tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47340034476722193882012-01-22T04:13:25.875-06:00Delving into my domesticated side. Recipes tried, tested and true.Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.comBlogger1051100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-51169203132608814932011-02-18T04:25:00.000-06:002011-02-18T04:25:55.643-06:00

If the premise behind posting this recipe was a real-life assignment in a college or school, I would have failed.Or been thrown out of school. Well, OK, not that serious, but I probably would be in detention for a while. Herein is a lesson on How Not To Be a Good Member of a An Otherwise Earnest Little Food Blogging Group:The very charming Simran of the equally charming food book club This Books

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-86033926511477205832011-01-25T06:17:00.000-06:002011-01-25T06:17:29.086-06:00

One of my favorite Mediterranean restaurants in Houston is Fadi's. The food and the quality is impeccable and I never turn down an offer to have lunch there. My husband attended a party recently and had a to-go box of a fish and rice dish that he brought home for the rest of us to sample (read GORGE on). I have never had this particular dish at the restaurant and couldn't place it on their menu

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-90375053439389416082011-01-19T10:44:00.003-06:002011-01-19T10:47:53.869-06:00

Hello! Happy New Year! We are close to the end of January and here I am fresh off my resolutionary agenda, which included "I MUST BLOG MORE" in the list ;-) I'm back this time with a super easy pizza recipe that you can whip up in no time if you have a craving for pizza. Or BBQ. Or something hot out of the oven. Preferably topped with a lot of gooey cheese.Or ALL OF THE ABOVE. California Pizza

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-10711194224670584012010-12-22T07:08:00.000-06:002010-12-22T07:08:31.563-06:00

So I don't date myself too much here, not MY 30th wedding anniversary, but rather a 30th wedding anniversary party that my parents and I hosted for my aunt and uncle who got married on the same day as my birthday. I was a bratty flower girl at their wedding, and as a surprise to me, they rolled out a birthday cake onto the reception floor which I got to cut, and then I graciously returned the

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-67218053568408253062010-12-15T22:18:00.002-06:002010-12-21T00:07:27.994-06:00

Because it's my birthday.... I didn't make this cake for my birthday by the way, I made it for the last Wilton Course #2 I attended. But I'm mighty  proud of it. And because Christmas is around the corner. And I finally got the tree up.... ...And because I just realized this is my 101-st post.... One of you bloggers out there will win a $40 Amazon.com email gift card. Funded by me. Because

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-77922437187186330062010-11-30T23:07:00.000-06:002010-11-30T23:07:23.468-06:00

Hope all of you that celebrate Thanksgiving have recovered from this past weekend's food extravaganza, or better yet, have been revived out of turkey induced comas. This year, I decided not to get crazy busy over the weekend by handing over Thanksgiving hosting duties to my sister-in-law in exchange for Christmas Dinner duty this year. Does anyone smell a whiff of procrastination again? I

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-73130548188332522172010-11-22T06:14:00.000-06:002010-11-22T06:14:20.271-06:00

Here is a new feature that I hope to continue, where I profile food via links that I've tried from your blogs, something that I have been doing a lot lately. Most of the time, there has been no adaptation necessary because your recipes are spot on! My Google Reader (bursting at the seams with over 300+ blog subscriptions) has become my default kitchen aid and sous chef. I enter in an ingredient

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-66464102278170244932010-11-19T05:20:00.000-06:002010-11-19T05:20:36.751-06:00

'Tis the season...well almost, but Thanksgiving is just a week away in our neck of the woods, so it's a shame not to start using up the seasonal produce that starts lining up the grocery shelves this time of year. I randomly picked up a bag of juicy and tart cranberries and a bag of fresh pecans, and then set about wondering what to do with them. While I was clearing out my unforgiving and

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-39318732440279563632010-10-27T13:46:00.000-05:002010-10-27T13:46:10.061-05:00

At a camping trip this weekend, a friend announced an impromptu pumpkin carving competition. Of course, I had to bring my A-game, but sadly, I fell flat on my face. Armed with thumbtacks and a dull knife, I attempted: 1. A Car - specific instructions from The Little Boy. Of course, I went wild and decided to do a car leaping out of blazing flames. Only to have the car roof collapse in

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-24991632666646141692010-10-21T10:01:00.003-05:002010-10-21T12:56:50.970-05:00

When I was in the second grade, we had a show-and-tell session at school, which was followed by a parent-teachers conference. At the dinner table that night, my mother calmly asked me to recount what I had told the teacher that morning about the last vacation we had taken.  "Uhm, I dunno," I mumbled back.  "Really? Because the sweet lady asked me how our trip to MOROCCO and MAURITANIA had been?

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-54763525329244022252010-10-11T21:37:00.000-05:002010-10-11T21:37:04.794-05:00

Sweet Punch time again! And this month's delicacy is the molten lava cake, an incredibly sinful dessert that is chock full of butter, eggs, sugar and a smattering of flour. The cakes are baked just enough to set the exterior, leaving a hot, gooey, chocolate interior that goes oh-so-darn-well with vanilla ice cream. Of course, I had big plans for this dessert, but as is the case at my house,

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-62640842962007101592010-10-07T06:59:00.000-05:002010-10-07T06:59:21.879-05:00

The weather has turned unseasonably cold here in the Southern US. We were sitting in our patio last night having BBQ, which we though was appropriate for a fall evening, fire and all, except our friends - the friendly mosquito brigade - were not informed of the change in weather plans, and they decided to swoop down on us before they ...well, I dunno...where do mosquitoes go for the winter?

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-86194379936831015782010-09-30T12:03:00.002-05:002010-09-30T12:12:28.993-05:00

In a previous post, I mentioned a tiny Japanese restaurant in the heart of suburban New Jersey that became a firm fave of mine and gave my husband and I a new-founded respect for Japanese cuisine. Then I actually got to go to Japan and ate McDonalds there for three days straight. More on that disturbing fact at the bottom of this post.... Aside from a delightful rolled beef and spirng onion

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-80819317199003306532010-09-27T11:17:00.001-05:002010-09-27T14:28:32.266-05:00

The September 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Mandy of “What the Fruitcake?!” Mandy challenged everyone to make Decorated Sugar Cookies based on recipes from Peggy Porschen and The Joy of Baking. The challenge also required us to decorate the cookies with a September theme. My god-daughter/niece's birthday is in September, and her mother decided to throw her a tea party. So I thought

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-44760346468602039742010-09-24T12:52:00.000-05:002010-09-24T12:52:31.283-05:00

Once upon a time (yes, its been YEARS), when we used to live in New Jersey, my husband and I chanced upon a tiny Japanese restaurant in Little Falls named Sukeroku. We were smitten on our first visit because everything we illiterately ordered off the menu, helped (or un-helped) by the sweet non-English speaking kimono clad waitresses ("and they're Korean, they're not even REAL Japanese" wryly

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-58101929871690196202010-09-21T13:33:00.002-05:002010-09-22T10:08:02.406-05:00

Heard of Ruby Tuesday's? They are a chain restaurant in the USA offering super-sized plates of good ol' American fare, usually smothered in some highly calorie intensive sauce or fried and battered up more than is good for you. I found it mildly funny that our local Ruby's was located right outside the entrance to the Cardiovascular unit of our local hospital. Strange coincidence? So I spotted

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-84058493381553557882010-09-09T13:45:00.002-05:002010-09-21T11:23:57.319-05:00

I've returned to This Book Makes Me Cook, a delightful little Internet "Cooking The Books" reading group that I chanced upon a while back, after a lazy summer where I neglected everything blog wise. I'm glad I picked this month to return, else I would have missed out on reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society which had been on my back burner for a while as it had come heavily

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-45753203882264508862010-09-01T22:22:00.003-05:002010-09-21T14:17:44.877-05:00

That is a tiny piece of brown butter pound cake, with vanilla bean ice cream sandwiched in the middle, and then covered smothered in ganache. Yum. The August 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Elissa of 17 and Baking. For the first time, The Daring Bakers partnered with Sugar High Fridays for a co-event and Elissa was the gracious hostess of both. Using the theme of beurre noisette,

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-86841021974886260552010-08-08T23:52:00.005-05:002010-09-21T14:18:44.671-05:00

Goodness. It has been exactly two months since I last posted on this blog. Blame a hectic summer, kids underfoot with an unprecedented 4 month break from school (!), a wedding to attend and a couple of holiday trips. I'm sorry to say I almost forgot how to blog in the meantime. Apologies to those of you who have been having sleepless nights wondering which part of the earth I fell off of (har har

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-84754242746530007942010-06-08T18:24:00.006-05:002010-09-21T14:19:14.569-05:00

The Sweet Punch is a new baking-blogging group started by the trio of Ria, Divya and Maria. And of course if there are any blogging groups out there, I immediately drop everything I am doing and run and join them. Especially if they will contribute to the needs and cravings of my sweet tooth. Or a plate of chicken. Because that seems to be the direction my blog is headed.Chicken. And then

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-34217398524794317702010-05-30T18:21:00.001-05:002010-09-21T11:29:16.773-05:00

Am I the only one that's been intrigued by the Pei Wei billboards in town advertising their new Vietnamese Caramel Chicken? However given that I am the only one who doesn't care for Pei Wei restaurants that much except for their awesome, awesome chicken wraps ( I HEART THOSE CHICKEN WRAPS!), I thought I would give this dish a try at home first because I stumbled across the recipe in Food and

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-50433294919728469382010-05-27T23:33:00.003-05:002010-09-21T12:02:06.441-05:00

Woo hoo! I got to make Chocolate Eclairs because of the Daring Bakers! One of my ambitious projects that has been on the back burner ever since I tasted a delightful chocolate eclair for a little bakery back in the day in Gaborone. Yes, Gaborone as in Southern AFRICA, far cry from a patisserie in Paris. The May 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Cat of Little Miss Cupcake. Cat

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-68708027746657393072010-05-25T11:47:00.002-05:002010-09-21T11:32:59.816-05:00

Tabbouleh is a delightful Middle Eastern salad made of finely diced parsley and crushed wheat (bulghur). This is a riff on the dish using Orzo - a pasta that looks like rice, intended to replace the crushed wheat component of the salad. My brother loudly exclaimed that Orzo was left over spaghetti that had been cut up till it resembled rice. Which is not true. Because seriously, who would want

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-20191067812859151152010-05-15T08:09:00.001-05:002010-09-21T11:34:58.794-05:00

For this month's Indian Cooking Challenge, we are making Ras Malai which is an Indian dessert made of spheres of homemade cheese (paneer) that have been cooked in syrup and then soaked in cream. ICC is the brainchild of Srivalli, and every month she sets about to challenge members to recreate traditional Indian snacks and sweets that have been long forgotten, or relegated out of the home kitchen

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-50672935720106395702010-05-11T14:55:00.001-05:002010-09-21T14:20:12.256-05:00

My mother-in-law is guilty of it. My grandmother is probably guilty of it. My mother is guilty of it. But will probably deny being in such dire straits. I am in esteemed company. Of opening your fridge on a Friday night and staring at a carton of eggs, half an onion, a tomato (on a good day), some left over rice and nothing else. And three pairs of hungry eyes watching you from across the room.

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-69437288616670292742010-05-05T23:03:00.002-05:002010-09-21T14:20:49.183-05:00

Koesisters are little fried dumplings that are a Cape Malay twist on the more traditional South African pastry "Koeksister". The Cape Malay community is a vibrant ethnic group that call most of the Western Cape region of South Africa home. They are originally of Javanese descent, brought from modern-day Indonesia as indentured labourers. Their culture and ethnic traditions have left an

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-7655055587924910302010-04-28T11:47:00.003-05:002010-10-06T09:36:48.497-05:00

Warning - the following excerpt contains sensitive material. Not for the faint of heart. Nor for fans of free range chickens. She shivered again, and wrapped her beige coat tightly around her. The air was heavy and stale. The chill cut through her, even her tough exterior could not provide her respite from the bitter cold. She was tired. She had been up for days. Wondering. Waiting. When? "

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-84845370015345128922010-04-27T14:28:00.001-05:002010-09-21T14:22:12.722-05:00

The British Invasion.They came. They poured custard. I conquered. The April 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Esther of The Lilac Kitchen. She challenged everyone to make a traditional British pudding using, if possible, a very traditional British ingredient: suet. Unfortunately, I was a little intimidated by the use of suet (fat rendered from animal kidneys), and so I opted to make

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-35789592675219131502010-04-22T14:28:00.002-05:002010-09-21T14:23:14.506-05:00

Desperate for something starchy, but bored of the same-old same-old mashed potatoes, I found this little gem of a recipe on Whole Foods website yesterday. An added incentive to make it was the chance to break in my almost one-year old brand spankin' new never-been-used-before (OK, we GET it!) Lodge Logic 10-1/4-Inch Pre-Seasoned Skillet. This is my second piece of Lodge cookware and I'm pretty

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-75702651499606939182010-04-19T12:50:00.038-05:002010-09-21T14:24:41.594-05:00

An apology to my readers.....*cough*....reader. I am sorry. I have been away on one of my unexplained absences again. Playing traunt. The reason, your honor, would be spring. For the first time in my life, I, of the no-green-thumb variety, suddenly and inexplicably opened my eyes to the wonders of spring. Flowers blooming, birds tweeting, green grass a-growing underfoot. I over-enthusiastically

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-62716075784272982912010-04-01T10:35:00.040-05:002010-09-21T14:25:16.964-05:00

Once upon a time, there was a little girl who lived in Africa. She whiled away her carefree days playing in the dusty backyard, flanked by jacaranda and mango trees, whose dark, green canopy of leaves provided respite in the long summer afternoons. One day, a truck appeared at the vacant house next door and a prim, bespectacled woman, modestly dressed in beige, alighted. The little girl stared at

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-41163729619581445792010-03-29T13:00:00.020-05:002010-09-21T14:25:59.263-05:00

Spring Break has come and gone. After a visit to the seaside and then to a rental by Lake Conroe, the kids are back in school, the weather has suitably warmed up and I have just recovered from a lovely bout of food poisoning.*record player comes to a screeching halt* Just the thing to mar an otherwise lovely few days. And food poisoning puts you off food completely, let alone food blogging. But

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-16435896560242667932010-03-16T22:26:00.028-05:002010-09-21T14:26:43.147-05:00

Spring has Sprung! Finally, winter seems to have left for good, and so with the kids off on their Spring Break, we took to the beach for some R&R with our crazy zingbang extended family. Here are some scenes from surfside and the rented beach house. Morning Ablution The kitchen was swarming with my uber-talented aunts, so I stayed far away, and the only offering I made was this measly fruit

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-31768700005308779662010-03-12T12:30:00.016-06:002010-09-21T14:27:04.888-05:00

Does anyone remember the images from last months Superbowl XLIV, when the underdog New Orleans Saints coasted to victory over the prestigious, over-hyped and seemingly invincible Indianapolis Colts? Errrr, actually I don't. Because I'm not a big American football fan. Any sport where there is a requirement for more technical apparatus than what NASA needs to send a spacecraft to the moon is to

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-6655868092403584922010-03-09T23:04:00.019-06:002010-09-21T14:27:42.007-05:00

I sometimes get a little fanatical when it comes to new cuisines. I'll go all out in an attempt to conquer it and force feed it to my family, despite their lame attempts to escape. My latest obsession has been Thai food. With its luxurious fragrances and medley of spices all blended in fragrant coconut milk, it seemed an unattainable goal for me since all its ingredients seemed way too foreign

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-4536564323568877652010-03-06T00:47:00.023-06:002010-09-21T14:28:18.737-05:00

The Book Choice for February at "This Book Makes Me Cook" club was Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes. The highlight of the book to me is, of course, some of Mayes' recipes, written casually with little fuss and highlighting the strength of the local produce of Tuscany. I chose to make the Pizza with Onion Confit and Grilled Sausage from her Summer Kitchen Notes collection. I'm not sure if

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-72568085949762744602010-03-02T13:22:00.021-06:002010-10-06T09:37:44.281-05:00

Imagine sinking your teeth into a little spherical mass of milky sweetness, releasing a wave of cardamom tinged raindrops on your palate. This, Gulab Jamuns, is the stuff of cherubic angels. I'm guessing they use them as ping-pong balls? However, heady with your love for these tiny confections of love, you rush to your nearest Indian or Asian restaurant and order them off the bat, only to

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-20284342607374203142010-02-26T21:29:00.020-06:002010-10-06T09:38:10.072-05:00

There are times (plenty chez-nous) when one aches for something sweet to complete a meal. Times when the Valentines day candy stash you hid from your kids has run dry. Err...wait a minute...delete... But given the propensity of heavy, spicy foods that you consume on a daily basis, you just need something cool and refreshing with a tinge of sweetness to refresh your palate. No heavy puddings. No

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-1018393137863058252010-02-24T21:59:00.017-06:002010-10-06T09:38:36.064-05:00

Yeast and I are not good friends. I'll put it right out there. No mollycoddling the issue. Or trying to hide it. We have a duel thing going. So far, yeast has won. By not working. I own a lot of bread baking bibles. I try to bake bread. I fail. I drool and cry over other peoples spectacular successes in the oven. For me, I think my oven is in cohorts with the yeast, and they are secretly

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-40015169901229175342010-02-23T22:17:00.015-06:002010-10-06T09:40:42.299-05:00

A month ago, the Walima group explored the country of Oman as part of the Middle Eastern Cooking Challenge and this layered rice and lamb dish was the featured Omani dish. I will plead ignorance on Oman, I only knew of it as a tiny country in the south of the Middle East, I had heard of its capital city Muscat through a cousin who used to live there....And that's about it. When reading up on it

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-79755311400842773052010-02-18T21:39:00.011-06:002010-09-22T06:28:55.364-05:00

Real World : Cannot miss deadlines. Blogging World: Can miss deadlines. Sometimes might get thrown out of group, but bloggers are known to be generally benevolent. I have yet to meet a Genghis Khan blogger in disguise. Real World: Face threats, impact job security, reputation at stake if deadlines are not met. Blogging World: You get to eat your deadline. And so along I come with a painfully

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-39201263109518407522010-02-11T22:48:00.013-06:002010-09-22T06:29:34.519-05:00

Trust Jaya of Desi Soccer Mom to come up with an original event - The Repost Event. Take one of your older posts that is stuffed in the back of your blog somewhere, the one with the horrid photo, and no comments. Yes, that one exactly. Take it, jazz it up, brush off the dust and repost it! Thanks to her event, I found my Curried Couscous post which ironically, has one of the first comments from

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-17681626661345504372010-02-09T21:40:00.008-06:002010-09-22T06:30:26.517-05:00

Hrrmmpphhh...maybe I should change that title to A Whole Lotta Ginger-Lime Salmon and a Smudgeon of Rice - given the proportions in the picture above....Every Tuesday, our local paper has a Health section with Dr. (Celebrity) Oz who is always on Oprah's show, wearing his medical scrubs and showing us the inside of a colon. OK, I digress...but why should he wear medical attire on a day time TALK

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-81421978295818956182010-02-04T22:38:00.013-06:002010-09-22T06:30:48.575-05:00

Fresh off the heels of my book review at the "This Book Makes Me Cook Club", I chose to make this spicy cauliflower baked dish or "Cheese Vali Gobi" from the recipe collection in Madhur Jaffrey's autobiography "Climbing the Mango Trees".Start placing your bets on why I chose to make this particular dish: It was one of the easiest recipes in the collection (sucker!) I had 2 cauliflowers in my

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-37273854594599989432010-02-04T21:33:00.018-06:002010-02-06T00:09:38.126-06:00

This month we're cooking the books with "Climbing the Mango Trees: A Memoir of a Childhood in India" by well-known Indian cookbook authoress AND award-winning actress Madhur Jaffrey."Well-known, you say? Well how come I haven't heard of her then, 'eh?" Oh, sorry, you must have missed the TWENTY-SIX Indian cookbooks, three novels and an Autobiography that she wrote."Patooey, I don't read cookbooks

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-54085807578506755602010-01-28T11:55:00.008-06:002010-09-22T06:31:22.407-05:00

So I have ooh'ed and aahh'ed about Chef Marcus Samuelsson before, and this recipe comes from his cookbook "The Soul of A New Cuisine". Rouille is a garlicky younger cousin of mayonnaise or a tarty sister-in-law of aioli, to be used as a condiment with grilled fish and white meats. I also read about peoples spectacular failures at homemade attempts at it, since it involved emusifying olive oil

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-37237283715632837602010-01-18T09:29:00.012-06:002010-10-06T09:40:06.390-05:00

Here comes a quick and easy recipe from the Barefoot Bloggers this month. Yes, I am trying to get back up to speed on this group after falling off their wagon the last few months! Todd of A Cooking Dad has chosen this recipe for January. Save for the overnight marination, this dish is a snap to put together. Marinate chicken in a blend of garlic, ginger, soy sauce and honey, and then bake for a

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-84680077922815794202010-01-15T19:40:00.020-06:002010-09-22T06:32:40.085-05:00

The ICC (Indian Cooking Challenge) is the brainchild of Srivalli, and her aim is to get all who are interested to attempt heirloom Indian recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation. However with our increasingly modernized lifestyles, some of these recipes are being side-stepped or forgotten, so there in itself is the challenge! I'm a sucker for Internet food groups as can

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-85339175743269766012010-01-14T12:42:00.021-06:002010-09-22T06:33:08.817-05:00

You know you are getting old when..... You wake up the morning of your birthday and decide to bake your own cake You pick up a foreign magazine, written in a foreign language (മലയാളം), and decide on the spot. Yes! That one right there. That's the cake you'll make. Never mind the fact that the recipe is also written in said foreign language. But you're too old to let trivial matters like that

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-91928477452467677522010-01-07T20:31:00.010-06:002010-09-22T06:33:54.805-05:00

This quick and easy recipe came from the delightful cookbook "The Soul of a New Cuisine" by Chef Marcus Samuelsson. I have been drooling over this cookbook for the past month and it has earned an esteemed place right on my bedside table. The cookbook is a well-researched and exotic collection of recipes from different regions of Africa. I was thrilled to see this cookbook in the library as I've

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-5558912486340204732010-01-05T21:00:00.007-06:002010-10-06T09:41:21.056-05:00

Off we travel to Lebanon, brought to you by the letter "L" and the Walima Middle Eastern Challenge Club. The club decided on the savoury dish Sheesh Barak and the beautiful sounding dessert - Bread of the Seraglio. Minor problem, they decided on this a MONTH ago, and I am only posting it now, because I am what I am. It also starts with the letter "L"... Any guesses? I fixed on dessert, because a)

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-77693721801968506732010-01-05T20:40:00.004-06:002010-09-22T06:35:03.811-05:00

Ashta/Clotted Cream is a sweet, thick cream used frequently in Middle Eastern desserts. It is typically made by a painstaking process of boiling down full cream milk, but I saw this post on Joumana's breathtaking site Taste of Beirut and I had to try her at-home method for making this delightful thick cream because I was set to make the Lebanese dessert Bread of the Seraglio. I think its use can

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-52822493153281848392010-01-03T21:45:00.006-06:002010-09-22T06:35:26.226-05:00

So, of course, I had to choose the old-school, 12 hour process for baking bread. But that is quintessential me, stubborn as an ox in my convictions. This was the bread I had to make if I was ever going to bake bread from scratch. This was also my first attempt at a step-by-step picture guide...phew... Pain de Campagne (French Country Bread) (from the novel Bread Alone with Recipes, by Judith

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-84057305312049784482010-01-03T21:44:00.002-06:002010-09-22T06:35:52.122-05:00

Don't Be So Foolish...would be the nagging mantra playing in my mind. The reason - the Fear of Baking Bread. Breadaphobia. How could it be? I'm a breadaholic for crying out loud! Give me a slab of hot bread, some butter (marmalade would be nice too, thank you ma'am) and a cuppa tea and I'll be your friend for life. I can subsist on bread alone if given the chance. So why won't I buckle down and

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-10281901217980183972010-01-01T16:22:00.003-06:002010-01-01T16:24:24.440-06:00

Happy New Year to All of You!!I hope your 2010 is filled with friends, family and good health.Now I'm off to bake some bread, my New Years Resolution itself!

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-23019360043382256052009-12-28T16:12:00.009-06:002010-09-22T06:36:40.002-05:00

While reading Ladies Coupe for This Book Makes Me Cook this month, I was struck by the passage where the central character in the book picks up a white, fluffy appam (Coconut flavoured rice pancake - a specialty from Kerala, India) from the railway station food vendor.Well, "struck" was as far as that went, because I have a history of making appams that are the polar opposite of the

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-78541372736467899972009-12-28T14:32:00.020-06:002009-12-28T21:12:09.122-06:00

This month the Book Club read Ladies Coupe by Anita Nair. The story is about Akhila, a 40+ spinster who has spent her whole life caring for her family and supporting her siblings, whilst being denied a chance to live her own life. Akhila takes a train journey to the beach resort of Kanyakumari, driven by angst and the need to break free from the shackles of her monotonous life and overbearing

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-34878167708116162422009-12-25T23:54:00.007-06:002009-12-28T17:16:38.806-06:00

Merry Christmas!from my home to yours..... ..and I leave you with some snapshots of our unprecedented snowstorm in good ol' Texas this month...Have yourself a merry little Christmas!I am sending in these pics to the Christmas Event "It's Time to Jingle Again" at Asankhana.

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-30868384125936243672009-12-23T22:58:00.009-06:002009-12-23T23:18:09.171-06:00

The wonderful Sheba over at Art, Food and Travel Chronicles has bestowed this award on me: My first bloggie award! I've had my people talk to his people and we've lined up this piece of eye candy to be on my arm when I appear in person at the Annual Bloggie Awards Show to collect my golden statuette. Wait...there is an award show right?Thank you Sheba for honoring me this way! I've watched

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-59070847487426490302009-12-08T19:15:00.003-06:002010-09-22T06:37:41.923-05:00

Surveying the scene, I sized up the repeat offenders. - The Turkey. - A few clumps of mashed potatoes. - Almost all of the cornbread, scowling angrily at the mashed potatoes and bread rolls that jockeyed them out of their league. - Multi-colored Vegetable Crudites strewn across their appetizer tray. Their dip long gone, they now lay stark naked and cold with nothing to blanket them. - A bowl of

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-85727325593886595952009-12-07T12:51:00.009-06:002010-09-22T06:38:23.910-05:00

Cream Caramel. Flan. Caramel Custard.Many names, but one definitive pudding. Creamy milk cooked with eggs and sweetened by a slathering of tart, gooey, caramel sauce. But have fear. There are many ways to go wrong when following other recipes. Burn the caramel. Check. Singe your hand while burning the caramel. Check. Curdle the eggs when adding scalded milk (with propensity to burn hand yet

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-7879836949337218132009-12-03T21:26:00.017-06:002010-09-22T06:38:49.889-05:00

The book for the month of November (errr..let's forget that minor detail) at the This Book Makes Me Cook Club was Bread Alone, by Judith Ryan Hendricks. Coincidentally, MY choice! I have posted my review of the book here, and as is the norm,the "short" scones are what I chose to make. I'm not really sure what a "short" scone is, I'm imagining it's a cross between shortbread and a scone? A baking

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-86575872457283867162009-12-02T12:29:00.008-06:002009-12-02T13:16:14.870-06:00

After a disappointing November (in terms of posting) - I'm back! Expect a flood of tired Thanksgiving recipes, and even more eyesore Thanksgiving leftover recipes. Dear friends, you may want to turn away right now!But first, my review of Bread Alone, which ironically was MY choice for November for the Books That Make Us Cook club. And I was late for the party...My OWN party.Judith Ryan Hendricks

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-25725905849822572822009-11-18T12:38:00.006-06:002009-11-18T12:44:26.996-06:00

Sorry for the long hiatus ....perhaps pictures may explain my abrupt absence over the last 2 weeks. We jumped at a hastily put-together opportunity to travel to beautiful O'ahu, Hawaii. Trying my darndest to catch up with all the cooking challenges and posting deadlines.....

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-27021247196144741332009-10-30T12:28:00.005-05:002010-10-27T13:44:27.270-05:00

Here are the pumpkins we carved this year. Cinderella and her Prince - who has been cast under an evil spell. Thought we'd twist up the classic a bit. Happy Halloween! I still have another pumpkin left to carve, but I'm battling a 5 year old about doing another cartoon character vs. something ghoulish. And I appear to be losing... I'm sending these "pumpgrins" off to DK's Chef In You - who is

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-26777433990401935122009-10-25T08:00:00.011-05:002009-10-27T14:51:26.927-05:00

The October book choice for the Books That Make Us Cook club was The Hindi-Bindi Club , a novel with recipes, by Monica Pradhan.I'll be honest that when I first saw the title, I half-rolled my eyes and thought "Oh great - Bollywood fiction, here we come", especially after seeing the jacket cover of the book which had a slightly voluptuous female in a come-hither pose and a barely there sari. That

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-67061324112157005512009-10-22T12:05:00.016-05:002010-09-22T06:39:56.078-05:00

I chose to make this dish after seeing a verion of it in the book "The Hindi-Bindi club" which was the October choice at Books That Make Us Cook, see my review of the book here. Each chapter in the book had a recipe that resonated with the main character in the chapter. Since I have ZERO exposure to Bengali food, I wanted to try one of the recipes featured - which was a baked salmon with a

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-87183105291714374012009-10-13T12:06:00.020-05:002010-09-22T06:40:32.222-05:00

I had to post about chaulafan de pollo that I made recently and which I found on Laylita's blog. Do check out her site, what an assortment of recipes and regional delicacies from South America!This chicken fried rice is found commonly in Ecuador, and y'all know how I love me some of that innernationaw food. So, I was splitting my sides when I further read her post and discovered that this dish is

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-27459779811870963732009-10-08T16:48:00.020-05:002010-09-22T06:42:42.578-05:00

The Barefoot Bloggers are cooking soup this week - a cheddar corn chowder as chosen by Jill of My Next Life and which is featured in The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook on page 74. So I skimmed through the recipe, and it seemed fairly straightforward - cheese, corn and potatoes (for the chowder part I presumed). This was going to be interesting because while those were flavors I enjoyed, technically,

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-19865959090586952482009-10-05T11:59:00.022-05:002010-09-22T06:43:07.872-05:00

Shark Pickle. Not something I rustle up at the drop of a hat, but I thought I'd venture my blog into Anthony Bourdain territory. Because I'm Bad Like That. And why exactly do I have a shark lying around my kitchen? Well, the male species in my house decided to go for a deep sea fishing trip the past weekend, zing-bang in tow. And of course, not only did they haul fish back, they brought a shark

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-5418768020817880422009-10-02T06:03:00.025-05:002010-09-22T06:43:48.002-05:00

I stumbled upon the Walima club, a group of food bloggers who have doggedly decided to blog their way through the Middle East, get this, one alphabet letter at a time. I LURV me some Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food, so I thought I'd tag along, and hopped on board at the letter J - which meant September was the month for the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Of course this is October, but hey, I

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-26268044935866508262009-09-28T15:23:00.013-05:002010-09-22T06:44:10.700-05:00

This is the type of cake that makes you want to climb into it, wrap yourself in its warm buttery layers and fall asleep in sweet cardamom-scented pillows.Then you wake up and realise you need a new pair of pants, because the old ones ain't gonna fit no more.Blissfully rich, sinfully decadent and perfumed with exotic cardamom, this cake has the power to invoke world peace, because the only

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-20972055524364641082009-09-21T12:48:00.013-05:002010-09-22T06:44:54.712-05:00

The old adage "the world is your oyster" couldn't have been more true, especially when it comes to food bloggers far flung across the Net. The evidence?I was poring over the web looking for a recipe for Spaghetti Pie.Why?Because Carmela had just served it to her dysfunctional family, and I was getting hungry watching them eat it. So I had to have it.Enter Google, who safely deposited me in the

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-59543568625434501582009-09-15T11:55:00.016-05:002010-09-22T06:45:15.030-05:00

So the whole blogging trip is to educate myself and increase my repertoire so that my family is not eating the same chicken dish everyday. OK, that was an exaggeration. We eat the same food every other day. So I made up a little do-lally here called Taste of Kerala where I wanted to personally explore dishes from God's Own Country - other than the three dishes that I currently know of. So why

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-22707102447905669222009-09-10T12:05:00.014-05:002010-09-22T06:45:44.955-05:00

I'm not sure if this feature is still in place, but a while ago, the BB group decided to do Backtracking - which meant you could post an old BB recipe that you may have missed. Since I missed a lot of summer, I wanted to feature the recipe for Curried Couscous which I had approached with a lot of trepidation, but it turned out so well its going to be a staple side chez nous. This recipe jazzes

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-88064951278783410702009-09-06T09:59:00.001-05:002010-09-22T06:46:04.426-05:00

I've had a hankering for scones and with a pint of blueberries languishing in the fridge, everything started to come together when I saw Brown Eyed Baker post these beauties recently. Scones are strange little fellows. Coquettish like biscuits, but with a steely exterior and somewhat dry interior. I remember the ones from childhood being awesome straight out of the oven and slathered with butter.

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-7262695826412165432009-09-05T23:13:00.004-05:002009-09-05T23:18:43.991-05:00

Hello people - and all you 4 wonderful beings who read this blog (love you , muah!). Before I go further, I just wanted to change my moniker on this blog. I started off using a "pen-name" of Zaara - but have decided to change it back to my "real" name of Ann.Because frankly it didn't make any sense (I'm blogging about food for crying out loud!), and I must have been delusioned by grandeur when I

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-7264678473587993522009-09-05T12:06:00.001-05:002010-09-22T06:48:02.381-05:00

I first made a Gateau au Yaourt (yoghurt cake) after seeing it on Clotilde's blog Chocolate and Zucchini. I was intrigued by its simplicity, and mesmerized by the tale that this is the first cake that French children learn to bake.Before they become Jacques Pepin, Paul Bocuse, or more recently Eric Ripart (insert drool here).Jokes aside, a yoghurt cake belongs in everyone's repertoire.It is a

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-47363319215447933152009-08-31T08:43:00.003-05:002010-09-22T06:48:25.248-05:00

My first taste of arugula was unforgettable. I pulled a sprig out of a bag and popped it in my mouth thinking it was baby spinach(s) (albeit expensive and high-end) cousin. My nasal glands and throat never forgave me, it was like I set my mouth on fire, but in an odd wasabi-like way - I never knew how deceptively peppery and strong arugula was. And I never bothered with it again. EVER. So when

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-76565603560850988912009-08-29T08:07:00.009-05:002010-09-22T06:48:51.856-05:00

We're an [extra]ordinary group of cookers and we love all things Ina. We'll be testing (and retesting) Ina Garten's (The Barefoot Contessa) recipes as a group and blogging about them on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of every month This months recipe was chosen by Veronica of Supermarket Serenades and she selected a nice tropical drink to round out the summer. Of course I'm late posting this - quel

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-14115034848293418512009-08-25T12:43:00.001-05:002010-09-22T06:49:14.505-05:00

Life Lessons Learnt. If Deb of Smitten Kitchen tells you that it is OK to use grilled aubergine (eggplant) on a pizza, then you do just that. If Ria tells you she made a chilli chicken pizza, then you follow suit too. A year ago, I would have shuddered and ran away in horror instead of trying such new toppings, but this whole pushing-the-envelope-when-it-comes-to-cooking for me (and the whole

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-45545491931191675232009-08-24T13:10:00.001-05:002010-09-22T06:49:35.775-05:00

Informal poll: Do you like your pizza with a base of deliciously tart Roma tomatoes with a hint of garlic and a touch of caramelized onions, cooked to a simmer with piquant herbs like oregano and basil.... OR Do you smear your pizza crust with cheery red (labeled Food Coloring #X8755764RTG) glop from a tin..... The choice is yours. =) This recipe came hand-in-hand with the pizza dough recipe

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-67362683455845587062009-08-24T12:41:00.001-05:002010-09-22T06:49:51.942-05:00

Back in the day, my friend P introduced our gaggle of friends to the wonders of her mother's homemade pizza. The recipe was dutifully photocopied (Yes - I said it - PHOTOCOPIED), passed around, smeared with tomato sauce and became its own legend. It became a staple at all our get-togethers, study breaks, birthday parties and we started to get bold and brazen in our choice of toppings as well.

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-83530162658944075732009-08-21T10:25:00.000-05:002009-08-21T13:40:58.587-05:00

It's not nice to toot your own horn, Ms.Prudie would say. But I HAVE to. =)Because the Two-Pronged God of Internet Giveaways exists. Yes - SHE does. ;-) And she struck me TWICE in the same week. This I can't believe. I've NEVER won anything before. NEVER.When the co-workers do Lotto pools or World Cup Finals bets (oops, did I just say that in public) - they AVOID me at all costs.Not any more,

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-60487426471508267862009-08-17T11:49:00.001-05:002010-09-22T06:50:42.946-05:00

OK, this snack of deep fried batter dipped-plantains may be a no-brainer for many of you out there - it is such a staple in Indian, Caribbean, Far East and South American homes or anywhere else tropical that plantains can be found. But whilst I was an expert at EATING them, I actually didn't know how to MAKE them until I started trying it out myself. And since everyone and their mother-in-law

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-14316101476272166552009-08-14T16:05:00.001-05:002010-09-22T06:51:22.668-05:00

Green Goddess, that is. A '70's staple salad dressing has voiced a comeback, and reincarnates itself here as a dip. The tartness of parsley is evident throughout, and may be a little uncomfortable for parsley haters (the ilk of which I find in increasing numbers), so proceed with caution when serving this up with crudites.I loved this silky, smooth dip, and it's a welcome change from the usual

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-3145227357344642322009-08-10T22:56:00.001-05:002010-09-22T06:51:40.365-05:00

Julie and Julia. Julia and Julie. The movie has quietly taken everyone by storm. Food bloggers are skipping down the streets due to the fact that one of their own got a book deal/movie deal, and OH MY LORD - Meryl Streep even acts in it. Food editors can't stop writing about it and there has been a general resurgence in interest in all things Ms.Childs. Which is when I step in and finally give

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-72872082830357233732009-08-02T00:14:00.001-05:002010-09-22T06:52:06.136-05:00

OK, I know, kebabs aren't the most "pretty" foods in town, they don't photograph well, and my blog is starting to feature more and more recipes for clumps of meat. However, summer is upon us, and boy are kebabs a quick treat to whip up for dinner when you can't bear to slave over a cook top. Just marinate some protein (most of the time, you don't even have to wait for the marinade to absorb),

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-38098921449353814462009-08-01T17:37:00.001-05:002010-09-22T06:52:22.667-05:00

Here is a peppy little salad to counter the sweltering heat we have been enduring for a while. Not only that, with such a myriad of colors and vegetables, it's GOT to be good for you! I reserved the dressing until it was time to serve the salad, the dressing is slightly acidic and so might make the veggies wilt if added way too long beforehand. This salad was crisp and delicious and served

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-67176674585615329302009-07-10T16:51:00.001-05:002010-09-22T06:52:40.214-05:00

Meatloaf and I. Me and meatloaf. Whichever way, I haven't had much luck with this ubiquitous Americana staple. If it wasn't rubbery, it was greasy goopy mush. If it wasn't flavorful, it was dry with the charm of an old leather shoe. Every recipe and store bought package (*shudder*) elicited the same lacklustre verdict. And then I met Bobby. (OK, fine - I met him on my TV screen). Bobby is sassy

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-72322087061184195122009-07-09T12:34:00.001-05:002010-09-22T06:52:56.443-05:00

There's just something about citrus flavoured cakes that does it for me. Ahhh, a slice of an orangey-lemoney-tangeriney cake and a cup of tea....bliss. Here's a moist and dense cake with lovely orange tones.Add to that, if the cake doesn't call for butter , then I'm all for it in leaps and bounds. Disregard the fact that I can subsist on junk like hot dogs and Doritos alone for an entire day, but

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-6131802173753855282009-07-01T13:41:00.001-05:002010-09-22T06:53:23.787-05:00

Bread baskets have probably been done to death across the blogosphere, but this was the first time I tried them, and I found them to be a cute albeit sassy way to serve up a nibble or two before a party. The basic premise is to line the cups of a muffin baking tray with slightly damp bread, bake the blitz out of them, and then lo and behold - you get a crispy little edible cup within which you

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-27572607409390793052009-06-18T17:00:00.001-05:002010-09-22T06:53:41.560-05:00

A while ago, Gwyneth Paltrow (of Oscar worthy performances, Coldplay love and Madonna's BFF fame) launched a blog which I outrightedly pooh-poohed and never checked back on again. Because seriously folks, I really didn't need Gwyneth to tell me how to best launder my $4000 designer duds or whether to wear Givenchy or Hermes for a playdate. Cut to almost a year later, and a relative of mine asked

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-21774445392389718532009-06-18T14:14:00.001-05:002010-09-22T06:54:04.687-05:00

Paneer is an un-aged cheese made by curdling hot milk with some sort of acidic agent. It's a drier version of cottage cheese and a close cousin to queso blanco. The reason I started getting fascinated with paneer is that it is typically the only type of cheese that is used in a lot of Indian recipes, and then I found out that its fairly easy to make at home which can give one a lot of boasting

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-74503652607888750232009-06-15T12:44:00.001-05:002010-10-06T09:32:12.678-05:00

On one of my daily travails around the internet, I discovered Maria's blog which is a delightful collection of recipes and South Asian delicacies. There was an interesting 2-in-1 recipe she had for paneer balls, which could be served up as an appetizer, and then an elegant creamy curry that then utilized said dumplings again. This I had to try, especially since I was giddy from having some

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-20719880748470055982009-06-12T14:51:00.001-05:002010-09-22T06:55:46.144-05:00

This recipe appeared in our local newspaper's Foodie section which highlighted recent winners in this year's National Chicken Cooking Contest, held at the Culinary Institute of America - San Antonio. This little gem was submitted by Ruth Kendrick from Ogden, Utah and what drew me to trying it out myself was a) it used thigh meat, I really don't have much passion for chicken breast meat b) it had

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-58013764992096622982009-06-11T11:00:00.001-05:002010-09-22T06:56:06.599-05:00

With grocery stores now brimming with summer produce, it was a no-brainer for me to try this recipe that caught my eye in Woman's Day magazine. A Kuchen is a buttery cake with a crumb topping, usually chock full of fruit, and it hails from Germany, though some Romanians also lay claim to its ancestry. This cake is super easy to whip up, and it was devoured in my household the day it was made. It

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-77070641319541203812009-05-06T20:48:00.003-05:002010-09-22T06:56:48.904-05:00

Take a Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwich and hit it out the ballpark................................ Yes folks, thats what happens when the French take an American staple like good ol' grilled ham and cheese. They would use artisan bread (oui, oui), and high end ham (mon dieu), and then slather the sammies with a Gruyere white sauce (no less, mes amis), and if that didn't block your arteries, go

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-42270240299559814952009-04-21T12:00:00.001-05:002010-09-22T06:57:31.978-05:00

I was looking for a go-to reliable fruity (and pink-ish hued) punch recipe for a recent ladies party - and this one hit the spot! Southern Living Magazine - April 2007 Yield: I made this in a standard size punch tureen ~approx 1.5 Gal Ingredients: 2 (46 oz) cans pineapple juice 1 (12 oz) can pink lemonade concentrate - thawed 1 (12 oz) can frozen strawberry daiquiri mix concentrate - thawed 2

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734003447672219388.post-81370633260706145982009-04-03T15:00:00.002-05:002010-09-22T06:58:18.244-05:00

I once attempted to make tandoori chicken with a jar of ready-made tandoori paste. Result : Never will I do that again, though I did get that fiery red color thing going, more on my dish towels and countertops than the actual chicken,. Fast forward to a year ago, where I saw a review of a Williams Sonoma recipe on the now closed Trial and Errors blog (Nabeela, Nabeela, oh where art thou?) which

Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989340321224075830noreply@blogger.com1