In this quick and easy recipe, I will share a recipe with you to make Cheese Garlic Breads, just the way you have in your favorite restaurants!

Ingredients

1 large Italian or French bread split into 10 slices

Softened Butter Spread (1/3 cup)

1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

3 crushed garlic cloves

3/4 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp Chilli flakes and basil

Recipe

Mix butter, oregano, cheese and chili flakes together in a medium bowl. Add crushed garlic cloves to the mixture.

Spread the mixture on the bread slices

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400°F. Bake the bread for 15 minutes until golden brown.

Once baked, add some basil/pepper on the bread and serve with a dip of your choice. Enjoy!

Valentine’s day is just two days away. If you want your valentine to fall in love with you (all over again) make this vivacious and dramatic red velvet cake and make him go nuts. I baked this cake a  little ahead of Valentines day so that I can share the recipe with all of you. Wish you all a very happy Valentine’s day!

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups cake flour (can use all-purpose flour too),

1 heaped tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder,

1 cup powdered sugar,

1 large egg,

3/4 cup refined oil,

1/2 tsp vanilla extract/essence,

2 tbsp deep red food coloring,

1/2 tsp baking powder,

1/2 tsp baking soda,

1/2 tsp white vinegar,

1/2 cup buttermilk,

1/4 tsp salt.

For the frosting -

2 1/2 tbsp plain flour,

1/2 cup full cream milk; cold,

1/2 cup powdered sugar,

1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature.

Method:

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using a hand mixer or electric mixer, beat egg and sugar until soft and creamy. Add oil and blend again on medium speed for few minutes until the mixture is cream in color. In a small bowl, combine red food coloring, vinegar and cocoa. In another bowl, mix buttermilk and vanilla essence. Stir both the mixtures with a fork until well blended.  Add coloring mixture to the creamed egg, sugar and oil and blend it until uniformly mixed. Then add the buttermilk mixture and beat again. Now add sifted flour in two or three batches, blending each time after every addition.

Grease a baking cake pan and pour the batter into it. Level the top using a spatula. Remove any air bubbles by tapping the pan on the kitchen platform a couple of times.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees C (around 350 degrees F) for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of cake comes out clean. Let the cake rest in the oven for few minutes. Let the cake cool down completely before frosting it.

For the frosting -

In a small saucepan combine milk and flour. Whisk cold milk and flour until well blended. Place it on a low flame and cook whisking continuously else the mixture will stick to the bottom of the pan and lumps would be formed. When the mixture thickens, remove from flame. The flour and milk mixture should be just warm enough while adding it to the butter and sugar mixture. If it is too hot then the frosting will run down or if it is cold then lumps would be formed.

Now cream butter and sugar using the mixer until soft, even and creamy in texture.

Combine both of them and beat it on a medium-high speed until nice frosting is ready.

Assembling the layers -

Slice the cake horizontally with a serrated knife. You can choose to make 2 or 3 layers depending upon the height of your cake. You may need to scrape down the top of the cake to level it. Reserve the scrapings for decoration. Now place one layer in a plate on the cake decorating stand. Scoop out a portion of frosting and spread it evenly over the cake.

Place the other cake layer on top of the frosting and spread a layer of frosting over it. Continue this for all the layers. When the last cake layer is placed, cover the entire cake with the frosting to coat all over.

Now decorate with the reserved cake scrapings.

This is a lovely recipe of Spinach and Mushroom quiche topped with potato and cheddar. Usually eggs are used in a quiche, but my version is a pure vegetarian recipe and hence uses potatoes. I am sure you will love this one.

Ingredients:

1 9” deep Shortcrust pastry, (you can also buy a pie crust),

4-5 large potatoes (any variety); boiled, peeled and grated,

1/2 cup shredded medium Cheddar,

200 grams mushrooms, sliced,

A handful of fresh Spinach leaves; chopped,

2 green peppers; diced,

1 red onion; finely diced,

3-4 cloves of garlic; finely sliced,

1/2 tsp ground mustard or paste,

1 tsp oregano,

Salt and pepper to taste,

2 tbsp butter.

Method:

Preheat the oven at 180° C (360° F). Line up the shortcrust pastry into a deep baking dish or a pie dish. Prick a fork into the crust in few places at a distance. Bake the crust in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.

In a pan, melt butter and add garlic. Sauté until garlic is just fragrant. Then add onion and sauté for a while until soft. Then add peppers and cook for a minute. Now add mushrooms, stir and cook until they are almost tender.

Then add chopped spinach and cook until all the vegetables are tender.

Now add salt, pepper, mustard and oregano, stir and remove from flame. Our stuffing is now ready.

Once the crust is ready, pull it out of the oven. Spread the stuffing evenly. Top it with grated potatoes to cover all over the quiche.

Top with cheddar cheese and place it back into the oven. Bake at 200° C (400° F) for around 12-15 minutes or until the crust begins to brown.

Shortcrust pastry is a pastry that forms a base for a pie, quiche or tarts. Since this recipe is vegetarian, I have not used eggs. Butter is rubbed into flour and kneaded with chilled milk or water to form a dough. A frozen pastry dough wrapped in a cling film can be stored for up to 3 months.

Ingredients: (Makes two 9″ deep crust pastries)

2 1/4 cups of all purpose flour,

150 grams salted butter; chilled,

7-8 tbsp (or as required) chilled milk or chilled water.

Method:

Place the flour into a large mixing bowl. Dice butter and add to the flour. Rub butter into the flour using your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs.

Then make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add all the milk at once. Since the level of absorption differs from flour to flour, you may need more milk. You can add more milk if needed while forming the dough.

Slowly fold in the flour to bind together into a dough.

Wrap the dough thoroughly with a cling film and chill for 15 minutes before using. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it come back to room temperature, before use. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll using a rolling pin (preferably a straight one). Lightly dust with flour and roll again. Continue this process.

Christmas is almost here and that is why I baked these delicious little bundles of joy. Banana Strawberry Jam Muffins are flavorful banana muffins filled with liquid strawberry jam. And as you bite into the muffin, luscious melted strawberry jam oozes out…hmm…yum.

Prepare them for Christmas breakfast or give them as Christmas gifts.

Ingredients: (Makes 12)

4 large ripe bananas,

Strawberry Jam as required,

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour,

1/2 cup granulated sugar,

1/2 cup salted butter; melted at room temperature (or place it in the Microwave oven for 20 seconds),

1 egg; lightly beaten,

1 tsp baking powder,

1 tsp baking soda (soda bicarbonate),

1 tsp vanilla extract/essence,

Other -

Muffin baking tray and disposable muffin cups.

Method:

Sift together flour, baking powder and baking soda. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar, with a whisk, until smooth and soft. Then add beaten egg, vanilla extract and whisk the mixture for around 5 minutes. Mash the bananas in another bowl and add them to the butter and sugar mixture.

Lightly fold in the mixture until mashed bananas are evenly mixed. Add half of the sifted flour mixture to the bowl. Lightly fold the mixture until well mixed.

Repeat for the remaining flour and mix the batter until even. At this point, you may feel the batter is thicker than usual. But that is the perfect consistency.

Preheat the oven at 180° C (350° F). Line up the muffin cups in the tray. Scoop out a spoonful of mixture and fill the cup to 1/3rd of its capacity.

Spread some strawberry jam over it.

And then spread little more muffin batter over the layer of jam. Do not fill the cups till the rim, as they will expand when they bake.

Place in the preheated oven at 180° C (350° F) on the low rack for 20 minutes. Let them rest on the rack for few minutes before you take them out.

NOTE: I prepared this recipe using my Microwave Oven.

TIPS: Top it with some fine granulated sugar, if you like.