Easter is almost here! What’s more appropriate than a bunny cake? I am sure you have heard of the famous Betty Crocker bunny cake. I hadn’t… till recently. And when I saw it, I knew it would be a good project for Boy and me. Here is how I made our own version of the ‘Bunny…
Good Ol’ Butter Chicken (Murg Makhani)
Who hasn’t heard of butter chicken? That creamy curry with tandoor-roasted chicken pieces in it. Mmmm… Did you know that this dish is supposed to have originated in an eatery in Delhi, India? Maybe just a few decades ago. Since then, this is a signature dish of any self-respecting Indian restaurant and many times, the…
Coconut Rice
This is an easy rice recipe, yet quite different from the traditional and simple steamed rice or even pulaos/pilafs. There are many lunchbox-ready rice recipes from Southern India, especially Tamil Nadu. We call it ‘thaalicha choru’ or ‘variety rice’. It literally means rice tempered with spices, and mixed with vegetables and/or sauces. There is curd…
Peanut Butter Banana Bread
Banana bread – that ingenious way to use up overly ripe bananas! How I love banana bread and banana coffee cakes! What about the peanut butter version? It has to be good! This recipe uses peanut butter (chunky or creamy) and brown sugar to create a decadent, moist version of the traditional banana bread. You…
Easy Homemade White Bread
There is something about freshly baked bread. A certain kind of comfort and contentment. Bread making, for me, is right up there with meringues, fondant and frosting. Love them all, but they intimidate me. Till I realized there was not much to it. Here is a recipe for a simple white bread. Nothing fancy. I followed this…
Chocolate Beetroot Cupcakes
Who doesn’t love chocolate cake? When making cakes, and chocolate cakes in particular, the aim is always to keep it moist and decadent. There are umpteen ways to achieve this – sour cream, buttermilk, egg white meringues and what not. What about beetroot? The following recipe was a happy accident of sorts. I didn’t set…
Vanilla Meringue Cookies
Meringues – the very name sounds romantic, exotic, and intimidating, to novice cooks like me. I love the light, airy crispness of meringue cookies. I never imagined they are so simple to make. Well, at least in theory. It has only a couple of ingredients. But the technique… that is where I went wrong! For my…
Easy Dessert – Strawberry Yogurt Jelly Bites
I love sweets and desserts that are a snap to make. I found this particular recipe on the Kraft Jell-O recipe page. Here is the original recipe and below is my adapted version. It literally takes 5 minutes to make. You will need: (*- Refer notes) Strawberry flavored yogurt cups* – 3, 4-oz each Plain…
Orange Sponge Cake with Orange Glaze
This is my husband’s favorite cake. I made it the past weekend for his birthday! It is made with freshly squeezed orange juice and orange zest. The result is a thick and airy batter and a beautifully risen sponge cake. The cake is not cloyingly sweet and the orange glaze adds a nice finishing touch. I…
Spicy Shrimp Soup/Curry
I bought some frozen raw shrimp last weekend. I wanted to try out something new with them. And this afternoon, I came up with this spicy dish with fried shrimp in it. This dish contains roasted aromatic spices and coconut milk, creating a delicate balance. I think it was the gloomy weather outside that inspired me….
Kale With Indian Cottage Cheese (Paneer)
This recipe is a spin-off of the traditional Indian saag-paneer dish and was a spur of the moment creation. Saag refers to a leaf based dish made usually of spinach or mustard greens. Since I had neither spinach nor mustard greens on hand, I used kale. Traditionally, saag-paneer has more greens and less paneer. I made…
Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Whipped Cream Frosting
I have been meaning to make a pink cake for a long time now. And what better occasion than Valentine’s Day, right? I searched high and low on the internet for an easy strawberry cake that still needed real strawberries. That’s right, you can make strawberry cake with absolutely no real fruit in them. A couple of…
