Lasuni Palak Sambar- Garlic Spinach Sambar

Hello dearies!!!! My love for sambar is  shown time and again on this space. Its the most satisfying and healthy soup/ dal/lentil for me. Be it a cold day or a warm day, Sambar and rice with a dollop of ghee/clarified butter is my go to meal.

I have an en-number of South Indian friends who make all kinds of sambar. I was totally alien to the concept of adding different veggies to the sambar. My mom at the most added drum stick, eggplant and potatoes to the sambar.

But the exposure I got from meeting people of mixed cultures, food habits after coming to US, is what I cherish most in my stay here. One such food exposure I got was adding leafy greens to Sambar and lentils.

You will need;
1 Cup cookedToor dal, 
**Pressure cooked with little Turmeric and Hing and mashed well
3-4 Cloves Garlic
1 tspn Tamarind Pulp
1 cup chopped spinach
1 tbspn(heaped) Sambar Powder
** I used 777 brand sambar powder.
Salt to taste
Little Jaggery/Gur-Optional
Water as needed
 
Tempering;
1 tspn Oil 
1 tspn Ghee/Clarified butter
1 tspn mustard seeds
1 Tspn Cumin /Jeera 

In a pot heat some oil+ghee, ad the tempering ingredient let the seeds splutter then add the chopped garlic, let it fry well.
After the garlic is fried well, add some water, add the Sambar Powder and salt and the Tamarind Paste. Add the chopped spinach. Lastly add the cooked dal and Gur and bring it to a boil. Let it boil a few minutes and the Sambar is ready. 
Since I made it for dinner to go along with rice, I did not use any garnishing and even Curry Leaves, as I had none on hand. But feel free to jazz it with curry leaves and cilantro. I drink sambar in bowl fulls, so any lentil with sambar powder will work for me.

 This Sambar is so tasty on its own, that I skipped rice  totally and had it like soup.

Hariyali Matar- Peas in Spinach and Cilantro sauce

Hello Sweeties!!!! This is the time for jolly, feasts and partying. Good food, Gifts and Snow are the highlights of this month. If feasting can be done in a healthy way nothing like it.

So to keep the check on our eating and food habits in order, I bring to you this dish which was taught to me by my little sister ''S". She made it for Diwali dinner and my boys were talking about till good month.

I kind of immediately took the recipe from her, but could get to making it only now. I skipped the addition of the dry cashew paste and the cream, but we did not miss it in any way.

To make Palak Paste;

1 Bunch spinach leaves or one bag cleaned spinach

4 cups water to blanch the spinach 
Salt to taste

Boil water on high heat with salt. Once it comes to a boil, Add the washed, cleaned spinach leaves (Do not bother to chop the leaves as we will grind them in a grinder to make a fine paste), let them wilt for 2 minutes and take them out. You can dip them in ice water to stop their cooking process or grind it immediately in the grinder. Doing this helps the spinach retain their vibrant green color. You have the paste ready to use.

To make Hariyali Matar;

2 cups palak paste

1 Cup Cilantro Paste

** Grind the washed Cilantro and make a fine paste 

1+1/2 cup Frozen peas thawed

1 small onion-finely diced

1 small tomato diced fine

2-3 cloves garlic mashed

1/2 inch ginger grated

2tspn oil to make the gravy

1 tsp Garam Masala
1 Tbspn Cashew paste-Optional
** Soak 1TBspn cahsew nuts in warm wtare and grind into a fine paste
1/2 cup heavy Cream-Optional 

Salt to taste if needed.--

**Paste has salt

In a wok. heat the oil, add the onions, ginger and garlic for a minute, add the tomatoes, cashew paste and fry them till they look cooked and sweat a bit, then add the palak paste and the cilantro Paste. Then lastly add the peas, cream and the garam masala and let the mixture heat up a bit. Check for salt and add if needed.. Delicious Hariyali matar is ready to be served with any Indian bread.

Arugula- Spinach Stir Fry

Hello dearies!!!!! I have been asked many times of how I make the leafy greens. Traditional Maharashtrian recipes may confuse you, as such simple veggies are made in different ways in most households. There is not necessary one way to making it.

I usually use coconut and onion with garlic when making these preparations. The pungent ones like Arugula need something sweeter to balance the sourness, so I use onions and fresh coconut, while Fenugreek seeds tons of garlic with some sweetness to balance out the bitterness.

You will need;
1 bag of cleaned Arugula leaves
1 cup spinach leaves
**  you can also use the Arugula salad mix bag we get here in US.
1 medium onion diced
1/2 cup fresh or frozen coconut
2-3 cloves garlic
1 tsp Red chili powder
1 Tsp Jaggery crushed
** You can use honey or sugar if jaggery is not on hand
Salt to taste

Tempering
1 tbspn Oil
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Cumin/Jeera seeds
Pinch of hing/Aesofodita
Pinch of turmeric


 The arugula and spinach leaves are already cleaned and washed if using from a bag. If not wash and clean and chop the leaves. 

In a wok, over medium heat, heat the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, let it pop, then add the Jeera seeds, then add the hing and turmeric, add the onion, garlic and let it sweat for 2 minutes till the onion gets transparent.

Then add in the greens and cover and let cook for 5-6 mins. Then add in the coconut, red chili powder and jaggery and salt to taste. Cover and let cook for another 2-3 mins. Remember the greens reduce to half after cooking, so add salt last.

Enjoy this stir fry with some hot phulkas or Pita bread or Bhakri.

Eggless Chai Spiced Gingerbread Man Cookies

Hello sweeties!!!! Can you believe that we are into the Holiday season of year 2013!!! Every year we kick start the holidays with shopping for gifts and setting up the tree.

After that comes the baking part, where we do bake an assorted varieties of cookies chocolate, peppermint and custard cookies. This year I tried my hand by tweaking the ginger bread man cookie recipe with some chai spice.

Original recipe for Ginger bread man cookie is here. I tweaked a few things to basically use what I had on hand.

I used Agave and chai spice to make my gingerbread man cookies more Indian and it did take the taste a notch up, for sure.

You will need;
1 stick butter at room temperature
2.5 cups All purpose flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup Agave nectar
1 tbspn Vanilla extract
1 tbspn Ginger powder
1 tbspn Chai spice mix-
** Powdered form of clove, dry ginger, green cardamon, black cardamom,  pepper corn, cinnamon.
1 tspn Cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3rd cup milk--if needed

In a bowl, mix the dry ingredients and keep aside. In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar and then add in the agave nectar, and vanilla extract, slowly add the flour till the dough becomes easy to handle. Add milk if needed to form a dough, cover in the cling film/plastic wrap and chill for an hour or so.

Roll into a disc of half cm thick and cut  the gingerbread man shapes. Bake at 300 F till they turn slight brown...for abt 8-10 mins.

The cookies are ready to be shared with a loved ones and wish, " Happy Holidays and Seasons Greetings to you"!!!!!

Vegeterian Bean Soup/Bean Chili Indianized and No meat!!!

Hello Sweet pies!!! I bring to you a warm and spicy soup/chili recipe today. Chili for most Americans means meat, beans and spicy. This is my version of Indianizing the classic American dish to blend with our mixed food habits. Its spicy, and has beans but sadly no meat. Feel free to chop some bean patties or burger patties and add to the soup if you like.

I cooked this soup over stove top, but feel free to use your crock pots and slow cookers. The longer it cooks the better it tastes.


 You will need;
3-4 small 8 oz Cans of assorted beans
* I used corn, black beans, kidney beans, chick peas and Southwest blend of beans.
1 tbspn Oil
1 Can of Crushed Tomatoes

1 Big onion diced

1 Stem of celery diced

1 Tspn Garam masala powder
1 tsp Red chilli powder 
2-3 cloves of garlic chopped
1 inch piece Ginger,chopped
Lemon Pepper Spice Mix- as per taste-- Optional
* *Lemon pepper is a mix of dry lemon, onion/garlic, black pepper and mix of celery salt
Salt to taste 

In a wok, take the oil, heat over medium heat,add the ginger and the garlic, add the onions, celery and dash of salt. Let the mixture cook for 2 minutes, then add the tomatoes and cook till the onion and tomato gets mashed well.

Add canned beans. Adjust the amount of water. I added water till 2 inches above the mixture, adjust the salt. Add in the red chili powder, spice blends and the garam masala. 

Cover with the lid and reduce for good 30-45 min over low to medium heat. Thin it out or enjoy it thick. Top it with some sour cream, tortilla chips or some cheese; the bean soup/veggie chili is sure to impress all.

Baked Wada Pav- Stuffed Baked Buns- Low Fat Version

Hello Sweeties!!! How did your TG holiday go? I am surely thankful for all my friends and family with whom I could spend each and every day of this holiday. 

Minus the crazy shopping, the holiday spirit was big in Ashland. We  put the tree and did the decorations. Also took the kids to Crayola Crayon factory and came home with bunch of crazy crayons and crafts we did there.

My kids love Wada Pav, the most famous snack of Mumbai. If America runs on Dunkin, Mumbai runs on  wada pav. But the whole mess of frying in closed house where you cannot open the windows and the smell of the frying remains in the house puts me off from making this snack which is loved by all. 

This is a short cut to making wada pav and if not entirely, it does satisfy the craving anytime of the year.

Prep Time; 10 mins to mix the dough
1 hours for the dough to rise
Makes around 30 small Buns

You will need; 

For the dough, 

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups All Purpose flour
1 Tbspn dry High active Yeast
1 Tbspn Sugar and 1/2 cup warm water to bloom the yeast
1 Tsp Dried Rosemary
1/2 tsp Dried Basil
1 Tsp Garlic powder
2-3 Tbspn Olive Oil and
Salt for taste
water as needed to make the dough 

For stuffing;
2 medium size plantains
2 small potato

pinch of Haldi/Turmeric 1 tspn cumin powder
1 tspn coriander powder

1 tbspn chopped cilantro
2-3 crushed cloves of garlic
1/2 inch ginger grated
1 Finely Diced Jalapeno Pepper

Red Dry Garlic- Chili chutney-Optional
salt to taste

Boil the plantains and the potato for 2-3 whistles and then 5 mins on low flame in a pressure cooker. In a bowl, mash the plantain and potato and mix  all the spices, jalapeno, cilantro, ginger and garlic and mix well.

In a bowl, take the dry active yeast, sugar and warm water and mix well. Keep it aside to bloom for 10 minutes. The mixture will be frothy, if the yeast is active. If the yeast is old discard the mixture and get fresh yeast. I always prefer to check the yeast then move on to the dough.

In a mixing bowl, take the flour, add the seasonings, garlic powder, rosemary, basil,  and little oil to start the mixing, as you move along making the dough, add the oil and knead into a soft dough. Cover with the plastic wrap and let it sit in  a warm place.

I preheat the oven to 200 Degree F and then shut it off. Then place the bowl with the dough to rest and rise for a good hour. I have never experienced problems with dough rising.

When the dough doubles in size, it is ready to be baked into some yummy rolls. Punch out the air from the dough and divide the dough into 30 equal balls.

Take one ball and roll a circle of about 2 inches in diameter. This is also called roti or poori; and spread  the dry garlic chutney on it( if you like.) This chutney is easily available in most Indian grocery stores. This is optional, but does give the authentic taste like back home.

Make balls of the potato mixture sand stuff the bread roti that you made and close the ends, Do as many buns as you can, I could make about 30 rolls and even bake a small loaf of bread in the dough.

 Arrange leaving space in a tray and let it rise again for another 30-45 minutes. Brush with some butter.

Bake in a preheated oven at 375 for about 15-20 minutes. enjoy warm with some Broccoli soup. I served it with some Bean soup/Bean Chili (Recipe will be posted soon).

Ukkala Tea- Cold and Cough remedy- Mumbai Special Ukkala Cutting chai

Hello Sweeties!! Are you all set for the big Thanksgiving feast and shopping frenzy after the holiday!!! We did not celebrate this holiday nor had heard much about it back home, till the time we came here few odd years ago.

TG and BF like everything else  has changed. I remember my first TG in NJ, when I saw people camping out of stores like Best buy and Walmart through the night as these stores opened in the wee hours of dawn like 4Am and 5Am Friday morning.

Lists and lists were exchanged and a fool proof plan was activated about who would shop at which store, what followed over the weekend was  settling tabs and  claiming electronics for guys, home ware/clothes toys etc for girls.

Stores never opened the evening or even midnight and TG was  a federal Holiday for all. I am awed and at times sad at the way the shopping timings have changed, last year stores opened around mid night. but this year its TG evening.

I saw a JCPenny commercial where it said dishes can wait just  eat and run and shop. TG was meant to be family/friends time, eat at peace, talk and chat into the night. It's becoming a Fast TG like Fast food, and maybe drive-in TG is not far away.


To brave the cold and gusty winds and deal with all the outdoor shopping running from one store to another, make this Ukkala/Tea and carry with you in thermos and warm up your bones.

I learnt to make this from a tea vendor outside my office in Mumbai, who would make kick ass Ukkala Tea that could be added to normal tea. We often had it when it rained and we were little under the weather.


You will need;   
1/2 Cup water
1/2 Cup milk- preferably skim or low fat
1 Green Cardamom-Crushed with skin and pod  
2 Cloves  
1/2 inch stick Cinnamon  
1/2 inch Ginger grated  
1/2 tsp Lemon grass-Fresh or dried
1 Tspn basil Leaves or dried Tulsi Seeds 
1 tea bag 
Honey to taste

In a small pot, take the water and add the above except the honey, heat over medium heat and let the ukakala boil, till the spices give out the extract and the liquid changes to a slightly green color.

Pour the mixture through a sieve in a cup, add in the tea bag 
add the honey and enjoy the Ukkala Tea.

Plantain Coins Curry

 Hello Sweeties!!!!! I am hogging on the Diwali treats at my end and what follows every year is a  down side to all that hogging. The jeans fit a bit snug and the tummy kind of pops out every now and then.

My mom always used plantains instead of potatoes every now and then, no we were not Jain and we did eat garlic, onion everything, but she mixed matched sometimes for health reasons sometimes just to finish stuff off the fridge.

I had brought the plantains on whim last time I went for grocery, little knowing what to do with them. Then days passed with no clue until my kiddo demanded I made the potato patties. Their demand for Ragda Pattice got changed into Pattice Curry as Donut wanted ragda pattice and Munchkin wanted egg curry.

 You will need;
For Patties's
2 medium size plantains
1 small potato
1-2 tspn corn flour
1 tspn cayenne pepper powder
1 tspn Garam masala powder
1 tspn cumin powder
1 tspn coriander powder
2-3 crushed cloves of garlic
1/2 inch ginger grated
salt to taste
oil or spray to shallow fry the patties's

Boil the plantains and the potato for 2-3 whistles and then 5 mins on low flame in a pressure cooker. In a bowl, mash the plantain and potato and mix in cornflour, add all the spices and mix well. 

Heat a skillet and grease the base with oil and drop little coins  of this mixture and spray them with an oil spray and fry till they get cooked. Once done, remove and keep aside.

For the curry;
 1 medium sized onion
1/2 cup tomato puree
1 tbspn ginger garlic paste
1/2 tspn haldi/turmeric
1 tspn cayenne pepper powder
1 tspn Garam masala powder
1 tspn cumin powder
1 tspn coriander powder
1 cup water
1/3rd cup heavy cream- Optional
Salt to taste

Tempering;
2 tbspn oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tspn shahjeera/Caraway seeds-Optional

In a deep wok, heat the oil on medium. Once the oil is hot add the seeds and let them sizzle for 2-3 seconds, then add the ginger-garlic paste and onions, then add in the tomato puree and cook till the oil leaves the sides of the onion and tomato mixture, then add in the haldi, and the spices and add water and salt and cover and let it boil. Grind it into  paste if you like fine texture curry. Lastly add in the cream and stir and cook for 1-2 mins. Make the curry little thick,

 While serving,

 Take the patties in a bowl and pour the curry on the patties. Serve hot with phulka or flat bread of your choice or rice. Remember to assemble the dish when you are about to eat it. 

Keeping the patties in the curry for long will result in the patties absorbing the curry and losing the shape and everything will turn into  a mess. This will certainly not interfere with the taste, but it will not look very pleasing.

Mango Kalakand- Mango Cheese Fudge bites

Hello Sweeties!!!! Last weekend we were all under a kind of house arrest due to gusty winds and cold wave. The temperatures in single digits in the evenings made me stay at home. Winters are finally here.

Downside of being at home home with kids, constant song that plays is, "I am Bored". So we made Mango kalakand.  Like always I had some mango pulp to be used up.

You will need;

1 can condensed milk-14 oz** I used the milkmaid brand

1 can Ricotta cheese-15 oz

1/2 cup Mango pulp

a Microwave safe deep glass bowl

1Tsp elaichi or cardamom-Optional

1tbspn Pista Powder-Optional

In a  safe Microvabe-able deep glass bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, mango pulp and the condensed milk and stir till it is well incorporated. then;

Microwave it on high for 5 minutes. Remove and stir.

Then again microwave it for 3 minutes, remove and stir. 

Microwave it for 2 minutes covered.. remove and stir

Keep doing this, i .e microwaving the mixture in batches of 2 minutes; till you get a reasonable crumbling mixture.. I had to do this for about 18 minutes in total..

When you have a crumbly mixture, add the elaichi, mix well and keep aside..When it reaches room temperature, keep it in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours. Sprinkle the pista powder and then cut into squares.

Enjoy the Mango Kalakand with some family or friends this holiday season.

Fondant Monkey Figures as Cake Toppers.

Hello Sweetpeas!!!! Aren't these little monkey adorable or what. Ever Since I saw them I was thinking of some way of making them. 

I even bribed my kids just so they decide of having monkey theme for their special days, but to no avail. Finally, my cousin S gave me an opportunity to make them, Thanks a ton they were surely fun to make. 

The step by step tutorial is found here/Source. 
I followed her steps and pictures to a T. If I can do it, you can too.

Share and learn, thank the internet, is my new motto in life.

Thanks CakeFixation for the awesome tutorial.

MTR Podi Chutney Uttapam/ Idli Pancake-- Kids School lunch.

Hello Sweeties!!!! We make Idli Sambar so many times, that at times we have been asked if we belong to South India. The thing is Idli Sambar is one item, everyone loves, Its like Pizzas to Indians. Easily found and  most popular. 

I make dosas often with the leftover batter. But they are not ideal to be given as school lunch, so I made these for my kids school lunch and was happy to see empty boxes licked clean.

 

To make Idli batter;

2 cups rice or idli rava

1 cup Urad dal

2 tbspn Oil

Salt to taste

Soak the rice and urad dal in water for 6-8 hours. If using idli rava skip soaking the rava; soak only the dal and then grind it fine into a smooth paste, use the water from the soaking if needed. remove this in a bigger vessel, then grind the idli rava or soaked rice and remove it in the same vessel as the grinded dal. 

 

Mix the grinded dal and rava with your hand. This is because the heat of your palms will help in fermenting the batter faster. Then cover this vessel and keep it in a warm place to ferment and rise up. 

 

Take  a bigger vessel and fill the batter only half way as the batter will rise and double in size. After the rising, add the oil and the salt to the batter and mix with a spoon. 

 

The base batter for idli is ready.  The Podi Chutney Uttapams are basically pancakes from idli battter. 

You will need;

leftover or idli batter

onion chopped

cilantro chopped

 1 tspn MTR Podi Chutney also called Gun powder-- Store brought.

In a pan, greased with some oil, pour the batter with a ladle. Usually Idli batter is thick, we like thick pancakes, you can thin it with some water if you like thin pancakes. Pour the batter, then sprinkle with chopped onion, cilantro and the chutney powder, cover and let cook for 2-3 minutes, flip and cover and cook for another 2-3 minutes. The Uttapas are ready to be served.

 

 The toppings can be anything you like, onions, veggies, peas, corn, tomatoes are the regular ones, but you can feel free to mix and match according to your kids liking. 

This is what my kids ate for lunch that day. Fruits/Yogurt is sneaked in as snacks as they don't eat so much at one time. 

Mango Sheera/ Mango Sooji Halwa/Ambyacha sheera

Hello Sweeties!!! Back to back two posts, I must be shedding my lazy skin. But, it was Donut's Birthday yesterday. Big Digit demands big and new dessert.

 I made the Minion cake and put in the full day at work, I was sort of tired of making anything elaborate. Sheera or Sooji halwa is a staple in Ashland, when we have unannounced guests. This is no fail dish and every one loves it. Make it for prasad as god's offering or snack or dessert, it's  a hit every time.

The world of blogging and internet has made me try different combinations like using pineapple , banana and now mango. Hoping to try many new varieties maybe strawberry, what say, next time for sure.

You will need;

1 and 1/2 cup of sooji/ semolina/ cream of wheat, **I prefer Coarse sooji than fine sooji.

1 cup sugar

3 cups mixture of milk and water or use milk wholly.

6-8 tbspns Ghee-Clarified butter

1 Cup Mango Pulp-- I used canned

1 cup sugar

1 tsp Elaichi or Cardamom Powder

1 tbspn Cashew nuts powdered -Optional

1tbspn Raisins Optional

few Saffron strands-Optional

-In a pan/wok, heat the ghee over medium or low flame and then add the sooji, roast the sooji stirring continuously, till the sooji changes colour and the aroma fills the house. 

Simultaneously boil the milk+water mixture and once boiled, add the milk+water mixture to the roasted sooji and continue stirring...the sooji will be slightly wet, cover for 2-3 minutes, taking care that the sooji is not getting burnt, if needed reduce the time to about 1.5 to 2 minutes. 

After this add in the pulp and  let it get cooked with the roasted sooji, cover with the lid and steam it for anr 2-3 mins. 

Finally add in the sugar  and stir well, the mixture will be wet now, cover and lower the flame to low and cook for 5-7 minutes. 

Then add the saffron, elaichi and the raisins. Serve hot or cold. It's yummy either way.

Minion Rush!!!! Ba-Ba-Bananna!!!!!

Hello Sweeties!!! Today is a big day in Ashland. Donut celebrates his first double digit birthday! I am happy and sad at the same time. Ever felt this mixed emotion? I am happy that he is growing into a fine boy, sad as he is not longer my baby.

He is not into parties with cake cutting and the whole nine yards associated with birthday parties for kids. He wants a time out of home with 3-4 boys/classmates, wow.. what did I do to expedite his growth?

 I for one was all for big birthdays  cake cutting and gifts. However its not my birthday,  so he will call the shots now on in Ashland.

Despicable Me is huge hit in our home currently.  Kids playing minion rush on iPad, talking, singing like Minions, you name it and they do it. Left with little to zero choice, here goes my attempt in making Donut's favorite character Dave.

I baked 2-- 6 inch cakes and  trimmed the tops on one cake. The Minion Suspenders and eyes and everything fondant is hand made and cut from rolled fondant. Excuse the shabby and messy job.

There is no recipe as such to share today, the cakes and icing is discussed at much length. I used store brought fondant and made my whipped cream icing. I know wrong choice as the icing is loose and the fondant is bleeding color. But I promise to re-do this cake and do  a better job.

Whole Wheat Ladoos/ Kanik Ladoo

Hello Sweeties!!!!! Hope you all had  a fabulous Diwali and new year festivities at your end. I made the regular Diwali faral, but as many years as I am making Diwali goodies I try and make one new item, this year was no doubt the Whole Wheat ladoos. They are super easy to make and very healthy if you have growing boys or babies.

You will need;
makes 16-18 medium size ladoos.
 2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
1 Cup plus 2 Tbspn ghee/clarified butter
1.5 cups Sugar-Confectioner or ground sugar
1 tbspn Milk Masala/ Cashews/walnuts/pistas,saffron, nutmeg powder
**1 Tbspn dry Dates powder-- Sourced from India--Optional
approx 3/4th cup raisins
2 Tspn Cardamom Crushed or Elaichi powder

In a wok, heat the ghee, add the wheat flour and roast  on medium heat. Stir continuously taking care than the flour does not stick to the pan and burn. Stir for about 25-30 mins, till the mixture looks frothy and becomes really loose.
 
When the flour changes color add the raisins and the milk masala powder. Switch off the flame and let cool. When the mix is warm enough to dip your finger and bear the heat, add the elaichi powder. Roll the ladoos when they are cold enough to hold shape. These keep well for 10-15 days, although they do not last that long.

 Diwali spread at my end looked like this, whats cooking at your end????

Happy Diwali and let the festivities begin!!!!

A very hungry Caterpillar!!! Story Book Inspired cupcake

  Hello Sweeties!!!!! Recently I made this story book inspired cake for my sweetest nephew. He is just short of turning the big 1. So we thought what better than this lovely story.

The cake is  chocolate cake and icing is regular whipped cream icing. For green I used colored sugar and the legs and antenna are melted tootsie rolls. The nose and lips are M & M candies.

 The icing is whipped cream pudding icing.
** Whipped Cream icing can be made by using simply Heavy Whipping Cream and Conf Sugar,, The Rec is as

Follows..

One Cup heavy Whipping Cream

Half Cup Conf Sugar

**One packet Instant pudding mix. OR

IF desired One Packet Unflavored Gelatin dissolved in water.

Take a bigger bowl and keep some ice cubes in that.. Over the cubes place anr bowl. Take one cup cream and add sugar and Pudding mix( if needed )... and beat with electric mixer for about 5-7 mins on medium till soft peaks are on the blade. The icing is ready. 

So what do you think of my efforts. Did this caterpillar over stuff itself and fly into a butterfly!!!