Fruit cake is my tea time happiness and I often keep it simple with few basic ingredients and simple steps. This cake is not overly sweet or covered with frosting, but it’s quite comforting. It’s crumbly yet still moist and dare I say, it’s a great snack too. Ingredients for Apple Cake Fresh Apples - Use crunchy and not overly ripe apples. I like to peel the apples, but you can leave them on too....

What is Enchilada? The word enchilada simply means with chile. The enchiladas that I am sharing today doesn’t have the authentic chile sauce. However, it still has a good amount of heat and sharpness that goes so well with beans, chicken and cheese. You might think I am silly to use green chutney in chicken enchiladas but it works, especially since the grilled chicken had garam masala in it. The Sauce for the Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chutney I personally enjoy chicken enchiladas with green sauce and using green chutney was kind of a last-minute option....

What is Dudh Puli? To break it down, dudh or doodh is milk and Puli is dumpling. Dudh Puli falls in the category of “pithe” which is a type of dessert that we prepare using rice flour, jaggery, coconut. It is very popular in the region of West Bengali, Orissa, Assam, the general Northeast Region of India. There are a wide range of pithe you can prepare, and my all-time favorites are Patishapta and Chitoi Pitha Most of the pithe calls for rice flour, which makes it gluten free....

Fennel Roasted Strawberries with Labneh Crostini Can we ever have enough of appetizers in our party menu? I always lean towards making more appetizers than the main course. You nibble, sip, chat around and then come back for more snacks. It’s a good rhythm. This Labneh crostini topped with fennel roasted strawberries is such a great, innovative party food. What is Labneh? Labneh is strained Greek yogurt (hung yogurt), and it is quite popular in Middle Eastern Cuisine....

If you enjoy Indian food, then you must have tasted Paneer in some form of curry, like matar paneer or paneer butter masala or palak panner. It’s one of the most common vegetarian ingredient used on a daily basis. Bengalies on the other hand enjoy chena a lot, and it is pronounced as chana in Bengali, not to be confused with chana like chickpeas. In Bengali cuisine, Chena/Chana is used in various form of savory dishes like Chena Kaju Palak or sweets like Chanar Payesh, the famous bengali sweet Rosogolla....

Tips to make Honey Dijon Hummus: Make sure to peel the canned garbanzo beans. You can surely make hummus with peel and I go for that option when I am in a rush. However, if you want the silky-smooth texture, definitely peel those skins.Blend the garlic and tahini into a smooth consistency before adding the peeled garbanzo beans to the blender.Add ice cubes instead of water while blending the chickpeas as it makes the texture ultra-smooth....

I owned an ice cream machine few years back and I don’t think I used it just as much as I should have. In the process of moving to India and back to US, a lot of those gadgets were given away or sold. This time, I am honestly not sure if I should get a machine to churn the ice cream. Is it really necessary? I am still not sold on the idea....

Moving back to India was a challenging mission. Avyan was just 4 months when he took his first flight, 21 hours from San Francisco to Bangalore, and he was a total sport. He slept through the flight, didn’t fuss a lot and it took him just three days to adapt to a different time zone. It was we, the grownups, who were having a hard time. After arriving in India, we spent few weeks with family in Kolkata....

Leanne created a tool called Done with Dairy Toolkit and wanted to share it with my readers. She also made a dairy free sauce for you all. Time for me to shush up and hand it over to the gorgeous lady. Hi Everybody! I’m so jazzed to be here on Sunshine and Smile sharing a recipe I’ve made specifically for you! I can bet; if you’re a living and breathing human like me, you likely don’t have a lot of time to make dinner on the weekdays....

Holi Cake with Thandai Powder Festival for me is indulging on festive food. And this holi cake is one the way I chose to introduce the festival to Avyan. He had a blast baking the cake but most important adding those colors. This is a super easy rainbow cake to try baking with your kid. It does get a little messy but it’s fun too. The recipe will bake a 6 inch Holi cake ....

Whether you’re hosting a party, looking for a quick snack, or searching for a unique appetizer, Naan Cheese Bombs are sure to impress. These cheese bombs are the perfect blend of crunchy and creamy, making them a hit with both kids and adults alike. And you don’t necessarily have to stick to just cheese. You can add left over vegetables, or meat along with cheese to make this a delicious after school snack or party appetizers....

Making Thandai Powder is so easy that one shouldn’t really get those store-bought packets. Prepare a fresh small batch to enjoy the aromatic at its best. What is Thandai Powder Masala? Thandai is an Indian milk based drink that is typically served during Holi Festival. The month of March starts to get warm in India and as people play outdoor with holi colors (rangoli), a glass of cold thandai is the best thirst quenchers....

We are not much of a fruit juice drinker as we are more of fruit eaters. You know what I mean! Occasionally, we do buy a big jar of orange juice but that’s about it. We do stock up on a lot of fruits and at times, I am left with fruits that are getting over ripped by just sitting in the basket. This juice was a result of one such scenario....

Growing up, we had a very standard Sunday ritual. Our breakfast was mostly this Vegetable Chow Mein that Ma would make followed by meat or chicken for lunch that my Dad would make. The homemade version of the noodle was always more mildly spiced as compared to the street style version. And as a result we friends would hog on occasionally after the school. I could never pick a favorite in between the two versions....

What is Barfi? Barfi is a milk based dessert. It is a popular North Indian dessert prepared during the festive season. You can make barfi with different kind of nuts and flours like this milk barfi, Santra Badam Barfi, flavor with saffron, rose water, and you can shape it in various different ways. The most common and easy shape is square. It’s a great dessert to make for parties, as you can make in bulk with very less effort....

There was a time when making aloo paratha was a daunting task for me. It would end up being a complete mess as the potatoes would burst out when rolling the paratha and my attempt to impress my husband would fly out of the window. It took me a while to get it right and now, I make it more often than you can imagine. A good stuffed paratha should have cooked through flaky golden brown exterior with evenly spread filling....

I am really blessed that I did not have to stay in places with extreme weather. In India, I was staying in Bangalore, where the weather is pretty much steady through out the year. It’s neither too humid nor too warm. Then in US, it’s California! Although these days, due to global warming, it’s no longer pleasant throughout the year. Yet, it’s much better as compared to the extreme climate of other cities....

Butter Chicken, which we also refer to as Murgh Makhani has a very interesting history of its origin and if you google about it, you will find lots of articles. The key of the dish is the creamy tomato based sauce which we used with not only vegetarian protein like paneer to make Paneer Butter Masala or tofu but also used in pasta or pizza. Why you will love this Butter Chicken Recipe ?...

These sweet, tangy charred Shishito Peppers are perfect for party appetizers. You can add to your bruschetta, or top it to creamy risotto for the mild char taste or add to your summer salad. If you haven’t tried Shishito Peppers before, go grab a packet and make this delicious, addictive Charred Shishito Peppers. What are Shishito Peppers ? Shishito Peppers are these mildly sweet, tangy peppers popular in Japan. The peppers are wrinkle, looks super cute and are from the capsicum annuum family....

This is a sponsored post, but opinions are my own. Daal Makhani I have prepared dal makhani several times in the past and often, I would soak the daal and pressure cook it before sautéing it with the makhani sauce in a pan. But ever since, I tried making it in Proctor Silex Simplicity Pressure Cooker. I am hooked to this method. I add everything to the pot for a quick stir and then completely forget about it for the next 40 minutes or so....