Baked Chicken Thighs with Potatoes and Spinach

I am finally back to my old routine after all the holidays in between and I was desperately seeking for a baked chicken recipe which is flavorful and easy to make for a busy weeknight. A friend of mine used to bake chicken thighs for our potluck dinners which were cooked to perfection and eventually it was wiped out clean by all of us. I and my family love chicken thighs because it’s the juiciest part!!! Thanks Meena for inspiring me to try this recipe!! And I took the liberty of improvising her recipe a bit.

This is a simple recipe made with easy-to-get recipes. And the juices that come out from this flavorful chicken in the pan after its baked is just heavenly!! Smelled like thanksgiving and christmas!!

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

 

Chicken thighs - 10 to 12 pieces

Crushed pepper - 2 tsp.

Salt - to your taste

Chillie flakes – 1 to 2 tsp. (depending on the heat you like)

Dried Herbs (I used parsley and basil) – Parsley 2 tsp. & Basil 1 tsp.  

Ginger Garlic paste – 1 heaped tsp.

A pinch of turmeric

Olive Oil

Garlic cloves - 5

Spinach – a handful

Potato wedges

Cooking or heavy cream – to your taste

Fresh Chopped parsley leaves

 

Method

Marinate chicken thighs overnight with crushed pepper, salt, chillie flakes, herbs, turmeric, olive oil and garlic pods.

Preheat oven at 170 degrees C.

In a pan fry the chicken thighs for 2 minutes on each side and keep it aside in a greased baking pan.

 

In the same pan fry the marinated garlic cloves and spinach leaves for a few minutes and add it to the chicken.

 

To this sprinkle potato wedges and cover it with foil and bake it for 45minutes and turn around the chicken pieces in between.

Then add cream to it depending on how creamy you like the sauce to be. Since I didn’t want too much cream I just added a little. And just mix and turn around the chicken thighs and bake for 5 more minutes.

Sprinkle fresh parsley leaves and serve it hot with your favorite salad and khubus. Enjoy making it!

Tips for you

You can use mushrooms instead of spinach.

Serve with mashed potatoes, brussel sprouts/ steamed broccoli or even pasta.

Instead of dried herbs, try using fresh herbs.

You can substitute heavy cream with milk.

Use baby potato instead of wedges.

Keep the skin on the chicken if you like it crisp.

Images are clicked by me






 

Recipe for the month: Chocolate Chip Cookies

I had the most unexpected rewarding experience recently when my 4 year old offered to help me bake cookies!!! She was keen to learn, offered to add ingredients and had fun mixing. And the look of accomplishment on her face melted my heart…And surprisingly I was laughing at the whole mess created in the kitchen … truly a messy and pivotal moment!  This brought back a lot of nostalgic memories of childhood … remembered how I used to offer to help mom to make cookies… and afterwards licking the mixing bowl! I hope to continue to experience this with my 4 year old as she grows up and give her some beautiful memories to cherish.

Cookies are fun and comforting to bake, easy to carry while traveling and great to gift.  This chocolate chip cookie recipe by far is the closest to the subway cookie texture… soft and chewy… the kind that melts in your mouth.

my 4 year old kept these out assuming she may need these cookie cutters ;)

 

 

at this stage she found it hard to mix as the dough starts getting thick and heavy

 

 

 

 

As soon the cookies were baked and out of the oven, and in 5 mins it started mysteriously disappearing one by one!! Click here for the recipe and it gives a detailed instruction. It's from a great food blog called Sally's Baking Addiction. Enjoy baking these awesome cookies!!

 

Images are clicked by me


 

Recipe of the month: Banana Upside Down Cake

One of the most exotic and tropical combinations is caramelized bananas and coconut. You will enjoy this banana upside down coconut cake and will definitely take you high with all the sweetness. In this recipe I was generous with the toasted coconut which gave a great texture and flavor. So let's not waste any more time and get down on this comforting recipe.

 

 

 

 

 

 
Yield: 16 slices

Ingredients

For Topping

·         4 ripe bananas sliced 1/4 inch thick

·         1 1/2 cups shredded coconut

·         1/2 cup brown sugar

·         1/4 cup butter

·         2 Tablespoons lemon juice

 

Cake Ingredients:

·         1 cup all-purpose flour

·         3/4 cup sugar

·         1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

·         1/2 teaspoon salt

·         1/4 cup vegetable oil

·         1/2 cup coconut milk

·         1 teaspoon vanilla essence

·         1 egg

 

Method

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seems easy right? Trust me it is!!!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease round cake pans with cooking spray.

 

Spread flakes out on baking sheet. Bake for a few minutes, stirring every minute or so, until the coconut is lightly browned (watch it closely). Transfer to a plate to let it cool.

 

Place banana slices evenly on the bottom of the cake pan.

 

In a small saucepan melt butter. Add brown sugar and lemon juice and heat until dissolved.

 

Pour the brown sugar mixture into the round cake pan over the bananas.

 

Sprinkle coconut over brown sugar sauce.

 

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the oil and coconut milk and whisk for 1 minute. Add the egg and vanilla and whisk it in well. Pour the batter over the banana mixture, evening it out with a spatula.

 

Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick in the center of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Let cool in the pan for exactly 5 minutes (more than 5min will harden in the pan, and less it might fall apart) invert it onto a large serving platter. Serve the warm cake with cold whipped cream or ice cream.

 

 

Images are clicked by me  

Deep Dark Chocolate Cake – for all dark chocolate lovers!

Past few days I have been frantically looking out for a recipe for an easy dark chocolate cake as I wanted to bake for my husband, Neil, on his birthday. He loves dark chocolate. Considering the time constrain and Isabelle, my little one, who is determined to keep me busy and on my toes, i was glad to find this easy and quick recipe at Hershey’s website and it did turn out just as i expected - rich and moist!


Happy Birthday Neil!!!

Click here for the recipe and enjoy baking!

For icing instead of butterfrost I used chocolate ganache.

Recipe is as follows
Melt Chocolate 200gm and fold in cream (200gm) and mix well. Spread this on the cake.

Images are clicked by me

With love from my Oven: indulge in some magical delights

A passion for baking that was discovered just three years back has led Supraja Jayachandran start a new venture called "With love from my Oven" based here in Oman. When I saw her cake for the first time, it was just too beautiful to be eaten and after my first bite I realized it was as tasty as one would imagine. I loved the quality of the cake, the colours and the themes. She baked her first cake three years back for her daughter’s first birthday and then there was no looking back. It was her family’s motivation and her friends support that made Supraja start making customized caked and muffins.


Enjoy her magical touch that goes into creating these customized cakes!

Click here to view her delights on facebook page and if you have any enquiries you can write to her at withlovefrommyoven@gmail.com


Images via With love from my oven

IncrEDIBLE ART

Passion for baking and love for cakes from childhood has led Rumana Jaseel’s IncrEDIBLE ART a successful venture. Based in Cochin, Rumana Jaseel, wife of Jaseel P Ismail - Doubles National Badminton champ who represented India in International tournaments like the Thomas cup, Commonwealth games, Asian Satellite, is a mother of two and a nutritionist by profession. Rumana started her venture into cakes and named it Cake Bake and later branded it as IncrEDIBLE ART and there was no looking back. Her cakes and her passion for baking were featured in many magazines and newspapers and famous among celebrities. Each one of her cake is baked and decorated to perfection. She also conducts workshops where she combines her knowledge of nutrition and the art of baking. Most of her creations are customized, including her signature desserts like earl grey mousse which is served in chocolate cup and saucer, chocolate cakes with different concoctions and the list goes on.


Here are some of her artistic creations to drool on



Earl Grey Mousse - Rumana's signature dish
































Rumana's workshop


Click here to explore her facebook page to view her cakes and be updated with her new delights.


Images via IncrEDIBLE ART

Red Velvet Cake

This recipe is shared to me by my cousin Shiney Jacob, who is an awesome cook and baker. I drool over her cakes ... I have been attending her cooking classes and thanks to her I started enjoying the art of baking and to cook as well. I am so fortunate that I have a husband who is always there to be my official “taster”. Thanks Neil and Shiney!

This recipe is actually for muffins but I ended up baking a small cake instead. If you like you can top your cake with chocolate icing instead of cream cheese frosting. (sorry chocolate lovers!)

Ingredients:

Butter – 100gm
Sugar - 100gm
Eggs – 2
Cocoa Powder – 1 tsp
Baking Powder – 1 tsp
Vanilla Essence – 1 tsp
Red food colour – 2 tsp
Plain flour – 70gm
Custard Powder – 30gm
Warm water – 2 ½ tblsp


Cream Cheese Frosting:

Cream Cheese - 100gm
Heavy Whipping Cream - 1cup
Sugar - 1/2cup
Vanilla Essence – ½ tsp


Serves 4 to 6 / 10 to 12 muffins


Method:

Beat butter and sugar till light and fluffy and add one egg at a time. Sieve all dry ingredients and fold it to the egg mixture. Add essence and colour and mix well. Then add warm water and mix it well using metal spoon. Grease your baking tin and pour the cake batter and bake in preheated oven at 160 C for 40-50min or till skewer comes out clean.

Icing
Beat whipping cream till its stiff. Add cream cheese and sugar and beat it till it’s smooth and spread it on the cake. If you don’t want the icing to be too sweet reduce the quantity of sugar.

(Tip: all ingredients must be in room temperature except for heavy whipping cream)


Images clicked by me