Mediterranean Tomato Soup and Failed Macarons !!!

Dear All,

How are you all doing? Hope you had a wonderful weekend. Cant believe its already mid september now, in another week i'll again have to start packing but this time for going back home..oh I am so gonna miss this place :(((

Macarons have haunted me from the moment i saw them at Helene's blog , these colorful little treats look very attractive and beautiful. When I saw these at Deeba's blog, I was truly inspired to make them but at the same time very scared too. If you look at the ingredients, they are few almond powder, egg whites and sugar..how can one go wrong with such simple ingredients...believe me you have to try these in your kitchen to believe it!!

Passionate bakers like Deeba, Meeta, Aparna, Jamie, Barbara, Ria and many more have come together and formed the Mac Gang, this fabulous event is driven  by the very talented Jamie, so there was no looking back! Me being so passionate about baking...i cudnt stop but join them and try my first macarons! Unfortunately my attempts to these gorgeous french treats were a complete disaster with cracked tops and most importantly no FEETS!!!!.....though these were quite tasty but they turned into more like chocolate meringue cookies and we did enjoyed them a lot.

I was quite a bit depressed with my failed macaron attempts and even more obsessed to get them right !  Nithya, my dearest blogger buddy encouraged me and cheered me up...thanks dearie for your faith in me and now I am determined to get my FEETS!! 

After such a debacle I was quite exhausted and not in any mood to cook up a meal, and wanted something quick and fulfilling..apparently i had skipped my meal and didnt realise until my empty stomach started to growl....grr.....
I had bookmarked this recipe few weeks back and thought it would be perfect and fulfilling dinner. The original recipe can be found here.

This recipe is off to No Croutons Required, this month hosted by Lisa , the current theme for this month is Mediterranean Soups and Salads.

This is also off to Soups & Juices event hosted by Sireesha.

My version of Mediterranean Tomato Soup:-
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 can of tomato puree about 800gms
1 zucchini, finely cubed
1 bell pepper, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely sliced
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp sugar
Salt to taste
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dry oregano
1 tsp dry basil
fresh cream to garnish

Procedure:

• In a deep vessel, heat olive oil, add in sliced onions and saute them for about 3 to 4 mins until soft.
• Add in zucchini and bell peppers and cook for another 5 mins.
• Now add in tomato puree, salt, sugar, paprika, black pepper, oregano and basil.
• Add in little water if required.
• Simmer the soup for 7 to 8 mins on slow-medium heat.
• Add a dollop of fresh cream on top before serving.

German Roasted Potato Salad

Dear All,

When I first started to explore various cuisines I always went for simple and easy dishes which require minimum buying of ingredients. I usually go for bakes as I truly love to bake and the materials required are more or less the same ie eggs, flour, butter etc. I love to try different salads and soups too usually for my dinner, as i like my dinner to be light and fulfilling. Some weeks back i had this delicious salad with mustard sauce dressing in my office cafeteria and fell head over heals in love with the dressing. I have made this dressing many a times at home as its quite easy and personally I love the tangy taste of mustard and vinegar together.

When i came accross Boby Flay's German Potato Salad, i couldnt resist my self and gave it a try right away as the dressing used here is very much similar to my fav mustard dressing. This salad is also known as the Hot German Potato Salad, basically because its served warm. This is a traditional salad from Germany and usually made with bacon. Originally the recipe calls for boiled potatoes but i have used roasted potatoes. 

German potato salad, actually from southern Poland, is a popular variation which is generally served warm. It is typically more sour in taste and contains pork or bacon. Potato salad from northern Germany, however, is generally based on mayonnaise and quite similar to its US counterpart - Source Wikepedia.

Sending this to A.W.E.D German - Hosted by Laskhmi of Kitchen Chronicles an event started by DK of the ChefInYou

Original Recipe can be found here

Ingredients:
4 big potatoes peeled and diced
2 medium onions sliced
1 tbsp of olive oil
2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp of mustard sauce
Salt and Pepper as per taste
1 tbsp of freshly chopped parsley

Proecudure:

•  Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C.
• Arrange the potatoes in an oven proof vessel, drizzle the olive oil and some salt and pepper. Mix properly so that potatoes are well covered with oil and seasoning.
• Bake the potatoes for 40 to 45 mins until they are cooked. Make sure you turn the potatoes every 10 to 12 mins.
• In a seperate pan, add little olive oil, about a tsp and saute the onions for 3 to 4 mins, until soft.
• Carefully add in the vinegar and mustard paste, along with salt and pepper.
• Take the pan off the heat and mix properly.
• Now add in the oven baked potatoes and mix to cover the potatoes with the dressing.
• Add freshly chopped parsley, adjust the seasoning and serve warm.
• You can serve this salad with some sour cream as well. 

Verdict? An easy and delightful salad when served with sour cream serves as an excellent accompanient for soups and breads !!
 

Strawberry and Tomato Soup

This week has been hectic at work, conference calls, meetings, dicussions phewwwwww the list goes on and on.....Yesterday after a hard day of work, i didnt have the energy to cook a full fledged meal. I wanted something which can be made in jiffy and which is smoothing after a long days work. I had fresh strawberries which i had bought on the weekend, which were screaming to be used, initially i had bought them to make a strawberry roll but what the hell i made this lovely, smoothing strawberry and tomato soup. Mildy spiced this soup is ready in no time and can be served warm or chilled. If served for kids, you can add in some cream and cheese :)) 


Sending this to No Croutons Required event started by Lisa of Lisa's Kitchen, the theme for this month's event is berries. Also sending this to CKF - Tomato guest hosted by Rinku mastermind of Sharmi at Neivedyam also to 15 minutes cooking event by Mahimaa, and finally to WYF : Quick Meal Event hosted by EC. Happy hosting gals :)

Ingredients:
1 can tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh strawberries chopped
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp red chili powder
Salt to taste




Procedure:

• Grind together tomatoes and strawberries into a smooth paste.
• Pass through the strainer to remove the seeds
• In a vessel heat this mixture along with salt, sugar and red chili powder.
• Bring it to boil and cook for around 7 to 8 mins.
• Serve hot with salad and bread.

Note: You can increase or decrease the quantity of sugar and chili according to your taste.