Tequila

Spicy Grapefruit Margarita

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons tequila

1–2 habanero chiles, halved

Kosher salt

6 cups fresh pink grapefruit juice

Mix tequila and chiles in a large pitcher. Let steep 3 hours, or longer if a spicier tequila is desired. Discard chiles. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 month ahead. Cover; chill.

Pour enough water onto a small plate to cover. Pour enough salt onto another small plate to cover by 1/4". Dip rims of eight 12-ounce glasses into water, then into salt to lightly coat; fill with ice. Add grapefruit juice to pitcher with tequila. Fill with ice; stir until cold. Divide drink among glasses.

Cactus Fruit Cocktails

4 prickly pears, peeled

Ice

4 ounces tequila

1 1/2 ounces triple sec

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

1 tablespoon sugar

Coarse-grained salt for rimming (optional)

Lime slices for garnish (optional)

Place the prickly pears in a blender and pulse until liquefied. Strain the juice into a small bowl (you should have about 1 cup of juice).

Fill a large cocktail shaker with ice, add the prickly pear juice, tequila, triple sec, lime juice, and sugar and shake vigorously.

Pour into glasses filled with ice, rimmed with salt or sugar, if you like. Garnish with lime slices.

Variation: For a fancy party cocktail, combine some chipotle chile powder with your coarse-grained salt before rimming the glasses. The smoky, spicy salt will make a nice complement to the sweet, fruity drink.

Blackberry-Poblano Margarita

1 tablespoon fresh blackberries

1 tablespoon diced poblano peppers, or 1 1/2 tablespoons, if very mild

1 ounce silver tequila

3/4 ounce Cointreau

In a cocktail shaker, muddle the blackberries and poblano peppers. Shake with the tequila, Cointreau, and ice. Strain into a martini glass.

Note: If working with fresh blackberries, raspberries, or blueberries, to avoid pulp or seeds in your glass, strain before serving. Blackberries not in season? Use frozen berries.

Image and Recipe Credit: www.epicurious.com

Navratri

NAVRATRI VRAT RECIPE

SUKHA ALOO

Ingredients:

1/2 tsp mango powder

3 tbsp oil

salt to taste

kadi pata

5-6 boiled potatoes

2-3 green chilies

1/2 tsp red chilly powder

How to make sukha aloo :

• Put oil in a pan.
• Heat up the oil and mix in kadi pata, green chilies and red chilly powder and mix it well.
• Now mix in the boiled potatoes cut in small cubes and fry the potatoes in the pan.
• When the potatoes are half cooked mix in salt and mango powder.
• Mix well.
• When the potatoes look little crispy and golden brown turn the gas off.

Gajar Halva

Gajar halva is a luxurious Indian dessert made from carrots slowly cooked down with sweetened milk and spices. This version is fast enough for weeknights and brings the warmth of the Indian sun to mind

.
Ingredient: 

• 1 pound carrots, coarsely grated
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

• Accompaniment: whole-milk plain yogurt

Method: 

Bring carrots, cream, raisins, sugar, and cardamom to a boil with 1/8 teaspoon salt in a 3- o 3 1/2-quart heavy saucepan, then cover and gently boil, stirring occasionally, until most of liquid has evaporated, about 25 minutes. Uncover and boil, stirring often, until liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Serve warm.

Image Credit: http://www.blogymate.com/post.aspx?blogid=2886&t=CARROT-HALWA-RECIPE

Recipe Credit: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Quick-Gajar-Halva-351296

Cupcakes

Cherry-Almond Vanilla Cupcakes

Ingredients

½ cup butter

4 egg whites

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¾ cup buttermilk or sour milk*

1/3 cup maraschino cherry juice

1-1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon almond extract

12 maraschino cherries, halved

1 recipe Cherry-Almond Butter Frosting

Maraschino cherries with stems (optional)

directions

1. Allow butter and egg whites to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, line twenty-four 2-1/2-inch muffin cups with paper bake cups (or coat with cooking spray). In a medium bowl stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. In a 2-cup glass measuring cup combine buttermilk and cherry juice; set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, vanilla, and almond extract; beat until combined. Add egg whites, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk mixture to beaten mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined.

3. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full. Use the back of a spoon to smooth out batter in cups. Press a cherry half into batter in each cup.

4. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched. Cool cupcakes in muffin cups on wire racks for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from muffin cups. Cool completely on wire racks.

5. Using a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip, pipe Cherry-Almond Butter Frosting over tops of cupcakes. If desired, top with cherries. Makes 24 (2-1/2-inch) cupcakes.

Cherry-Almond Butter Frosting: Allow 1/2 cup butter to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Gradually add 1 cup powdered sugar, beating well. Beat in 3 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice or milk and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract. Gradually beat in 3 cups additional powdered sugar. If necessary, beat in additional juice or milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until frosting reaches a spreading consistency. Makes 2 cups frosting.

*Test Kitchen Tip: To make 3/4 cup sour milk, place 2 teaspoons lemon juice or vinegar in a glass measuring cup. Add enough milk to make 3/4 cup liquid; stir. Let the mixture stand for 5 minutes before using.

nutrition facts

Calories262 Total Fat (g)8 Saturated Fat (g)5, Monounsaturated Fat (g)2, Cholesterol (mg)21, Sodium (mg)151, Carbohydrate (g)47, Total Sugar (g)37, Protein (g)2, Calcium (DV%)3, Iron (DV%)3, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Image and Recipe Credit: bhg.com

Masala Chai

Spiced Milk Tea (Masala Chai)

Enjoyed by millions in India, masala chai, a spiced, sweetened black tea mixed with milk, is now popular around the world. It is sold all over India by chai wallahs, or tea vendors, who pour the tea from big kettles into small cups. Americans have incorrectly shortened the name to chai (which means simply "milk tea"); masala refers to the combination of spices, which often includes cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, pepper, fennel, and star anise. Although there are many chai blends available in supermarkets, making your own is quick and satisfying, and the results are much better.

• Ingredients: 
• 10 green cardamom pods, cracked, seeds removed, and pods discarded, or 1/2 teaspoon cardamom seeds or ground cardamom
• 1 (1 1/2-inch) piece cinnamon stick
• 4 peppercorns (preferably white)
• 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 2 cups whole milk
• 3 1/2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 cups water
• 5 teaspoons loose orange pekoe tea or other black tea

• Equipment: a mortar and pestle or an electric coffee/spice grinder

Preparation: 

Grind together cardamom, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, and fennel seeds with mortar and pestle or coffee/spice grinder.

Bring milk just to a simmer in a 2-quart heavy saucepan. Stir or whisk in brown sugar, ground spice mixture, ginger, and 1/8 teaspoon salt, or to taste. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes to infuse flavors.

Meanwhile, bring water to a boil in a 1-quart saucepan, add tea, and boil 1 minute.

Pour tea through a fine-mesh sieve into hot milk mixture (discard tea leaves) and cook over low heat 1 minute. Stir before serving.

Image Credit: flicker.com
Recipe Credit: epicurious.com

Jalebi

Jalebis are small, bright yellow, web-shaped cakes similar to funnel cakes. They are popular celebration and street cakes in Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, and India. Soaking them in saffron syrup and then drying them gives the cakes a crispy outer shell. They are made with maida flour (a finely milled wheat flour) and Bengal gram flour (a flour milled from chickpeas), both of which can be found at Indian groceries. If you can't find them, use cake or pastry flour. If you can find fresh yeast, use it instead of the dry yeast; that is the traditional method and it adds to the flavor.

Ingredients: 

• 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon plus 2/3 cup water
• 1 1/2 cups maida flour
• 2 teaspoons Bengal gram flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ghee, melted
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 4 drops yellow food coloring
• 2 cups ghee for frying, melted
• 1 3/4 cups lime-saffron syrup

Preparation: 

To make the batter
Dissolve the yeast in 1 tablespoon of the water and let sit for just 10 minutes, and no longer. In a large bowl, combine the maida flour and Bengal gram flour. Add the yeast, melted ghee, sugar, lemon juice, yellow food coloring, and remaining 2/3 cup water and mix until there are no more lumps.

To fry the jalebis
Melt enough ghee in a heavy-bottomed pot to fill it 1 inch deep. Line plates with paper towels for draining the fried cakes. Pour the lime-saffron syrup into a saucepan over low heat, to keep it warm. Fit a pastry bag with a small writing tip, and pour the batter into the bag.

Squeeze 2-inch round whorls of batter into the hot ghee, working closely from the center out. Fry until golden brown on the bottom, then flip to fry on the other side until it's golden brown. Remove the jalebis from the oil and set on paper towels to drain. Transfer the hot cakes to the lime-saffron syrup and let soak for a minute or two.

To serve
Serve the jalebis warm in small bowls with syrup. Or you can remove the jalebis from the syrup and set on a rack to dry for 3 to 4 hours, until the syrup has formed a hard shell.

Variation
Indian Spice Jalebi Add 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom to the batter and 3 whole cloves to the syrup.

Image and Recipe Credit: epicurious.com

Smoothie

                            Avocado Smoothie

• 1 ripe avocado, halved and pitted
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
• Basil, thinly sliced

• Ingredient info: To ripen avocados more quickly, place them in a sealed paper bag with an apple or a banana for 24 hours.

Scoop the flesh from the avocado into a blender. Add milk, lime juice, sugar, and chopped basil; purée. Add 1 cup ice; purée until smooth.

Divide between 2 chilled glasses and garnish with thinly sliced basil.

Image and Recipe Credit: epicurious.com

Caramel Apples

Red Wine Caramel Apples

yield: Makes 8 apples
active time:30 min
total time: 1 hr

Ingredients
• 8 small McIntosh apples, stemmed, washed well, and dried
• 1 1/2 cups red wine
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 6 tablespoons heavy cream

• Equipment: 8 wooden ice-pop sticks; a candy thermometer

Preparation
Insert a wooden stick halfway into each apple at stem end. Line a tray with wax paper and lightly grease paper.

Boil wine in a small saucepan over medium heat until reduced to 1/2 cup, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Bring sugar and water to a boil in a 2 1/2-to 3-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved, then wash down any sugar crystals from side of pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. Boil, without stirring, swirling pan occasionally so caramel colors evenly, until dark amber. Add reduced wine (mixture will bubble up and steam) and swirl pan. Add cream and simmer, stirring, until incorporated, then continue to simmer until thermometer registers 238°F. Remove from heat and cool to 200°F.

Holding apples by the sticks, dip them in caramel and swirl to coat, letting excess drip off, then hold apples up (stick end down) for about 15 seconds to allow more caramel to set on apples. Put caramel apples, stick side up, on greased wax paper and let stand until caramel firms up, about 30 minutes.

Image and Recipe Credit: shine.yahoo.com

Tofu

Tofu or bean curd is a food made by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into soft white blocks. It is part of East Asian and Southeast Asian cuisine such as Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and others. There are many different varieties of tofu, including fresh tofu and tofu that has been processed in some way. Tofu has a subtle flavor and can be used in savory and sweet dishes. It is often seasoned or marinated to suit the dish. 

Major Nutrients Found In Tofu

Storing/Selecting

When selecting tofu you’ll have a choice between firm and softer varieties and you should always watch the expiration date before purchasing to be sure that you have the longest shelf-life time available.

Tofu can be frozen if you don’t plan to use it in the near future and once it is opened, tofu should be rinsed and kept in a container covered with water.

For best taste, use within one week from opening.

Eat It With:

Tofu can be eaten in a number of different ways such as scrambled, stir-fried, or added into soups or processed in a blender and made into a breakfast or dessert type of dish.

Burn Off Tofu

To burn off the number of calories in a serving of tofu you would have to do:

• 30 minutes water volleyball
• 27 minutes mowing the lawn
• 32 minutes billiards