Shake it and Make it!

Yes,your guess is correct! I am talking about the famous famous cold coffee. Possibly the easiest drink to make and enjoy on a hot hot day. Refreshing as it sounds this drink has been an absolute favorite in our house. My husband likes it rich, sweet, non diluted and a good blend of coffee & milk (neither too strong nor too light - just the right mix) and often chooses the most heaviest cold coffee while ordering from a cafe with loads of cream, chocolate sauce and what not!

Well I am sure I cannot match the CC Day or a Barista cold coffee, but I tried to make it as per his taste and since I made it at home I tried to make it less in calories. Like any regular cold coffee I took a glass of chilled  (double toned) milk, some sugar (optimum qty), coffee in a mixer/shaker to blend but to add a twist in the flavour I added a scoop of butterscotch ice cream and some Bournvita to give it a rich mocha and creamy taste to the regular iced coffee. Also the quantity of coffee was a little more than usual. I usually do not blend ice with the mixture, instead I keep my glass of milk in the freezer for 10 mins before preparing it. It gives a nice frothy feel to the coffee. I laced the glass with some hot chocolate sauce (instead of pouring it as a topping) and then poured the mixture into a tall slim glass or a beer glass and add another scoop of BS ice cream. If you still want the coffee to taste yummier, keep the glass in the freezer for 5 mins. Enjoy frothy creamy rich iced coffee with breakfast or with evening snack.

This blog will be incomplete if I don't mention my mum's cold coffee. She makes the best cold coffee ever!!! I still haven't figured out how she makes it so yummy.   

**Conditions Apply: All the drinks that I make need not necessarily be the 'world's best'. I am not responsible for any consequences after you try this out ;-)
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Pancakes can be healthy!

My husband's craving for English breakfast has been there since time immemorial! He has been harping this every weekend like a 'stuck tape recorder'. He wanted to take all of us to American Diner but we always manage to give him a better excuse to eat at home. I better do something about it. He is not going to let it go!

Pancakes has topped the chart.. as he loves his 'maa ke haath ka banaya hua' pancakes. He gets it sometimes when he is lucky, during their India visit.  

When I decided to make it for him this morning, I wanted to give it a healthy- yet-tasty twist to the recipe to keep the nutritional value intact.

Pancakes with a twist

What goes into the dish?

1 cup maida

1 cup oatmeal

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

1 egg

1 cup milk

Salt to taste 

Toppings

Nuts (almonds, walnut, pista )

1/4 cup sugar

water

How to cook?

Mix all the above ingredients in a bowl to a nice liquidy batter. Heat a non stick pan, put some olive oil and pour the batter into a roundy round shape on to the pan. Wait for it to cook and turn sides. Once it turns golden brown take it out onto a serving plate.

In a separate pan heat sugar and put 2 tsp water. Caramalise it. Roughly chop all the nuts and toss it into the pan. Once your nuts turn nice caramalised brown take it out and top it up on the pancakes.

Serve hot pancakes with honey (healthy option)/ chocolate sauce/ butter.

Husband’s reaction

Wow pancakes for breakfast …great. After having some of it, he says – ‘Nora, have you ever had a pancake? I said  - Yes, why? He says, Waise toh tumne ye pancakes accha banaya hai, but we got to order some when I come home, you taste both and then you will see the difference.

There you go… I have a long way to go but I have to try harder next time.

**Conditions Apply: All the dishes that I cook need not necessarily be edible. I am not responsible for any consequences after you try out these dishes.

'Kadchi in my hand'

I love to feed people and throw parties but when it comes to cooking, I always run in the opposite direction. I have been very lucky to have a good cook in my house, she has been feeding us all this while! "Bless you Rinki". 

The world around me calls me a 'bad cook'. Guess that is what has driven me to start this blog. I am a foodie, so is my husband and such is the case with my entire family (which explains our size!). Food is always in our mind. While we are sulking or celebrating, partying or whining, traveling or at home; good food just brings a smile to our faces. So coming to think about it, if our life revolves around food then why not get my hands dirty ‘in the kitchen’!

Having unhealthy food outside on a regular basis can take a toll on your body and after some time you lose interest in eating. Before such a thing happens to me and my family, I have decided to take the ‘kadchi’ in my hand a start of by making an attempt to feed healthy food to my family. That does not rule out our ‘eating out’ option but yes I am making an attempt to change our lifestyle.

My mom is fabulous in kitchen and all these years, I only concentrated on savoring her delicacies rather than focusing on what went into the dish. This spring break when I was back home, I noticed her dexterity and ease in cooking our meals. Our house is a typical Oriya household where the mom cooks, and every member of the family wants a different dish for each of the meals served to them. And my mom never ceases to surprise me; we actually get different dishes on the table every single day. I salute her and whatever she cooks tastes so divine that a grin automatically comes to our greedy faces which is the ultimate trophy for her!

 I always thought that I will give her a hand but when I try to do anything for her I end up spoiling it so I chose to stay far away from the kitchen. But this time, I observed her closely and somehow I have overcome my phobia ‘to cook’. Really, I mean it! It took over 30 yrs but hell, I think somewhere in our busy schedule we have forgotten to make an effort because we are surrounded by ‘ready to eat options’. So I am all set… Are you?