Sunday, September 19, 2010
Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Pasta Shells
Ingredients
32 jumbo pasta shells
2 cups ricotta cheese
2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons fennel seed
2 teaspoons dried basil
4 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
3 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, gently place pasta shells in boiling water; bring water back to boil. Cook until noodles are just tender; drain well.
Squeeze spinach dry. Combine spinach, ricotta, 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, fennel, basil and garlic in a large mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper; mix well.
Spread 1/2 cup marinara sauce evenly over the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
Fill each pasta shell with the spinach cheese mixture. Arrange the shells, filling side up in the baking dish. Spoon remaining marinara sauce over the shells. Sprinkle remaining Parmesan cheese on top of the shells.
Cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven until heated through; about 30 minutes.
Simply Apple Cake
INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup (75 grams) chopped walnuts or pecans
1 pound (454 grams) apples
1-2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 cup (195 grams) all purpose flour
3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk
1/3 cup (50 grams) raisins
METHOD:
Apple Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place rack in the center of the oven. Butter or spray with a non stick cooking spray, an 8 inch (20 cm) square baking pan and then line with parchment paper or wax paper.
Place the nuts on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly brown and fragrant. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack and then coarsely chop.
Peel, core, and coarsely chop the apples. Toss with 1 - 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.
In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Add the melted butter, eggs, and vanilla extract and beat until fully incorporated. Fold in the chopped nuts, raisins, and chopped apples. If the batter is thick, stir in the milk.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake in preheated oven for about 35 - 45 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
While the cake is still warm, prepare the glaze. Place the apricot jam or preserves in a small saucepan and warm over medium heat until liquid. Remove from heat and strain the jam through a fine strainer to remove any fruit lumps. Alternatively, place the apricot jam or preserves in a small bowl and heat in the microwave. Using a pastry brush, spread the warmed preserves over the apple cake.
Serve with softly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Cover and refrigerate leftovers. Reheat before serving.
Makes 6-8 servings.
Blueberry Crumble Cake
Streusel Topping:
1/3 cup (45 grams) all purpose flour
1/3 cup (65 grams) granulated white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup (56 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Cake Batter:
1 cup (130 grams) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (56 grams) (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup (80 ml) milk
2 cups fresh blueberries
Blueberry Cake Recipe: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Butter, or spray with a nonstick vegetable spray, an 8 x 8 inch (20 x 20 cm) square pan or an 8 inch (20 cm) round cake pan.
For streusel topping: In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, and ground cinnamon. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or fork until it resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside while you make the cake batter.
In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Add the flour mixture, alternately with the milk, and beat only until combined. Spread the batter onto the bottom of the prepared pan, smoothing the top with an offset spatula.
Evenly arrange the blueberries on top of the cake batter and then sprinkle with the streusel topping.
Bake for about 40 - 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool slightly.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Makes 9 servings
Lollipop Chicken(Drums Of Heaven)
Chicken Lollipop is generally considered as a appetizer dish. Though not everyone may know, this chicken dish is made from chicken wings. The chicken wings need to be chopped and the meat arranged in one end of the bone. This is usually done by loosening the meat from one end of the bone and forcibly pushing it down to the other end.
Kids love this dish. I’m not having a hard time encouraging my kid to finish their food when this dish is around. In case your kids are picky with their food, you now know what to serve them.
Click the below link for detailed instructions:
http://www.ifood.tv/recipe/chicken_lollipop/
Microwave Chicken Briyani
Ingredients
1/2 kilo chicken
1 medium onion finely chopped
1 medium-large tomato chopped, put in microwave for 1 minute
1 cup yogurt
1 heaped tbsp ginger garlic paste
1/4 tsp haldi/ turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1 heaped tsp coriander/ daniya powder
Few pieces of assorted garam masala
Zeera
1 heaped tsp of garam masala powder
Tip of tsp of yellow colour powder
Few threads of saffron/zafran
2 cups of basmati rice soaked for half an hour
Half a cup of milk
Oil
For Layering the biryani
1 small tomato chopped
Mint leaves
Few pieces of green chilli
Handful of fried onion
Lemon Wedges
Few drops of kewra essence
