Pound Cake Brownie

The kids wanted a repeat of the Nutella brownies and I was in the mood for an utterly butterly delicious Pound Cake. So my compromise a Pound Cake Brownie adapted from a recipe by Kevin Chai.

Pound Cake Brownie

RECIPE: Pound Cake Brownie

Ingredients

Brownie:
5 Oz Dark Chocolate (use the baking kind)
1/4 Cup Butter, unsalted
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Egg
1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour

Pound Cake:
1/2 Cup Butter, unsalted
1/2 Cup Sugar
2 Eggs
1 Cup All Purpose Flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
3 TBSP fresh Milk

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray or grease a loaf pan with oil.
3. To make Brownies: Melt chocolate and butter in a double boiler over low heat. Remove and let it cool a little. Stir in brown sugar until blended. Add the egg and mix well. Fold in the flour until well combined. Pour the mixture into the pan and bake for 15 minutes and while that is cooking...
4. To make Pound Cake: beat the butter and sugar until creamy, light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time until well blended. Fold in the flour and baking powder alternating with a TBSP of milk starting with flour and ending with milk.
5. By now the Brownie should be done so pour the pound cake batter over it and put it back in the oven for 35 minutes. Check with a toothpick to make sure its cooked all the way.
6. Let it cool and then flip it out on a platter.

Dark Chocolate

Double Boiler setup

Melting Butter and Dark Chocolate over a double boiler

Fully melted

Let it cool a little and add brown sugar. Mix it well.

Add one egg and incorporate it well

Add 1/4 cup flour and mix till no white streaks are left

Pour into the loaf pan and bake for 15 minutes

For the Pound Cake, beat together butter and sugar till light and fluffy

Add 1 egg at a time and beat it well.

Add the 2nd egg and beat it well

Add 1/4 tsp baking powder and mix well

Now add 1 cup flour in 3 segments alternating with milk. You start with flour, then 1 TBSP milk, then flour, milk, flour and end with last TBSP of milk

Pour the batter over the prepared brownie and bake for 35 minutes till a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean

Time to enjoy with a cup of coffee :)

Hope you enjoyed the recipe and make it for your friends and family. Until next time hope you and yours have a great day.

Sweet Corn Chicken Soup

My little people have had the cough and sniffles this week and this magic potion of a soup is the best cure for it. Its soothing and satisfying so works like magic to instantly make you feel better.

Nothing beats a good hearty soup in Fall weather plus its a great way to get rid of all the little left overs from previous cooking. I had some broth and boiled chicken left over from another recipe. I also had a couple carrots, peas, green onions left over. They were not enough to make something on their own but a perfect addition to this soup. 

Sweet corn Chicken Soup

RECIPE: Sweet Corn Chicken Soup

Ingredients

4-5 Cups Chicken Broth
1 Cup Shredded Chicken, cooked
1 (15oz) Can Cream-Style Sweet Corn
1/2 Cup Carrots, diced
1/2 Cup Onions, diced
5-6 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 Cup Fresh green peas
2 TBSP Soy Sauce
2 tsp Corn Starch (mixed in a little water)
1 egg, beaten
a small sieve to strain the egg
Salt and Pepper to taste
Green onions for garnish

Method

1. Heat the chicken broth in a stock pot and add the onions, carrots, garlic and peas to it. Cover and let it simmer so the veggies are a little soft and cooked.
2. Now add the corn, shredded chicken, Soy sauce, salt and pepper. Add the corn starch mixed in a little water and let the soup thicken a little. Make sure you keep stirring it to avoid a lumpy soup.
3. Beat the egg in a small bowl and pour it in the small sieve over the soup and let it trickle into the soup. This is the best way to get the soft strings of egg in the soup. Keep stirring it the whole time so the egg does not solidify in one spot.
4. Garnish with some sliced green onion and serve. I like to serve this with some simple sandwiches or some fried rice.

Ingredients

Chopped garlic, onions, carrots and fresh peas

Add them to the soup and let simmer till they cook and soften a little

Add the corn, shredded chicken, soy sauce and corn starch.

Add the beaten egg through a sieve or strainer to the soup

Hope you enjoy this with your loved ones this Fall.

Brazilian Orange Flan

This recipe is by Maria-Brazil and I have been making it for years with some minor alterations. It is a perfect consistency and isn't too sweet and as I love anything that has oranges in it, this was absolute perfection.

Brazilian Orange Flan

RECIPE: Brazilian Orange Flan

Ingredients

1 (14 fluid ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk

14 fluid ounces freshly squeezed orange juice, I like fresh tangerines juice for its intense flavor

4 eggs

1 teaspoon orange zest

1 cup sugar ( for the caramel)

8-9" Round Cake Pan for baking

Method

1. Place the sugar in an 8-9 inch round cake pan.Place the mold directly over medium heat. Keep turning the mold until the sugar melts into a golden brown caramel and spoon it up the sides of the mold.
2. Combine the condensed milk,orange juice,orange zest, and eggs in a blender. Whip until smooth.
3. Pour this mixture into the cake pan and place it in the center of the roasting pan with water. Bake it for about one hour (it will depend on your oven). It will turn golden brown on top and start separating from the sides of the mold. Let it cool to room temperature and place in refrigerator, preferably overnight (at least 6 hours).
4. Just before serving, run the tip of a knife around the inside of the mold. place a deep platter over the mold and invert (the flan should slide out easily).If not, give the mold a firm but careful shake. Spoon the caramel sauce on top and serve.

Place the sugar in an 8-9 inch round cake pan.Place the mold directly over medium heat. Keep turning the mold until the sugar melts into a golden brown caramel and spoon it up the sides of the mold.

Combine the condensed milk,orange juice,orange zest, and eggs in a blender. Whip until smooth.

Pour this mixture into the cake pan and place it in the center of the roasting pan with water. Bake it for about one hour (it will depend on your oven). It will turn golden brown on top and start separating from the sides of the mold.

Set it in the water bath and bake for about an hour

Baked and out of the oven

Let it cool down to room temperature and then chill for 4-6 hours

Hope you enjoy this with your family and friends. Don't forget to add yourself to the email list so you can receive all the posts via email.

Goat Curry

Goat Curry

RECIPE: Goat Curry
Ingredients

4 Lbs Goat leg, cut into pieces
4 TBSP Sunflower Oil
3 White Onions, thinly sliced
3 Tomatoes, roughly diced
8-10 Cloves Garlic, roughly chopped
2" piece Ginger, roughly chopped
2 tsp Coriander powder
1 tsp Cumin powder
1 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Cayenne pepper
2 tsp Garam Masala
Salt to taste
Fresh Cilantro to garnish

Method

1. Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet and saute the onions till soft and browned.
2. Blend the browned onions in a food processor with very little water to make a paste.
3. Add the paste back into the skillet and cook a it on low heat. In the food processor, blend the ginger and garlic into a paste and add to the cooking onions. 
4. Add the tomatoes into the food processor and blend into a puree. Add it to the skillet with the spices: 2 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp cayenne pepper, 2 tsp garam masala and salt to taste. Cook till the oil separates from the masala.
5. Add the goat meat to this mix and saute it till the meat gets browned.
6. Add 1 cup hot water and let it come to a boil. Cover and simmer till the meat if fully cooked. You can transfer to a pressure cooker now and cooking time will be 15- 20 minutes or you can slow simmer in the skillet itself for a couple of hours. It should have fairly thick gravy when done.
7. Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve with rice, naan or a salad.

Spices

Raw Goat meat, rinsed and draining in a colander

Other ingredients

Onions cooking and browned

Blend the caramelized onions into a paste with little water 

Ginger Garlic paste

Tomato Puree

Add ginger garlic paste to the pureed onions and cook a little. Next add the tomato puree with the spices and cook till oil separates from the masala

Add the goat meat and saute till it is browned. Add water, bring to boil, simmer and cook till the meat is fully cooked.

Hope you enjoy this with your family.

One Strategy: Exponential Meal Choices

It is so much easier to cook for yourself and eat foods that you love. Don't feel like cooking, Peanut butter and banana slices on toasted sesame bread rocks. But when you have a family the equation changes. One person loves spicy food, others don't. Couple people absolutely adore avocados and the others can't even look at them let alone eat them. One child loves toasted and crunchy everything other one wants it soft and doughy. Parents visiting, they are vegetarians. Ummm what do you do in this situation? How do you make mealtimes work for you? How does one meal fit all these variables.

Lets briefly get into the nutritive aspects of food. In a nutshell here are 3 main Macro Nutrients namely, Protein, Carbohydrates and Fat that constitute each meal. Lean Protein comes from meats, eggs, tofu and soy. Carbohydrates are found in whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Fats are found in butter, oils, avocado, nuts and cheeses/some dairy products. Now to have a balanced meal your plate should consist of these 3 macros. 

What has helped me keep my sanity are adaptable meals that will fit all these variables like a sofa that turns into a bed, making it multi-purpose. So the workaround solution is to configure one meal with all different options that will please everyone on the table. These meals are both modular and complete. 

Have you ever ordered the taco bowl at Chipotle, just because you did not want too many carbs that day, you had the option to customize it however you like with the choice of meat and beans, with or without hot salsa, rice, cheese, sour cream, avocado etc etc etc. Now bring that concept to your dinner table and problem solved. You can make your own customized plates with one main dish decorated with the toppings that you love and want. My boys absolutely love customizing their own dinners.

Dinner option	Additional Toppings	Main Protein	Carbohydrate	Fat
Antipasto platter	Pickled vegetables, olives, pickled garlic and banana peppers (spicy), Baguette	Cured Meats and Salami	Bread and grilled vegetables	Cheeses and meats
Mixed Chicken and Vegetable soup	Hot sauce, chopped cilantro, soy sauce, garlic bread	Chicken	Vegetables, garlic bread	Butter
Spaghetti  Meatball	Chopped parsley, Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, extra drizzle of olive oil, marinara sauce.	Meatballs	Spaghetti	Butter, Avocado, olive oil
Salad and grilled protein	Choice of dressings, choice of carbohydrate (you can pick what you like)	Pick from Tofu or lean meats or steak	Vegetables, risotto, brown rice or dinner rolls	Meats, butter, olive oil
Buttered pasta with cheese	Pesto, pasta sauce, pine nuts, avocado, fresh herbs	Bits of bacon or grilled chicken	Steamed Broccolini or tossed salad, Pasta	Butter
Fajitas	Shredded lettuce, pickled jalepenos, shredded Mexican cheese, tortillas, brown rice, Avocado/guacamole, pico de gallo etc.	Grilled chicken	Sauted onions and bell peppers, lettuce, tortillas, brown rice	Olive oil, cheese, avocado

Hope this gives you ideas to plan some fun and creative family meals that will please your youngest to the oldest audience. Don't forget to leave comments and feedback. Thank you.