includes clay,  glass, plastic,enamel or stainless steel.

• Storage of fresh cucumbers may be prolonged by peeling, slicing and storing in the refrigerator in a sealed container filled with 1 cup water, 1/4 cup vinegar and 1 tablespoon salt. Sounds a little like pickles.

• An easy way to seed cucumbers is to slice the cuke in half lengthways. Then use a knife to make a cut like a trench on each side of the seeds down the length of the cucumber. Finally, using a spoon rake out the seeds. They will come out clean and easy.

• Remember garlic burns easily and imparts a bitter taste when burnt.

• While onions and garlic will keep quite a while without refrigeration they will lasts longer and you can prevent them from sprouting if you store them in the frig.

Basic Cooking Tips

Measurement

So many experienced home cooks seldom measure their ingredients. They use a pinch and a pinch of that, depending on look and feel to know what is right. Key word here is "experienced". For beginner, it is best to always measure ingredients. The essential part of kitchen should be a set of measuring cups and measuring spoons.After measuring you should conform with the recipe in using "heaping" or "level" measurements. A "heaping" spoonful is just what it says, you mound  the ingredient on the spoon. However, a "level" spoonful should be leveled by raking a knife or your finger across the top area of the spoon.

Seasoning

Good use of seasoning is one of the secrets to cooking. Good cooks season "to taste". In other words, when possible use a little less seasoning than the recipe calls for and taste the dish when nearly completed cooking. Then add more seasoning to achieve the flavor you prefer.

Baking

Temperatures of oven vary. Because the dial says 400 degrees does not necessarily mean your individual oven will be 400 degrees. Trick is always to use a timer when baking and check the dish a few minutes before the prescribed baking time expires. Then adjust the baking time as needed for oven.

Always pre-heat your oven to the required baking temperature. Never start baking in a cold oven.

Tools of the Trade

A good set of pots and pans, while not essential, will certainly make the job easier and much pleasant. With some dishes the wrong cooking utensil may even ruin your dish. You should not use reactive pots and pans when cooking acidic foods. Reactive materials impart a metallic taste and can discolor your food. Two common acidic foods are vinegar or tomato based dishes. Reactive metals include copper, aluminum, and cast iron. Non-reactive materials are stainless steel, enamel and  glass.

Timing

A very general problem beginners have is in timing their cooking so that everything gets to the table hot. This is not rocket science, just a matter of planning ahead. Here's how. Before putting anything on the stove, take a minute to think about the cooking time required for each food item. For example, you are preparing hamburgers & french fries. French fries will take considerable longer to cook that the hamburgers, therefore, you want to start the fries first. Simple?

Should also be aware of certain foods that are difficult to keep hot or do not lend themselves to re-heating, such as mashed potatoes. They should always be the last dish cooked since they do not stay hot long and are really not very good cold.

These are just a few basics to cooking like an expert.

General Tips

• Before you begin to cook, lay out all your ingredients. Measure out ingredients and complete all chopping and sizing. If baking, preheat oven.
• The secret to boiled corn on the cob that explodes in your mouth is to bring a pot of water to a boil first, then put the corn in and wait to come back to a boil, then cook for 3 minutes.
• Buy a good timer and use it. They are inexpensive. Also, invest in a meat thermometer.
• Place a damp paper towel under mixing bowls to prevent from sliding around while mixing.
• To make lighter and fluffier mashed potatoes, add a pinch or two of baking powder to the potatoes before whipping.

wednesday thoughts.

first off, let me get this off my chest...i may or may not have eaten cheesecake for breakfast this morning. and i may or may not still be in bed. gotta love days off! i'm so lazy.

i've said it before and i'll say it again, i.love.target. and when i find beauties {like my shoes pictured above} i fall even more in love. i've been on a hunt for new black flats for quite some time now, and these babies fit the bill. find them here.

i'm going a little nurse crazy. during my 12 hour shifts i spend a good deal of time encouraging my little patients to eat and drink, to get up and go on walks, and to try to go to the bathroom. then when i get home after a very long day i find myself monitoring everything i eat and drink, how much i walk, and how much i go to the bathroom. totally totally nurse crazy.

i had my family over for a little dinner and fun the other night and made the most delicious steak tacos. i posted the recipe over on just cook already...go take a looksie, you'll love it.

alright, alright...i'm getting out of bed now. there are dishes to be done, laundry to be folded, a birthday gift to be wrapped, and a much need workout to be completed. oh and a redbox copy of the back-up plan to be watched...the hubs is away on business and i've got to get my dose of cheesy chick flicks in while he's gone!

Beans Gasagasala Koora ~ Beans Curry with Poppy Seeds

Beans Gasa Gasaala Kura ~ Beans Poppy Seeds Curry
Ingredients :

Beans : 1/4 kg
Poppy Seeds : 1 tbsp
Mustard Seeds : 1/2 tsp
Chana Dal : 1/2 tsp
Urad Dal : 1/2 tsp
Whole Red Chillies : 3 to 5
Turmeric Powder : 1/4 tsp
Dry Coconut : 1 inch piece
Curry Leaves : 1 stem
Salt to taste
Oil : 1 tbsp

Method :

Dry roast the poppy seeds and red chillies till they change color and allow it to cool. Grind the roasted poppy seeds along with coconut into a powder and keep aside. Break the beans and remove the fiber. Chop them into small pieces and pressure cook for 3 whistles. Heat one tablespoon of oil in a vessel and add the mustard seeds, chana dal, urad dal and let them splutter. When the seeds stop popping, add the curry leaves and fry for few seconds. Now add the beans, salt, turmeric powder and poppy seeds powder to it. Mix well, fry for few minutes and switch off the flame. Serve hot with steamed rice or roti.

happy birthday sistaaaaaa.

today my one and only sister jenna turns 21! isn't she fabulous. i am generally mildly jealous of her...her fashion sense is impeccable. happy bday jenna jo.

Reposting for the Events..

I am re posting some of my recipes for the event Only hosted by Priya and started by Pari.

1. Puffed Rice Mixture
2. Oats Peanut Laddu
3. Kandi Pachadi
4. Sweet Corn Chat Mixture
5. Ragi Sunnundalu
6. Spicy Peanuts and Coconut Powder
7. Roasted Gram Laddu
8. Ragi Mudda
9. Jowar coconut laddu
10. Toor Dal Powder
11.Atukulu Pappu Bellam
12. Bellam Kobbari Vundalu
13.Ridge Gourd Tomato Chutney
14.Jonna Rotte
15.Steamed Date Rolls

I am sending some of my old recipes to the event Festive Rice Event.

1. Nimmakaya Pulihora
2. Dabbakaya Pulihora.

Puffed Rice Mixture

Ingredients :

Puffed Rice : 3 cups
Onion : 1 big sized
Tomato : 1
Roasted Gram Dal : 1/2 cup
Red Chilli Powder : 1/4 to 1/2 tsp
Lemon : 1
Salt to taste
Fresh Coriander Leaves

Method :

Peel and chop the onion into small pieces and keep aside. Wash and chop the tomato into small pieces. Put the puffed rice in a wide bowl. Add the chopped onion, chopped tomato, salt, red chilli powder, chopped coriander leaves and lemon juice. Mix well and serve immediately.

Other Names : Pidatha Kinda Pappu, Muri Chat, Borugula Chaat Mixture, Maramarala Mixture.

dream bedroom.

totally started drooling over this bedroom when i first saw it. the pillows! the desk! the drapes! all perfection. see more of this fabulous design here.

image via house of turquoise.

Pina Colada - In A Trifle!!!! - Well, Almost...!

Whats the easiest thing to put together when you have a sponge sitting in your fridge?? A make ahead, elegant dessert which can feed a crowd as well?? A trifle, a trifle, a trifle!!! No fuss, no sweating over slicing the cake neatly, perfect frosting not needed, just assemble however u fancy and chill. And then you sit back and chill.

I love Pina Colada, the pineapple drink with a hint of coconut. And the idea of making a similar cake or dessert had been on my mind since months. My new bottle of pineapple essence had to be tried and tested. I am quite fussy about buying essence as I have had a couple of bad experiences. The essence was so very over-powering, I had to throw the other wise good cake into the trash can:-(. Thankfully the pineapple essence was good.

I made a pineapple sponge with my favorite recipe for a fat-less sponge and put it in the freezer... waiting for an excuse to make a dessert out of it. Vani, initially an acquaintance through my blog and now a friend,  was to drop by at my place. How can I have a guest, a baking enthusiast at that, and not bake something?

Whipping cream whipped with coconut cream, layered with cubes of pineapple sponge, pineapple bits and a sprinkling of grated fresh coconut conjured up in my mind. And at last, my fantasy of making a Pina Colada Trifle came alive.

Here is what I did.

For the fat-less Pineapple Sponge, recipe from Deeba.
 Ingredients:

• Eggs - 3
• Castor sugar - 1/2 cup
• Flour - 1/2 cup
• Pineapple essence - 1 tsp

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Line, grease & dust a Swiss roll tin.
• Beat the eggs, essence & sugar till mousse like (almost 10 minutes). I added a couple of drops of yellow food color.
• Lightly fold the flour in 3 goes in figure 8 movements (so as no to release the air bubbles).
• Gently turn into prepared tray & bake for 10-12 minutes till light brown & spongy.

If you would be using a regular 9 inch round tin, it will take longer to bake, mine takes about 30-35 minutes. Turn out to cool on rack, immediately removing the lining. When fully cool, use as needed. If you would be using later, you can store the sponge in the fridge for 2-3 days and in the freezer for longer.

For the coconut cream:
3/4 cup whipping cream ( I have used sweetened non -dairy cream)
1/2 cup coconut cream, chilled.( I used Dabur Hommade)
1 1/2 tablespoons icing sugar (to add sweetness to the coconut cream and help stabilize the same when whipped)


Chill the whipping cream for at least 10 hours in the fridge. Chill the beaters and the bowl for 2-3 hours at least. Stainless steel works best .Combine the whipping cream, icing sugar and coconut cream. Place over a large bowl of ice. Whip first on low for a minute or so and then at medium speed for about 8-10 minutes or till the cream forms soft peaks. Be careful not to over whip.Chill till needed.

More ingredients we will need:
 1 Cup Simple sugar syrup (1 cup water plus 1-2 tablespoons sugar, more to taste) Add a splash of rum if   you like
 1/2 cup chopped pineapple chunks(I used canned)
1 tablespoon grated fresh coconut( you could also use chopped tender coconut)

To assemble:
Cut the sponge horizontally into 2 layers, then cut into small cubes. Take a large transparent bowl( a large tall one works best), place half the cake cubes. Pour some sugar syrup and moisten the cake pieces well. Do not over-soak. Spoon a layer of coconut and cream. Put some pineapple chunks and the grated fresh coconut over it. Put the remaining cake cubes, moisten with syrup, spoon the remaining coconut cream. Garnish with coconut. I had wanted maraschino cherries, but could not get them:-(. Chill for at least 5-6 hours.

Scoop out the dessert from the bottom, making sure every serving has two layers of cake and two of cream. Scoop into dessert bowls and dig in!!!

Note: The cream had a hint of coconut, but could have been better with more. You could try whipping equal parts of cream and coconut cream. You could also skip the coconut cream, and use coconut essence and  whipped cream. I did not as I am yet to find good quality coconut essence.

Add rum to the soaking syrup if you like.

Use chopped tender coconut  instead of grated coconut.

Sending the trifle to Champa's Bake Off .

Next ♥ cupcakes

It's Chrissssstmaaaaaaaaas.

Ok, it isn't. BUT it's just under 3 months to the big day and the Christmas gift guides are coming thick and fast. The best I've seen so far (thanks to the lovely Tcakes messaging me via my blog!) is the Next Christmas Guide.

Oh. My. God. It is cupcake-alicious. FULL to brimming with cupcake goodies.

First up is the cupcake stacking mugs. I have wanted someone to make these for ever, and now they have not only made them but they feature my blog name on them. It's basically someone telling me I must have them. Crockery ban be damned!

Next are these uber cute I ♥ cupcakes measuring cups. I know I have already got a few sets of measuring cups but these are too cute to resist. Must have.

Perfect for those cold Winter evenings and those times when a girl needs a hot water bottle is this cute little gift set. And I love the little cupcake mug.

Another must have since I broke my last one is the cupcake kitchen timer. Again something I've been after for a while (my Debenhams one died some time ago and they no longer stock them).

Perfect for my cupcake kitchen are the Time for Tea wall plague, cupcake prints, cupcake clock, cupcake apron, cupcake oven glove and I ♥ cupcakes tea towels set.

Not to forget the baking set and I ♥ cupcakes baking book.

And if you don't have an oven handy, what about this gorgeous cupcake maker. I've not been that tempted by these before but this one is soooo pretty I am quite tempted to get it.

Oh and the cake stand.

That sums it up pretty much, except for the photo frame, house mat and cupcake bank. Which I may need to save up for it all.

I want it all!!!!

Nimmakaya Pulihora ~ Lemon Rice

Nimmakaya Pulihora ~ Traditional Lemon Rice

Ingredients :

Cooked Rice : 2 cups
Lemon : 1
Mustard Seeds : 1 tsp
Chana Dal : 1 tsp
Urad Dal : 1 tsp
Groundnuts : 1 tbsp
Cashews : 5 to 10
Whole Red Chillies : 3
Green Chillies : 2 or 3
Curry Leaves : 2 stems
Turmeric Powder : 1/2 tsp
A pinch of hing
Salt to taste
Oil : 1 tbsp

Method :

Heat oil in a vessel. Add the mustard seeds, chana dal, urad dal, groundnuts and let them splutter. When the seeds stop popping, add the green chillies, cashews, red chillies, curry leaves and hing and fry for few minutes. Turn off the flame and add the cooked rice, lemon juice, salt and turmeric. Mix very well. Chitrannam is ready to serve.

Other Names : Nimmakaya Pulihora, Chitrannam, Nimbekai Chitraanna, Lemon Rice.

parker's.

last thursday my mom, sister and i got together for a girls night out. before attending the main event of our evening {more on that to come...} we had burgers and fries at parker's drive inn. my mom worked there as a teen and we've been enjoying it ever since. their old fashioned goodness is deeeelish.

Pretty vacant

Today I finally made it to Cox, Cookies and Cake after previously turning up on their "opening day" to find it full of builders after they didn't bother to announce it was no longer opening as expected.

I wish I hadn't bothered.

Manny and I trekked through Soho in the pissing rain, avoiding umbrellas and the wheely trollies of tourists to get there. When we arrived I was quite impressed with the look of the shop - neon sign outside (complete with flashing Cox..oh how risque), black glittery walls, black pretty much everything and a pink neon sign "designed"* by Tracey Emin saying "I keep haunting you".

Anyway to the cupcakes. I won't comment on the cookies as I didn't see any at all when we were there - just cupcakes. There were none of their advertised bars either - I had hoped to try a nanimo bar but there were none to be seen. Perhaps that was for the best.

The cakes all looked quite nice but there wasn't much on offer, about 3 of their classic cupcakes, with featuring the usual suspects like vanilla, lemon, chocolate and some of their specialities featuring the skulls, the marilyn and the bling. Which are basically the classics fancied up at nearly double the price.

I had intended to just buy one cake after hearing nothing but bad reviews on the cake but Manny couldn't resist a brown titty cake so we ended up buying two. I chose a black skull cupcake. Two cakes came to the grand total of £8. Yes you read that right, two normal sized cupcakes were just short of a tenner.

Were they worth it?

In a word, NO.

My skull cupcake is advertised as being.. triple Valrhona chocolate cake with goth black frosting and a dark chocolate jewelled skull. I am not exaggerating when I say there was not a hint of chocolate in either the cupcake base, or cupcake frosting. None. Nada. Zilch. If we want to get Scottish about it, f**k all. As well as being utterly flavourless, the base was as dry Gandhi's flip flop. Completely devoid of moisture. The frosting, again, tasted of absolutely nothing. Not a hint of chocolate. None. The only flavour was food colouring but I'd wager money that the frosting had never seen any Valrhona chocolate. In fact Valrhona should be suing for using their name under false pretences. I'm assuming the triple came from the chunk of something unidentified in the middle of the cake -which may have been chocolate - I gave up trying after the second tasteless bite. Life is too short to waste on a bad cupcake.

a right tit - what I felt after paying a fortune for an inedible cake!

Manny's boob had slightly more flavour, with the merest hint of chocolate but was still as dry as a nun's gusset. I've made chocolate cupcakes that retained their moisture for four days so god only knows when these were put together. (I refuse to say baked - baking involves love and care -something these cakes had not seen!)

I cannot believe I've waited this long to try the baking of Eric Lanlard and this is it? I also can't believe he allows his name to be used with such atrocities to baking. A dry, tasteless waste of money. I can compare it to only one other cupcake experience - trying chocolate cupcakes from Aldi - these tasted pretty much the same. If I'm honest the Aldi ones were probably slightly less dry, and cost about £1 for four. So yes I paid the most money ever for a cupcake and it was the worst I've had. Go figure.

This place is definitely a case of style over substance which is a pity as it looks quite cool, is something different from the usual cupcake cafe and the staff were really nice. One thing I did adore was the staff aprons - very S&M with leather and studs - and the girl who served us was chatty and friendly. If only the cakes were as pleasant as her.

My recommendation - avoid unless you want disappointment. If you're in Soho and want a cupcake Hummingbird is about 4 mins walk away and everything is fresh and full of flavour! Cox, Cookies and Cake join Buttercup in my cupcakeries to avoid.

*I'm possibly not the best person to comment on modern "art" but how much design goes into a neon sign? Surely its just choosing a font, a colour and a phrase that means naff all?