Cream Cheese

Whole country is under lockdown, leaving us with limited access to goods.
Aren’t you craving for some cheesecake or adding yum cream cheese dressing to your salad or making a creamy sandwich. Well, worry not…
Here’s a simple way, you can make Cream Cheese at home with just a few ingredients.
This is pocket friendly and tastes creamy and rich.
Let’s get started….
Made a Mango Cheesecake with this home made cream cheese. Sharing the link for Mango Cheese Cake
https://rendezvousgalaxy.home.blog/2020/05/10/mango-cheesecake-lockdown-diaries/
Ingredients
Water : 1/4 cup
White Vinegar : 3 tbsp
Full Cream Milk : 1 lt
Salt : 1/3 tsp
Method
• Add milk to a heavy bottom pan, and bring it to boil. Keep stirring occasionally.
• Let milk rise and turn off the flame.
• Dilute vinegar in water and add it to milk, in three batches. Keep stirring, in order to separate paneer from whey.
• Take a strainer, place a cheese cloth or muslin cloth on it. Strain paneer.
• Do not squeeze paneer. Immediately, rinse paneer with fresh water to remove sour taste and to stop it from further cooking.
• Let paneer strain for 15 minutes.
• Do not throw away whey, it is full of nutrients. You can use it later to knead dough or add it to your vegetable gravy for sabzi.
• In a blender, add paneer, salt and 3 tbsp whey. Blend it well, till paneer becomes creamy.
• Transfer Cream Cheese to an air tight container and allow it to cool before keeping it in refrigerator.
• You can use this Cream Cheese for a week.
• Around 220 gms of Cream Cheese is made from this recipe, if you would buy the same quantity from market, it would cost you 250₹-550₹ approximately.

Stuffed Kulcha

A perfect snack.
Light, crispy and yummy.
You can have these kulcha’s with your favourite chana sabzi or you can add stuffing of your choice.
I personally love Paneer Corn Stuffing for kulcha’s.
You can make Minced Soya kulcha or Minced Chicken/Mutton Kulcha.
Say bye! to store brought kulcha’s.
Ingredients
All Purpose Flour (Maida) : 2 cups
Baking Powder : 1 tsp
Baking Soda : 1/2 tsp
Salt : 1 tsp
Sugar (powdered) : 1 tsp
Butter/ Ghee : 1 tbsp
Curd : 3 tbsp
How to Prepare Kulchas
• In a big bowl, add all ingredients and knead a soft dough using lukewarm water.
• Rest the dough for 1 hour at room temperature.
• Knead again, and divide into 6 equal parts.
• Now roll the dough into thick chapati, with a wet hand, stick Kalonji (onion seeds), coriander leaves or Kasturi methi on top of it.
• Take a non stick griddle or tava, put it on low heat.
When it is hot, keep the rolled kulcha on tava.
• Sprinkle water on sides of kulcha, be cautious, do not pour water on kulcha. Cover the kulcha with a lid, to create steam.
• Cook for 1 min and turn the side, repeat the process.
Sprinkle water on sides of kulcha and cover with lid.
• Remove the kulcha from flame, when you notice light brown colour patches on kulcha.
• Keep this half- cooked kulcha aside. Once it cools down, you can cover it in aluminium foil and store for 2 days.
Paneer Corn Stuffing

• Chop onion, capsicum and sauté on medium flame.
• Add American Corn and let it cook for 2 mins
• Add grated Paneer to mix and add seasonings.
• Mix well and turn off the flame.
• Add chopped Coriander leaves and 2 tsp malai/ cream/ mayonnaise to the mix.
• Let the mixture cool down for 10 mins.


Kulcha Preparation

• Cut the kulcha’s in two equal halves.
• Apply butter or ghee on the outer side of kulcha.
• Spread stuffing evenly.
• Now, place the kulcha in Sandwich Maker Grill, and let it cook for 1 min, till the outer crust becomes golden and crisp.
• Serve the kulcha with ketchup or mint chutney.

Kesar Pista Kulfi

I scream. You scream.
We all scream for ice cream.
Aren’t kulfi’s just the perfect summer time binge.
Ingredients
Milk (full cream) : 500ml
Sugar : 3/4 cups
Cream (Malai) : 1/2 cup
Cornflour : 2 tbsp (dilute in cold milk)
Milk Powder : 1tbsp (dilute in milk)
Pista : 2-3 tbsp
Cardamom : 3
Kesar Strips : few
Kewra Essence : few drops
Yellow Food Colour : optional
Method
• Boil milk along with cardamom & kesar till reduced to 3/4 of its quantity.
• Add Sugar and mix it well.
• Mix cornflour with quarter cup cold milk, and gradually add to boiling milk, stir it continuously.
• Add chopped pista and diluted milk powder (2 tbsp milk) and mix it well.
• Remove from fire and allow it to cool at room temperature for 15 mins.
• Now add beaten malai, yellow food colour and kewra essence to mixture.
• Beat the whole mixture with electric beater for 1-2 mins.
• Now pour the mixture in Kulfi moulds. Tap it and close tightly.
• Wrap kulfi moulds with aluminium foil, to ensure it is airtight.
• Freeze for 6-7 hours and serve chilled.

Custard Cake

Vanilla Custard has been my family’s all time favourite.
The taste, aroma and texture, all is so drool worthy.
Ingredients
All Purpose Flour (Maida) : 1 1/2 cup
Custard Powder (Vanilla) : 1/2 cup
Baking Powder : 1 1/2 tsp
Milk (cold) : 1 cup
Sugar (ground) : 1/2 cup
Oil : 1/2 cup
Cherries (chopped) : 1/2 cup (optional)
Method
• Grind sugar into a soft powder
• In a big bowl, add oil and sugar. Whisk for 5 minutes till it gets light and fluffy.
• Add Maida, Baking Powder, Custard Powder and cold milk. Mix well.
• Add Maida coated cherries and add to the cake mix. Add 1tsp Maida to chopped cherries and coat them well. This would not let cherries sink to bottom.
• Pour batter in greased cake tin (8”)
• Sprinkle some cherries it sugar confetti on cake. This is optional.
• Bake for 40 mins at 180 degrees in pre heated oven.

Sour Dough Cracker

Yummy Baked Crackers
Healthy and Delicious
It’s Munchilicious
Ingredients
Whole Wheat Flour – 1/2 cup
All Purpose Flour – 1/2 cup
Sugar – 1 tbsp
Yeast – 1/2 tsp
Salt – 1/2 tsp
Lukewarm Water – 1/2 cup
Herbs – 1/2 tbsp
* I added – Oregano, Rosemary, Chilli Flakes and Garlic Powder

Method

• In a big bowl, add both flour, salt, sugar, yeast, herbs and water. Knead the dough.
• Let the Flour rise for an hour.
• On a clean surface, place silicon mat / butter paper and start rolling the dough.
• If needed, you can sprinkle flour for dusting. This would ease rolling the dough. Try using as little flour as you can.
• Let it rise for 10 minutes. If the dough comes back, roll again.
• Roll it till you get approximately 3mm thick width.
• Brush with oil, sprinkle little salt and sesame seeds.
• Cut into pieces and prick it all over with fork.
• Bake at 170 degrees for 20 minutes in preheated oven.
* Keep checking, if need be, turn the baking tray around. This would ensure even baking.

Whole Wheat Jaggery Cake

This jaggery Cake is perfect for your tea time binge.
You can have a big slice of it, without having any guilt of cheating on your diet.
It’s super healthy
Even your kids would relish it.
Ingredients
Whole Wheat Flour – 125 gm (1 Cup)
Jaggery – 100 gm (1/2 cup)
Curd – 3 tbsp
Oil – 3 tbsp
Baking Soda – 1/2 tsp
Water – 1/2 cup (as per consistency)
Nuts – Optional
Method
• In a bowl, add curd and jaggery. Whisk it, till there are no lumps.
• Add sieved flour, baking soda in the mix.
• Add oil and water and whisk properly, till you get firm flowing consistency of batter.
• Divide nuts in two halves. In one portion of nuts, add 1 tsp flour, and coat it evenly on nuts.
• Add the coated nuts in batter and mix well. Coating the nuts, will not let them sink to the bottom.
• Pour batter in the greased tin.
•Garnish the batter with nuts.
• Bake it for 35 mins at 180 degree in pre-heated oven.

Oats Laddu

Craving for sweet, but, worried about how bad it would effect your diet? Well, worry no more!
This recipe is quick and easy to prepare.
Super Yummy and Healthy too.
Let’s get started…
Ingredients
Rolled oats – 100 gms
Pitted Dates – 40 gms
Jaggery – 100 gms
Sesame Seeds – 15 gms
Cinnamon Powder – 1tsp
Assorted Nuts (almonds, cashew, walnuts) – 80 gms
(I have added Sunflower Seeds & Pumpkin Seeds too)
Ghee – 2 tbsp
Desiccated Coconut – 2tbsp
Method :
• Dry Roast sesame seeds and nuts separately and keep aside.
• In a heavy bottomed pan, add ghee and roast oats till they become light brown.
• Take a blender, add roasted oats, roasted nuts, jaggery, pitted dates, desiccated coconut.
(Make sure the mixture is warm, not too hot)
• Coarsely blend the mixture and keep in a big bowl.
• Add roasted sesame seeds and cinnamon powder.
• Mix well and start making small balls and shape them like a laddu.
(You can grease your palms with ghee for shaping.)
• Store this in an airtight container and consume within a week.

Tiramisu Pudding Shots

Let’s get started…

Take any chocolate biscuits and crush them well.

Ingredients

Crushed Cookies 1 pack

Milk 1cup

Chocolate 1 regular dairy milk

Cornflour 2tsp

Coffee 1tsp

Heavy Cream (Amul) 2tbsp

Cream Cheese 2 tbsp

Sugar As per taste (I didn’t use)

*If you don’t have Cream Cheese, you can simply add 4tbsp Heavy Cream instead.

Method

• In a wok, pour milk, add instant coffee to it.

• Make a paste of cornflour, by adding 1tsp milk in it. Make sure there are no lumps

• Add Cornflour paste to your milk, once when it starts to boil. Keep stirring it. Avoid lumps. Add sugar.

• Let it cook for 8 mins on Slow Medium Flame. The milk would be thickened (custard consistency)

• Turn off the gas. Add chocolate to your milk. Keep stirring. Chocolate would easily melt as the milk is hot already.

• Bring it to room temperature.

• Add Cream Cheese and Fresh Cream.

• Whip the mixture for 2 mins, till it becomes a little light and fluffy.

Take a shot glass and put some cookie crush to it.
Make sure you do it as neatly as you can.
Top it up with a layer of cream
Try doing all this neatly.
Repeat it.
Refrigerate shot glasses for 2 hours before serving.

To the light within

Waiting for the light at the end of the tunnel, little did I know, there’s no such thing. The light, is within me. Burning bright!

Why is it that, we depend on others for our happiness? Why can’t we find that happiness within? What is it that’s blocking our vision? Yes, having someone or some reason is good. Who doesn’t like support! But, what if that support fails to support us…. what if the shining beacon of your life fades out of our vicinity…. what will be left then? Darkness. And what’s worse is, that we would be so helpless to seek that light within.

That’s why, it’s better, always better to be our own beacon, be the flood light, lightning the tunnel than waiting for someone else, to be our hope.

Roshni tumse hai

Tum roshni se nahin

Fight the darkness, by glowing in your own light.

What if….?

These two words “What” and “if” are so powerful that, if we put them together, they have the capacity to haunt us throughout our lives….

What if… What if… What if….

I am always wondering and exploring the possibilities of things which could have happened. My list of “What if’s” is bigger than “What is..” . I am great full for everything that has happened in my life. I have had my share of ups and downs, highs and lows. We all have. That’s what life is about- 50 shades of everything. My “What if” thoughts are the passport for me, they drive me back to my sanity, they give me hope, they give me an opportunity to believe that, one day, it will all be good.

Flaws of life can be well decorated with the garland of “What if” – Dil behlaane ke liye, ye khayal acha hai! Kyun, Ghalib Miyaan?

But, like I said, these words can haunt you too, they haunt me. My “What if’s ” are my guilty pleasure and my “What is” is surely affected by it. I feel claustrophobic in the reality, hence, every now and then, I take pleasure ride to the Wonderland of “What if’s”

Kaash Aisa hua hota, to Aaj shayad….. (Heartbreak)

Is it okay to dream of all possibilities, which could have changed the way life is? I am scared of reality, I am running away from it. How do I escape my wonderland? What shall I do, to get back to “What is”, because my “What if’s” hurt.

It’s strange, how thinking about certain impossible possibilities can give me so much joy and simultaneously, it can make sad. Because, it’s nothing, but my very own Palace of Illusions.

God, even while writing all this, I feel, I am lost.

How, will I ever stop living in “What if” and embrace my life as it comes.

How?

Page #2 Am I losing my sanity ? Or I have already lost it?