Baking

Honey Walnut Shortbread Cookies

December 9, 2019 By Asha Shivakumar

These Honey Walnut Shortbread Cookies are deliciously crisp and buttery in a classic way, and are especially wonderful for Christmas and holiday baking! I consider them a luxury of cookies, and added bonus with the honey. The dough is easy to make using five simple ingredients.

Dare I say that these are my favorite cookies ever?

Honey Walnut Shortbread Cookies

These shortbread cookies are simply the best around. Your house will smell incredible, I couldn’t wait till they came out of the oven, just desperately needed to put one in my mouth as soon as possible.

These cookies are reminiscent of the Danish butter cookies that come in those blue tins around Christmas time. They taste slightly similar but are not as crispy. With honey in it, its softer on the inside and crispier on the outside….

Indian Thanksgiving

November 22, 2019 By Asha Shivakumar

An Indian Thanksgiving or Indian inspire meals for Thanksgiving is how I do it. Thanksgiving is my favorite celebration among the many American traditions. I find the meaning behind it intriguing, and I enjoy the holiday.

It’s about family, and being grateful and thankful for everything. And this Thanksgiving, I am more than thankful to be among my favorite people, my FAMILY. Words can’t explain how grateful and thankful I am for everything that’s happened to me. Have a great Thanksgiving!

If you are looking for an Indian Thanksgiving menu, here it is for you.

…

Read More

Walnut chocolate pinwheel cookie

November 13, 2019 By Asha Shivakumar

Walnut chocolate cookie recipe is the best for your upcoming winter parties. This Walnut Chocolate Pinwheel Cookie recipe is well loved. Make it for your next cookie exchange or for your holiday place and I promise, it’s going to be a hit. I am thrilled to announce that I am a 2019 Reynolds Kitchens Ambassador.

These “cookies” are very popular for christmas parties . Practically every cookie tray has this delicious treat. I had this years ago at a party and asked the host to send me the recipe and she did. I asked my friend what she called them and she said they were “chocolate nut cookies.” I asked another friend and he said they were “chocolate slices.”

They do remind me of pinwheels too, but I decided to call them Walnut chocolate pinwheel cookie I. think that’s the most accurate description :).There were 2 surprise ingredients: 1 being condensed milk, but the most surprising was the cream cheese in the crust. And what a delicious, flaky crust it is! You will love it!…

Basic Banana Bread with Olive Oil and Maple Syrup

June 8, 2019 By Asha Shivakumar

Best Basic Banana Bread Recipe that uses five ingredients, is so easy to make and super soft and moist! The very best way to use up overripe bananas this bread is tender and packed full of flavor!

Banana Bread needs no introduction. It’s cake like, easy and feels decadent and makes for a great treat.

One of my favorite recipe for Banana Bread uses ricotta and is decadent. Although I like the fancy, I make this simple basic banana bread version most of the time.

To make the very basic best banana bread that comes out super moist, it is important to start out with those ugly, overripe bananas! They need to be a dark yellow with lots of browning. The riper the bananas, the more moist your bread will be and the more banana flavor it will have!…

Classic Carrot Cupcake with Baileys Cream Cheese Frosting

April 5, 2019 By Asha Shivakumar

These are fluffy, and moist classic carrot cupcake! Made completely from scratch with real grated carrots, these carrot cupcakes are always a hit! Make sure to top them off with the absolute best cream cheese frosting.

Carrot Cupcakes are my little one’s favorite and I’d like to believe that it’s a way to get his daily serving of vegetables. Give him a cupcake and a zucchini muffin for each hand and we’ve got the bottom of the food pyramid covered.

Alright, maybe carrot cupcakes aren’t the best way to get your daily vegetables, but it’s definitely the tastiest, especially when topped off with a very generous swirl of cream cheese frosting. They’re soft, moist, and cheerfully fluffy, these cupcakes taste like springtime and sunny weather (which I could really, really use right now!)….

Gujiya Pie – Modern take on the traditional

March 17, 2019 By Asha Shivakumar

Gujiya Pie, a modern take on a beloved Indian treat. Gujiya or deep fried hand pies are a quintessential treat for Diwali and Holi. Gujiya Pie is a unique treat that is easy to make and impressive for a party or take to a potluck.

One of the most awaited festivals and celebrated throughout India is Holi. Holi is celebrated in India by the people to get rejuvenated after the months of winter season. People meet, hug, share sweet, play with color, visit their homes together, eat delicious foods, wear new clothes. It a nice way to form a bond, re kindle friendships and camaraderie. It brings out the child in everyone.

It’s a tradition that dates back millenniums. It is the greatest festival of Hindus indicates the triumph of good over evil. It’s a festival that is celebrated over two days and marks the beginning of spring….

Moroccan Guava Almond Phyllo Cake aka Snake cake/ M’hanncha

December 17, 2018 By Asha Shivakumar

Traditional Moroccan dessert, Moroccan Guava Almond Phyllo Cake M’hanncha/snake cake is made with filo pastry and almond filling, scented with orange blossom water and cardamom. Here we’ve used guava paste and cream cheese for that nontraditional modern touch. M’hanncha means coiled snake, name given because of the shape. It is easy to make and the taste is simply divine!

When I began blogging in 2013 I was completely blown away by the prolific community of food writers and home cooks who shared their stories and their inspiration on the web. Come to think of it, I barely visited blogs let alone food blogs, until giving it all a go myself… It was one of those “jump before looking how deep the water was first” sort of things. Needless to say, I spent countless hours pouring over gorgeous, articulate web pages, trying to learn as much as I could. Beautiful photos, authentic writing, original tested recipes, and authenticity was incredibly inspiring….

Goan Style Hasselback Potatoes with Balchao Masala & Coconut Milk

November 11, 2018 By Asha Shivakumar

This Goan style Hasselback Potatoes Casserole is a twist on traditional fanned baked potatoes. The potatoes are baked in a spicy coconut milk sauce, creamy in the middle with irresistible crisp edges. An easy, impressive potato side dish recipe to make for a crowd!

Thanksgiving is two weeks away!!

A few days ago, as I was talking to the boys, I asked them what they were thankful for. The list went on. What struck me most is when they said that we treated them as equals. That made them feel special: when they could eat with the adults, sit at the same table, and participate in the same conversations and rituals.

Such a simple act of inclusion, a seat at the table. “An act of affirmation, really… You, yes you, young one, have a unique and important way of looking at the world. There is so much to be grateful for during the holidays, but a seat at the table has been a gift I have always been acutely aware of, and very much thankful for,” he said….

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Coffee Cake with Maple Drizzle

October 23, 2018 By Asha Shivakumar

This is the fall recipe I’ve been waiting to share, cardamom-spiced pumpkin cream cheese coffee cake! A big slice of spiced pumpkin cake with cream cheese filling in the center, with crunchy brown sugar coffee crumbs on top, drizzled with sweet glaze, paired with a cup of coffee… It’s the perfect way to start a fall day.

What is better than pumpkin and coffee cake, pumpkin coffee cake :). Come Fall, and my obsession for pumpkin and squash dishes reinvigorates. As it should be!!

With all of the pumpkin recipes floating around, there’s one extremely basic pumpkin dessert that I’ve never shared with you before. It’s my favorite pumpkin cake. Simple, straightforward, unadulterated, no strings attached, positively perfect pumpkin cake. It’s for those of us who want pure pumpkin spice flavor with nothing else in the way.

…

Crusty Cauliflower Pasta Bake with Peppery Almonds Manchego Crust -GF

October 11, 2018 By Asha Shivakumar

With just four ingredients, you have the best cauliflower pasta bake ever. The sauteed cauliflower feels decadent with spicy almonds in this crunchy baked pasta. You can cook this over the stove top, or bake it. Be careful not to overcook your pasta, as it will continue to cook in the oven.

This pasta bake is just the kind of thing for these dark and dreary days. It’s warm, crusty, and soul-satisfying. Yet it’s full of healthy ingredients. Chickpea pasta, crushed cauliflower, and a good peppery almond crust.

The pasta is a vessel that holds the cauliflower and with every bite, you get a bit of the creamy from the cauliflower and crunch from the almonds….

Baking

Honey Walnut Shortbread Cookies

… Read More

…

Read More