April 2013
1 post
Kitchen Updates
Quinoa with mix veggies and sautéed spinach… I love this mix - although I am tempted to make Quinoa with vegetable stock instead of just water. Maybe even add some saffron to it - which is what is happening in my kitchen right now…
Quinoa again but this time with veggies sausages, a balsamic reduction and some scrambled eggs.
This is my regular Oats dosa with Indian peanut...
February 2013
1 post
Barley Veggie soup
I’ve had this recipe on my mind for a long time now. It’s healthy, tasty and very filling. You know how we end up reading that we need to have at least _ servings of veggies a day and _ servings of whole grains etc ? Well, this recipe could be an answer to that. And it doesn’t need you to be standing by it while it cooks up and absorbs all the flavors. You could very well...
January 2013
1 post
3 pieces of a puzzle
Last year has so much I want to write about but before I go there I want to try and focus on the positives. Yes there has been a loss of humanity and I really want to be in a happy place - forgetting all the bad and hiding behind something that makes me happy.
Although there was so much bad going on around us, for me, personally this last year is very very special. Some milestones were reached,...
December 2012
2 posts
5 tags
Irish Cream doused cake
Well I’ve been asked to patent this recipe :D So I’m mighty happy with it and so are some others! I’ve tried a version of this earlier and this time I tried chocolate and it was ‘purrrr fect!
I had people come up to me and compliment the cake as well as ask me for the recipe. Even fruit cake haters. Wait don’t run away - this ain’t the regular long process...
3 tags
Oats uttappam with peanut chutney
Amma has been asking me to try this recipe since forever now. I finally did and it definitely was worth a blog write up. I will also share a chutney’s recipe here because I promised a friend :)
I could never find a dosa making pan for the longest time. I wanted one which had no edges like the one in this pic. Now it’s here and it’s here to stay! This recipe is health itself -...
October 2012
3 posts
(R)oomie's sushi rolls treat
This is going to be a pretty short post. I don’t have much to say for a multitude of reasons:
> I’m no sushi guru (Have you watched Jiro dreams of Sushi?)
> Nor is my (R)oomie and you can hardly tell looking at how great they turned out
> He dumbfounded me by making the perfect looking/tasting rolls
This being his first ever time!!!
Having zero sushi making...
This and That
A round-up of all the boba i’ve had. Now to explore other cities :)
Some yogurt, fresh strawberries and some granola make for a perfect treat anyday anytime.
A nutella treat… Trying to convert the peanut butter lovers ;)
Being treated to special dinners by (r)oomie is definitely a weekend high! And broiled tofu is awesome!
Pumpkin butter - a treat for someone you loooowe....
3 tags
My brief affair with Boba
It feels like a century since I last visited and I’m back to make up for all the lost time. Of late, I’ve been crushing on Boba… The chewy little sweet balls soaking at the bottom of a refreshing cold milk tea really bring add a twist to the concept of tea. For someone like me, who is a recovering chai addict, when I say chai I mean the heavy Indian adrak and elaichi chai. Boba...
September 2012
1 post
2 tags
Ganesh Chathurthi
Voila our homemade Ganesha this year.
It’s that time of the year, when I put on my ‘artist’ cap and have some fun. Honestly, this is something I started in 2010 right after I got married, for no particular reason but to be able to create something from clay. Earlier I was hooked to Tanjore painting and was frustrated because of the lack of materials out here. More on that...
August 2012
1 post
5 tags
Kanpai
My first experience with Sushi wasn’t the best. And I’m talking vegetarian sushi here. It was from what they call the Mc Donalds for Sushi (Sushiboy) and we couldn’t stand the smell! Recently when I was out I decided to go ahead and try the vegetarian sushi at A CA SHI sushi. I had even watched a video on Chow.com on how to eat sushi the right way.
So all prepped up I ordered...
July 2012
2 posts
6 tags
Basil Pesto garnished with veggie dogs
⇧ taken at noodles and company enroute to a Haunted house. That story is for another day though.
I’ll cut to the chase this time and give you the recipe right away and you can decide if you want to hang around a lil bit longer.
Pesto Pasta with Veggie dogs
Boiled and drained pasta of your choice 2 Cups Basil Pesto - 1 Cup (Directions below) Veggie Dog - 1 (Directions below)
For the...
Food and places 2
This post is in continuation with my earlier post on food from different restaurants that I seem to visit pretty frequently these days!
A very interesting albeit salt free Vegetable Florentine at Four n 20. A place I pass by every day for the last 6 months and I haven’t ever noticed. That’s not really new to me. I hardly observe things around me when I travel. Having a very short...
June 2012
3 posts
7 tags
Saffron Raisin Sweet Buns
About 2 years back, a friend of mine shared this link on facebook. I bookmarked it for later waiting to get my hands on some saffron. I finally did, very recently and have been using it since. I love the saffron flavor, aroma and the color it gives to the dishes it favors.
I used my favorite skillet as you can see and I just can’t seem to have enough of it! The bread came out sweet and...
9 tags
A strange feeling & some food
Ever felt like a grain of sand in the desert? Most likely the answer to that question is ‘Yes, at some point in time’. What do you do when that feeling overcomes you and then you become that feeling? Do you drown? Do you feel helpless like a stranger in a foreign land or a fish out of water? Do you wish you could go back in time and huddle in your favourite place? Or, do you look...
May 2012
2 posts
4 tags
Fruits: Food & Fun
My (R)oomie is easily pleased. A simple Indian dinner, a slice of mango, makes him plenty happy. What I’ve noticed is that it’s the attitude he gets it with that makes him all the more happy. That child like glee is something I’ve seen in very few people.
My Mom too, is easily pleased - genuineness is the easiest way to get to her. She lives in the details and then cares about the big picture...
6 tags
Food and places
Lunch at Pitfire(North Hollywood) with the team… Although I went with the intention of trying their salads, I ended up ordering the only vegetarian option they had. I tasted leek for the first time ever and although I loved the roasted veggies I’d have preferred a little more spice. The verdict is that I would definitely go back for more!
Stinking Rose(Beverly Hills) with the...
March 2012
1 post
5 tags
Veggie & Quinoa Cakes- A guest post by Priya of...
I cannot begin this post without telling you how much in awe I am of this beautiful and talented person!!! I’m ecstatic as you can tell. Technically I have known her since school which would mean I know her for more than 2 decades now? We actually got in touch when we were in college and then again when I found her blog 2 years later!!! I visited her blog every single day in 2008(I hope that...
February 2012
1 post
4 tags
Samo to Samo
Going grain-free seems to have caught up with a lot of people. For this rice and sambar loving south Indian it is one of the hardest course to take. And I cannot say I’ve been a 100% grain-free either. I give in to temptation sometimes and on other days I completely stick to routine.
Given that I found something that could replace is a huge relief BUT unfortunately it just does not match...
January 2012
1 post
A New Year and some food!
Should I start by apologising for the huge gap in blogging? Maybe, maybe not. It’s been an interesting start to the much talked about 2012. I’m not sure about many of you but I for one feel like the whole of 2011 just flew by without letting me know. Would I have changed much about it? Mostly not ;)but I do wish I had gotten down to doing a lot more baking and blogging. But, I...
December 2011
2 posts
10 tags
Catching up on Baking
That’s me cutting my 6th year birthday cake baked by my Mom(she’s in the right corner of the pic making sure I don’t hurt myself), wearing a dress she stitched for me. I still have the chair I’m sitting on though I don’t fit on it anymore :) This year I celebrated my 28th birthday away from her and I missed her terribly. This was also my 1st Bday with (r)oomie so its...
November 2011
1 post
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October 2011
4 posts
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Tips!
How many of you freak out when you get new glassware and have to remove those uber sticky price tags off the bottom? And there’s a party the very next day!
I’ve tried many methods and this works best for me - plus it’s easy and I happened to think it up myself withOUT googling! Take warm water a bowl. Maybe a little more than warm but not hot.
This is the martini glass I got...
September 2011
1 post
12 tags
Ganesh Chathurthi
Hey yo’ll…
Id Mubarak and Happy Ganesh Chathurthi to all of you… August had a lot of Birthday celebrations Krishna(yea the Hindu God) and Balarama’s(His Brother) and (R)oomie! September brings along more celebrations and it continues to the end of the year and then again it’s welcoming the new year and many many more festivals… So happy festivities!!!
...
August 2011
1 post
11 tags
A birthday cake and a few prayers
I wasn’t going to make a post for this because almost everything is readymade or atleast semi-readymade. But you asked for it and so, here it is…
What you need:
Sujata eggless cake mix(white) {Or any other cake mix of your choice and follow basic cake mix instructions}
The directions on the box suggests that you add 1&1/8 cups water and 2 Tbsp vegetable oil to the mix. I...
July 2011
3 posts
6 tags
Presto Pasta Nights 224 Round Up
I must start with apologizing for keeping you all waiting for this round-up. I had laptop issues and had to borrow (R)oomie’s work laptop to finally get this post ready for all of you! I got a lovely round-up and I can’t wait to share them with you…
Divya from Boston blogs at Coconuty Tales, sent us this scrumtious looking Coconut Pasta which I have queued up in my ‘must...
6 tags
Pasta entries for PPN 224!
My previous post would be proof enough as to how excited I am about hosting Presto Pasta Nights… What got me even more excited was having my friends participate - I think I almost blackmailed one into sending me entries. Let me introduce Sandhya, a friend from kinder-garden and a genuinely sweet person. Over the years the only point of contact used to be at a common friend’s wedding and now thanks...
8 tags
Hosting Presto Pasta Nights 224!
I am sooper excited to be hosting a food event for the first time ever! And when I say food, it’s PASTA my favourite food in the entire world! ;) Well to be honest it was the fastest, safest and tastiest bachelorette food when I started living alone. As a kid my Mom was forced to make mac and cheese (which is the tastiest form of pasta even now) many many times over the years.
College...
June 2011
3 posts
5 tags
Kulfi & Ice-cream with cherry preserve topping!
(R)oomie and I have been having ice-cream cravings on and off. The Magnum ice-cream ads don’t help either. I called up Amma and asked her for her ice-cream recipes and it’s been like 15 years since she made some at home and so she had to get her recipe book out. She has made tons of egg-less ice-cream for me especially when we were living in Kuwait and she had all the time to...
13 tags
Veggie Blackbean Pattie
I’ve been taking it easy the past few weeks - pracastinating actually. So I’m actually making an effort to sit down and write this post. Can you imagine life for a month without cable/tv? 6 months? 1 year? We completed a year without one successfully. And I’m pushing to make it two! It’s not that I dont watch any show - I do! But it’s mostly whatever comes on hulu...
4 tags
Soba noodles in a thai sauce
I’m in a happy place right now. I got clarifications to a few questions I have been asking around, for a while now. While life goes on, I realized to my absolute horror that I feel terribly insecure when I have to cook for friends - fearing judgement and failure mostly. I didn’t experiment at all and decided to go the safe route and make some semi-readymade food. While in fact I...
May 2011
1 post
10 tags
Baking for a cause
I was a marshmallow lover till I got to know that it had gelatin in it. Sometimes Ignorance is Absolute Bliss. Having realized what gelatin was and so on and so forth I decided to give it up. This was a longtime ago(almost a decade). I wasn’t a very conscious vegetarian - in the sense that I never went about looking at labels on sweets to check for gelatin. Hell… I wouldn’t...
April 2011
4 posts
8 tags
A savoury Vegetable infused Parmesan Pasta cake
I give all credit for putting up this post to (R)oomie. The moment this idea started building up in my head I jumped out of the couch and started working on all the vegetables and worked my way through it. It took a LOT of time and by the time I was done I lost all my appetite for it. But (R)oomie got in on the action from there on and ate it - He ate it through the night and just watching him...
5 tags
Raising a toast
As a kid I loved pretending that I was part of a party and raising to toast to someone or something. Clinking those pretty long stemmed delicate glasses was something that seemed out of my reach(because as a kid I’m known to have butter fingers around glassware) In this case I’d like to raise a toast to Easter, to Sachin’s Bday and Godzilla’s Bday.
Amma always makes...
6 tags
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Golden Apple Crisps
Remember the Baked Apple crisps that I royally screwed up? I tried again! And this time I succeeded! Please follow Ria’s recipe to the T and you’ll do fine.
The only differences are that I used Golden apples and I sliced using the sharpest, thinnest knife in the kitchen. :D
And before I forget, Happy World Cup peeeepal!!!
March 2011
7 posts
2 tags
Parmesan Omelette with oven roasted Asparagus
This happens to be my lunch atleast once a week. An easy omelette with some cheese and any available veggie oven roasted. Simple? Another one to add to the Uniquely Simple Dish list. Do you realy need the recipe? Actually since some work did go into making it, let’s just put it down here, no?
I had been to the animal shelter on friday and there during lunch hour my Volunteer liason...
3 tags
Kitchen Disasters
Life is not like I try and show on the blog… Contrary to popular notion it’s never perfect and honestly I don’t spend a lot of time in the kitchen. I’d love to, but when I see the sink pile up with dishes, I simply give up and walk out. Then comes the eating out and fruit binging phase followed by the guilty feeling at having ignored ‘the de-stress zone’. I do...
10 tags
Healthy(er) Idly
Cricket has been a huge part of the majority of Indian homes and from the looks of it, will continue to be. This has been one religion that marries the whole of our country. Tensions leading to heavy betting and self mutilation(nail biting included) are all part and parcel of this religion.
Fortunately or not the only exposure I’ve had to this game was when my cousin played with his...
7 tags
Cauliflower souffle
Baking is turning out to be a blessing in disguise for me. Tasty, healthy and half the work! So less kitchen time and yet the results are uniquely tasty experiments. Works for me :)
I’ve been hesitant to buy veggies that require a lot of cleaning time and end up taking the same amount of time to cook. Veggies like Cauliflower and Carrots for example. I’ll come up with other examples...
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Guest post - Chakkara Pongal by Annie
Introducing my first Guest and a dear, dear friend Annie.
Annie and I go back a long way, come May this year it will be 12 years!!! Out of those 12 years we spent only 2 actually ‘studying’ together. The rest of the decade was spent having nightouts(filled with girly gossip), eating out, seeing some of us off at the airport and finally having a grand reunion in NYC in 2009. We...
February 2011
7 posts
4 tags
Daring Bakers February - Panna Cotta & Florentine...
This is my first ever Daring Bakers challenge and it had to be in the month of february. Daring Bakers challenge has this mysterious aura about it because the reveal happens all at once on the same day and all of a sudden you get to see a multitude of variations of a recipe across the net. They are all beautifully made, and it definitely brings out the creative side in you. Most recipes can...
4 tags
Chai bagels with oven baked tomatoes and paneer...
I have been a tea addict ever since I could spell the word tea. I could make tea since I was tall enough to reach the stove. It may not be the best thing to be addicted to because there have been days in my recent years when I would get a migraine if I didn’t get my morning cuppa tea.
Also for the past 3 years now bagels are one of my most favourite food type. I have treated myself to one bagel...
6 tags
Focaccia with Cottage cheese and oven baked...
Everything was made from scratch and I so totally enjoyed every bit of the therapy… Mommy dearest made some rosgulla from fresh homemade cottage cheese/paneer and I wanted to make some too but by the time I finished making the paneer I was tempted to make some paneer burji. What then happened was that I saw some juicy tomatoes in my fridge and I decided to make oven dried tomatoes and...
