FRESH STRAWBERRY CROSTATA

This  Fresh Strawberry Crostata is a free form tart recipe featuring fresh strawberries wrapped in buttery pie crust.

It has been  2 years since I  baked  Pumpkin Galette.  I have recently managed to purchase fresh strawberries and now it is a time to bake a crostata again. These strawberries are vibrant and absolutely gorgeous,  they stay firm when ripe.  If you need tips of making a perfect crust,  kindly check my Apple Crostata  post.

This Fresh Strawberry Crostata requires a buttery crust and a filling.   Prepare the crust first before proceeding to make the filling.

Wash the strawberries and drain well. the strawberry is like a sponge that absorbs water  so do not let it soak in water.  If the strawberries are big, slice into 3 or 4 lengthwise.

Made mine into 2 x 6.5 in circles instead of one  big one,   The size and shape are  entirely up to you, whether you choose a square, round or rectangle.

FLAT TOP BANANA BREAD RECIPE

This classic Flat Top Banana Bread is always a favorite, whenever I have over ripen banana,  this is the bread I used to make.

It uses one and half cup of mashed banana, yogurt and butter to produce a moist and divine banana bread.  It took 50 minutes to bake it at 180 C.

Easily turned this basic banana bread to the next level by adding chocolate chips, peanut butter, coconut or blueberry.  So, if you're craving for a sweet, warm and super easy treat,  this Flat Top Banana Bread is the best option.

As this bread was extremely moist, place the bread  in an airtight plastic container then store in a refrigerator after 24 hours

VEGAN HOMEMADE DOUGHNUTS

A vegan and yeast free doughnuts for our tea time treat this week.   Found this recipe on Facebook.  It looks easy and quick to make.

These Vegan Homemade Doughnuts use vegan margarine and soy milk without yeast.   If you're not a vegan, you can use butter and fresh milk.

Original recipe calls for deep frying but I opt for baking instead.  Also did not coat them with sugar as we wanted a savory version.

The dough of these  Vegan Homemade Doughnuts are really sticky,  I added a tablespoon of flour to make it easier to shape by forming the dough into a ball, flatten it and make a hole with your floured finger or else roll the dough and use a doughnut cutter.

The doughnuts turned out very tasty despite they don't rise much as compared with  deep fried ones.  I think we need to add another teaspoon of baking powder if it is baked (original uses 1 teaspoon).

VARIATIONS

Liquid can be replaced for fruit juice, you can even add chopped dried fruit.

For savory bread, add tomato juice instead of soy milk,  sun dried tomato may be added to the dough

Brush the dough with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt  and oregano for foccacia flavor.

RED VELVET BANANA CAKE RECIPE

My Red Velvet Banana Cake was slightly different from the regular red velvet as I have added mashed banana  in the batter.    Am attracted to its color and curious to know how the combination  of chocolate  and red color turns out plus a little twist by adding banana.

This Red Velvet Banana Cake  uses yogurt and banana to moisten the cake  In case you're not keen to use banana, you may add 2 more eggs plus 1/4 cup of yogurt.

Sadly my cake did not turn out deep red in color but overall, it was amazing cake.  You're hooked after the first bite!   Used liquid red food coloring for this recipe.

The ideal pan to use is a 12 cup bundt pan as I don't have it,   bake them into  a small bundt and another 8 in cake pan.

Red Velvet Banana Cake turned out wonderful.   Extremely pleased with moist and tenderness of the cake.   Will bake again as my family enjoyed it.   Even my boy can't wait to devour it  after I removed it from the oven.

Other cake recipes you should try:

Banana Upside Down Cake

Marble Cake

Eggless Chocolate Cake Diary Free

MUTTON BIRYANI RECIPE

Eid-ul-Fitr  is a day of forgiveness and joyous occasion  by strengthen  ties with people around you.   This is not complete without visiting and feasting.

It is a must for every household to offer a feast to their visitors.  The feast offered can be anything either main dish, sweets, flat bread or  even noodles.   It does not need to be elaborate,  any simple meal is most encouraged.   Always think about others who had nothing and avoid wastage.

This year I try this Mutton Biryani for my close relatives.   It involves a lot of work but I managed to do it all by myself.

The step require you to marinade the mutton with spices, yogurt, cilantro and fried onion for at least 12 hours.  The longer the better to allow all the flavor absorbed by the meat.

I have chosen slightly different method by cooking the meat until tender before layering the rice.   The mutton sold here is really tough hence this method is the best option.

Since the meat is already cooked and the rice is  1/2   cooked, need not to cook it much longer.  So glad my visitors enjoyed this Mutton Biryani  and some even asked for the recipe. .