Breakfast

Malpua (Sweet Pancake) Stuffed With Ricotta-Coconut Rum Cream

October 24, 2016 By Asha Shivakumar

“Alcohol and desserts are pretty great on their own. When combined, the results are often epic”. – Ash

Diwali is right out the corner. Colors, lights, fireworks, clothes, family, friends, parties, dancing, and, of course, we can’t forget about the food. There is so much food and sweets. I love the spirit of this festival. It has the spirit of coming together, laughing over mugs of coffee and tea, snacking, and just relaxing. One of the specialties of Diwali is the snacks that are prepared days before the actual festival…

…

Red Rice Sweet Paniyaarm/fritters stuffed with Coconut and Palm Sugar

March 22, 2016 By Asha Shivakumar

It’s that time again for Indians to slap colors on each other. A festival which brings people together, a festival of camaraderie and jollity. Holi – the festival of COLORS.

India does have a lot of festivals, and the whole country turns into a colorful atmosphere. Among these festivals, some are religious, some are based on seasons, and some are of national importance. I consider this festival in particular to be a more free spirited, joyous occasion for the young and old and everyone in between. It’s a festival where people forget anger, sadness and join in for a day of fun, food and become kids at heart.

…

Almond-Cardamom Cream stuffed Apple Tarts

February 19, 2016 By Asha Shivakumar

I wonder how the days were when there was no puff pastry in the freezer.

Making a puff pastry is an art, an art of being patient. The dough is breathtakingly soft and pliable. There is an aura of romantacism while you handle the dough and roll carefully, quarter turns and striping/dotting The ingredients are just a few, but so many small details go into making the dough. I had little clue until then about the process, and how amazingly flaky, pure buttery it would be. The first bite I took after we baked one batch just blew my socks off. I instinctively remember closing my eyes and tasting the butter, the flakiness and the gazillion layers so thin and crispy. The effort paid off….

Garlic-Coconut Spiced Hash with Eggs

September 11, 2015 By Asha Shivakumar

Being a foodie has always made me think in one perspective, the sensual experience of eating is all in the head. I’ve always felt garlic is a package of surprises. You can use it in every possible innovative way, and there’s a new surprise each time. Now let’s hold onto this thought for a while…

Our bags packed and we are ready to get this thing going. We drove four hours to this beautiful site with winding roads. We reached our destination and were able to stretch our legs a little. Tall redwood trees, green and white tents, sounds of birds chirping invited us. It was hot, but we felt cool under the shade of the tightly packed trees. The tall trees towering above called us in a way with their outstretched branches. The warm sunlight streaming in was definitely inviting. We parked our cars and decided to poke around some more. Little did I know, I’d see the shadow of a bear that night…

…

Instant Savory Vegetable Cake- Handvo

July 29, 2015 By Asha Shivakumar

It is probably the 5557th time he has asked me, “What time is the flight landing?” The baby bear of our home is a big fan of his dad. He calls themselves “the twins.” To him, his dad can’t do anything wrong or say anything wrong. His trust and love for him is unparalleled. When I am cross, it doesn’t take him a moment more to say I was wrong. He’s around his dad every minute possible. He’s the biggest fan of his dad, and takes every word his dad says to heart, and those are the final words. Imagine a kid who sounds squeaky and loud going daddy, daddy this, daddy that. It can get quite annoying, but it’s too cute for us not to smile.

…

Ricotta-Pistachio-Rosewater Banana Bread – Mom’s post

May 6, 2015 By Asha Shivakumar

May through July are some of my most emotional months. There’s just so much going on. In those few months are my kids’ bdays, my closest friend’s bday, my cousin’s bday, and, of course, Mothers Day….

Eggless Coconut-Cardamom Crepe- Sweet Jaggery Dosa((Indian)

February 2, 2015 By Asha Shivakumar

Oh, it’s Sunday! I really want to curl up on my sofa, laze around watching Netflix all day.

I slowly maneuver myself towards my coffee pot. I ask my little baby bear, who’s watching his favorite show, if he’s eaten something. He then issues a quick sweet demand: “Can you please make me pancakes?” Turning away from him, I let out an annoyed sigh, with eyebrows almost touching the back of my head. I feel sort of obligated to make him some, as I denied him pancakes even last week for the same reason: we didn’t have eggs. I didn’t have eggs today too. He has to go to his cricket practice at 9.00 a.m. I have to wake my mind up.

The next option was to make these Indian style pancake/crepes. He ate them and quickly gave me a kiss with a happy smile. Off he went to cricket.

…

EGGLESS Matcha Green Tea Banana Fritters- Sweet Paniyaaram

December 23, 2014 By Asha Shivakumar

Using a recipe of a friend or family gives me the feeling of closeness. It’s like they are here with me in my kitchen guiding me. Do you feel that too?

As the evening sun is shining through the window, I hear the birds chirping, waking you me up from my nap. Memories of Sunday are quite beautiful. A nap after a good lunch of Biryani and pepper chicken put us in a sort of food coma. That didn’t stop any one of us from taking it easy the rest of the day. The biggest incentive for waking up were hot pakoras, maybe sweet bondas, jalebis or someone knocking your door to drop off something.

…

DOSA- A SOUTH INDIAN SPECIALITY

February 5, 2014 By Asha Shivakumar

DOSA with PEANUT CHUTNEY(a perfect South Indian breakfast)

Imagine going to your in-laws’ home for the first time, that itself is nerve wrecking(it was for me). How would you react if they ask you to make dosa? It was quite overwhelming. At that time, I didn’t know how to make coffee to save my life, leave alone the art of making a perfect crispy dosa. I slowly made my way to the kichen, kept the flat iron pan, and started making my dosas. That was not so bad until my father-in-law came and said, “hold on, let me show you how to make a proper dosa”(in a nice tone). My ego was hurt, and I was not a happy girl.

Back at my parents’ home, we did make dosa, but it is not as popular as it is in some parts of Southern India. My hubby comes from Coimbatore, a place known for its idli and dosa. Well, along the years, I’ve learnt much traditional cooking from my in laws, and I love their cooking style.
…

SAVORY WHOLE GRAIN WAFFLES

January 23, 2014 By Asha Shivakumar

How are you’ll doing? Hope you are keeping yourself warm and safe.
What have I been up to??
Not a lot. Watched a very bad movie, infact the worst Indian movie ever and it had the biggest cast.
Ran 6 miles today after taking a break for a while, feels AMAZING.
Ohhh and by the way, watching episodes of STAR GATE. I remember watching it long back. Now on Season 2 and I am quite addicted now. After the boys are in bed, hubby and I watch at least four episodes, loving it.
And also made a huge batch of these waffles.

…