Pasta's are ordered often when we visit Pizza shops. I love the Olive oil flavour and the crisp veggies on the pasta's. Once i started to make Pasta's, i never ordered on pizza outlets. its such easy to make and we can add the choice of vegetables and customise it very much.

Cheesy White Pasta

Prep Time: 05 mins 

Cooking Time: 20 mins  
Serves: 2
Recipe Cuisine: Continental
Recipe Type: Pasta

Ingredients:

Penne Pasta - 1 Cup
Olive Oil - 1 tbsp
Onion - 1
Green Capsicum - 1/2
Chopped Olives - 2 tbsp's
Mozarella Cheese - little to top up, while baking.(optional)

For White Sauce:

1/4 tsp of Butter
1 cup Milk
1 tsp Maida / all purpose flour
Cheese 1 cube
Pepper Powder - 1/4 tsp
salt a pinch

Method:

Boil a cup of Penne Pasta iin 3 cups of water for about 12 minutes.
Drain the boiled pasta and keep aside.

Heat a Pan, heat 1 tbsp of Olive oil on it. add chopped Onions and Capsicums and saute them for half a minute. remember not to over cook them. add chopped olives to the pan give a mix. add little salt to taste.
Olives may have salt, so add very little salt.

Add the boiled Penne Pasta's to the pan and give a toss. so that the veggies and pasta's mix together. switch off the flame and turn them into a bowl.

For White Sauce:

Heat a Sauce Pan, add little butter and let it melt, now add the flour and fry it well. add boiled and cooled milk to the sauce pan and mix well. remember to turn the flame to medium here. Add a cube of processed cheese(grated) to the sauce pan.

Keep stirring the milk with the flour, till the mix, gets little thicker, like sauce and the cheese should have melted. add little salt and pepper to taste and remove from the flame.

Now Mix the White Sauce and the Penne pasta and mix well.

Baking: (You can Grill in microwave or broil it in your oven)

Transfer the Pasta mixed with white sauce to a baking bowl. add mozarella cheese over the top and broil or grill for about 5 -7 minutes, till the cheese had melted and the top had turn into golden colour.

Serve the Pasta Warm.

Choice of Vegetables that can be added:

Different colors of Capsicums
Mushrooms
Sweet Corns

Thakkali Puthina Chutney / Tomato and Mint Leaves Chutney

Last Weekend my son had his culturals day. Only on his reharsal's day, (i.e) a day prior to the culturals day, i came to know, the song, for which he is going to perform. that night, we searched for that song in the youtube and played it. My son did few steps and he was dancing good. even the next day, before starting for the function, we gave him another rehersal and took him to the function hall. Do u know, what he did on stage, when he is supposed to dance, he stood simply for the whole performance. but i guessed that it would happen, as i had similar experience with my brother too.

Coming to this Thakkali Puthina Chutney, i love this chutney very much, as it can be prepared quick and it also tastes good with hot steaming idli's. However adding Puthina is optional, Mint Leaves addition gives a nice taste and aroma. and its good for digestion.

Ingredients:

1 Onion
2 Tomatoe's
4 Garlic pod's
1/2 cup mint leaves / Puthina
2 Tbsp's of Chana Dal
2 tbsp's of grated Coconut
3 Dry Red Chilli's
1/2 tbsp of oil for frying onion/tomatoes

1/2 tsp oil for Tempering / Thalippu
1/4 tsp Mustard
1/2 tsp split Urad Dal

Method:

Heat a pan, and a tbsp of oil, add chana dal and roast it, till it turns golden colour. add garlic pods and roast it too.

Now add chopped onion and tomatoe's and fry them. add salt to taste and chilli's and mix well.

Add Washed and Drained Puthina Leaves to the pan and saute it along. now add grated coconut and saute it for a minute and remove the pan from flame and cool it down.

Add 1/3 cup of water and grind it along with the cooled ingredients of the pan to a smooth chutney.

Now, heat a Tadka pan, and heat oil, add mustard and let it splutter and add urad dal and roast it and add to the grinded chutney.

Serve the Chutney, with Hot Idli's and Dosa's.

This Chutney is one of our favourite. Do try it!

* I also add Chilli Powder instead of dry red chilli's.
* You can also have a small bit of tamarind while grinding the chutney.

Vanilla Walnut Cupcakes

Cupcakes would be our evening tiffin in our hostel. I remember eating them in my boarding school and also in college hostel. Only one cupcake will be served, and it would never be sufficient for us. till the dinner is ready, we had to starve or some times we head to canteen, to have Noodles or fried rice. I usually have a partner to share one plate of Veg fried rice / Noodles. chatting and eating with her would be a great time. Iam really glad, that me and my partner are food bloggers now.  we would also go to movies on thursdays, as we both used to have free periods on thursday. and more than that, one thing bonded us was, we hailed from the same native place. I was thinking all this while baking these cupcakes.

You all might know, that i was not actively blogging, for the past two months. Sharmilee of Sharmi's passions gave me a Good Push, to blog frequently. I hope, i will maintain this pace in the coming weeks too. as her first event, she is hosting, is getting over by today, i wanted to submit my entry too to her. As i sleep along with my son, in the afternoon, i miss catching up with blogs or baking. but today, in my half-way through the sleep, i woke and went and baked these cupcakes, to send her this sweet little entry. Here, Walnut Cupcakes are for you Sharmilee.

 

Ingredients: (8 to 10 cupcakes)

All Purpose Flour / Maida - 1 and half a Cup
Baking Powder - 1/2 tbsp
Baking Soda - 1/4 tsp
Butter - 50 gms
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Vanilla essence - 2 tsp's
Egg's - 2
Warm Milk - 2 tbsp's
Chopped Walnuts - 4 tbsp's

Method:

Pre-Heat the Oven at 190C for 10 minutes. Line the Muffin Pans or grease the muffin pans with little butter, if you dont have muffin lining papers.

Sift the Flour, Baking Powder and Baking Soda atleast three times.

Powder the Sugar.

In a Mixing Bowl, Have the butter at room temperature. add powdered sugar and beat well either with a hand whisk or hand blender.

After Creaming the Butter with Sugar, Break egg's into them one by one and beat well.

Add Vanilla essence to the bowl and beat well.

Now add sifted flours little by little and mix with a wooden spoon.  add little milk and give a mix with the wooden spoon.

Add chopped walnuts and give a soft mix. and drop a spoon full of mix onto the lined muffin pans.

Bake the Cupcakes for 15-18 minutes at 190C. or till a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cupcake comes out clean.

After Baking, cool the cupcakes for atleast 10 minutes.

 I frosted the cupcake with Nutella. It was yummy, though the frosting patterns was difficult for me.

The Cupcakes was great in taste. the sweetness was just correct. If you are planning for frosting, go ahead with the same sugar amount mentioned in the recipe. if not using frosting, increase the sugar amount by 1/4 cup.

Vanilla Walnut Cupcakes are heading on the last train to Sharmi's Let's Munch - Light Tea Time Snacks.