Well, I don’t have the liberty to wake up late tomorrow. We are re-visiting Napa Valley with few of our friends and it’s about 2 hours drive from our home. So.. early to bed and early to rise! Last time, we visited Napa during our anniversary and we took the Wine Train ride, which was really fun! However, we didn’t have any energy left to go for a tour or wine tasting after the ride....

Mung Bean and Kale Daal Daily Indian menu almost always includes a type of lentils or beans. It’s a ritual that I grew up with but didn’t follow much after I moved out of home and started on my own. I have never been a big fan of lentils or beans. Until about a few months back, I would make lentil very occasionally, maybe once a week. But of late, I have changed that and started to make it on a more regular basis mainly because of two reasons....

Potato And Kale Stuffed Paratha Potato, being a quintessential part of Indian cooking, makes appearance everywhere from stir-fries to curries to stuffed Indian flat bread (parathas). Check this recipe of Aloo Paratha prepared three different ways! While there are various fillings that you can use for stuffed parathas, somehow the simple mash potato (aloo paratha) always wins more hearts. It’s also my favorite. At times, when I prep for aloo paratha, I make some extra filling so that I can add some greens to the mashed potatoes for a back to back stuffed paratha meals....

Chili Hot Sauce with Bird Eye Chili Making Chili Hot Sauce is so easy and unlike the store bought variety, with the homemade hot sauce you have complete control. You can jack up heat or make it mild. And with no added preservatives, it’s also healtier. Based on your liking you can choose whichever chili/ red pepper you want to use. I chose bird eye chili, cause these were too gorgeous and my husband love spicy hot sauce....

Cholar Dal We enjoy this classic Cholar Dal during breakfast, lunch or dinner. Filled with warm flavors, this Bengali Chana Dal comes together super quick and with very minimal ingredients. The texture of the dal is prepared based on what you are pairing it with. The dal tastes good with rice or luchi or paratha. You keep it more soupy if you are enjoying it with rice and make it into a thicker stew if you are serving with Luchi....

The recipe is similar to Easter Egg Sugar Cookies, except it’s tastier because of the addition of cream cheese in it. Cream cheese makes the cookies tender and the texture is slightly chewy. Tools you need for this Cream Cheese Cookies Recipe Stand or Hand mixer: You can surely whisk and make the batter using a wooden spoon and a whisk but having a stand or hand mixer will make the task faster and easy Cookie Sheet and Parchment Paper: It’s important to layer the cut-out cookies on the cookie sheet lined with parchment paper so that the bottom of the cookie doesn’t get burnt Wire Rack: It’s always a good idea to let the cookie cool down on a wire rack....

2011 was a very special year for me. It not only gave me new friends and new dreams but it also gave me two new passions - food and photography! The year gave me so many things to treasure that words can hardly express my feelings. We reached home yesterday after 2 months long vacation and even though I wished to sleep and get some rest, I could not help but write this post....

Until last year, Halloween meant two things for my son, candies and superhero costume. This year he wants Halloween treats that is as per him “spookily”. So, we started with meringue ghost cookies, Halloween sugar cookies and finally this Halloween Layered cake! I sure did earn a lot of kisses, “love you Mumma” and “you are the best Mumma”! Halloween Layered Cake Layered with three, 6-inch round cakeFlavored with carrot and cardamomNo butter just oil which gave a lovely crumbly textureCream cheese frostingGhost meringue cookies for decoration...

What is Kala Chana Pulao? Any rice dish that is cooked with veggies, meat or beans is called pulao, pulav or pilaf! It is very common in Middle East countries and India. Kala Chana are black gram sometime also referred to as black chickpea. These are much tinier as compared to the regular white chickpea. It is a great source of protein and can be used in several ways. We often make dry stir-fry Kala Chana or even a rich curry or stew....

Radhaballavi is a quintessential durga puja special breakfast or snack item, usually paired with a delicious side of aloor dom (spiced potato curry) or cholar dal (a Bengali-style chana dal or split Bengal gram curry). The story behind the name Radhaballavi I am not of the real story. I read some article that said that the name Radhaballavi has a cultural and spiritual connection. “Radha” and “Ballavi” are often associated with Radha and Krishna, figures from Hindu mythology....

During the peak cherry season, we always make a visit to one of the u-pick cherry farms. It’s such a fun activity to pick fresh cherries from the trees. We came home with 8 lb of cherries. I definitely had to spend some time photographing these gorgeous cherries. Roasting Cherries As much as I love this fruit, I find it extremely annoying to pit those seeds one by one. So, the best way I like to use these sweet cherries in my desserts and drinks, is by roasting the cherries....

This meal has become a regular in my house. We love fruits, and we love salmon, so the combination has effortlessly placed its permanent spot in our weekly menu. My 9 years old loves the dish so much that meal time goes smoothly without me reminding him to focus on eating. Ingredients you need for this Salmon with watermelon salad Salmon fillet - You can use the other variety of fishes too, but salmon works best, I feel....

Aloo Tamatar Sabzi with onion and garlic Growing up, when we had school vacations, we used to travel to Kolkata from Shillong by train. I so miss those train rides! Gazing out the window watching those paddy fields, the bunk beds that we would non-stop climb and then, those vendors who kept coming with snacks to munch all day long. Out of all the dishes that I would eat in that long journey, Poori Sabzi was always the one that we looked forward to....

Baingan Ka Salan To break down the name, Baingan means eggplant and Salan refers to creamy coconut with peanut flavored gravy. The first time I tasted Baingan Ka Salan was several years back at my work place. One of my colleague’s Mom was in town for a few weeks and during that time, his lunch box was the best in the group. After sharing with the gluttonous team, he used to barely get a few bites....

Hello! So very happy to be guest posting for Kankana (I fondly call her Kana :)) on her beautiful blog while she’s on vacation. You know, she’s my first virtual blogging buddy and we’ve been good friends since early 2011. That is something quite special and amazing to cherish. So, here I am bringing you this vibrant, creamy and utterly satisfying but ridiculously easy to make Carrot Cashew Soup. We’ve been drinking soups of different kinds throughout the past season during the merry go round bouts of cold and cough which happen ever so frequently with growing little ones around....

I have a lot of catching up to do in the blogging world. I have missed a lot of recipes in the last week and a half. I was hardly getting any time to go online! There was a lot of interesting cooking happening in my kitchen and I can’t wait to share it with you guys. Talking about today’s recipe, this is more of a typical Indian dish and my Mom used to make egg curry a lot....

Most of the Indian meals are incomplete without some chutney on the side. It’s prepared fresh using seasonal fruits and vegetables without any preservatives. Occasionally, the chutney is saved in an airtight jar and stored only for a couple of days in the refrigerator. However, the best way is to enjoy it when its fresh. So, I always prefer to make chutney in small batches and it never lasts long....

Khejur Gurer Payesh is a celebratory rice pudding Growing up, I don’t recall any special occasion when khejur gurer payesh was not prepared. Be it a birthday, after exam celebrations, any festival or a family get-together, this creamy comfort-in-a-bowl always made an appearance. This ritual is still followed religiously. And I still lick the bowl clean, every single time. Payesh is auspicious for Bengalies At home, payesh is not only just a casual indulgence but it’s auspicious as well....

Korola Bhaja is yet another simple side dish that we serve at the beginning of the meal. We sometime also refer to it as ucche bhaja. Bitter is referred to as “teto” in Bengali, and it plays a very important part in Bengali everyday meal. Bengali meal is a feast every day, and it often starts with something bitter. Especially during peak summer months. Bitter is known to cleanse our body and keep infection away....

Kucho Nimki Nimki is otherwise known as namakpara in North of India is a common Indian snack which is often prepared fresh for special occasions like Diwali and Durga Puja. During Durga Puja, Ma will always make a fresh batch of several kinds of savory snacks. Kucho Nimki is one of the most popular and a must during Durga Puja. With all the Bengali sweet indulgence, something savory to balance it out....