Dreadlock Girl
2Dec/083

Thanksgiving Delights

our little bungaree family headed up to Tumwater to be with my brother and his little family for Thanksgiving. The boys LOVE their cousin especially, but also their aunt and uncle. It was a great time with family.





food time.






19Nov/087

Samosa recipe

Manjula is amazing, she has so many fun Indian recipes to try. She has a website with tons of recipes and youtube demos to make it easier for the clueless like me!! Today I am going to make these samosas, and I have already made Dal is on the stove cooking right now!!! If you could smell the aroma in my home, you'd be pounding on my door for some food, YUM!


Manjula's kitchen
has 72 different videos on YouTube if you are as much and Indian cuisine fanatic as me you will drool watching it. She makes it all look much easier, and removes the scary mystery out of a food that here would seem a little intimidating, since we have no idea how to make it. OH, it is so worth stepping out!!! I will tell you how they samosas go!

If you have any pointers for me let me know!

Here is the Samosa recipe directly from Manjula's kitchen!!!

SAMOSA

Makes 8 samosas.

Samosa

Ingredients:

  • Dough:
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 tablespoon sooji (semolina flour)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 11/2 tablespoons oil
  • 1/4 cup minus 2 tablespoon lukewarm water

Filling:

  • 3 large boiled potatoes, peeled and chopped into very small cubes
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 2 chopped green chilies
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon amchur (mango powder)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 1/2 cup green peas (frozen)

Method

Dough:

  1. Mix the flour, sooji, salt, oil and salt togather to make a soft dough (add more water as needed).
  2. knead the dough for about 1 to 2 minutes to make the dough smooth and pliable.
  3. Set the dough aside and cover it with damp cloth. Let the dough sit for at least 15 minutes.

Filling:

  1. Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium high heat. Test the heat by adding one cumin seed to the oil; if it cracks right away oil is ready.
  2. Add cumin seeds as cumin seeds crack, add green chilies, coriander powder and stir for few seconds.
  3. Next add green peas and turn heat to medium and stir until tender.
  4. Add the potatoes and stir-fry for about 4 minutes. Stir in garam masala and amchur. Add more salt or amchur according to taste.
  5. Let the filling cool to room temperature.

Making Samosa:

  1. Take 2 tablespoons of water and 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour to make a paste and keep aside.
  2. Knead the dough for a minute.
  3. Divide the dough into 4 equal parts and make into balls.
  4. Roll each ball into 6-inch diameter circles and cut each circle in half.
  5. Spread the paste lightly all along the edge of one semicircle. Pick this semicircle up with both hands and fold it into a cone shape. Pinch the side of this cone so that it is completely sealed.
  6. Fill the cone with 3 tablespoons of filling. Press this filling down with your fingers. Now close the top of this cone into a triangle shape, pinching the top edge so that it is completely sealed.
  7. Continue filling the rest of the samosas.
  8. Heat about 1-1/2 inch of the oil in a frying pan on medium heat. To check if oil is hot enough place a small piece of dough in oil and dough should sizzle and come to the surface slowly.
  9. Place the samosas in the frying pan a few at a time.
  10. After samosas are floating on top of the oil turn them slowly. Fry the samosas until the samosas turn a light golden-brown color on all sides. If you use a high heat, the samosa crust will be too soft and not crispy.

Tips:

  1. Boil the potatoes just until tender. Be careful not to poke the potatoes multiple times while they are cooking, as they will absorve the water. Drain immediately and keep aside until cool enough to touch.
  2. The dough has to be kneaded well; otherwise, the samosas will not come out as crisp.
  3. If the filled samosas sit for too long, they will dry. To avoid this, cover with a damp cloth.

Suggestions:

  1. Samosa can be prepared ahead of time and can be freeze for a month.
  2. Before freezing fry them enough until samosa changes the color to very light gold brown.
  3. After samosas are on room temperature bag them in zip lock bags and freeze them.
  4. To use frozen samosas take out as many you need and fry them on medium heat.

If you make it let me know how it turns out!!! I will be trying it tonight :)

22Sep/083

the simple pleasures: egg, toms, and buttered bread

Here is a food post on simplifying our food. this is what we had today for lunch. tomatoes with salt, pepper, oil and vinegar, bread with butter, and an egg. This could be lunch, it could be dinner, it could be breakfast...take your pick. I just know that it has amazing nutrients and only takes minutes to make. (well, longer if you make your own bread too...but it is fully worth it :)

I am adoring my tomatoes this year, super-sweet, filled with juice and never mushy. Ahhhh....so if you want a veggie side dish, just toms like this: cut them up, add olive oil, a tiny bit of vinegar, pepper and salt to taste. divine. these flavours always bring me back to my days in spain, as this is really the only salad dressing they use. oh, there are a couple more in the bowl, I am off to eat them. I can't get over the salty,sweet, tangy, peppery goodness.

what simple recipes could you eat over and over?

31Jul/084

natives of my strange land

yummy food, comfy blanket, and...two bungaree boys with an apettite:
but then they notice my yerba mate, look at the faces they make...huh.

closer, and closer they get. look at the strange savages in their bungaree habitat.

wanting to check out what is inside. no worries though, of course they didn't get any...it is "mamma's yucky drink". Daddy has his coffee, and mamma has yucky :) (as long as I don't have to share there are few things I wouldn't let them call it!)


24Jun/080

the yummiest tomato soup ever!

So, not only is it the most scrumptios tom soup you have ever tasted, it is also the fastest! I am only divulging this amazingly great soup because I think it would be considered sin to keep it from you :). I have made this on warm days and cold days, and we always seem to be excited to eat it...so here it is:

(below I mention "can" without a size because it doesn't matter what size you use as long as they are all the same size, all 16 oz, all 8 oz....whatever)
one can of stewed toms
on can of tom soup
one can of milk (plus a tad of half+half for extra delight)
warm it up in pot
plate up in large bowls
crumble at least 2 Tbs. of Gorgonzola on top of each serving
serve it with dried (or fresh) parsley sprinkled on top of each serving

suggested sides: salad and homemade bread (or the daily fresh french bread from safeway would be excellent too!)


This makes for a super yummy soup, I think the reason it is so good, is because it has the chunks of the canned tomatoes, they are sweet and really just make it seem fresh. It is not thick and yuck, like some middle school tomato soup (remember that and grilled cheese!) it is so different and yummy that you have to give it a try! I can my own tomatoes in the late summer, and this year I will be sure to do an extra bunch just to have this soup whenever I please next year.

2Jan/081

corn chips

Recipe for homemade corn chips:
(found on p. 310 of More-With-Less: a world community cookbook)

Corn Chips:
(I would double this one too, but I always double)

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F

Combine in mixing bowl:
1 C. yellow cornmeal
2/3 C. flour
1 t. Salt
1 t. baking powder
1T. dry milk solids

Stir together in separate bowl:
1/2 C. water
1/4 C. oil
1/2 t. Worcestershire sauce
1/8 t. Tabasco sauce

*Add liquids to dry mixture and stir with fork.
*Knead a little until smooth.
*Grease two cookie sheets (10 by 15") and sprinkle each with cornmeal.
*Divide dough in half directly onto cookie sheet with floured rolling pin, rolling dime thin.
*Sprinkle lightly with paprika, salt, garlic, or seasoned salt.
*Run rolling pin over once more.
*Prick with fork.
*Cut in squares or triangles.
*Bake 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

ENJOY!! (hummus is great on these, or salsa or a soft cheese!!! YUM!)

2Jan/081

scones

Scones...these are so amazing, and such a staple in our baking diet that I have to add the recipe. For you to share with me. I initially printed this off from joyofbaking.com in 2004 and have used it very frequently (as in "like a ton") here it is, this is my version of it :

Cream Scones: (I ALWAYS double the recipe!)

2 C. flour
1/3 C. white sugar
2 t. baking powder
1/8 t. salt
1/3 C. unsalted butter
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 t. pure vanilla extract
1/2 C. heavy whipping cream

Egg mixture for brushing tops of scones:
1 large egg
1 T. heavy cream

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

*Wisk all scone ingredients together, do not over mix.
*Knead dough gently on floured surface.
*Roll and cut (pizza cutter works really well).
*Brush scones with the Egg mixture above.
*Bake for 15 min. or lightly brown.
*Transfer to wire rack to cool.
*Serve with devonshire cream and or jam.

These scones freeze very well.
You can add whatever you want to them. I don't make the plain ones. I have mainly made chocolate chip and lavender. For lavender add 1 t. dried lavender (per batch).

Filed under: Baking, food, recipes, scones 1 Comment