Spinach and Artichoke Dip

This one was supposed to be served hot but did not serve it that way. I made it cold but tasted really good

2 small packs of thawed spinach
1 small pack of thawed artichoke hearts
6 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
1/3 grated paremsan
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Boil spinach and artichokes in 1 cup of water until tender and drain. Discard liquid. Heat cream cheese in microwave for 1 min. or until hot and soft. Stir in rest of ingredients and serve hot.

Garbanzo/Chick Pea Salad

Easy and quick salad. This is approximation, so depending on what you like and dont like either increase the quantity or decrease

1 can Garbanzo beans
Tomatoes
Onions
Scallions
Black Olives
Coriander
Green Chilies
Lemon
salt
pepper

Chop tomatoes, scallions, green chillies, onions and mix along with the chickpeas. Add lemon juice,salt, pepper, coriander.

Mix and serve.

Plum Cake

I ate this cake at a friends house and loved it so much. It was prepared by her mom so I took the recipe and tried. It was a little dry (but tasted really good) so I tweaked the recipe a little bit by adding Instant Vanilla Pudding mix to it. Here goes the recipe

200gm of Sugar
200gm of All Purpose Flour/Maida
200gm of Butter
200gm of Eggs
Basically all the above should weigh the same no matter how much you are making.
1 small Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix
Baking Powder 1/2 tbsp
Baking Soda 1/4 tbsp
4-5 drops Vanilla Essence
Crushed Nuts: Almonds, Pecans, Cashews (You can add many, but this is what I added. You can also add Raisins)

You will need around 20-25 tbsps of sugar to caramalize. Heat sugar in a pan without any water and watch it get almost burnt. Add a little water at the end so it does not become hard. It should be in a liquid form. Be careful when adding water, it will splash so use caution. Keep aside and let it cool.

Beat the eggs in a separate bowl. Mix sugar and butter in a separate bowl using a hand-mixer. Add the eggs and beat and then add all-purpose flour, vanilla pudding, baking soda, baking powder. After it blends into a smooth batter. Mix caramel into it. Add the vanilla essence and then mix all the nuts. Do not use the mixer to mix the nuts. Use a spoon and mix them in. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees for approx. 40-60min. Keep checking with a toothpick to make sure it cooks in the middle. If the toothpick does not have the cake sticking to it then it is done.

Let it cool and cut into pieces and serve.