Blackberry Cobbler

The best things about summers is the fresh fruits you get in markets. Last weekend I went to farmers market and got all types of fresh fruits and one among them is these blackberries. After eating the fresh fruits for a while my hubby asked me if I can make some dessert with these berries and hence came up with blackberry cobbler.

This recipe is very simple and delicious when served with vanilla ice-cream.

Ingredients
1. 2 1/2 cups fresh blackberries
2. 1 cup sugar
3. 1 cup all-purpose flour
4. 2 tsp baking powder
5. 1/2 tsp salt
6. 1 cup low fat milk
7. 1/2 cup butter,melted
Method
1.In a medium bowl, stir in blackberries and sugar and let stand about 20 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 375F
3.In an ungreased 8-inch square pan,stir together flour,baking powder,salt and milk. Stir in melted butter and mix well
4. Now spoon in blackberry mixtire on top of batter evenly and bake for 40-45 minutes.
Serve warm with Vanilla ice-cream.

Creamy Avocado Pesto Pasta

Its creamy,thick and rich with lots of garlic and hint of lemon. This pasta is perfect for quick everyday dinners. 

Ingredients
1. Medium sized avocado. pitted
2. 1 tbsp lemon juice,or to taste
3. 3 garlic cloves
4. 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
5. 1 tbsp kirkland signature basil pesto
6. 2 tbsp olive oil
7. 6oz pasta of your choice
8. Black pepper, to taste
Method
1. In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Add pasta and cook to package directions.
2. While pasta cooks, in a food processor, blend pesto, lemon juice,garlic,avocado,olive oil.salt and pepper
3. When pasta is done cooking, drain and rinse in a strainer and place pasta into a large bowl. Pour on sauce and toss until fully combined and serve immediately


Sharing this recipe with Quick and Easy Recipes @ Food Blog News.

Modakam/st​eamed Rice Dumplings- Guest Post by " Funwidfud "

I'm back again with a new guest blogger. I made many frenz in this virtual world of blogging and wish to make any more. Thanks to Reshmi from Funwidfood  for the wonderful festive food.
 If you are interested in being a guest blogger, mail me to thesajiblog@gmail.com.


"Hi Ajitha...Thanks for this opportunity to post my first guest blog  in  your space.Seriously....It  feels so good. So here I am with a sweet recipe known as Modakam/kozhukattai...which is mainly a sweet done for Ganesh chaturthi as an offering to God Ganesha...For me this sweet plays two roles...one as offering and secondly as a quick sweet for evenings...This sweet is prepared with the stuffs that will be available in every Indian home...So here is the recipe..."

For outer covering
Rice flour-1 cup(appam/idiyappam flour)
Salt 1/2 tsp
Water-1 cup
For Filling
Jaggery grated- 3/4 cup
Coconut-1 cup
Cardamom powder-pinch
Preparation Method For Filling
1. Heat a pan, add the coconut, jaggery and cardamom together and mix well. We should be able to make balls.So mix it till it thickens. Turn off the heat. when it cools slightly make small balls of it and keep aside.

Preparation Method For the outer covering
2. In a vessel boil 2 cups of water.Keep the rice powder mixed with salt in another vessel.Once water gets boiled switch off the flame and add 3/4 cup of water to rice powder.Mix that with a laddle. The rice powder should form a lump else add water little by little till you get a soft dough.
3. keep this aside for some time, till the heat can be managed by your hands. Then knead it with your hands to form a soft dough.
To make modak
4. Make small lemon sized balls of the dough,press from the center and flaten it,to small circle(grease your hands with oil while doing this),now keep the filling inside and close the outer covering.Pinch off extra dough. 
5. Now continue this for the complete dough and then arrange them in a steamer.
6. Cook for 10 to 15 mins, when the outer surface changes color slightly its done.
7. Transfer it to a plate and serve warm.

Tips
1. While mixing the rice powder with water,add water little by little,the dough should be similar to chapathi dough.
2. If the outer covering is made thin then the modaks will be soft.
3. This can be made in round shape too.
4. The dough for outer covering should not become cold,you have to make the madakams while the dough is warm.

Cherry Berry Smoothie

Making fruit smoothies is a wonderful way to enjoy the hot summer days. Similar in consistency to milk shakes,smoothies are quick,nutritious and amazingly rich at the same time.

Ingredients
4 tablespoon fresh blueberries
1/2 cup fresh cherry
1/2 cup low fat milk
1/4 cup fat free yogurt
2 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
7-8 ice cubes
1 medium scoop Blueberry Pomegranate ice cream[One can use Vanilla ice cream in absence of this flavor]
Method
1. Slice the cherry and remove the pits using cherry pitter or using a knife.
2. Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth.
3. Pour into chilled glasses. Garnish and serve immediately.

Blueberry Muffins

Every time I think of muffins,the first thing that strikes me, is the blueberry. These muffins are perfect for breakfast and also as a dessert. They are just the right texture and flavor, not too sweet, because the fresh blueberries take care of that. 

Ingredients
1 egg, well beaten
1/2 cup sugar1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used canola oil.)
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla2 cups all purpose flour
3 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh blueberries, washed and dried with paper towels
Method
Mix all ingredients, except blueberries. Gently fold in 1 cup fresh blueberries to the batter. Place a baking cup liner for each muffin in the muffin pan and spoon the batter  into muffin tins , until 3/4-full. Bake at 400F for 20 minutes. When done, a toothpick inserted into the center will come out clean.
Enjoy the yummy muffins!!!

Pound Cake With Sugar Glaze

Hello dear readers!!! Hope every one had a wonderful long weekend. This long weekend we went to a theme park nearby and enjoyed the rides,water sports bla bla. The best was the firework which glittered the sky. 
Our best frenz were celebrating their 4th Anniversary this long weekend at Bahamas. So planned up a surprise for them before they left to Bahamas and baked this beauty. This is the first cake I baked after moving to the new place. 
A year back when I actually started to bake I had only 2 baking pans,Square and round. The same year I met Sunita, shes such a sweetheart who inspired me more in baking and decorating. She made Bundt chocolate cake, oh my!!! that was soo yummy and since then I always had Bundt pan in my wishlist. And finally I got the pan as a gift from the same lady Sunita. How sweet of her. In her thoughts baked the pound cake in the bundt pan. Thank you so much dear!!!!

Ingredients

1 stick butter at room temperature
1/2 cup canola oil
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 cups All purpose flour
4 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Add lemon juice to milk and set aside
3. Cream a stick butter and cup oil with sugar. Beat well. 
4. Add 4 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
5. Mix in salt and baking powder to the flour. 
6. Add  flour to the mixture, alternately with  milk, until flour and milk are used up. Mix well after each addition. Stir in vanilla extract.
7. Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-inch bundt pan.Bake the cake for an hour.  I also placed a sheet of aluminum foil over the top of the cake pan of baking. Cool the cake for 30 minutes and then run a knife round the cake to remove the cake from pan. Place it on the serving dish.
8. For sugar glaze add 2 tablespoon water to 1/2 cup water stir in and dribble off the top edge on the outside and down the center. I used very less icing because I did not want it to be very sweet. But if you want more Icing  you can add in more sugar.
Bake and enjoy it!!!