Garlic infused spinach bread

This has be to be my quickest post ever! I made this today and here I am writing about it. Garlic infused spinach.....sounds so classy na? It tastes classy too ;-) I totally love the idea of stuffing the bread dough with something and making it a meal in itself or as a companion to soup. Today it was accompanying green pasta salad made with fresh pesto ( I have to say this because I used very first harvest from my kitchen garden - basil leaves). Will post that in few days.

So how do you know you have found a keeper? Well in my case, when my husband comes in and coolly eats 3-4  slices while chatting away! I was thrilled!!!! This is so easy to make too and thats another reason that I loved this recipe even more. Ok its middle of the night and I am rambling unnecessarily so I will stop here now. (Yeah I heard those silent thank gods LOL!)

Burger with hidden talents....

Ok this post has been sitting in draft section for so long.... its ridiculous. I mean how hard can it be to write few words about the recipe I am going to post. Well .. ummmm .. very hard because I have been always blank whenever I got down writing it!!!! The thing is ..... my family love their bird :-) . So you can guess burger at my place means a chicken affair.  But I wanted to try something vegetarian that one day......I guess it was over dose of  "the bird"! Its really a struggle to get my kids to eat their portion of veges..generally it stops at second bite. But what do they know.. I am the mom and quite devious at hiding the veges ;-)

Well I remember this idea from my sister, where she inserted cheese piece in chicken patty. Same idea .... vegetarian affair. Lots of vegetables sauted dry then mixed with potatoes to make thick patties. Hide your cheese somewhere in the middle and be  surprised !!!

Now lets get to the process, shall we?  

My Review of 3.5" LocknLock paring knife

Originally submitted at locknlockplace.com

Good quality knife..easy kitchen life!!!

By NewCookOldCook from NE,USA on 6/26/2011

5out of 5

Pros: Easy To Use, Good Design, Quality Materials, Durable
Best Uses: Small Jobs, Inside, Gifts
Describe Yourself: Casual Do-It-Yourselfer

I got this knife during one of the happy hour event. I couldn't be happier with my purchase. Having owned it for few weeks now and using it practically everyday, I can confidently say that its a quality knife that's going to last a very long time.

The blade is razor sharp and cuts smoothly as you can see in the video. The handle has good weight and design, so using its very comfortable to use for long time. I have used it to make mango chunks for salsa, garlic slices, chop ginger finely, cut out orange slices, peel and core apple, chop up tomatoes......list is long!

It comes nicely packaged, so its perfect to give as a gift.

Great knife....good design...quality product. If you like this review, can you please vote for it in product reviews - Lock n Lock 3.5 paring knife. I just posted it today, so it maynot be immediately visible.

Tags: Knife, Paring, Using Product, Picture of Product, Locknlock

Close up of paring knife

Tags: Picture of Product

(legalese)

Onion fritters...rainy day snack

I was going to post something else today... but it was such a perfect day for onion fritters (pakora) and cutting chai. It had been raining alot since yesterday. On such days, I just want to curl up under a blanket with a cup of cutting chai and hot garma garam pakoras with chutney...yummmmmm! Reminds me of the street food I used to have back in college. Saving myself from the rain and running inside dhabba to get a plate of garam bhajiya.  Fritters, pakora, bhajiya all means the same thing - after all whats in a name? Onion fritters are basically very thinly sliced onions just covered in gram flour, deep fried in oil on medium to get the crispiness. There that neatly sums up the entire post LOL!! If you can visualize what I am talking about.....you needn't read any further :-)

I learnt the sweating technique of onions way back from Tarla Dalal's newletters. It has never failed. I have never had to add water to incorporate gram flour. Amount of gram flour may seem less but its enough to coat the onions to make a crispy layer when deep fried.

In case you have been scratching your head over "cutting chai"....let me demystify it for you. In Mumbai and around that...tea is usually served in  small glass filled half way - cutting-(the cup into half)-chai. It could be flavoured usually with green  cardamom, very milky and sweet. Perfect companion for our bhajiyas :-)

Easy peasey banana bhujiya

Whenever one thinks of banana, immediately this yellow   guy comes to mind.  Easiest food to eat and requires no cooking. But its a different story with raw bananas or plantain. It was pain peeling it... something I didnt even think about when its dishes were made back home. Hmmmm... I should have paid more attention  - bad bad ...LOL!!

Anyways, once that struggle was over,  it was breeze after that. I really like eating banana bhujiya and was reminded that I liked eating this when my sister made it one day on my recent trip to her house. Hows that for forgetfulness !!! So when I saw it in store, I had to try it out - came out totally yummylicious. It was so easy to make and thats best part...well after the taste. Next time I am going to be bolder and try out banana kofta.

One thing, you  need to use quite a bit of oil to get that crunchy surface. But I decided to compromise on the crunchiness factor instead. Go ahead use more oil ....fried stuff never ever tastes bad ;- )

Oh yes I used locknlock products - from start to finish. I made the bhujiya in myLocknLock ceramic frying pan, served and stored in my Zen&Lock ceramic container. Its really pretty and light weight... You can check it out in the pictures below.

More tryouts from Lock n Lock

Today I received my set of items from LocknLock. This time lots of items to tryout. I already had purchased a number of plastic containers, so I know they are excellent for storing nuts, spices, flour, sugar... list is endless. And this is just kitchen list!!! There are some small plastic storage containers that I am going to use to store my whole spices and move it into the freezer. This way they'll be fresh longer in airtight containers. 

I would say the same for glass containers. I had received and purchased borosilicate containers earlier. I use these practically everyday to store my leftovers and other food items. Its just so convenient..just take it out and pop it straight in the microwave, heat and serve. I don't use plastic for reheating food.

I also received some Zen &Lock containers and Eco coffee mug. Zen & lock  are ceramic containers but are very light... something like corelle dishes but better. Lids are airtight. It comes with a floral design. Dinner time just got prettier !!! Its perfect for any occasion for serving tasty dishes..from casual family affair to few friends over to dinner. I am looking forward to using these.

I am not much of coffee drinker.... but prefer tea. Eco mug is perfect just for that. Its one way to do your bit for environment....use ceramic mug instead of paper cups.

You'll be seeing these containers in action alot in my future posts. Until then...bonne nuit!

My Review of LocknLock Ceramic frying pan.

Originally submitted at locknlockplace.com

Its perfect pan for just about everythin

By NewCookOldCook from NE, USA on 6/1/2011

5out of 5

Pros: Quality Materials, Durable, Safety Features, Good Design, Easy To Use
Best Uses: Small Jobs, Big Jobs, Gifts, Inside
Describe Yourself: Casual Do-It-Yourselfer

The very first time I used this pan, I was quite impressed with it. Now I am back to talk some more about it after having it used for few days. It has quickly become favorite piece of cookware in my kitchen. I don't even think but just grab it for every dish that needs sautéing or shallow frying.

Whats the best part I love about it - food doesn't stick to it! From mushrooms to chicken to spinach to legumes to eggs.. I have cooked all and none of it stuck to the pan. I was able to easily brown chicken in the pan without worrying about scarping the bits later! Of course you need to stir once in a while. But its not like stainless steel where you can't move away from the pan for long. With two toddlers at home, this is a blessing in disguise!!!!

And it even gets better. Cleaning is a breeze. Just wipe with a paper towel and rinse. Its ready for next dish. No scrubbing required. They should put this in the description :) And of course its dishwasher safe, so end of every cooking session thats where it goes. This is one pan thats going to be on my stove ALOT!

Cooking up variety!

If you are interested in this pan you can check it out on LocknLock website. Everyday they have some deal going on.

Tags: Picture of Product, Using Product

(legalese)