Recipe | But I Smile Anyway...

A Grown Up Evening! (With a recipe thrown in for Jeera Chicken Wings!)

27 Oct 2017 86 Comments

by Ritu in Children, Foodie Pics, Friends, Recipes, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Psot, Blogger, Blogging, Friends, Get togethers, Jeera Chicken Wings, Recipe, Tootie Frooties

Yesterday I spent the evening at my friend’s house.

Some of you may recall me mentioning my group of mummy friends, the Tootie Frooties!

Well, one of the yummy mummies has recently moved house and there have been a few of us who celebrated birthdays over the last two months. It was a get together to celebrate the new house, birthdays, and a great excuse to cook up a storm and enjoy each other’s company, despite coughs, colds, kids, and work the next day!

We were missing two Tootie Frooties!

We all brought drinks and a dish.

Me, being so grown up, opted for the Coco Pops Spoon… just because!

Most of us also brought the extra addition of kids!

One of the things we discussed over dinner was the fact that this night, though it didn’t involve going out to some fancy bar or club, was what we all preferred. A chilled evening with the music of our choice pulsing through the sound system, good food, good company, and the ease of being able to have the kids milling around, not worrying about babysitters. They were perfectly happy causing their own version of havoc, while we cackled like a coven of (rather glam) witches in the kitchen!

All in all, a pretty grown-up affair, don’t you think?

Oh, and here’s what I made!

Mine was Butter Jeera Chicken Wings!

View this post on Instagram

Jeera chicken wings ready for tonight! #tootiefrootie #girlsnightin #ladiesnight @gizimann @sukhy28 @gurpreet.virdee @angelapanaser

A post shared by Ritu B (@ritubhathalwrites) on Oct 26, 2017 at 2:31am PDT

What’s the recipe? Well, I’ll tell you all!

Now I cook by Andaaza. Please forgive me, but there are no amounts for the ingredients, as my mum uses andaaza. This basically is when you just know! It’s a skill I think many mothers hone over the years while cooking the family favourite dishes!

I used

20 pieces of chicken (wings)
Butter
Olive Oil
Cumin Seeds
Garlic
Ginger
Fresh red chillis
Salt
A Little Natural Yoghurt
Garam Masala
Lemon Juice

Honestly, it is so simple, and really tasty!

Add the butter and oil to a wok or large pan and allow to cook together. Both fats together stop each other from burning,
Once hot add around two teaspoons of cumin, ginger, garlic, chillis and salt. Allow to cook for a few minutes.
Add the chicken, stirring so all the pieces are coated with the spices.
Add a tablespoon of natural yoghurt to allow the chicken to keep its moistness.
When the chicken is almost cooked, add around two teaspoons of garam masala and a few squirts of lemon juice.
Allow the chicken to cook thoroughly.
Enjoy!

And I think everyone enjoyed!

I hope you enjoy too!

Happy Friday Peeps! I’m off to try and control my eating for the next week, to make up for the calorific content of my diet yesterday!

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

02 Jul 2017 59 Comments

by Ritu in Foodie Pics, Recipes, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Birthday Cake, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Carrot Cake, Recipe

CarrotCakeCupcakes

Another treat I baked for the Bloggers Bash looked like the above pictures. Well actually the photo shows the exact cakes I made!

If you would like to make Carrot Cake Cupcakes, follow the recipe below.

Ingredients for Cake

175g light muscovado sugar
100g wholemeal self-raising flour
100g self-raising flour
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp mixed spice
zest of 1 orange
2 eggs
150ml sunflower oil
200g grated carrots

Ingredients for icing

100g softened butter
300g soft cheese
100g icing sugar, sifted
1tsp vanilla extract

Method for cake

preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius/160 degrees Celsius for fan/ Gas mark 4.
line a 12 hole muffin tray with cases
In a large mixing bowl, mix the flours, bicarbonate of soda, mixed spice and orange zest
Whisk together the eggs and oil
Stir into the dry ingredients with the grated carrot.
Divide mixture between the cases and bake fo 20-22 minutes until a skewer poked in comes out clean
Allow to cool on a wire rack.

Method for Icing

Beat the butter until really soft
Beat in soft cheese, icing sugar and vanilla
Use a palette knife to swirl icing on top.
Sprinkle with crushed walnuts, orange sprinkles, or whatever you want!

I used this recipe times 2 to make two large cakes as Lil Man’s birthday cake too!

Cooked for a little longer, but here you are!

Tasty Tuesday – Nutella Twists!

20 Jun 2017 69 Comments

by Ritu in Recipes, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Nutella Twist, Pastry, Recipe

Now, those of you who came to the Blogger’s Bash had a chance to try my baked goodies.

I have already posted about how to make the Rocky Road, but there were a few requests for the Nutella Twists.

Around Christmas, I tried a recipe called a Nutella Christmas Tree. It was a huge success so I thought I would adapt the recipe a little so it was no longer a tear and share pastry, but stand alone twists for my Blogily’s enjoyment!

NutellaTwists (1)

Ingredients

2 sheets of ready rolled Puff Pastry (Yes I cheat! I’m a busy mum, I think it’s ok to help yourself a little!)
Nutella Jar
One egg or milk
Icing sugar, to dust

Equipment

Large baking tray x 2
Greaseproof paper
Cooling rack

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
Cut greaseproof paper and line baking tray
Unroll one sheet of puff pastry and lay on the greaseproof paper
Take a knife and spread Nutella liberally all over the pastry sheet
Carefully roll the second sheet directly on top of the first sheet.
Using a knife, cut the pastry into inch wide strips.
Hold one side down, and from the other end gently twist each strip.
Once all strips have been twisted, and placed on the trays and greaseproof paper with adequate gaps, beat the egg and use it to give the pastry an egg wash. You can use milk if you’d rather not use egg.

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Place in oven and allow to bake for 20 minutes.
Once the twists have risen and gone a beautiful golden brown colour, remove from oven and allow to cool on a cooling rack

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When the twists have cooled, dust with icing sugar. (I forgot to dust them, but they still tasted good!!!)
EAT!

These are so good slightly warm, with a cup of tea or coffee in the morning as a decadent breakfast… trust me, I’ve tried and tested it!!!

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Next one will be the Carrot Cake Cupcakes! Look out for it!

Sunday Lunch – Punjabi Style!

14 May 2017 84 Comments

by Ritu in Foodie Pics, Recipes, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Aloo Paratha, Blog, blog Posst, Blogger, Blogging, Recipe, Sunday Lunch

Much as I love a traditional English roast dinner, complete with golden, crispy roast potatoes, slices of lamb with mint sauce, and lashings of gravy, there is another Sunday meal that we Punjabi’s tend to try not to miss…

Aloo Parathas!

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These are a lightly fried potato filled bread which we eat traditionally with plain set yoghurt and pickle.

There are so many variations, stuffing them with different vegetables like cauliflour (gobi parathas), minced meat (keema parathas) or even paneer (paneer parathas). One favourite of mine is to have a plain one with fried egg! It seems to be a bit if a Kenyan Indian things!

20170423_122300 I thought I would share the simple recipe for these delicious treats! Again, as I have said before, it is really hard to give measurements as we Indians like to use andazaa, or approximations! If it looks right and tastes right, that is great… probably the reason why we can never cook for a few people but always have vats of curry on the boil!

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You’ll need:

A rolling pin

A tava/frying pan

A fish slice

An insulated container to collect them in.

loose flour

chapatti dough, made from chapatti flour mixed with water to create a firm dough

potato mix – boil potatoes, and drain fully. Mash then mix in salt, pepper, cumin seeds, a little finely chopped onion, a little grated ginger, finely chopped green chilli and chopped fenugreek leaves (methi)

Butter (Butter Fry light spray if you want to be as Slimming World friendly as you can!)

Method

Heat tava to a medium heat
Take a ball of dough and roll it in your hands.

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Coat in a little loose flour then create a flat circular patty using your hands.

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Roll into a circle approximately the size of a side plate
Take around a tablespoon of potato mix and place in centre

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Gently take each side of the dough and gather into a pouch.

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Flatten and cover with loose flour again.

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Carefully roll the larger patty out to the size of a dinner plate

Slowly pick up and place on the tava

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Allow the paratha to cook gently until the dough appears to change colour.

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Using a fish slice carefully turn over to cook on other side.

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Once browned, turn over again and apply butter to the paratha
Turn again and apply butter to other side
Allow to sizzle for a few seconds and then place paratha in your insulated container
Repeat from second step until you have as many parathas as you need

And Enjoy!

With Butter

With Frylight

Ritu’s Healthy Eating – Week 37 – #icandothis

21 Apr 2017 25 Comments

by Ritu in Foodie Pics, Health, Recipes, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Easter, Health, Healthy Eating, Recipe, Slimming World, spaghetti, Weight Loss

wp-1492120543707.

So I guess the important thing to tell you all is that I didn’t put any more weight on!!!

I’d be lying if I said I was really good, the tail end of the holidays, combined with the stress of going back, and the fact that I have a lesson observation hanging over my head means that I am neither eating well, or sleeping properly! (4 hours last night!)

But alongside the (extremely) naughty I was good too!

So here are some yummy pics!

And a quick recipe

Slimming World Friendly Spaghetti Bolognaise

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Ingredients

I shan’t put amounts as I don’t measure things out, but you use as much or as little as you want! Add any other vegetables if you want, it only bulks your Speed up!!!

Dry Spaghetti
Low fat Lamb/Beef/Turkey mince
Minced Garlic
Diced Onions
Chopped Mushrooms
Diced Peppers
Tomato Puree
Tomato Passatta
Dried Mixed Herbs
Salt and Pepper to taste
Cheese if you want (Can be taken out of your HexA allowance)
Frylight spray for cooking.

Method

Put your spaghetti on to boil as per packet instructions
Spray your pan with Frylight
Brown garlic and onions
Add mushrooms and peppers and soften. Add a little tomato puree
In a separate pan, brown your mince, with a tiny Frylight spray so it doesn’t stick.
Once browned, drain any fat and add to the softened veg.
Stir well then add the tomato passatta
Season with salt and pepper and add a sprinkle of mixed dried herbs
Allow to simmer on a low heat for 10 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
Drain your cooked spaghetti.
Plate up and sprinkle cheese if you desire.
Serve with a large side salad, or if you’re feeling decadent, then a little piece of garlic bread! Make it SW friendly by using a wholemeal roll (HexB) and syn the butter!)

That’s my lot this week peeps! Have a wonderful week, I hope I get back on track properly by next week, but with this observation looming, I’m not sure!!!!

Enjoy!!!