Got Guilt Mommy? Pause.Have some Chocolate Truffles.

Yesterday I got a frantic call from a friend; her toddler is my daughter’s classmate at the playgroup.  We all met up at the time of admission and bonded well while our kids were adjusting to the new school environs.

Now If I have to sum up the purpose of the call in a word then I’d call it GUILT. C’mon let’s admit which one of us has not faced it, especially the working moms. Gosh we are smothered with it.

Going back to her call –This friend of mine quit work when she had a baby and now (after a good two and a half years later) thinking of joining the workforce back. That’s HUGEE, so I congratulated her and then I hear her whimpered voice, asking if she is making the right decision. She wanted to know if the daycare my daughter goes, is good enough for her child too. Will they love her and feed her milk the way she is used to having at home. I wish I could answer  a loud Yes, but I guess no establishment in the world can replace the mommy care. Right? I wish I could sum up my experiences in one single phone call and somehow explain that inspite of all odds it’s still all right to go back to work.

I have experienced it first-hand that being a working mom of a young kid is the hardest thing ever. I wish I could convince this harried and hesitant mom who is being so hard on herself that it’s all going to be okay, and that someday we would laugh about it all, even the tough days. There are no yardsticks  and no measuring tape …just like there is NO perfect mother . We are one of those moms who come home late. We work really hard, and like everyone else come home to put away the scattered toys and cook the family favorite and inspite of all odds we will read that bedtime story  and kiss the bruises goodbye. We will sometimes wear an unmatched earrings or an un-ironed shirt to work, just to trade off that time for baking every little ones favorite chocolate balls.  

Now scoot mom. Enjoy the mommy time. Bake this with your little one and bite. Since our world is so covered with guilt , at least these chocolate truffles make you forget abstinence and denial for once. And I promise that these Chocolate Truffles have half the calories and 75 percent less fat compared to regular truffles. Hallejullah!

Guilt Free Chocolate Truffles 

Ingredients

½ can black beans- rinsed and drained

1 mashed banana

1/2 cup cocoa powder 

1/2 cup mixed nuts

3 tbsp honey

½ cup brown sugar

1/4 cup white flour 

2 tbs chia seeds (optional)

To Coat

2 tbsp cocoa and 1tbs powdered sugar.

Method

Combine all ingredients in preferably a processor and give it a whirr till it forms a smooth dough. The dough will be moist and sticky so chill it for a few hours before forming the balls. 

Once its chilled, roll it into small balls and generously dust  the balls in cocoa powder and refined sugar mixture.  Freeze for a firmer truffle. Enjoy!

The Forgiving Cupcake

I’m guilty of so many things. Currently ‘lies that I tell my daughter’ has to top the charts. Not that I was born with an obsessive desire to lie all the time and I preach dishonestly to my child, still lying these days has become my second skin. I do it all the time without batting an eyelid.

Don’t you touch this- the meow will come. [The most popular one with us now, after we successfully managed to scare her off the cats –code name meow, forever]

Don’t you dare scream else I'll get get a new baby and return you. [Often repeated in public places when there are quieter nicer babies in sight]

Don’t go to strangers, they will put you in a bag and take you with them. [Again to put her off 'the universe is my family' policy and keeps her safe from devious intentions.]

Sometimes I’m totally at loss while coining a new lie. Like I just can’t have my daughter sit in her car seat for more than a few minutes at a stretch. In India we have relaxed rules, so we don’t really need her in the car seat by law. With time I realized that car seat is the only way I can travel with my sanity intact. Little did I know that its going to be a constant battle . The moment I strap her in , she wails and tells me that the belt is hurting bad. Once we get through that melodramatic mess, she wants the windows rolled down. I know how good a fresh air is to my child , but in a moving car- excuse me? Her hand goes out first, then peeks out the head…too much I say. 

Windows are rolled up instantly and car seat belt back on.
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Now the wailing starts. That squeaking shrill wails invites a lot of unwanted attention from fellow passengers at red lights. I still have to keep up the act. I tell her “Police eesche jail e niye jaabe (policeman is coming, he will put you in jail)”

It’s ok if the police gets that bad rap. She’ll know when is grows up.

Unfortunately for me, at the next red-light a smiling police waves at us, asking us to show our papers(its  a routine check for them). I secretly fume. I’m embarrassed too, as my lie is discovered. My daughter now thinks that a policeman is mommy’s friend and does not look that bad to put her in jail.

Oh Crap.

Back home, I have to salvage my mommy reputation.

I bake her a ‘Sorry for the lies mommy tells you’ cupcake.

Without the frosting of course.  Frosting is not needed if mommy has made such a good cupcake.

Nevertheless- This Mommy is guilty

The Forgiving Chocolate Cupcake (this recipe has been adapted from Laurasweetspot)
Ingredients

1¾ cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

¾ cups unsweetened cocoa powder

1¾ teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup stirred buttermilk

½ cup vegetable oil

2 extra-large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

How I did It.

Preheat the oven to 180°C. I used the silicone cupcakes, so no lining needed.

Sift all the dry ingredients together . 

In another bowl, all the wet goes in. Mix well. once done, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine. 

Fill cup cake tins  ⅔ way full and bake 200 odd minutes or until a fork comes out clean.

Cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then turn them out and cool completely.

What are your thoughts on this good –bad  mommy?

Or would you like to taste the cupcake and judge :)?

Chocolate Granola Apple Delight

Chocolate Granola Apple Delight

My little one now knows what Coke is. Even after spring cleaning my pantry ...stacking refrigerator with only (so called -100% )juice...avoiding takeaways....even cooking my own ketchup to avoid the big  bad world of preservatives ...the  word 'Coke' still managed to sneak into her vocabulary. I was taken aback when my little one sat in front of the refrigerator demanding C-O-K-O in her glass. Appalling. Perhaps I have yet to come in terms with the fact that :

1. Even toddlers have a mind of their own
2. There is an information overload. T.V, Daycare, neighbors...the list will add as she grows up
3. Coke can't be that bad. Why can't I just stop drinking it, camouflaging the fiZz inside big ceramic cups over the weekends. Hell.
4. Coke is Coke- its not like she's asking for substance abuse!!

Do I sound like I have given up, slowly accepting the fact that my toddler knows about C-O-K-E. She might  even drink it someday.. at-least for now let me think of making something nice for her to distract her mind -------FAR FAR away from these attractive fizzy stuff and junky snack items...

Chocolate Granola Apple Delight (Recipe adapted from cooking light)

1 or 100 gms packet semi-sweet milk chocolate (I used dairymilk chocolate)

1/4th cup granola

1 large juicy red apple

1.Place chocolate in microwave for 2 minutes. Till it melts. Cut the apple into wedges. Dip the apples tops into the chocolate. Allow excess chocolate the drip.

2.Sprinkle granola on top.

3. Set on a plate  with chocolate side up. Refrigerate till chocolate is set.


I served it to my little one today with Peanut Butter and banana shake. You should have seen the look on her face. C-O-K-E has to do a lot of catching up with this mommy.

For a grown up treat - you can replace the milk chocolate with real dark chocolate and flaky almonds instead of granola.

Sending this entry to mad scientists kitchen and Priya's now serving 

No Bake Chocolate Pie

Every once in a while we all face scenarios wherein we have to cater to guests which puts our patience and skill of cooking to test. So it goes, yesterday it was mine and hubby’s turn. We thought of individually catering to the tastes of 6 different guests, and all of them with own dietary needs and requests, and an uneven age group ranging from four to forty!

Initially it felt more like the doing the 'science of maths' than the 'art of cooking'; taking headcount, scribbling down the menu and the process involved tedious arithmetic of adding and subtracting, buying ingredients after taking the existing stock into account and finally getting down to business of cooking ; multiplying the recipes meant for two to cater eight! Who says cooking is a dumb housewives job! My mind is still droned in all these numbers. However, the numbers cant surely take into account the sounds of laughter orchestrated with the tinkling of glasses which filled our house yesterday , the fussy four year old’s enchantment with ‘gems’ on her dessert and the happy burp of the filed tummy. Feels incredible! So I gather, its art after all.

Yesterday we tried tons of new recipes, and some were truly a HIT and surprisingly they took so little time to make, here is one of my personal favourites adapted from Aayis Recipe.

No bake Chocolate Pie

With guest list which comprises of anyone under 5: chocolate is a must , or so my instincts told me and the smile on my little guests face confirmed my doubts.So here is the easy no bake choclate pie recipe, which is sure to bring a smile on your little ones face too.

Ingredients:
3 packs of Parle G (or any glucose biscuit)
2 heaped tbsp cocoa powder (sugarless)
½ cup chocolate chips (optional)
1 tsp instant coffee
1 cup fresh cream
1/2 cup warm milk
1 cup granulated sugar
Sugar dust/Gems for sprinkling on top

Method:
If you are using glucose biscuit, try and fetch a rectangular or square large bottomed pie vessel to keep up with the shape of the biscuit. Line the pie dish with 2 layers of biscuits and soak them with 1/4 cup milk.

In a separate bowl, mix sugar, chocolate chips vanilla and cream. Mix slowly to get a uniform mixture. Add sugar as per your taste. Drizzle this mixture on the soaked biscuits. Top it with a biscuit line up again. Repeat the process.

Serve chilled, not frozen. .

Sharing this with Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms