Chocolate mousse

Prep time- 30 min
Serves- 6

Ingredients
1.Bittersweet chocolate- 8 ounces
2.Eggs(large)- 3 separated
3.Sugar-3 1/2 tbsp.
4.Pinch of salt
5.Heavy cream, cold- 1 cup
6.Vanilla essence- 2 tbsp

Procedure
1.In a bowl whip the cream til you get soft peaks and chill the cream.

2. Chop the chocolate into small pieces and place them into a heat proof bowl, and melt the chocolate over a water bath. Let it stand.

              

3. In a bowl combine the egg yolks and sugar.Add the melted chocolate.

4.In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites till you get soft peaks. Now combine the egg whites with the above mixture.

5.Fold in the whipped cream.

6.Divide the mousse evenly into 6 serving dishes , cover and refrigerate for 2 hours at least !

Mini raspberry cheesecakes !

Prep time - 25 min

Serves- 16

Ingredients 
For the crust 
1.Graham cracker crumbs (or) biscuit of your choice- 150 g
2.Unsalted butter- 4 tbsp
3.Sugar- 45 g
4.Salt (optional) - 1/2 tsp

For the filling 
1.Raspberry preserve - 6 tbsp
2.Philadelphia cream cheese- 1 package (or) 8 oz
3.Sour cream- 1 cup
4.Eggs- 2 (large)
5.Sugar- 3/4 cup plus 3 tbsp
6.Vanilla essence- 2 tsp

Procedure 
1.Grind the cracker crumbs into a fine powder and mix the sugar, butter, and salt until the mixture holds by itself .
2.Line your cupcake moulds with cupcake liners.
3.Press the above mixture onto the base of your moulds and refrigerate for 15 min.
4.Now place the moulds in the oven and bake the crust for 5 min at 170 degrees.

4.Use an electric mixer to make the cream cheese soft and creamy.

5.Add eggs one by one making sure that they are evenly mixed.
6.Add the sugar, sour cream and vanilla.

7.Make sure you scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
8.Now pour this mixture into the moulds and bake them at 200 degrees for 20 min.

9.After the mini cakes are done, spread a layer
of raspberry preserve onto the cheesecakes, chill for 3 hours before you eat them all up !

A cool way to beat the heat !

For those who love drinking green tea in winter but find it too hot in the summer , here is a great way to quench your thirst and please your palate with this green tea ...... iced style !

Now this idea was given to me by my dear friend ASHREYA DUVVURU , which i modified it in a more convenient way . So here goes my iced tea :

1.Take a bottle containing refrigerated water and place your tea bag(flavour of your choice ) in the bottle .
2.Screw the cap over the mouth of the bottle keeping the bag in the water.

3.Refrigerate this for about half an hour.
4.Serve cold !

Red velvet cupcakes :)

Serves 24

Prep time 40 min

For the cake 
Ingredients 
1.Eggs- 2 (large)
2.Sugar- 1 1/2 cups
3.All purpose flour- 2 1/2 cups
4.Unsalted butter - 1 cup
5.Salt - 1/2 tsp
6.Baking soda - 1tsp
7.Cocoa powder - 3 tbsp
8.Instant coffee powder- 1 tbsp
9.Hot water- 50ml
10.Red food colouring- 3 tbsp
11.Buttermilk- 1 cup
12.Vanilla essence- 1tsp

Procedure
1.Whisk the eggs in a bowl until you get soft peaks.
2.Add the sugar , buttermilk, salt and blend the mixture properly.

3.In 50ml of hot water add the coffee powder and the cocoa powder and stir until the powders get dissolved.

4.Now add the cocoa mixture into the egg-buttermilk-sugar mixture and blend the ingredients till you get a smooth texture.
5. Add the all purpose flour.

6.After u get a well mixed batter add the food colouring .

7.Add the baking soda and blend the mixture

 8.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
9.Place the batter in the cupcake moulds and bake for 22 min.

10.You will know that your cupcakes are ready when a toothpick when inserted into the cupcake comes out clean !

 For the buttercream frosting
Ingredients
1.Icing sugar -340g
2.Softened butter- 80 g
3.Vanilla essence- 1/2 tsp
4.Heavy cream- 4 tbsp

Procedure 
1.Whisk the butter until it gets creamy and then add the icing sugar.
2.When the icing sugar and butter and well incorporated add the cream

3.Add the vanilla essence and whisk the mixture until you get a smooth creamy texture

4.Chill the frosting before you decorate your cupcakes !

Ooey gooey chocolate cake !

This is an easy and quick way to make the yummiest chocolate cake ... and its gooey ! 

Serves 10 people . 

Prep time - 45 min

Ingredients 

1.Eggs-6

2.Brown sugar - 320 gm 

3.All purpose flour - 100 gm

4.Unsalted butter- 200 gm

5.Unsweetened cocoa powder - 190 gm (i used hersheys cocoa powder...thats the best cocoa powder!)

6.Vanilla essence - 1 tbsp 

7.baking soda - 1/2 tsp 

Procedure 

1.Pre heat the oven at 250 degrees .

2.In a sauce pan melt the butter on low flame and add half of the cocoa powder and stir it until you get a smooth paste. Cool it and keep it aside.

3. Separate the egg whites and yolk and place them on two separate bowls .

4.Whisk the egg whites till you get soft peaks and add 100gm (out of 300gm ) of the brown sugar and keep it aside.

5.In an other bowl whisk the egg yolk and the 200gm of (remaining sugar) the brown sugar.

6.Pour the cocoa butter mixture into the egg yolk mixture and blend the mixture until you get a smooth texture.

7. Add the egg white mixture to the above mixture and blend the mixture.

8. Add the remaining cocoa powder and the all purpose flour 

9.Add the vanilla essence and baking soda .

10. You will get a thick mixture at the end .

11.Pour the batter into a baking pan  and place it in a larger roasting pan containing water and bake for 35 minutes at 220 degrees .

12. When you cake becomes wobbly in the centre , it is ready ! 

13. Serve while its hot with a scoop of ice cream ! 

So i had some batter left over and i baked some cupcakes and decorated them with my yummy butter cream frosting ! 

 The recipe for my buttercream frosting 

Ingredients 

1.Unsalted butter (softened)- 100gm 

2.Unsweetened cocoa powder- 50 gm

3.Icing sugar- 100 gm

4.Hot milk- 2 tbsp

5.Vanilla essence- 1/2 tsp 

Procedure 

1. Mix the butter and cocoa first.

2. Now add the milk to make the mixture runny.

3. Add the icing sugar and the vanilla essence.

4.Beat the mixture till you get a creamy texture.

                        

Coffee - My favourite beverage of all time :)

 Reasons why coffee is good for you :

1.Coffee can make you smarter -Coffee contains an active ingredient called caffeine which is a CNS stimulant .It increases the release of neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine thus resulting in net stimulant effect. Coffee not only keeps your awake but also enhances your brain function.

2.Coffee can make you feel happier- Coffee is loaded with nutrients and anti -oxidants . It isnt just black water , in fact coffee is the biggest source of anti-oxidants in the western world. Coffee acts as an anti-depressant , making you feel less depressed , compared to those who dont include coffee in their diet.It has also been linked to lower levels of suicide.

3.Coffee may lower your risk of Alzheimer's-Coffee not only makes you smarter but also have a protective effect on brain in old age. Alzheimer's is a major cause leading to dementia ,a neurodegenerative disorder. Drinking coffee lowers the risk of Alzheimer's in 50% cases.

4.Coffee is good for your liver- Coffee helps to lower alcoholic cirrhosis which is an autoimmune disorder of liver which may lead to hepatic damage and liver cancer.It also helps prevent people from fatty liver disease .

BOTTOM LINE ?  DRINK COFFEE AND BE HAPPY ! :)

The 5 top fat-burning foods !

1.Whole grains 

The body burns twice as much the calories while breaking down whole grain food than the processed food.

2.Lean meats.                                                          

 Proteins have a high thermogenic effect. You burn 30% calories the food contains during digestion

3.Low fat dairy products

t’s important to include some dairy products like milk, cheese and yogurt in the diet as they are packed with essential nutrients that help to keep us healthy. As well as being good sources of protein, zinc and some B vitamins, dairy products are one of the main sources of calcium in the diet, a mineral that helps to build strong, healthy bones.

4.Green tea

Drinking 4 cups of green tea daily helped people to shed more than 6 pounds in 8 weeks . Green tea is the most powerful anti-oxidant and it boosts up your metabolism.

5.Hot peppers

Ingesting hot peppers ramps up the metabolism which in turn switches the body into fat burning mode .