Chocolate Crackles with M&Ms

Its that time of the year where the Holiday decorations are down and every one I am sure is bracing for the snow storms and blizzards in the next couple of months. While this is definitely not my most preferred season, this will let me relax and unwind on the weekends.No running around theme parks and other outdoor activities.

I made these during the Holiday season and we definitely enjoyed them. With Shriya not being a fan of Chocolate, I made thumbprint cookies, which I will be posting soon.

Source:Food Network Magazine
Makes 24 cookies

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsps unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup M&M's
1 cup powdered sugar

• In a bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt
• Whisk the melted butter and eggs into the dry mixture until well combined
• Stir in the M&Ms; Cover with a plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour, until firm
• Preheat the oven to 350F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Remove the chilled dough. Roll 2 tablespoonfuls of the dough in powdered sugar until well coated
• Place the balls on the sheet, 1 inch apart.
• Bake till the cookies are puffed and the tops are cracked, about 10 min.
• Transfer them to a wire rack and let them cool
• Store them in an airtight container.They can be stored for up to a week.

Enjoy the cookies

Till then,
K

Campanelle Pasta with Tomatoes, Spinach and a hint of lemon

Campanelle in Italian means "BellFlowers".The edges of this pasta are fluted and has is hollow in the center for holding the sauce.This is very "Holiday-ish" looking Pasta.

I personally like pasta dishes with little or no sauce. This is a taste that I have acquired over years. Just a dash of Olive Oil will do for me.

I did not add any sauce to this dish as I wanted it to be light.So I tossed it with Sauteed Spinach, Grape Tomatoes and Extra Virgin Olive Oil.I also add lemon zest to enhance the flavors in the dish.

1 lb Campanelle Pasta (I used Barilla)
1 box Cherry or Grape Tomatoes, Halved
1 Block of Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, cubed
1 Bag of Spinach, preferably used in Salads
2 tbsps Italian Seasoning
2 Garlic Cloves,crushed
1tbsp of Lemon Zest from 2 fresh lemons

• Add Salt and bring 6 Quarts of water to a rolling boil.
• Add the pasta and cook for about 10 minutes, uncovered
• If you want more soft/tender pasta, cook for an additional 1 min
• Heat a table spoon of Extra Virgin olive oil in a saucepan and saute the Spinach until wilted
• Add Garlic and Tomatoes and cook for 3 min
• Stir in the Seasoning
• Add the Mozzarella Cubes and lemon zest
• Add the remaining table spoon of EVOO and toss all the ingredients.

Ciao,
K

Veg Korma

Thank You for all the wishes. The Holidays have been fun and very relaxing. We had a couple of parties and the posts that I will be doing in the next few weeks should be all the dishes that I made. I am very excited and trust me, this time around, I will definitely be visiting your blogs.

The Radio City Christmas Spectacular to North Pole Express this Holiday Season were so much enjoyable. What did you do this Holidays?

This recipe is adapted from 'Dakshin' by Chandra Padmanabhan

1 cup Green Beans, Chopped
1 cup chopped Carrots
2 potatoes, chopped
1/2 cup shelled green peas
1 large tomato, chopped
1 tbsp Ghee or butter
2-3 bay leaves

To make Paste-

1/2 cup fresh grated coconut
6-8 green chillies
1 small onion, chopped
1 piece of fresh ginger
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander
Little water

Masala Powder-

1 tbsp aniseed
1'4 " tsp cinnnamon bark
4 cloves
2 cardamom pods
1 tbsp poppy seeds

• Blend the coconut, chillies, onion, ginger, turmeric and coriander leaves to a fine paste, by adding a little water
• Dry roast the spices and poppy seeds in a saucepan, until it gives out strong aroma
• Boil the chopped beans, carrots and potatoes till tender
• In a saucepan, heat a tablespoon of ghee. Add the tomatoes and peas.
• Add the bay leaves and cook for 3 min
• Add the boiled vegetables.
• To this, add the coconut paste. Stir in the masala powder into the paste
• Simmer this for 5 minutes.
• Garnish with Coriander
• Serve hot with Puris or Rice.