May 14, 2008

Mango-Coconut Pound Cake with Mango Cream sauce, Bell Pepper-Carrot soup

First let me say how sorry I am for all the lives lost in recent Jaipur, Rajasthan bombings. My heartfelt condolences to all the victims' families.
We all did wonderful posts on Rajasthan this month, appreciating their culture and the cuisine. It is really sad that some people are so evil, they just don't care about human lives, beautiful palaces and the rich history of that state. But Indians are very resilient, I am sure they will be up again soon and survive like we always do and don't ever let the evil win.
On the homefront here, we almost got hit by a Tornado last Friday. It came rushing, missed our town by few miles and hit the next city in the North, caused lot of property damage, power outages and moved away. Fortunately, nobody was fatally injured around here. I have never been in any natural disaster of any kind so far, I was a bit concerned watching minute by minute forecast. Glad we survived that thing!
Okay, on a frivolous note, here is how I enjoyed Mother's day. We went out for lunch and Dinner, kids gave me a gift card from Blockbuster video store so I can watch more scary movies! :D
Menu today:
I made a Pound Cake on Saturday, day before Mother's day, since I was forbidden to cook at all on Sunday. We had a slice of cake with Mango cream sauce on Sunday morning for breakfast to begin the "special" day! Pound cake was delcious and moist, thought I will post this for you. Hope you like it too, give it try for any special celebratory breakfast or just for a yummy dessert!:)

Vanilla-Coconut Pound cake with Mango sauce:
The basic recipe for this Pound Cake comes from one of the Betty Crocker's Baking book. I gave this Pound cake a slight Mango twist, added lot less sugar (original recipe says to add 2 3/4 cup of sugar!) and sweetened coconut flakes, added just 2 tbsp of Mango pulp to the batter which made it moist and fragrant and topped with some more tangy, creamy Mango sauce. Enjoy!:)




My Pound Cake with Mango Cream sauce goes to Arundati of "Escapades" blog, who is guest hosting WBB#22 ie "Weekend Breakfast Blogging", an event initiated by Nandita of Saffron trail. Arundati has chosen Mangoes which is in season now for her breakfast. Here is mine for you, thanks for hosting A!:)



Pound cake with a coconut-Mango twist!


For the Pound cake:
You need:
Dry ingredients;
3 cups all purpose flour or Cake flour, 1 tsp Baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt.
Wet ingredients;
1 3/4 cups of Sugar, 1 1/4 cup Butter,softened, 1 tsp Vanilla essence, 2 tbsp sweet Mango pulp, 4 Eggs.
Lastly add;
1 cup fat-free Evaporated milk, 1 cup Sweetened coconut.
How to bake:
First;
Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray a large Bundt cake or tube pan with no-stick oil or butter and flour it. Set aside.
Then;
1. Mix dry ingredients well. In a mixer, add all the wet ingredients, beat well for 5 minutes until light in color and fluffy.
2. On low speed, add flour and milk 1/3rd at a time alternately until well mixed.
3. Scrape well, add coconut and mix well. Pour into the prepared cake pan, tap gently to release the bubbles in the cak batter.
4. Bake in the oven for 50-60 mins or until the skewer inserted in the middle comes clean. Cool in the cake pan for 10 mins and gently loosen the edges of the cake around the tube with a knife.
5.
Shake the pan to loosen the bottom of the cake. Invert on the cooling rack and cool. Store in a air tight box or glass cake dome. Serve a thick slice with Mango cream sauce on top and hot Coffee!

Mango Cream Sauce:
Here is a simple but delicious Mango Cream sauce which is great to eat as it is or to top on any dessert or fruits. It's slightly tangy with added lemon juice and naturally sweet when you use Alfonso canned Mango puree you get in Indian stores, try it!:)

How to make it:
1. Take 1 cup of sweet Mango pulp or puree the Mango pulp if you are using fresh Mangoes in a blender until no solid pieces left. Take out in a bowl.
2. Whisk the pulp with 2 tbsp/more or less powdered sugar depending on the sweet or tanginess of the pulp, 1 tsp lemon juice, 3 tbsp fat-free Heavy cream,a pinch of salt until you get a smooth sauce.
3. If it's too thick, add more cream or milk to thin out to desired consistency. Pour it in a sauce boat and serve chilled.

That's it, have a luxurious and exotic breakfast on a very special day! :)

**************************************************************************************************************************

Mr and Mrs Pepper soup!
I made a refreshing Summery soup yesterday with all the fresh ingredients, absolutely no cooking involved at all. Doesn't that sound good? All you have to do get some fresh veggies and blend them and serve with some garnish!


Bell Pepper and Carrot soup goes to Pooja from "My creative Ideas" blog for her two in one VOW-JFI event. Pooja is guest hosting JFI this month with her choice of Bell Peppers. JFI event is created by Indira of Mahanandi. Thanks for taking up both of them Pooja, enjoy!:)


Bell Peppers: Brightly colored green, red, Orange, yellow bell peppers are rich sources of some of the best nutrients available. Bell peppers are naturally sweet, excellent sources of vitamin C and vitamin A, which are very helpful when you have cold or Flu and are a natural pain killers! Here is soup which packs all the goodness of peppers, Tomatoes, Orange and Carrots with a kick of a Jalapeño!

To make the soup:
1. Wash and chop 1 Orange, 1 red and 1 yellow bell peppers, 1 large cleaned Carrot, 2 red ripe tomatoes, 1/4 of a Jalapeño, 1/4" fresh ginger, a small piece of sweet onion (optional), 1 garlic, half peeled and seeded cucumber, few mint leaves finely and add to a blender.
2. Add 1/2 cup Orange juice, 1-2 tsp sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tbsp tangy bottled hot dog relish (Optional) to the blender and blend it all until smooth.
3. Adjust the seasoning, it should sweet, tangy and little spicy. Chill in the fridge.
4. Serve in a bowl, garnished with fresh mint. Excellent for lunch on a very hot day.!:)

**********************************************************************************************************************
Daughters of Kerala:
This book is translated from Malayalam to English by Achamma Chandersekaran, her first solo book so far. She has co-translated 3 Malayalam books to English before this along with Dr.R.E.Asher. She is also a political activist for Indo-Asian American community in US and worked for the establishment of "Mahatma Gandhi Memorial" in Washington, D.C.
I took a long time to read these 25 beautiful short stories of Kerala, originally written in Malayalam by award winning Kerala authors mainly about womenfolk of Kerala and their diverse lives lead in the span of 70 yrs, beautifully captured in words by early writers who were born in 1920s to modern day English lecturer like Asha Krishnan!
For me who is not very familiar with Kerala culture (other than their yummy food!:D), this book was a fascinating read, took me to this World of Appachan, Chechi, Kochamma, Sanjayanam, Manakkal, Ikka, Kuttan, Kutty, Thampuran, Achayan, Ovara, Muthachhan, Cheriamma, Namputhiri, Illam, Apfan, Oathuchollal, Kudummy, Kunjathal, Devaswam, Umma, Kafir, Iblis, Badarulmunir, Malaks etc. (Click on the title link above to see the book)
The extent of abuse and suppression of women in some stories shocks me and some stories have women characters with such a strong and independent streak, it reminds me of some of our own Kerala bloggers! :)
I think every Keralite should have this book in their collection. I am really impressed by one particular author called "Gracy", who writes VERY VERY short stories which are literally just one page from beginning to the end and the endings scares the pants out of ME and let me tell ya, that's not an easy task to do for a woman who LOVES scary movies like "SAW"! Hahaha!
I salute each one you "daughters of Kerala!" :)

Dishes I tried from other blogs last week:


Vegetable dal curry from Prajusha's blog.
Chicken Chalna from Kamala's blog.
Temple style Pulihora from Sagari's blog.
Paratha stuffed with spicy rice flour from Anjali's blog.
Beetroot Dosai from Indo's blog.
Oil free chicken from Sunita's blog.
Sev and Tomato Shaak from Saju's blog.
Dinner Rolls from Dhivya's blog.
Andhra chicken curry from Sri's blog.

Last but not least;

Thank you Deeba , Purnima, Swati , EC, Cham, Sukanya, Trupti for your sweetest "You make my day" award. I appreciate it! :)
I would like pass this on to:
Bee, Richa, Dhivya Vikram, Maya, Meera to mention a few! Frankly you all 100+ bloggers make my day everyday, so each one of you deserve this award. Thanks to all of you, have a great weekend!:)

116 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dear Asha, what a lovely entry to WBB....thanks a tonne....and see you at the roundup!!

FH said...

You are very welcome A, glad you liked it. Enjoy hosting!:))

J said...

The cake and mango sauce look so yummy. And the soup should be perfect for the hot summer here...it's already 45+ degrees! Ok, a couple of questions... when you say heavy cream, do you mean whipped cream? And adding lemon doesn't curdle the cream?

sunita said...

Asha, I'm really eyeing that mango sauce...beautiful :-)

...glad you tried nd liked my recipe :-)

ranji said...

congrats on ur well deserved award asha!!!
YUMMMMMMMMMMMMy cake ,can u pass me a piece plz....its soooooo tempting:)...soup looks delicious too...great entries..

FH said...

J, it does make a perfect Summer lunch, try it!:)
Heavy whipping Cream is used for whipped cream, but not whipped yet. We get it in a carton here as whipping cream or heavy cream, when you whip it, it will be fluffy cream.
Cream curdles only when you add it the hot liquid, will not curdle when added to any cold liquid like in room temp mango sauce.
There is a term called "tempering", ie before adding cream to hot liquid directly, add a tbsp or so of hot liquid to the cream first, whisk it well and then you add the warm cream to the hot liquid which is simmering. That way, cream doesn't hit the hot sauce and curdle. Same with yogurt when we add to to make gravy etc!:))

Sunita, mango sauce is great just eat as it is, it's really good chilled. Loved your chicken, simple and delicious! Thanks :)

kamala said...

Ashaji great entry....I cant say more than this.All the dished looooks soo good.Thanks for trying out my recipe.

Priya said...

Asha,

Having my idli here,you mesmerize me with mango. Now I wonder if I can digest my idli.

Pepper soup will definitely help for cold days I mean when u have that flu thingy.

FH said...

Ranji, three slices left, will ship ASAP! ;D

Kamala, thank YOU girl. I am enjoying all the new tastes!:))

Hahaha! I would love some Idlis right now Priya, you can have my cake and soup! Fresh veggie soups are the best whether they cure you or not!:)

Unknown said...

that pound cake and the mango sauce looks awesome...the book looks interesting...will read if I get one here:o)

Anonymous said...

Hello Asha, I have been an anonymous reader till now but decided to delurk today and thank you for all the wonderful recipes you post on your site. I have tried many a recipe from your blog and they have all been appreciated by my family and friends alike. (A big bow to you for I have now turned into a seasoned cook at parties). The mango cake looks delicious and will try it definetely.
amoodaday (A mood a day)

bee said...

which tornado would want to incur ash's wrath??

Rachel said...

I know not what to say about the blasts..it is so saddening..

Love the mango sauce....and the soup..love the bright colours as well...

TBC said...

Glad to hear that u were not affected by the tornado, Asha.
I remember we had a tornado alert or something once...the weather channel was my fav channel that day.:D

Ramya's Mane Adige said...

Wonderful soup, Ashakka!!!! [:)] ishtu sulabha iro recipe na try madle beku, tx! and the mango sauce looks yummy!!!!!!

Cham said...

Oh what a luxury breakfast u made it :) Love the bell pepper soup, awesome colour!
Congrats on ur award, u need more than one Asha !

FH said...

Sowmya, thanks, hope you try. It's rare to get it here too, look for that book!:)

AMAD, thank you so much.I am glad you are enjoying all the dishes. I am trying and enjoying other's recipes too, feels great!:))

HeHe! Seriously Bee, our house shook for about 2 minutes and rain lashed on the roof when it was passing by! I can't imagine how it feels to get stuck right in the middle of a full fledged Tornado! Not that I want to know ever!:D

Sreelu said...

Beautiful cake Asha, experiencing Tornado so close must be a scary experience, glad you guys are safe and fine

FH said...

I was shocked to see on TV Rachel. I thought of all those beautiful palaces. I am sorry for all those people who died! :(

tbc, for the first time I was glued to the Weather channel too! We missed it by hair length, it was a little scary!

Ramya, tumba sulabhada soup, adige maado thantene illa, coolaagu irutte bisilige! :D

Thank you Cham. You are all make my day, feels great to be loved so much by so many. Hugs to you. Try the soup!:))

FH said...

Sreelu, it was very unsettling to hear the roaring of a Tornado miles away, I can't imagine getting hit by one! It caused so many deaths in other states last week.

Kalai said...

Glad to hear you weren't touched by the tornado, Ashakka. Seems like there have been a lot of them in the recent past... The cake looks amazingly off the hook delicious! Haven't really got words to describe it... Soup sounds delicious as well and those are some awesome recipes you've tried out! :)

TheCooker said...

That soup is just what we need here today...it is going to be a scorcher.
Ditto to Bee's comment :)

ChrisB said...

Hi Asha
I think your cake looks delicious and so does the sauce I'm going to try this recipe very soon.

Swati said...

The Jaipur blasts was really upsetting..
Glad you escaped the tornado ..It really scary!!

Coming to the recipes, everything looks so delicious ..Love the cake!!

FH said...

That's true Kalai, there are too many Tornadoes in most of the southern states, lot of people got killed too. Thank God, it wasn't bad here.
I will be cooking your's too shortly!:)

TC, hope you try. Keep it cool there,I heard it's very hot.
Yeah, Bee always has something to say!;D

Chris, if you want to skip the 2 tbsp Mango pulp, add 1 more egg to replace it in the recipe. It is delicious, enjoy:)

Swati, we don't get much info here about Jaipur, just saw a 1 minute news and few pics here on TV, it is sad!

Anonymous said...

hi asha,
the cake looks delicious.hope u had a wonderful mother's day.
would like to read this book.

shalini

FH said...

Hi Shalini, thanks girl.I enjoyed M's day!:)
Glad you liked the cake. Mango makes everything taste good! See if you can get that book. 25 short stories, each one is a great read.

Priyanka said...

Asha, absolutely love teh mango pound cake.....the first thing that i loooked for was whether it had eggs or not....will try it out without the eggs...the pepper-orange-carrot soup looks comforting.

Priyanka said...

Congratulations on the awards...you deserve them a 100%

Suganya said...

Hi Asha...
That was a nice entry. The pound cake is turned out perfect, Loved the bowl of mango cream sauce. Nice tried this type of sauce. The carrot soup looks YUM!... nice colour..

FH said...

Priyanka, thanks. I don't know what to substitute for 4 eggs in pound cake though. If it's just one egg, you could add 2 tbsp of apple sauce. Try it anyway!:))

Soup was delcious and healthy too Sukanya, hope you try!:)

indosungod said...

Asha, lovely breakfast on Mother's Day, that Mango sauce is so tempting and ofcourse the soup. Glad to hear that you are ok.

It is rather sad right that besides natural disasters we have to deal with man made disasters too.

Congrats on the award Asha. you make my day too. And I am so glad you tried the beetroot dosai.

Anonymous said...

Hi Asha, Lovely post and loevly entries. I've just been too swamped these past few weeks and i have not done my favorite thing - blog hopping, i do catch a blog here and there when i get a chance. Lots has gone on here at foodies hope :-)
Looks like u had a lovely mothers day.
The pound cake sounds like a special and yummy breakfast!
The soup and all the other yummy recipes look good! hats off girl, u cook from so many wonderful blogs.
Glad the tornado missed u guys. So much catastrophe around the world, myanmar, china, rajasthan - saddens me so much - reall makes me wonder if there is some solace to all this suffering. Just have to pray harder. Peace and love
Latha

FH said...

Indo, beet dosas were like festival on the plate, gorgeous color and of course very healthy, thanks!:)
Yeah, some people are becoming heartless, don't know what they are gaining by hurting others!It's all so silly!

Latha, take your time girl, no worries. For some reason, life is just getting harder and harder these days. So many things to do all at the same time too. Both kids have final exams, so keeps me pretty busy as well but still I try and get on with it somehow!:)
Yes, all these bad news gets you down too, it seems like never ending suffering everywhere. We just have to count our blessings, live peacefully and pray of course. Have a great weekend, hugs!:)

ServesYouRight said...

Lovely recipe - my sweet tooth is in bliss :-)

Smita

Meera said...

Your cake & mango suace looks so delicious that I am drooling now. Loved all the pictures too. I loved ur lovely bell pepper soup & thanks for the review of the book. I am so honored to receive an award from you, dear Asha. You are such a sweetheart. You really make my day with your encouraging comments and suggestions. Thanks so much. Hugs to you.

Uma said...

Love the mango cake, love the mango cream sauce, love the bell pepper carrot soup. Love everything so much. lovely entries. I think I used the word love many times. So let me end this comment by saying glad to know that you had a wonderful, lovely mother's day!

And congrats on the lovely awards too. You deserve them so much.

deepsat said...

The pound cake looks delicious. Gotta try that over my break here!

now a days there's nature's fury adding to the misery being caused to so many innocent lives. guess bad times are upon the world!

take care asha and have a nice weekend

;-))

Pravs said...

Congrats on the award. That's a nice treat on mothers day with pound cake :) Having with mango sauce is a nice twist.

Beyond Curries said...

Very glad that everbody is safe in your area.

The mango pound cake as well as the mango sauce looks delicious.

Congratulations on the award and trying so many recipes from other blogs.

Shilpa said...

Good to know tornado missed u guys Asha. Here also it was too scary. With sirens buzzing and all. We all were standing outside the apartment and dint know what to do. But luckily it missed us too.

I love the cake. I will have to try it sometime.

Mansi said...

glad to know you had such a wonderful mother's day Asha! the cake looks awesome, and I'm gonna be making something similar this weekend:) man, there's tonnes you can do with mangoes!!

the soup looks really easy and interesting, so i'll be trying that too!:)

KonkaniBlogger said...

Yay, yet another cake for me to try, Love it !! The color of the soup makes me slurp it all up NOW!! Ya, its really sad whtever is happening, both with the natural and man-created disasters..Too bad..Will have to try n find 'Daugthers of Kerala', looks like I will enjoy it..Also, congrats on your well-deserved award Asha, and am really really honored to get it from you!! You made my day now :))...

Smita said...

Hi Asha,
Lovely recipe....Was intrigued by the book you mentioned by Gracy...What is the full name of the author??/ I would like to read some book of hers...any title suggestions?

Siri said...

Talk about the last friday Ashaji, chill ran down my spine..the Tornado warning, then a Tornado watch.. we were refreshing weather.com like hundred times and had hail stones on the glass window Phew!! Over that we stay in the top floor apartment..:(

.. the cake looks yummy ashaji and glad that u got a day rest from Cooking... Belated Mother's Day to u!! I am planning to make a similar Mango sauce for WBB, urs looks yummy.. Oh ya, the soup is comforting..:D

Hugs,
Siri

Bong Mom said...

Just as I was getting familiar with Rajasthani cuisine, that news definitely came as a shock yesterday.
Lovely food and shall check out that book in the lib

EC said...

Yummy cake and soup...somehow i missed beetroot dosa that u have tried from other blogs..have to try it soon

EC said...

Oops. i forgot...Congrats on the award

Anonymous said...

Its unfortunate what happened at Jaipur. My heart goes out to the victims and their families.

Thank God the rough weather didn't get to you. You are one strong lady, Asha and I agree with Bee's comment.:)

That mango cream sauce is very tempting.:)

Prajusha said...

hi asha,
Thanks a lot for trying out my recipe and hope ur family liked it..
glad to hear that u rnot affected by the tornado..
Cake and soup looks wonderful.Mouthwatering Pics too..
Great Entry!

Seema said...

Cake looks yum with a great twist in it!! Looks perfectly moist & soft...Glad you started of mothers day with a sweet & treat for all! Soup - no cooking - liked it.. got a rich colour to it!Enjoy your Blockbuster card.. relax & watch movies :-)

Keshi said...

I love the MANGO flavor! Its my fav actually.

Keshi.

Jayashree said...

Love the colour of that mango cream...bet it tastes great chilled...

Srivalli said...

Glad to hear you weren't touched by the tornado,..these natural and unnatural calamities are so upsetting right!..its so sad to read the paper in the morning...

that cake looks yum..glad you had a great time on mother's day..your kids sure know how special you are!...glad you tried that chicken curry..hope you liked it..:)

Raaga said...

All places that we took my parents to last year have been rocked by the blasts... we live barely 2.5 hours away from Jaipur.

Shocking to say the least.

This cake is lovely... I will try it when I'm back next week.

EC said...

I too have passed on the award to you...

Aparna Balasubramanian said...

Ilove the mango flavour to your pound cake.
And the mango sauce would be great with an icecream like kulfi.

Swati Raman Garg said...

what an array of entries...u rock ...its my first tmie here.. ur blog is toooo good.

FH said...

Smita, Meera, Uma, Deepsat, Pravs , thank you. Hope you try. The recipe for cake makes a huge cake, but it's easy to freeze in airtight freezer bag for later use!:))

FH said...

Madhu,Mansi, Maya, thanks girls. Enjoy!:)

Smita, I will let you know about the later!:)

Shilpa and Siri, glad you are safe too. It is scary when it's happening right around you. Thanks God, we have all survived in one piece!:))

FH said...

Isn't that little scary Sandeepa? We were all just appreciating the same state and they get hurt so bad. It's so sad. Some people need to have a job or something instead of hurting innocent people.

Thanks Ec, try beet dosa, yum!:)

Sailaja, I agree! So many bad things happening these days, I am scared for kids' future!

Thanks Prajusha, dal was yummy, packed with so many good things!:)

FH said...

Seema, Keshi, Jayashree, thanks. Who doesn't Mango, right? Always makes everything so yummy and fragrant, enjoy!:))

Seema, I am going to rent a few DVDs this weekend, ie if there are movies worth watching!;D

FH said...

Sri, chicken was delicious. I made the same way but with gravy. I served with Parathas but Arvind was saying I should make rice with it because that's how they serve in Andhra!:D
He is right, I will next time, thank you for the recipe!:)

Raaga, be careful girl. I know you travel a lot there. It's so unsettling. Have a safe trip,hugs!:))

Thanks Aparna, Ec. Welcome to FH Swati!:))

sra said...

Asha, even I was thinking about how much we all thought about Rajasthan this month and the news we had to hear ...
The pound cake - mango sauce combination is quite intriguing!

Pearlin said...

the mango cake and sauce looks so delish!
Thank God the Tornado passed up your place by a few miles.Just too scary to even think what it would be to caught in the midst of one.
Beautiful and tempting pictures of dishes you tried as always :)
Pearlin

Pooja said...

Thank you for a wonderful bell peppers soup entry Asha, it truly looks refreshing :).
Glad that tornado was little away than where you live, natural disasters literally scares me as I was there in Gujarat at time of Earth quack in 2001 . I really wish nobody whom I know should ever suffer anything from nature like that.

Pound cake looks tempting , wonderful entry with Mango :).
Glad that you enjoyed Mother's day, you truly deserve all happiness . hugs to you.

Purnima said...

Asha, the soup, cake with mango(*slurp*) sauce looks yum! Gr8 gift for a mom, not allowing U Cook-o-holic to cook! :)

Well sad the news was, 7 blasts or more - lets keep the departed souls in our prayers!
Thks for sharing ur yummies also the cooked-frm-blogs looks very inviting! Thks for the info on cream, that just learnt frm ur comment to J.

Jaya M said...

Lovely spread specially the mango sauce ..
hugs and smiles
jaya

FH said...

sra, isn't that ironic? We were so happy to cook and write about a beautiful state and there it is, all those bombings! Sad!

Purl, when it was passing by, we heard the heavy wind and splashes of rain on the roof for 2 full mins, I can't imagine being right in the middle one!

You are welcome Pooja!:)
You were there during earth quake? That was very scary to look at the photos on the internet, glad we are all safe. We have small downstairs half bathroom, we were planning to go there if Tornado hits us directly but thanks goodness it just passed.

LoL @ "Cook-o-holic"! I am sure that Purnima, it was hard not to cook for a WHOLE day!:))
7 bombings? I didn't know that.CNN hardly tells us, got to check on the Internet.Very sad indeed.
Tempering is a great technique, works for eggs too when you add to hot liquid, should make a post on all the tricks I know!:)

FH said...

Thanks Jaya, hope you give it a try. Enjoy!:)

Richa said...

love that Mr. & Mrs. pepper soup ;) lotsa' vitamin C in there :)
thanks for the award and your blog makes my day too!

Cham said...

Hi Asha,
Everyone knows u r the top one who makes happy and encouraging with ur warm and nice words. So this nice person need to be treated HIGH right? I am passing again this make my day award to u.
Hope u will love it :)

Cyberkitty said...

Yesterday there was a dust storm in delhi too with wind speeds of over 100mph.I was on my way to work and it got really dusty and then it rained a lot after that and i got soaked.

FH said...

Richa, great to have that when we have cold. You deserve the award, you are say hi to me every week!:))

Thanks Cham. You made my day too. I will add your name there at the end!:))

Hi CK, dust storm in Delhi? WOW! Glad you are okay, sounds terrible.Global warming is pretty bad now and will only get worse. Take care and be safe!:)

Archy said...

Lovely pound cake Asha !! With mango cream sauce.. Shall try it as i have some mangoes :) !!

Superb color of soup !! nice entry :) !!

Smita said...

Hi Asha!!!,
I just entered for the RCI Rajasthan event - my first entry ever into an RCi event and I am so excited!!!:):) Thanks to your blog for inspiring me:) Check my entry out when you get a chance - http://dabbusrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/05/gatte-ki-kadhi-and-guvar-sabji-rci.html

Vanamala Hebbar said...

Delicious mango cream will try it sometime. asusual photos are excellent.

FH said...

Archy, use ripe sweet mangoes, enjoy!:)

Good for you Smita, I will check your RCI entry tomorrow.I have blog rolled you already, so I will be there!:)

Thanks Mala, hope you try the sauce, really good with any dessert or by itself!:)

Trupti said...

Nice entries Asha..Cake looks delicious & congrats on the award.

FH said...

Hi Trupti, thank you! Great to see you here!:))

Suganya said...

I do hope these killings, in the name of personal beliefs, stop someday.

Unknown said...

ohh..lala...that's a perfect mother's day breakfast or it can be a delicious dessert also right?...we too went out for dinner..wish somebody had brought me that delicious looking breakfast while i was getting out of bed on M-day..:)Thanks for the award, it is a honor getting it from you...

Viji said...

Asha the cake is tempting and with 4 eggs could imagine the softness. What a colorful soup. Have a peaceful weekend. Love to kids. Viji

FH said...

Suganya, I hope so too. It's so silly to fight with our own brothers and sisters for any reason!

You deserve it Mahesh, enjoy the award. Your M day sounds good girl, glad he made it special, your kids are young I know! Have a great weekend, hugs to you!:))

Thank you Viji. Eggs are imp in Pound cake specially, can't do without eggs.
You too have a great weekend, hugs to you too!:))

Laavanya said...

Hi Asha.. long time no talk.. how are you?
The pound cake looks awesome and mango sauce.. mmmm...
I see that you've been trying a horde of dishes from other blogs.. wow! am amazed by your energy. Thank you for trying my tomato dosas... :) Hope you liked them.

Hetal said...

The pound cake looks very delicious,loved it!!

FH said...

Laavanya, just saw your Idli sambhar post but couldn't get in, will try later. Welcome back!
Yeah, that's what I have been doing during my 5 weeks break, cooking up a storm. Tomato dosa was excellent, healthy and colorful, thanks!Have a great weekend, see you later!:)

Hi Hetal, grood to see you here, thank you. Hope you try the cake!
Enjoy your weekend!:)

Anonymous said...

The cake looks lovely Asha. Sounds like you had fab Mother's day.

Mamatha

Gattina Cheung said...

these weeks a few terrible natural disaster hitting the East, my heart sinking... Thanks goodness, your area didn't affect by the tornado. I finally resort to the comfort of your food... pound cake with mango, more than perfect!

FH said...

I did enjoy Mamatha. Arvind was on call that weekend,but we manage to out!:))

There were so many Tornadoes in so many southern states, it was scary indeed Gattina. Glad we didn't have to deal with that!
Enjoy the mango cake!:))

Lisa Johnson said...

That cake and mango cream sauce pulled me in to this post! Yum! What a great idea!

FH said...

Hi Anali, those are a great combo indeed! Hope you are enjoying your weekend. It's very hot here, trying to do some gardening!:))

Unknown said...

Oh Asha, This is such a fab cake recipe sounds great. The soup too looks delicious.I was so touched by ur concern.I hope things are okay with u now.
I just enjoy reading ur blog.Thanks for great posting.

Anonymous said...

tornado!! now a days i often see natural disasters n human disastors. wonder wht there is a safe place left anymore
a pound cake always stays in my fridge
urs look truly moist
n mango sauce is cool on pound cake
n the soup...wah!
cant wait to get a bag of colored peppers
have a great time

FH said...

We are okay Pearl, it was scary when Tornado was happening. We hurt when our own people are hurt, no matter how far we are, makes us sad.
Enjoy your Sunday!:)

Hi Anusha. Yeah, there were atleast 10 Tornadoes in the south in the last few weeks and tese bombings in India. It was all at the same time, scary.
Have fun there. Cake always in the fridge, huh? Sounds good to me!:))
It is warm here today, did some gardening.

Daily Meals said...

Nice entries Asha! Love the cake with mango cream sauce. Soup looks delicious.

FH said...

Thanks Vijaya. Mango sauce is versatile, you can use it with anything. Enjoy the Sunday!:))

Sig said...

Mango cream sauce, you said? That too with a mango coconut pound cake?? That is a double treat!! That book sounds lovely, will look for it in the store... Glad the tornado didn't cause any damage to your city, my heart goes out to those who were affected!

Mishmash ! said...

Asha, I just sent you a mail in your hotmail a/c. Wanted a help from you.
Could you pls check if you got the mail? If not, please let me know.

Thanks:)
Shn

Miri said...

The soup looks very flavourful!!And I made a similar sauce but with baked chicken - I agree, its yummy!

FH said...

Hope you try Sig!:))

shn, haven't checked my mails yet, will check today but in the afternoon.Taking Trisha to college this morning for class schedule for next year, will reply ASAP!:))

Miri, that soup is so refreshing on a hot day!:)

Shivapriya said...

Hey Asha,
Such a wonderful. I feel really sad for missing all the events and all your wonderful dishes. Will resume blogging soon. BTW one of my friend is moving to CARY, NC. She is asking about the schools , so I thought you will be the better one to ask. Do you have any idea about the neighbourhood and schools. of so please let me know.
Thanks and I really love the fresh color of pepper soup.

Kajal@aapplemint said...

A wonderful use of Mango Asha. i've never made these 2 together, and i 'm wondering why ?They look so good.

Anonymous said...

Wow....ur pound cake looks delcious! That is so innovative.The bell peppers look great too.

FH said...

SP, great to see you. Take your time and come back to blog when you can!:)
You know, I live far away from Cary but Siri lives in Cary!! She will be the better person to ask. Cary is growing so fast,lot of Indian s there. I saw a new High school built which looks great. Don't know much about school there though. Do ask Siri!:)

Thanks Kajal, do try. Sweetened Coconut and Mango are a wonderful combo!:))

HC, thank you hope you try girl. Pepper soup is great for Summer days!:)

Shah cooks said...

cake looks really good..hope u escape every tornado coming in that region. it is scary to be in a natural disaster. did u lose power? so u had a wonderful mother's day!!

Deepa Kuber said...

hey Asha, how are u doing? I saw ur recipes 2day, loved them..
it was very sweet of u Asha.. I am not feeling well since past 8-10 days. just dont feel like blogging. I check my blog once in 4-5 days. i read all my comments, but i am not able to reply to any of them, i feel so sorry.. i thot of posting a msg saying i wont be blogging for few weeks, but i didnt feel like doing that too.. i will be on a break for few weeks..thanks for asking asha.. bye

FH said...

Hi Shaheen, thanks girl. No, power was there for us but they did lose for for a day where the Tornado hit.The only room we have, to hide is the small downstairs powder for us!:D
I made your Ulli Kozhi, was the greatest hit at home like never before! Thanks :))

Anjali, so sorry, do take care and come back when you can.Don't worry about commenting, hugs. I sprained my finger too today, hope I can blog tomorrow!:D
Rest and have lots of soup!:))

Manju said...

the mango sauce looks soo yummy and im sure it mustve been even more yummy with the pound cake. Any idea why pound cake is called "pound" cake?

So So Simple said...

Asha Love that pound cake recipe
do you have to make it in a ring tin?
Glad you didn't have to experience a tornado.
That must be so scary.
Cheers

Keshi said...

Hi Asha! :)

Keshi.

FH said...

Hi SC, good to see you girl, hope you doing well!:))
Mango makes anything yummy. In the olden days, a classic Pound cake consisted of equal amounts of ingredients in lbs like 1 lb Butter, 1 lb sugar, 1 lb flour etc, that's why it's called Pound cake!1 lb of butter will kill me! This has lot less butter but still more than other cakes!:))

Hi Gilli, thank you!:)
I guess you can bake in the loaf pan as well because I have seen rectangle Pound cake loaves too.
This recipe is not very traditional Pound cake recipe as in lbs of ingredients, so the book says it should be baked in tube pan. Might work in Loaf pan too!:)

Hiya Keshi! How are you? I will be there ASAP today, catching up with everybody!:))

Susan said...

Gorgeous cake, Asha! We don't normally get tornadoes around here, but my mother told me of a hideous roar, like a train, near her house.
Sure enough, a tornado was sited that night in the next town. : O

FH said...

Susan, that's exactly what we heard and felt when Tornado was passing and thank God we were not in the middle one!
Most Tornadoes and Twisters affect the South every year, we do escape in Piedmont NC because of the protection of Blue Ridge mtns in Ashville. We just get some heavy rain etc. This time, it came near our cities!

Mandira said...

Asha, what a stunning spread... spring is in your blog... I can see it :)

FH said...

Yes, Spring is here and Summer is almost here too Mandira, feels great, huh?:)
You got the old post. I have posted your Rajma in the new post with Naans and chicken curry! Thanks for that too!:))