Soni's Food

Indian Inspiration!

Pumpkin Pie Truffles

22 | 11 | 2016
By Soni Sinha

Truffles are one of my all time favorite desserts.Bite-sized perfect little decadent bites in a myriad of luscious flavors.They’re also great as home-made gifts for the holiday season.I love bite-sized desserts because they’re just enough-to tantalize your taste buds,to be passed around with ease, to make a mark.pumpkin-pie-truffles-5And, you can never get enough of them, so make a big batch!ALWAYS!
This Thanksgiving make these dainty little Pumpkin Pie Truffles that capture the flavors of the season and are a breeze to put together. I absolutely love them and they’ve been a big hit with the crowd, young and old.If you’re a pumpkin dessert lover then this dessert will blow you away.The flavor, the aroma, the rich filling, the decadent chocolate coating, its truly a dessert for special occasions.

pumpkin-pie-truffles

All it requires,is mixing all the ingredients and some chill time in the fridge for it to set.The filling is super easy and it’s a great make ahead dessert that actually tastes better a couple of days later since the flavors get a chance to amalgamate.You can garnish these beauties with some cinnamon sugar or a drizzle of melted semi-sweet or dark chocolate.I’ve kept it simple here (tried to get the swirl effect with my fingers). A sinfully delicious Fall Dessert.Enjoy!

pumpkin-pie-truffles

Pumpkin Pie Truffles-makes around 35 truffles

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Ingredients
  

  • 2 ounces full-fat cream cheese softened to room temperature.
  • 2 Tablespoons confectioners' sugar.
  • ⅓ cup pumpkin puree.
  • 1 and 3/4 cups digestive biscuits Goya or McVites or graham cracker crumbs
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice.
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 4 ounces white chocolate coarsely chopped and melted

Coating

  • 12 ounces White Chocolate coarsely chopped

Instructions
 

  • In a mixing bowl beat cream cheese and confectioners sugar using the paddle attachment of your stand mixer or hand mixer until smooth.
  • Add the pumpkin and mix well.Follow with the biscuits,pumpkin pie spice,cinnamon,and vanilla.
  • Melt 4 ounces of white chocolate in a double boiler on the stove top and add into the mixture and mix until all combined.
  • Place the mixture in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.
  • After 2 hours grease your hands with a little melted butter and start rolling the mixture into even sized balls.Once done place it back in the fridge for an hour.
  • Melt 12 ounces of white chocolate in a double boiler until smooth.Let it cool for about 5 minutes.
  • Place a large parchment paper on a baking tray.Roll the balls into the melted chocolate and arrange on the parchment paper.
  • Carefully lift the tray and place in the fridge to set for a few hours for the truffles to completely set.

Recipe Adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction.

Deiss® ART 5-piece Nylon Utensil Set #Review and #Giveaway

16 | 11 | 2016
By Soni Sinha


My old wooden utensils have seen better days and as I was thinking of replacing them with new ones, Deiss Kitchenware sent me this gorgeous Nylon Utensil set that’s brightened up my kitchen and makes cooking even more fun! I love their products such as this Citrus Zester/Cheese grater that I use everyday! Their products are high quality with a vibrant color and modern design. They’ve become my new favorite these days. What can I say, there are some definite perks to blogging. 🙂 Thankyou Deiss!

Deiss® ART 5-piece Nylon Utensil Set contains:

*Soup Ladle

*Slotted Turner

*Spaghetti Server

*Serving Spoon

*Slotted Serving Spoon

deiss-art-5-piece-nylon-utensil-set-

The beauty of this product is that it’s:

*Made from BPA-free nylon that contains no toxins and is safe for cooking.

*NON-STICK and ODOR-RESISTANT- Deiss nylon utensils withstand up to 480° F and are non-stick, so they won’t scratch your non-stick cookware. They’re easily cleaned (only hand wash), and don’t stain or accumulate odors unlike old plastic or bamboo kitchen accessories.

*ERGONOMIC DESIGN – Their specially designed non-slip rubber handle provides a comfortable grip even, when it’s wet. Long handles and oversized heads won’t let you get dirty while mixing, flipping, scraping and baking. Love it!

*LIFETIME WARRANTY- Deiss Kitchenware provides a lifetime warranty on all their products.

I can finally replace my old utensils and enjoy these beauties!They’re great as holiday gifts and your family/friends will love using them in their kitchen!

Deiss is also offering my readers a 30% discount on Amazon using code 05020ERS that expires on Jan 1st..

For more information on their amazing products visit their website.

Disclaimer- I received a Deiss® ART 5-piece Nylon Utensil Set from Deiss Kitchenware and all opinions are my own.

 

 

Easy Coconut Cardamom Balls (Coconut Laddoo) for #Diwali

27 | 10 | 2016
By Soni Sinha

This Diwali is going to be special since I’ll be spending it with my Mom in India and I’m so looking forward to my trip! This will be my first Diwali in India in sixteen years and I cannot wait to see my family back home. Festivals are indeed the best times to visit India when you can witness the celebrations first hand and taste all the wonderful foods (sweet and savory) that you can only dream of when you’re abroad 🙂 .

coconut balls (laddoo)

Diwali is one of the biggest festivals of the year and we celebrate by lighting up our entire home inside and out with beautiful lights, diyas (earthen lamps) and decorate the entrance to our homes with Rangoli ( colorful artwork on the floor using materials such as colored rice, dry flour, colored sand or flower petals) to welcome Goddess Lakshmi (god of wealth and fortune). Elaborate menu consisting of mouth-watering appetizers, entrée and desserts are planned weeks in advance for Diwali and there’s no end to shopping (clothes,jewelry,gfts etc!). People exchange gifts and sweets. It’s a time for joyous celebrations throughout the community.

coconut-laddoo-2

If you’re lost for ideas for a good Diwali dessert, then I might have just the recipe for you that takes 15 mins to prepare! Its an easy 4 ingredient coconut laddoo (balls) recipe that I’m sure you must have had countless times growing-up. My recipe uses condensed milk that saves time and effort and is absolutely delicious. I’ve used frozen shredded coconut (available at Indian grocers) but unsweetened desiccated coconut will also work just fine. All you have to do is cook the coconut along with the condensed milk until all the moisture dries up and the mixture starts collecting together into a mass. Just add some crushed cardamom and shape them into round balls (laddoos). Roll them in desiccated coconut and serve them. They last for a couple of days in the fridge.Each bite of these balls is a sublime amalgamation of sweet and nutty flavors, perfect for Diwali.Enjoy!

happy diwali

 

coconut balls (laddoo)

Easy Coconut Cardamom Balls (Coconut Laddoo) for #Diwali

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Ingredients
  

  • Makes about 25-30 laddoos
  • Frozen shredded coconut or unsweetened desiccated coconut -4 cups
  • Condensed Milk-14 oz
  • Crushed Cardamom-2 tsp
  • Ghee or unsalted butter -1 tbsp
  • Desiccated coconut for rolling

Instructions
 

  • In a skillet pour the condensed milk and coconut and cook on medium heat for about 8-10 minutes stirring constantly.Non stick pan works best since you don't want the mixture to stick to the pan and change color.
  • Cook until the moisture dries up and the mixture starts collecting together.
  • Add the cardamom and mix well.
  • Turn off the heat.
  • Grease your palm with a little ghee/unsalted butter.
  • Take small portions of the mixture and roll them into balls.
  • Roll the ready balls over unsweetend desiccated coconut in a tray.
  • Serve chilled or at room temperature

Deiss® PRO Citrus Lemon Zester & Cheese Grater Review

25 | 10 | 2016
By Soni Sinha


In the world of specialized kitchen products, it’s always good to know of any gadget that makes your life easier. When you’re in the kitchen, certain recipes require you to grate cheese or chocolate or zest citrus fruits like lemon, lime and orange. You’d think that you’d have to buy different zester and grater for each, but there’s a product that lets you do it all in one and I’ve been enjoying it lately. Deiss Kitchenware is a small family owned company from Germany and they make some amazing Kitchen products that you’ll love. They sent me their beautiful zester/grater that I’d highly recommend to anyone looking for a great quality kitchen tool.

Deiss Zester/Grater

Deiss Zester/grater is a beautifully packaged sturdy tool with a lovely vibrant yellow color.
It has razor sharp stainless steel blade and I love its smooth non-slip handle that makes it very comfortable to use and effortless even when grating hard cheeses.
It comes with a safety cover for your protection for when you’re trying to reach for it in your drawer.
The curved edges are perfect since they help you grate/zest upside down, so you know exactly the amount that you’ve collected.I particularly love the ribbon-like curls of freshly grated parmesan cheese instantly melting on hot pasta!
It can grate anything from hard cheeses to ginger, garlic, chocolate and vegetables!I use it everyday to grate ginger and garlic directly into the pan for my curries.Quick and easy.
Its dishwasher safe and comes with a lifetime guarantee.deiss-zestergrater-1Deiss is offering a 15% discount on Amazon.com to all my readers in America, so if you’ve tried many zesters/graters but never used Deiss now is the time to switch.You won’t be disappointed! All you have to do is enter the code:
HJHG8YHS (please note that it expires on January 1)
It would be great as a gift this holiday season for someone that loves to cook/bake!For more information about their different products visit their website.

 

 

Disclaimer: I received Deiss Pro zester/grater  from Deiss Kitchenware and all opinions are my own.

RawSpiceBar Review #ArgentineSpiceBox

10 | 10 | 2016
By Soni Sinha

On days that we’re swamped with work, kids’ activities, groceries or just plain busy and want to make a quick and easy dinner, we all reach out to our trusted spice blend in our pantry. Spice blends are a great way to amp up the taste in your grilled meats and veggies and if you’re anything like me, then you’d always be on the hunt for more exotic blends at your local stores. California based company RawSpiceBar reached out to me to review their spice blends and for a spice lover like me the flavors seemed right up my alley. I’m excited to be partnering with them.

rawspicebar

Once a month, RawSpiceBar delivers to your door, three different globally inspired spice blends based on that month’s culinary flavor kit with detailed recipes and ideas for $8/month; 6 months for $44 and yearly subscription for $82. Subscriptions can be cancelled anytime. Each individual pack contains 3 ounces of spice blends that serves 3-4 people. They’re also great as a gift with the holidays approaching! The spice blends are free of all the salts, sugars, chemical fillers and unwanted additives generally found in pre-ground grocery store spices & seasonings, which typically lost their flavor months ago. For anyone that loves global flavors this is a great way to enjoy a unique experience in their own kitchen. It makes mealtimes more fun and you can get creative with it in many ways.

grilled-beets-rawspicebar

I received their Argentine Spice Box consisting of:
Dark Coffee and Chiles
Sun Dried Tomato Pizza and
Chipotle Smoked Salt
I tried the Dark Coffee and Chiles in my Coffee Chili Rubbed Grilled Beets and they were insanely delicious.I coated the beets with the spice mix along with some salt and canola oil and grilled on low for about 10-15 minutes.Beets have never tasted so good!Dark Coffee and chili is a unique combination that’s spicy and smoky (that I love) but well balanced with the slightly sweet and rich dark coffee and thanks to RawSpiceBar I’ve found a new flavor pattern to work with. I’m looking forward to trying the other two packs too!

For more information and details about their different spice blends visit their website or follow them on

Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

 

 

Disclaimer: I was provided with a free sample of RawSpiceBar Argentine Spice Blend and all opinions are my own.