Sunday afternoon. A big rice and dal and bhindi sabji meal behind us - our oval table having 8 around it with Rekha joining us for lunch after we got back from worshipping Jesus together with the saints at Jolly and Suma's home...
A pile of dishes to be washed. Some milk to be boiled. Why not redeem the time... with a chocolate cake?
Out comes the trusty (and heavily stained) Landour Cook book. An old favorite recipe is culled - Alfie Campbell's chocolate cake. Here it is (for a 13" x 9" pan):
Sugar - 1 1/2 cup
Oil - 6 tbsp (I used some old cream that we had lurking in the fridge for 1/2 of this).
Eggs - 2
Flour (maida) - 2 c less 2 tbsp
Cocoa - 6 tbsp
Soda - 1 1/2 tsp (I don't know how old ours was so I rounded it up to 2)
Salt - 3/4 tsp
Cold water - 1 cup
Vanilla - 1 1/2 tsp
1. Mix ingredients conventional or muffin method (I chose to cream the oil and sugar first - then add eggs, salt, water and vanilla - then sift the flour, cocoa and soda together - and then add the solids to the liquids).
2. Bake at 350 F (which we have converted to 180 C - but our oven seems a bit too 'hot' so we did it at '160' according to our dial).
I doubled the above to make more - as I decided to do two trays of muffins as well. Looking around the kitchen I found a few almonds which I ground and sprinkled on top of the muffins just before sending them into the oven.
And here is the outcome!
A close up you ask? Sure - here are the mini-muffins (before they were devoured) - the big ones are still in the tray... but we don't know how long they will last!
And here is the aftermath!
Yes, the baking is not over until the place is cleaned up. And so it is in the Eicher household. I have been turned into a neatnik... so while the muffins and cake was swelling and being baked - someone was scrubbing away (and taking the odd look at the BBC website to follow the progress of the 2nd Ashes test in far-away Lord's).
Scrubbing works!
Here is the counter - after the labour of love... and ready for the next meal to be prepared! While the baking and scrubbing was taking place - Asha and Enoch went out of the house with a list of things to buy as they are making something special for supper for us!
Sunday afternoon bakes - has handed over the baton to Sunday evening special supper (courtesy the older 2 Eicher siblings!).
Good times - and a blessing to be together in these days.
Tomato rice with paneer kebabs with dip and mint lemonade. Wow! What kids!
Some Sunday Evening surprise. Needless to say - all of that was quickly wolfed down by a very proud (and hungry) Dad. Perhaps the next time you come and visit us, you can ask our two master-chefs to give you a treat too? In the mean time, here is a close-up of their creations!
Bon apetit!
A pile of dishes to be washed. Some milk to be boiled. Why not redeem the time... with a chocolate cake?
Out comes the trusty (and heavily stained) Landour Cook book. An old favorite recipe is culled - Alfie Campbell's chocolate cake. Here it is (for a 13" x 9" pan):
Sugar - 1 1/2 cup
Oil - 6 tbsp (I used some old cream that we had lurking in the fridge for 1/2 of this).
Eggs - 2
Flour (maida) - 2 c less 2 tbsp
Cocoa - 6 tbsp
Soda - 1 1/2 tsp (I don't know how old ours was so I rounded it up to 2)
Salt - 3/4 tsp
Cold water - 1 cup
Vanilla - 1 1/2 tsp
1. Mix ingredients conventional or muffin method (I chose to cream the oil and sugar first - then add eggs, salt, water and vanilla - then sift the flour, cocoa and soda together - and then add the solids to the liquids).
2. Bake at 350 F (which we have converted to 180 C - but our oven seems a bit too 'hot' so we did it at '160' according to our dial).
I doubled the above to make more - as I decided to do two trays of muffins as well. Looking around the kitchen I found a few almonds which I ground and sprinkled on top of the muffins just before sending them into the oven.
And here is the outcome!
A close up you ask? Sure - here are the mini-muffins (before they were devoured) - the big ones are still in the tray... but we don't know how long they will last!
And here is the aftermath!
Yes, the baking is not over until the place is cleaned up. And so it is in the Eicher household. I have been turned into a neatnik... so while the muffins and cake was swelling and being baked - someone was scrubbing away (and taking the odd look at the BBC website to follow the progress of the 2nd Ashes test in far-away Lord's).
Scrubbing works!Here is the counter - after the labour of love... and ready for the next meal to be prepared! While the baking and scrubbing was taking place - Asha and Enoch went out of the house with a list of things to buy as they are making something special for supper for us!
Good times - and a blessing to be together in these days.
------------------------------------------------------
I had published the above at 5.37 PM and had gone over to the Sunday Evening gospel meeting that we have at the Lok Hospital building. Asha and Enoch had pulled the curtain to the kitchen and forbade anyone from entering. They were cooking up a storm.
In the meantime we had a good meeting - and prayer afterwards as Kim will be leaving for Bangalore tomorrow (lots of photos of course). Then I had a special meeting with a couple who we are challenging to listen to whether God is calling them to make a big step forward. By the time that was over, Enoch had showed up. He had come to say good-bye to Kim. England were teetering to a comprehensive defeat to the lads from Down Under up at Lords. And when I walked back home with Enoch I saw Sheba and the bus stand saying good-bye to Rekha.
And when I walked in the door, - this is what I saw on our table:
Tomato rice with paneer kebabs with dip and mint lemonade. Wow! What kids!
Some Sunday Evening surprise. Needless to say - all of that was quickly wolfed down by a very proud (and hungry) Dad. Perhaps the next time you come and visit us, you can ask our two master-chefs to give you a treat too? In the mean time, here is a close-up of their creations!
Bon apetit!
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