This gorgeous black forest cobbler takes less than one hour from start to finish, and is perfect for two people or for a big crowd. Perfect for camp outs too.
Food is not about impressing people, it’s about making them feel comfortable. – Ina Garten
I’m a self proclaimed queen of easy desserts. In fact, my friends often remember my desserts among an array of savory dishes. We love the unique and the experiments, but familiarity whispers coziness and warmth. Something we crave and we love….
This easy and delicious beetroot vegetable biryani is my go-to on days when I feel like having a healthy biryani. A one-pot meal of rice, vegetables, and aromatic spices, it’s rich in flavor and elaborate enough to take center stage at parties or just for the family. Each bite is suffused with spice, veggies, or caramelized onions—deep and layered in flavor.
Sometimes a person needs a story more than food to stay alive. – Barry Lopez.
When I decided to start my blog many years ago, my goal was to share food, the love of food, and the love of the stories behind the food. One of the very first blogs I followed and enjoyed reading was INDIAN SIMMER. Prerna’s penchant for Indian food is strong, and her stories were beautifully articulated. Her chicken curry post has to be my favorite, I’ve read it a few times and every time I read it, a string tugs at my heart. And it was no surprise when she won the SAVEUR blog award….
An easy and quick summer treat that is great for entertaining or a pick me up on those warm summer afternoons. The chocolate matcha mousse is a no-bake, eggless dessert that’s creamy, fluffy and oh so good.
“Desserts are like a feel-good song, and the best ones make you dance.” – Chef Edward Lee
The windows are open, and a light breeze comes in moving around the papers left on the table. A warm heat touches the side of my elbows. Waffles finally has made his way to a corner of the garden where bougainvilleas are showering him with flowers and shade. He digs a little spot for himself and sits cozily, tucked in for the next few hours, sun bathing. I take my cold coffee outside, sit under the large red umbrella, and turn on my Etta James playlist with a book to scribble on. Gazing into nothing and closing my eyes, I’m dreaming of the next couple of months…. I can feel it slowing down, as the holidays are approaching. Ready to embrace the heat……
Healthy and a delicious spin on the traditional kofta korma. This beetroot kofta korma is a south Indian style korma with tons of veggies and goes perfectly stuffed in Pita, or with rice or roti.
Spring is the perfect season to practice the art of noticing all the beauty and wisdom the world has to offer us. The winds are shifting, the flowers are blooming, and the markets are bursting with fresh and invigorating vegetables that help keep a lightness about our days. The delicate bounties in our CSA box inspired a spring dish, a little twist from the traditional. Cooking with nature’s color is one of the most pleasant and so fulfilling. There’s a connection between the ingredients, the process, and the finished meal that completely transcends the traditional kitchen….
This juicy, tangy, spicy, and sweet 20 minute tomato garlic peppery shrimp is so easy and delicious. It’s perfect for entertaining, or for a weeknight meal.
Here’s how parties I threw looked like years ago. Plan. Plan for it for weeks. Write a list down, and shop. Make two to three desserts a day ahead, and have an array of dishes. Then came dressing up the room, flowers, and making sure everything is flawless. The morning of: you see your husband put his feet up on the coffee table to relax. You look at him, like “really, please can you help around..?” I turn on the music and start cooking, and start getting excited for the evening. I was on constant edge if I saw the kids mess the countertop, or left their shoes on my polished floors. Two hours before everyone arrives, the home looks like a model home, no smell of cooked meals, everything is neatly stored, flowers are smiling brightly. I light up my candles, put in some drops of orange essential oil in my aromatherapy diffuser, and sit down with a glass of wine, happily….
This healthier version of spicy, crispy, and baked Popcorn Chicken is scrumptious. It makes for the perfect kid-friendly snack, and big kids love it too. If you’re looking for flavorful, garlicky, tender, and juicy popcorn chicken, this is for you.
The first time I had fried chicken was after my marriage when I visited my in-laws for the first time. We were invited to a dinner. My mum in law’s sister was known for her CHICKEN PAKORAS. They would get to know very quickly, that the newlywed girl was not shy about showing her love for food. Among all the chaos and the hustle, the chattering, the food that was being passed around, I got very curious. Curious about the person who was behind the food. I slowly crept into the kitchen to see who was sending out that plate of crispy, spicy red chicken pakoras in particular. There she was. Aunty was standing right there with the corner of her saree tucked into her waist, very busily looking at three stoves. One had biryani going, one had some curry, and the other had a large kadahi with oil and the CHICKEN….
This Salvadoran Sweet Bread / Semitas De Dulce is a traditional bread stuffed with panela/jaggery. A delicious twist on the classic recipe is to use your favorite jam as a filling.
You have to taste the culture to understand it.
We travel for many reasons. To explore, for love, for glory, for adventure, for thrills, to get away from reality, to relax. For the new and the familiar, for sensory thrills and serenity, for socialization and isolation, for risk and reward, for the journey and the story and the secrets. I travel for all these reasons. Which is all just another way of saying that I travel to eat….
A delicious, crispy, and spicy vada with lots of dill, pepper, and onion. This Medhu Vada is an authentic South Indian treat.
The iconic breakfast that’s popular, not only among South Indians but around the world, is Idli-Vada-Sambhar. It’s a dish that makes an awaited appearance every weekend in many homes. Vada might not necessarily happen often, but it is arguably the most popular among the three. Vada is considered a snack in South Indian cuisine. And we cannot confuse it with its cousin, the pakora/bajji, or another street snack, the Vada Pav. Medhu vada is made during festivals, for parties or for an evening snack. There are quite a lot of varieties of vada. It’s mostly made out of legumes, in contrast to the often chickpea based pakoras and bajji. I also have a version of vada with mint and cashews that is crispier and heartier in texture….
So happy to partner with Werther’s Original to bring you this easy and delicious Caramel Crunch Raspberry Ice Cream Cake. I absolutely love Werther’s Caramel. It is the only candy I use in my caramel desserts. Here, we have a beautiful caramel crunch raspberry ice cream cake.
I’ve been to two countries, visited different places, witnessed different cultures, and had loads of good food. India treated me well in the last few weeks. I spent some quality time with friends and family. Well, now I’m back home and back in routine just before spring break.
And this happened….
The BEST Indian style chicken nachos ever!!!! The thin crisp corn chips with the spicy chicken mince, its so so good. And it’s all in one single pan. MINIMAL CLEAN UP! YES!!!! Hit in all parties!!
I sit here, a fully shot and styled post staring at me and I am blank. I’ve made these Indian style nachos for years now, but how am I not finding the words to describe a dish that disappears in minutes of getting to the table.
It’s one of my best back-pocket meals, the chicken mince. One I can make on short notice, assuming that I can get my hands on the freshest mince from my butcher. It’s one of the things I get asked plenty of times:”can you share your Indian style nachos”. It’s one of those recipes that missed getting into my book MASALA AND MEATBALLS, it sure gave a tough fight with hush puppies:)….