Onion and Poppy Seed Crackers ~ Daring Bakers’ challenge, February 2013

Sarah from All Our Fingersin the Pie was our February 2013 Daring Bakers’ host and she challenges us to use our creativity in making our own Crisp Flatbreads and Crackers!  

I missed the last DB challenge and I didn’t want to miss this month too… February was a very busy and hectic month for me, birthday, Church Harvest festival and 5 days of long holidays and I somehow managed to bake these crackers on time… Thanks to Sarah for making this month’s challenge so simple and easy! These onion crackers are very easy to make and are very addictive to munch on… I also served these with little cream cheese topped with some fresh vegetables and herbs… Instead of cream cheese you can mix some Mayonnaise with a dash of Sriracha sauce too… I served these crackers with wine to my guests and they all loved it!

Ombre Rose Cake Recipe

It was my hubby’s birthday a couple of days back and after much planning & discussion with him and our little one I finally decided to try an Ombre Cake with buttercream frosting... then came the part of choosing the color and both had their own views but finally I chose peach :D.... An Ombre cake is a layer cake with graded hues of a single colour, as well as matching, graded frosting. I used the same White Cake recipe from my Black and White Layer Cake and baked the cake in four 6 inch round pans. Rose frosting is inspired from Amanda and you can the detailed tutorial on her blog.... Here is how I made this cake.... 

Chocolate and Butterscotch Fudge Recipe

We don’t believe in celebrating love on one particular day and we never celebrated Valentine’s Day either.... But nowadays the internet is filled with love posts and I thought I too will update this space with something chocolaty this year for my lovely readers :)..... Making fudge at home is very easy and you only need few items to get the best homemade fudge within hours and with little effort! Fudge is a great option as a giveaway especially to kids; grownups will also relish these little bits.... Since my son doesn't enjoy nuts I didn't add any to this recipe..... If you enjoy nuts in your fudge you can add either walnuts, pistachios, almonds, cashew nuts or even a mix of your favorite nuts.... So please do try this very easy and tasty homemade fudge; you only need some chocolate and butterscotch chips, a can of condensed milk and 10 minutes of your time to prepare it, wait for it to set and indulge!

Kappa Masala / Kerala-Style Tapioca Masala Recipe

Kappa Masala is a new dish for me.... Back home we always used to make Kappa Puzhugiyathu, or Kappa Curry and Kappa Mathi Puzhukku with ground coconut and spices in it... This kappa masala does not have coconut and it’s a dry preparation like mezhukkupuratti....This can be eaten as a snack on it’s own,with tea or as a side dish with boiled rice.... I am part of the Kerala Kitchen group on FB and I made this dish especially for the group.... This recipe was adapted from Edible Garden, who is hosting the Kerala Kitchen cookout this month. So here is how I made this very easy Kappa Masala...

Mango Cheese Cake Recipe

This recipe was shared by Neethu, a friend of mine in Kuwait. You can make this in a spring form pan and cut it into wedges before serving or you can make it in individual dessert glasses. This time I made it using my small cake rings and it came out looking very pretty :).... For the first layer I baked the sponge cake in a jelly roll pan  as I was planning to assemble it using  small cake rings.  Alternatively, you can bake it in a square or spring form pan.... For the cake base you are free to use store bought sponge cake, eggless cake or ready to make cake mix.... For cream cheese I used Kiri cream cheese but you can use any brand you prefer.... Substitute mango with fresh strawberry jelly and pulp and you will get a beautiful pink cheese cake.... Do try this easy Mango Cheese Cake this Valentine’s Day and let me know how you like it.....

Pepper Chicken Masala

There are many different Pepper Chicken recipes; some are dry and some with little gravy…. Even I have a couple of different recipes … This recipe I got from my aunt and ever since I have been making this at least once a month… This goes very well with Indian pulavs and flat breads… Addition of coconut milk makes this curry very creamy…

My friend Bharathy of Spicy Chilly is hosting her first giveaway event along with CupoNatin… If you would like to participate in this giveaway and win exciting prizes check out her site and send in a spicy dish;  I am sending this spicy Pepper Chicken Masala to her… I love shopping through Flipkart…