Vegetable Noodles

A noodle is a type of food with a thin and elongated shape made from unleavened dough that is cooked in a boiling liquid. These are cooked in water or broth, then drained. Other foods can be added (for example a pasta sauce) or the noodles are added to other foods  or the noodles can be served plain with a dipping sauce or oil to be added at the table. In general, noodles are soft and absorb flavors.

Ingrediants: 

 2 packets vegetable noodles

2 carrots, cut into thin slits

3 eggs,scrambled

2capsicums

corn-4tbsp

2 potaotes,cut in slits and apply salt(a pinch)

green beans-cut in slits

2Tbsp soya sauce

2tbsp tomato ketchup

1 taste maker

Method: 

• Take about 2 cups of water and when it comes to boil at the noodles ,add maggie or tastemaker and cook covered for 4 mins.keep aside
• In a frying pan,on a high flame,add oil and add the green beans and cook for 5-6 mins,tossing frequently .Keep aside
• In the same pan,add carrots and capsicums and toss for 2 minutes and remove from heat.Keep aside.
• Add a little more oil to the pan,add the eggs ,add a pinch of salt and after2-3 minutes just scramble it.Keep aside
• Fry potatoes till done.keep aside
• Now to the noodle mixture add all the fried ingrediants,add the soya sauce and tomato ketchup .Mix well and cover for 2 minutes.
•   Serve hot.Enjoy
  

Teaching Children's Proper Table Manners and Etiquette

When your kids demonstrate proper table manners, it can be a matter of pride for you as a parent. However, children don't just learn table manners on their own-they need to be taught and reminded of how to properly use table etiquette.
Teaching table manners must be done in an age appropriate way. Don't expect a toddler to properly use utensils, for example. However, you can teach a toddler not to throw food.

It may take several months to get your children to develop new and nicer table manners, but it can be done.

Here are some simple tips that you can follow.......

• Teach your child to wash his hands before meals.

• Instill in your child proper etiquette to say "excuse me," "please" and "thank you." Set the example by using the words yourself .

• Correct a toddler when he throws food.

• Instruct your children in the proper use of utensils.It is enough that a toddler knows a spoon is for soup and a fork is for vegetables. Older children, however, should be shown how to hold and use utensils properly.
•  Children are naturally messy eaters  Show them how to chew with their mouth closed and never to talk with food in their mouth. 

• Explain to your children that it is polite to wait for everyone to be served before beginning to eat.

• Tell your children that you expect them to say, "May I please be excused?" when they are done eating and wait for permission to leave the table rather than simply getting up and leaving the table whenever they feel like it.

Teaching children table manners is not something that you all of a sudden "do." It's a process that takes time. You'll have the best results if you start teaching table manners while your child is still using a high chair.

.

Rich Christmas Cake

Christmas cake is a type of  fruitcake served at Christmas time .
A Christmas cake may be light or dark, crumbly-moist to sticky-wet, spongy to heavy, leavened or unleavened, shaped round, square or oblong as whole cakes, with marzipan, icing, glazing, dusting with icing sugar, or plain.
This again comes straight from my mom's kitchen. She prepares it every year for christmas.After my marriage i tried it on my own for the first and it turned out just as good.
It is a light and crumbly cake,particularly good for people who don't like very moist cakes.
Ingredients:

•     500gms all purpose flour
•      500gms Sugar
•      500gms Butter
•     12 Eggs
•      1 tsp. cinnamon
•      1 tsp. mixed spice
•      ½ tsp. salt
•      4  tbsp candied peel
•      4 tbsp cherries
•     4 tbsp sultans
•       4tbsp raisins
•      2 cups. Dried fruit
•      4 tbsp blanched almonds
•      4 tbsp Rum
•      Finely grated 1 lemon

Method:

• Sieve together all the dry ingredients.
• Mix the peel, fruit, cherries, chopped almonds and lemon rind
• Whisk the eggs and Rum together
• Cool the cake in the tin,decorate it with almonds and dry fruits and then store in an airtight container.
• Add the flour and egg mixtures alternately
• Stir in the fruit mixture.
• Put into an baking tin, lined with greaseproof paper round the sides and at the bottom.Put in the middle of a hot oven. 
• Bake till skewer inserted comes out clean 
• Cool the cake in the tin,decorate it with almonds and dry fruits and then store in an airtight container.

Ginger Tea

Ginger tea is not only a refreshing beverage, but is also full of health benefits.
On a cold, wintry day there is nothing like a steaming, aroma-filled cup of ginger tea to warm you up and awaken your senses. Prized for its healing properties and for adding flavor to dishes, this ordinary looking brown spice has been used since ages in eastern cultures. If you should sink your teeth into a fresh piece of ginger root, you will feel the sun’s fire coursing through you, as some anonymous person so eloquently said.

It’s this very fiery characteristic of the ginger root that gives it much of its medicinal properties, both in its dried as well as raw form. The dried ginger root is a thermogenic, expectorant, laxative, appetizer, stimulant, as well as an effective cure for stomach disorders. Hence, the dried ginger root is ground and used to cure a whole range of ailments like coughs, colds, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, inflammations of the joints, flatulence, motion sickness, colic, cholera, asthma, headaches, and even anorexia. Raw ginger is also a thermogenic, and is also an anti-flatulent, digestive, appetizer, and a laxative.
Ginger tea has been used as a remedy against flu and colds for centuries, both in India and China, as well as other countries in the east. According to Chinese culture, its powerful yang energy is what warms the lungs and stomach. Ginger tea has been used in China for 2,500 years to treat sore throat, nasal congestion, and sinus pain.


 Ingrediants:

• 4 cups of water 
• 4-5 slices of fresh ginger 
• 2 cups of milk, 
• 4 teaspoons of tea leaves
• sugar (according to taste)    

 Method:

• Put the water, ginger slices in a saucepan, bring to boil
• Then cover and simmer for about ten minutes. 
• Add the tea leaves and milk, and simmer for another two minutes.
• Turning off the heat, allow it to steep for about 4-5 minutes, or according to how strong you want it.
• Strain the tea, and add sugar according to taste. 
• Serve hot.

Tuna and Corn Salad

s

 Ingrediants:

• 1 tin tuna or sardines,remove bones and mash well
• 1 cup sweet corn
• 1 large onion ,chopped finely
• 1 green chilli, chopped
• 1 tomato chopped finely
• corainder leaves,chopped

 Method:

• Mix all the above ingrediants well
• Serve as a accompaniment to pulao .

Aloo Bhaji

This easy potato recipe Potato Masala is also called Aloo Subji or Potato Bhaji.
Alu or Aloo means Potato in hindi. This is a very quick and easy to make dish. This Potato fry dish, is a good accompaniment with any Indian Bread, such as chapati, Poori or with Dosa, the Indian Vegan Pancake.

Potato masala is served in restaurants as well as in indian homes with Indian Breads such as Chapati , Poori, Dosa.
In many homes, this potato subji is the favorite accompaniment for chapati and poori. If you like potatoes, you are going to like this potato bhaji.

Ingrediants:

• 3 large potatoes, peeled and boiled
•     1 teaspoon mustard seeds
•     5 to 6 curry leaves
•     4 green chillies, chopped
•     5 small onions, chopped
•     a pinch turmeric powder (haldi)
•     1 teaspoon jeera seeds
•     juice of 1 lemon
•     1/4 cup chopped coriander
•    1/4 cup green peas,boiled
•    2 tablespoons oil 

Method: 

• Boil the potatoes, mash and keep aside
• Heat oil in a pan and when hot add the mustard and jeera seeds.
• When they crackle,add curry leaves,onions,chillies and fry till onions turn golden brown
• Add the mashed potatoes, green peas ,turmeric,salt,coriander leaves,lemon juice and mix well
• Cook for about 3 mins and remove from heat
• Serve hot with puris or chappatis

Roasted Beef Tenderloin

A beef tenderloin, known as an eye fillet in New Zealand and Australia, filet in France and fillet in England, is cut from the loin of beef. The tenderloin refers to the muscle near the kidneys. This muscle does very little work, so it is the most tender part of the beef. This makes it one of the most popular cuts. This also makes it one of the more expensive cuts as well. The tenderloin can either be cut for roasts or for steaks.

Ingrediants for the marinade:

• ginger-garlic paste-1 1/2 tsp
• juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 1/2 tsp pepper powder
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• vinegar-1/2 tsp
• a pinch of clove powder
• a pinch of cinnamon 

Apply 1/2 tsp salt to 1/4 kg beef cut  and keep aside for 5-6 mins.Throw out the water. 

•  2 onions sliced
• 2 green chillies slit
• 1 tomato sliced
• 2 potatoes wedges , fried
• 5 tbsp cooking oil

Method:

• Marinade the beef overnight in a refrigerator with the above marinate.
• Now heat a frying pan with 4 tbsp of oil and when hot add the meat pieces and fry till done.Takes 3 minutes each side.
• Remove the meat from the pan and keep aside
• Now heat 1 tbsp of oil in the pan and when hot add the sliced onions and chillies and fry trill translucent.
• Now add the tomatoes and cook for a minute
• Than add the fried potatoes,and beef and mix well and cook for another 3 mins.
• Turn of the heat and enjoy.

This meat is succulent and tender all by itself.

Strawberry Juice

 In addition to being consumed fresh, strawberries can be frozen, made into preserves, as well as dried and used in such things as cereal bars.
Strawberries are a popular addition to dairy products, as in strawberry-flavored ice cream, milkshakes, smoothies, and yogurts.
Strawberries and Cream is a popular dessert, famously consumed at Wimbledon. Strawberry pie is also popular. Strawberries can be dipped in melted chocolate fondue as a healthier way to enjoy chocolate.

The fruit is widely appreciated, mainly for its characteristic aroma but also for its bright red color, and it is consumed in large quantities, either fresh or in prepared foods such as preserves, fruit juice, pies, ice creams, and milk shakes. Artificial strawberry aroma is also widely used in all sorts of industrialized food products.


Strawberry juice is the healthiest way of deriving all the benefits strawberry has to offer. It is a well-known fact that strawberries are rich in vitamin C, potassium and antioxidants. Enjoy this  healthy and refreshing drink,specially on a hot summer day!!!!!!

Ingrediants:

• 4 cups fresh strawberries,cleaned and cut in pieces
• 2 tbsp sugar,add more if needed

Method:

• Take the strawberry, remove the leaves and wash and cut.
• Put them in a blender and add  sugar and enjoy this refreshing drink 

Ham and Cheese omlette

An omelette or omelet is a dish made from beaten eggs quickly cooked with butter or oil in a frying pan, sometimes folded around a filling such as cheese, vegetables, meat (often ham), or some combination of the above. To obtain a fluffy texture, whole eggs or sometimes egg whites only are beaten with a small amount of milk or cream, or even water, the idea being to have "bubbles" of water vapor trapped within the rapidly cooked egg. The bubbles are what make the omelette light and fluffy.
Omelettes may be only partially cooked on the top side and not flipped, even prior to folding.

 The omelette is commonly thought to have originated in the ancient near-east. Beaten eggs were mixed with chopped herbs, fried until firm, then sliced into wedges. This dish is thought to have travelled to Western Europe via the Middle East and North Africa, with each country adapting the original recipe to produce Italian frittata, Spanish tortilla and the French omelette.
 Well here is my version of the omlette ...I normally  make it for breakfast on sundays.Hope you guys enjoy!!!!!!!

Ingrediants:

• 4 eggs beaten
• 1 large onion finely chopped
• 2 green chillies,finely chopped
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Ham,cut in long strips
• 1tsp crushed jeera seeds
• Cheese, grated(1/4th cup)
• 3tbsp oil

Method:
  

• Heat skillet and add butter or oil
•  Blend all the above ingrediants and pour in the pan. 
• Cover and cook for about 2 mins,flip and remove from pan
• Serve hot with tomato sauce, chapati or bread.

Basic Tips & Rules of Proper Table Setting Etiquette

Table setting etiquette is the proper placement of eating utensils on a table, with the intention that the diner will have everything they need in within convenient reach. 

 For many people, being confronted by an array of cutlery and glassware at the dinner table can be daunting! All that you need to avoid any social embarrassment is to understand the basics of proper Table Setting Etiquette.
Let me share a few simple rules and tips which will help you through any formal or indeed informal lunch or dinner party.....

 CUTLERY

• The golden rule is ALWAYS work from the OUTSIDE, IN. Use the outside knife and fork for the first course (entrée), and then simply work inwards for each subsequent course.
• Knives are always to the right, and forks are always to the left.
• The soup spoon, if required, will always be on the extreme right if being served as a first course, or second in from the right if being served as a second course.
• Dessert cutlery will always be at the top of the place setting with the fork facing right and the spoon positioned above this with the bowl facing left.

 GLASSWARE

Depending on how many different wines are being served, they will normally be positioned above the knives. They should be placed with the water glass to the extreme left, and then follow in the order for which they will be used, working from left to right. For example:




Water - Champagne - White Wine- Red Wine - Dessert Wine

 PLATES & NAPKIN

• It is common practice to find a place plate (or base plate) positioned in the center of the cutlery setting. This will often have the napkin folded and resting upon it. Alternatively, the first course (or entrée) may already be served upon this plate, in which case, the napkin will be positioned to the left of the forks.
• The side plate  will be positioned to the left of the forks with a side knife (or butter knife) laid across it. If space is a little limited, it is quite acceptable to position the napkin across this plate too.

Finally, all pieces of a proper place setting should be spaced evenly-the same space between cutlery, the same space between glasses and so forth. When the place setting looks balanced and symmetrical, it further enhances the appeal of a proper place setting.

PROPER EATING STYLE 

The only proper way to cut and eat one's food is to hold the knife and fork in a relaxed natural manner....never with clenched fists spearing food like a hunter!

MISCELLANY

• When seated, unfold the napkin and place it across the lap.
• If bread rolls are served, break the bread between your fingers rather than cut it.
• When eating soup, always move the soup spoon away from you to the other side of the dish and "sip" the soup (quietly!) from it.
• When finished eating, position the knife and fork (or other cutlery used) side by side pointing into the centre of the plate.

Entertaining is intended to be ENJOYED… As long as you are polite and well mannered, a few simple table etiquette "gaffes" will be passed off without a thought. 
 Just relax, and ENJOY YOURSELF!

 

Palak Paneer

Palak paneer  is a famous  Indian dish consisting of spinach and paneer cheese in a curry sauce.
Since i am a goan catholic,we do not prepare a lot of vegetarian dishes at home.In Goa its only fish and fish.
After my marriage when i moved to the UK,i could'nt get fish every day,so i started experimenting with other dishes .My husband is a hard core non vegetarian, he can never eat his food without a non vegetarain item,but this is one dish he eats without asking for other non-veg dishes :) ,so all you ladies  who are stuck in my kind of situation should definately give this delicious dish a try.

   Ingrediants:

• one bunch of spinach( fresh ones)
• paneer 10-15 cubes
• one medium sized ripe tomato
• green chillies -5
• 1 onion chopped finely
• ginger-garlic paste-1/2 tsp
• coriander paste-1/2 tsp
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1/4 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• quarter cup cashew nuts

Method:

• Add 1 tsp oil in a pan.Add the green chillies to the hot oil and than add the palak leaves and saute until leaves are wilted.Turn off the heat and cool
• add a pinch of salt,blend them and keep aside.
• Boil tomato in hot water till the skin breaks down,remove the skin,mash the tomato to a pulp
• Roast cashews lightly and make a powder
• lightly saute paneer in 1 tsp of ghee till golden brown
• Now in another pan,add 1 tsp of ghee or oil.when hot ,add onions and fry till translucent
• Add ginger-garlic -cilantro paste and coriander-jeera pwdr,mix them and saute for 2-3 minutes
• Now add the pureed spinach, tomato,cashewpowder,along with a pinch of turmeric and salt to taste.
• Mix thorougly and cook for another 2 minutes.
• Add the paneer cubes  and serve hot with rice,chapatis or parathas.

Choclate Cake

 

Well since this is my first blog,i could'nt think of a better recipe than my all time favourite Choclate Cake.This is my mom's recipe and its  my all time favourite .

I tried it for the first time,after my marriage for christmas and was an instant hit with my husband.This is also the first cake that i have done on my own.Hope you guys try and enjoy it too.Cheers!

Choclate Cake Recipe

Ingrediants: 

• 500 gms all purpose flour( maida)
• 500 gms Sugar
• 500 gms Butter
• 12 eggs
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1tbsp baking powder
• 1tbsp strong balck coffee
• 1tbsp Brandy              
• 100 gms ground almonds
• 500 g dark choclate melted or 1/4 cup cocoa powder

 For the cream coating:-    

• 500g dark choclate
• 225 ml double cream
•  A packet of choclate chips

Method:-   

                  

•  Preheat owen to  180C/gas 4
•  Lightly butter a cake tin and line the base with a non sticking baking parchment
•  Melt the choclate in a bowl over a saucepan of gently simmmering water, leave to cool.
•  Cream butter and sugar togetter in a large bowl until light and fluffy
•  Beat in the cooled choclate,brandy and coffee.
•  Add the eggs one by one,beating well after each addition
•  Add a little bit of flour after each egg and so on,till eggs n flour is over
• Add the baking soda and salt
• Beat well till the mixture is creamy
• Pour the mixture into the prepared skewer and bake for 35-40 mins or until a skewer           inserted comes out clean.
• Meanwhile gently heat the cream and choclate together over very low heat until the  choclate has melted and the mixture is smooth and glossy
• Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool completly in the tin.
• when cooled,turn the cake out and spread the chocolate cream over the top.sprinkle the choco-chips.
• Serve in slices as it is or with plently of whipped vanilla flavoured cream or icecream