Shankarpalle

It's been a while that I had made this.. essentially an afternoon or 4PM snack.. My mom made this early mornings before we woke up as her idea was to make a few snacks for us to eat, when we had school breaks and we were at home...We were constantly hungry..don't know, if it was the heat of Bombay or the fact that we were always playing outdoors that had us in that state..but anytime we had any of the snack.. it was restassured that there would be none left for anyone after us..."U Snooze u loose was the logic" that we applied...Yeah, I was that smart even when I was young....or just plain greedy...well Smart is what I wil stick to...This snack is so good when it is warm....that if my mom ever tried making it when we were at home and awake....there would none be left for future snacking....so all or most of the snack making was late at night or early in the morning...Smartness runs in the family...I must say....

This is made on Diwali as  a part of the Faral/Snack.. but My mom almost always made it...It was like good 'OL choc chip cookie kind of go to for us....

You will need..

One small cup maybe 4 ounces.. Clarified butter_GHEE

Same Size Small cup Warm Milk

Same Size Small cup Sugar

All Purpose flour-- as needed to form a soft dough

Oil for frying

Mix the melted Ghee and warm milk and sugar and stir till sugar melts...then start adding the flours little by little..keep kneading the dough till the mixture takes all the flour and then knead it into a soft dough...the dough should not be sticky and should spring back when you poke it....Keep it covered for about 2 hrs....

Make small balls of the dough and roll out like you would to make cookies...then make thin strips with the pizza cuter in opposite directions to make small diamonds..one way is to start making strips in east west direction.. then stop and rotate the plate  on which you roll the dough clockwise...and then again make strips.. to form diamonds..

 Fry these diamonds in hot oil..drain and store in air tight container...They will stay good for more than 2-3 weeks.. if they do make it till those weeks........

This is the sweeter version, but you can make it salty or by adding cumin or carom seeds..reduce the sugar and add one or two tbspns of the seeds...

I will try to make this salted version some time after August.. as I may be absent from the blogging scene till that time...I am not quitting blogging as some of you might think...just that You might have notice I am awfully slow now on posting.. I need this time off to prepare for and research ....I am cooking the usual stuff ; but nothing great that needs to be blogged...Keep me in your prayers and wish me luck ..

Love Ash.

Flax Seed Cookies

I have been trying to eat healthy, or least say, am trying to get my Two Cookie Monsters to get off Chocolate chip cookies and try something new and healthy.....but old habits are very very very difficult to break..so I try to sneak some health into the JUNK they are generally allowed.. although the elder Cookie Monster cribs and is always in doubt to any new cookie that I bake now...or for that matter whatever I cook....My 3 yrs old is still easy to please....I cannot blame them as I did shred Radish and disguise it with carrots and tell them that it was White Carrot..Smarty pants that I am....they both were or are still discussing and researching the aisles of the grocery store in search of the White Carrots.....I bless them with all my heart and even help them in this little research every now and then.....or lets just say.. that I do..I am a MOM after all....

Really Cross my Toe fingers.....

....and just in case you are wondering where I got those cute Cookie Monster Containers.. They each cost me $6 for 5 strawberries with little cream....I got them on our last visit to Sesame Street Place.. It's so close for us NJ'ites.. that the heat and summer make it a compulsion to visit this water park at least once a year....there is elmo, Cookie Monster and BIG BIRD...and just for me.. the Count's splash....where huge huge.. bucket of water spills every now and then and its absolute delight to be under it.....Thts what I call a SPLASH!!!! Yipppeeeeee

Coming back to the cookie
I got the original Rec from Master Chef Sanjeev Kapoor's cookbook.. I changed a few items and added Flax Seed...


Whole wheat flour (atta) 1 1/4 cups
Flax Seeed Powder 2 tablespoon
Refined flour (maida) 1/3 cup
Butter chilled-- 1 Stick broken into pieces
Light Brown Sugar, powdered 1/2 cup
Milk As required


Preheat the oven to 160°F. Take all flours in a bowl. Add chilled butter cut into small pieces and mix with fingertips till the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. ..Add sugar and mix. Add milk if needed and knead lightly taking care not to overwork the dough. Chill the dough in plastic wrap for about 30 mins....Sprinkle some flour on the worktop and roll out the dough to one-fourth inch thickness. With Heart shaped cookie cutters cut out Cookies. top them with coloured sugar and bake for 10-12 minutes...Take half cup Choc chips in a microwavebale bowl.. add one Tbspn oil.. warm in a microwave for about 30 secs.. stir and if not completely melted.. adjust the timings.. melt again; taking care as to not burn the chocolate...once the cookies are cooled.. cover the mid section of the heart with melted chocolate.... cool overnite...once completely dry... store in an airtight container....

See I do allow JUNK food in an healthy cookie....just till the little cookie monsters don't know about our little secret we are all fine!!!!!


Love Ash.

Welcome Spring cake

This cake I made for my sons Class party to welcome spring.. The cake is a boxed mix cake.. Duncan Hines was what I had on hand...When it come to class parties, I Usually don't experiment on the recipe and stick to the boxed mix..as I don't know which kid might be allergic to what stuff...I made the flowers with Royal icing and the Bird is also edible.. made with royal icing....MY kids express spring with birds, eggs and Yellow colour...so I did try to incorporate their idea and made this cake..

I made the icing using this Buttercream Icing rec;


http://www.wilton.com/recipe/Buttercream-Icing


You get ready-to-use tubs in Walmart- For starters get those.. then you can make your own icing.

Happy Spring to you and may the sunshine add new lease of life bringing new success to you and your loved ones.....

Love Ash.