Macaroni Casserole

Oh I'm easyyyyyyy, easy like sunday morning! There's a new tradition at home now. The guys get to cook Sunday lunch. Yaaay for the girls. Its funny how Nits is looking over at the TV from the kitchen all the time craving for his Sunday football. This is how it works. I pick out the recipe and they make it. This week I picked Tarla Dalal's macaroni hotpot recipe. So easy and very very fingerlicking yummy. They did a very good job. Now if only everyday was a sunday.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni, boil in salted water , drain and keep aside

Two onions, sliced in rings

One large green pepper/capsicum, sliced in rings

One can baked beans

4 tomatoes, boil in water for about 5 minutes, skin and chop them (or use canned diced tomatoes)

1/4 cup tomato ketchup

4 cloves chopped garlic

1-2 tbsp butter

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

salt to taste

Method

Melt butter in a deep pot. Add onion rings and saute till transparent. Add green pepper rings and saute a bit more. Remove a few onion and pepper rings for garnish. Add garlic and tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes. Add macaroni, ketchup, beans and salt. Mix well and cook till heated through. Grease a casserole with butter. Add the mixture into it. Cover with onion and pepper rings. Sprinkle grated cheese on top. Bale covered for 20 minutes at 400 F. Serve hot with a side salad.

Vanilla -Raspberry Panna Cotta

I'm going to keep this short. Have to rush and finish my experiment before going to pick up Sahana from day care. If you're looking for a quick no-egg dessert....this is it. This is from my Betty Crocker cookbook. Super fast and easy. Replace the vanilla essence for any other essence for a different flavor and replace the raspberries for peaches or strawberries. A very versatile dessert.



Ingredients (serves 4)

Panna Cotta

2 cups half and half
1 1/2 tsp gelatin
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/4 cup sugar
dash of salt

Raspberry sauce

1/2 carton fresh raspberries (save remaining)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tsp cornstarch

Method

Sprinkle gelatin over half and half in a saucepan and let it sit for about 10-15 minutes to soften. Place half and half over medium high heat and stir constantly till gelatin dissolves completely. Do not let the cream boil. Remove from heat and stir in sugar, essence and salt. I had to put the cream mixture back on for a few minutes and stir to get all the gelatin dissolved. Cool the mixture and pour into ramekins/bowls and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

For the sauce mix cornstarch in water and sugar. Bring to a boil. Add the fresh raspberries and keep stirring as the mixture boils and thickens. Once the raspberries are completely dissolved and the mixture has thickened to a sauce like consistency remove from heat and run the mixture through a sieve to remove the seeds (you can skip the sieving if you like the seeds in). Pour into a jar. This sauce can be refrigerated for upto a month.

Once the custard is set, pour sauce over the custard. Garnish with fresh raspberries and serve.

Meatless Enchiladas

This weekend was awesome. We drove down to Port Townsend and spent the day at the beach. Sahana loved the sand and had a whale of a time.


On Sunday decided to give my in-laws a taste of something new. They aren't really much into non-Indian cuisine and they're vegetarian so I thought of making something mexican for them to try. Here is my recipe for semi homemade enchiladas.

Ingredients (serves 4)

8 medium sized corn Tortillas
Oil
1 cup diced green, red and yellow peppers mix (or any pepper)
1 large onion diced
2 pods garlic, chopped
1 small can of refried beans (if you don't get this where you live, soak kidney beans for a couple of hours, slow cook with salt, cumin and red pepper till cooked to a mush. You can also completely omit this or replace with cooked black beans)
1 can enchilada sauce or to make your own try this recipe
Mexican cheese grated or any kind of melty cheese you get where you live

Method
Heat oil not to a frying temp but hot. Place tortillas in hot oil for a few seconds and remove. Place on a hot plate. Fry garlic onions and peppers in remaining oil till soft and tender. Take one tortilla and place onion pepper mix along the center. Add beans and cheese over it. Fold tortilla and place fold side down in a rectangular baking dish. Do the same with the remaining tortillas, lining up all the tortillas along the dish. Pour enchilada sauce over the tortillas till they are completely immersed in it. Sprinkle cheese on top and bake at 350 for 10 minutes till cheese completely melts.