Hearty Spices

Peppers - Preheat the oven to 350F. Wash and dry 12-16 Mini Sweet Peppers . Then, cut them into half, length wise and de-seed. Line the peppers on a baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes. Take them out and increase the temperature to 400F. Filling - Soften 8 oz of Cream Cheese in a bowl. To it, add 1/2 cup of grated Cheddar Cheese, 2 thinly sliced Green Onions, 1/4 tsp of Garlic Powder or minced tsp of Fresh Garlic, Salt and Pepper to taste, and your choice of 1 1/2 tsp of Horseradish sauce or any flavor of Ranch. Mix well.   Divide the filling evenly amongst the peppers without over mounding them. Bake the stuffed peppers by evenly placing them on the backing sheet for 8 minutes. Then turn of the broiler to get the tops crispy and brown.

Prep - Peel and grate 3 Carrots and keep aside. Wash and soak 1 1/2 cups of Basmati rice for 30 minutes. In a wide pan, add 2 tbsp of Ghee and tbsp of Oil and heat on medium. Splutter a tsp of Mustard Seeds, a tsp of Cumin Seeds, Few Curry Leaves for few seconds. Add 2 tbsp of broken Cashews and saute until golden brown. Add finely chopped 1/2 Red / Yellow Onion, 2 thinly slices Green Chilies and a pinch of Turmeric Powder and saute till the onions turn golden brown. Add the grated Carrot and Salt to taste, sauteing and mixing until the carrot is cooked. On medium heat, add 2 3/4 cups of Water and the soaked Basmati Rice to the pan. Mix well and cover cook until the rice is cooked. Remove from heat an serve warm with appadams and yogurt.

Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a sheet pan with parchment or get a baking sheet ready. Melt and bring a cup of Butter to room temperature in a mixing Bowl. Add a cup of Dark Brown Sugar and a cup of White Sugar and beat with a hand mixer until creamy. Add 2 tsp of Instant Coffee granules, a tbsp of Vanilla Extract, a tsp of Salt and beat on medium speed. Do not over mix. Add in 2 Eggs and mix until they are incorporated. Add in a tsp of Baking powder, 1/2 tsp of Baking Soda and 2/3 cup of Cocoa Powder and mix in. Add 2 cups of All Purpose Flour in batches and mix with a spatula to avoid over mixing. Once the dough comes together, add in a cup of White Chocolate Chips and a cup of Dark Chocolate or Milk chocolate chips and mix.  Leave the dough covered to rest for 15-20 minutes. Scoop out 2 tbsp of dough and place on the prepared sheet pan spaced apart. Bake for 14 minutes and serve warm. 

Masala - Heat 3 tbsp of Oil in a saute pan. Add 2 Dry red chillies, an inch of Cinnamon Stick, 3-4 Cloves, 2 tsp of whole Black Pepper, 1/2 tsp of Cumin seeds ans saute lightly. Add a large roughly chopped Red / Yellow Onion and saute till soft and golden color. Add a tbsp of Ginger Garlic paste and saute till the raw smell disappears. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Blend it into smooth paste by adding required water. In a saute pan, add 2 tbsp of Oil and splutter 1/4 tsp of Fennel Seeds, few Curry Leaves and the above masala sauteing for 3-4 minutes on medium heat. Add a large finely chopped Tomato, Salt to taste and a pinch of Turmeric Powder and saute for 5 minutes on medium heat. Add a lb of bone-in cleaned Chicken pieces and saute for 8 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover cook with a lid until the chicken is cooked (5-8 minutes). Add 1/2 cup of Water and mix to make sure the masala doesn't stick to the pan. Cook until the chicken is cooked a...

Prep - Soak a cup of Saggubiyyam/Sabhdhana/Tapioca in enough water for 3 hours. Drain off all the water and let it rest for few minutes. Boil 2 Potatoes , peel and mash and keep aside. Roast 1/2 cup of Peanuts , crush them and keep aside. Mix - In a large bowl, take the soaked Saggubiyyam, peanuts and mashed potatoes and knead well. Additionally,  add  ½ tsp Ginger paste, 1 tsp of Cumin Seeds, 1 minced Green Chilli, 2 tbsp Coriander Leaves, 3 -4 Curry Leaves and ½ tsp of Salt  and mix well with your hand to form dough. Prepare a small vada sized pieces with the dough. Airfry the vadas @350F for 20 mins or in ponganalu pan or deep fry until light brown. Serve hot with ketchup or as-is.

Chop 14 oz Paneer into small pieces and keep aside in bowl of warm water. Start the Instant pot in "Saute" mode and heat a tbsp of Oil . Splutter a tsp of Cumin Seeds and add a tsp of Ginger Garlic Paste, 3 chopped Green Chillies and a chopped Onion . Saute until onions turn golden brown, for 2 minutes. Add a chopped Tomato, a pinch of Turmeric, a tsp of Red Chili Powder, a tsp of Coriander Powder and Salt to taste. Mix well and allow to cook for 2 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of Water and mix well. Add 1 lb of Spinach and close the lid with vent in sealing position. Press "Cancel" and set on Manual  / Pressure Cook on "High" for 2 minutes.  Once the Instant Pot beeps, do a 5 minute natural pressure release and switch off the Instant Pot. Open the lid and blend everything with an immersion blender until smooth and creamy. Add 1/2 cup of Heavy Whipping Cream and mix well. Add the paneer pieces and a tsp of Garam Masala and close the lid ...

Pudding - In a bowl, mix 2 3.4 oz Instant Vanilla Pudding packages into 3 cups of Milk until smooth. Mix in a tub of Cool Whip (8 oz) . Assembly - Spray oil in a 9x13 Pyrex pan and line it with a single layer of Graham Crackers. Fill in the gaps with broken crackers. Pour half the pudding over the layer and spread evenly. Line a second  layer of crackers and pour the rest of the pudding over it. Line with a third layer of crackers. You'll need a full box of Graham Crackers . Microwave a tub of Chocolate Frosting (after removing the foil) for 30 seconds and then carefully spread it over the third layer of crackers. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Serve chilled.