tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81836264573781516682009-11-09T02:52:57.147-05:00TBChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06730267615864699764noreply@blogger.comBlogger165125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183626457378151668.post-527278614295383002009-11-02T01:25:00.002-05:002009-11-02T01:35:24.605-05:00

I came across Madhuram's mango halwa a few days back while I was looking for ways to use up some mango pulp that had been left over from a recipe I'd tried a couple of days earlier. I decided to give her recipe a try based on the great feedback she'd received by way of comments, and her beautiful picture of the halwa.Ingredients:(For 7-8 small pieces)2 cups canned mango pulp (easily found at any

TBChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06730267615864699764noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183626457378151668.post-49564435759271997892009-10-24T18:51:00.002-04:002009-10-25T09:27:25.287-04:00

Since I rarely plan meals ahead of time, I am usually at a loss for what to make when it’s time to get started on my cooking for the day. It was one of those weekend mornings when I was stumped, as usual, on what to make for breakfast. I turned to my bookmarks folder for help and inspiration came in the form of this recipe that I’d bookmarked ages ago, from Arundathi’s blog. The original recipe

TBChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06730267615864699764noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183626457378151668.post-13494562794661683062009-10-17T13:06:00.004-04:002009-10-19T23:31:18.306-04:00

TBChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06730267615864699764noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183626457378151668.post-42336427545721458572009-10-12T06:59:00.006-04:002009-10-12T15:02:24.442-04:00

Yesterday, I finally made Farida's gorgeous Zebra Cake. I'd come across her spectacular looking cake sometime last year and had promptly bookmarked it. I remember being rather intrigued by the wonderful zebra-striped pattern of her cake and wanting to make it right away. In spite of being very eager to try it out in my kitchen immediately, I finally got around to baking it only last night. The

TBChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06730267615864699764noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183626457378151668.post-262918237803889722009-09-01T20:33:00.006-04:002009-09-01T23:13:17.067-04:00

Also, a very happy first anniversary to my sister and brother-in-law!

TBChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06730267615864699764noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183626457378151668.post-13910278515879799442009-08-30T00:09:00.001-04:002009-08-30T09:55:26.519-04:00

I had a huge bag of carrots that had been sitting in the refrigerator for a good 2 weeks before I decided that something needed to be done with it. I decided to make one of my favorite Indian sweets- Gajar Ka Halwa. This dessert is a bit time-consuming and takes a little over an hour to prepare, but it is a delicious treat that is well worth the time spent making it.I followed the basic steps in

TBChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06730267615864699764noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183626457378151668.post-66886411217807977952009-08-28T00:31:00.001-04:002009-08-28T00:33:47.671-04:00

I have been making a lot of salads lately. Here's a delightful and refreshing one I made recently to add to my collection of salad recipes. The lime juice adds a nice zing and a hint of freshness to the couscous. Ingredients:(for 2 large servings)3 cups cooked couscous1 ripe mango, peeled and chopped into cubes1 cup of cooked black beans (I used half a can of beans after draining and rinsing)1/2

TBChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06730267615864699764noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183626457378151668.post-79481461703626240872009-08-25T23:23:00.001-04:002009-08-25T23:25:19.845-04:00

Manisha's reviving Flower Fest and is going for a color-based theme this time around. She has picked purple as the first color.These are a couple of pictures that were taken at the Hershey Gardens in Hershey, PA earlier this year.I understand that these are Moss Verbena (Verbena tenuisecta) flowers.Moss Verbena for Flower Fest

TBChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06730267615864699764noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183626457378151668.post-86108735554431062082009-08-20T02:03:00.001-04:002009-08-20T09:55:50.692-04:00

This salad, my twist on the desi chana chaat, is something that I make very often. The salad is easy to prepare and the whole thing comes together in a cinch- especially if all the ingredients are prepped in advance. Here's what I used for approximately 2 servings. 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed 2 celery sticks, chopped ½ cucumber, cut into cubes 2 scallions, finely chopped 6-7 baby carrots,

TBChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06730267615864699764noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183626457378151668.post-57220567017451538792009-08-15T23:37:00.003-04:002009-08-25T23:51:57.698-04:00

TBChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06730267615864699764noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183626457378151668.post-40833896230362402912009-08-12T13:07:00.001-04:002009-08-12T13:07:58.257-04:00

Every now and then, H makes an excellent salad using cottage cheese. The salad is not only healthy and tasty, but also quite filling- unlike most salads I've eaten. Adding cottage cheese to what is otherwise an ordinary salad turns it into a tasty and substantial meal. There is no dressing used here except for a good squirt of a juicy lime. The cheese helps bring the salad together. This is a

TBChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06730267615864699764noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183626457378151668.post-42930519240054053992009-08-06T23:25:00.002-04:002009-08-06T23:37:44.495-04:00

A few months back, I came across this cake on RedChillies' blog and promptly bookmarked it. It looked like one of those recipes that I just had to try out immediately and I did- the very next day, and with fantastic results. Since then I've made this cake many times. I most recently baked a loaf of this bread/cake a few weeks back for my sister and brother-in-law when we visited them in Montreal.

TBChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06730267615864699764noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183626457378151668.post-24354055552626693942009-07-19T01:00:00.002-04:002009-07-19T01:07:09.561-04:00

H and I spent a couple of days in Montreal earlier this month. Here are a few pictures that I took during our trip.A view of the city from my sister's balcony...Inside the Chalet du Mont-RoyalA view from the Chalet du Mont-Royal overlooking downtown Montreal in the distance.Looking out through a window of the chaletThe cross atop Mount RoyalView of downtown MontrealMontreal BiosphèreOne of the

TBChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06730267615864699764noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183626457378151668.post-57908442247942539972009-07-01T00:16:00.003-04:002009-07-01T00:21:53.396-04:00

Berries are in season now and I usually buy whatever it is that’s on sale in my grocery store. Last week, I picked up 2 pints of blueberries. After leaving them sitting in the refrigerator for almost a week, I finally decided to make a blueberry crumb cake using a recipe I’d come across in a magazine. Now, I’ve never been one to follow any given recipe exactly- I usually just take the general

TBChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06730267615864699764noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183626457378151668.post-51143659577518171942009-06-21T01:03:00.001-04:002009-06-21T01:04:01.900-04:00

It has been a while since I posted a South Indian dish here. Here’s something simple and quick that I made for dinner yesterday. Ingredients:1 cup uncooked basmati (or any other long-grain) rice 2 Tbsp oil (gingelly/sesame oil would be ideal here)1 tsp chana dal 1 tsp urad dal 1 tsp mustard seeds 2-3 red chillies A pinch of asafoetida ½ tsp turmeric powder 3-4 green chillies, minced 4-5 curry

TBChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06730267615864699764noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183626457378151668.post-42731527884542236862009-06-15T10:28:00.002-04:002009-06-24T19:41:13.743-04:00

Despite the fact that strawberries are available year round here and we buy them regularly, I really don't do much with them when I bring them home. Usually, they end up in some kind of a milkshake or smoothie, or I make some kind of a dessert using them. In my previous post I'd mentioned that we'd gone strawberry picking. We came back home with more strawberries than I knew what to do with. We

TBChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06730267615864699764noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183626457378151668.post-44981128559201036892009-06-09T21:59:00.003-04:002009-07-30T23:38:21.006-04:00

H and I went strawberry picking over the weekend at one of the pick-your-own farms in our area, and returned home with nearly 3 quarts of sweet, red and juicy strawberries. Once back home, I set about cleaning the strawberries and gathering the ingredients required to make a crisp, a baked fruit dessert with a sweet, crunchy topping- one of the easiest ways to enjoy fresh fruit.I adapted a recipe

TBChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06730267615864699764noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183626457378151668.post-22930597140282552502009-05-31T10:40:00.004-04:002009-08-07T19:50:51.573-04:00

A stack of crackersI’ve been wanting to try my hand at crackers for a while now and I finally got around to making some yesterday. I had some Gouda cheese left over from a recipe that I’d tried a few days back. I decided to make some cheese crackers. All I needed was a good recipe. As always, I turned to the Internet for help and was inspired by what I saw in a couple of places. Ingredients:(For

TBChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06730267615864699764noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183626457378151668.post-55445276477643064902009-05-29T21:37:00.005-04:002009-06-24T19:43:03.731-04:00

Blend together strawberries, a handful of apricots, honey, milk, yogurt, and a splash of vanilla extract for flavor. Chill. Serve.I'm sending this across to the Happy Cook for her event, Strawberry Feast.

TBChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06730267615864699764noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183626457378151668.post-52272768909305213562009-05-26T23:27:00.000-04:002009-05-26T23:28:06.610-04:00

I made a caponata of sorts a few weeks back using the small purple brinjals (Indian eggplants) that I’d purchased from the store.Caponata is a Sicilian dish made from eggplants, tomatoes, olives, celery and capers, cooked in olive oil and flavored with vinegar and sugar. It is basically a sweet and sour cooked vegetable stew that is traditionally served as an appetizer with crackers or is

TBChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06730267615864699764noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183626457378151668.post-52521972446970657002009-05-20T23:09:00.004-04:002009-06-05T14:49:04.954-04:00

I made these cupcakes last night as an after-dinner treat. I’d made a dozen of these yesterday but I only have four left now, less than a day later! The cupcakes have a wonderful flavor and a fresh, tart taste that comes from adding both lemon zest and lemon juice to the batter.(For 12 cupcakes)Dry Ingredients:1 and 1/3 cup all-purpose flour¾ tsp baking powder¾ tsp baking sodaA pinch of saltWet

TBChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06730267615864699764noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183626457378151668.post-39479170535414647702009-05-18T19:11:00.004-04:002009-06-05T14:59:28.500-04:00

I recently watched an episode of Cook Yourself Thin where a quiche was made using a potato crust. It seemed like a great idea and one that I couldn’t wait to try out.A crust made up of shredded potatoes is definitely a healthy alternative to the usual fat-laden pastry crusts I’ve seen used in most quiche recipes. I followed the recipe very closely and did not make too many changes. I had a

TBChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06730267615864699764noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183626457378151668.post-16745347143437395042009-05-16T12:16:00.003-04:002009-05-16T12:19:17.686-04:00

I tend to gravitate towards simple recipes with minimal ingredients and minimal steps. So, when I saw these soft and melt-in-your-mouth pancakes on Nupur’s blog, I knew I would be making them soon.I understand this is a common preparation in many Konkani homes but using cucumber in a dosa was a first for me.Ingredients:1 large cucumber, peeled and grated1 cup rice flour ½ cup rava/semolina/sooji

TBChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06730267615864699764noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183626457378151668.post-47338037738301220112009-05-11T23:09:00.001-04:002009-05-11T23:09:54.320-04:00

With asparagus being in season now, I’ve been trying to use it in different ways. I used it to make a soup recently.(For 3-4 servings)Ingredients:A bunch of asparagus spears (20-25 medium sized stalks), trimmed2 Tbsp olive oil4 garlic cloves, crushed and minced½ onion, finely chopped1 tsp red pepper flakes1 cup milk1 ½ - 2 cups waterSalt PepperMethod:Snap the tough ends off the asparagus spears.

TBChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06730267615864699764noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183626457378151668.post-12526596110012991772009-05-06T22:37:00.002-04:002009-06-05T16:01:11.110-04:00

I like potatoes in all forms, but if I had to pick a favorite, this baked version would easily be it by far.Potatoes have been getting a bad rap in "healthy-eating" circles these days, and rather unfairly so. Potatoes are good for you as long as they're cooked in a healthy manner. For those of you who are interested in learning more, do check this out.I made some baked fries the other day. I

TBChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06730267615864699764noreply@blogger.com31