New Year's Resolutions

New Year's Resolutions

As we gear up to say goodbye to 2008 and ring in 2009, I'm sure the thought of New Year's Resolutions is going through people's minds. A fresh new year, with a fresh new start.Who's making New Year's Resolutions this year? Who actually sticks to them?Around here, we don't make resolutions, we make a list of goals for the upcoming year. We sit down and think about concrete things that we can work towards and then post it up somewhere so we can be reminded of it. Instead of the New Year's Resolution "I will lose weight this year", on our list...

Katsu Donburi (Breaded Pork & Rice Bowl)

Katsu Donburi (Breaded Pork & Rice Bowl)

I didn't want a perfectly good meal to go to waste since I had all the fresh veggies hanging out in my fridge begging to be used, so I went ahead and made Katsu Donburi (also called Katsudon). Ever since...

Coming Soon....

Coming Soon....

Not only do I have a baby coming soon, but some new ideas for meal planning and Meal Planning New Year's Resolutions. I plan to do a series of posts on Eating Organic, Eating Healthier, Trying New Things, and Cutting Down the Budget for ringin' in the New Year. Hopefully I can accomplish these posts while I patiently await our new arrival.I have also never done the Freezer Stockpiling thing, except for my little Baking Spree, but I plan to do a bit of that to prepare for the new baby as well. I have an amazing husband who is totally willing...

Meal Plan Week 12

Meal Plan Week 12

It was really nice to have my meal plan as a guideline for Christmas Week, but of course with the festivities my plan didn't really go as planned. My Dad, Brother & his Girlfriend came for Christmas so besides our huge Christmas dinner we also went out for a big sushi feast to introduce my brother to the wonders of raw fish and maki. He was pretty stoked but his girlfriend was rather squeamish and after seeing our platter of raw fish and sushi rolls she lost her appetite and couldn't finish her bowl of Chicken Teriyaki. We also have an amazing...

Meal Plan Week 11

Meal Plan Week 11

This week is filled with Christmas parties, family get-together's, and a big ol' Christmas Dinner. Of course we are resorting to some of our all-time favorite recipes (as well as one new one on a day with no company ;) Time to bust out the big guns and impress some peeps!Day 1: Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno’s Stuffed with Cream CheeseThese things are incredibly addicting, and I always get major compliments for them. We went to a Couple's Christmas Party over the weekend and I knocked a few socks off. The Pioneer Woman is right: How ever many you...

Spicy Honey BBQ Chicken

Spicy Honey BBQ Chicken

The prospect of cooking BBQ Chicken in my oven that was more involved than just opening up a bottle of BBQ Sauce and dumping it on, really had me excited about this recipe. I liked that it seemed to...

Taco Pasta Bake

Taco Pasta Bake

This was an unusual meal for me to make. We never eat anything in our house that resembles "Hamburger Helper" or that is even thrown together in a "casserole" sort of way. I guess that kind of makes...

Garam Masala

Garam Masala

मराठीमध्ये वाचण्यासाठी इथे क्लिक कराFirst of all this is not my experiment but its my mom's expertee. When everybody asks me about garam masala I use to tell that its my mom's speciality. So now that...

Hashbrown Quiche

Hashbrown Quiche

This quiche replaces the traditional pie crust with hashbrowns to create a delicious breakfast "all in one". We make this for "Brupper" (breakfast for supper), but could be made for brunch as well. ...

Chutney For Medu Wada

Chutney For Medu Wada

मराठीमध्ये वाचण्यासाठी इथे क्लिक कराI read about this special chutney for the medu wada in the cookery book that I have and tried this. It tastes amazing with the wada obviously not as nice as sambar...

Medu Wada

Medu Wada

मराठीमध्ये वाचण्यासाठी इथे क्लिक कराMedu wada is my all time favourite and if you know that guests are coming in the evening even by afternoon this is something you can try. This time I really managed...

Mutton Biryani

Mutton Biryani

मराठीमध्ये वाचण्यासाठी इथे क्लिक कराIts been long time since ajoy had been asking me to prepare mutton biryani. But mutton is not my liking and hence I had been conviniently ignoring it. Then it was that...

Palak Pakoda Kadhi(Spinach Pakoda Curry)

Palak Pakoda Kadhi(Spinach Pakoda Curry)

मराठीमध्ये वाचण्यासाठी इथे क्लिक कराSince I was small, My Dad always tells mom that in his company canteen he gets amazing Kadhi Bhaji(Curry Pakoda). And there use to always an attempt from mom to get...

Palak (Spinach) Pakoda

Palak (Spinach) Pakoda

मराठीमध्ये वाचण्यासाठी इथे क्लिक कराIt been more than a month since I prepared this but due to all sort of logistic issues in moving out of hyderabad I got little busy and couldnt post the recipe even...

Aloo Pakoras (Indian Potato Fritters)

Aloo Pakoras (Indian Potato Fritters)

These are so yummy and I would describe them as an Indian-spiced french fry. The flavors of the batter really make them stand out and not bland at all. For our Secret-Secret Geography Club Indian Feast,...

Meal Plan Week 10

Meal Plan Week 10

It's my last week of work before maternity leave! I'm trying to get in all the delicious recipes I want to try before I have this baby and send my husband into the kitchen to cook for me.Day 1: Indian...

Turkey & Spinach Cobbler

Turkey & Spinach Cobbler

You know when you try out a recipe and you have high expectations for it? And then after all the hard work and labor you put into making it, you take one bite and all your expectations fall to the floor?...

Slow Cooker Honey-Mustard Lime Chicken

Slow Cooker Honey-Mustard Lime Chicken

I love coming across new blogs with great recipes. I've just recently discovered Alanna at Kitchen Parade. I actually came across her blog when I was looking for Weight Watchers recipes for a friend,...

Guacamole

Guacamole

I'm not sure there is an easier dip to throw together than guacamole. Because avocado's are quite bland and buttery, I like the pungency of fresh garlic and lot's of lime juice...so it's good and tangy....

Refried Beans

Refried Beans

My only thoughts about refried beans used to be that they tasted like dog food....not very appetizing. If they didn't taste like dog food, they sure were bland and I really didn't get the big fuss over...

Vietnamese Crispy Chow Mein with Beef Stir-Fry

Vietnamese Crispy Chow Mein with Beef Stir-Fry

I've ordered this dish a couple times from our favorite Vietnamese restaurant, but it is so HUGE that I can never even eat half of it by myself. My husband is too busy eating bun and spring rolls to...

Madras Vegetable Curry

Madras Vegetable Curry

My friend just introduced me to a program in our area called "The Interfaith Country Kitchen". It is a completely FREE program where you come in and cook two recipes that they provide you with, along with providing you all the ingredients and the equipment for making the recipes. At the end of cooking, you get to take home your creations for your family. It has been a real blessing discovering this program since we will be trying to cut down our food budget a bit really soon, and this provides us with one free meal a week. There is also FREE...

Meal Plan Week 9

Meal Plan Week 9

I'm finally posting, I'm finally posting!! I promise I have been keeping up with my own meal plans and following them (I do practice what I preach!) life has just been hectic and I don't seem to get around to posting them. But it's Sunday and I'm relaxing on the couch with some tea and a muffin, so I plan on bustin' out a couple recipe posts as well.Remember this post I did about our monthly grocery budget not too long ago? And remember how I said we love food, and love to eat well so we don't want to sacrifice our food budget? Well we are kind...

No lipservice this

No lipservice this

I love lipstick. Ever since I was a child I have been fascinated by it. In my childhood, in most conservative families this was a banned item. You could apply thick Kajal under your eyes which was considered very appropriate and even good for the eyes; on festive occasions grown-ups could use betel leaves and lime which reddened their lips which was completely acceptable. But applying lipstick was a strict no-no. My father said only ‘chattaikaris’ (anglo-Indians) used lipstick. – to my young mind it seemed like there was some sort of a law against...

When the rose turned plastic

When the rose turned plastic

Aarti sat on the steps that led from her drawing room to the dining space and surveyed the arrangement – new covers for the cushions in rich hues and soft fabric, fresh flowers in the vases, carpet vacuumed to look as good as new. The room looked warm and welcoming. She closed her eyes savoring the feeling of contentment. She loved to surround herself with beautiful things and worked hard to keep them beautiful. She was naturally gifted with the creativity to transform simple spaces into artistic niches by furnishing them inventively. Visitors...