Sopapilla Cheesecake Pie

Ingredients

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon Mexican vanilla extract
2 (8 ounce) cans refrigerated crescent rolls
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup honey

Directions

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Prepare a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Beat the cream cheese with 1 cup of sugar and the vanilla extract in a bowl until smooth.
Unroll the cans of crescent roll dough, and use a rolling pin to shape each piece into 9x13 inch rectangles. Press one piece into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Evenly spread the cream cheese mixture into the baking dish, then cover with the remaining piece of crescent dough. Stir together 3/4 cup of sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Dot the mixture over the top of the cheesecake.
Bake in the preheated oven until the crescent dough has puffed and turned golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle with honey. Cool completely in the pan before cutting into 12 squares.

Agua Fresca de Sandia (Fresh Watermelon Drink)

8 cups loosely-packed seeded watermelon chunks
1/4 cup packed fresh mint leaves
12 ounces sparkling water
Sugar
Ice cubes
Mint sprigs (for garnish)

In a blender, pur?e the watermelon in batches, adding the mint leaves to one of the batches. Pour the watermelon juice into a large pitcher. Stir in the sparkling water and taste. Add 1 tablespoon or more of sugar if needed. Chill for at least 1 hour. Pour over ice in tall glasses and garnish each glass with a mint sprig, if desired.

Variation
Substitute mangos or blood oranges for the watermelon.

Terrific Tiramisu Dessert

Ingredients

1 16 oz container mascarpone cheese
(What I usually do is substitute with the following: 2 8 oz pkg cream cheese softened, *delete salt; in step 1, in a large bowl, with mixer at medium speed beat cream cheese and 3 tablespoons milk until smooth and fluffy. *Increase confectioner’s sugar for cheese mixture to 2/3 cup)
½ teaspoon salt*
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar
3 tablespoons plus 1/3 cup espresso (recipe calls for coffee-flavored liqueur but I prefer espresso)
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1 oz squares semi-sweet chocolate, grated
1 ½ cup heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoon instant espresso-coffee powder (This isn’t too hard to get. Your supermarket may carry it in their Italian section)
2 3-4 ½ oz pkgs Ladyfingers – a cookie of sorts. (The Italians call them Savoiardi. There are some American ones but they are not as good. Mushy, not crunchy. Try and get an Italian brand.)
Directions

1) In a large bowl, with wire whisk or fork, beat mascarpone (or cream cheese mixture), salt, ½ cup sugar, 3 tablespoons espresso, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 2/3 of grated chocolate (set aside remaining chocolate for top of dessert).

2) In small bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat 1 cup heavy or whipping cream until stiff peaks form. With rubber spatula or wire whisk, fold whipped cream into cheese mixture.

3) In small bowl, stir instant espresso-powder, remaining 1/3 cup espresso, remaining ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (if you use liqueur, then add 1 tablespoons water).

4) If ladyfingers are sliced, separate them in half. Line 2 ½ quart glass or crystal bowl with one-fourth of ladyfingers; drizzle 2 tablespoons of espresso mixture over them. Spoon one-third of the cheese mixture over ladyfingers. Repeat with ladyfingers, espresso mixture, and cheese mixture to make two more layers.

Drizzle remaining espresso mixture on ladyfingers. Sprinkle remaining grated chocolate over top of dessert. Reserving one tablespoon for garnish.

5) In a small bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat remaining ½ cup cream and remaining 2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar until stiff peaks form.

6) Spoon whipped cream mixture into decorating bag with large star tube. Pipe large rosettes on top of dessert. (This is ideal, however my cake-decorating bag is in storage so I just use a plastic bag with a pin prick in it and make attractive blobs instead.)

7) Sprinkle reserved grated chocolate on whipped-cream rosettes. Refrigerate until chilled and flavors are blended (at least 2 hours).

Serve and enjoy.

Hari Mirch Pakora Recipe

Ingredients:


8 - 10 Bharawan Mirch (Pickle Green Chillies)
Oil for frying
For the filling:
1 Boiled Potatoes
1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1/2 tsp Ajwain
1 tsp finely chopped Mint Leaves
1/4 tsp Ginger paste
Salt to taste
For the covering
1 cup Besan (Bengal Gram Flour)
3 tblsp Rice Flour
1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1 Pinch Turmeric Powder
1 Pinch Soda Bicarb
1/4 tsp Ajwain


How to make stuffed mirch pakora :

* Wash, wipe and slit the chillies along the length.
* Remove the seeds from the chillies.
* Mix all the ingredients for the stuffing and fill it inside the chillies.
* Mix all the ingredients for the covering and add enough water to prepare a thick batter.
* Dip the stuffed chillies in this batter and fry in hot oil till it is golden in color.
* Serve hot with tamarind chutney and hari chutney.

Swiss Rolls

Ingredient

* 3 eggs
* 2 drops of vanilla essence
* 110 grams / 3½ oz of castor sugar
* 75 grams / 2½ oz of flour
* 2 to 3 tablespoons of raspberry jam
* ¼ cup of icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 210°C, 410°F or gas mark 6½. Grease and line a swiss roll tin with cooking paper. Whisk the eggs, vanilla and sugar with an electric mixer or beater on high until the mixture resembles a thick stable foam, and the mark from a spoon dragged through the mixture doesn't disappear. Sift in the flour, and very gently fold the flour in with a large metal spoon. Gently pour the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth out to the corners with a pallet knife.

Bake for 8 to 10minutes. Check the sponge is cooked by carefully running your hand over the top. It is cooked if your hand leaves a slight mark, which disappears quickly and springs back. Turn out immediately onto a cake rack covered with a clean dry tea towel. Peel off the cooking paper and allow to cool. Spread the sponge lightly with raspberry jam and roll into a tight spiral with the aid of the tea towel, starting from the longer side. Remove the towel and sprinkle with icing sugar.

Spanish Rice

Can be prepared in 40 minutes or less. One of my mother's signature dishes is her Spanish rice, a delicious accompaniment to steak, chicken, and Mexican entrees such as tacos or enchiladas. Spanish rice is prepared by browning the rice first with onions and garlic, before cooking it in chicken stock with added tomato. The browning is essential to the nutty, almost toasty flavor of the rice. And although bouillon can be substituted for the chicken stock, nothing beats homemade chicken stock, the rich flavor of which is absorbed by the rice.

Spanish Rice Recipe
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Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil (can use up to 1/4 cup)
1 onion, chopped fine
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups of medium or long-grain white rice
3 cups* chicken stock (or vegetable stock if vegetarian)
1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste or 1 cup of diced fresh or cooked tomatoes, strained
Pinch of oregano
1 teaspoon salt

*Check the instructions on the rice package for the proportions of liquid to rice. They can range from 1:1 to 2:1. If your rice calls for 2 cups of water for every cup of rice, then for this recipe, use 4 cups of stock for 2 cups of rice.

Method
1 In a large skillet brown rice in olive oil, medium/high heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook onion rice mixture, stirring frequently, about 4 minutes, or until onions are softened.

2 In a separate sauce pan bring stock to a simmer. Add tomato sauce, oregano, and salt. Add rice to broth. Bring to a simmer. Cover. Lower heat and cook 15-25 minutes, depending on the type of rice and the instructions on the rice package. Turn off heat and let sit for 5 minutes.

Serves 4 to 6.

Chilli chicken

Ingredients

Whole chicken - 1 no
(cut into small cubes ; boneless)
Soya sauce - 2 tbsp
Vinegar - 2 tbsp
Tomato sauce - 1 tbsp
Chilly sauce - 1 tbsp
Salt - As reqd
Green chillies - 6 nos
(slit in the middle)
Onions(big) - 4 nos
(chopped)
Corn flour - 1 heaped tbsp
Eggs - 2 nos


Refined cooking oil

1)Wash the chicken pieces and dry them.

2)Marinate the pieces with soya sauce, vinegar, tomato sauce, chilly sauce and a pinch of salt.

3)Beat the eggs and pour them on the chicken pieces.

4)Add half a tbsp of corn flour and mix well the whole mixture.

5)Allow it to marinate for 2 hours.

6)Drain excess liquid and store in a container.

7)Heat oil in a pan.

8)Fry the chicken pieces.

9)Keep the fried pieces in a separate container.

10)In the left over oil, fry the green chillies and chopped onions slightly.

11)Pour the excess liquid stored earlier. Stir continuously cook until thick.

12) Add chicken pieces.