Festive Strawberry Muffins

Food is not about impressing people It's about making them feel comfortable." said Ina Garten, in  'The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook and thats exactly the way I approach cooking or baking.

For me, the food that I cook has to be quick and  tasty. And I'm positive that many of you feel exactly the same way.

In this post, I'm talking about home made strawberry muffins. They could have been presented very simply but because its the festive season, I'm choosing to present the 'dressed up' version.

Festive Strawberry Muffins

Ingredients for 8 large muffins

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup sugar

Half cup chopped strawberries( frozen/fresh)

2 whole eggs

250 gms butter

1/2 cup milk/yogurt

vanilla essence

1 tsp baking powder

Method

Prepare the muffin tin with greased and lined muffin tins.

Mix all the dry ingredients in a  mixing bowl.

Mix and gently stir the wet ingredients- butter, eggs, vanilla and strawberry essences, in another dry mixing bowl.Make sure that the mix is uniform and not too thick or too thin.

Slowly fold in the chopped strawberries and keep the prepared mix aside.

Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ones and fold in gently to get a uniform mix.

 

Bake in a preheated oven at 150 C for 25/30 mins and insert a dry toothpick to see if the muffins are ready.

Keep on a wire rack to cool .

Once the muffins have cooled, dust with icing sugar and decorate with edible sugar decorations.






Sit back and enjoy these anytime treats accompanied with a hot cup of tea or coffee and make sure you share them with friends and family.

Then watch their faces light up with joy!

And remember, the festive season just got started...

Indian Theme Nights inaugurated at the Best Western Premier, Muscat

Its always good to know about a new eating place in Muscat and   it was interesting to learn about the Indian Theme Nights at the Best Western Hotel. So there we were on Day 1, the Sneak Preview and this is our story. 

As a melting pot of Middle-Eastern, Asian and Western cultures, Oman offers a rich array of cuisine from different corners of the world. The Best Western Premier in Al Khuwair, Muscat is celebrating one of the most popular cuisines in the country , Indian, with special Indian theme nights every Thursday. So if you’re a fan of desi delicacies, head straight to the Atrium, the Best Western’s all-day restaurant, on Thursday evenings between 6.30 pm and 10.30 pm. An expert team of chefs headed by Executive Chef Shafiq Ahmed will whip up various exotic flavours of India which range from tangy and savoury pani puri, to slow-cooked mutton rogan josh and the best ras malai. 

Spoilt For Choice

The first Indian theme night was inaugurated on September 18th  and subsequent theme nights will be held every Thursday. No effort has been spared by the hotel to create a complete and authentic dining experience that will transport diners from 'Muscat to Mumbai'  from the moment they walk into the restaurant. The buffet menu includes salads and appetizers, two snack stations for pani puri and pav bhaji , a range of vegetarian and non-vegetarian main courses, and finally, Indian sweet dishes to round things off. 

Executive Chef Shafiq Ahmed tells us how the spicy Pani Puri is made

Salads, chickpeas chaat and a delicious Mango lassi

We chose to have our Pav Bhaji without the butter 

Rounding off the evening with a delicious array of Indian sweets

The Enchanting House on the Hill

It must have been about twenty years ago that I first saw it, this enchanting house on that equally enchanting hill.

 Then found myself heading straight towards it as the gate was so invitingly open.

Shivalik Farms- the 'Enchanting house on the Hill'

The nameplate announced 'Shivalik Farms, your one stop shop for jams, juices and pickles.'

 And boy, did we buy those items, and get hooked for life!

Every year thereafter, or whenever we went to Shimla, a trip to Mashobra was a 'must do' when we would buy  our stock of jams and fruit juice.

The unbeatable view

Run by Mrs Leela Jain an extremely versatile and accomplished lady, now in her eighties, it truly is a lovely place to stop by and rest one's body as well as uplift one's spirits.

Check it out for yourselves if you ever go that side and I can bet that you too will find yourself returning there again...

Walking to the village

And then....

On my last visit-Nov 2013

Yet again.....