Out of hibernation :)

A big "HI" to all my fellow bloggers and friends . Its been a long time .....so much to catch up ....so much to say n blog .....But let me begin by thanking all those who kept checking on me ...emailing me ....n also dropping their comments/feedback . Its very nice of you.



Where have I been all these days ? Well , cut the long story short , I was simply not keeping well n when I did, I went to India .....a totally impromptu visit .....for a month n half ....after coming back I was too lazy :P n also a bit busy .A lot happened in between .... n though I kept dishing out things I just did'nt find time for the elaborate photo sessions.

Also my dear blog turned one ....ya its been more than a year now since I started blogging at Lazzat... my thanks to all the warm hearted people who encouraged me , visited n appreciated my blog , gave their feedback / comments n also inspired me . I hope to blog more regularly n take less "offs" this year :D

My special thanks to Mona of Zaiqa for passing on the Nice Matters Award to me . Mona I really appreciate it !

"Nice Matters Award is for those bloggers that are just nice people , good blog friends and those that inspire good feelings and inspiration! Those that care about others that are there to lend support or those that are just a positive influence in our blogging world!"

I pass it on to all the creative and generous bloggers who deserve this esp. Asha of Foodies Hope, Cynthia of Tastes like home, Chef Jeena , The Well Seasoned Cook Susan, Zlamushka of Spicy Kitchen n of course back to Mona . I guess most of you have already received this award ...but I still wanted to share it with you.

Finally , its good to be back n see the beautiful events n recipes you all have dished up ....I hope I will be back with a recipe sooon ....till then ...you all have a lovely week !

Coconut-Raspberry Jam Cookies

Its been a long time since I wanted to share this recipe with you all. What makes these cookies special or different from other thumbprint or jam n jelly cookies is the coconut. And they look so pretty ....I could not resist posting 'too many' pics of them .

The recipe is simple, you make the cookie dough, chill it , make cookie size balls , roll it in coconut , give them your thumbprints, drop the jam n bake them. You don't use any coconut extract/essence , the shredded coconut lends its flavour.



Ingredients:

3 sticks/1.5 cups of unsalted butter, at room temperature,
1 cup sugar,
1 tsp. vanilla extract,
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour,
1/4 tsp.salt,
1 egg beaten with approx. 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
7 oz. sweetened flaked coconut,
Raspberry jam

Method:

Sift together the flour and salt.

Cream together the butter and sugar until just combined using an electric/hand held mixer, add vanilla extract, the flour mixture and mix until the dough starts to come together. Dump on a floured board and roll together into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Roll the dough into small, walnut size balls.

Dip each ball into the egg wash and then roll it in coconut. Place the balls on an ungreased cookie sheet and press a light indentation into the top of each with your finger. Drop a little jam into each indentation. Bake in an preheated oven , at 350 F for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the coconut is a golden brown. Cool and serve.

You can use any jam you like. Using different color jams like mango, grape or even mixed fruit will make a colorful presentation . Also if you dont find the sweetened shredded coconut, I have also tried these with dessicated coconut and it works just fine :)

These are all boxed and packed and shipped to Zlamushka's beautiful event Spoonful of Christmas

Its ME time :)

Before the labor day weekend Zlamushka tagged me for a MeMe. What happened then was, I went to Bar Harbor and then took a blogging break for Ramadan and since the time i started blogging again, this ones been a work in progress...... until Jeena tagged me :) I thought its high time i complete both the Memes.

SO first up, Zlamushka asked me to write about me / my qualities beginning with each letter corresponding to my middle name. I saw many of the fellow bloggers, due to certain reasons of course, took the liberty to use their own name, and I did the same (I hope its ok ....?...)

Realistic

Absent minded (of course!)

Homely

Indian (Hindustani) at heart

Nature lover (plz....who is not ?.... :D)

Since the words are self explanatory and I have few more things to say , I wont elaborate on those.

Next up , Jeena asked me to share random things about me , well the first one in the series would be , I am bad at talking about myself :) , its not that easy for me :D



I have an inclination towards learning languages,

I like to travel, different people, cultures, traditions, cuisines fascinate me,

I like things to be organised, I think it simplifies ones life,

I appreciate 'good' poetry,

I never thought I could cook,

I am not a big movie buff , i do enjoy music occasionally

I believe simplicity is beauty.....simplicity is happiness

Finally,Thanks to Zlamushka and Jeena for tagging me. Though it was a bit intimidating at first, I really enjoyed participating and had fun writing these memes....

Fish Fry

As a child I would eat fish cooked only by my mom , because it would not smell fishy at all, and of course it would be very tasty. Though i love macchi ka salan (fish curry) , my husband prefers the fried fish. You get the Indian varieties of fishes like Pomphret, at the Indian grocery stores, but this is for the first time that i tried the recipe using Indian ingredients with Mahi Mahi, and its a winner!

Before going to the ingredient list , this is my moms tip to get rid of the fishy smell. All you do is sprinkle some lemon juice and salt over it , let it sit for 10 mins, then sprinkle any flour you have handy e.g. maida, besan , rice flour and scrub each piece. Now wash each piece at least 5-7 times, just rinse it. If you have any other way of getting rid of the fishy smell , plz share :)




Ingredients :

6-7 fillets of mahi mahi / pomphret or any you like :D
1 tsp. red chilli pdr,
1 tbsp. dhania pdr/pdrd. coriander,
juice of 1 lemon/ or tamarind pulp,
1 tsp cornflour,
salt to taste,
1/2 tsp each of ginger paste and garlic paste,
1/4 tsp turmeric pdr./ haldi,
1 cup All purpose flour,
Oil for frying.

Method :

Mix all the ingredients together, except the all purpose flour/maida, and make a paste, use little water if required. Apply this paste on each side of the fillet and keep aside for few minutes. Now heat a griddle , place fish n pour sufficient oil from sides. Fry till golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towel, and serve hot. If the fillets are thick, make slits on them and apply more paste , also you may want to shallow fry them.

I am sending this recipe for the "Power" less cooking event, hosted by Easy Crafts of Simple Indian Food

To me this was an exciting event, a way to sit back and remember the good old ways of cooking ! I have relatives who still prefer the stone grinder to make their idli batter :D

Individual Cheese Cakes

Ramadan is over ....n left us in its anticipation for the next year, a joyous day of Eid n you don't want the time to fly.... as it does.

Meanwhile I see I've missed out lot of action and interesting events esp. the Weekend Herb Blogging - two yrs already and still rocking...good going :)

Nevertheless, lets talk cheese cakes, even better....individual cheese cakes , this way you avoid cleaning your knife , wiping it every time you take a slice etc etc :).



I like this recipe because apart from being delicious, it can be made ahead , looks good, easy to serve and clean up too... great for a party !

This recipe also uses many shortcuts , like using Nilla wafers for the base , instead of making individual ones , n using store bought pie filling for the topping. If you don't find the Nilla wafers, go ahead and use any sweet cookie which will fit in the base of your muffin pan. Don't go for the sandwich cookies though, it will be too thick for the base. You can also make your own topping by just using some fresh berries n kiwis or soaking some fresh fruits in simple syrup, or using any home made fruit preserves etc. The options are many , so go ahead , be creative !



Ingredients:

2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened,
1 cup sugar,
1 tsp. vanilla extract,
2 eggs,
12 vanilla wafers,
1 (21 oz) can cherry pie filling or other pie filling (optional)

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place a paper cupcake liner in each cup of muffin pan. Beat cream cheese with a handheld electric mixer until fluffy. Add sugar and vanilla, beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Lay a vanilla wafer, flat side down, in each muffin cup. Spoon cream cheese mixture over wafers. Bake for 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely. Serve with cherry filling on top, or pie filling of your choice.

P.S : Refrigerate the cheese cakes for few hours before serving / overnight for a better taste .