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Forget the boxed or powdered store bought stuff. Combining a handful of ingredients you may already have in your kitchen pantry makes the most decadent, mouthwatering slow cooker hot chocolate. The perfect beverage centrepiece for your holiday table… your guests can serve themselves. It does not get any easier than this! HOMEMADE SLOW COOKER HOT CHOCOLATE There’s nothing better on a cold and miserable day to warm the cockles of your heart with a steaming cup of hot cocoa....

There’s a reason why macaroni and cheese is such a classic. Pasta smothered in cheesy sauce is the perfect comfort food, not to mention easy to make. With this recipe, I’ve taken all the best parts of mac and cheese and combined them with vegetables and Indian spices to give it a kick. While some may think of macaroni and cheese as just kids’ food, this spicy version is grown-up approved too!...

About This Recipe Since strawberry season is in full swing, I wanted to share this easy homemade strawberry jam recipe. If you are anything like me, you probably have multiple pints of fresh strawberries lining your refrigerator and countertops. If any of them are starting to turn a little soft, this is the perfect way to rescue them! This ridiculously easy strawberry jam comes in handy whenever we want to have a quick breakfast or brunch....

What is Paniyaram Paniyaram is a famous South Indian delicacy which is made of idli batter. Originally, these dumplings are savory snacks, but sweet or spicy variations can also be made. These are crisp from the outside and soft within. So, the taste and texture of paniyaram is quite mesmerizing. Paniyaram is also known as gunta ponganalu, paddu, guliyappa, appadadde and appe in other Indian languages. They can be made plain, spiced or sweet....

Have you had panang curry yet? Panang curry is rich and creamy, spicy yet balanced, with underlying notes of peanut and coconut. I make my panang curry with lots of bell peppers and carrots, and optional tofu for extra protein. It’s a perfectly satisfying weeknight meal for cold days. Panang is one of my favorite Thai curries, right up there with red curry and green curry. If you haven’t ordered it at your favorite Thai restaurant yet, you’ve been missing out!...

Sometimes I think of this blog as an ever-expanding cookbook and try to fill in the holes. What’s missing? The other day, as I was throwing together my standard green salad to accompany some leftovers, I realized that my blog is missing a side salad recipe. Every cook needs a little green salad recipe in her repertoire, in the same way as every lady needs a flattering little black dress in her wardrobe....

A few weeks ago, I tasted some intriguing hummus at one of my favorite vegetarian restaurants, Eden Alley. Hummus always has some sesame flavor thanks to the tahini component (tahini is ground sesame paste, like peanut butter made with sesame seeds). This hummus, however, had a more pronounced sesame flavor. I loved it. A few bites in, I realized their trick—they drizzled toasted sesame oil on top. Clever, right? I generally associate tahini with Mediterranean cuisine and toasted sesame oil with Southeast Asian cuisine, but they’re both made from sesame seeds....

These are the cooking tools that I can’t cook without. They are the tools that I miss when I cook in other kitchens, and the items that I reach for most often in my own kitchen. In fact, I pulled most of these tools straight out of my dishwasher for this photo shoot. That’s how often I use them! I believe in buying quality kitchen tools that will last forever....

Five minutes is all you need to make this easy, rich gravy! GRAVY RECIPE HOW TO MAKE TURKEY GRAVY (OR CHICKEN) Whether you’ve roasted a whole chicken or a turkey, a rich flavourful gravy is about to hit your table using minimal ingredients and effort: Unsalted butter — chances are your stock has enough seasoning Flour Worcestershire sauce Black cracked pepper Turkey or chicken pan drippings (or stock). The perfect Thanksgiving turkey gravy!...

About Vanilla Ice Cream Come summers, come the array of ice creams and other similar cold/frozen sweet dishes that especially the Indian cuisine houses. Since summers and ice creams are synonymous, then why not have the perfect recipe for a classic Vanilla Ice Cream as well!? This post is just that. Most of us like to have ice creams or Kulfi during summers. And when it comes to ice creams, the undefeated champion is the Vanilla Ice Cream....

About Vazhakkai Poriyal ‘Vazhakkai’ is the Tamil name for plantain or raw banana and ‘poriyal’ is a typical dry sautéed dish popular in South Indian cuisine. Because of the name, this recipe is basically a preparation from the cuisine of Tamil Nadu. The ingredients might be similar as compared to other regional poriyals, but the essence is Tamil. Poriyals are made with a variety of vegetables and often are a common feature in South Indian meals or thali....

May is here! The trees are loaded with bright green leaves and I’m thriving on the abundant sunshine. My attention is divided between redesigning this website (launching soon!) and loading our garden with perennials while the time is right. Grace loves to help water the plants with her cute green watering can. Several holidays are coming up. For Cinco de Mayo, browse Mexican recipes here (start with the guacamole and margaritas)....

Discover the difference between each Instant Pot variety, along with comparisons to competitive electric pressure cooker brands on the market. Which Instant Pot To Buy? This post has been a long time coming. When I started this blog, I wanted it to be an informative, thorough and fun resource for home cooks looking to provide nutritious and delicious meals for their family, while also saving time in the kitchen so they can actually ENJOY those meals ‘with’ the family....

Remember when I posted Alice Waters’ recipe for whole wheat waffles a few months ago and said they weren’t quite as crispy as I’d like them to be? Apologies to Ms. Waters, but these waffles totally trump hers. They are as crisp as can be, with an incredible crunch and an impossibly fluffy interior, not to mention a heavenly coconut fragrance and flavor. They’re everything I dreamed they could be....

Whether you’re looking for ways to use up chicken thighs, chicken breasts, or even roast a whole chicken, these recipes are fool-proof and super delicious! Chicken is such a great way to add lean protein to your diet. It is versatile enough to be dressed up in whatever style one likes. Whether you stir-fry it, grill it or add it to curries, you really can’t go wrong with it....

Indian food is known for its intense flavors. I love how pressure cooking helps develop these ‘slow-cooked’ complex flavors in half the effort. Using the Instant Pot I can make most Indian curries in less than an hour, most of which is hands-off cooking time. This collection includes a variety of Indian Curries including Chicken, Meat, Seafood, and Vegetarian recipes, along with rich and decadent Desserts. You can make all these recipes in your Instant Pot, or any comparable electric pressure cooker....

About Achari Paneer Recipe During my many years as a cook, I’ve tried many achari paneer recipes that were quite disappointing. This recipe is the culmination of many years of experimentation, and the results were too good that I have to share! The robust flavor of the pickling spices is pronounced without being overwhelming, and the sourness of the fresh curd complements the spices perfectly. If you are fond of pickles, you will love achari paneer!...

About Aloo Tikki Burger For my readers here in India, I’m sure you’re already aware of the well-known McDonald’s McAloo Tikki Burger. I’m here to tell you, this is not what I’m trying to replicate! Instead, this recipe is a nod to the popular and traditional North Indian street food that is often sold on the streets of Delhi and Gurgaon. We used to love gorging on these Aloo Tikki Burgers so much that we would visit the street vendor near our home in Delhi several times a week....

Types of Pickles Primarily, pickles can be of 3 types – preserved in oil, preserved in vinegar and preserved in brine or salt. An Indian pickle is majorly based on the first type where the choice of oil can vary, depending from one region to other. For instance, in Northern India, pickles are usually made in mustard oil as compared to the South Indian pickles, like this particular Amla Avakaya, that use the fragrant sesame oil....

Pizza is a highly personal affair, isn’t it? Seems like everyone has strong opinions about the subject. New York style vs. Chicago, veggies vs. meat, thick vs. thin crust, classic mozzarella vs. the fancier stuff… We could debate over pizza all night, especially if there’s an ample supply of wine to fuel the discussion. Most pizza is pretty good, if you ask me. While my friend from New York vehemently argues that New York-style pizza is tops, I have a more ambiguous, middle-of-the-country view of pizza....