Lemon Meringue cookies for Spring~

Ok I have to admit that I have been MIA for quite some time, which is not good! I think it's the good weather and I'm spending more time outdoors. But yes, I need to get back on track and what better way to make a comeback with some Lemon Meringue cookies. They are absolutely delicious, light and so beautiful! Yes, I said beautiful! Egg whites whipped up into something so pretty!! Another adjective.

Ingredients

3 large egg whites (I used frozen egg whites that were thawed in the fridge the night before)

pinch of salt

1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon lemon juice or extract

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper/foil and set aside. Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat egg whites, on medium speed, until foamy. Add the pinch of salt and increase speed to medium-high. Slowly begin to sprinkle in the sugar. Continue to beat eggs until they form stiff peaks.  Now fold in the lemon zest and lemon extract.Fill it in a piping bag, fitted with a large star tip or any tip that you would like to use. Pipe a bite size worth of meringue onto the baking sheet. Stars can be close together, as they won’t spread or puff during baking. Bake meringues for 2 hours, until no longer sticky , but firm and hardened. The key here is to bake them at a low temperature and for a longer period of time. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on the baking sheet.

Lovely isn't it. Whaddya think?

Birthday cake~

I was asked to bake a birthday cake for a friend at work. Some pictures of the cake from start to finish. I made a 3 layer yellow cake and filled it with fresh strawberries and whipped cream and then frosted the 3 cake layers with strawberry buttercream. It was nice so I heard...actually I've been asked to make some more in the future!

The famous labor inducing lemon drop cupcake!

I couldn't believe this news article the other day that 19 overdue moms went int labor after having the same lemon drop cupcake from Cappellino's Crazy Cakes Shop in Charlottesville, Virginia. Now is this a conincidence or what? What do you think?

http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/offbeat/women-say-lemon-drop-cupcakes-helped-them-deliver-their-overdue-babies-040111

Baked by Chitra...: AAC (Asparagus, Avocado, Cucumber) Sushi roll...th...

Baked by Chitra...: AAC (Asparagus, Avocado, Cucumber) Sushi roll...th...: "I LOVE sushi! The louve had me wanting to challenge myself and make some rolls at home. I have to admit that it was fun making them, but ti..."

AAC (Asparagus, Avocado, Cucumber) Sushi roll...that too homemade!

I LOVE sushi! The louve had me wanting to challenge myself and make some rolls at home. I have to admit that it was fun making them, but time consuming. It's the nori sheets (seaweed) that can get a little difficult to work with once they retain moisture, but nevertheless the sushi was good and edible. Everyone enjoyed it!

Things needed: Nori sheets, a sushi paddle and mat, 5 asparagus spears, 1 avocado, 1 cucumber, plastic wrap, 1 cup sushi rice, wasabi sauce (easily available in any grocery store), soy sauce, chopsticks :)

Cover the bamboo mat with plastic wrap, obviously I didn't do such a great job

Spread the cooked rice. For each cup of rice to be cooked, add 1 cup plus 3 tsps of cold water. Cover tightly and let the rice cook at high for 2 minutes. Then reduce the heat to medium and cook for another 5 mins until it's not foamy anymore and you hear a crackling sound. Turn off the heat and let the rice steam. Once it's cooled a little, add 2 tsps of rice vinegar.

Boil around 6 asparagus spears. No worries, if there are any left overs. You can snack on them!

Slice and chop about 1 cucumber and 1 avocado.

Press down the nori sheet, just make sure that you keep the sheets wrapped when you're not using them. Not exposing them to humidity helps!

Spread the rice!! There were quite a few repetitions, but then again doesn't practice make perfect!

Spread the veggies in the center and you can add the spicy sriracha sauce for the kick!

My husband helping around!

Presenting the maki roll! Not bad!

And then the second sushi roll!! I prefer this one more!

Some miso soup!

Serve with soy sauce and wasabi! Enjoy!!

Tiramisu

Holi, a festival of colors, is celebrated by Indians...for those who don't know. We had a holi party and I'm really late at posting this. Excited as I was to play with all the colors, I was even more excited to make Tiramisu again. A couple of pictures of the Tiramisu, I forgot to click the end result though...too busy eating some!!

Thumbprint cookies with raspberry preserves filling

Yumm!! I love cookies with jam in the center. I think I've come to believe that I like chewy/gooey things such as caramel candies, milky way bars. Something that I can retain for a longer period of time in my mouth! Ok, would you like me to continue? No seriously, we can take this conversation offline if you insist.

On a serious note, these cookies tasted very similar to a kind that I've had in India. I just can't remember the name. These cookies turned a little more crisp than I thought, but I enjoyed them with a hot cup of tea.