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Gong Xi Fa Cai, Happy Chinese new year to all! We celebrated the long 4 day weekend with lots food and moviesJ With Valentine’s day around the corner let me share a skinny version of the all time favorite Red velvet cupcake with a hint of chocolate flavour You can always cheat a bit and add the classic cream cheese frosting which is the classic combo. The reci
It’s a pretty long weekend for us here as the Chinese new year is around the corner. As always I have a big to-do list..and the item on top was to update my discarded blog..! So here is a Coconut cake from my all time favourite Chef Donna Hay. Now when I follow cook book recipes many a times I end up with a totally different stuff from the lovely picture they put up
Let me warn you..you are going to see a lot more of Pecan and walnut recipes in coming days! What can I say..I am surrounded by a bunch of generous people, I mean literally very generous ! My parents recently went to US to spend the holidays with my sis and I asked them to get me some Pecans and walnuts back as they r pretty expensive in Singapore.[Please note the word someJ]An
No sneaking around for low fat .. no guilt this time around.. its poppy seed cake for the weekend! Was planning to treat myself with a rich cake with succulent cream cheese icing before I get back to my routine. Unfortunately it raining cats and dogs here in Singapore for last two days . So the laziness got the best of me and I chose to keep it simple. Nevertheless it’s a
Its 12 days into 2013..Better later than never !!.Let me wish all my dear readers a very happy new year. December of 2012 was mad..Sleepless nights , a trip to US followed by 5 days neck deep work and to close it all a 2 week vacation in my hometown! I got back to Singapore few days back and still struggling hard to get back to routine.I missed hell lot of p
Phewwwwww..I am back, after a month loonng break. I am soo sorry to have left this place without a wordL in fact I didn’t even intent to take a break from blogging you know…just that there were soo many things happening in life that I just had to put this off to later, later and ended up with this loonng break … Now the last few months has been a roller coaster ride..Ups an
Lately blogging and even cooking have become an weekend affair for me.After my last post, I don’t think I have visited this space more than twiceL That too not more than few minutes.. I am caught up in the midst of a whirlpool at work and I can say that I am virtually living in my office and coming home just for sleeping. Needless to say my kitchen and oven have been i
Weekend is here..Oo lalalala.Let’s start it with something sweet. Homemade salted Caramels! I have been wanting to make some homemade caramels recipe ever since I have the most yummiest cheesecake ever..Salted Caramel Cheesecake.Also I badly needed to use the candy thermometer which I have used only twice in last 3 years, if not I may not even remember that ever existed!
Happy Diwali /Deepavali to all my lovely readers!!Hope you are enjoying this festival of lights with your dear ones and with lots and lots of diwali sweets and snacksJ For this Deepavali I made a simple savory snack which reminds me of a very very special person who is very close to my heart. Back in my hometown in Kerala, it’s a very closely knit society and our
I am in a total hibernation mode…After a very long and nerve-racking week at work, I took a day off and am enjoying my 4 day weekendJ Now who can beat that! Cant believed that two days of my precious 4 day weekend end is already over and all I did was go moo-moo and eat. Both of which I hardly did in last one week. Sigh sigh..Diwali is round the corner and I have
Oo my..I have been ignoring my bloggy for more than 10 days.Its almost dead..let me quickly give it some CPR! DH was sick..This time it was big-time !May b the virus was visiting him after 3 long years, it stuck him ,world class this time.DH as a rule is a hyperactive adult who absolutely hates sleeping and when he is down and asked by doctor to sleep until cows co
Jalebi..Jangri..Jilebi..Or even JilaybeeeJ I honestly don’t know the right name.In my place we call is Jilaybee .After all what’s in a name. It’s basically a yummy Indian sweet. As like most Indian sweet its superb sweet and not for light hearted folks. Its deep fried , doesn’t stop there and then we go ahead and soak it in a sugar syrup. Now don’t count calories during this
Match or Green tea is an acquired taste. At least that was the case for me! I absolutely hated it about 5 yrs back ,used to wonder how people can eat this weird green colour tea, that too flavor your cakes and bakes with that!! My liking started with Green tea ice creams and mochi, slowly moved on to cakes, cheese cakes, chocolates and now I am absolutely addicted! I am soo g
Traditionally the yummy rice krispie treats are made from Rice cereal , Marshmallows and oodles of butter. But this one is not your regular rice Krispy treats with Marshmallows. It’s a lighter and healthier version with Dates Puree and peanut butter. Isn’t it great to hear that your favorite snack can be made so healthy and wholesome.. now you can munch on this non-stop
I guess my quest for the perfect breakfast bakes has come to an end with this perfect Dark chocolate Banana Muffins. There are awfully chocolatey ,fruity and nutty and not too sweet to drag you to a sugar comma in the morning! I made a batch of this on Sunday and am enjoying this Muffins for breakfast. You have to trust me blindly here when I say that you have a bite of this Dark
If you have been to Hong Kong Airport, I bet you never missed the famous Kee Wah bakery. If you haven’t visited the place yet, please please do go there. Their best seller Pineapple shortcake is fabulously awesome. I tasted some of the best candies I ever had from here as well..Dates Candy , Pumpkin candy. I bought back a big pack of Pumpkin seed candy and my friends loved it.
Honestly I have no clue what the hell is seasonal cooking. How will I get a chance when I am in Singapore where there is only one season..Summer.. we get most veggies and fruits round the year. We get mangoes, berries, apples, oranges, plums, melon round the year. The only way I am in sync with the seasonal fruits is via the blogs and food porn sites J When I see a fl
I am falling in love with ginger, especially after reading Ayurveda Bible.Great book to know your body constitution or Prakruthi,how to balance your energy , the right food for your body type , the best way of making it and more.Ginger is universal medicine used soo widely in Ayurveda and that is the magic wand to my body type .You can check your body type here . I
It’s a rain soaked weekend for us here so no special plans for Sunday evening other than making this souperlicious soupJ.What better way to enjoy your cozy weekend than this..the sound of rain outside your window, cool breeze, your favourite book in hand, hot coffee by the table and the smell of this hearty soups simmering in the stove. This warm soup is pack
My notion about Ice creams was that its best to get from store. I have tried my luck at making homemade ice creams with the perfect creamy texture..didn’t have much luck there. Few years back I even lugged an ice cream maker from US, to tell the truth that is happily sitting in the top cupboards, hardly ever used it. Luckily I recently moved my Kitchen Aid up as well.
Remember the emotional coma episode I went through after spotting my first grey hairL.I almost went into a panic mode for next few days doing treasure hunt in my head every morning! Ooopphh Anyways I have decided to give that a stop for the time being coz I am pretty sure that I am gone find more if I am getting soo worked out by that one silver strand! So basically I have deci
Tuesdays..Pilates class .. rigorous hour long exercise(or should I call tortureJ?)..and I am almost dying.. So nothing to write..no stories to share..my brain has shutdown and soon my hands will stop working too.Lemme quickly share the recipe before my body shutdown completely Wait wait I told you here that I am keeping the best for later..remember? So ladies and gentle
Corn Juice does that sound weird to you? Then you have to trust me on this recipe! This drink is just awesome, a healthy ,power packed juice I had it during my last visit to China. During one of the dinners we noticed that the corn juice is among their specials. Although the menu said it is a Corn juice, it tasted more like a Corn milk.Whatever the name may be, it t
Yesterday morning I received a message from a friend that a photo from my blog is being shared by another guy in facebook. It’s not soo simple. Firstly this guy have copied my photo, secondly he have taken the time and effort to come to my blog, copy my recipe, translate it in Malayalam and post it in his facebook and happily share it and not even a single mention of the sourc
Every time I talk to my mom she keeps reminding me that I was such a super picky eater when I was a kid, there was no way she could make me eat vegetable unless it is all mashed or juiced I am soo tempted to say that the grown up me is not at all like that but sadly I am still a picky eater. But of course the pickiness has changed to a different direction. I love
Back in Kerala we always look forward to the trip to Moms home during school holidays. The best part of the trip was the drive from my hometown to moms place which is in Thiruvalla. Typically it would take 6-7 hours , but we always end up taking 12 hrs or more.We stop almost every 1 hr or so and enjoy each and every local delights or specialties on the way. It was on one of thos
Howz the week coming along?For me not soo good so far…I was expecting a slow week at work, turned out to be exactly the opposite. On positive note, I joined a pilates class in office clubhouse during the lunch hours, having a fun time stretching and moving and a very hot teacher to inspire us all!Only down side, after 1 hr intense stretches to each and every
After the hit of the Fig and Date balls I am on a steady hunt for no bake, no cook easy yet healthy snack. Why waste time on whipping, mixing and baking when I can make a super easy dessert in less than 30 min which is healthy ,hearty and guilt free too! I have been trying different combinations of dried fruit, nuts, seeds and flavorings and there is always a box of this su
“Vegetarian is an old Indian word for bad hunter”..Yes,that is my DH’s favorite quote, who also happens to be a hard core carnivore. So you can imagine how our 6 years of marital life would have been. The omnivore me trying to convince the meat lover about the hazards of being a red meat eater and he in turn persuading me to try all “delicious” stuff. The other day we
Happy Onam !!Hope you all had a wonderful Onam Sadya and said hai to Maveli! I decided to skip making sadya this year, spend my day in office and had a grant sadya in evening at a Kerala restaurant. Now coming to Amla and why I have developed a liking for Amla lately It was few weeks back, I woke up ,had tea , chit chatting with DH and
A girl can never have enough shoes!! Never ever! Proved that again this weekendJ DH needed a new pair of sports shoe and we went down for the Royal sports ware house sale! Sadly , he didn’t find any for his taste , but I found a cute pair of lactose shoes. With this black shoe, I think my shoe collection is just perfect, almost have a matching shoe for most of my p
Lord grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to hide the bodies of those people I had to kill because they pissed me off! I am pissed off!!Let me tell you why! Remember I joined Pilates class in our office clubhouse during lunch time? I am happily doing Pilates , partly because I like do
Had a fun weekend?For me the highlight was a lovely nostalgic movie, Manjadikuru. Kudos to Anjali menon for taking us for a ride through the colourful childhood. I am sure many Keralites can absolutely relate to this, the summer vacations in the late 80’s and 90’s, appuppan and ammuma waiting eagerly for you in front of the big ancestral house ,the pond, mango trees,lot
Its Friday and the life has suddenly become all brightJ I took a day off work, just to get some amble rest [read it as sleep , sleep and more sleep] As it is an off day and a day for myself, I made this simple and effortless breakfast for today. This is a great energy booster for breakfast or a pre workout drink, with all benefits of Soy and fruits The banana a
Enjoying the weekend pals? I am having a rather quiet weekend, home alone…but having some fun time with my Brand new CameraJ Yes, I got a new Cam for as a birthday gift,a Nikon D5100J. Can you believe that I couldn’t play around it for 1 whole week? I am swamped in neck deep work and crazy meetings. When I say crazy, I mean literally crazy..I had to yell at them to give
What a great evening, start of a 4 day loooong break! Doing the happy dance nowJ Done with a milestone at work, finally got some breathing space and yes I managed do some baking after 3 long weeks. I have made plans to catch up with my two best friends, a list of to-do items including baking.And I got to catch up on those scrumptious updates from you all w
This is one of my favorite juice, which is absolutely refreshing. An amazing combination of crunchy , sweet n sour green apple and super food, alkaline Celery. They both compliment soo well and make the most energizing drink. As I still very much trapped in my laziness cocoon plus my work is keeping me busy, I am hardly doing any baking and very minimal cooking..
This time I took a pretty long break from blogosphere. Something unexpected happened untimely, I was in India for about 10 days. Took about another week to get back to routine and move on. I made these cuppies long back after the hit of the Buckwheat muffins. Buckwheat flour has a nutty flavor and is one of the best plan based protein. Combine it with some prunes and
I have been keeping the Matcha powder I got from Japan like a little piece of jewel for the past few months. Every time I see it in the cupboard, I just open it ,smell it ,close it tightly and dare not to use it .. I paid quite a hefty price for the small can of Matcha powder. In the past 3 months I just used 1 tspn of it for making a batch of cupcakes. So this w
This is the best vegan alternative to egg scramble.. The best thing about tofu is that it is mostly like a sponge, it absorbs the flavors soo well. You can throw in the spices and veggies of your choice and prepare this easy recipe in few minutes Here I added some Chili powder and Garam Masala to give the scramble a hint of spiciness I served the Spicy Tof
Back to blogosphere after another long breakJ After settling my work related stuff in Shenzhen, we travelled around Guangzhou a bit.I have to admit I had a tough time finding vegetarian Chinese foodL 12 days in China, I could eat Chinese food for only 1 meal. Rest of the days I ate all cuisines Italian, western, Japanese, Mexican..basically everything except Authentic Chine
After much effort…By effort I mean my colleagues effort, I am finally able to connect to my blogJ I am in Shenzhen and enjoying the novelty of being a novelty here!! Haha In the past , most places , may be exception of Cambodia, there was always a long queue in immigration for foreigners. But to my surprise, in Shenzhen immigration, I am the only foreigner in the queue.
Eureka! I have found the perfect guilt free snack! And what more ,its eggless, no bake and not even any cooking involved. And with the added goodness of dates, figs , almonds and Oats! Me being a sneak, I didn’t tell about the hidden Oats and nuts and gave the Sweet balls to DH who absolutely hates anything with a healthy tag on it! He thought its some laddu and gorged o
I scratched my head quite a bit thinking what to name this lip-smacking sweet! It looks very similar to the Laddu but the texture is very chewy and fudgy so nailed down on this name! It’s a simple ,3 ingredients recipe but tastes just yummm! Mango Oats Fudge Ingredients 1/2 Cup Mango Purée 1/4 Cup condensed milk 1/3 Cup Instant oats
Back in my home-town, we usually get dates which are ultra dried , really hard and are super sweet and push you into a Sugar comma!You have to chew those forever and you would get a jaw ache after eating few of those!Later once I got the real taste of the fresh ripe dates and the semi dried ones, there was no looking back. I became a buff.I always have a box of dried dates in my pan
Are you guys having a good weekend? We are having a long weekend yeyyyy! I had a great start, pampered myself at a local spa and later had a blast at Russell Peter show here!Man, I have seen his youtube videos but the live show is no match! I actually got a tummy ache after laughing non-stop for 2 hrs! It’s been some time since I have posted something here! Let me put the blame on my da
