Chocolate Sauce/Syrup

This is the easiest DIY chocolate sauce/syrup ever. It is so easy that I am little embarrassed to call it a recipe. Since lil A was not well last week, she pretty much refused all foods, even her favorite milk. A friend suggested to add chocolate syrup to it and try. I liked the idea. I do not know, what made me check for its recipe in the web, but I did. And seeing so many easy versions, I combined couple to have my own. And it worked! I am so happy to have something that does not have dozens of unknown ingredients to it.

Ingredients

Water - 1/2 cup

Cocoa powder - 3/4 cup

Sugar - 3/4 cup

Vanilla - Few drops

Boil water and sugar in a pan for 2 minutes. Add cocoa powder to it and simmer it until the cocoa powder melts completely, around 5-6 minutes.

SImmer it for 2 minutes more, and turn off the heat.

Let it cool. It will thicken on cooling.

Add the vanilla drops to it.

We really liked it, if you want more sweet, you are welcome to add more sugar. You can also add chocolate chips to it.

I was not sure how it will turn out, so made a small batch. You can increase the proportions. 

Definitely, worth try if you like chocolate sauce.

You can store them in refrigerator for up to 10 days.  

It also makes a cute host gift to give away this season. Your friends will like it.

The above picture is my contribution for this week's Black and White Wednesday, a culinary event started by Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook, and hosted this week by Urvashi of Budding Homemaker. For participation details visit Cindystar blog.

Coffee, again - Black and White Wednesday # 108

Yes, friends, you got it right! I literally and practically cannot live without it. Be it fancy Starbucks stuff to not-so-fancy at office canteen, I have it all.

This week I am needing it more. Lil A is sick and I am waking up at 4:30 ish for last four days and more than one cuppa is keeping me afloat through the long day.

Curious George is babysitting a not-in-a-great mood toddler most of the times while this tired mama gets her chores done.

The first image is my contribution to this week's Black and White Wednesday, a culinary event started by Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook. This week Priya of The Humpty Dumpty's Kitchen is hosting 108 edition of this culinary journey. For participation details visit Cindystar's blog of Cinzia, who currently administrates the event.

Egg Curry

Egg curry reminds me of the rainy evenings during my childhood. When during those incessant rains my mother would tell me ghost stories amidst of power cuts, getting scared herself all through. The room would be dark with only a candle burning on the table at the corner. We would cuddle up along with our dog on the couch sipping something hot and munching all along. We would worry about my father getting drenched on his way back home and his extra hours among the heavy traffics. After a while Maa would go and prepare this egg curry in a candle lit semi dark kitchen telling me to finish my studies. I would reluctantly sit at my table with my books open but my mind wandering. The curry used to get ready just in time when my father would be back fully soaked up in water and I would rush to him with a towel. And few minutes later we would enjoy this warm curry with plain white rice or with parathas on extra special days.

Ingredients

Eggs - 6 hard boiled

Onions - 2 medium, chopped

Tomatoes - 3 medium, chopped

Garlic - 2 small cloves

Ginger - 1/2 inch

Cardamom - 4-6 small

Cloves - 4

Cinnamon - 1" stick

Turmeric - 1/2 teaspoon

Cumin powder - 1 teaspoon

Salt and Sugar - To taste

Oil - 1 tablesppon (I used mustard oil this time, but also use canola oil all the time)

Boil the eggs in a pot. I usually put them with a spoon in a pot of boiling water and boil them for 8 - 10 minutes. I always add 1 teaspoon of salt to the boiling water.

After removing the shells, smear them with salt and turmeric.

Fry the eggs lightly in the oil.

Add cardamoms, cinnamon and cloves to the hot oil, temper for a minute and add the onions.

Saute them for 3-5 minutes till they turn translucent. Add 1 teaspoon of sugar to it, it will help in caramelization.

Add the chopped tomatoes and cook it for about 10 minutes.

At this point, when the tomatoes are cooked, you can cool it and give it a pulse or two in the mixer to make a smooth paste. But, of course, I did not do it. I cooked for extra couple minutes and smashed it with spatula on the pan.

Add salt, turmeric, and cumin powder to it and mix well. Add a green chilli to make it hot (you can add more according to your taste). Add half a cup of warm water to it and cook for a minute. Add the eggs to it and cook for another 2 minutes with lids on.

You can keep the eggs whole or can cut it in half before putting in the pan. A dash of fresh herb like cilantro or rosemary will spike up the flavor more.

Enjoy with plain white rice or bread of your choice. A total comfort for me.

The above picture is my contribution to Black and White Wednesday # 107 - a culinary events started by Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook. This week it is hosted by Simona of Briciole. For participation details visit Cindystar blog of Cinzia, who now manages the event.

Black and White Wednesday # 105 - The Gallery

This is my first event as a host and I am excited. Thanks to all for your contribution and time for Black and White Wednesday - A Culinary Photography Event.

Also, much thanks to Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook who started the event and to Cinzia of Cindystar for wonderful administration.

Happy viewing, friends! The photos are in order as they hit my inbox.

"Busy Bee" from Simona of Briciole.
                                                         

"Napa Cabbage" from Pam of Sidewalk Shoes.

                              


"Porcini" from Haalo of Cook Almost Anything.
                                     

       

         

"My Vintage Pressure Cooker" from Cinzia of Cindystar.

        

"Follow The Sign" from Rosa of Rosa's Yummy Yums.

 

"Favorite Spot" from Pocketfull Of Spices. Yeah, its me.

                               

106 week of Black and White Wednesday will be hosted by Cinzia of Cindystar. You can send your entries at casacortella AT tin DOT it till Tuesday, November 19.

See you there next week. Happy Wednesday.

Baked Pasta-Easy Dinner

Once again a very easy dinner recipe. We used to have this dish quite often in pre lil A days, but somehow I completely forgot about it. Later I made pasta quite some times but never baked it. Few weeks back I was craving a good pasta dish, and my husband suddenly reminded me about it. I was like, why I did not make it again till now? And given that lil A loves pasta!

That is when I geared up to make the marinara sauce a day before so it will not be a lot of work.

Try this, it can be a hearty dinner if you are a carboholic like me.

Ingredients

Pasta (any kind, I used bow tie one) - 1 cup uncooked. Cook it al dente in pot of water with pinch of salt in it.

Green Pepper - 1 medium, diced

Chicken breasts (diced) - 1 cup

Onions - 1 medium, thinly sliced

Marinara sauce (or any other sauce you like) - 1/2 cup

Oil - 1 tablespoon

Salt to taste

Cook the pasta in a pot till al dente.

Heat oil in a pan and saute the onions till translucent.

Add in the chicken pieces and green pepper and cook it for 5-6 minutes or till chicken becomes almost cooked.

Add half a cup of marinara sauce and mix well. Cook for a minute or two.

Add the pasta to it and cook it for 2-3 minutes. Arrange it on a baking dish.

Grate generous amount of any cheese of your choice to cover the pasta up. I only had cheese slices at that time, but was craving the dish so bad that I decided to go ahead with it.

Not a very pretty picture though!

Pre heat oven at 200C. Bake at 200C for 20-25 minutes or till the cheese melts and covers the top.

I like it slightly overbaked.

Enjoy your pasta.

If you have the sauce ready and the pasta cooked, it really takes very little effort to make it. And it makes the carboholic in me happy.

Happy Tuesday!

Favorite Spot and Announcement of Black and White Wednesday # 105

Once, not long back, it used to be my favorite spot.

This table and chairs know much of my life secrets, joys and sadness as I shared and celebrated them with my best friend over a cup of coffee here. I don't know why, but I loved this spot more when the trees were bare than in summer.

This week I am hosting Black and White Wednesday-A Culinary Photography Event. I am very much excited and delighted. This wonderful event was started by Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook, and now organized by Cinzia of Cindystar.

For the newbies, here are the rules:

• Your clicks have to be  anything of a culinary nature or show anything related to food

• You can shoot either in b/w mode or in color, then process in b/w. You can use any effect you like but keeping the image in a monochrome/grayscale, with Sepia and Cyanotype tones allowed. No color details allowed.

• Approximate sizes of your pictures shoud be portrait/500 wide & 700 long - landscape/700 wide & 500 long - or 600 square.

• No need of a recipe, nor a story nor a location (but they are welcome if you like), simply a title for the picture is required.

• You have to mention Black and White Wednesday in your post and link to this announcement and my blog  Pocketfull Of Spices. Use of the logo is optional.

Please send me your photographs at pocketfullofspices AT gmail DOT com with following details: 

• Subject: BWW #105
• Your Name that you want to be published in round up
• Your Blog's Name
• Title of Your Pic
• URL of your post
• The image(s), max 500 px wide

You have until Tuesday, November 12, to send me your contributions. Even you do not have any blog, you can send me your photos for the roundup.

 And the above photo is my contribution for BWW 105.

So, happy clicking my friends!

Pizza and Black and White Wednesday 104

My pantry was almost empty. So mother and daughter duo went for extended grocery shopping. Young and no-more-young tired feet need rest. We were lazy and had this for Saturday dinner.

The bases were bought from local baker's shop. They claimed it was freshly baked in the morning. 

In went tomatoes, green pepper, chunks of onions, and apples with generous amount of grated cheese. I had leftover marinara sauce to smear on the bases. Baked at 180C for 15 minutes. Yum!

I am sending this for this weeks Black and White Wednesday, hosted by Simona of Bricole, a culinary event started by Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook, and now managed by Cinzia of Cindystar blog. For participation details, check here.

Next week I will be hosting this gorgeous event. Stay tuned for the announcement.