Peaches and Cream Chamomile Tea Cooler

Sometimes your instinct and reasoning skills line up to tell you something.  A situation in which success should be guaranteed.

You see the way he gets all excited playing with a ball.  You know how energetic he is.  You are extremely aware of his inability to sit still.  Friends and family all said yes, he will love it.  Toddler soccer seemed like the perfect activity for Max.

But it was not.  To say the least.  In his defense, the soccer class was held on a patch of grass immediately adjacent to the big toys on the playground.  Like right there, calling out to him with its siren song of fun and climbing adventures.  A song that he could only hear, apparently, as none of the other tots seemed to be running off to play on it.

At first, everything seemed like it would be perfect.  Hilarious and adorable, with a happy little tot playing with the soccer ball.  But that scene was crushed after all of like thirty seconds (I'm not exaggerating), when he decided he needed to be elsewhere. The two train-shaped toys were especially appealing to his sensibilities.  After using various strategies to get my child back to soccer, I eventually had to admit defeat.  As soon as I would carry him over to the soccer balls he would just dart right back to the playground area.  Futility at its finest.

So that was that.

I was so wrong about his interest in soccer.

But I don't think I am wrong here.  I had a vision, instinct and reasoning, telling me that sweet cream and peaches and chamomile and lemon would come together to make a delicious summery drink.

Sometimes our instincts are wrong.  And sometimes they are spot-on.  Not sure what to make of that situation.

Ingredients
For the chamomile-black tea:
8 regular-sized chamomile tea bags
3 regular-sized black tea bags (I insist on my mom sending me packages of Red Rose brand of tea)
4 cups just-boiled water

4 peeled peaches
2 tablespoons lemon juice
6 tablespoons International Delight Cold Stone Creamery Creamer Sweet Cream Flavor
honey, to taste (depends on the sweetness of your peaches)

Instructions
To make the chamomile-black tea:  Pour the water over the tea bags.  Steep for 4-6 minutes, remove bags. Cool.

To make the tea cooler:  Pour the tea, peaches, lemon juice, creamer, and honey (if using) in bowl.  Blend everything with an immersion blender (or regular blender) until frothy. Ladle into ice-filled glasses.

Tags:Peaches,Cream,Chamomile,Tea Cooler

No Bake Nutella Cheesecake!

  Yup! back with yet another Nutella recipe. US Masala and Nutella have gone to such lengths that even Google recognizes my love for the decacent chocolate spread by giving me my own type-ahead - you see Nutella as an option as you start typing "US Masala" in the search box. If you are looking for a dessert that is decadent, looks like a million bucks and is rather quick to put together, this one is surely for you. It will get you rave reviews from anyone you serve it to and impressive as if you spend all day in the kitchen making it.
I have made a few fundamental changes to the recipe this is inspired from. Things like using regular soft fudge cookies instead of the recommended Oreo cookies (believe it or not, no one in my household cares much for Oreo, not even the kid), bumped up the Nutella (*smirk*) than was suggested and cut down on the whipped topping quite a bit and oh yes before I forget, completely skipped the butter. 
As you push your spoon through the garnish and then the top layer, you feel the thick lusciousness of the creamy layer underneath which all the more urges you to pick up the spoon and satisfy your senses. Make sure you find a lone corner so you don't have to share. lol.

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Nutella Cold Coffee

old coffee is a popular drink. I knew that. But only when I published this Cold Coffee drink riding on Nutella (think: cold coffee on steroids) way back in July of 2010, I realized just how powerful a simple drink can be. The instant response and acceptance it received then and has received ever since is just overwhelming and even more humbling. So much so that ever since I posted this original recipe, I have seen it copied over several times by different folks on their websites, some have been nice enough to extend courtesy, some haven't. So feel free to reproduce and publish the recipe, just do remember to keep the spirit of sharing by linking back to the original post.
I just had to do it again. So dear friends here it is again - the USMasala ever popular Nutella Cold Coffee, repackaged for your viewing and drinking pleasure.
I have not changed the original post from July, 2010 which went as below -
One sunday evening after a heavy brunch and a relaxing nap me and hubby both were craving for some cold coffee (I wanted it with chocolate:) ) and didn't want to drive to starbucks.. so I raided my pantry and refrigerator and came up with this recipe with whatever I could lay my hands on and he went WOW! Now it is regular in our household, also have wowed guests by serving this who always ask for the recipe and don't believe how simple it is to make. Perfect for summer evenings and even as a dessert drink after dinner.Both of us like our coffee with chocolate so I used some Nutella (I did not have any chocolate ice-cream). The chocolate hazelnut flavor of Nutella mixed with coffee is just wonderful and refreshing. You will not believe drinking something so elegant and decadent was made in a matter of minutes.

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Strawberry Ice-Cream

uscious plump strawberries so aptly represent the spring and summer in my opinion. Nature at its prime, vibrant and full while the strawberries are gorgeously plump, red, sweet and juicy, a delightful treat for the eyes and taste buds alike. The bright sunshine, the blooms and the flowers make you feel good and admire nature and so is the sight of the red strawberries which are to be seen everywhere. My shopping baskets get filled with the bright reds every time I visit the stores – they are irresistible (and also very cheap lol:)) And so as you have guessed I have been making a lot of things with these beauties lately and this is the first in the series - a stunning pink and delightfully yummy strawberry ice-cream.
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Mushroom Galette with caramelized onion, tomato and mozzarella

The cool thing about blogging is that it exposes you to so many different cuisines and styles of cooking. This is one dish that I'd heard so much about but never had a chance to either taste it or make it. With my love for baking this dish always had my fancy. It is a classic French dish which is more like a savory tart, somewhere between a pizza and a pie. After reading up about it and googling several recipes, I was able to come up with a version that fit my taste. With its free-form crust that makes for perfect main course and can also be served as an appetizer at a potluck or large party... it is relatively easy to make,  rustic, delicious, fun, and doesn't need as much expertise as pie and nor does it need lots of eggs to set as a quiche! A bite into a slice hits you with the creaminess and earthiness of the mushroom with a nice bite, followed by the crunchy crust which feels in between a pizza crust and puffed pastry and finishes off with the sweetness of caremelized onions. Not to brag but I was definitely very pleased with the results :)

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Mango nut ice-cream

Making a good ice-cream is typically considered a very difficult task. I know because I have been there. I always thought good ice-cream can never be made at home or at least not without an ice-cream machine. But when I made Kulfi a few times, I figured why not try making ice-cream at home. I am glad I tried because I know this is a keeper recipe and will be a regular in our household. I had some mango puree left after making the mango lassi, also my brother and hubby are crazy for mango flavored anything, so I made mango ice-cream. I also added a few cashew nuts as we like the nutty taste in our ice-cream.This recipe is so easy that you will be amazed by the result, no churning, no ice-cream machine, no long list of ingredients. If that interests you read on :)

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Cherry trifle

Trifle is a delicious and fun dessert usually made by layering sponge cake, custard, fruit, jelly and cream. This is super easy and quick. If you are having guests over, don't have the time to make an elaborate dessert, this one is a life saver and always leaves an impression. Now, I love cherries, they are in season so I had to make cherry trifle. Picture this... spongy cake, covered with jelly, topped with luscious sweet ripe cherries and lots of cream and chocolate... all in one scrumptious glass... how can you go wrong!
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Nutella Cold Coffee

One sunday evening after a heavy brunch and a relaxing nap me and hubby both were craving for some cold coffee (I wanted it with chocolate:) ) and didn't want to drive to starbucks.. so I raided my pantry and refrigerator and came up with this recipe with whatever I could lay my hands on and he went WOW! Now it is regular in our household, also have wowed guests by serving this who always ask for the recipe and don't believe how simple it is to make. Perfect for summer evenings and even as a dessert drink after dinner.Both of us like our coffee with chocolate so I used some Nutella (I did not have any chocolate ice-cream). The chocolate hazelnut flavor of Nutella mixed with coffee is just wonderful and refreshing. You will not believe drinking something so elegant and decadent was made in a matter of minutes.

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Paneer tikka masala

 love paneer. I mean I really really love it in all the different ways it can be made. So does hubby and my little princess. I can have it every single day and for every single meal. Infact, I am yet to come across someone who hates paneer. I love eating it as well as making different and new recipes using it. Any restaurant visit is just incomplete for me without having atleast one paneer dish :) A great substitute for vegetarian protein and a very versatile ingredient, can be used in different preparations like rice, bread, curries, desserts etc. It is regular in our house, very easy to make and always tastes good. I just can't write enough about my love for paneer.

The world famous "Paneer tikka masala " is something I absolutely love among all the recipes of paneer. The rich and creamy sauce, subtle tandoori flavors and spicy roasted paneer is something absolutely scrumptious and can have you drooling just by thinking about it. You just can not go wrong with this. Try this delectable and flavorful paneer dish and you will know what I am talking about!

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