Glazed Sweet Potatoes

Hope you all are doing well! We had a great time on our trip and brought back good memories and some wonderful pictures.The first half, we spent in Disney, going around the parks.The next half, we went on an air boat ride (inspired after CSI:Miami:D:) and we drove all the way to Key west, the southern most point in the continental US.THAT was one beautiful and an unforgettable drive.The theme parks were exhausting given how we had to run around and stand in lines.But the drive to Keys and our stay there was fantastic.
I don't have to elaborate on Disney.All of you would have visited by now.This was my first there!
If I were to mention in a few words- its Rides, Characters & Castles, and fireworks!
Key West (also known as Conch Republic), on the other hand, I can run out of words to describe the beauty of that place.There is only 1 and only road that goes in and out of that place.
It is about 6 1/2 hr drive from Orlando.Once you hit Route 1, you can see turquoise and cobalt blue colored ocean on either side of the road.And NO! I am not exaggerating when I say Turquoise and Cobalt blue colors.It is truly the case..
Key West is popular for its Sunrise and Sunset, weather permitting of course.The place is also known for some famous people's houses like Truman and Hemingway. You can see the only living coral reef in US from a glass boat.OR you can just relax on the beach and watch sun go down!Looks like I am yapping too much!I will post the pics soon...

Also, my blog is acting out on me.I have no idea why the comments section is not working properly.While I look into it, if any of you have any problems, please email me at tastytouchblog@gmail.com.I know, all you guys have posted so many dishes/posts and I know I have some catching up to do!In the mean time, here is a simple dish that you can snack on or eat as a side.

4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 tbsp Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
3 tbsp Orange Juice (Preferably with some pulp)
2 tbsp Maple Syrup
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
Pinch of Cinnamon

• Preheat the oven to 450F.
• Spray a baking dish with a non stick spray.
• Spread the potatoes in a single layer
• Drizzle with Olive oil and season with salt and pepper
• Combine all of them with hands, clean hands!!He he he!
• Bake in the oven for about 28-30 min or until the potatoes are tender.

For the glaze

• Mix Orange juice and maple syrup.
• Stir in the brown sugar and cinnamon
• Pour the glaze on the potatoes and bake for an additional 8 minutes.

Take care,
Shri

New Hope

Hope you all had a fun Thanksgiving holidays!We have been planning to go to Florida for some time now.We have postponed until 'S' is a little grown up and watches Mickey and other Disney shows.Now that she is a big fan of Mickey, almost to an obsessive degree, we thought it will be a good idea to visit!I will be back after a week, but until then, I will leave you with the pics of a little charming town-New Hope!

New Hope is an hour away from Lehigh Valley.It is small and filled with antique shops, boutiques and bustling with energy.It is mainly a tourist town.I love to eat in some of the patisseries there which offer unique desserts.And there are a few shops that sell Indian dresses too!!

We went on a boat ride in the morning which is about half hour.An old world boat ride which my daughter thoroughly enjoyed!!



A rustic book store.The cycle in front of the bookstore reminded me of India.When you go to B&N or library, you don't get to see anything like this



And how often do you get to see people relaxing and reading a newspaper, OUTDOORS?



This train ride was wonderful!Again, my daughter who is a big fan of Thomas,The Tank Engine and trains in general was very excited!



This restaurant which has the water view when you sit on the Patio has such a lovely ambiance and great food.Best of all the ivy leaves!!



See you again on the 5th!!

Till then

Hugs

French Macarons with Raspberry Buttercream

Over the past few weeks, I have come across some wonderful macaron creations in blogs, be it Daring Bakers' Challenge or otherwise-Masterpieces, I must say!I have admired the Daring Bakers all along and I am simply awed by the cookies/cakes they bake and every time I want to join, I cannot muster the courage.
They don't call it a challenge for no reason, do they?I have tried making Milan cookies and as you can guess,they were in no shape to pose for my camera!The french macarons, on the other hand, tasted fantastic although the shape was slightly flat or should I say without feet as they call it in the DB circle?My guess, I made some mistake while whipping up the egg whites .Once you start eating these macarons, you cannot stop with one!

I have given you the exact recipe and procedure from the site and the link to the site.
Yields 30 two-inch cookies
From chef Alex Trouan, L'Artisan Macaroon

2 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 cup almond meal
5 egg whites
Pinch of salt
2 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Red food coloring

Filling
1/2 cup egg whites
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 pound room-temperature butter
3/4 cup raspberry jam

Preheat oven to 325°.
Sift confectioners' sugar, then add to almond meal in a bowl.
Whip egg whites with salt on medium speed until foamy. Increase the speed to high and gradually add granulated sugar. Continue to whip until stiff peaks form - the whites should be firm and shiny. Add a few drops of food coloring and keep whipping until desired hue is reached.


With a rubber spatula, gently fold in confectioners' sugar and almond meal into egg whites until completely incorporated. The mixture should be shiny and flow into itself when folded. When small peaks dissolve to a flat surface, stop mixing. Be careful to not over mix.

Fit a piping bag with 3/8-inch round tip (or bigger size for large macaroons). On a few sheets of parchment paper, draw circles 1-2 inches in diameter 1-2 inches apart. Flip the parchment paper over so the penciled side is on the bottom. Fit one baking sheet inside another one to double the insulation, then place the parchment paper into the baking sheet. (The doubled baking sheet facilitates smooth macaroons.)

Starting in the center of each circle, pipe the filling onto the circles, extending the filling out to the edge of each circle.


Bake 17-20 minutes. Remove macaroons from the oven. Let cool on baking sheets. When completely cool, slide a metal regular or offset spatula or paring knife underneath the macaroons to remove from the parchment.

For the filling: Warm egg whites and sugar over a double boiler until the sugar is dissolved. Transferred to a standing mixer and whip until cool. Once cool (slightly below room temperature), add the softened butter to the bowl, a little at a time, and whip until fluffy. Once all butter has been incorporated, add the jam and whip until incorporated.

Pair macaroons of similar size, and pipe about 1/2 teaspoon of the filling onto one of the halves. Sandwich with the other half and freeze for 1-2 hours to allow flavors to blend together. Bring back to room temperature before serving. Well-wrapped macaroons may be frozen for up to three months.


Note:You get Almond meal in Specialty stores, that is if you cannot find in the regular grocery stores.In case you cannot find almond flour, use sliced blanched almonds (not slivered) and finely pulse them.

Have fun,

Tomato & Rice Soup err...stew!

A few years back, this soup was served at our work cafeteria and after that, I never came across the soup, ever anywhere else.Thought will give it a try and so here it is-It is very simple and believe me, it is really tasty:)

About 4-6 servings

29oz can of Tomato Sauce
6-8 cups water
1 Med Onion, chopped
1 garlic clove,crushed
1 Med Potato, peeled, cubed, boiled
1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tbsp fresh coriander
1/3 cup cream (Optional)
Salt & Pepper to taste
3/4 cup Basmati Rice or any long grain rice

• Saute onion and garlic until tender in olive oil
• Add potatoes and cook for 5 minutes
• Stir in the seasoning and coriander
• Add sauce and water/broth and bring it to a boil.
• Add rice slowly and cook till tender and soft but not mushy.
• Add coriander, cream, salt and pepper.
• Cook for an additional 5 minutes.
• Serve it hot with parmesan cheese

Note:If you don't like the tomato taste to dominate, you can add more cream to mellow the tangy flavor.

Coconut & Lime Lace Tuiles

A lot of you can relate to when I say, kids in their 'terrible 2's',-eating habits or just making them sit in one place for 5 sec and focus on something particular.It is frustrating and equally humorous!Lately, I am unable to manage my daughter, some one who I thought is relatively a docile one, with good listening ears.But now, she does exactly opposite of what I ask her to do.Is it the age or my frustration, I am not quite sure!Despite all of it,the one part I love is when she runs and hides under my dining table whenever I ask her to clean up her toys or have food.That makes me smile,always!

She is not a good eater. She mainly survives on dairy products, boiled veggies and occasionally fruits!And oh!Apple juice, lots of it!But anything else is a big no-no for her!We are still struggling to get her to mix rice and curry or dal instead of eating both of them separately.I hope time and age will take care of that!However, she is open to tasting and spitting instantaneously if she doesn't like it, which is mostly the case!But these cookies are one of those that she was willing to give a try and I had this feeling she liked:)

Tuile in French means 'tile'.Apparently, it is so named because the classic tuile when moulded gives it a roof tile shape.These are a lot of fun to make and quite easy actually!You can mould them into different shapes-flowers or tubes or cups, when in a pliable state after baking.You can also fill some light fillings.

I have used Martha Stewart's recipe,almost to the letter.

3 tbsps unsalted butter
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 light corn syrup
2 tbsps all purpose flour
Pinch of Salt
Zest of 1 lime

• Preheat the oven to 350F
• Line baking with parchment paper
• Cook butter, sugar and corn syrup on medium by stirring constantly until the butter and sugar liquefy.Remove from the heat
• In a separate bowl, whisk flour, coconut and salt.Add this to the butter mixture.Mix in the zest
• Drop rounds of batter onto the sheets.Place them atleast 2 inches apart, it spreads out
• Bake them for about 8 to 9 minutes, until the cookies are golden
• Take them out and using a spatula, wrap them around a rolling pin or the handle of a saucepan (must be a metal handle).
• Let them stand until set.

Vangi Bhath

There is not really much to do outdoors now that the weather is getting cold.Of course with some pleasant days here and there, we try to stroll in the nearby outdoor mall.We are home bound pretty much on weekends and you can imagine how the weekdays are!

I know there are several versions of Vangi bhath but I fell in love with what I ate in one of the Indian restaurants during my trip to North Carolina in Summer.It seemed like a tasty mix of South Indian and North Indian flavors.So here it is, an attempt to recreate that restaurant's version.

1 medium eggplant, chopped
2 cups long grain rice
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tomatoes(firm and not too juicy), chopped
2 potatoes, peeled, cubed and boiled just below tender
3 cardamom pods
3/4 inch cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
1 tsp curry powder
2 tsps Cumin-Coriander powder
3 green chilies, vertically sliced
1 tbsp chopped cilantro

Garnish
1 tsp Urad dal
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup cashews, roughly chopped
1 tbsp chopped coriander (optional)

• Place the rice in a bowl of water and leave it to soak for 15 min to half hour.
• Boil the eggplant in a microwave or on the stove just until tender.Drain all the water and let it sit for 5 minutes in a colander.
• Heat 2 tbsps of Oil in a saucepan.
• Fry curry leaves and green chillies.
• Add onions and cook till translucent.
• Stir in the spices-Cumin-coriander powder, Curry powder,Cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaf.
• Let the spices mix in well.
• Add the tomatoes and coriander.
• Mix in the tomatoes and eggplant.
• Pour 3 cups (@ ratio of 1 rice:1.5 water) of water and bring it to a boil.
• Slowly add rice by stirring and cook for about 10 minutes until all the water has evaporated.
• Turn off the stove and garnish.
• Serve hot with raita or chips

For garnish-

• Heat a table spoon of ghee
• Fry urad dal, onions and cashews
• Sprinkle coriander

Off for now-

Chickpea Soup

With cold weather upon us, it is time to grab a book, curl up on the couch, listen to some music and keep things simple in the kitchen, like a soup that will serve as a meal by itself!

I have adapted this soup recipe from Linda Fraser's 'Vegetarian' book.The original recipe calls for heavy cream which I reduced.The end result will be on the watery side as opposed to a thick and a creamier version.But you could always add the heavy cream and corn starch to make it a thick soup.

1 can of Chick peas ( about 15 oz)
1 Onion, chopped
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 cups of fresh Spinach,shredded
4 cups of vegetable stock or water
2 tbsps Olive oil
2 tsps Cumin powder
2 tsps Coriander powder
2 tbsps heavy cream
2 tbsps tahini paste
1 tsp curry powder
Salt and pepper

• Heat oil and add garlic and onions.Cook till they are soft.
• Stir cumin, coriander and curry powder.
• Add Chickpeas and potatoes and let them cook for a couple of minutes.
• Add Spinach and cook for 2 minutes
• Pour in the stock and simmer for about 10 minutes, till the potataoes and chickpeas are tender
• Stir in the cream and Sesame seed paste and let it boil for 5 more minutes.
• Add salt, pepper and Paprika(optional).
• Let it simmer for another 5 minutes.
• Season with Paprika or salt or Parmesan cheese
• Serve it hot
  
  
  
  

For a thicker version
2/3 cup of heavy cream
1 tbsp cornstarch
When you are stirring in the cream, also add the corn starch.

Note:You could also use frozen spinach but drain all the excess liquid before adding.

Carrot Halwa

Hope you had a great Diwali! I am sure most of you living outside of India will agree with me that it is hard to get the same atmosphere as in India especially on Diwali-the diyas, crackers, home made sweets and the visitors at home!As much as I want my daughter to enjoy the same way I did during my childhood and growing up years, I know it is not possible. We try to make it as much fun as possible and as close to Indian Diwali that we can.
We put the clay diyas, wear new clothes (usually that will be just my daughter),light up the sparklers (they are the only ones we can burn in our county) and follow the family tradition of feeding the kids with sweets after they burn the crackers!
We do that for 3 days consecutively and we save a few crackers for Nagula Chavithi which comes after a couple of days of Diwali.We did no different this year.This diwali's sweet in my kitchen is Carrot Halwa.

• 1 Kg (2 lbs) Carrots, grated
• 1 liter of Whole Milk or 1 can of Evaporated Milk+1 can of Sweetened Condensed milk + Milk (about 2 cups = 16 oz) The combination of evaporated, condensed and regular milk should equal a liter, about 32 oz
• ¼ cup sugar
• ¼ cup Ghee
• 1 tsp of ground cardamom
• 3 tbsps Whole milk powder/Mava powder
• Handful of Cashews and raisins fried in ghee, separately

Procedure

• Heat milk and add grated carrots in a heavy bottomed vessel.
• Cook for about 10- 15 minutes until the carrots have absorbed majority of milk/liquids.
• Add Sugar and Cardamom and let it simmer for about 20 minutes until all the moisture from the liquids evaporated and the mixture is coming together.
• Add Ghee and the milk powder.Cook for a few minutes.
• Garnish with nuts
  

Note

• Adjust the amount of sugar to taste, I had a relatively mild halwa as I did not want to add too much sugar but feel free to do so if you like. Also, if you use condensed milk in the recipe, which I did, you may not need too much sugar.
• You can add more ghee if you don't like it dry.

Since I made this anyway, why not send it to FIL-Ghee, hosted by Sanghi of Sanghi's Food delights?

Have fun,

Outer Banks

Outer Banks, known as OBX(as much as it sounds like a ticker symbol on NYSE, it is not!) is a series of small islands (Bodie Island, Hatteras island, Roanoke & Ocracoke) along the North Carolina coast.The place is quite popular for the beaches and light houses.The most popular lighthouse, I believe is the Cape Hatteras.Not to mention, the Wright Brothers' memorial in Kitty Hawk!

Our trip to OBX is one of the many memorable trips, both good and bad.Good because we went with my parents,my brother and my Sister in law(future:P) ,and bad because we got a speeding ticket.Anyway, I will save the cries for some other time.

The day we went, we wanted to visit Cape Hatteras Lighthouse but we realized that it will take longer to go to Hatteras given the weather. The place was expecting Hurricane Danny at the time and the weather did not seem cooperative. So we were content with Bodie Lighthouse, which is very beautiful too.



You can recognize the light houses by the markings and the patterns on the light house. While the Cape Hatteras light house has spirals in black and white, the bodie island light house has horizontal bands.

Isn't this charming?It is romantic to just walk on this beautiful wooden structure.



This charming town has an outdoor theater , playing the longest running production-'The Lost Colony', a play written by Pulitzer prize winner Paul Green.Roanoke has some impressive history behind.It happens to be the first English Colony in America.



We strolled along a bike trail that runs along the waterfront.



Although the Wright brothers are from Ohio, they camped here in Kill Devil Hills to carry out their experiments of the first human flight which they were successful in 1903.



Awards

Padma has passed me these awards a few weeks back.Thank you very much and sorry for the delay,Padma!!





Raje has passed me these awards and there is a fun meme that goes along with it which needs to be answered in one word!Thanks Girl!It means a lot:)

1. Where is your cell phone? With me, on my lap
2. Your hair? Black
3. Your mother? The soul of my family, truly
4. Your father? S
5. Your favorite food? Italian
6. Your dream last night? No dreams
7. Your favorite drink? Pepsi
8. Your dream/goal? Well….
9. What room are you in? Family room
10. Your hobby? Reading
11. Your fear? Falling off of heights
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Preferably in a warm place!
13. Where were you last night? home
14. Something you aren’t? Hypocrite
15. Muffins? Hard to limit myself to one or two!
16. Wish list item? To go to Italy, Spain and Greece in one trip
17. Where did you grow up? Hyd
18. Last thing you did? Phone call
19. What are you wearing? Sweat shirt and pant
20. Your TV? Playing Mickey Mouse
21. Your pets? None
22. Your friends? Really the best
23. Your life? Is good
24. Your mood? Alright
25. Missing someone? My Mom
26. Vehicle? Camry
27. Something you’re not wearing? Hair band
28. Your favorite store? Barnes and Noble
29. Your favorite color? Black
30. When was the last time you laughed? Last night
31. Last time you cried? Don’t remember
32. Your best friend? Pallavi
33. One place that I go over and over? The mall
34. One person who emails me regularly? None
35. Favorite place to eat? Bravo (Cucina Italiana!!)
These awards go to each and every reader of this blog..Feel free to pick 'em up and will be looking forward to each of your memes!

Hugs,
Shri

Cardamom Cookies(eggless) with Walnuts

It is sugary treat again this time.I prepared these cookies for my friend’s daughter’s birthday party. We have been eating the delicious rice krispies that I made and now, I want more sweet treats. Last week, I was determined to not sway from my exercise plan-to walk for a mile and a half, do the abs and toning but once I started eating sugars, I am slowly slipping away, slip sliding away…Speaking of slipping away, do you remember the wonderful song ‘slip sliding away’ by Simon and Garfunkel or Paul Simon to be exact? The lyrics are a delight to listen to!These are some of my favorite lines from the song.

Slip sliding away, slip sliding away
You know the nearer your destination, the more you slip sliding away
.
.
.

I know a woman, (who) became a wife
These are the very words she uses to describe her life
She said a good day aint got no rain
She said a bad day is when I lie in the bed
And I think of things that might have been

I digress!All the lovely readers of this blog know how much I love participating in events. The recipes that I have been posting for the past 4 months or so have been primarily for the events.
Meeting the deadlines for the events may not be possible from now because of some work at my end. However, I may send in for an event or two, just may be! But I will continue to post recipes but this time they don’t go anywhere :-)) (Laughs)!
Please do not ask me the source of this recipe as I have no idea where I snatched from! If I remember it right, it is from a magazine that I picked up from a book store last Christmas. I cannot be certain though.
They taste very similar to Mexican wedding cookies in that they are very delicate in taste and touch.

Makes about 6 dozen
2 cups butter, softened
2-1/2 cups Confectioners' sugar,divided
3-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp almond extract
1tsp ground cardamom
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup finely chopped walnuts

• Preheat the oven to 350F.Grease a cookie tray and line with parchment paper if desired.
• Beat butter and 1 1/2 cups of sugar in a bowl until smooth. Add the almond extract
• In a separate bowl, mix the flour, cardamom, and salt.
• Add this to the butter mixture. Add the walnuts
• Make 1 inch round balls and place them a couple of inches apart (the balls will spread a lil’ bit) on the baking sheet
• Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until the edges are golden
• Remove from the oven and let them sit for a min or so until warm and easy to handle
  
• In the remaining sugar, roll the warm cookies and place them on wire racks to cool.

For variation: You can use pecans instead of walnuts or a combination of both.
Note: If you are using salted nuts, you can skip adding salt.

Also, Padma and Raje have passed me some awards and I will post them in my next post.Thanks ladies!

I will leave you with the last verse of the song...

Whoah God only knows, God makes his plan
The informations unavailable to the mortal man
Were workin our jobs, collect our pay
Believe were gliding down the highway, when in fact were slip sliding away

Have fun,