12 Best of 2012

Hot Chocolate

Good things come in small packages just like winters in Karachi. They hardly last a month but we relish and celebrate this weather.

Chicken Tikka Mac n' Cheese

You guys! Do you want a bomb diggity Mac n Cheese recipe???

Does Mac n Cheese make you happy too? It makes me soooo happy. Like jump-from-the-couch-in-excitement happy. Because this one in particular is so delicious, its addictive. I'm tellin' ya!

Cinnabon Cupcakes

The newest place to jump on the cupcake bandwagon in Pakistan is Cinnabon. Like many people, I have been a big fan of their cinnamon buns ever since their launch in Pakistan and as if that was not enough, Cinnabon launched 3 flavors of its cupcakes to tease our sweet tooth some more!

Mango Lassi

I know its too late to share this recipe with you all and I also understand that it is unfair to share it at this time of the year when there are no fresh mangoes to be found :(

Egg Salad Sandwich

Egg Salad Sandwiches have been here forever and this used to be my favorite lunch back when I was in school. The other day I saw a picture of an egg salad sandwich and realized that I haven't had one in years! 

And so I decided to make one..

Guest Post by Chocolate & Chillies: Mango Ice cream

I have another guest post for y'all today! And this time it's Asiya from Chocolate & Chillies. Asiya is one of my blogging friends and a very sweet, stay at home mom who has a wonderful blog with some really pretty photographs. She masters Pakistani/Indian cooking and never fails to amaze me when she presents the simplest dishes in the most pretty ways. For instance check out her Masoor ki Daal.. Don't you feel like grabbing a chapatti and digging right in?


It is so kind of her to guest post on The Recipe Code today and I am so happy that she made for us one of our most favorite desserts.. the Mango Ice cream! Like seriously, who doesn't love this stuff?

And now I will let Asiya do the talking while I drool over her Mango Ice cream! Over to you Asiya! :)

Guest Post by Sharmeen: Tunnel of Fudge Cake

Does the "Tunnel of Fudge" not sound amazing? The moment I saw pictures of this cake I was lost in chocolaty dreams :D Just looking at the fudgy center and glaze made my heart warm and mouth water!

Oh and before I go on and on about this cake and forget who actually made this.. well peeps this Tunnel of Fudge cake is made by one of my blogging friends Sharmeen who is an excellent baker and also a die hard chocolate lover like myself. She has an extremely popular facebook blog known as FOODILICIOUS "COOKS @ WORK" and have thousands of amazing recipes which will make your mouth water and you won't be able to leave that page any time soon! 

Chicken Pita Salad Sandwiches

I am sharing with you all today, by far the easiest recipe on my blog. Inspired by Nando's Chicken Pita, this meal was made in less than 15 minutes! Perfect for those week nights when you come home tired and craving a simple yet delicious dinner.

Bloggers' meetup at Gloria Jean's Coffees

The Australian chain Gloria Jean's Coffee launched it’s second outlet in Karachi at the Dolmen Mall Clifton yesterday. Team FCPK invited me to a pre-opening bloggers meet up.

Chicken Fajita Quesadillas

If you want some seriously happy people around you.. make them these quesadillas!

12 Recipes for Mother's Day!

Mother's day is only one day away and I am sure every one must have planned out out how they will pamper their moms.  Whether it's breakfast in bed or brunch at the kitchen table, Mom deserves a special treat this Sunday and in case you haven't yet decided what you are going to cook for your mom, here is a quick roundup of my favorite recipes for Mother's day. Take a look:

Breakfast/Brunch:

Thai Chicken Bites

When I went to Thailand four years ago, the first meal we had there was a breakfast in the hotel where we were staying. It had an extensive menu and included lots of savory and sweet dishes. Being a lover of savory meals, I first attacked on the spring rolls and nuggets that were served for the breakfast. That's when I noticed a sauce placed right beside the spring roll dish. Just out curiosity I poured 1 spoon of that sauce in my plate and when I tasted it, I was hooked instantly. I took me no longer than 1 minute to ask the waiter what it was and the rest of my stay in Thailand was accompanied by food slathered in Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce!

Beef Enchiladas

While everyone on the blogoshpere is celebrating Cinco De Mayo and posting recipes of delicious Mexican food, I could not resist making Mexican food myself this weekend. 

Dubai Trip 2012

One of the best things that happened to me after joining the blogosphere is winning the Sufi Master Chef Competition, where securing 1st position, I won a trip to Dubai. Here are few pictures from my trip :)

 A view of Atlantis Hotel on the Palm Island from MonoRail.

An amazing view of Burj Khalifa at night.

 A decorative tree made with macaroons at the Dubai Mall.

Calm and breath taking view of the Mamzar Beach.

 Sunset at the Palm Island

 Inside Ski Dubai

Masala Dosa. This was the very first time I had ever tasted Masala Dosa and boy did I fell in love with it instantly! It's a crepe made of rice batter served with mashed potatoes and a side of coconut chutney, lentil soup and coriander chutney. A must try for all who are not yet familiar to North Indian cuisine. 

One awesome trip I will never forget!

Hummus

If you are a resident of K-Town or if you have ever visited, you must be aware of the famous Bar be Que Tonight restaurants and their delicious hummus which is served with garlic naan as appetizer. 

Hummus is a dip spread and is basically of Middle Eastern origin, made of chick peas or garbanzo beans. This treat is so indulgent that I can never have enough of it and some times I end up filling up on this alone instead of having actual dinner.

A surprise lemonade

In my case, life gave me left over Lemon Sorbet but I still made a lemonade out of it.

Chicken Capsicum Cream with Butter Rice - 2nd prize winner recipe of Sufi's Master Chef

As promised to you earlier, here I am today, with the recipe which secured 2nd position in Sufi's Master Chef Competition. This recipe was submitted by Ms. Kiran Razzak and I must say this was one delicious dish!

Crustacean Garlic Noodles

There are some days when I crave carbs. Not just few, I want lots of them. 

And not just that, I want it to be slathered in butter .

Loaded with tons of roasted garlic and Parmesan cheese too.

And then I cannot stop my self from the blissful bites.. one after another..

Until I realize I have eaten two full servings all by my self and lunch time is still 2 hours away.. Oops!

Yesterday was just one of those days..

How to roast garlic?

I like garlic in pretty much all its forms but roasted garlic is one of my most favorite forms of garlic. Its easy to do and fun too. If you haven't tried it yet, take my words, you will love it!

Lemon Sorbet

Yes it's still spring but it feels like summer has already started. Two things are reminding us constantly that a real hot weather is just around the corner...

Savory Chicken Cake - The winning recipe of Sufi's Master Chef 2012

Those of you who follow me on facebook must know that I secured 1st position in an online cooking competition hosted by Sufi Cooking Oil and Ghee. What an honor! I was up against some really good chefs and I was so nervous before the results. Those of you who aren't yet following me on facebook, here are the pictures and recipe of my Savory Chicken Cake.

Chicken Wings with Garlic Rice

The other day I invited my friends S & R over for dinner. I made these wings and rice for them along with Grilled Chicken with Mushroom Sauce and we had Chocolate Cake with Balsamic Strawberry Cream Filling for dessert. S & R loved it so much they told the whole gang about it and now every one is asking me to make it again and invite them for dinner.

Good friends I have right? Lol!

Peri Peri Pasta

Of all the people I know, I haven't found a single person who is not a fan of Nando's Peri Peri Grilled Chicken and Peri Bites. Not that I know millions of people but still Nando's Peri Peri goodies are a general favorite.

Inspired by very famous Nando's Peri Bites, I decided to make a Peri Peri Pasta. Using exactly the same ingredients plus pasta. Not only did my dish come out to be "perliciously delicious" but was also a satisfying meal!

Crispy Chicken Burgers

If a good burger costs more than 150 bucks and there are rumors about your favorite fast food chain producing burgers that do not decompose and using chicken meat which is man made, when you are concerned about your family's health and don't want your kids to eat junk food all the time prepared by total strangers.. It's time you make your own juicy/crispy burgers at home!

Fluffy Pancakes with Balsamic Strawberry Sauce

TGIS!

I don't have my Saturdays off so I feel envy when people put up "TGIF!" as their facebook status. And today Thank God It's Saturday! Which means tomorrow is Sunday and time for the whole family to eat breakfast together. What can be better than fluffy pancakes and balsamic strawberry sauce made of fresh strawberries?

Most Heavenly Brownies

I was craving chocolate very badly this Sunday and so I decided to make brownies. In search for a different yet delicious brownie recipe I came across a kind known as "Slutty Brownies". The idea was very tempting and so I decided to give it a shot but couldn't agree much with the name so I gave them a new name "Heavenly Brownies". And trust me these were ACTUALLY the best brownies I have ever had! Infact the best brownies in the WORLD!

First Oscar & another ray of hope for Pakistan: Time to celebrate!

Source: this & this

Chicken & Vegetable Pasta

Grilled Chicken with Mushroom Sauce

Happy Friday everyone!

Today I am sharing with you a very simple and easy recipe. This dish is special to me because this is my father's favorite meal and I love making this for him.

Orange Bread for BYOB

Heather of girlichef is hosting a monthly event called BYOB (Bake Your Own Bread)  and as soon as I came to know about it, I was too excited and agreed to participate. This is a monthly event where participants bake their own bread and Heather will do a roundup of all bread recipes at the end of each month. 

I wanted to enter this recipe of Orange Bread in Heather's BYOB so I decided to re-post it. Stay tuned for more and even better bread recipes all this month!:)

Grilled Chicken Open Face Sandwich

When I made this Quick, Easy and Very Cheesy Pepperoni Sandwich for my brother on Sunday, I also made an Open Face Grilled Chicken Sandwich for myself.

Quick, Easy and Very Cheesy Pepperoni Sandwich

This week end was a rush. I came home only for 1 hour in which I had to run few important errands and fix a lunch for my brother and I, for which I had only 15 minutes. So I quickly made two sandwiches, one of which I'll share with you today.

Prawns with Lemon Butter Sauce

Prawns are my favorite sea food and I love them in every possible manner. Since I am not much of a health nut I try to have prawns every  weekend.

Prawn and Vegetable Tempura

I am not familiar with many Japanese dishes but one dish that I know very well and love a lot too is Tempura. I, and so many people I know, can't just have enough of prawn tempura. The best tempura is the one which is crispy and crunchy in the bite. 

Pineapple Muffins

Orange Bread

One of the best thing about winters is the abundance of citrus fruits. Fresh oranges and grape fruits are my weakness and I love to eat them in any possible manner. Oranges help you to stay young. They are high in antioxidants, which neutralize the effects of free radicals, unstable oxygen molecules in your body, believed to cause aging and some diseases and 1 orange supplies a full day's Vitamin C requirement.

In my case, I don't need any excuses to eat oranges and so I decided to incorporate orange in my breakfast apart from its juice, I decided to make a pull apart orange bread which was far better than I had expected. 

Peach Lassi

Lassi is a natural milk and yogurt drink and it is simplest form of the currently popular probiotic beverages. It is most popular in the Asian sub continent and a favorite beverage during hot summer months, served both sweet and savory.

Copy Cat Roaster's Chicken & Waffle

We love eating at Roaster's here in Karachi and every time we are there I order this delicious combination of waffle and chicken with rich creamy white sauce. This is my all time favorite  dish and so I decided to recreate it myself and to my surprise it wasn't so difficult. 

Chunky Monkey Bread

I am a big fan of garlic and chicken, and what ever I try to make, some how these two ingredients make their way into my recipes.. Though, many times I have made sure that the chicken in my freezer has had it's feet removed and that the garlic in the pantry is sound asleep but they still manage to creep in.. I have no idea how!