The Frugal Cook is away

No credit crunch drinking recs this week or next I'm afraid as I'm away on a work trip to Australia. (Yes, jammy, I know) Normal service will be resumed after December 11th.

Bread Baking Babes 3 Year Babe-eversary!

3 years!

What lasts 3 years anymore? Not much.

What started for me 3 years ago with this baking group became something important and inspiring in my life. A group of ladies from different countries, different lives, different ages, different experience levels became Babes and friends and made a forum where we can talk and share both our triumphs and tragedies in bread and in life.

To celebrate our Third Anniversary of our group we decided to take a walk down memory lane. Bake a bread from our archives.

When we first made the decision, I thought I might made 3 breads, one from each year of Babe-hood, but man. I hate to say I don't have the time or energy right now. So I picked one I was most proud of the first time around.

I chose to make Gorel's Brunkans Langa bread again.

What I love about this bread is the color, the rustic shape of the loaf, the hearty and just slightly sour taste. I also love that although this is a bread that takes time (5 days), it is not a difficult bread. It's an easy bread when you want to bake but don't have a day or large chunk of a day to devote.

My beautiful Babes, past and present! I raise my glass to you. Thank you for the last 3 years. Thank you for your kindness and friendship and support and inspiration. I can't wait to see what we'll do next.

Cheers!

Green Chile Cheeseburger

I have always liked hamburgers. But when I was pregnant, I LOVED them. I ate them nearly every week, more often if possible. We mostly made our own at home, but we did eat them out occasionally - a few times at Red Robin (teriyaki burger with pineapple), if I was lucky enough to get my prenatal appointment scheduled just before lunch. I was not above fast food burgers either, and may have waddled over to McDonalds (more than once) on my lunch break for a hamburger (regular burger, extra ketchup). At home my favorite was a burger cooked on the barbecue with barbecue sauce and topped with cheese and relish. I never got very fancy, because spending time on fancy burgers meant it took longer before I could start eating.

We haven't had burgers very often lately, and I'm not sure why. It seems I am always looking for fast and easy and cheap and healthy meals, and I guess I forgot that a burger can fit that bill. Hey, 3 out of 4 ain't bad.

We were talking about burgers a few weeks ago and this recipe popped into my head - Robert Olguin's Buckhorn Burger recipe from Bobby Flay's Throwdown cookbook.

A green chile cheeseburger sounds like a lot of work, but this one really isn't. Cook your burger, and while it's cooking, heat a small pan, with a touch of oil, and add some diced red onion. Let that cook for a couple of minutes, then divide into piles (1 pile for each burger you are cooking). Top each pile with some cheese and let it sit over low heat to melt the cheese and soften the onions. In another pan mix some diced green chiles (we used canned) and some granulated garlic and warm through. Spoon the chiles on to the onion and cheese piles. Put your burgers on the buns, top the patty's with the onion/cheese/chile piles, and garnish with lettuce, tomato, pickles and mustard.

Yum, yum.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SpanishRecipesinpictures/~3/pXXz24SWKhM/llenties-amb-botifarra-blanca.html

My apologies but this post will be in Catalan. It's for a good cause: Catalan bloggers get together...

Get the rest in my blog! See you there!

IDLY FRY - VERSION 2

Recently my MIL was telling about the idly fry she had in her brother's place. I was attracted by the simple recipe and we tried with the left over idlies.It was very nice & tasty. Usually i add G&G , garam masala to make the fry. But this version is completely different from mine.No need to deep fry the idlies too. So its an easy & low calorie food.Do try this let me know friends.

INGREDIENTS :

• Left over idlies - 15 nos
• Sesame oil - 2 tbsp
• Salt - As needed.

To roast & grind :

• Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
• Red chilly - 4 nos ( long variety )
• Grated Coconut - 1 tbsp
• Small onion - 10 nos or Big onion - 1 no
• Jeera / cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp
• Cooking Oil - 1tsp

To temper :

• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Urad dal - 1 tbsp
• Channa dal - 1 tsbp
• Curry leaves - few
• Cooking oil -  1tbsp

To garnish :

• Coriander leaves - few

Lemon juice - few drops to taste.

METHOD :

• Heat oil in a kadai and roast the items given under 'To roast & grind ' except coconut.
• Grind all the roasted items along with grated coconut.Add little water & grind to a smooth paste.Set aside.
• Cut the idlies into small cubes.Mix the ground paste and toss well. Take care the idly pieces should not break.
• In a wide mouthed kadai , add oil and temper the items given above .
• Now add the masala coated idly pieces and saute well for few minutes by simmering the flame.Saute till the raw smell of masala disappears.
• Switch off the flame and add the lemon juice.
• Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve hot !!

The Frugal Cook is away

No credit crunch drinking recs this week or next I'm afraid as I'm away on a work trip to Australia. (Yes, jammy, I know) Normal service will be resumed after December 11th.

AVAL PAYASAM | RICE FLAKES PAYASAM

I make this payasam every friday for pooja. This is the simplest & delicious payasam that can be made in 10-15 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

• Thick rice flakes / poha/ Aval - 1 handful
  
• Powdered jaggery - 1/4 cup or little less
  
• Cardamom seeds - 2 nos (powdered)
  
• Ghee - 1 tsp
  
• Water - As  reqd
  
• Roasted Cashews - a few

For additional flavor

• Cloves /Krambu- 2 nos
  
• Roasted Nutmeg powder/ Jathikkai - A pinch
  
• Edible camphor / Pachai karpooram - a pinch

METHOD

• Heat a kadai with a tbsp of ghee and roast the cashews.Set aside
  
• In the same kadai, roast the aval and cardamom together for 3-4 mins. Aval becomes crispy and turns little brown.
  
• Allow it to cool. Powder it finely along with cardamom.
  
• Now take the water in a bowl and add the powdered aval.Cover and cook for 5 mins. Stir in between and check the water level.
  
• Add more water if needed. Now add the powdered jaggery and mix well.
  
• Allow it to boil for 5-10 mins. Finally add the roasted cashews. Add the items given under 'flavor' if necessary.

****Add  little milk at the end to adjust the sweetness. Enjoy !!
NOTE:

U can add coconut milk for richness. But it should be added at the end before switching off the flame. If u feel sweetness is more, add little boiled milk. When u add milk along with jaggery , payasam gives a curdled look.To avoid this, add milk only at the end. If u want, u can replace jaggery with sugar. Here i've powdered the aval. If u wish, u can roast the aval and cook as it is. It will take little more time to cook.

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