Hawaii !!! - Truly a Heaven on Earth

Maui (Hawaii) what a place to be :)............ Pacific is at its best here...Beautiful beaches, fresh air, lush green trees, and those giant humpback whales :) ....Memorable !!!

My blogger Friends, recently I had been to Maui island in Hawaii and it was one of the most amazing trips of mine. I needed to relax after completion of my Master (which is really very hectic :)) and me and my hubby always wanted to visit Hawaii. This was the perfect time.

Maui is one of the 8 islands of Hawaii. People who want to relax in peace and want to play in grounds of Nature, this is the perfect island.

Things which are must dos in Maui are:

1. Snorkeling (at Molokini Crater) - Snorkeling was really amazing experience.Initially I was a little afraid as I am not a good swimmer.But with all the gears it becomes a lot easier What a world it is down there, once you insert your face inside you get disconnected with the outside world.... :) . Corals and fishes which I always watched in television , I was experiencing them !!!!!

2. Sunrise from Halaekela - You drive to the top of Halaekela mountain (10000 ft). Clouds are under you feet and you see the Sun rising above the clouds. :) Color formations are simply magical. The color changes on the surface of the Halaekela mountain are incredible. Be prepared for the cold here as we were not :(.

3. Road to Hana - I enjoy rainforests and wild trees. Road to Hana is around 35 miles long and has got some 600 curves (It is not straight at all). Hats off to US government for constructing such roads. On this road you will come across different villages, view of pacific ocean, water falls, locally made banana bread and coconut icecream stalls. You are covered with greenery all over.

4. Golf Courses -  I don't know anything about Golf but I always love to watch the golf courses. Hawaii is world renowned for its golf courses. We got an opportunity to view some of the luxurious once. Kapalua is one of them. Imagine the view of ocean n one side, and the lush green mountains on the other. Its party for players while they are playing :)

5. Beaches, beaches, beaches-  Plenty of beaches. You can just park anywhere in West Maui. The entire road is along the coastline. There are some beautiful beaches in South Maui as well like Big beach and Wailea. There are some black sand beaches. It was fun everywhere. :)

Here are  some of the beautiful sights of Maui.

Sunrise At Halaekela

All Types of Tides and Waves

Breathtaking Views

The curviest and scenic Road To Hana

One of the beaches I loved - This one is called as Big Beach

Looks beautiful , right?

This one is the Kapalua Golf course. There are plenty of others.

 Cheers !!!!

Back with loooottttts of excitement and Magic Squares :)

Hellooooooooooooooooo Everyone... How are you all doing ? Its been a long long time for me since my last post. I was busy with my Masters and a good news is that I have finished everything and I am a graduate now :B. Another great achievement is I got a job in one of the biggest software companies and I am extremely happy to share this with you all.... :)

Well I am sure you all had a great 2011 year and I wish all of you a fantastic year ahead.
May the year of 2012 bring variety of food to you life, spice up your days and sweeten your moments.

Since this is my first post after the long gap I though I should start it with some sweet.
While I was at Kansas State University for one of my semester I got to know new people and yes new recipes. One of my friends their shared me the recipe of Magic Squares which truly are magical :). I tried these couple of days back and guess what everyone liked it a lot. I enjoy making such sweets which take little time and are different than the traditional once.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup melted Butter
2 Cup graham crackers crumps
14 oz Sweet Condensed Milk
Semisweet mini chocolate chips as per requirement
Butterscotch chips as per requirement
Shredded dry coconut as per requirement
Coarsely crushed Nuts (I used almonds) as per requirement

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 350°F.

2) Make crumps of graham crackers and melt the butter in microwave.

3) In a rectangular baking pan, mix graham wafer crumbs and melted butter. Press evenly and firmly over the bottom.

4) Pour some part of condensed milk evenly over the base.

5) Sprinkle the chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, coconut, and almonds evenly in layers on top of the base layer. Pour the remaining condensed milk on evenly on top.

6) Bake for about 15-20 minutes but keep an eye.

7) When the coconut turns brown take the pan out. Make the cuts with a knife but do not take out the pieces of it.

8) Cover it with a cloth or paper and let it cool entirely. Then cut into squares and store them in a container or you can even refrigerate.

Tips:

• You can press the foil paper on the baking pan and then put the base layer so that the magic squares do not stick to the pan.

This recipe enters the
 Choclate Mela event
Kid’s Delights : for this month’s theme ‘Something Sweet’

Semi-dry version of Methi Mutter Malai

This is a different version of methi mutter malai which does not have gravy and is semi-dry. I learnt it from showmethecurry site. The peculiar thing about this version is the use of red dry chillies. The taste definitely differs than the traditional sweet methi mutter malai.

Ingredients:

Serves 4

2 Cups Frozen Sweet Peas
1 bunch fresh Fenugreek Leaves (or Dried Leaves aka Kasuri Methi)
Cream or Milk as per taste or enough to reach the consistency
1 tbsp Oil
1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
2-3 Whole Dry Red Chilies
1 tbsp minced Ginger
1/3 Cup chopped Onion
1/2 Cup chopped Tomato
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Coriander Powder
1 tsp Garam Masala
Red Chili Powder as per taste
Salt as per taste

Method:

1. Wash Fenugreek Leaves well, chop finely and boil it for a while. Add 1 tsp salt to it while boiling.
Boil it for 5 minutes. This helps in removing the bitter smell from the leaves.

2. Heat oil in a medium skillet.

3. Add cumin seeds and allow them to sizzle. Immediately add dry red chillies and turmeric powder.

4. Stir and add copped onion to it. Saute till the onion turn transparent. Add ginger and mix.
While the onions are cooking microwave the frozen peas for 5 minutes.

5. Add chopped tomatoes, mix and cook for 5 minutes.

6. Now add green peas, coriander powder, garam masala, red chili powder and salt. Mix well, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in between.

7. Drain the Fenugreek Leaves and add it to the peas.

8. Cover and cook until peas and Fenugreek Leaves are cooked (3-6 minutes). Adjust masalas and salt.

9. Add in cream or milk, mix well and bring to a boil. Cook until the milk is evaporated.

Tips:

If you are using kasuri methi, make sure to break it down by rubbing in between hands and then keeping it to boil.

Til Vadi - Sesame Seeds Squares

Makar Sankranti is a festival which is celebrated in many different ways in all parts of India. In Maharashtra (the state from where I come) it is celebrated by exchanging the sweets made out of Sesame seeds. "Take sweet, be sweet and talk sweet" is what people greet each other while exchanging these sweets. In Marathi it is called as "Tilgul ghya god bola".

At my home we make a "Tilvadi"  which is made out of Sesame seeds and Jaggery. This year I tried my hands on this vadi which is really easy to make. The vadis can come out perfect given that you follow all the steps correctly.

Happy Makar Sankranti to all and enjoy this recipe.

Ingredients:

2 Cup Sesame Seeds (Til)
1/4  Cup coarsely crushed roasted Peanuts
1 1/2 Cup of Jaggery (Gud)
2 tbsp Clarified Butter (Ghee)
Grated Dry Unsweetened Coconut as per requirement

Method:

1. Heat a skillet and roast the Sesame seeds till they turn crisp, little brown and you get a nice aroma. Let them cool and then grind them coarsely (do not make it fine). Meanwhile prepare a shallow plate (thali) or a kitchen top surface by greasing it with some clarified butter. We will use this to spread the vadi mixture.

2. Heat the same skillet again, add the clarified butter (ghee). Once the butter melts add the jaggery (Gud)  to it. When Jaggery melts and when the bubbles start to pop up, remove the skillet from above the burner and add the sesame seeds and crushed peanuts to the jaggery syrup.

3. Mix everything fast.

4. Spread the mixture evenly onto the plate and garnish it by sprinkling the  dry shredded coconut. To spread everything evenly use your hands or a bowl with flat surface to apply pressure on the hot mixture.

5. Now make the vadis by cutting the mixture into diamond shapes. Let it cool before you take out the vadis.

Tips:

• The color of the vadi depends on the Jaggery used. Prefer the darker jaggery. Also the Jaggery should be not too sticky and not dry at all.
• Make sure the Jaggery syrup is not too liquidish before you add mixture. It should be thick enough to glue up everything in one whole piece.
• Jaggery and Clarified butter, both can be found in any indian store.

Taking Off For A While

Hello dear bloggers...

I will be bit idle for sometime and will not be able to post recipes. Actually I got admitted into Kansas State University for Masters. This is my second semester and I am staying away from home. Things are different as a student but I am enjoying being in school again :). Here is the snap of one of the buildings from my beautiful campus.

I will be back soon and join you all...Till then happy blogging. :)