Jelly Roll / Swiss Roll - Happy New Year 2014!!

This year I did not bake anything for holidays since we were visiting our friend Denny in Seattle for Christmas. We met after about 3 and a half years. Our kids had a lot of fun playing together. We had a great time catching up and of course ate a lot of food. She made her famous Plum cake, Checkerboard cookies and Tutti Frutti Cookies. Her parents are visiting her so we were pampered with yummylicious home cooked food. That was a quick 4 days we spent there.I wanted to make something sweet to start the New Year and so I made this Jelly Roll. It is a simple foolproof recipe for sponge cake, which is baked in a jelly roll pan and filled with jam....

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2013 - A Flashback!

When I did a flashback post for the year 2012, I was skeptical if I would even reach this point. My resolution back then was to blog at least twice a month. I am happy that I stuck to that. 2013 was a great year and went pretty well. I went back to basics on blog front and posted many basic Indian recipes. It was well received by you readers and it made me happy. 2013 HighlightsSome of the most commonly made dishes are often not considered as a candidate for the blog post. So this year I wanted to post as many common/daily recipes as possible and I am happy I could do that.I took part in Vegan Thursdays initiative by Priya,...

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Podi Idli | South Indian Breakfast Recipes

These cute little mini idlis are best served with sambar with a dollop of ghee. I tasted this Mini Podi Idli once in an Indian restaurant. The mini idlis were deep fried and then covered in Idli podi. As with any deep fried dish, DH enjoyed it to the fullest. So I tried to recreate the dish at home and also wanted to make it less guilty. It is a very simple dish to make and is heavenly in taste.Ingredients:Serves - 2Mini Idlis - 30 - Click here for the idli batter recipeGingelly oil - 2 or 3 tbspIdli podi - 3 or 4 tsp - per spice levelMethod:Make idlis in mini idli moulds with the idli batter. When the idlis are still hot add the gingelly oil...

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Eggless Chocolate Brownies | Eggless Cake Recipes

I made these wonderful egg-less chocolate brownies months ago and never really got a chance to post it. Here I am after almost half an year and I definitely want to post it before Christmas. This Christmas season I have not baked anything yet since we are visiting our friend in Seattle. If you are trying to bake something quick for the season or want to leave something out for Santa, try these.Also checkout my Honey Brownies.Ingredients:Recipe source - NagsServes - 16All-purpose flour / Maida -  1 cupCocoa powder - 1/2 cupPowdered sugar - 3/4 cup + 2 tbspBaking soda - 1 tspSalt - a pinchOil - 1/3 cupButtermilk - 1 cup (see notes below)Instant...

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Tomato Coriander Chutney | Side Dish for Idli Dosa

This is one more variety of tomato chutney I make often for dosas and idlis. I love the little speckles of the coriander leaves in this tomato chutney. It gives a fresh burst of flavour in the otherwise earthy spicy chutney. Also check out my other posts on Onion Chilli Chutney, Tomato Onion Chutney, Celery Cilantro Chutney on the list of my coconut-free chutneys.Ingredients:Serves - 2-3Onion - cubed - 1 cupTomato  - chopped - 1-1/2 cupsCoriander leaves - from about 5-6 twigsDry Red chillies - 4Oil - 2 tspTempering:Oil - 1 tspMustard seeds - 1/2 tspUrad dhal - 1/2 tspCurry leaves - a fewMethod:Heat 1 tsp of oil and fry the chillies and onion....

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French Canadian Tortiere

It was love at first bite!My dear friend Cathy introduced me to this classic Canadian Christmas dish a few years ago and I have since adopted it into my traditions as well. I lived in Canada as  a little girl (Niagara Falls), so it seemed a nice nod to those Canadian Christmas memories from childhood. We didn't make tortiere, but I can now!Tortiere is a savory pork main dish pie. It's traditionally served around holiday time, particularly in Quebec on Christmas Eve. It has complex flavors and fills your home with the most wonderful aroma. I needed...

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Cranberry Grapes Gojju | Regional Indian Cuisines

Cooking with grapes was unheard of for me until I came across this recipe by Suma. I altered the recipe to use cranberries in place of tamarind and it was so good. This gojju has a lot of complex flavours first sour from the cranberries, then the sweetness from the grapes and finally the spice kick from the chillies. Spooned over a plate of steaming rice, this gojju can really make your day.Ingredients:Serves - 3-4Green Grapes - 1 cup - halvedFresh Cranberries - 10 - halvedOnion- chopped - 1/2 cupAsafoetida - a pinchOil - 2 tspTempering: -  optionalCurry leaves - a fewMustard seeds - 1/2 tspUrad dhal - 1/2 tspSpice mix / Gojju Pudi:Chana...

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Sweet Potato Balls | Healthy Evening Snacks

Growing up evening snacks mostly meant something home-made. After a long day at school we would be so beaten and tired when we get home with tons of homework. And these homemade yummies with a cup of tea was what gears us up to get all the work done. Sure we had our occasional treats of Veg puffs, Samosas and Vegetable Cutlets which Dad gets us from our local bakery. But, made from scratch, these soul foods were made with love by grandma and kept our little tummies full until dinner. Boiled peanuts, Kaara Pori, Steamed Tapioca, Ellu Urundai & Pidi Kozhukattai and these Sweet Potato balls are a few I remember. Here I have used the Garnet...

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Chow Chow Bhath | Regional Indian Cuisines

Chow Chow bhath is a famous breakfast dish in the Indian state of Karnataka. The name may be misleading for those who know the word 'chow chow' as a vegetable. This vegetable is called by many names chow chow, chayote, seema kathirikai, seeme badhnekayi etc.,. But it sure is not a dish about that vegetable. Honestly I do not know the history behind how this dish got its name. But I knew about this dish when I was working in Bangalore. I was staying in a hostel with my friends. It was one lazy Sunday morning, when we were listening to the radio while doing some laundry and there was this program called Chow Chow Bhath. That was an interesting...

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Ginger Cookies

Here's an easy cookie recipe that will have your whole house smelling like a bakery.  They are full of spicy cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. YUM!I used a hand  mixer to cream the butter and sugar,then added the egg and honey. Mix well.Dump all the dry ingredients into a sifter. Add to the the bowl and mix well. I chilled the dough to  make it easier to handle. Roll into 1" balls and then roll in sugar. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake @375 for 9 minutes....that was the perfect time for me. Cool on the sheet for 5  minutes before removing.Remove...

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