BLACK OLIVES AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH CROSTINI

Ooo! Doesn't that sound intriguing? it might also sound demanding but trust me it's not. Crostini is just a fancy Italian name for sliced baguettes served as an appetizer. One can take a variety of ingredients as toppings. Inf act, a fruit and a vegetable that you think will work together will do wonders. How about roasted tomatoes and pineapples? I am so doing this soon.

This time, I took Black olives(Kalamata, greek ones), butter nut squash and monterey jack and mild cheddar nuggets. Oh! Ant the multi grain baguette from Trader joe's. Any of your favorite baguette will do. The sour and sweetness of these out together gave a pleasant flavor. If you prefer a strong flavor, I suggest you change the ingredients to your choice.

This took about 15 mins in total to get things ready and pre heat the oven. Took less than 5 minutes for the baking part. This one is sure to get done by 25 mins max.

Ingredients

1 Multigrain demi baguette
A cup of cut black olives (to taste)
A cup of Butter nut squash (to taste)
Small amount of Monterey Jack and Mild Cheddar nuggets (You can also cut block cheese into fine nuggets)
1/2 tsp Olive Oil
Salt and pepper to taste

How to make it

- Saute the cut butter nut squash in little oil. Make sure the raw smell goes away.

-In a big bowl, combine sauteed squash, cut black olives, oil, cheese, salt and pepper and mix evenly.

- Cut the baguette into 3/4 inch slices. On a baking sheet, arrange them into a single layer. Broil for 1 to     2 minutes until slightly brown.

- Divide the toppings mixture evenly over the slices and broil again for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted.

SUN DRIED TOMATOES AND CHEESE ROLLS

Yes! You heard it right. Doesn't it sound good?

I recently bought some bagels and an awesome Hatchet pepper cream cheese from Wholy Bagels.
Oh! They were scrumptious. The bagel got over but the cream cheese din't. taddaaaaa! I couldn't wait to use them on my rolls. I also used everyday seasoning grinder from Trader joe's. They have an amazing combination of Coriander, black pepper, mustard and chilli.

I usually add some garlic and basil leaves in variation. I strongly suggest to add basil leaves with sun dried tomatoes. They smell absolutely divine.

This recipe involves a lot of preparation but its definitely worth the effort. This is a wonderful recipe for    an appetizer or a snack or even for breakfast with coffee. You can go wild on the filling and experiment with a lot of sweet and spicy ingredients. So, here is the recipe.

Ingredients
makes 16 mini rolls

2 cup all purpose flour
1.5 tbsp yeast
1 cup of sun dried tomatoes, julienned (I used Trader joe's)
1 cup of warm water
Salt to taste
Cream cheese to taste
Everyday seasoning to taste
A handful of Pine nuts for topping

How to make it

- Mix flour, water, yeast and salt into a fine dough. Keep in a bowl covered with cling in a warm place for about 45mins. This is for the dough to double.

- Punch the dough to knock down the air.

- Split the dough into two halves. Roll one half into a rough rectangle.

- Add sun dried tomatoes, cheese and the seasoning. Spread evenly.

- Roll from one end gently but firmly. Cut it into 8 equal portions.

- Do the same to another half of the dough.

- Arrange them into the pan leaving some space for the dough to raise. I used Pyrex glass 8x8.

- Place them in a pre heated oven of 375F for about 30-35 mins. Enjoy them while they are warm.

p.s. - Use your judgment in adding water to the dough. The amount of water depends upon the type of flour you use. Also, oven temperatures vary. Keep checking to get the perfect rolls.

VEGETABLE AND PASTA - KID MEAL

Hello People!

Hope you are doing great. My kiddo A is keeping me super busy.Now my day starts with son up and ends with son down. Life is now so much fun and awesome. My son is no longer an infant and recently graduated to Toddler, the next stage. I am looking forward to more noise, dirt and mischief.

Now that he is big, I have introduced table foods and experimenting with different tastes and his likes. This post is a kid friendly..um..more of a toddler friendly recipe. I want to my kiddo to taste different lunch or dinner everyday just like us apart from the usual paruppu/rasam sadham. If you are looking for a change from the routine this is the one. And its super quick and easy to make too.

Ingredients

1 small juicy tomato, finely chopped
a small bunch of spinach finely cut
3-4 strands of spaghetti pasta chopped into small ones
3-4 drops of olive oil
salt to taste

How to make it

- In a pan, heat the oil and add the finely chopped tomatoes. Make sure it turns pulpy.

- Boil water. When the water is bubbling, add the pasta along with spinach. Boil until its dine.

- Strain the water and add the spinach and pasta to the tomatoes.

- Add salt and mix well. Voila! It is ready.

Let me know if you try this. Any inputs or improvisations are most welcome.

p.s. - This can easily be converted to adult meal with a few tweaks. I am going to try. Are you?

ALMOND AND WALNUT CAKE (NO GHEE VERSION)

Festive season is always fun. And sweets go synonymous with it. I am not much of a sweet person but this one is sure to make me go crazy. It is hard for me to keep a count of how much of these I gobble up. And it has no ghee in the making. Almonds and Walnuts can be substituted with other nuts too. Make some and start digging.

Ingredients
makes atleast 20

3 cups of raw nuts (I took 2 cups of almonds and 1 cup of walnuts)
3/4th cup of sugar
1.2 cup of water
some butter to grease the pan

How to do it

- Grind the nuts into a fine powder. Just make sure it doesn't turn into a paste.

- In a pan(preferably non-stick), combine sugar and the water and heat it to make a sugar syrup.

- Let it boil until it reaches a one string consistency.

-  Immediately pour into the pan with the grounded nuts and mix gently until well combined. Take a small amount and see if you are able to roll it into a soft ball. If you are, then it's ready. Otherwise, cook for a bit longer.

- When the right consistency is reached, remove from fire and pat into a greased (with butter or ghee) plate or tray.

- Once it cools, cut into desired shape

Note -  To check if the sugar syrup is  ready, take a small amount of the sugar syrup on the back of a spoon, take a bit with your finger tip and check between the index finger and thumb. If the sugar syrup is sticky and extends into a string, it's done!

DOUBLE TOMATO BRUSCHETTA

I have never tasted Italian until I came to US. I wasn't impressed at first. But later, I realized Italian cuisine has a flair of its own. And now, Italian and Indian go side by side in my kitchen. 

I recently bought a jar of julienne cut sun dried tomatoes and a french baguette and wanted to use both. This recipe from allreceipes.com caught my attention. This is the usual Bruschetta with a twist..yes! the twist is the sun dried tomato.I made some changes to the recipe and it turned out yummy every single time. Let me know how it turned out for you :)

Ingredients

Makes 12 slices

2 roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped

1/4 cup julienne cut sun-dried tomatoes

1 clove minced garlic

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 teaspoon pesto sauce ( I din't have fresh basil)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 French baguette

A handul of shredded Mozzarella chesse

How to make it

- Preheat the oven on broiler setting.

- In a bowl, combine tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper and pesto sauce 

- Allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes.

- Cut the baguette(for about 12 slices) into 3/4-inch slices 

- On a baking sheet, arrange the baguette slices in a single layer. 

- Broil for 1 to 2 minutes, until slightly brown.

- Divide the tomato mixture evenly over the baguette slices. Top the slice with mozzarella cheese.

- Broil until the cheese is melted.

Take it out and enjoy.

PASTA CASSEROLE

Baking fascinates me. I am often tempted to attempt it. I have had my bad days. But there are some days when it turns out to be real good. This is one such. Though this recipe doesn't involve too much of oven time and doesn't come under 'baking', I still it call it the same. I am grateful to Gayathri for introducing me to this, a good friend who is also like a sister to me.

I have done lots of experiment with the ingredients and this one is always a

 

classic. If you are looking for mouth watering, irresistible dish, this is the one.

Ingredients              

serves 2

1/2 a box of Pasta of your Choice (but not the noodle ones)
1 tsp Olive oil
2 cloves of Garlic, crushed and minced
1 medium sized onion, finely sliced
2 green chillies (adjust according to your spice level)
A bowl of Chopped Cauliflowers, Brocolli, Carrots, Brussel sprouts 
(You can always change the choice of veggies. Go wild on that!)
1 Jar of pasta sauce of your choice ( I used garden vegetables)
2 tsp of Mccormick Garlic pepper grinder (This one is real good)

(if not)

2 tsp of grounded black pepper, ,red chilli flakes, a little bit of Oregano leaves
salt to taste (I usually don't add salt as pasta sauce already has it)
3 handful of shredded cheese of your choice for topping(I used American, Monterey Jack, Mild Cheddar and Mozzarella)
Some bread crumbs 

How to make it

- Boil desired amount of Pasta according to package instructions. I usually boil around 1/3rd and add a lot of veggies for two people.

- Heat the pan and add oil. Add chopped Garlic and chillies and saute. Add onions and wait till they get translucent. Add Pepper and chilli flakes and add the chopped veggies. Let it cook but be careful not to burn them.

- Add pasta sauce adequate enough for both veggies and the boiled pasta and cook it covered until the raw smell goes off.

- Drain the boiled pasta and add it to the sauce and mix them well.

- Take a 8x10inch pan and fill them with these. Top them with shredded cheese and bread crumbs.

- Place it in an pre-heated oven at 425 F for about 20 minutes.

- Broil it for 2-3 mins. Here is a step-by-step photo of how to make.

FETTUCCINE PASTA

This recipe is inspired by Carabba's Italian grill's Pasta Sostanza. Srik and I are big time foodies and we loved this entree. I wanted to try this for a very long time and of course I did some variations. Here is the recipe. Try it and let me know. I am sure it will be a hit.

Ingredients

serves 2

1 tablespoon olive oil (I used California estate oil by Trader joe's)

2 tsp of pine nuts
2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2 whole tomatoes with juice, chopped
8 mushrooms, diced
1 can artichoke hearts, drained

1 tsp of pesto sauce(I used Trader joe's)
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

How to make it

- Boil Fettuccine(as needed) in salted water according to packaged instructions.

- In a medium-sized saucepan, heat oil and add garlic, pine nuts and saute.

Add the chopped tomatoes stirring frequently. When its done, add the salt and pepper to taste.  Add pesto sauce and blend it with the tomato sauce.

- As pasta is cooking, add chopped mushrooms and chopped drained artichoke hearts. When done, drain pasta and add the cooked veggies mixing to sufficiently coat.Transfer to plate or pasta bowl.  Sprinkle Italian bread crumbs and 1 tsp of olive oil(optional) prior to serving.