Poached Pears in Red Wine

The second recipe in my 2 back-to-back desserts is Poached Pears in Red Wine.Probably the perfect and most elegant dessert during the holiday season!!The fruit,the spice and Red Red Wine is what makes it so special.Its got just the right colors that compliment the holidays,so why not try making these for a change to serve your guests!


Its a dessert that not many people make on a regular basis.Wonder why, considering its pretty easy to make.Or maybe it just waits for a special occasion to get its due! Its a dessert that's forgotten in the scheme of things during holidays since most people think of cookies and cakes to be made at this time.


In any case, I have decided to do justice to this and present it to my guests!As I've mentioned earlier we love fruit based desserts and this is one of our favorites.The sweetness from the pears and the Red Wine perfectly compliment the spices and the result is a luscious, rich,red dessert that is just so exquisite!You can also create this dish with peaches instead of pears or a combination of both!Its a delightful dish that can also be a stunning centerpiece at your next party!


Poached Pears in Red Wine
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Ingredients:
Pears- 4 Peeled
Cloves-6


Red Wine Sauce:
Red Wine-1 cup
Water-1 cup
Sugar-1/2 cup
Cinnamon-1  stick
Star Anise-1


Process:


Poke the cloves into the pears and keep aside.

Meanwhile place the sauce ingredients in a pot and bring it a boil.Add the pears.Cover and cook for about 10 minutes until cooked but firm.
Take the pears out and arrange in a serving dish.Continue to cook the sauce until it thickens.Drizzle the sauce over the pears.Cool and serve!
You can also serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream,

Hope these 2 desserts (this and my Easy Lime Cake) will light up your Holidays!!Enjoy!

Easy Lime Cake

For this holiday season I'm going to post 2 easy dessert recipes back-to-back.Both these recipes are a delight to make and delectable!So here is the first one.


I'm in love with citrus flavors in my desserts!They instantly light up any dull day and are such fresh and wonderful treats to have. So this holiday I'm going to make my easiest Lime cake and I can guarantee you that its going to be the firm favorite with your guests as well!The best part is, its so easy to put together and yet so different from the usual.

I use Dr Oetker Vanilla Cake Mix for this recipe.All you have to do is add fresh zest and juice of 2 Limes to get that exotic flavor, that's out of this world!Its a huge hit with my kids and hubby alike and we just can't seem to get enough of these!

Easy Lime Cake
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Ingredients:


Dr Oetker Vanilla Cake Mix(or any of your choice)-1
Zest and Juice of 2 Limes
Eggs-3
Milk-2/3 Cup
Oil-1/2 Cup

Process:


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.Mix eggs,oil,milk,lime zest and juice in a bowl.Whisk for a few minutes until well mixed.Add the cake mix.Whisk again.Grease a cake pan and pour the batter.Bake for about 35 minutes.Your lime cake is ready!Enjoy!

Easy Indian Chicken Curry

Ok, I'm in a mood to make curry again.In cold winters growing-up I remember having all these Chicken and Mutton dishes with Rotis.All the spice and the heat made it extra special and comforting for all of us.Some people find curry quite complicated.Curry doesn't have to be complicated or intimidating.Its something that has to be relished, to be savored and to be enjoyed.The recipe I have written here promises exactly that.


It is a baked recipe without all the effort to make you enjoy a curry in a far easier and quicker way than the traditional method without compromising any of that delectable taste.The flavors combine beautifully in the oven, while you can sit back and enjoy a glass of wine or any drink that you prefer.The only process that needs to be taken care of is the browning of the onions.That can take a few minutes, but makes all the difference in a good curry.So here it is, my Easy Indian Chicken Curry.


Easy Indian Chicken Curry
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Ingredients:


Skinless Chicken Thighs with/without bones or Breasts-6 pieces
Onions-2 Medium chopped
Ginger Garlic paste-1 tbsp
Tomatoes-2 medium chopped
Ground Coriander-1 tbsp
Ground Cumin-1 tbsp
Turmeric- 1 tsp
Red Chilli Powder/Cayenne-2 tsp(depending on your heat preference)
Garam masala-2 tsp
Water-1/2 cup
Oil-5 tbsp
Salt- to taste


Process:


Preaheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
In a skillet heat oil and add the onions.Cook until golden brown.Then add the Ginger garlic paste.Cook for a couple of minutes and then add the tomatoes.Follow with salt and all the dry spices and cook until the spices release their aroma (about 5-10 minutes on medium heat).You have the basic curry masala ready.

Now puree the mixture in a blender/grinder.Transfer into an oven proof dish and add the chicken pieces.Mix them properly.Add water and bake them covered in the oven for about 35-40 mins until all the chicken is fully cooked.Boneless pieces will take shorter time.Adjust the seasonings.


Enjoy with Rice or Rotis/Naans!

Goan Style Shrimp Curry

Every region in India has its own unique method of preparing dishes.This dish here is inspired from Goa that is popular not only for its natural scenic beauty but also for its spicy Goan cuisine with the use of coconuts, vinegar,tamarind and red chillies.Being a spice buff, I'm quite fond of Goan dishes and was looking for an easy recipe for some time.


I stumbled upon this one during one my many internet searches.Its adapted from Suvir Saran and Hemant Mathur's Devi (their restaurant in NY) and featured in NY Times.Glad to have found this because, its very easy, quick and delicious to say the least.I have made some minor changes, like adding tamarind  and using a little vinegar, but if you don't have those ingredients you can omit them and still enjoy this recipe.


The aroma is unbelievable, while I'm cooking this.I wish you could smell my kitchen right now!!The heat from the red chillies is balanced by the tanginess of the vinegar and the sweetness of the tomatoes and coconut milk.You can substitute chicken, vegetables or any other fish instead of shrimp.It will surely be a crowd pleaser at your next gathering.Go on give it a try!


Goan Style Shrimp Curry
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Ingredients:


Large Shrimp peeled and deveined- 1 1/2 lbs
Ground Black pepper-1 tsp
Salt- to taste
Cayenne pepper(red chilli powder)-1 tsp
Ginger Garlic paste-1 tbsp
Canned Tomato- 2 cups
Onion-1 finely chopped
Dried Red Chillies- 4
Ground Coriander-2 tsp
Curry Powder-1/2 tsp
Tamarind pulp-1 tsp
White Vinegar- 1 tsp
Turmeric- 1/2 tsp
Coconut Milk-1 1/2 cups
Fresh Coriander(Cilantro)-for garnish


Process:


Place Shrimp in a ziplock bag and mix with some salt, cayenne.Mix well and referigerate.


In a deep skillet, heat oil.Add the dried red chillies.Stir for 1 to 2 minutes.Add black pepper and cook for another minute.Add onions and saute for a few minutes, until translucent.Add ginger garlic paste, coriander, turmeric and cook for  a few more minutes.
Reduce heat to medium low and add the tomatoes and keep stirring often.Increase the heat to medium high and keep stirring for about 5 minutes.Add the tamarind pulp and vinegar.Stir in the curry powder and cook for 1 minute.Add the coconut milk, bring to a boil and add the Shrimp.Bring to a simmer and cook unitl the shrimp is opaque about 3-5 minutes.Garnish with cilantro.Serve hot with rice!


Source-NY Times

Cookie Bloghop: Apple Spiced Glazed Cookies

Oooh, my house redolent of cinnamon and vanilla wafting through the air.Reason?I'm making these scrumptious cookies for our cookie bloghop for this month.Perfect for the holidays, tasty and super easy!

My kids love apple based anything,that's why I keep looking for new apple recipes ever-so-often.I made these for the first time, but seeing my kids gobble them up I think I'll be making these again and again.
The inspiration for this recipe came from http://www.easy-cookies.com.I added vanilla essence and used all spice and cinnamon.


Apple Spiced Glazed Cookies
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Ingredients:


All purpose Flour-2 cups
Eggs-2 beaten
Brown Sugar- 1 1/2 cups
Baking Soda-1 tsp
Cinnamon-1 tsp
All Spice-1 tsp
Vanilla essence-1 tsp
1 stick of butter- softened
Apples-1 cup chopped
Salt-1/2 tsp


Glaze
2/3 cup confectioner's sugar
1 tbsp milk


Process:


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.Mix butter and sugar together.Add in the egg and vanilla.Combine the flour,baking soda,salt and the spices and add into the butter-sugar-vanilla mix.Throw in the apples and mix them all together.
Grease a baking tray and spoon equal amounts of the mix about 2 inches apart.Cook for about 13-14 mins.Cool and pour the glaze over the top.

I'm co-hosting this bloghop with these 26 amazing foodies.

Please join in on the #cookielove fun by linking up any cookie recipe from the month of December 2011.


Co-Hosts

Badger Girl Learns to Cook- Kimberly-  @BdgerGrl
Baking and Cooking: A Tale of Two Loves- Becky Higgins
BigFatBaker- Erin-  @BigFatBaker
Bloc de Recetas,- Salomé- @Blocderecetas
Bon a Croquer- Valerie- @valouth
CafeTerraBlog- Terra Baltosiewich- @CafeTerraBlog
Cake Duchess- Lora - @cakeduchess
Creative Cooking Corner- Karriann Graf- @KarriannGraf
Easily Good Eats- Three-Cookies-
Georgie Cakes- Georgie Kubarych- @georgiecakes
Hobby and More- Richa- @betit19
Knitstamatic- Deb- @knitstamatic
Mike's Baking- Mike R.- @mikesbaking
Mis Pensamientos- Junia- @juniakk
No One Likes Crumbley Cookies- T.R.- @TRCrumbley
Oh Cake- Jessica Hose- @jesshose
Queen's Notebook- Elizabeth Quirino- @Mango_Queen
Savoring Every Bite- Linda Geiler- @Spicegirlfla
Simply Reem- Reem- @simplyreem
Soni's Food for Thought- Soni- @sonisfood
Teaspoon of Spice- Deanna Segrave-Daly- @tspbasil
That Skinny Chick Can Bake- Liz- @Thatskinnychick
The Art of Cooking Real Food- Laura- @TAofCRF
The Spicy RD- EA Stewart- @thespicyrd
The Wimpy Vegetarian- Susan Pridmore- @chezsuzanne
Vegetarian Tastebuds- Raji- @vegtastebuds
Vegan Yack Attack- Jackie

Indian Style Simple Vegetable Stir-fry

Here's an easy, simple and quick recipe for a healthy vegetable side dish, without any effort literally.I make this many times for our weeknight meals, along with chicken or fish curry.Its simple yet spicy enough thanks to the green chillies(jalapeños).


You can use fresh vegetables or a pack of frozen mixed vegetables.For convenience I've used frozen vegetables here and added the red peppers for that rich color.If you like more texture you can add nuts, shredded coconut etc to further elevate the dish.I have kept it simple here, so go ahead and make it any way you like.The cumin seeds give it that nutty flavor,the green chillies give it the spicy kick and the vegetables make it colorful!




Indian Style Simple Vegetable Stir Fry
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Ingredients:


Fresh or Frozen Mixed Vegetables(peas, beans,corn,carrots)-2 cups
Red Pepper-1 Large chopped
Cumin Seeds-2 tsp
Green Chillies(jalapeños)-2 chopped
Oil-2 tbsp
Salt-to taste


Process:


Heat oil on in a skillet.Add the cumin seeds.Once it splutters add the chopped green chillies (jalapeños).Add all the vegetables and cook for about 10 mins to keep it crunchy and colorful.Serve hot!