Kids these days are getting more and more interested in cooking and helping around the kitchen, and with the popular TV shows gaining ground, its intriguing how a 6 or 8 year old can come up to you donning an apron and say Mommy, let's bake cookies! With the holiday season looming ahead, here are some fun, colorful and kid-friendly kitchen tools for your budding chefs! Whether they are serious … [Read more...]

Pears are available in all their bounty, and to compliment my Pear Almond Cake, here's a lovely recipe for Pear Mojito. Mojitos are a popular cocktail made from light rum, lime juice and some mint. But they can be made special by blending some seasonal fruits and adding them to the drink. To make this Fall Cocktail, you can use the sweet red pairs or the semi-sweet and tart white pears. Just puree … [Read more...]

Holiday Baking is full of fruits and spices, and what better way to celebrate than with a piece of this gorgeous Upside-Down Spiced Plum Cake! I have this eternal love for plums - their color and vibrancy just fill me up! But here's a recipe that will blow you away! The beautiful Red is complimented by the wonderful Green of the Pistachios that go into this Plum cake. And the spices like cinnamon … [Read more...]

In November, people generally make Cranberry Sauce, but for a welcome change on Thanksgiving, try this aromatic and delicious Spiced Cranberry Plum Sauce or Plum Chutney, and you'll love it! It is highly versatile, and can be made sweet or spicy. The smell of the spices simmering in the fruity pulp is a great energizer, and the the color looks beautiful. You can use this basic recipe to make Plum … [Read more...]

Fall is a month to celebrates the fresh Harvest, and what better way to celebrate than by baking a cake! This beautiful Spice Cake recipe, inspired by Indonesian flavors and fresh fragrant spices from the kitchen is sure to awaken your senses! You can adapt this basic recipe to include fresh or dried fruits, combined with other flavors like Orange, Rose or plain old Chocolate! Add some Rum and … [Read more...]

Onion Sauce is a base for most Indian Curries and Italians Pasta dishes. Onions also hold an important place in several other styles of cooking and types of cuisine - in fact, its hard to imagine a dish without that! It's most versatile too, sauteed, caramelized, used as a base, served as a garnish, dried and crushed with garlic and herbs, eaten raw in salads, or used to make onion-sauce with … [Read more...]

Also known as Meringue Kisses, these delightfully light cookies are like tiny little puffs of air, and literally melt in your mouth! Made with just two main ingredients, stiffly beaten egg whites and superfine sugar, it's hard to believe something so simple could be so pleasurable. By adding different flavored extracts and colors, you can bake them fancy and tasty enough to suit any occasion! … [Read more...]

This Pomegranate Martini, made with renowned POM Juice,is an innovative rendition of the age-old concoction, and is sure to make your party a success! The "POMtini", as its lovingly known, was apparently served at the Oscar Awards this year! Its a great winter cocktail martini which pairs grapefruit & pomegranate juice with vodka, to make a great recipe that looks beautiful and tastes heavenly! If … [Read more...]

"Appams" are a famous breakfast and snack food from Kerala, and you can find several variations of the basic Appam recipe. It is a relatively simple recipe, but may need some practice to perfect it. You can add vegetables, coconut, spinach or other flavors of your choice to modify the basic Appam recipe given below. This South-Indian favorite can be enjoyed with Sambhar or vegetable curries and … [Read more...]