Right after posting a semi-homemade butterbeer recipe, I am with a refreshing fruit-based summer drink – watermelon juice. As much as I love to eat fresh fruits, I love to make quick desserts and smoothies and froyos with them. Basically, I experiment a lot with fruits. But this recipe is not an experimental one. It’s the famous watermelon and ginger juice! We all know the health benefits of watermelon. According to Healthline, watermelon contains only 46 calories per cup and is high in vitamin C, vitamin A, and many healthy plant compounds....

When it comes to the baking marathon, there has to at least one recipe from Gayathri’s blog. :-) And this is that recipe. Yes, I adapted the recipe from her blog. So this is how it all started. Remember the ingredient exchange theme that we had couple months ago? I was partnering up with Smruti, and she gave the vital wheat gluten as one of the ingredients and also suggested that Gayathri’s space has quite a few recipes with wheat gluten....

Check out how I made my zucchini thepla with step-wise pictures. Theplas are popular flatbreads from Gujarat, the western state of India. All you need is some whole wheat flour and some assorted spices for the thepla. You can also combine different flours like chickpeas flour and millet flour and make theplas. Methi thepla is quite popular in Gujarati cuisine, more like the methi paratha that I shared yesterday. You can relish thepla as a snack/tiffin or enjoy it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner....

It sounds like an interesting combo, right? It is indeed! Check out how I made this roasted acorn squash with detailed step-wise pictures. Earlier, I shared the classic baked mac and cheese, a great main dish, but serving it along with some seasonal roasted veggies makes it extra special, right? And this roasted acorn squash is what you need – a perfect side loaded with flavors. I had made this for our Thanksgiving dinner, and everyone enjoyed it....

When I was writing down 26 baked recipes, I realized I have 21 savory recipes and only 5 cakes and stuff. But if you notice you won’t find many baked dishes in my blog. The main reason behind is, I used to bake when I want to do something in a jiffy. So I won’t take pictures and stuff. That’s it, I don’t post. More than for preparing cakes, I use the oven for preparing savory items like Indian curries and stuff....

If you just so happen to be scrambling last minute for something completely perfect and delicious to make for Mother’s Day, this Banana Cream Pie is it. The filling is silky smooth and made completely from scratch (NO pudding mixes or pre-made mix here) and incredibly flavored with a layer of sliced bananas (oh, and I’m going to tell you how to keep them from browning, too). The topping is my simple, thick and fluffy homemade whipped cream (please skip the Cool Whip for this one!...

My theme for this week’s blogging marathon is ‘Explore Latin American Cuisine’. Latin America broadly refers to all of the Americas south of the United States. In one sense it refers to territories in the Americas where Spanish or Portuguese languages prevail. So Mexico, most of Central and South America, and in the Caribbean, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico fall under Latin America. Latin American cuisine is a product of many diverse influences from Native Americans, Africans, Europeans and Asians....

The author brings out the beautiful culture and practices of Kerala with the help of the main characters in the novel – Sudha, Ayah, Devi and Kashi. Her descriptions about VishuKani, Onam, Pongal and Diwali are very fascinating. I really liked the Diwali part where they make clay lamps by themselves every year with the river clay. A perfect eco-friendly diwali. Her book brings out the navarasas (nine moods) of Meena’s childhood life and along with that the six tastes of food too....

This brinji rice or colloquially called as veg brinji is a famous dish in Tamil Nadu, and you can see in the wedding reception menu or on the Jaanavasam day menu along with kurma and cauliflower or potato roast. (We had it at our wedding too) A couple of years ago, when I made kuska rice, I got this grave doubt whats the difference between pulav, biryani, kuska rice and brinji are?...

Can you freeze quinoa? This has probably become clear to you, since you’re reading this post, but yes, you can! It’s one of my favorite kitchen shortcuts. I don’t ever cook a partial bag of quinoa; I always make the entire thing. It’s so much easier to only do that work once rather than every time you need quinoa for a recipe. How long it takes: half hour Equipment you’ll need: large covered pan, freezer bags or containers Servings: makes 9 cups I cook the entire bag, let it cool, and then put it in measured portions in zip-top bags....

Simple Candied Almonds If you’re scrambling for a last-minute gift this holiday season, make candied almonds! Chances are, you already have all (or most) of the ingredients on hand already, and everyone who tries them loves them! This recipe is quite similar to my candied walnuts and candied pecans. I did make a few small changes with though; today I’m using all granulated sugar and no allspice. I just felt like this worked best with the almonds, but I do include notes below if you’d prefer to try them with the same method I use for the pecans....

I can’t believe it’s November already – only two more months and we will be starting a new year. This year just flew right by and it’s holiday season already. We are starting this month’s edition of blogging marathon and my theme for the first week is “Make Takeout at Home’. For the first day I have this Cheese Pav Bhaji sandwich.Pav bhaji is probably the most popular Indian takeout dish that is widely made at home....

How long it takes: 15 minutes Equipment you’ll need: mixing bowl, small colander Servings: 6 The first time I made this chickpea salad sandwich recipe, I wasn’t sure my husband would like it. Vegetarian isn’t his first choice. However, as it turns out, my husband can’t get enough of this salad. He told me that he would be completely satisfied if I had chickpea salad sandwiches, my dill dip for vegetables, and chocolate chip cookies stocked at all times for his lunches....

Chocolate Chess Pie: For Serious Chocolate Lovers Only A true chocolate lover’s dream, chocolate chess pie is a decadent cross between a chocolate pie and my favorite fudgy brownies. It’s got a rich and semi-molton, almost custard-like texture, a papery thin meringue-like top that shines and crackles like the top layer of your favorite fudgy brownies, and a buttery, flaky, (and yet sturdy) classic pie crust. It practically begs to be cut into....

How long it takes: 15 minutes to prep, 50 minutes to bake Equipment you’ll need: oven, mixing bowl, 9 x 5 inch loaf pan Servings: makes 1 loaf Loaded with chocolate! With a whole cup of chocolate chips in the batter, plus a generous layer of chocolate baked on top of the bread, your chocolate cravings should be completely satisfied. Serve the warm bread when the chips are still slightly soft and gooey....

Why You’ll Love These Chocolate Lava Cookies Rich, decadent, and impressive…yet so easy to make! Simply make the dough, stuff it with the ganache, and bake. Chocolate lava cake flavor without any fancy ramekins or baking tins needed! Soft and chewy texture that lasts for days. Using brown sugar and an extra egg yolk really helps with this. Perfect for Valentine’s Day! They are truly a chocoholic’s dream cookie ❤️...

How long it takes: about 4 hours Equipment you’ll need: slow cooker Servings: 1 squash The best part is that it doesn’t involve peeling the squash which just might be one of my least favorite kitchen tasks. It’s tedious, sticky, and a bit dangerous! So do you want to know how to make butternut squash in the slow cooker? It’s ridiculously easy. (P.S. You can use the same method to cook other types of squash....

How long it takes: just under 3 hours Equipment you’ll need: skillet, slow cooker Servings: 6 The vibe here is spaghetti and meat sauce but instead of jarred sauce (ho-hum), we’re making homemade sauce in the crockpot (YUM!). Brown the meat in a skillet to make it flavorful, then let the slow cooking of the crockpot do the rest of the work. Adding uncooked spaghetti to the slow cooker rather than boiling it separately takes one more step out of the process, and the results are perfection!...

I love serving this custard desserts in glass and top with gulab jamun and praline. The best part of this recipe is that nutty-sweet topping. Also it is great to make ahead of time. Try it out for your next party. About the Recipe I love making individual desserts. They are perfectly portion controlled and are easily customizable. They are great to make no-bake and/or fusion recipes. For example, this delicious carrot halwa cheesecake or this quick tiramisu or these individual banana pudding....

After a long and hectic day, we all look for quick and easy dinner recipes. I have quite a few easy dinner and lunch recipes on my blog, and I will share a couple more that you can make quickly and effortlessly this week. Here is the first recipe – creamy pasta with cream cheese. If you all love pasta like us, check out my 10 easy vegetarian pasta recipes....