Blueberry Cupcakes

Hope life is treating you all great this summer. All is well here, busy days with summer activities, parents visit, catching up with family and friends gatherings. Yes, these are one of the reason behind my absence here but that doesn't in any mean imply I wasn't cooking. I had been cooking more than before with no lazy days but the only difference is I wasn't clicking any pictures. Though I'm having a great time with my parents I had been really missing my lovely space and I always wanted to post something. But these days I'm spending spare time taking my parents around or sitting n chatting to them about anything/everything or watching them playing and having fun with my kids.

Ahhhhh feel like 2012 came in just yesterday, by the time I winked my eyes we are already in the mid of the  year. Don't you think days are flying faster these days or Is it  just me?? My parents reached here on 16th of the month, here we are - even July is saying bye bye. They were wondering how 10 days passed so quick, giving them a feel of just 10 hours. We drove them to NJ in the very first weekend itself, even before they got rid of their Jet-lag , as I knew they will be anxious and excited to meet my little sister. We all were meeting together after 2 years, it was really a wonderful feeling. But we were missing our brother in action, hopefully we three will catch up sometime soon. Ok, now let me put a full stop to my non-sense and move on to the recipe ;)



Today's recipe is a simple and humble blueberry cupcakes which I bake often to finish off the blueberries leftover after making pancakes, juices and smoothies. This may not be a new recipe for you all, might be the same you make it every-time at home. I can only assure you this is an awesome cupcake that can never go wrong in the process of making, a very light, soft, moist and yummy cupcake which you will crave to have more n more. If you have some blueberries and the basic ingredients, you can make this cupcakes without any electric/hand mixer. Just whip up the ingredients and bake it, it is butter-less too. So what more reason do you need to bake, try to make them today itself and buzz me with the results of this ezee breezy baking :-)

Ingredients Used :-

1. All purpose Flour/Maida - 2 cups
2. Baking soda - ½ tsp
3. Baking powder - 1½ tsp
4. Sugar -  ¾ cup
5. Salt a pinch
6. Canola oil/Oil - ¼ cup
7. Plain non-sour yogurt -1 cup
8. Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
9. Eggs - 2
10. Fresh Blueberries - 1 cup(fresh or frozen)

How I made it:-

• Pre-heat the oven to 350 Degree F. Line the muffin/cupcake tray with liners and set aside.
• Wash and pat the blueberries and set aside. If using frozen berries do not thaw them.
• In a wide bowl mix well together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt using a wire whisk(You can sift/sieve the flour mix as well).
• In another bowl lightly beat the eggs. Add yogurt, oil, vanilla extract mix well using the whisk to blend everything. Add sugar, mix whisk well again.
• Add the flour mix little by little mixing well continuously using a spatula till everything is incorporated and a smooth no lump batter is formed.
• Slide in the blueberries and mix in gently using the spatula.
• Fill in the muffin liners evenly(about ¾th of each cup) and bake approx for 25-30 mins or until a tooth pick or a cake tester comes out clean. 

Baking Partners: New Baking Group Announcement

Baking Partners: A new Baking Group

A group of home bakers helping each other to achieve perfection.

Baking a home made Baking a homemade bread, cake or cookies will give the best outcome. However in order to achieve the best results, a perfect recipe and right techniques are required.

We are a small group of home baker friends, who love and want to learn more about the nook and corners of baking. We are planning to try out recipes from books/magazines and cooking shows. Every member gets a chance to present their choice of recipe and share important points with the rest of the group.

Main purpose of this group is to learn the techniques, critic the procedure if there are ways to improve, and to eat a delicious food.

Rules are simple, we will choose one recipe and send it out to the group by 16th of every month and the reveal date will be 15th of the next month. On that day we will blog about it. A linky tool will be open during that time and each member can link their post.

First month we are going to do a recipe, 2nd and 3rd month will be a theme and the 4th month

we will be back at a recipe. By doing in between recipes, we will able to learn more.

All enthusiastic bloggers interested in baking are welcome, please email Swathi at favoriterecipes12@gmail.com.

We will appreciate the use of logo or worded link that will help to spread the word. A bunch of thanks to Tina for designing this beautiful logo.

If you want to make it a gluten or vegan free diet, you can do those modifications also.

Baking Partners are

1.     Reeni (Cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice)

2.     Julie Erivum Puliyumm

3.     Tina  ( Pinay in Texas Cooking Corner)

4.     Priya (Priya's Versatile Recipes)  

5.     Suja ( Kitchen Corner Try It)

6.     Archana  ( Tangy Minds)

7.     Reshmi  ( EasY Cook)

8.     Prathibha ( Cook Ezee)   

9.     Priya R ( Cook Like Priya)

10.   Sweatha ( Tasty Curry leaf)

11.   Vidhya (  A Portion to Share)

12.   Usha Rao ( My Spicy Kitchen)

13.   Divya Prakash( Divya’s Culinary Journey)

14.   Swasthi Blank ( Swasthi The Health Freak)

15.   Sanoli Ghosh ( Sanoli’s Kitchen)

16.   Pam Capone ( Live Ranch Delux)

17.   Mirellie( Gourmet Global Creations)

18.   Reshwani( Daily Cuppa)

19.   Peachy  (Peach Kitchen)

20.   Archana( The madscientist’s Kitchen)

21.   Lorraine ( Joy’s Misadventures)

22.   Jayasri(Samyalarai)

23.   Sowmya(Nivedhanam)

24.   Anuja ( Simple Baking)

25.   Janani(www.redchillycurry.com)

26.   Ivy (Kopipaste)

27.  Janaki ( Janakidiary)

28.  Tamy (Always Eat on Good China)

       And

       29 . Swathi ( Zesty South Indian Kitchen)    Creator and Owner

Round Up of EP Series Herbs & Spices Event ~ Basil and Cardamom

Dear all, here is the much awaited Round Up of EP Series Event ~ Basil and Cardamom. I would like to thank Julie once again for giving me the opportunity to host this Event and I thank all my dear blogger friends who participated in the event and made it a great success. Without any further delay let me declare the awards as categorized. Please collect your well deserved award and post them at your space and feel proud :-)

The Best Innovative Recipe awards goes to

                                 

1. Baked Stuffed Tomatoes by Sanika at Delectable N Delicious. Check out for her Stuffed tomatoes recipe, make it and snack it. Healthy, tangy and yummy bake they are, Brilliant prep Sanika.
2. Yakhni Pulao by Shobha at Food Maaza. Never made Pulao with chicken stock, this recipe sounds like full of flavor and awesome taste. A new one for me and great recipe Shobhaji.
3. Linguine with Pesto and roasted Tomatoes by Shweta at Shweta in The Kitchen. I'm a die hard fan of pesto, though many people don't like its hard flavor. I really appreciate her extra effort of making everything at home including roasted tomatoes instead of using any store bought one's. Good one Shweta, lovely prep.
4. Eggplant Parmesan Sub by Roshni at Roshni's Kitchen. Ahhhh, here comes another awesome recipe, girl you made it better than any fast food restaurant Sub, the pics look so perfect and delicious, I felt like grabbing one and having it right away. Awesome dish Roshni
5. Walnut Urad Dal Ladoo by Swasthi at Swasthi; The Health Freak. These nutritious and power packed walnut-urad daal balls is definitely a great recipe, So well explained Swasthi. 
6. Apple cupcake with cardamom apple frosting by Achu of Tangy Minds. Have you ever used cardamom powder in a butter cream frosting. Thats what Archana did for her mini apple cupcakes, I'm sure it added a great flavor and taste Achu. 

The Best Healthy Dish Award goes to The Herbal Rice linked by Ez CookBook.

Top Contributor Award goes to Swasthi; The Health Freak for her lovely and delicious dishes with 10 entries.

And for all the Dear participants, please grab the below logo as the token of love for your participation and thank you dear all for your constant support for the EP Series

Check out for this month's EP Series at Kaveri's Plakkad Chamayal with Fenugreek leaves and Green chilly as the main ingredients. 

Here's the flavorful and delicious entries of the event in the linky tool below :-)

Broccoli Thoran/Broccoli Stir Fry

This Broccoli Stir Fry is our family favorite, we love to have them with Roti/Rice and even plain as well. Addition of pepper powder spice them up and adds a nice flavor. Include this nutritious and healthy veggie in your daily menu in this form. Make them today and fall in love with this Veggie!!!! 

Ingredients:-

1. Broccoli Florets as needed(~ ¾lbs)
2. Onion chopped - 1
3. Green Chilies chopped - 4 nos
4. Turmeric powder - ¾ tsp
5. Pepper powder ~  ¾ tsp
6. Salt - ¾ tsp(to taste, check and adjust)
7. Curry leaves few
8. Oil -2 tsp
9. Mustard seeds - 1tsp
10. Dry red chilies - 3 nos

Preparation method:-

• Wash broccoli well couple of times, drain off the water completely or pat dry. Cut/Slice the big florets vertically and set aside.
• Heat a deep kadai or pan, pour oil, add mustard seeds and wait to sizzle. When they start to pop simmer the heat to medium, add dry red chilies, curry leaves and saute just for a while.
• Add onions, green chilies and salt, saute till onion becomes soft. Add turmeric powder, saute for few seconds, add broccoli and stir fry for a minute or two to combine everything. Cover and cook till broccoli becomes crunchy(takes about seven-ten minutes). Or you can cook further few more minutes till they become soft(both way it tastes good)
• Add pepper powder and stir fry in full heat for a minute or two. Take off the stove and serve warm with Roti/Rice.(I can have it plain without anything, delicious)

Note:- 

1. You can add little bit grated coconut if you wish, but we prefer broccoli without coconut. 

2. I haven't added chili powder, if you want it more spicy you can go ahead and add chili powder as well.

Sending this to EP Series hosted at Palakkad chamayal

Methi Murgh/Methi Chicken/Chicken with Fenugreek leaves

Methi leaves is one of his favorite, he had gown up eating them I guess. When I was in Mumbai after our marriage I was so amazed to see these fresh bunch of Methi leaves that was so abundantly available in the market. I do like Methi but mostly when combined with something else like I love Aloo Methi, like Methi Dal and this Methi Chicken is one of my favorite chicken dish. You don't feel the bitterness of Methi leaves here, instead this chicken dish have a nice flavor of Fresh methi leaves. This recipe is for all the Methi Leaves lovers like my hubby, Try them at home, Enjoy the meal :)

Ingredients:-

1. Onion chopped fine - 2 Med(~ 1 ½ to 2 Cup)
2. Tomatoes chopped fine - 2 small
3. Ginger and Garlic finely chopped or crushed - 1tbsp each
4. Green Chilies chopped - 3
5. Turmeric powder ~ ½ tsp
6. Chilly powder -   ½ tsp
7. Cumin powder - 1 tsp
8. Coriander powder - 1tsp
9. Garam Masala - 1 tsp
10. Jeera/Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
11. Bay leaf - 1
12. Cinnamon stick - 1
13. Oil -2 tsp
14. Methi leaves - a bunch(~ 2 cups after discarding the stems)
15. Salt ~ ¾ tsp

To Marinate:-

1. Chicken - 2lbs(~ 1 kg)(I used bone-in chicken pieces if using boneless chicken pls use thigh meat)
2. Turmeric powder ~ ¾ tsp
3. Chillly powder - 1tsp
4. Garam Masala - 1tsp
5. Yogurt/Curd - 2 tbsp
6. Salt ~ ¾ tsp

Preparation Method:-

• Wash and clean the chicken two-three times, drain water completely and keep aside.
• In another big bowl add yogurt and make the marinade by adding all the ingredients of 'To marinate'. Marinate the chicken well with this marinade and set aside for at-least half an hour(or marinate and keep refrigerated overnight)
• Mean while cut and discard the stem part of Fenugreek leaves bunch, pluck the leaves discarding the stalks. Soak the leaves in wide bowl of water for a minute, clean well to remove all the sand. Repeat the cleaning process again for one or two times.
• Drain the water completely in a colander. Chop the leaves and set aside. 
• Heat up a kadai or non-stick pan, add oil followed by Bay leaf and cinnamon stick. Saute for few seconds. 
• Add Jeera/cumin seeds, when they sizzle add the onion and salt. Saute very well in medium heat till the onion turns golden brown(don't get it to dark brown).
• Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute till raw smell goes off. Add turmeric powder, chilly powder, cumin powder and coriander powder, saute for a minute.
• Add tomatoes, saute well till the tomatoes are mashed up. Add the methi leaves, saute well for four-five minutes till methi leaves becomes soft and is combined well with the tomato onion mix.
• Add the marinated chicken and saute well to mix. Cover and cook in medium heat for 15-20 minutes or till chicken is almost cooked(not fully cooked).
• Open the lid, add garam masala and chopped coriander leaves and stir well to mix. Cover and cook again for ten minutes or till chicken is cooked fully.
• Take off the stove and garnish with more chopped coriander leaves. Serve warm with Roti/Naan/Rice.

Note: -If you like more gravy, add a cup or more water after you add chicken to the methi masala ie before you cover and cook the chicken.

Sending this to The Master Chef Contest