How to make paneer at home.

It has been quite a while that I had been craving to make paneer ,the Indian version of cottage cheese.And today I decided to tantalize my taste buds with the soft and smooth texture of paneer.Paneer can be used in many recipes and my most favourite is the palak paneer , a creamy and savoury dish made with spinach and cottage cheese.Though I have eaten it at parties thrown by friends and at restaurants ,I never got an opportunity to make it at home.But now that I  learnt to make paneer at home I am waiting to get hold of a palak paneer recipe and try it out myself. 

HOW TO MAKE PANEER

You only need just 2 ingredients to make the Indian version of cottage cheese.Making paneer is  very easy and no hassles whatsoever.Milk and lemon juice are the only ingredients needed.

Pour six cups of wholemilk in a heavy bottomed pan.Bring it to a boil.This must really boil.Then add half a cup of lemon juice to it.Put off the heat.At this stage you will see that the milk is curdled and separated from the whey.Cover a strainer with a clean muslin cloth and drain off the whey.Squeeze out the excess liquid and your cottage cheese is done.The end result will be a soft ,smooth dough.Leave to cool before you eat it or use it out on other recipes. Once its cooled you can knead it and  add your favourite herbs and spices and season it with salt and pepper to give it an extra flavour.

I have added some parsley and chilly flakes to my paneer

Pan Toasted Bread

During the cold season cooked meals  become chilled after sometime.Even the bread becomes a little soggy thus making it a little cumbersome to make firm and fresh sandwiches.So the only alternative is to toast the bread.Bread toasted on an electric toaster is easier than pan toasted or grilled .But it gives out  a different taste and texture when toasted on a hot griddle.The children love it and so do I.So when ever there is bread available at home ,I try to make something new for the children to relish on.

Last morning for breakfast I pan toasted slices of bread and to eat with those, made two items to spread on or dip with the toast.Pan toasting  gives a unique taste and is a lot  more crunchier.

I scrambled three eggs and after it came down to room temperature added to it some butter,cheese, mayonnaise ,pepper and salt.One on toasted slice of bread I spread a little of this mixture.Then I covered it with another slice and reheated it. This binds the slices together.

This is a creamy paste made with tuna fish,butter,cheese, pepper, mustard cream and salt.Whip all the ingredients to a fine paste and dip with toasted bread.

Savoury Rounds

Winter has approached again here.When the weather is cold and chilly the children get hungry very fast.Here is an easy to make recipe to feed the hungry ones during teatime or TV time.


Try this
Cut circles out of sliced bread.butter the bread and apply tomato ketchup on each piece.Mash boiled eggs :2,3 or 4 ( depending on the slices of bread you prepare) with cream cheese, mayonnaise and pepper.Spread this mixture  on the bread and bake for about 5 minutes.Serve warm on cold wintry afternoons.The kids love this..


Optional:garnish with grated cheese,parley or fried onions

Fun Making Pizza At Home

My children loves to eat pizzas. However when it comes to choosing the toppings, each got their own preferences. It is a big hassle when we place an order for home delivery. Occasionally I make pizzas at home to make the children happy. Although the pizza I make at home is not perfect like the ones we eat at the restaurant, the children don't mind at all and they don't make a big issue about it, as they get to work on their own pizza with their choice of topping. My young sons like their share of the pizza with pepperoni and cheese, my  youngest girl, who is  a vegetarian relishes her pizza with veggies and without any cheese. Whereas my oldest daughter, husband and I love the spicy variety with a lot of bell peppers. Whenever I make pizza at home, the children are very delighted. They help me knead and roll out the dough and with a great sense of responsibility assemble their own toppings, which I help sort out. This is only kitchen chore the children do with a lot of excitement and eagerness. It's fun getting the children actively involved albeit the messy aftermath.

Fit for a vegetarian

Hot and Spicy

  

My sons assembled their own toppings and the mess thereafter...

Egg And Cheese Toast

 Mash two boiled eggs .To this .add  1 tin grated cheese,pepper and salt to taste .Mix well set aside.

Take six-eight  slices of bread. Trim the edges.Cut into circles.

Spread tomatoe ketchup on each slice

Spread a generous amount of  the the  egg and cheese  mixture

Place on baking tray and bake for 5 minutes.

Optional :  sprinkle  ground pepper and.extra cheese.

Tomato Toast

Here are the ingredients needed for this recipe

1 gill tomato puree
1/2 lb grated cheese
2 tablespoon powdered breadcrumbs
1teaspoon made mustard
A pinch of cayenne or finely powdered dry chilly
Hot Buttered Toast

Mix  the cheese,breadcrumbs, chilly and the mustard with the tomato puree and stir over the fire uintil hot( do not boil).Spread this  mixture on hot buttered toasts and serve immediately.

Rainbow Sandwiches

When my children  see a colourful plate they get enticed by it.Then they get tempted.So there's no problem making them eat sandwiches . Ribbon or rainbow sandwiches are a delight to the eyes..These colourful  sandwiches  get the attention of children very quickly.This is a 'must do 'menu  during Kiddies birthday parties .This is a very easy recipe and there's no heavy labour involved.You can also choose a title of your choice.


Rainbow Sandwiches.


Boil veggies like carrot and beetroot.Cool and mash it separately.Add butter,cream cheese,mustard paste to each of the mashed veggies.mix separately .Sprinkle with pepper and salt. 
Apply butter on the sliced sandwich .Spread carrot paste on one side of the sliced sandwich .Seal it with another slice.Then take a new slice and spread beetroot paste on it and lay it on the carrot sandwich.
Trim the edges and cut into quarters and serve.
You can also keep layering with different filings.


When ready arrange them beautifully  on a platter .When you serve  different  kinds of sandwiches,like cheese sandwiches,chicken sandwiches or veggie sandwiches,place a label on  each platter  denoting their variety.