A long Hiatus and then a Red Velvet Cake

“You're only human. You live once and life is wonderful so eat the damn red velvet cupcake!”

― Emma Stone

This is my first post since June. My longest hiatus ever on this blog.
I will not elaborate on the reasons why- But the fact is I am back on this blog- not sure for how long, or how consistent I will be, but I am definitely going to try.
Amongst the various other things that have happened, a lot of baking and cooking surely did. This post is special- especially after the hiatus, but then it was celebratory and also made me push my boundaries a bit.
The red velvet cake was done as a part of the celebratory cakes; this time for the mother-in-law. A lot of red, a hint of gold, this one was quite appropriate.

The recipe was adapted from the 2 baking goddesses.
For the cake, Nigella's recipe here

And for the cream cheese frosting, Martha Stewart's recipe here.
For all those who shy away from this very popular, seemingly complicated cake, It is one of the simplest ever, leading to astounding results. Do try. After all, we are only human and cake is just one of those things worth living for.

Baked Potato- Guest Post by NB

This post is one of my favourite dishes- and by one of my favourite persons.

An art in itself, its perfect for a night in- some comfort food, and a movie night in. A combined effort by SB, and the little RB and NB, I have been lucky enough to have this meal with them. A fond memory :) And I am glad they have shared this with me. Personally, I love this as it is with some bacon on top.

Hi, I am NB. I am 10 years old and this is my first post. Something I can eat any time of the year and day is the delicious baked potato topped with cheese, green onions, bacon bits and sour cream. This dish is even better when you eat it with delicious spicy wings. 

To get started use a good starchy potato like Idaho or Russet. White or Gold potatoes come close to the real thing but aren’t my first choice. Wash the spuds thoroughly to remove any dirt. Wipe dry with a cloth. 

Pierce the potatoes with a fork. Rub the potatoes with olive oil and salt.

Bake directly on the rack at 350 Deg F for about an hour. Some recipes call for wrapping the potato in aluminum foil. I believe putting the potato directly on the rack produces the perfect combination of crispy skin and fluffy center. Adjust the cooking time to the size of the potato. 

Now is the fun part, when we get to top the potato. Split the potato down the middle lengthwise. You can pretty much put what you like. I have used shredded cheese, green onions, sour cream and Bacon bits on my potato. 

I love this dish and this is one of my personal favorites. 

Traditional Custard- Guest Post by Shikha Bajaj

 
Most often, it is the good old dish, that brings a smile to my face.
Having not been so regular with posting, my SIL has come to my rescue again, with a post that is definitely one of my favourites. Like she says, the traditional custard, conjures childhood memories for me too. In fact, Most often it was one of my most favourite desserts as a kid. Even later, in my years in London, for a short time when I was staying in a student hostel while looking for a house, I would come back to the hostel cafetaria only to eat the best custard ever. For all those who love custard, and don't want the artificial flavouring that comes out of a box- this is The Recipe to try.

Growing up in India, I always thought Custard was one of those things that happened when you mixed milk with that powder that came in a box. At best, you ate it with seasonal and dry fruits. Honestly it was one of those desserts that I could not be forced to partake if my life depended on it.

My husband on the other hand loved it. He loved it as a child, and loves it now. For him, it was a dessert that brought back childhood memories. It has taken me close to fifteen years of being married to finally appreciate this dessert.

I have found a recipe that is simple but gives truly delectable results. I hope you like it too.

Spinach and Babycorn Bake

This recipe has been lying in my folder for months.

And with all the celebratory posts taking up all of May- I have finally found time to post this one up.

In the last few weeks, I have been surrounded by ironically, many conversations of food habits. Through my growing up years, in our household, we were not allowed to ‘not Like’ any vegetables. You just had to eat what was made. What a brilliant idea- any parent would wonder. I guess my parents did too. So, till date, both me and brother are happy eating baingan ka bharta, lauki, karela, and these have become dishes, we both miss now that we are away from home. In fact, when we do go back for meals- These are things that we ask our mom for. Lucky her- I am sure her joys hold no bound, when her son asks for baingan ka bharta on his first day back home.

As an adult in my 30’s I couldn’t agree less.  But what it has done is that this has spoilt me a little. I now think that since all my childhood, I have been a good kid, eating everything possible, today,  I have the liberty to use my tastes and likings to not have things that I don’t like, or at least when made a certain way. One such dish is Beans aloo (Traditional Indian Beans and Potatoes). I love beans, but when they are nice and crisp, grilled or otherwise, as an accompaniment to a flavoured grilled chicken or even in garlicky pasta. Over the years, Beans aloo is one dish I just do not enjoy. It’s also funny, how both ak and his mom love it and hence it will always be a part of my culinary life. Ironically, I have become a bit of a fussy eater, only with age. Guess that’s what age does and I only hope it doesn’t get worse.

This post is not about Beans- it is actually about spinach. What beans is to me, is what spinach is to many others I know- especially a lot of kids. Another one of those vegetables that many people don’t like or begin to not like with age. I however, love this baked dish with spinach and corn or mushrooms, and the combination of crunchy corn with soggy, garlicky spinach is perfect. The reason I am posting a bake, is because in the current heat of Delhi, when one wants to spend little time in the kitchen, this dish can be prepared well in advance when entertaining or even for a simple dinner, served with bread and a salad. Its nutritious benefits- I guess I don’t even need to talk about. Do try- The flavours are immense.

p.s. an alternate version with Broccoli can be found here.