Chocolate Oreo Cupcakes with Cookies and Cream Frosting for Back to School

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It is that time of the year when kids go back to school in US. It is that time of the year you realize your kid is getting older, taking another milestone in their life. It is that time of the year when we know summer is almost over and Fall is upon us. It is that time of the year when my lil monkey goes to kindergarten. It is that time of the year when every Mother whose kids start school wonders - Where did all those five years go ?

Whole Wheat Zucchini Carrot Bars

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How are you all ? How is the holiday preparations coming along? Are you planning to travel during holidays ? Are you planning to bake a fruit cake or something special for this Christmas ?

Our Christmas decorations are ready. My dried fruits and nuts bathed in rum, are waiting to be mixed in the batter for fruit cake. We have a Christmas tree for the first time. Till last year we were not sure whether the lil monkey in the house would let it stay, so we waited till we were sure that he wouldn't do any harm to the tree or himself and he very much enjoyed decorating with us.Now he is super excited that he eats and plays right beneath it ! Hope he wouldn't sleep there as well !

I am really slow in updating here but I am glad that I am still doing it.Thanks for all the messages and mails asking about it, you guys make me keep me going ! When the real life gets hold of you, one hardly gets any time for the virtual world, don't you agree ? This week is no different, it's my daughter's band concert in school and my son's holiday concert in a nearby church. In spite of being super busy, I really enjoy this holiday season and the spirit in air !

This post has been lying in my draft for quite a while now. When I say these zucchinis are from my garden, you could imagine. Better late than never. If you happen to have some zucchini and carrots, and wondering about a healthy after school snack, don't hesitate. My picky eaters loved it, so did we. Hope you will enjoy these super delicious bars as much as my family did !

Preparation Time: 30 min
Baking time:20-25 min
Yields: 36 small bars
Adapted from : Here

Ingredients:

Eggs- 2, slightly beaten
Brown sugar- 3/4 cup
Vegetable Oil- 1/2 cup
Honey- 1/4 cup
Pure Vanilla Extract- 1 tsp
Grated carrot- 1 1/2 cup
Grated Zucchini- 1 cup
Chopped Pecans/ Walnuts- 3/4 cup
Whole Wheat Flour- 1 cup
All purpose flour- 1/2 cup
Baking Powder- 1 tsp
Baking Soda- 1/4 tsp
Salt- a pinch
Nutmeg powder- 1/8 tsp
Cloves- 1/4 tsp
Cinnamon- 1/2 tsp

Cream Cheese frosting: (optional)

Low fat cream cheese, at room temperature- 8 oz
Powdered Sugar- 1 cup
Vanilla extract- 1 tsp

Method:

1.Preheat the oven at 350 degree F. Grease a 13 by 9 inch rectangular dish and keep aside.
2.In a mixing bowl whisk together the eggs, brown sugar,vegetable oil, honey and vanilla.
3.Fold in carrot, zucchini and nuts.
4.In another bowl whisk together the flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
5.Mix with the wet mixture until just combined.
6.Spoon into the prepared dish and bake for about 25 min or until a tester inserted comes out clean.
7.cool on a wire rack.
8.Prepare the frosting by mixing the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Spread and serve.Refrigerate any leftovers.

Triple Chocolate Espresso Brownies

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Hello everyone ! Hope you are all doing great. No, I didn't quite forget about this space. Just got tied up with some personal matters. Meanwhile I have been cooking a lot, though I couldn't take a lot of pictures. But sooner or later, you will get to see more recipes from me,I promise.

Chocolate Overdose Cake and 3rd Anniversary !

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Collaborative Curry turns 3 this month ! I can't believe it ! I am so grateful to you all, for being with me in this wonderful journey. Things were a little different when we started this blog. The cofounder, Sunitha doesn't blog here any more.

Whole Wheat Blueberry Crisp

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I found this recipe in my Facebook news feed, on a fine summer after noon. I had some extra blueberries and strawberries, waiting to be rescued,in my fridge. So I clicked through the link, Saveur magazine had on their Facebook fan page, with a title, 'summer berry treats'. This easy blueberry crisp caught my attention and I was in my kitchen, in no time, to bake it !

Chocolate Crinkles

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Hope you are all enjoying the last few days of summer. If I say I am super busy these days,it would be an understatement ! All the activities for kids,parties,some hiking etc is taking all my time, which makes me wish that we had more holidays during summer, something like a 2-3 days long weekend. Though the days are longer in summer,it's just not enough for my family ! I guess most of you will agree with me on this thought !

Almond Shortbread Wedges

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Hello everyone ! How is it going? It's been ages,I know ! I really missed you all and the blogging, a lot.

I had a wonderful vacation in Kerala. Though I got back a couple of weeks back,it took me this long to jot down something here. I could give you zillion reasons for that,but I don't want to waste your precious time. In a nutshell,it goes something like this : a long jet lag,a birthday,a sick kiddo,a lazy mom,the heat etc. etc.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake With Pecan Streusel Topping

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Hello everyone ! Hope you all, the wonderful moms and moms-to-be out there had a terrific mother's day . I was supposed to post this before Sunday and wish you all a happy mother's day, but it just got late. I am not going to tell you all the silly reasons,why I couldn't do it on time. Here I am,with a great coffee cake recipe to wish all the moms, a wonderful journey throughout your motherhood !

I would love to share with you,two posts about Mother's day, that really touched my heart ! Most of you might have seen them both already. I am not going to tell anything about these posts, because you must read them yourselves if you haven't done so.'What I really want for mother's day' is a very beautiful post written by lovely Monica Bhide and this link will take you there. And the second one is from The little Red House.

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

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This week has been a really busy one for me ! Spring days are always like this ! So many happenings and so much chores. The one thing I don't like about Spring is weed picking ! With one light shower comes a truck load of weeds.But this time ,it is so warm for a Spring here ! Isn't mother nature acting so weird this year ? I feel so. I really hope we get some nice rain showers soon,though I'll have to break my back to get rid of all the weeds

Red Velvet Cake Pops

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Happy Valentine's day everyone ! Hope you are having a beautiful day, with your loved ones,whether you celebrate this day or not. As I have told you before, this day is like any other day for me and my DH, everyday being Valentine's day. Ok, I agree that we have our not-so-good days, just like any other sane couple in the world,but there is always love,no matter what kind of day it is.Said that, I'm going to paint this space pink today,for you all !

We celebrate this day for the kids.They love all the goodies I make,and home-made valentines they get to share with their friends.For lil imp,this is the first Valentine's day celebration with his friends at preschool. Every year I think, I get the ready made valentines and cards for the kids to share with their friends. But, the fun of making them at home, with kids, is priceless ! So,as always,we as a team, made valentines for 5th graders and preschoolers, at home this time as well.This time we made some lovely bookmarks, with Tattoos for the boy and with chocolates for the girl,for sharing with their pals.

Cream Cheese Pecan Cookies

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Hello ! Hope everyone in the US had a great July 4th week end. We had fun ,watching fireworks with friends. The fireworks reminded me of the Temple festivals in Kerala, though it was not even close to any of that. But I have no complaints, at least they are doing this much in a highly fire prone area.

It is getting really warm here and already the mountains had some fires. Last year Boulder had a couple of really bad wild fires. I hope this year will be much better. Because of the scorching heat, we cannot go out as much as we want to.So kids are home most of the afternoon and I need to engage them with something or the other and make a lot of snacks.Here is a recipe for kids,if you are a mom like me and for adults,if you do not care about the number of calories.

This is so easy to whip up, maybe a fun project for your elder kids.

Ingredients:

Butter softened- 1/3 cup
Cream Cheese- 3 ounces
Sugar- 1/2 cup
Flour- 1 cup+ 2 Tbsp
Pure Vanilla Extract- 1 tsp
Finely chopped Pecans- 1/2 cup

Method:

1.Preheat the oven at 350 degree F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2.Mix the butter and cheese together.
3.Add the sugar and mix until it is creamy.
4.Mix the vanilla and add the flour. Beat until everything is combined and comes together.
5.Fold in the pecans.
6.Make 1 inch balls out of the dough, press between your palms and keep on the baking sheet.
7.Bake for 10-12 minutes.
8.Cool in the sheet for 5-6 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
9.Store in an air tight container for a week.

Notes:

1.The sugar in this recipe is to my liking. You could add more sugar if you wish.
2.?When you take them out of the oven they are very soft. But they get firm on cooling.


Adapted from : Here

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cooikies

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Do your children like oreo cookies? Or are chocolate chip cookies their favorites? If you answered yes, to any of the above questions, what about both cookies in one? Yes? Yeah! I thought you would like it. Double bonanza, isn’t it?! Or at least that’s what I thought.

It was a brave decision to try this recipe considering - my daughter, though a chocolate fanatic, do not like Oreo cookies. But she loves chocolate chip cookies! I thought it will be fun to try this recipe even if it was only to see my daughter’s expression. Another of her mother’s conniving to get her to eat what she hates.

It is the way things work around this house. My children are extreme opposites in their likes of flavors. Sometimes it is good and otherwise a big challenge for me. Like, when I buy a packet of yogurt tubes with equal parts strawberry and blueberry flavor, the lil one picks the strawberry and my daughter blueberry - this is cool – we make for one big happy family! On the other hand, if it is a fruit where they are choosing one for the other then the mother steps in. I blend the two to make smoothies or crumb bars, where the taste is camouflaged enough, that both of them will feast on it happily.

Things did not go as well in the case of the cookies. My daughter treated the cookies like she would a fruit, where the outer flesh is consumed and seed discarded. She ate the chocolate chip cookie outside and left behind the oreo cookie! Huh! I know, kids!

But, what is great though is my son loves oreo cookies - he carefully went around and ate all the oreo cookies his sister had discarded.  My precious little boy!  You would agree then at the end the cookies are a success.  Because the majority at home liked it.  And what my daughter was ready to throw was not wasted by my son.  After all, "all’s well that ends well!”

I am sure every mother is challenged daily by their kids. But like they say "necessity is the mother of invention." Mothers out there keep on you thinking caps – and let’s keep inventing. I had great fun making these cookies.


Ingredients:

Butter- 1/2 cup (1 stick)
Light brown sugar- 1/3 cup,packed
Granulated white sugar- 1/3 cup
Egg- 1
Pure vanilla extract-1 1/2 tsp
All Purpose flour- 1 3/4 cup
Salt- 1/4 tsp
Baking Soda- 1/2 tsp
Chocolate chips- 5oz.
Oreo Cookies- 12


Method:

1.Preheat the oven at 350 degree F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2.In a mixing bowl,beat the butter and sugars until well combined.
3.Add in the egg and vanilla extract and mix well.
4.In another mixing bowl whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda.
5.Gradually add this dry mixture into the wet mixture ,along with chocolate chips, until combined.
6.Take a scoop of the dough and place on top of the oreo cookie.Take another scoop and place on the bottom of the oreo cookie.
7.Press lightly between your palms and seal the edges together by pressing and cupping the cookie on your palm.The oreo cookie should be completely inside the dough with all the edges sealed.(Look in Picky palate for a beautiful picture demonstration)
8.Place the cookies on the prepared baking pan,an inch apart.
9.Cool in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes if you don't want the cookie to get spread a lot.But this step is quite optional.
10.Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the sides start turning brown.
11.Cool in the baking pan for at least 5 minutes, since the cookies will be really soft when you take out them from the oven.
12.Transfer them to a wire rack and cool completely before you store them in an air tight container.

Makes: 12 cookies
Adapted from : Picky Palate
Contributor: Namitha

Chocolate Walnut Fudge

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The weather is not very good for spending time outdoors, but I still managed to clean my yard yesterday. What I learned in the process - rains are not only good for plants and the lawn but also for weeds. When my finger tips start to get numb, and my back hurts, a part of me says spray the weed killer! But the other part of me says - it’s unnatural.  Even if the weed killer is organic I can’t get myself to use it.  Old habits die hard.  I have to break my back laboring away plucking out one weed at at me.  And thus continues my never ending confusion of weeding the weeds or spraying the weed killer. 

Now with the yard weed-free, and an aching body, you will agree that I truly deserve a treat. Then again, who will make it? Since the answer is ‘me’ I decided on a smart, easy, quick and yet delicious dessert. Extremely delicious chocolate fudge!  This can be made in 5 minutes, and you only need simple ingredients that most will have handy in their pantry.  If you haven't tried this sinfully delicious fudge yet, do it right now. One bite and you'll be hooked for ever!

These are quite addictive; don't blame me for not warning you.  ;-)

Ingredients:

Semisweet Chocolate morsels- 2 full cups
Sweetened Condensed milk, fat-free/regular- 1 14oz can
Salt- a pinch
Pure Vanilla extract- 1 tsp
Chopped Walnuts/any nuts of your choice- 1 cup

Method:

1.  Line a baking pan that is preferably 8 by 8 inch square, with a parchment paper.
2.  Gently heat the condensed milk and chocolate chips together in a thick bottom pan on very low heat.  Continuously stir till all the chocolate is melted.
3.  Turn off the heat, add vanilla and mix in well.
4.  Throw in the chopped walnuts and fold in.
5.  Spoon out into the prepared pan and level the top with a spoon or butter knife.
6.  Let it cool for an hour, cover with cling paper and refrigerate for a couple of hours.
7.  Cut into squares and serve.  Store the left-over in the refrigerator.

Recipe adapted from: internet and Eagle brand condensed milk cover
Contributor: Namitha

Funfetti Cupcakes

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Hope all the moms out there had a wonderful Mother's day. I had a terrific one, thanks to my family. They are the best!  They brought me breakfast in bed, took me out hiking, barbecued and made daiquiri in my honor.  Hm…may every day be Mother’s day!  

 

 The weather was extremely good for a hike, and there was no way we could pass it up.  It has been a custom of 4 years for us to get out and hike as soon as the temperature rises.  And we are lucky to be living in the right place to make it possible, the foothills of Rocky Mountains.  We love exploring the mountains, both by driving and hiking. To my husband and my great excitement our kids share the same passion.  They both walk/hike without complaining and my 2 ½ year old son did us proud by doing ¾ th of a mile without complaining.  Precious!  Now we are itching to do mountain exploring with him.  Kids really have fun on these trips. What with elks, moose, snakes and birds to spot and keep an eye out for.  Fantastic!

 

And for us parents children never fail to add to the entertainment.  I had packed snacks for us all and my little boy claimed the goldfish crackers.  A whole packet!  Of course, his sister wanted some.  But he was not giving any.  I know for sure because he made it clear through his expression, speech and manner.  Now, I love both kids equally and decided my precious daughter deserved some goldfish crackers too.  He had a tight grip on that packet except when he gave it to me in exchange for his water bottle.  On one occasion, when I knew he was not looking.  I can vouch for this anywhere - he was not looking!  I snatched a handful and passed it on to his sister.  I returned him the packet and was about to walk on when I heard the lil imp say - "Mamma robbed me." Some one tell me, how do we keep a straight face?  He looked at his father and said again -"My crackers are missing and Mamma did it" I was going crackers by then!  

Such is life! And in the mean time, I had promised my little one that I will make him cupcakes during Easter.  He had spotted the Sprinkle cupcakes.  I finally made good of that promise and here is the recipe for you too.

Ingredients:

All purpose flour- 1 1/4 cup
Baking powder- 1 1/2 tsp
Salt- 1/4 tsp
Sugar- 3/4 cup
Butter,at room temp- 6 Tbsp
Egg- 1 large and 1 egg white
Pure vanilla extract- 1 1/2 tsp
Milk- 1/2 cup
Rainbow Sprinkles- 2 Tbsp

Method:

1.Preheat oven at 350 degree F. Grease or line a muffin pan with paper liners.
2.Sift together the flour,salt and baking powder.
3.Beat the butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy.
4.Add the egg and egg white one after the other and mix until everything is combined.
5.Add the vanilla extract and mix again.
6.Mix in the flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with milk, staring andhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif ending with flour mixture.
7.Fold in the sprinkles and spoon out into the prepared pan.
8.Bake for about 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
9.Cool on a wire rack and do the frosting of your preferred choice.

Notes:

1.You could use any white cake/vanilla cake recipe for making this.
2.I used whipped cream frosting. You can find the recipe here.
3.This makes 12 cupcakes.



Recipe adapted from: Here
Contributor: Namitha

Eggless Chocolate Mousse

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I have finally managed to come say hello. How have you been? Blame it on the virus cycle doing the rounds in my house! It started with my husband and I am the last victim. You know how it can be when flu starts in a family. Chaos! Someone is sick when the other is recovering. Everybody needs different kinds of food or treatment and it is mayhem. Now, I am feeling better and once my nasty throat and running rose decides to be well too things will be okay.

But then again drafts are a boon during these times. And what can be a better way to get back with you all than a chocolate treat. So here is to compensate my absence from blogger and Facebook a decadent eggless chocolate mousse:-)

This is the best among all the eggless chocolate mousse I've tried !

Ingredients:

Mini Marshmallows- 1 cup

Unsalted Butter- 2 Tbsp

Semisweet Chocolate baking squares- 4 ounces

Boiling Water- 3 Tbsp

Heavy cream- 1/2 cup

Pure Vanilla Extract- 1 tsp

Method:

1 1 .Chop the chocolate bars coarsely.

2.Take a thick bottomed pan and throw in the marshmallows, butter, chopped chocolate, and boiling water. Stir well to mix. On medium low heat continue stirring till everything is melted and mixed together.

3. 3.Once done, keep the pan in the freezer/refrigerator to cool while you whip the cream.

4. 4.Place a bowl, chilled in the freezer for 5 minutes or chilled in the refrigerator, in a cold water bath (water mixed with ice cubes). Whip the cream with vanilla till stiff peaks form.

5. 5. .Now fold in the whipped cream into the chilled chocolate mixture.

6. 6.Spoon out into the glasses and chill again before serving.Cover them with cling wrap before chilling.

Notes:

1T 1.This serves 2 to 3.

In 2.In step 2, be careful not to overheat.

Disclaimer: There has a been a misunderstanding about "eggless" vs "vegetarian". Nowhere in the post have I suggested that this dish is vegetarian.Marshmallows generally contain gelatin which is an animal product. But if you are looking for a vegan marshmallow, you can find it in the market.

Recipe adapted from : Nigella Lawson

Contributor: Namitha

Rocky Road Brownies

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Today is another big day for Indian Cricket. India is playing the World cup finals for the third time in history and I wish our team all the luck. Hopefully they will bring the home the cup and if they do that will be one which we are getting after a long 28 year gap. Fingers crossed.

I still remember the first time I learned the game. I was in primary school and this was the time before TV and Cable. My father ,uncle and grandfather all ardent fans would be listening to the commentaries on radio. It was fascinating, and I wondered why otherwise sober people would scream and make funny noises of exhilaration or disappointment. It was enough to pique my interest. Now my noise was in the mix asking them what is going on. They tactically explained only the major details like wicket and runs. It was enough for me then, I suppose. But after a year or so while I was visiting my cousins over summer vacation I got more information. One of my elder cousins was totally into the game and therefore everyone else in the family. Once when the game was going on my cousin needed company to go the neighbors, since only they had TV at that time. I was an easy sport at that time and accompanied her. That's when the rules of the game was cleared and my enthusiasm was fueled by my dear cousin. I had arrived in the cricket scene so to speak. What about you? I would love to hear your story of how you got into watching cricket matches.

When you have a game to watch it's always nice to have snacks and goodies handy. Though I still have some aval pori/ Beaten rice snack, I decided to make some brownies as well. Also, I wanted to join Ria and the rest of the blogging world, who is participating, in an event where everyone is making finger-foods especially for cricket time. So here is a recipe for a beautiful Rocky Road Brownie. Best part is you can enjoy these even when there is not game going on.

Oh, I have to tell you this, the selection of a blue background was completely by chance. Now I realized that we all bleed blue today :-)

Ingredients:

Butter- 3/4 cup
Granulated sugar- 1 cup
Light brown sugar- 1 cup
Cocoa powder- 3/4 cup
Hot water- 3 Tbsp
Eggs- 2
Pure Vanilla extract- 2 tsp
Salt- 1/4 tsp
All purpose flour- 1 1/3 cup
Baking powder- 1/4 tsp
Chopped walnuts- 2 cups
Miniature marshmallows-2 cups
Semisweet/Bittersweet Chocolate chips- 1/2 to 3/4 cup

Method:

1.Preheat oven at 350 degree F. Grease and flour a 9 by 13 inch rectangular pan.
2.In a heat proof bowl combine the cocoa powder and butter.keep it in a boiling water-bath and mix well.Or mix them and keep in the microwave in a microwave safe bowl and keep on high for half a minute to one minute or until everything is combined together.Take out in between and whisk together.
3.Add the hot water into this and mix well.
4.Mix the sugars and salt with egg in another bowl.Add vanilla extract and mix again.
5.When the cocoa mixture is cool enough add it into the sugar mixture and mix well.
6.Stir in the flour and baking powder.
7.Fold in half the nuts.
8.Pour into the prepared pan and bake until done, for about 25 minutes.
9.Take out from the oven. Sprinkle the chocolate chips and the marshmallows.
10.Meanwhile keep your oven on broil option.Keep the pan back into the oven and keep it for half a minute or until the marshmallows have puffed up and slightly browned.
11.Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Notes:

Adapted from Here and Here
Contributor: Namitha

Rainbow Cupcakes for St.Patrick's Day

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St Patrick’s Day is new to even my Christian friends from India. Then again, I have not checked with any Catholic friends of mine to see if they celebrated it while growing up. Sunitha says - she had no clue until she landed in the U.S.

When you have children, everything colorful and vibrant catches your eyes. It could be the grocery store, department store, out in nature, everywhere. And if you have young ones going to school, they will definitely regale about every colorful experience they have in school! Well, at least until they are teenagers, I hope. Therefore, it must have either been the bakery which first made me curious about the colorful cupcakes, or my daughter’s animated description of some fantastic cupcake her friend shared with her. Whichever way, my interest was piqued and I participated in St Patrick ’s Day in my own way.

Historically, this is a festival in honor of the patron Saint of Ireland and celebrated on March 17th. The festivities started with the Catholics in Ireland, but have now taken a secular swing, spreading far and wide. I can confirm this is secular and gone beyond the boundaries of Ireland because even a mother from a small town in Kerala now fully participates by baking rainbow cupcakes on this special day.

For some people, St Patrick’s day is about coloring lakes green, wearing green attires or getting pinched for not wearing green, drinking a lot of green drinks, and even spotting funky hats. Others may call this an eyesore and decide not to participate. But as for me, it is another reason to celebrate in the middle of March! The beautiful color green signifies the arrival of spring. You know I will take spring for anything. In short, ‘have a great time’ is written all over this festival and I have decided not to shy away.

Baking fancy cupcakes is one of the ways I celebrate. For this one, the process was painstaking, with half a tablespoon different color batter being poured alternatively into each cupcake mold. But when baked, and my little boy exclaimed ‘rainbow’ with his hands clutching his wide-open-mouth it was priceless. Color your day green!

I have to tell you this - the first time I got excited about rainbow cupcakes is when Sangeetha shared it on her blog Kothiyavunu. Thank you Sangee for inspiring.


Ingredients:

Flour: 1 cup
Baking powder- 1 to 1 1/2 tsp
Vegetable oil- 1/2 cup
Sugar- 1/2 cup (plus 2 Tbsp if you are not using a frosting)
Eggs- 2
Pure Vanilla Extract- 1 1/2 tsp
Milk/Buttermilk- 1/2 cup
Food colors-Yellow,Red,Blue,Green

To Make more Colors:

Violet - 9 red + 6 blue drops
Orange - 12 yellow + 4 red drops.


Method:

1.Line a muffin pan to make 10 cupcakes. Beat together sugar and oil, follow up by add eggs one at a time.
2.Now mix in the vanilla extract.
3.Whisk together flour and baking powder in a separate bowl.
4.Gradually add flour into the wet mixture alternating with milk or buttermilk to make the batter.
5. Take 6 bowls and pour equal quantity of the batter into each of them. (It will be about 1/3 cup in each bowl) Preheat oven at 350 degree F.
6. Color the batter in each bowl with the food colors mentioned above. Stir well without any streaks making a uniform color. It will take about 10-12 drops of color. I know it's a lot of color but you will need to make vibrant cupcakes.
7. Now is the time consuming part. Carefully pour about 1/2 Tbsp of each color into all the prepared cups.(Be accurate, if you add more than 1/2 Tbsp, you will run out of batter !)
11.Starting with either blue or red finish all the rainbow colors. Each time make sure that you cover the bottom layer color with the one you are pouring on top. Do not spread the batter. Keep pouring each spoon of batter in the center every time and batter will spread itself.
12.Bake for about 15 minutes or until the tester comes out clean.
16.Cool on a wire rack and then the cakes are ready for frosting.

Notes:

1.This recipe yields the most moist and delicious Vanilla cupcakes I've ever tasted!
2.Using the same recipe you may choose to use just 4 or 5 colors. This will make each colored portion broader.
3.You don't have to worry about taking time to pour in each color, the cupcakes will come out perfect.
4.If you add only 1/2 cup sugar, the cake is not too sweet. This will give you enough incentive to frost without feeling guilty. I used whipped cream to frost some of the cup cakes.

Adapted from: Baking bites and Kothiyavunu

Chicken Tacos

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Do you like Mexican cuisine? How about a delicious meal that can be put together in less than an hour? Now, I am sure I have your full attention. Who after all can say no to less time in the kitchen, and yet tasty food on the table! Thriving fast food joints everywhere are a sure proof to this fact.

I am no different! Once I found out that tacos put together at home can hold it’s own to tacos from my favorite joint, there was no stopping me. With fresh ingredients, and chicken that is cooked at home this recipe is healthier. More over, children love this stuff and indulge and for once you don’t have to curtail them from having an extra bite or two.

And now, with cricket being my latest distraction, I am thinking it won’t be a bad idea to have some tacos while enjoying the game too. Please agree with me!










Ingredients:

Taco shells- 12

Chicken breast- 1 lbs, cut into bite size pieces
Pepper- 1 tsp
Salt
Olive oil- 1 tbsp
Lemon juice- 1 tsp
Garlic powder- 2 tsp
Jalapenos finely chopped- 1/2/to your taste
Chicken stock- 1 cup

Bell pepper julienne- 1/4 cup
Lettuce finely chopped- 1/4 cup
Guacamole- from 2 avocados(find the recipe here)
Mexican cheese- 1/2 cup (A Mixture of Monterey Jack, Mild Cheddar, Queso Quesadilla and Asadero cheese)
Sour cream- 1/4cup (optional)
Salsa/chopped tomatoes- 1/4 cup

Method:

1.Marinate the chicken with pepper, oil,salt,lemon juice and garlic powder and keep aside for at least 15 minutes.
2.Boil the stock and add the marinated chicken into it.
3.After 3-4 minutes add the jalapeno slices and continue cooking till chicken is almost done.
4.Increase the heat and cook till all the water is absorbed.
5.Switch off when there is still a little water left, just enough to moisten the chicken.
6.Prepare the shells according to package instructions.
7.Fill them with cooked chicken,sour cream,salsa and veggies sprinkle the cheese over.
8.Place them on a baking sheet/microwave safe plate and warm in an oven at 400 degree F/on high in a microwave for 30-45 seconds, till the cheese is melted.
9.Serve with guacamole and some Mexican cumin rice or as it is.





Linking this to Anyone can cook

Notes:

1.The fillings are completely versatile, as many of you know.
2.This is how my family likes it.You could make it vegetarian by using tofu and vegetable stock.And maybe add some bean chili for filling


Contributor: Namitha

Chinese Chicken/Vegetables Noodle Soup

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Keeping with the talk on love, these days my two- and- a- half year old lil imp comes first for me. Our regular readers need no introduction to my little boy since you have heard so much about him on this site. It is such an exciting age! The things a 2 year old comes up with can be funny to downright pull-out- your-hair types of things.



I am crossing my fingers and hoping you won’t mind another episode with my little guy. My boy has learned some numbers and mama is very proud. It is thanks to the cartoons that he watches religiously. And now, he loves to use this new found wisdom quite often. So much so, that my daughter prophecy’s that the whole family will forget to say numbers in the correct order in the near future. Yes, my son knows his numbers but for now, they are in random order, not in sequence. Can you see what little knowledge can do?



I know this too will pass, but not before he had his dad tearing out his hair. He and his dad have started taking the Parent-tot swimming class. This program is to familiarize children with the water, pool and swimming subsequently. One of the suggested ways, to make this program work, is for the children to jump from the bleachers, while a parent waits below in the pool to catch them. It’s great fun! His father is making up for time spent away during the week from his dear son. But this does not come easily when numbers are swimming in my son’s head. The stage is set - his Dad is in the water, my son on the bleacher and then the inevitable….
My son starts counting, “one, three, eight, and five...and then jumps! You should have seen his Dad’s concentration; he looks like the batsman waiting for the curve ball. While my husband is paying the price for the entire googly (a spin ball, term used in Cricket) he threw his own Dad, I cannot help but wonder what lies ahead.



Stories apart, this noodle soup is a very comforting meal that my family loves.'s.  By the way, these are wheat noodles and very healthy too.  It's very easy to concoct, believe me!  What is even better is that you can make it all vegetarian; if you don't eat meat.  Therefore, here we are, easy and versatile noodle soup recipe only for you.  :)



Ingredients:

Wheat Noodles- 250gm
Chicken breast/Tofu- 1 lb
Salt- To taste
Chicken/Veg stock- 1 packet(4 cups)
Sesame oil- 1 Tbsp
Ginger grated- 1 tsp
Garlic grated- 1 1/2 tsp

Soy sauce- 1 tbsp
Chilli sauce- 2 tsp
Black pepper powder- 1 tsp
White vinegar- 1 tsp
Carrot julienne- 1/4 cup
Broccoli pieces- 1/4 cup
Bell pepper julienne- 1/4 cup
Cabbage julienne- 1/4 cup
Spring onions- white part chopped from 1 bunch

Method:

1.Marinate the chicken cubes with salt.
2Heat the sesame oil in a pan. Add the grated ginger and garlic and saute till the raw smell leaves..
3.Pour and boil the stock and add the chicken and other seasonings.
3.After 5 minutes add the vegetables and cook until done.
6.Cook the noodles in boiling water with salt for 5-6 minutes or until done.
7.Serve the noodles topped with the chicken soup.Garnish with chopped green onions.

Notes:

1.As I've already mentioned, if you are a vegetarian,you could replace chicken with tofu and add vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.
2.The choice of vegetables is also up to you.
3.When you add chicken, you don't have to add a lot of veggies, if you want to get more flavor from chicken. My family prefers with all the veggies in it :-)



Contributor: Namitha

Banana Chocolate Chips Muffin

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It’s freezing here! I need no excuse to bake, but when it gets cold like this, there truly is a need to bake. The warmth of the kitchen that smells of vanilla, chocolate and fruits is an irresistible combination.

Also, my daughter has been pressing me to keep some of my promises. I keep telling her I will bake this or that, and she never fails to remind me every so often. Therefore, here I am keeping some promises, enjoying the warmth and aroma of baking goodies, and telling you this is the way to go.

Ghiradelli chocolate chips, the king in this recipe. I have fallen head over heels yet again.

You don’t need an excuse to bake these, they are the excuse themselves.





I used some Ghiradelli chocolate chips this time.Oh boy ! they are really good :-)



Believe me, kids will just love this!



Ingredients:

Flour- 1 1/2 cup
Baking powder- 1 1/2 tsp
Baking soda- a pinch
Cinnamon- 1/2 tsp
Nutmeg powdered- 1/8 tsp
Salt- 1/4 tsp
Banana- 1 big mashed
Egg- 1
Milk- 3/4 cup
Vegetable Oil- 1/4 cup
Granulated sugar- scant1/2 cup
Chocolate chips- ~1 cup
Nuts, chopped (optional- 1/4 cup


Method:

1.Sift the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg and cinnamon powder.
2.Preheat the oven at 375 degree F and line a muffin pan with paper liners or grease well.
3.Using a hand blender mix together the sugar ,oil,egg,milk and mashed banana.
4.Mix in the flour mixture .
5.Fold in the chocolate chips and the nuts.
6.Fill the muffin pan 3/4th and bake for ~18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
7.Cool on a wire rack.





Contributor: Namitha