Rum Balls

Rum balls are delicious unbaked treats containing, of course, rum.It is made by mixing nuts, dark chocolate, icing sugar, rum and coated with desiccated coconut. Rum balls are easy to make and yummy!!!!!!!!!!

Ingredients:

200 g Nuts ,ground coarsely (almonds/ walnuts/ hazelnuts)

125 g Butter (room temperature)

125 g Icing sugar

125 g Dark chocolate

4 tsp Rum

100 g desiccated coconut

Preparation:

1. Roast the nuts in a non-stick pan till it becomes golden brown and keep it aside.

2. Beat the butter to a creamy texture.

3. Melt the chocolate in the microwave to a thick, soft texture.

4. Add the melted chocolate to butter and mix well.

5. Add icing sugar, nuts and rum to the above mixture and mix well.

6. Make small balls with the amount of half a tsp and roll it in the desiccated coconut.

Pizza

I usually buy pizza base from the shop whenever i feel like making pizza at home. I have always wanted to make the pizza base at home. Finally I tried to make it at home along with my friend Andrea and it came out well.I'm posting the step by step procedure for making pizza.

Ingredients:

For the Pizza Base:

500g All Purpose Flour (Maida)

11/2 tsp Active dry yeast

1/2 tsp Sugar

1 tsp Salt

1 cup Luke warm water

2 tsp Olive Oil

For the Toppings:

Tomato sauce

Vegetables (Onion, Capsicum, Cherry Tomatoes, Mushroom,...etc)

Mozzarella Cheese, grated

Red chilly flakes and dried oregano

Preparation:

1. In a bowl, mix yeast, sugar, salt with 6 tsp luke warm water.

2. Keep is aside for 10 minutes and stir well to dissolve completely.

3. In a large bowl, mix flour, olive oil, yeast mixture and mix well.

4. Add luke warm water to the flour yeast mixture and knead to make a soft dough.

5. Cover and keep the dough aside for 2 hrs or till it raises double the size.

Before Raising:

After Raising:

6. Once the dough is raised, punch down the dough and knead it again for 5 minutes.

7. Grease the baking tray with olive oil.

8. Take a small portion from the dough and roll it to a circle (thin or thick) using a rolling pin.

9. Place the pizza base on the baking tray.
10. Spread tomato sauce over the pizza base.

11. Then spread the grated cheese over the tomato sauce.

12. Arrange the sliced vegetables over the cheese and sprinkle chilly flakes and oregano.

13. Preheat the oven at 200 degree C.

14. Bake Pizza for 15-20 minutes till the cheese melts and the edges become light golden colour.

15. Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

Falafel

Falafel is a very popular food in the Arab East. A very filling vegetarian dish, served as a starter, main course or just a snack. It usually served with pita bread with chopped lettuce tomato and hummus.

Ingredients:
250g dried chickpeas
4 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
2-3 Green Chilly, finely chopped
3 tsp finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
3 tsp finely chopped fresh coriander leaves
1 tsp crushed Coriander seed
1 tsp crushed Cumin seed
½ tsp baking soda
Oil for frying
Salt

Preparation:
1. Soak the chick peas overnight and drain the water .

2. Grind them to a fine paste by sprinkling little water.

3. Grind green chilly, parsley, coriander leaves, cumin seed, coriander seed, and garlic to a paste along with 3tsp of chickpeas paste.

4. Add this to ground chickpeas paste.

5. Add salt to the above mixture and mix well.

6. Make small balls from the dough and flatten it with your palm.

7. Heat oil in a heavy vessel, deep fry them until it turns golden brown and serve hot.

Russian Apple Cake

Ingredients:
200g Butter
200g Sugar
200g Flour
125g Almonds, finely grounded
1tsp Cinnamon Powder
2 tsp Coco Powder
1 tsp Baking Powder
4 Eggs
3 Apples
70-80 ml Rum
For the icing
40g Butter
100g Dark Chocolate

Preparation:
1. Peel and slice the apples.

2. Add rum to the sliced apples and soak the apples for 15-20 minutes.

3. Mix Flour, baking powder, coco powder, cinnamon powder together and sieve it to get mixed evenly.
4. Add ground nuts to the above mixture and mix well.

5. Beat sugar and butter using an electric beater.

6. Add eggs and beat till it becomes creamy.

7. Add this to the flour nuts mixture and mix gently using a spatula.

8. Finally add nuts and sliced apple with rum and mix well.

9. Grease the pan with butter and sprinkle flour over it.

10. Pour this mixture to the pan.

11. Bake at 180c for 45-50 minutes (Bake till the tooth inserted in the center comes out clean).
12. Allow it to cool.

13. Melt chocolate and butter together using double boiler method.

14. Pour the chocolate icing over the cake and keep it in the refrigerator for an hour and serve chilled.

Tomato Mozzarella Salad (Insalata Caprese)

This is so easy to make and delicious. It's tasty and extremely popular, especially as a starter before a main course or as a simple appetizer. Just slice the tomatoes and layer them with fresh mozzarella and pour the dressing over the salad.

Ingredients:
2 large tomatoes

50g Mozzarella cheese

2 tsp fresh/ dry basil
2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. Slice tomato and mozzarella thinly.
2. For dressing, combine vinegar, olive oil and whisk until oil is thoroughly blended.
3. Arrange tomato and cheese slices, alternately on serving plate or individual salad plates.
4. Pour the dressing over the slices.
5. Sprinkle basil, pepper and salt over the salad.

Yogurt Cheese Cake/ Curd Cheese Cake

Yogurt cheese cake is very soft and delicious to eat. My 2 yr old kid likes to eat this cheese compare the other cakes i usually make. It is best chilled and served the same day. I’m posting the step by step procedure for making the yogurt cheese cake....

Ingredients:
For Base:
100g Butter
100g Sugar
1 Egg
1 tsp Baking Powder
200g All Purpose Flour (Maida)

For Filling:
1 kg hung curd/ yogurt ( well drained curd)
200g Sugar
125g Butter
100ml Milk
5 tsp Flour
4 eggs
Few vanilla drops
Juice from 1 lemon

Preparation:
1. For making base:
a. Knead flour, baking powder, butter, sugar, egg to make dough.

b. Use a baking pan with detachable top and bottom.

c. Grease the pan with butter and sprinkle flour over it.

d. Roll the dough to a thin layer and cut it into a circle to cover the bottom of the pan.
e. Again roll the dough and form the border of at least 3 inch high.

2. For Filling:
a. Separate the egg white and yellow.
b. Beat the egg whites using electric beater to stiff.
c. Beat egg yolks, sugar, butter together till it becomes creamy.
d. Mix flour and beat gently using electric egg beater.
e. Finally add lemon juice, milk, hung curd and beat gently for few seconds.

f. Add egg white and fold gently.

g. Pour this mixture to the pan.

3. Bake at 180c for 60-70 minutes (bake until golden brown).

4. Refrigerate it for 3hrs and serve chilled.

Tips:
1. Preheating the oven is very important.