hot and spicy

Lamb Biryani

Ingredients

1 cup vegetable oil

3 large onions, thinly sliced

2 tbsp. garam masala

1 tsp. crushed red chile flakes

1⁄2 tsp. turmeric

18 black peppercorns

9 pods green cardamom

3 pods black cardamom

2  2″ cinnamon sticks

6 cloves garlic, minced

6 tomatoes, cored and minced

4-5 Serrano chiles, stemmed and minced (depending on your spice tolerance)

1  1 1⁄2″ piece ginger, peeled and minced

2 lbs. trimmed lamb shoulder, cut into 2–3″ pieces

Coarse salt, to taste

1⁄2 cup plain yogurt

3⁄4 cup roughly chopped mint leaves

1⁄4 cup roughly chopped cilantro

40 threads saffron, crushed (heaping 1⁄2 tsp.)

2 1⁄2 cups white basmati rice, soaked in cold water for 30 minutes, drained

1⁄2 tsp. cumin seeds

4 whole cloves

2 dried bay leaves

Rose water (optional)

Directions

Heat 1⁄4 cup of oil in a large heavy-bottomed skillet over high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until dark brown, 20–25 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Heat the remaining oil in a large pot or dutch oven over high heat. Add garam masala, chile flakes, turmeric, 10 peppercorns, 5 green cardamom pods, 2 black cardamom pods, and 1 cinnamon stick; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add garlic, tomatoes, chiles, and ginger; cook, stirring, 2–3 minutes. Add the lamb, season with salt, and cook until lightly browned, for about 5 minutes. Cover, reduce heat to medium and cook until the lamb is tender, about 1 hour. Add fried onions, yogurt, 1⁄2 cup mint, and 2 tbsp. cilantro; cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes more. Set aside.

Put saffron into a bowl and cover with 1⁄2 cup hot water; set aside. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a 5-qt. saucepan. Add remaining peppercorns, green and black cardamom, and cinnamon, along with the rice, cumin, cloves, and bay leaves, and season with salt. Cook rice until al dente, 5–10 minutes; drain rice and set aside.

Transfer half the lamb curry to a large pot. Top lamb with half the rice. Pour half the saffron mixture onto rice along with a few drops of rose water (if using); mix into rice with your fingers. Top with remaining lamb curry and remaining rice; drizzle with remaining saffron; mix. Steam, covered, on low heat until rice is tender, about 10 minutes. Garnish with remaining mint and cilantro and serve with raita or chutney. Serves 6.

Beautiful cake

Beautiful cakes are not just for big bucks on extra-special occasions.  You can learn easy cake decorating ideas that you can do yourself to make even an ordinary boxed cake mix look extraordinary.  With a few simple tools and techniques and the easy cake decorating ideas in this article, you’ll be able to make a beautiful cake yourself at home.
Most of the time, you’ll want to start with smooth icing all over the cake.  To get a smooth surface, make sure the cake is completely cooled and your frosting is not too thick.  Thinner icing will spread more easily and end up with a smoother finish.
First, put a very thin layer of frosting all over the cake.  This is called the crumb coat, and it will keep crumbs from getting mixed in with the frosting that you’ll see on the finished cake.
Next, use an icing spatula to put on the second coat of icing.  Start with a large amount of icing in the middle of the top of the cake and spread it toward the edges.  When the top of the cake is completely covered, cover the sides of the cake.  To smooth the sides, hold the spatula straight up and down and hold the edge against the cake as you spin the plate.
For the best look, try to get the frosting as smooth as possible all over cake.  For the top of the cake, hold the spatula perfectly horizontal.  For the sides, hold it perfectly upright.  Try dipping the spatula in hot water and drying it before gliding across the frosting for even smoother results.
Getting smooth, even icing on your cakes is probably the hardest part of cake decorating.  Practice these techniques until you can get perfectly smooth frosting, and you might find that you don’t even need any other cake decorating ideas for an elegant, beautiful cake.
For a simply elegant cake with a really easy technique, dust your frosted cake with powdered sugar.  Try using a stencil for a themed or geometric design on the top of the cake.  Remember making paper snowflakes as a kid?  Make one to fit the top of your cake and use it as a stencil for a one-of-a-kind powdered sugar design.


beautiful cakes
If you want a more detailed, three-dimensional design, you can buy ready-to-use decorations and cake toppers in just about any theme you can think of.  Candy flowers and letters, sprinkles in special shapes, and even small toys can be used to top your cake.
For an especially tasty look, sprinkle the cake with candy, nuts, shredded coconut, or chocolate shavings.  Or use fresh fruit, like a simple ring of strawberry slices or an elaborate pattern of a few kinds of fruits.  For a different style, decorate only the sides of the cake and leave the top smooth, or surround a simply frosted cake with fresh fruit or flowers.
Another option is to use a decorating comb or decorating triangle to add texture to the frosting.  A decorating comb is a simple piece of plastic or metal with a variety of shaped edges.  You drag the comb along the frosting to leave a textured pattern in the frosting.  This is a great option if you’re having trouble getting your icing as smooth as you want it to be.
These easy cake decorating ideas will help you make all your cakes more beautiful and are easy enough for anyone to learn.  Master these techniques, and then consider taking cake decorating classes locally or online to learn more advanced cake decorating ideas and techniques like piping with a pastry bag and using fondant.

Balloon Cake

Balloon Cake Recipe

This colorful balloon cake is a brilliant idea for your next birthday bash or special celebration. Icing and licorice make wonderful strings for these tasty balloons made of frosted sugar cookies or snickerdoodles.

Ingredients

• Baked sheet cake
• Vanilla frosting
• Food Coloring
• Couple of small bowls
• Knives or small spatulas (for spreading frosting)
• Icing in a tube or licorice strings (for balloon strings)
• Round baked cookies (sugar cookies or snickerdoodles work great)

Cooking Instructions

1. Frost your baked and cooled sheet cake with vanilla frosting.
2. Put a very small amount of frosting in a bowl. Add food coloring, mixing as you add, to obtain the desired shade. Repeat in additional bowls for each balloon color you wish to create.
3. Frost the cookies and add to the cake.
4. Use licorice strings or icing in a tube to create strings for the balloons

Chicken au Champagne (French)

Chicken au Champagne

Here’s a quick dinner that never fails to please. My guests always ask for the recipe and think I’ve been cooking for hours, but it is done in little more than half an hour. And there is zero fat added; the chicken cooks in Champagne. Cooking with wine adds flavor but the calories of the alcohol burn off in the pan. Vermouth, Pernod or any number of earthy reds or whites can add depth to a dish, but for elegance of finish nothing beats Champagne. I often make this dish on a workday when pressed for time, especially when entertaining on a weeknight. Once you get it going, it needs no minding, giving you ample time to prepare the rest of the dinner.

INGREDIENTS

4 chicken breasts (with skin and bone)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Chervil, tarragon, or thyme (optional)
1 shallot, quartered
1 cup Champagne (Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Brut recommended)

Yield: 4 Servings

RECIPE

Place the chicken breasts in a roasting pan, and season them. Pour 1/2 cup of the Champagne over breasts. Make a slit in each breast and insert a piece of shallot.

Place the pan under the broiler, skin-side up, for 3 minutes, until the skin is nicely browned. Turn and broil the other side for 5 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the broiler, baste with the pan juices, and add the remaining 1/2 cup of Champagne. Adjust the oven temperature to 475 degrees and bake the chicken for 30 minutes, basting once or twice.

Serve over brown rice. Sautéed mushrooms add a special touch and go beautifully with Champagne. (In a warm frying pan with a touch of olive oil, add clean, roughly chopped mushrooms, and cook for a few minutes. Add a few drops of lemon juice, freshly chopped sage, seasoning to taste and 1 tablespoon of butter.) Pour the cooking juices from the chicken over the meat and rice. Serve the remainder of the bottle of Champagne (about 6 glasses) with the meal.