East or west home is the best right? And we all are always in the process of creating a cozy and comforting home. In 2015, we became the owners of our current home which was already 12 years old. It was move-in ready, and we didn’t do anything significant in 2015. Starting 2016, slowly we started small home projects. In 2016 we installed all recessed lights, and in 2017 we did wood flooring....
This is the easy recipe that wasn’t. The cookies that I remade… 7? 8? 9? times. Only for me to decide that the first recipe was actually the best and what was I even thinking trying to improve upon it. Hundreds (literally) of chocolate cookies have made their way through my kitchen in the past few weeks, only for me to decide that the very first one I tried was perfect (of course, I then had to re-make that 2 more times, just to be sure it really was perfect)....
Thousand Island Dressing (It’s the Secret Sauce) Ever wonder what that “secret sauce” on a Big Mac is? Or maybe you wonder what makes a Reuben sandwich taste so good (besides the corned beef, sauerkraut, and Swiss cheese)? Well, here’s the secret: Thousand Island dressing! How long it takes: 10 minutes Equipment you’ll need: small bowl or jar Servings: makes 1 ¾ cup It’s so versatile. We love Thousand Island dressing because it has so many uses....
Nothing compares to the delight of homemade pudding. It’s totally different than over-processed commercial products. Homemade vanilla pudding is ultra-comforting especially when it’s warm. It reminds me of my childhood, and my mom’s cooking. How long it takes: less than 20 minutes Equipment you’ll need: saucepan Servings: 4 When I was young, she grew alfalfa sprouts under the kitchen sink, made her own yogurt, canned homemade applesauce every year, made jam and pickles, and froze Michigan sweet corn....
Who doesn’t love the combination of honey and mustard? Tangy and sweet, it’s just what you need to dip those yummy chicken tenders into. How long it takes: 10 minutes Equipment you’ll need: measuring cup, small whisk Servings: makes a little less than 1 cup Do you have someone in your family who is a honey mustard fan? When I was a kid, I always ordered chicken nuggets with honey mustard dipping sauce at my favorite fast food restaurant....
‘Brown Butter’ is literally the magical ingredient in so many Festive/Holiday recipe, hence I’m here with my quick and easy ‘How to make Brown Butter’ post for you’ll. Whether it’s used in sage gnocchi, fudge, blondies (OMG), salads, breads, cakes, or even sauteed vegetables, this secret ingredient exponentially enhances the taste and aroma of each and every dish. The nutty and warm aromas of Brown Butter makes it my favorite and must-have for all your kitchen and it’s soooooo easy to make it....
I love cowpeas so much so that, I always prepare pitlai with this instead of chickpeas and that’s what I posted on my blog too. When I saw that Lobia curry is quite common in Gujarati thali spread, I didn’t even think twice and made up my mind to prepare it. I did prepare, and here I am sharing the same with you all. Beans, legumes, and lentils are one among the major sources of plant-based protein....
How long it takes: 35 minutes Equipment you’ll need: Instant Pot Servings: 4 (one cup each) Now that I know how easy it is to make polenta in an Instant Pot, I think it will be making an appearance on my table a lot more often. And why not? It’s economical, filling, and nutritious. It’s basically a cereal, just ground up corn, and you can store it in your pantry, refrigerator, or freezer pretty much indefinitely....
What’s not to like about an Instant Pot pork loin roast? It’s ready to eat in about half the time it would take to roast in the oven. It turns out juicy and flavorful. And you only get one pan dirty. Pork loin roasts are frequently on sale so they are an economical meat to buy. A two and a half to three pound roast serves a crowd (about 8) and a pork loin roast is easy to serve....
Thanksgiving is behind us and this Instant Pot Ravioli in Spicy Pumpkin Wine Sauce is the best way to use up most of your leftover Thanksgiving ingredients. If your Thanksgiving is anywhere close to ours, I’m sure you must be left with tons of Leftover or half used cans of ingredients. And you must be trying to sneak in those leftovers into upcoming meals. We have tried Cranberry Sandwiches, Turkey Sandwiches and Mac-n-Cheese using the leftovers, but my family was not ready to eat just another one easily....
I love meal planning and meal prepping. A couple of months back, I shared how I cook my lentils in bulk and freeze them. I also shared how I use frozen lentils and make dishes like sambar, dal, khichdi, etc. Today I am sharing how to make rasam in Instant Pot with the frozen lentils, precisely frozen masoor dal. Here is “dump and go” not-so-spicy mild Instant Pot tomato rasam....
I love Ethiopian food, and I first tried Ethiopian food in one of the restaurants in Sunnyvale. I was amazed by the vegetarian options, and the food reminded me of Indian cuisine, especially the lentil stews and dry curries. I love the way they serve their meal. They prepare the Injera (the Teff flour bread) – the Ethiopian bread and lay it out in a plate and then place all the curries circularly including their salad on the bread....
I’ll be here in my nice warm house eating salads and waiting for spring’s arrival. I know it’s been a whole week since I shared a kale salad…’tis the season right? Kale salads and pizza sliders. It’s all about balance. For me, I love for a salad to be a meal, and this one definitely is. Another thing that makes a salad sky-rocket to the top of my favorites list is its ability to stay fresh in the fridge for a few days....
South India is known for rice dishes like pongal and lentil dishes like idli, dosa and so on. But today I have a delicious Kerala paratha or Malabar Parotta that is a popular flatbread in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. This flaky, layered parotta is a delight to make and eat. Traditionally it is made with all purpose flour (or maida), egg and a lot of oil. My version is eggless and is made with a combination of wheat flour (atta) and all purpose flour, making it somewhat guilt-free....
Winter this year in Michigan has been absolutely relentless. Sub-zero temps, freezing rain, ice storms, and so much snow! Needless to say, this winter has been a big encouragement to create lots of new soup recipes. Nothing warms you up like a warm bowl of soup! How long it takes: about an hour in the Instant Pot; a half hour on the stove Equipment you’ll need: either an Instant Pot or large soup pan Servings: 6 I’ve been using my Instant Pot so much that my stove is getting a little jealous....
Introduction Millets are one of the oldest foods known to humans and are one of the native and staple foods of India. They are small seeded grass that grow well in dry regions. They can also be grown and cultivated in a short span of time. There are different types of millets: Health Benefits They are highly nutritious and don’t form any acids. They are easy to digest. Also, as they release less glucose over a long period of time, they are good for diabetic patients and also reduce the risk of diabetes....
Colorful Nerds Rice Krispies Bars In the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, sometimes an event pops up where you might need to bring a sweet treat. However, that doesn’t mean you necessarily have time to bake one. That’s where no-bake treats come in! How long it takes: 15 minutes Equipment you’ll need: large pan, 9 x 13 inch baking pan or dish Servings: 15 Festive colors: This recipe might not be exactly Christmas-y (in other words, it’s not red and green) but it is very festive....
I just have a short post for you today, one with almost more pictures than words. I recently shared these raspberry cheesecake dessert shooters over on Spend With Pennies, but I wanted to share them here with you, too. I raved about the homemade berry filling and creamy cheesecake over there, so I won’t go into too much detail here, but I do want to stress a few things before I go....
I love chaat recipes, the famous Indian street food snacks, and I am sure we all do. I love it so much that I took chaat recipes for one of the mega marathons(Sep’16) as my theme and did 26 chaat recipes. :-) While there are some deep-fried chaat recipes, there are some simple ones like bhelpuri, sukha bhel, fruit chaat, and kala chana chaat that you can munch without any guilt....
Best Ever Chicken Taco Soup This chicken taco soup has everything you love about a chicken taco, wrapped up in a cozy bowl of soup! Some folks might know a variation of this taco soup recipe, “7 can chicken taco soup”, which calls for one can each of cream of chicken soup, chicken broth, beans, corn, tomatoes, chiles, and canned chicken. This version changes the ingredients to a combination of canned and fresh, to really make those Mexican-inspired flavors shine....
