Badam Ladoo

Ingredients:

Blanched Almonds - 2 cups
Sweetened Condensed Milk - 1 can 14 oz (I used fat free)
Butter - 2 or 3 tbsp

Process:


Heat a pan...dry roast almonds for 4 mins...remove from heat and cool...grind n make into a powder.

Take a microwavable glass bowl...add all the ingredients and keep in the microwave for a min...

Remove and mix well...repeat the process until it is thick and can be transferred...

Make sure u put in just for a min and remove to mix.

It took around 7 mins for me to cook in the microwave.

Now grease a plate with butter and pour the mixture on it...let it to cool for some time

Grease your hands with lil butter or use a cooking spray.

Make small ladoos out of this mixture. You might get around 30 ladoos.

You might be thinking what Blanched Almonds are....Here is how you can Blanch your Almonds

• Place Almonds in a bowl
• Pour boiling water to barely cover almonds
• Let the almonds sit for 1 minute and no longer.
• Drain, rinse under cold water and drain again
• Pat dry and slip the skins off. (I didn't have time to peel the skin off

Note: Don't let almonds sit in hot water too long or they will lose their crispness.

Chakkara Pongal

Ingredients:
Raw Rice - 1/2 cup
Moong dal - 2 tbsp
Milk - 1/2 cup
Jaggery - 1 cup
Cardamom Powder - 1/4 tsp
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Cashews - 10
Raisins - 1 tbsp

Method:

Pressure cook rice and moong dal together with milk and water (1.5 cups) for 5 whistles.

In a kadai, add jaggery and 1 cup of water, heat till it dissolves completely and gets the consistency of a syrup and add it to the cooked rice.

Turn on the heat and keep stirring till the mixture thickens on low flame. Add cardamom pwd and mix well.

Garnish with roasted cashews and raisins (roast cashews & raising in ghee).

Pala Kova / Doodh Peda

Ingredients:
Dry Milk Powder - 2 cups (I used Non-fat dry milk pwd)
Condensed Milk - 1 can 14oz. (I used non-fat)
Butter - 1 stick (I couldn't use non-fat for this :) )
Saffron - few
Water - 1 tbsp
Cashews - a few (Roasted)

Process:

Melt butter in a microwave safe bowl, add in condensed milk, dry milk powder, mix well and microwave for a min.

Take out, mix well and microwave for another 2 mins.

Mix water and saffron and it to the mixture and microwave for a min.

Take out and let it cool (not completely...but until it is good enough for you to handle)

Make desired shapes and garnish with roasted cashews.

I made small balls and placed a cashew on each ball and pressed them firmly.

Pineapple Cake

Ingredients:

Self-Rising Flour - 1 3/4 cups
Eggs - 2
Sugar - 1 1/4 cups
Unsalted Butter - 1 stick (microwave the butter for about a min & keep aside)
Milk - 1/2 cup (preferably whole milk)
Pineapples - 8 slices (slices similar to the one in the picture)

Method:

Take a large mixing bowl, put in eggs and sugar, mix thoroughly using a hand mixer.

Then add flour and butter little by little to this mix until everything is mixed thoroughly and at last add milk and mix well into a smooth paste.

Add 7 pineapple slices and mix them with the batter. Keep a slice for garnishing.

Now grease (bottom and sides) an oven safe dish with a little butter or use a cooking spray.

Transfer all the batter into this dish & put it in the oven for 40 mins on 350 degrees.

Note: The oven safe dish must have flat bottom & pre-heat the oven for about 10 mins on 200 degrees.

Kalakand (Microwave Style)

Ingredients:

Ricotta Cheese - 1 tin 15oz
Sweetened Condensed Milk - 1 can 15oz
Elaichi (Cardamom) - 3 (Ground them)
Sugar - 1/2 cup (optional)
Grated Pistas and Cashews for dressing
Cooking Spray or butter for greasing

Method:

Take a microwave safe bowl with a flat bottom (like the one in the picture). Grease the bowl with cooking spray or butter.

Fill the bowl with the Sweetened Condensed Milk and mix all of the Ricotta cheese. Add sugar (optional) and stir well. Sprinkle the Ground Elaichi on the top.

Microwave it high for 15 mins stirring for every 5 mins. At the end of 15 mins, check for the consistency. If wanted microwave it for an other 2-3 mins .

Sprinkle the chopped Pistas and Cashews on top. Allow it to cool for 15 mins.

Cut into desired shapes and serve.