I'm a Notable Newbie!

Just a short post to let y'all know that a few weeks ago, BlogAdda thought I deserved the Notable Newbie Award! :-D And I was featured on their homepage for a whole week. I love the badge they've given me. You see, I'm a new blogger. And I'm 'notable'. :-) Aye sir! I'm the Notable Newbie! :P

Unfortunately, I wasn't online at the time to fully "feel awesome". But my dear friend took a screenshot of the page. Check out the right side corner. That's me!!!!

You can also check their list of Notable Newbies here and scroll down to find me. :D

Have a good day, folks! :) I'll be back soon! :D

I'm Back!! ..... Just.Not.Yet. :-/

As I logged in to my blogger account (2 months later) my hands were trembling with excitement! I couldn't wait to see how the posts I scheduled looked on the blog! ;-) I couldn't wait to see what comments my blog posts had received. And most of all, I couldn't wait to check out all my favorite bloggers' posts in the past 2 months!! Alas! The sense of freedom fell flat. Just 5 minutes into the web world.

Confused? I'll explain...

Are you sick of reading the word *Exams* on almost all my recent posts? Well, if you are sick- can you imagine how I feel?! I'm completely burned out. And frankly, with dark circles, swollen eyes, excess pounds here and there, I look worse than Moaning Myrtle. (Not a Harry Potter fan? I just said I look whiny and ghost-like!)

And just when I thought I was getting my freedom back, I got a message from the Mumbai University regarding some info on my hall ticket. FYI, I'm actually pursuing 2 courses simultaneously. The exam dates were clashing, so I opted to give the professional exams now and the graduation exams in October. Turns out, the graduation exams were postponed! And they start on Saturday! :-|

Now, I DO have the option of giving them in October. But the thought of waiting for another 6 months seemed ridiculous. Especially, when the dates (which usually never change) miraculously shifted to accommodate my professional exams! It seems like a SIGN from the Universe! :-D Of course, I'm conveniently forgetting the fact that I have to do 4 more subjects, 2 of which I don't even have a clue about. :P

So fellas, I'll be missing in action for another week! (Wish me Luck! Again! :P) Well, not entirely so. I do have a cake planned for tomorrow. :D But the cooking-marathon I had planned to start from 18th is now on hold. I'm not complaining coz once these are done, I don't have to give any other exam until the next year!! :D I know, I know! You guys want me back soon! :P And I promise to be back with a bang!

I better go and figure out some Economics for tomorrow! :D
Until then,
Hasta pronto

Essential Equipments for Baking

I keep getting a lot of questions from beginner bakers regarding cups, spoons, pans, how to get started, substitutes etc. I  thought, why not write a post on the knowledge I've gathered in these past few months? :D

Today, I'm going to be talking about equipments that are absolutely necessary for every baker. This is the perfect shopping list.Of course, you can go ahead and buy fancier equipments if you have the money and space to store them. :)

Baking in Microwave Convection Oven

I know that nobody needs updates from me regarding how awesome my exams are going on, (pun intended) so here's a post I wrote a few months back. I hope it is helpful... And to my fans followers admirers.. readers, I'll be back in 4 days!!! :-D Whooopiiiieee!!

OTG vs Microwave Convection is a topic that has been widely discussed. I have used both. And even though it took me a few burnt cakes to get the settings right, I like my convection microwave oven more. I think it can be a very efficient choice for your kitchen. Most of us have tiny kitchens. In such cases, having a separate oven for baking and a separate one for microwaving makes no sense. Convection ovens are handy and make almost anything albeit they are more expensive than regular microwaves. (Click here to read about different types of ovens)

A convection microwave is a combination of a standard microwave oven and a convection oven. It allows food cooked in the convection microwave to be cooked quickly, yet come out browned or crisped as in a convection oven. For example, a convection microwave oven can be preheated to bake cakes, which is not possible with standard microwave ovens.

I have an Onida Black Beauty Convection Oven. But I'm sure the principles of baking are the same in all convection microwave ovens. Any questions, just leave a comment. I shall try to answer as correctly as possible! [Disclaimer: I'm not claiming to be an expert!] ;-)

I've tried to demystify some of the questions and doubts involved with baking in a convection microwave oven. There are of course so many other functions your could try, but in this post, I'm sticking to Baking. (I'll probably do another one on other functions like defrosting, cooking, grilling etc)

Thengai Poli | Cooking With Kin #17#

I didn't want my blog to go into a funk just because some exams were in the way. But I had to prioritize and so, cooking + blogging took a backseat. Out of an adversity, Cooking With Kin was born! :-) I have another blogger here with us today to share her recipe as a part of my CWK Series. Seriously, what would I do without these people?! :-D They are responsible for keeping my blog alive all these days. Ok, before I start getting all mushy with gratitude, I'll introduce our guest of honor - Jeyashri from Jeyashri's Kitchen! You will find so many authentic Indian recipes on her blog. And the variety of recipes is simply outstanding! What are you waiting for? Go check out Jeyashri's Kitchen. Wait. Go after seeing this post fully! ;-) Over to Jeyashri -
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Strawberry Cake | Kitchen Blooper No. 1

(4 up ... 4 more to go. :-D I'm talking about exams, of course! I'm looking forward to what has been happening in the blog-world so much! It is with incredible self control that I abstain from logging in. Coz once I do, I get caught in the web and take a long time to get out! ;-) I'll be back soon!! Just another 10 days! :-D )
I don't even know why I'm sharing this recipe. It was my first failed cake. But once in a while, its okay to show off your flopped attempts too. :-) [And truth be told, the 4 months kitchen-curfew has seriously affected my bank of ready-to-post recipes!] I did figure out why the cake tanked. So this is not a completely useless post either. :-)

Types of Baking Pans

Phew... as I'm sweating truckloads sitting in an examination hall, my thoughts waver to my beloved blog.. And I think, "Oh, today is the 7th! That means my Types of Baking Pans post must have been published! :-D After nearly 2 months of not even monitoring my blog, I can't wait for May 20th to get here! Hope you all are having a great summer.... And I thank all of you for being been incredibly sweet to visit & leave your valuable comments! :-) Here's something I wrote collected during my bored-with-taxation-need-a-better-thing-to-do days.. :-)
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There are many different types of bake-ware available for baking a variety of baked goods. Some types are essential in producing the desired end product and some bake-ware can be used for several purposes. Bake-ware can be found made of many types of material, such as tinned steel, stainless steel, glass, silicone and stone. The type of material the pan is made from can have an effect on the cooking times or temperatures, requiring that they be adjusted.

Below is a list of different types of baking pans available. It is not an exhaustive list, so if I have left out anything, please let me know.