February 21, 2008

WHEAT BREAD MUFFULETTA, LEMONY TEA BISCUITS

Beautiful New Orleans:
Beautiful city of Mardi Gras, French quarter, Cajun and Creole food, river front, Audubon,French market, Horse carriages, Cafe Du Monde's Chicory coffee (you can buy this coffee online here) and Beignets, music and all that Jazz!! We love New Orleans, spent a week vacationing there in 2003. Everything was magical as if we weren't in USA at all! After Katrina, we visited that city again in 2006 and we were heart broken to see the devastation. Although downtown New Orleans is unaffected, certain neighborhoods are completely wiped out and we could see cars piled up and rusting in the car parks. My heart goes out to all the lovely New Orleans residents who suffered a great loss and still suffering! Take a photo tour here.

St. Louis Cathedral/Jackson Square and a typical French style building right opposite the famous Cafe Du Monde, photo taken in 2006:

New Orleans

Muffuletta sandwiches are said to be originated at Central Grocery in New Orleans by a Sicilian immigrant in 1906. They are very popular sandwiches in New Orleans along with Roast Beef "Po' boys"(poor man's sandwiches). Muffuletta is made of round loaf of crusty bread similar to Focaccia, split and filled with layers of sliced cheeses and meat like Salami etc. and stuffed with delcious marinated Olive salad. Muffulettas in New Orleans are so huge, sometimes as high as 3" with fillings dripping with olive salad, that it easily feeds 4 people generously, just need a few beverages to complete the meal!:D
Vegetarians can skip the meat and add sliced Zucchinis, Cucumber,Tomatoes etc. Hope you try this delicious sandwich!:)

Basic Whole Wheat Bread:

The bread recipe is from the book "Ultimate Bread" by Treuille and Ferringno. This is a very basic white bread recipe, easy to bake even for beginners. The original name for this bread is "Pain Ordinaire" which is "Ordinary Bread" in French. You can add wheat flour, Rye or Barley flour along with white flour and mix 1/4 cup buttermilk with 1/4 cup of the water to make it more flavorful. I made this simple and round bread just to make Muffuletta.
You need:
2 tsp Yeast,
1/2 cups water,
1 tsp sugar,
3 1/2 cups Wheat bread flour,(or plain flour)
1 1/2 tsp salt.
To bake the bread:
1. Sprinkle yeast to 1/2 cup of warm (115F) water, and sugar, set aside for 5 mins. Sift flour and salt together in a big bowl or stand up mixer.
2. Mix in yeast mix to flour, mix well or use paddle hook on the KitchenAid.
3. Add as much water as you need and let it all come together into firm, moist dough.Knead until smooth and elastic with the dough hook or by hand.
4. Cover the bowl and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 to 2 hrs.Punch down and let it rest for 10mins.
5. Put the whole dough on a baking sheet, pat gently to a 10" circle and cover again and let it rise for 1/2 an hour.
6. Bake in the preheated oven at 400F for about 35-45mins, depending on your oven. It sounds hollow when tapped. Cool on a rack. Bread tastes wonderful to make any kind of sandwiches. You can also shape this bread dough into French Bread/Baguettes and bake as well, great to make Garlic bread!

New Orleans Muffuletta with Olive salad:



To make Olive salad my style, you need:

Mix 1/4 cup Olive oil, 1/4 cup green olives stuffed with pimento,chopped, 1/4 cup Black olives,pitted and chopped,1 tbsp red Wine Vinegar,1/4 cup roasted red peppers, 1 tbsp Italian seasoning, 1/4 tsp chilli flakes, 1/4 cup chopped bottled Garden vegetables (cauliflower, carrots, Celery, Pearl onion etc soaked in vinegar, drained and chopped roughly, 1 minced Garlic, 1 chopped Shallot, 1 tbsp Capers, salt and pepper to taste all these in a bowl and chill in the fridge as long as you can, preferably overnight or more is great too.
To assemble Muffuletta:
1. Slice the loaf horizontally, add a thick layer of 1/2 of the Olive salad, lay the cheese slices like Mozzarella, Provolone etc and then layer meat slices like Pepperoni, Salami,Ham etc and cheese slice again and end with the rest of the Olive salad on top and cover with top slice of bread.
2. Press the loaf, cover with foil or cling film tightly and chill in fridge for 30mins. Take it out and cut inti quarters to serve with pickled pepperoncini. That's about it, your yummy Muffuletta is ready to dig in without going to New Orleans!

Muffuletta is ready for you!!:)
If you like warm slice of Muffuletta, press the sandwich in Panini press or grill until cheese melts or you can also microwave for a minute until cheese melts.

Try it!

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Ready for some sweet-tart Lemony Biscuits now?

Lemony Tea Biscuits are my contribution to Coffee from "The Spice Cafe". She is hosting Jihva this month which is originally started by Indira of "Mahanandi". She has chosen "Lemon/Lime" as her JIHVA ingredients for February. Thanks for taking time to host Coffee!:)


Lemony Tea Biscuits:
This recipe for flavored southern biscuits is from "Southern Cooking" by James Villas with my slight changes. He says "one of the southern tradition/ritual in the finer homes even to this day is to have "high Tea", sitting in their porches and gardens!" Tea and dainty little Lemon flavored Biscuits make a fine accompaniment for afternoon tea. I have glazed the biscuits with Lemon syrup. Any citrus syrup will do too, enjoy!:))



You need these to make them:

You Need:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour,
4 tsp baking powder,
1 tsp salt,
1 tbsp sugar,
4 tbsp cold butter,cut into small cubes,
1 cup milk.
Filling:
2 tbsp melted butter,
1 tbsp Lemon Zest.(grate only the yellow outer skin,not the white part)
Glaze:
3 tbsp Sugar,
juice of 2 Lemons.

Preheat the oven to 450F.
Spray a large baking sheet with no-stick oil.
Mix 2 tbsp sugar and lemon juice well until dissolved and keep aside.

To make them:
1. In a mixing bowl, mix flour, baking pd, salt, sugar, and cold butter. Mix until it resembles bread crumbs.Add milk, fold gently just enough to mix, do not over mix.
2. Knead 3-4 times on the counter top, pat out to a rectangle about 1/4" thick, brush melted butter evenly on top and sprinkle Lemon zest on top.
3. Roll up like Jelly roll or like cigar lengthwise, cut into 1" rolls.Place them on the baking sheet 1" apart and lightly dab them the tops with sugar and lemon glaze, do not soak it in.
4. Bake for 12-15 mins or until golden on top.Cool on racks and store them in the air tight container.
Note: If you don't want to make the swirls or pinwheel rolls, gently roll out the dough to about 1" thickness and cut out 3" circles, glaze and bake!

Serve at room temperature with jam or jelly for breakfast or with Tea/Coffee in the afternoon!!:)

****************************************************************************************************************************
Book I read last week:

"The red carpet-Bangalore stories" by Lavanya Sankaran.
Author is raised in Bangalore and living there now with her family (after moving back to India from USA), she writes her very first witty (cosmopolitan people are "one-Thara" people, as Ram her character in the book says!:D) and very articulately written book. It is sprinkled with expletives thru' out the book which I don't like to read or hear in the movies, which is my problem of course! I am old fashioned in that way.
It's a collection of 8 stories, all set in Bangalore (Silicon Valley of India!), writes about new and old generation clashes, about "foreign returned" engineers, ABCDs , perception and presumption of life in USA! IF it's a true portrait of modern day B'lore, specially as in the first story (I really hope it's just fiction!), it shocks me! I have been away from Bengaluru for too many years I guess, again it's all my fault!!! :P
She won a "Poets and writers best of first fiction 2005" award for this book. She is a very BEAUTIFUL girl too, looking at her photo on back of the book!
Movie:
Saw the movie "SAW 4" at last, my favorite most "intelligent" REAL scary bunch of movies (SAW 1,2,3) if you ask me, love them all! :D

Few dishes I tried from other bloggers:

Vimmi's delicious Baingan da Bharta:
Here is a simple but great tasting Baingan da bharta I tried from Punjabi blogger friend Vimmi. I have never cooked Baingan Bharta before since it always involves the usual dhania-jeera pd, garam masala etc. This recipe uses the minimum of spices and tastes excellent with Parathas. Thanks Vimmi, loved it and as you said, it's absolutely delcious!:)
Srivalli's Spicy Peanuts:
Happy cook made these peanuts last week with the recipe from Srivalli's blog. Although this dish is not new to me (my mom always roasts the peanuts in 2 tbsp oil in a pan and seasons), I wanted to try Sri's deep fried version. It came out very well, great to munch on cold Winter evenings, love the fried garlic. Thanks Sri!:)

Enjoy your weekend!:)

131 comments:

Purnima said...

Ashakka, tks for the lovely treat..history , bread,lemon cookies , collage, books u read n dishes u re-created frm other bloggers!! Hw in this whole universe u manage all this?? You r SuperGirlllllll!!(Loved your bread presentation n what has gone into it!! The biscuits surely are dainty..i may try it one of these days!!! )

EC said...

All the dishes are as usual----yummy, especially the lemony tea biscuits..

Meeta K. Wolff said...

A lovely array of great dishes the muffuletta looks divine.

ChrisB said...

Asha the lemon tea biscuits caught my eye. I have been looking for a lemon recipe for 'livestrong' day and this will go on my short list before I decide what to make :)

Priya said...

I love those tea biscuits and spicy peanuts Asha.

Rachel said...

the bread looks lovely and so do all the other dishes...lemon biscuits are a nice treat too!

Laavanya said...

The bread looks awesome Asha and the tea biscuits are cute - must be so refreshing! Great entry.

Pooja said...

Muffuetta is completely new for me, this is such a nice idea, specially coz one is enough for 4 people , that means less time to spend in kitchen, hurreyyyyyyyy.......... :))
that really looks delicious .
Liked the idea of lemony biscuits a lot. easy to make too :) ,Thanks for sharing the recipe Asha.

(P.S. ) Soon I am going to post Gujarati version of Baingan ka bhartha :) .

Padmaja said...

Asha!!!
that wheat bread is a must try one dear!!!
If and if I have another couple of hours a day then may be I can cook like you dear!!
Just love those tea biscuits as well!!

Finla said...

Asha that bread looks so delicious. And the filling is so superb. When i saw that pic i just wanted to open my mouth wide to take a huge bite. Last weel you ^posted fruit cat and i posted a the ruit salade, i will post a bread recipe if i finishe typing the recipe.
You made the peanut they are great isn't it. I want to make them again but if i make them i can't stop munching on them.

Mishmash ! said...

I am still trying hard to say Muffuletta :) I learn about many such dishes through your blog.....:)

Sig said...

Never been to New Orleans... :( want to visit one day... My heart goes out to them...
I have had muffuletta though, love it... You made the bread from scratch, hats off to you ma'am... :D

I have heard so much about The red carpet book, have to read it sometime... Thanks for the recommendation Asha...

Sreelu said...

Asha Bread looks so delicious, I loved your lemon biscuits too. Now you are becoming my book critic .every book you mention I have to get my hands on.

TBC said...

I like your lemony tea biscuits, Asha.
It is so nice that u find the time to read. I don't know how I lost that habit when I came here. :-(
Do u get these books from your library or is it your own collection?

Pavani said...

I love muffuletta.. but my husband is not a big fan of olives, so I usually make one for myself. Lemon biscuits look yummy.. Thanks for sharing.

Mansi said...

Those tea biscuits look delightful Asha! aah! perfect for Coffee's event:) did u send them in??

Srivalli said...

Lovely bread Asha, but best I like is the lemon biscuits..they look sooo cute..really want to try them...nice to see you enjoyed the peanuts

Cakespy said...

Gosh, I know I would eat both the muffuletta and cookies...but I don't know WHICH I would go for first!

Mythreyee said...

Asha, where do you get these awesome eggless cookie recipes? just a fabulous colorful post with out of the world recipes. Great entry as always.

FH said...

Thanks girls!:))

shn, they say "Mu-fu-letta" or "moo-fu-laata" there, depends on the accents!:)

tbc, I buy books like crazy which makes my husbands very angry sometimes!:D
All these books I read so far is my own, buy them from Amazon, new or used. But sometimes if it's very expensive like huge cookbooks, I search in the library. Most Indian books are not available in our small town library though, have to to buy them. I LOVED New York library, I could easily live there!:D

FH said...

Sri, thanks for that peanuts girl, still munching them! I Made your Potato Kurma too, will post when I can!:)

Mansi, did you see the Coffee's logo there? I made these specially for her!:)

Cakespy, why not try both this weekend?! :D
I will post Indian dishes next week, don't miss it.

sra said...

I like your weekly reading reports - keep up the good work. You'll probably be amazed if you see Bangalore now!

Cham said...

I just want 2 grab the Muffuletta. Looks lovely :)

Uma said...

Wow, lovely posts as usual. Love to read your posts. Yummy recipes!

Anonymous said...

Hi Asha
loved the wheat bread muffuletta although mine would be a veg filling.
i too want to read that book.

shalini

sandhya said...

Muffuletta is new to me.. i love the lemon biscuits..

Kalai said...

You can send that muffeletta over anytime, Ashakka! Love those lemon biscuits, too! :)

DK said...

Ummmmmmmmmmmm...Your treats are always watching out for! Lucky kids..Lucky husband..even lucky pets!

As for your quest " Anything that comes out from that talented fingers of yours is more than welcome " :)

bee said...

those biscuits look awesome. and muffalata is a great great sandwich. it's my kinda lunch.

FH said...

sra, really! Don't scare me even more girl!;D

DK, will send it your way next week, thank you! I am getting a bit "faster" now!!:P

Seena said...

Asha..
I had made this basic bread but forgot to take a photo.. :)And I didn't get the idea of cutting it like this.. Lemony biscuits are really delicious, it reminded me that event too.. :D
Thanks for sharing the information about NO,
Happy weekend!

indosungod said...

Maybe this is the bread recipe I need to try my hand at baking bread! The lemony tea cookies look delicious. Bangalore I hear is a lot different now, so you will not recogonize it I am sure.

Anonymous said...

Sandwich looks great, love the oilve salad. Biscuits are yummy.

Padma said...

Hey Asha,
thanks for taking time to comment and thank God you are allowing comments on ur post, Last time when I visited your blog, I read you removed that option, felt sad. Yeah Laptop is up and running fine but going to India after 3.3 yrs is really 440volts jolt to me right now!

I like the idea of making whole wheat bread and loved the presentation. Thanks for reminding abt the potato event, I will surely send this post...thanks once again for boosting the budding cooks like me... I really adore you!

KF said...

Lovely Post..I love lemon cookies..I am taking 2 from that...

Shah cooks said...

The muffuletta looks good with ur homemade bread..as does the lemony biscuits.yummy snacks are always welcome with tea!

Margie said...

Lemon tea biscuits...yummy!
I'm going to make them!

New Orleans is a wonderful city!
Thanks for the photo tour, Asha.
It's very sad the devastion, though.

Have a wonderful weekend, dear!

Margie

Suganya said...

I love muffuletta. Its easy, filling and there always leftovers :)

zlamushka said...

Hey Asha,

You ve done some serious cooking here.
I love the mufuletta. never heard of anythigng like that, funny name.

musical said...

Ashakka, lovely muffuletta! Cafe du Monde' must be one of the best thing about New Orleans, a friend brought me their Chicory blend coffee and it was GOOD! Chicory blends do have a special place in my heart :).

Lemony tea-biscuits are yummy!

Vanamala Hebbar said...

beautiful tea biscuits ....
Lovely .... no other words :)) asha .

Kajal@aapplemint said...

First things first ... i ought to have done this a long time ago, i've added you on my blogroll.
And hy ... looks like we were on the same note while makin the bread. Though i made mine with zatar and one with rosemary ... i'm sure i can use them for this lovely sandwich.
And your cookies look so crumbly and yummy.I'm comming over for some tea... make sure u save me some:)

FH said...

Musie, you can buy Cafe Du Monde coffee here and they sell Beignet mix too but easy to make them at home.I was going to make them here, but was running out of time for JFI!:)

http://www.cafedumonde.com/main.html

FH said...

Kajal, don't call them cookies, all the southern US people will jump on you!:D
Get ready with pinky finger up and then we will have high Tea in style! Haha!!
I baked another beautiful bread, will post next month sometime.

Kajal@aapplemint said...

oops ...sorry ...i meant errr, biscuits ! lol .. and oh yes the pinky is always ready. Have you seen old sindhi uncles who wear a diamond ring on that finger and then cant keep it down as they have to show it off to the world:) lol now thats a real funny sight.

Richa said...

hey Asha, that was a lovely tribute to beautiful New Orleans, my heart goes out to them!!

muffeletta looks very tempting, u make so much variety, it's amazing!

Dhivya said...

wow..lemon buiscut..name itself temping asha...looks yummy and crispy...

Meera said...

Asha,
what a splendid spread. Muffuletta - never heard of it. Thanks for sharing. Lemony tea biscuits - i can seriously hvae them right now with tea!! Wonderful and thanks for sharing your book. A must read for me.

Namratha said...

Oh you were off to New Orleans...awesome...it is sad what happened to that place. The muffuletta and the biscuits look yummy..

Pravs said...

Living in New Orleans now, i am able to experience the culture here,Cajun & Creole food, po'boys,Muffuletta, king cake during the Mardi Gras and love Beignets !You have made beautiful
Muffuletta,along with tea biscuits. Nice post.

Siri said...

Ashaji - I got to know about *Muffuletta* thru an episode of "Throwdown by Bobby Flay" on food Network. I never tried it as it asks for olives which I despise the most..:DD.. but the sandwich looks great though I can't taste it.. sob sob!

and the lemony biscuits are v.v.simple to make. Like wise we can make some orange flavoured or any other biscuits too rite?..

Have a great weekend ahead Ashaji!

Hugs,
Siri

arundati said...

love the bread...and the bits of cheese sticking out!! yumm....and the biscuits look super!!

Coffee said...

Thanks for the lovely entry Asha!! The biscuits look great! Ready to pop one in my mouth now.... Loved your Olive salad.

sunita said...

Asha, i loove those biscuits...gotta try...thanks for the recipe :-)

FH said...

Thanks girls!:)

Siri, you can use any flavors in the biscuits including Orange, Rose water, Kewra water etc. Try it!:)

Pravs, you are in New Orleans!! I didn't know that. How lucky! Second time we visited, we didn't stay long, it was too depressing but love to visit again. Yeah, all those goodies you can enjoy any time you want to!! That is wonderful!Enjoy and be safe!:))

Beccy said...

I have to make those lemony tea biscuits, they look and sound scrumptious.

Raaga said...

lovely bread and biscuits Ashakka... as always

And don't worry about the expletives... I have never used one in my life and people make fun of me... that they shouldn't use it in front of the "school teacher"

vimmi said...

Hi Ashaji,

I have never eaten or heard of muffuletta before. I am really amazed how you are able to do all this. Some times just cooking regular foods tires me out. And the photos are so droolworthy.

The bharta looks so delicious. Ur pics rock. I have bookmarked Sir's peanut recipe.

We generally have so many guests during weekends (which is a lot of fun) that i don't get much time to try new things. Hope I had more time, I could just try recipes from your blog. You have such a collection.

This weekend Samir's cousin is coming and next weekend our 2 couple friends from Richmond.

AnuZi said...

Ashaji, Such a lovely entry. My hubby is from Houston so he used to go to N.Orleans with his friends often...but he said it was too depressing to go back after Katrina. Maybe we will make a trip in a few years. Such gorgeous recipes and I wanted to specially thank you for continuing to visit my blog. Seriously you and the rest of the kind foodie bloggers keep me motivated. Muuuuahh. Have a great weekend!

FH said...

Beccy, it's easy to make too, enjoy!:)

Raaga, glad few people like you and I are still left in the World!;D
My kids are not allowed to talk like that either, that's just something I don't like.

Vimmi, you are getting ready to go to India as well. You are real busy girl and busy weekend too!:)
Bharta was yummy, thanks again.

Anu, keep it up. I would like to encourage all the bloggers by commenting if time permits!:)
Yeah, it was little sad to see New Orleans but it helps locals if we visit more and spend money there.

bha said...

I am so found of the southern American cuisine...this sandwich is an addition to my list of must explore recipes.....lemon biscuits look adorable...

P.S. I hate to watch scary movies...i am too chicken hearted to watch them ...:(

Lisa Johnson said...

These biscuits are so swirly and pretty! Yum! Have a great weekend Asha! ; )

Anonymous said...

My my, I missed so many of your yummy recipies. Loved those lemony biscuits - the recipe sounds simple enough for even me to try it !

Thanks for dropping by and leaving your comments :-)

Susan from Food Blogga said...

We had the most amazing muffalettas when we visited New Orleans several years ago. Thanks for sharing the recipe, Asha!

Uma said...

Hi Asha,

I have seen in your blog that you have been meme'd for 9 time. Good thing! I thought why don't I make it into a round figure, I mean 10. So I have tagged you for a meme, please stop by my blog for details. Thank you.

Anonymous said...

The lemony biscuits are way too cute...am gonna try them for sure!thanks

Pravs said...

Thanks Asha, i will take care :) I have something for you in my blog :)

Viji said...

The bread is looking great Asha with its crust. Beautifully pictuarized too. Lemoney biscuits are my favorite too. Will post the recipe soon :) You taste on reading is interesting. Enjoy! Viji

Daily Meals said...

Lemony biscuits look delicious Asha!

Swapna said...

All dishes are great Asha!!!!those looks so yummy....wanted to try all of them.......

Reeta Skeeter said...

:D
the bread looks sexy :P

DEEPA said...

Ashaji!!Bread is so very perfect ...and those biscuts are perfect tea time snack !!!

Uma said...

Hi Asha,

Sorry for that. Just now I have checked the address you have given me. I didn't knew that. Thankyou very much to include my name also. Loved to read your answers. Have a good day.

Jaya M said...

what a great post ,all yum recipes ..my eyes caught the lemony tea biscuit ..it look so delicious ..
hugs and smiles
jaya

FH said...

Thanks you girls!:)

Pravs, I will check out my surprise!:)

Uma, you are welcome. I think I have done most MeMes that are going around in blogosphere! ;D

hopelessbliss said...

I am now looking forward to your book recomendations along with the recipes you post :)
This book sounds very interesting, will have to buy it right away!

So So Simple said...

Asha

New Orleans one of my favourite cities in all the world...I have eaten many muffalettas and have made a few as well. They are great for hand around food at a party,
I love the look of those Lemon biscuits. The staff might benefit from them next week
What a nice touch with the lemon glaze.
Cheers

Bharathy said...

Waht a heavenly looking bread!Can smell the wonderful aroma.. mmhhh..Love those cute lemony biscuits!:)
Thanks for pointing out Barabaras event.. will def check out!:)

Anonymous said...

Oh Asha, I've had a muffuletta straight from Decatur St, so many years ago! Cafe au lait and beignets at Cafe du Monde, Preservation Hall, and milk punch for b'fast at Brennans! And the best po' boy is fried oysters... but I don't eat like that anymore ;) I've always had a special affinity for "Nawlins" and I feel sick at the devastation there, as you do. Your post brought me right back.

Sounds like you're getting in some real quality time with the books -- good for you! My weekend chore is cleaning out the kitchen cupboards. Have a great Sunday! :)

FH said...

"Nawlins"is right Linda, such a different accent they have. Somehow, I missed eating "King cake" as Pravs mentioned!! You know she lives in Nawlins? :))
Take care, don't work too hard on Sundays!:))

Keshi said...

I like Lemon cakes n bikkies...it's the best flavor! Atleast for me :)

Keshi.

Unknown said...

hi Asha!! thanx for dropping by and yes Odiya sounds better than oriya and thats how its pronounced in oriya:).you have agr8 blog Asha and wonderful recipes. will be regularly coming back for more dear!!

Aparna Balasubramanian said...

The mufuletta looks really nice, especially the sandwich. Lovely swirly biscuits too. I also made some lemon "cookies" for JFI

Shella said...

Wow wholewheat bread - that's such a healthy thing for b/fast, especially homemades ones. Love the cookies

SMN said...

Ashakka, Lovely bread and lemony biscuit. just wondering how does it tatse.. can i hv some :)

The book about Bangalore sounds intresting.. Continue blogging and reading..

Gattina Cheung said...

Asha, really love this post, maybe I always have a thing for Southern cooking and culture. Seems that you're getting a pretty good balance in blogging, cooking and reading.

FH said...

Gattina, I did go off blogging for a while and re-planned the way I blog. Now I take it easy, read, blog when I can and comment when I can. I stopped stressing out. Feels great this way!:))
Southern cooking is so down to earth and authentic, I love it!

AnuSriram said...

Lemony tea biscuits looks so lovely... a must try for me! Bread also looks delicious.. as u said i can try making it with zucchini instead of meat.

Pearl said...

those biscuits look good! bet they smell like spring.

FH said...

Anu, you can any veggies like Lettuce, Tomatoes, Cukes too, Olive salad can be in advance as well, keeps for a week in the fridge!:)

Pearl, can't wait for all the Spring flowers to pop up soon!:))

Suma Gandlur said...

I was wondering what you would cook for JIHVA this time. The biscuits really look scrumptious. Just want to grab them from the monitor.
If you haven't visited B'lore recently, then it would be a great shock. I don't see any difference between here and there except the rush and the traffic.

FH said...

I heard that too Suma, that is scary. Last time I went to B'lore, my throat closed up with all the polluted air on the second day, I can only imagine now! It is sad though, it was once a garden city!! What a price to pay!

Shionge said...

Hiya Asha....I love to swing by here and drool over all these yummy food ...sorry didn't try any of these and hey the spicy peanuts are the one we normally eat with our nasi lemak (coconut rice)

Manju said...

love the lemony tea biscuits!! hope you had a lovely weekend!

J said...

Muffuletta - that name itself makes me want to try it! Kinda cute name na? Lemony biscuits seem perfect for my tea. And now I have to get my hands on that book! :)

FH said...

Shi, good to see you, enjoy your vacation girl. I know you are having a great time!:)
Coconut rice with spicy peanuts sounds yummy. I should try that!

Rachna said...

hi i love the lemon biscuits....

FH said...

Hi Rachna, glad to see you again!:))
Hope you try the biscuits, easy to bake.

Jayashree said...

I drove through New Orleans some months after Katrina and was horrified at how much the city had changed.....
The lemony biscuits look like they'd melt in the mouth...lovely.
you saw all 4 parts of Saw??? The first one was too morbid for me and that put me off the rest of it.

FH said...

Jaya, we saw somany cars plied up and rusting, stray dogs on the streets under the bridge,it was really scary! Seeing it for real is more terrifying than watching on TV, isn't it?
Yeah, I LOVE SAW movies!!:D

Pragyan said...

Hi Asha, I have got something for you, maybe you have already received it. Please do accept it as a token of appreciation for your kind and inspiring words. Thanks, Pragyan

FH said...

Thank you for the award Pragyan! I gladly accept your appreciation. Hugs to you!:))

Unknown said...

The bread looks easy to prepare Asha..
will try them

Revathi said...

Wow asha..the bread and the sandwich look so good.

I finally managed to buy some yeast over the weekend,my first step towards making bread. Your bread recipes seems to be perfect one for me, I have all the ingredients at home.

Seema said...

Great dishes.. Lemon biscuits looks so yum & out of this world!!

Unknown said...

Thanks for visiting my blogs and for your sweet comments. Its a big encouragement for me.
I loved your lemony tea biscuits. It must be having a nice tangy flavour.

Sia said...

Muffuletta...what an unusal yet wonderful name!!! god!!! woman, is there any country's recipe that u haven't tried yet!!! i guess if i am to host international cuisine i am sure to have atleast one blogger participating in that event;)
and those lemons swirls look equally delicious...
i am now recovered from cough, cold and fever but passed virus to krish;) so was busy baby sitting during weekend. now both of us are feeling very well.
and u know what? today early morning we felt earthquake tremors. first i thought i was dreaming it and then morning i saw it on TV news!!! thankfully nothing big and no loss of life!
have a wonderful day ashakka:)

Sia said...

and i want to read red carpet now!!! one thara janna... he eh eh ehe... thats so funny!

FH said...

Thanks girls. Hope you try one of these atleast!:))

Revati, this bread is basic bread, it's very easy to start baking with. Add few herbs to the dough for flavor. Good luck!:)

Sia, glad you both are doing well. Flu and cold virus was nasty here too this year, terrible!
Earth quake in UK? Whoa!! Glad that it's not that bad. We never experienced that in here so far, it is scary just to hear about it.
Red carpet is funny, do read!:)

Roopa (KitchenAromas) said...

The books you have been reading are all on my "to-read" list! Amazing! And though I am yet to read the red carpet, I guess the depiction of Bangalore won't be all fiction. I am still awed and amazed each day here after moving back. Unreal.

Anyhoo, muffuletta looks amazing. Back in the city in TN where I went to school, a restaurant called McCalister's served this up full NO style. To memories! Thank you!

FH said...

Roopa, that scares me girl. Last time I went there, it was so much different and polluted.I can't imagine now! It's sad in anyway, all in the name of progress!
They serve Muffuletta in Chennai? That is so cool, I was thinking not many outside US know about it! Well.. that is progress! Good for them!:))
There is another book I will post on tomorrow or Friday, you will love that too.

Saleem Pothiwala said...

excellent recipes and wonderful book review... it brings back memories of my 2 years in Bangalore :-)

I have something for you on my blog... have a look

Mona said...

The muffuletta sandwiches are always yummy & I love the lemony biscuits. We don't get ready mades in that variety in India, so It is a must try recipe!

FH said...

Daagh,so good to see you, hope you are enjoying the new baby!:)
I will check what you have got for me.

Mona, apparently Muffuletta are available in Chennai! Isn't that great? I have never seen it anywhere else except in New Orleans in US, may be I haven't looked enough! Hope you try, Olive salad is delcious!:))

TheCooker said...

Ohh the lemon cookies look so good.

Prema Sundar said...

The bread is new to me and the lemony tea biscuits sound delicious!!!
U read books, blog, cook a lot and try recipes from other blogs too....u have got super energy girl!!!

Archy said...

Hi.. Asha..
Nice to knw ur from karnataka.. Me too.. Kannada davru!! I really nice to here/see kannadaigas around as i miss them in US :) !!

wonderful eggless biscuits !! shall try it !! really innovative recipes u allways have !!

FH said...

Thanks TC, Prema and Archy!:)

Archy, nice to meet you too. There are few Kannadiga bloggers around here, hope you know them too. I hosted a Karnataka RCI last year, take a look and you will find many K'taka recipes. keep in touch, enjoy!:)

Anonymous said...

Asha, the muffuletta looks super yummy, as do the lemony biscuits. I like your weekly read section too. The red carpet is a wonderful snapshot of contemporary Bangalore. Do you know if the author has written any other books after that one?

Your pomegranate soup from your earlier post is on my must-try list now. The list just keeps getting bigger and bigger with all these recipes from all the lovely blogs.

Mamatha

Dalicia said...

i've never been to new orleans.
after all this devastation. it's pretty hard to enjoy yourselves.

i will love the try the spicy peanuts :)

bird's eye view said...

Loved the sandwich and especially the name. I'm really impressed that you went to the trouble of baking the bread when it must have been so easy to just buy some...BTW, I know it's not your usual topic, but I've tagged you at http://rain-bowdays.blogspot.com - mainly because I'd love to know a little more about you. If you can do it, I'd love it!

Roopa (KitchenAromas) said...

Oops, sorry, TN = Tennessee. Not Tamil Nadu. I have been to Chennai only a couple of times and the foods I have enjoyed there are limited to pure Tamilian dishes :)
I am eager to know about the next book - I am reading (I can read only during my commute!) The Loss of Inheritance. It ain't bad, so far..

FH said...

Mamatha, I don't think she has written any other book. B'lore is getting scarier now, hah? :D

It's true Delicia, it's hard to enjoy when somany of there are suffering!

Hi bev, thanks for tagging but I am not doing anymore MeMes!:)
You can read my last MeMe here;

http://aromahope.blogspot.com/2008/01/
southern-hush-puppies-my-last-meme.html

LOL! Roopa, since you are in India now, I thought TN is Tamilnadu! Now I know!They have the same initials, don't they? Could be twin cities!:D

Miri said...

I have never heard of the muffuletta before, it looks like a nice one dish meal - and the crust is very tempting!

FH said...

Thank you all for taking time to comment here. Hope you try one of these dishes and enjoy!:))

Thanks Miri, try it!:)

Unknown said...

Hi asha, I loved this whole wheat bread you made , I am also going to follow your recipe. The lemon tea biscuits looks good:) How were they? Crunchy? Chewy?

FH said...

Hi Roopa, southern biscuits are tender and crumbly just like light scones. You serve them with Jam for breakfast. You can reheat in the MW for few seconds if you like arm. Enjoy!:)
You don't have to roll it like pinwheels, just cut thick circles and bake too.

Menu Today said...

Hi Asha,

Nowadays I am busy with my spritual calsses and other things. I missed many posts.

Lemon biscuits, Bread Muffuletta looks nice.

FH said...

Hi MT, spiritual classes sounds good girl, keep it up. Whatever makes us fell better is great, enjoy!:)

Shubha Ravikoti said...

the biscuits just look so yummy.... how come ur blog is always buzzing with so much energy and activity??... anytime i visit i see loads of new recipes and so much information.... love ur blog...:)

FH said...

Hi Shubha, thanks girl. Glad you like my blog. I try and bring some new and some old stuff here. I do have a great blogger friends circle and readers who encourage me too. Enjoy, have a great week!:)