Ingredients:

2 tablespoons brown sugar
5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup warm water
1 1/4-ounce package active dry yeast
pinch of sugar
1 1/2 cups warm milk
4 tablespoons softened butter
raisins
dried apricots
gumdrops

Procedure:

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, and salt. Set aside. Pour the warm water (bathwater temperature, or around 100° F) into a large bowl and sprinkle in the yeast and a pinch of sugar. Stir and let the mix sit for 5 minutes, until bubbles begin to appear. Stir in the warm milk, butter, and 2 cups of the dry ingredients. Stir in the remaining dry ingredients 1 cup at a time, mixing until the dough is stiff. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter top and knead for 5 to 10 minutes or until the dough becomes smooth and springs back when touched. Grease a large mixing bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and cover it with a dish towel. Let the dough rise for about 1 hour or until doubled in bulk. Punch down the risen dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured counter top. Divide it into 4 pieces (1 for each snowman). 7. Cut off the top third of each piece and shape it into the snowman’s head; shape the larger piece into a ball for the body. Place the 2 balls on a baking sheet and pinch them together. Repeat with the remaining 3 pieces of dough until you have 4 snowmen. Cover and let them rise for 30 to 45 minutes. Heat the oven to 350° F. Brush the snowmen with milk and adorn with raisin eyes, a dried apricot nose, and gumdrop buttons. Cover the fruit and gumdrops with small pieces of aluminum foil so they won’t burn, then bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.. Cool on racks. Tie a ribbon around each snowman’s neck for a scarf. To present, wrap in plastic before adding the scarf. Makes 4 snowmen.

Ingredients:

2 eggs
225 ml. sugar
225 ml. all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla sugar (or extract)
300 grams sour cream

Cognac syrup:
115 ml. water
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cognac

Filling:
300 grams butter
1 (400 grams) can sweetened condensed milk, plus
1 tablespoon cocoa powder (or use sweetened condensed chocolate milk)

Frosting:
150 grams semisweet chocolate
3 grams butter
6 tablespoons heavy cream
5 tablespoons powdered sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa powder (optional)

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 175°C Prepare two round 24 cm cake pans: line with parchment paper; butter and flour.

To make cake: Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and vanilla sugar in a bowl. Set aside. Beat eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in dry ingredients and fold in sour cream. Turn batter into the prepared pan (and make another cake!).
6. Bake cakes in the preheated oven for about 50 minutes. Let cool completely.

To make frosting: Soften butter very well and mix with condensed milk and cocoa powder until smooth. Refrigerate.

To make cognac syrup: Stir ingredients until the sugar dissolves.

Assemble the cake: Split each cake into two layers. Place 1 layer on a plate, brush with cognac syrup, and spread filling on top. Top with a cake layer; repeat twice. Brush also the top layer with syrup.

To make frosting: heat butter and cream gently in a pan until butter melts. Add chopped chocolate and stir until chocolate melts. Gradually add powdered sugar and cocoa powder, stirring continuously. Spread over cake. Decorate to your liking. Keep refrigerated until ready to devour.

Ingredients:

20-ounce can crushed pineapple in its own juice
6 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Procedure:

Thoroughly drain the pineapple using a strainer (one made from a nonreactive material, such as stainless steel) set over a large measuring cup. Add enough water to the juice to measure 2 cups of liquid. Pour the liquid into a large nonreactive saucepan. Add the cranberries and sugar. Stir the mixture over high heat until the sugar dissolves and the liquid comes to a boil. Continue cooking it at a boil, stirring occasionally, until most of the berries pop open and the mixture is thick, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Mix in the pineapple, walnuts, lemon juice, and cloves. Transfer the relish to a serving bowl and refrigerate it uncovered until it’s cold (about 2 hours). Then cover the relish until you’re ready to serve it. Makes 6 cups.

Ingredients:

1 cup whole green moong dal
2 tbsp. rice flour
1″ fresh ginger (peeled)
2-3 green chillies
1- 1 1/2 cup water to grind
salt for taste

For Garnish:
1 medium onion (finely chopped)
1″ ginger (finely chopped)
2-3 green chilies (finely chopped)
2 tbsp. cumin seeds
2-3 tbsp. oil

Procedure:

Soak moong dal overnight (atleast 8-10 hrs). Wash and grind dal along with ginger and green chillies into smooth batter.( not too thick/thin. Shift the batter into bowl and add rice flour and salt. Keep the frying pan or non stick pan on medium heat and grease it with little oil. Pour a ladle of batter on it and spread it into a thin round layer like a pan cake and drizzle little oil around the edges of Pesarattu. Sprinkle small quantity of chopped onions, cummin seeds and green chilies on the Pesarattu. Cook until the edges become brown. Then flip the Pesarattu over and sprinkle little oil over the edges. Cook it for a minute , keeping a watch that it does not get charred. Remove from the pan, and your Pesarattu is ready for eating. Sprinkle a little water on the pan and use the same procedure for making your next Pesarattu. Serve it hot with upma and ginger chutney. Do not ferment the batter. If your not making dosas immediately refrigerate the batter.

Ingredients:

20 creme-filled chocolate sandwich cookies (about half of an 18-ounce package)
2 2/3 cups white chocolate chips or 2 2/3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (use with semisweet chips only)

Procedure:

Line a 9-inch-square baking pan with waxed paper. Coat the paper with nonstick spray; set it aside. Pour the cookies into a large bowl and break them into small pieces by hand or with the back of a wooden spoon, a job kids will love. Melt the white chocolate chips — or the semisweet chips — in a large microwave-safe bowl according to the package directions (add the extract after the chips have melted). Remove from the microwave and quickly fold in the cookie pieces with a spatula. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and spread to about a 1/2-inch thickness. Refrigerate until solid, about 1 hour. Remove the bark from the pan and carefully peel off the waxed paper. Set the bark on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut the bark into 12 bars for wrapping or 24 triangles for boxing as shown above. Store in an airtight container. Makes about 2 dozen pieces.

Ingredients:

3 chicken legs (about 450-500 grams)
1/2 brown onion, cut into small pieces
150 grams carrot chunks
2 tbsp. light soy sauce*
2 tbsp. cooking wine*
3 tbsp. tomato ketchup
pinch of salt
1 tbsp. sugar
100 ml. water
1 tsp. cornflour mixed with 1 tbsp. Water

Procedure:

Clean chicken legs, remove skin & fat. Chop into pieces. Heat a little oil in a non-stick wok. Stir-fry onion pieces until fragrant. Add chicken pieces, carrots and seasoning ingredients. Cover, bring to the boil and simmer at low heat for 20 minutes. Reduce liquid to less than 100ml with high heat, add cornflour mixture and stir to thicken. Serve hot with rice.