Holidays, Travels, Luggages + Malaysian "Lacey Crepe" Click

Now that its officially holiday season, I bet you folks are all geared up for travel, either to spend some quality time with family and friends or to an exotic location for a new holiday experience. Whatever the case, you will definitely need luggage sets for travel.

Everyone knows that spinner luggage makes travel a breeze than the regular one. I am so in love with this matching spinner luggage set from Britto Collection by Heys. With its electrifying exterior there will not be a problem spotting this on the baggage carousel. So no baggage switch and other headaches that follow that. At $1000+ bucks, its a bit on the pricey side but I bet its totally worth it.

I don't know a lady who doesn't travel without a cosmetic case/travel pouch. For $80 bucks you get Tony Perotti's "Green collection" leather 3-sized cases that gives you the versatility to pack bigger jars in bigger cases for check-ins and smaller ones for carry-ons.

I am a girl who loves all shades of Red and Pink.This Delsey Helium Trolley has my name written all over it.

People who love to take their laptop wherever they go would love this Tumi expandable laptop bag that is efficient, classy and distinctive.

Happy Holidays and Happy Travels. Click the above link to check for other choices.

Here is something else to look forward to- An Upcoming Post for Malaysian "Lacey Crepe/Net Bread":

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Review: Cuisinart CSB-77 Smart Stick Hand Blender with Whisk and Chopper Attachments

After a long thought about investing in an immersion blender, I decided to go with the Cuisinart Smart Stick mainly because I loved the sleek finish of the hand blender and also because it came with a small chopper attachment that will eliminate the need to reach out to my big food processor for cutting onions, veggies and such.

I am very happy with the blender cause it makes making soups, smoothies and bisque(s) a breeze.Take this creamy red lentil soup that I made a few days ago-- it went from coarse/chunky to creamy in a matter of 5-10 seconds. I didn't have to wait for it to cool down, pour into a blender and do it in batches.Totally love the mixing/measuring cup with graduated markings. The chopper isn't the best of best and the whisk could be a little heavier. But if you are looking for a moderately priced, elegant and efficient hand blender for soups, smoothies and bisque you can invest in this Cuisinart smart stick hand blender, available at csnstores.com for $50 bucks with Free Shipping.

Creamy Red Lentil Soup, a simple and satisfying winter indulgence. The beautiful porcelain footed rice/cereal bowl that you see in the pictures are from csnstores too. I got 6 for $30 bucks.I eat my morning cereals, rice and noodle lunch, soups in the multi-taking bowl that is just the right size for me.

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Red Lentils, Cleaned and drained of water
• 2 Medium Yukon Gold Potatoes
• 2 Small Tomatoes
• 1/2 Large Onion
• 1 Dry Red Chili(2 if you are up for it)
• 2 Stalks Mint
• 3 Cups Water or  2 Cups Water + 1 Cup Milk
• 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
• Salt for taste

Procedure:

• In a soup pot, heat 3 tbsp of olive oil.
• Add the chopped onions and mint leaves. Saute till the onions are translucent.

• Throw in the vegetables, chili and fry for 2 minutes.
• Drain the cleaned lentils and add it to the pan.

• Pour water or water-milk combo and bring the contents to a boil with lid-on.
• Add salt some 15 minutes later, check for taste and puree the contents using an immersion blender.

• Transfer the creamy soup into a serving bowl. 

Makes 4 Generous Servings.

Enjoy!

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Easy Egg Bhurji "Indian Style Scrambled Eggs"

Bhurji: A damp curry. Egg Bhurji: Indianized scrambled eggs.

Egg bhurji is made with onions, green chili with optional use of spices and tomatoes.Its so versatile that its wide open for a multitude of adaptations. The preparation is very easy that even my 3-year old can do it, if I allow him that is. When I am at loss for what to make, this is what I end up doing as eggs are something that I have in my fridge always. Always.

Ingredients:

• 5 Eggs
• 2 Tbsp Whole milk
• 1 Small Onion, finely chopped
• 2 Green Chili, finely chopped
• 2 Stalks Cilantro, finely diced
• A few grinds of the Pepper mill
• Salt as needed
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil or more

Procedure:

• Break the eggs into a bowl.
• Add the cracked pepper, salt and milk.Whisk them to a frothy mixture.

• Heat the Olive Oil in a pan. Add the green chili and chopped onions. Saute till the onions are well browned.

• Add the egg mixture, stirring constantly with a spatula till they start forming into small clumps or even before. I like them well cooked.

• Switch off the stove and add the chopped cilantro. 

Enjoy!

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Maharashtrian Style Chicken

This is yet another recipe from Anjum's New Indian cookbook. Well, it was time for me to put that "Goda masala" to test and see how it fared in a chicken curry. Oh boy, was I blown away? My taste-buds were rejoicing all the while I was munching on tender juicy pieces of chicken that were perfectly spiced and cooked just right.

Sending this and Baked Orange Marmalade and Teriyaki Glazed Chicken Wings/Thighs, Chettinaad Chicken Chukka, Baked Crispy Masala Chicken, Quick-Bake Masala Chicken to Chicken Recipes Event at "My Culinary Creations"

Ingredients:

• 6 Chicken Thighs with Bones, skinned and halved
• 2 Small Onions, finely chopped
  
• 2 Cocktail Tomatoes or any small tomatoes, pureed
  
• 5 Green Chili, poked but left whole
• 1 Tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste (or) 1/4 Inch Ginger and 5 Cloves of Garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp Goda Masala powder
• 1 Tsp Garam Masala powder
• 1 Tsp Tamarind Paste (Optional)
• 1 Tsp Cracked Pepper
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• Salt as needed

For Marinating the Chicken:

• 1 Tbsp Thick Yogurt
• 1/2 Tsp Turmeric Powder
• 1/4 Tsp Cracked Pepper
• 1/8 Tsp Salt

Tool:

• Cast Iron Pan

Procedure:

• Marinate the chicken for 4 hours, preferably overnight, with the ingredients under "marinade".
• Heat a tbsp of oil and brown the chicken. Set aside.

• Add the remaining tbsp of oil to the same pan and brown the onions.
• Add ginger-garlic paste a couple of minutes later and fry till it loses raw smell.
• Add the pureed tomato, spice powder, mint and green chili along with a little water.Bring to a boil.

• Transfer the browned chicken, salt, cracked pepper and lid the pan. Cook on medium heat for 7-8 minutes.

• Sprinkle the tamarind juice/paste, if using, and cook for 5 more minutes with lid.
• Remove the lid and keep stirring gently until all the moisture is evaporated and the gravy clings to the chicken.

• Serve with a steaming bowl of cooked rice.

Enjoy!

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Pear Upside-Down Cake

A couple of weeks ago I was telling hubby my desire to configure servers, enlighten myself with the aspects of complex networking, setting up firewalls, configuring DBs and such.You get the idea? So he placed an order for a brand-new server. While I was eagerly waiting for the FedEx guy to come knocking my door, hubby's friend caught wind of this and decided to give(gift) me a server for free.Umm nearly free. So I have a couple of servers at my disposal. Lucky me!
So when hubby went to pick up the server, I had to make something for his considerate friend. Him and his family are strict vegetarians.So I wanted to make something strictly that is egg-free.Keeping in mind that I had 3 ripe Bartlett pears begging to be consumed, I browsed and found a recipe to my liking. And I ended up baking this egg-less version of a recipe I found from Martha's website.Aside from taking a couple of wedges for the pictures, I packed everything else. I have to say this was the tastiest and sweetest cake I ever made. Well, this recipe is from Martha's website. What more assurance does one need? I knew how it was going to turn out even before I bit into a luscious wedge. The sugar in the topping gets gooey when baking and once you invert it, the gooey goodness slowly sinks into the cake making it utterly moist and scrumptious. And yes, the flavor improves over time. So make sure to make it at-least a day before serving.

Sending this and Blueberry CoffeeCake With Streusel Topping, Cinnamon,Sugar and Raisins stuffed baked apples and Cherry Cake as an entry to this month's Monthly Mingle "Baking With Fruit" at Deeba's, brainchild of Meeta@ What's for lunch Honey.

For The Topping:

• 1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar, packed (Original calls for "Light")
• 4 Tbsp Butter
• 2 Ripe Bartlett Pears

For The Cake Batter:

• 1-1/2 Cups King Arthur All Purpose Flour
• 1/2 Cup Olive Oil
• 1/2 Cup Whole Milk
• 3/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
• 2 Tbsp Hodgson Mill Pure Cornstarch
• 1 Ripe Banana, smashed
• 2 Tsp Baking Powder
• 1/4 Tsp Salt
• 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

Tool:

• 9-1/2" Round Cake Pan

Procedure:

• Prepare the Topping: In a non-stick pan, melt the butter and dark-brown sugar till the sugar dissolves.

• Grease the Cake pan with a little butter.
• Pour the sugar mixture and spread it evenly.
• Peel, core and cut the pears into 1/4" thick wedges. Arrange the pears in a circular fashion.

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Puree the banana and set the pulp aside.
• Sift together baking powder, flour and cornstarch.
• Combine oil, sugar, banana pulp together using an electric mixer. Add salt, milk and vanilla extract.
• Add flour in batches to the combine. 
• Pour the batter on the top of the arranged Pears in the pan.

• Bake for 45 minutes or until the toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

• Invert the cake onto a plate or serving dish.
• Cool the cake and cut it into wedges.

Makes 7-8 servings.

Notes:

• If you'd rather use eggs, replace the banana and cornstarch with 2 eggs.

Enjoy!

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