Apple Slice - apples, crumble and a sponge!

An apple a day, keeps the doctor away!!!

At home here, apples are always in plenty.  It’s just one of those fruits, which apparently doesn’t do one’s body any harm. Achan, (That’s what we call our fathers, this side of the map) has been advised ‘an apple a day’. No oranges and no bananas! My grandmother, who blood it seems on the sweeter side, has been advised an apple as well.  J tries to have one with lunch daily. And I‘m trying to see that lil’ K has an apple. A slice or 2 is all that I can seem to coax him to have!! Sigh!!

And, as for me, I had some sugary problems when I was pregnant with K. (Read gestational diabetes). So all the fruit I could have in the last trimester was an apple. Some really persistent Blood Pressure as well, meant no salt and no oil. Life was pretty bland.  It’s no surprise I suppose, then, that K loves bland food. He likes pasta, crackers, the odd muesli snack…Then I thought, looking at the brighter side, K would love apples, since I was having them in plenty.  Sigh again!!!

So then, the moral of my rather long story being…apples it seems are really good for you! So then, J bought a kilo of apples and a rather health conscious visiting relative got another kilo the same day, with very good intentions,  and unaware of the overflowing fruit basket. 

Our house did look like we managed a good harvest from the backyard apple tree (I wish! I saw someone on TV, shaking a healthy orange tree in their modest backyard, for a bountiful basket to make marmalade!), So then, anyway, thanks to the excess apples, I realized the recipe which has been looming in my mind for a while.

The slice has a sponge cake base, apples and cinnamon filling, and a crumble topping! YuMmMy!!!! Doesn’t it sound wonderful!

I found it is easy to put together and thought the apples could have used a tad bit more cinnamon. You could have it on its own, but J and I thought something’s amiss. 

So, then custard was made to give the apple slice company and it proved to be a wonderful partnership indeed!

Then again..as they say…’If the doctor is handsome, keep the apple away!’…tee hee…

Recipe Source: Donna Hay

Savoury Bread Cups

Bread going stale? Use it well…Here’s how!

So, I was sorting my cupboard today. I hate sorting my cupboard, coz’, then I’m faced with the dilemma of throwing things away. I hate throwing things away!

So, I found my first proper wallet, which I was always sooo proud of, my old visiting cards, and a lot of other things, I had forgotten, existed! I obviously don’t need them…but I just can’t seem to let go!

I have much sadly and very unwillingly come to the conclusion, that I am indeed a hoarder!!! Sigh!

You have to agree, it’s much worse when it comes to food. I have always had a problem when it comes to bread. When the supply exceeds the anticipated demand, and suddenly, it appears to go stale, and your grey cells start pondering as to what can be done with the poor loaf! 

I’m sure almost everyone would have a ready list of solutions to offer. Let me add one more a yummy solution, to your list.

These lil’ bread cups are truly delightful. You can change the filling according to your preference (sausages or paneer would be great as well!), and be rest assured that the cups will be wiped off the plate. It’s a good and quick snack/lunch for children, a good starter for parties and a super fast Sunday brekkie!

I didn’t use the tomato ketchup and went a bit easy on the cheese, but it was lovely, and tasted like a mini pizza fresh out of your oven.

Savoury Bread Cups

What you need 

For the bread cups

12 leftover bread slices

butter for greasing and brushing

For the filling

2 tbsp oil

1/2 cup chopped onions

1/2 cup chopped capsicum

1 cup chopped tomatoes

2 green chillies, finely chopped

2 cups boiled sweet corn kernels (I used green giant)

salt to taste

Other ingredients

1/2 cup tomato ketchup (I skipped on ketchup  )

1/4 cup grated processed cheese 

Here's How

For the bread cups

Remove the crust from the bread slices

Wrap the bread slices in a muslin cloth and steam them for 5 to 7 minutes in a steamer.

Roll a little with a rolling pin and press into the cavities of a greased muffin tray.

(I didn’t have a muslin cloth at hand, so, I used parchment/butter paper instead. It’s easy to roll the bread when you take it out as it will be soft, and rolling makes it easier to push it in the cavity of your muffin tin)

Brush with melted butter and bake in hot oven at 200ºC (400ºF) for 10 minutes or until crisp. Keep aside. (This depends on how crisp you want it; I took it out in about 5-6 minutes)

For the filling

Heat the oil in a pan, add the onions and sauté till the onions turn translucent.

Add the capsicum, tomatoes and green chillies and cook for 5 minutes over a medium flame.

Add the corn and salt and cook for another 2 minutes.

Divide the filling into 12 equal portions. Keep aside.

How to proceed

Fill a portion of the mixture in each of the bread cups, top with some tomato ketchup and sprinkle some cheese on top.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 200ºC (400ºF) for 5 to 10 minutes or until the cheese melts.

Serve immediately.

Recipe Source: Tarla Dalal (Cooking and More)

New Year Hamper

A very Happy New Year to you and your loved ones!

I wish you a healthy body and a healthy mind!

I wish you positive energy and spirit!

I wish you strength to get you through turbulent times!

I wish you love and friendship to keep you warm!

And as I would love to say…

‘Feed your tummy…feed your soul!’

Well, that’s what I love my blog to be about, food for the tummy/ palate and food for the spirit.

In keeping with the above theme, I decided to give New Year hampers to family. I’ve always wanted to do festival hampers and am sooo happy I did it finally…there’s some more to go. I really couldn’t spend enough time on the photos, as I would have like to.

I tucked some of my fruit cake, cherry biscuits and chocolate fudge in the boxes. We had a few unexpected guests , so had to make another batch of fudge (Who’s complaining?!! Tee…heee). I came across a recipe in the 'Joy of baking' website called Icebox cookies (I like to call them cherry cookies). For the fudge, I followed Nigella Lawson's recipe.

Icebox Cookies (Cherry Cookies)

What you need

1 cup (2 sticks) (226 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup (200 grams) white granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 2/3 cups (345 grams) all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup (175 ml) candied red cherries, chopped

                        

Here's how

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (3-4 minutes). Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until incorporated. In a separate bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt and then add to the butter and egg mixture. Mix just until a dough forms. Stir in the cherries until evenly distributed throughout the dough.

Divide the dough into thirds. Place each third of dough on a large piece of parchment or wax paper. Smooth and shape the dough into an evenly shaped rectangle that is about 7 inches (18 cm) long. **

Then thoroughly wrap the shaped logs in the parchment or wax paper, twists the ends of the paper to seal the logs, and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least three hours, or up to three days. (The logs can also be frozen for about one month. If freezing, it is best to let the logs stand at room temperature about 15-20 minutes before slicing.)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) with the rack in the center of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Using a thin bladed knife, slice the logs into 1/4 inch (5 mm) thick slices.Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Bake for about10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack.

Store at room temperature for about five days or baked cookies can be frozen for a couple of weeks.

Makes about six dozen cookies.

** (I had to reread this instruction to understand well. Let me make it a bit simpler for people like myself.  Divide the dough into three parts, and use your beautiful hands to shape them into mini loaves; so that you get rectangles when you cut them later)