Milk Bread and a touch of Nostalgia, Awards and Honest meme..

When you live away from your childhood home, inevitably nostalgia hits you once in a while. And, then it isn't about "Oh I miss the sights of my beautiful country and all its exotic splendor (most of which, we took for granted while we were there and hence are still on the to-visit list!)" but silly stuff like the smell of sun dried laundry, some vague breakfast item mom made (and only the way she made it!), etc...

For Mr. FSK, it is Amul butter toast dipped in chai! :) Whenever we visit back home, he has it every morning; almost burnt toast slathered with salty Amul butter, dipped in hot lemon grass tea that my PIL makes (oh that tea!! Sighhhhh). The pure joy that spreads on his face when he takes a bite of the tea soaked crust is a sight to cherish! And oh! It has to be Amul butter! The brand is infamous for their catchy cur ads with the omnipresent "utterly-butterly" girl dishing out a thick slab of the salty deliciousness!

So, on a recent trip to the Indian grocery store, I spied a packet of the said butter and promptly picked it up. And, to complete the India reminiscence, I started hunting for a milk bread recipe because that is the bread that you invariably get in stores there. I still remember the "Milka" bread (South Indian brand) ads. I happened upon Smitten Kitchen's white batter bread and it looked so like what I wanted that I decided to try it out!



Bingo! The bread was almost close to home.. The texture fluffy and light, almost cake like but not quite. It doesn't make great sandwiches but is fantastic when slathered with butter and dipped in hot milky chai! :) And, yes, he had it that way and for the sake of humoring him, I did too..! Although, I will never develop a deep love for consuming it his way, it does make a great butter-toast bread!

I am also taking this bread to Jamie's birthday party! Ok, perhaps not for the party itself, but the morning after! :)). Jamie is hosting Bread Baking Day #26 and inviting breads for her birthday party. Here is wishing wonderful Jamie a fabulous year ahead with lotsa perfect bakes and more happy Mac Attacks!



Also, sending this our friendly,neighbourhood Yeastspotting team!


Milk Bread
(adapted from Smitten Kitchen)
makes one 8x4 inch loaf

2 cups flour
1-1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 cup milk
1/2 T sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2-1/2 T canola oil

Warm milk to 110F. Dissolve yeast in the warmed milk and let sit for a few minutes. Whisk together the salt, sugar and oil. Add the yeasted milk to this mixture. Beat the flour in to make a smooth batter. Note, emphasis on smooth. It take a few minutes and best done with a hand held whisk.

Pour into an oiled loaf pan. Cover with a oiled plastic wrap and let it rise to double in volume. When it's almost there, preheat oven to 425F. When ready, pop the pan into the oven, lower the temperature to 400F and bake for 30 minutes or until the internal temperature registers 210F.

Remove from oven and immediately unmold to cool on rack. If you leave it in the pan for too long, the bread steams on the sides and sogs up (no good!).

Slice, be generous with the butter and enjoy!

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I also wanted to thank lovely Renee of Flamingo Musings for giving me a couple of lovely awards!! She is soo sweet!! And, I am going to pass it to a few of favorite bloggers. But before that I must apparently share a few honest things about myself, in no particular order. So here they are -

1. Books are my other passion. If you are ever wondering what to gift me, books are always perfect!
2. Ideal dinner dates would be hub, P.G Wodehouse and Hugh Laurie (if anyone knows him, set me up on a date puleeez!!)
3. Favorite meal course - dessert.
4. Love big dogs like labs and golden retrievers. Not a fan of the teeny breeds
5. Love greenery, hiking, mountains and large water bodies
6. Greatest inspiration - my late maternal grandfather
7. Tennis is my favorite sport
8. Favorite color - Red
9. Former Coffee addict
10. Don't want to change anything that has happened in my life so far :-)

And I am passing on these awards to these wonderful people I met and have gotten to know recently. They all have fabulous blogs that have provide a ton of inspiration!

Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen
Pam of The Cooking Ninja
Trissa of Trissalicious
Alessio of Recipe Taster
Mowie of Mowielicious
Hilda of Saffron and Blueberry
Meeta of What's for Lunch Honey

FSK's Very Berry Nanaimo Bars for Daring Bakers

The January 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Lauren of Celiac Teen. Lauren chose Gluten-Free Graham Wafers and Nanaimo Bars as the challenge for the month. The sources she based her recipe on are 101 Cookbooks and http://www.nanaimo.ca/.

Right off the bat, let me say that I LOVED this challenge! Now, for the irony and a teeny confession - I am NOT a fan of chocolate! Yes, I know, makes you gawk, what with my HUGE sweet tooth, love for baking, such and such. But, the truth is, if I had a choice between something largely chocolate-y and another, then inevitably, I would choose the latter!! (unless it's rice pudding...)



When I first read the recipe, I was a bit distressed (yes yes, that much!) by the amount of chocolate it called for. Then the thinking cap went on, creativity kicked in.. and love followed! :-) My version of the Nanaimo Bars went from intensely chocolate to intensely berry! That is not to say that this creation of mine is not without further contradictions... You'll find out along the post! :)

One of the things that I liked about the recipe was that it is a no bake version (err...) and that it has multiple layers, each requiring some chilling time before the next layer could be added on. That gave me ample time to figure out the flavors for the subsequent layers. I actually made this dessert over two days. And, happily as Lauren said, these bars can be frozen to be enjoyed much later as well, whenever craving strikes! I already have some set aside in the freezer..!:)



Part of the pushing the limits in this challenge was to make the graham crackers, gluten free. I did not push myself here. I used pastry flour that I had left over from the Vol-au-vent challenge. And, guess what?! I made chocolate grahams! Yep! The idea being that it would go better with the chocolate base of the bar. In truth, I am not sure, if it lent additional flavor because the chocolate pudding base is itself very strong and the subtlety from the crackers would, perhaps, be missed.

From here on, came my changes. My bars have four layers. Over the base layer of chocolate, nuts, shredded coconut and crackers, I spread a thin layer of warm homemade blueberry jelly. Well, the jam was intended to be a pate but misread proportions and a malfunctioning thermometer resulted in a jelly rather than the firmer pate. Err.. well. All good, after all spying a jar of this spurred the berry saga! :)

For the custard layer, I used lemon pudding powder to give a subtle citrus twist and then folded in strawberries. I used the frozen ones, thawed out because I like their texture in this application better than fresh ones. They are easier to work with while spreading as well.



And for the final layer, instead of ganache, I went with strawberry-basil glaze. Now, this being a Canadian dessert, I can honestly say that the inspiration for this last year, was very Canadian. On our trip to Montreal, we patronised this awesome bakery, Premeire Moisson, quite a bit. One of their pastries was coated with a hibiscus-raspberry glaze which gave it such an appealing look, flavor and texture. It stuck in my mind. So, there, truly Canadian, you see! :)

I was thrilled to find an opportunity to make and use a similar glaze here. I played around with the proportion to get the right consistency. What I ended up with was a layer with an intense flavor of the berry cut very mildly by the herb.

The flavors in each bite? The first flavor to hit you is berry and it stays through the bite but its intensity is cut by the chocolate kicking in and then coconut and the almonds! The chocolate was definitely there but not at all overwhelming and was in perfect balance with the fruit itself.



And the icing on the cake - the ultimate compliment - Mr. FSK endorsed it. He asked for more! Sighh.. I am in bliss land!! :)

On another but related note, I just wanted to do a Thank You shout out to wonderful Lauren for her effort in putting together A Hand for Haiti. She is creating an e-cookbook with contributions from food bloggers of their favorite comfort recipes.

This is what she said "With that said, if you're a blogger, send me your favourite, most loved recipe that makes you feel at home. The recipe does not have to be gluten free. It can be a baked good, a meal, a breakfast, a treat, anything. Whatever it is though, make sure it makes you think of home. They lost theirs, so a comforting dish is the best way in my eyes!"

She is sixteen!! Can you believe that?!! Kudos to you Lauren and thanks for this fabulous challenge! :)



Very Berry Nanaimo Bars
(makes a 9x5 inch sheet)

** If you'd like to make the original recipe for these bars, you can use the recipe here **

** I placed parchment paper at the bottom of my pan allowing overhangs on all sides for easy removal and to make sure the bars don't stick any where **


Bottom Layer
1/4 cup Unsalted Butter room temperature
1/8 cup Granulated Sugar
2.5 T Unsweetened Cocoa
1 egg yolk, beaten
2/3 cup chocolate Graham Wafer Crumbs (recipe below)
1/4 cup Almonds, chopped
1/2 cup shredded, sweetened Coconut

Second Layer
1/2 cup blueberry jelly warmed to spreadable consistency

Third Layer
1/4 cup unsalted Butter, room temperature
2 T whole milk
1.5 T Instant Lemon pudding mix
3/4 cup powdered Sugar /icing sugar
4-5 frozen strawberries, thawed and rough chopped

Top Layer
1 cup strawberry syrup (recipe below)
1/2 T strawberry gelatin
2 tsp fresh basil chiffonade


For bottom Layer: Melt unsalted butter, sugar and cocoa in top of a double boiler. Add egg yolk and stir to cook and thicken. Remove from heat. Stir in crumbs, nuts and coconut. Press firmly into an ungreased 9x5 pan.

For Second Layer: Spread the warmed berry jelly evenly over the bottom layer. Refrigerate for atleast an hour for it to set.

For Third Layer: Cream butter, cream, custard powder, and icing sugar together well. Beat until light in colour. Fold in the chopped berries. Spread over bottom layer. Refrigerate for atleast two hours before spreading the next layer.

For Top Layer: Add the gelatin to the hot strawberry syrup and whisk to completely incorporate. Make sure that the gelatin is fully dissolved to avoid clumps. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or so until the mixture is cool but is still spreadable. Cover the custard with the glaze evenly and refrigerate overnight.

To serve, remove from pan, cut thick slices like cakes! :)


Strawberry Syrup

1 cup frozen strawberries, thawed
1/2 cup water
3 T sugar

Pulse the strawberries along the thawing liquid and water to a fine puree. In a sauce pan, bring the strawberry puree and sugar to a boil. Remove from heat. You can strain the liquid, if you want a translucent syrup.

This will make more than you need for the recipe. Refrigerate the rest and use as coulis over desserts/ice cream.


Graham Crackers
(adapted from 101 Cookbooks)

** Keep an eye on the crackers in the oven. The cocoa tends to suck moisture out and the crackers can easily burn if you are not careful. I burnt my first batch, I know! **


1-1/4 cups pastry flour
3/4 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3-1/2 T unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen
1/6 cup mild-flavored honey, such as clover
2-1/2 T whole milk
1 T vanilla extract

Combine the flour, cocoa, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Cut in the butter to make a mixture with the consistency of a coarse meal.

In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, milk, and vanilla extract. Add to the flour mixture and mix until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and pat the dough into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, about 2 hours or overnight.

Sift an even layer of flour onto the work surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. The dough will be sticky, so flour as necessary. Cut 3 inch squares of the dough. Gather the scraps together and set aside. Place the crackers on one or two parchment-lined baking sheets and chill until firm, about 30 to 45 minutes.

Adjust the oven rack to the upper and lower positions and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Gather the scraps together into a ball, chill until firm, and reroll. Dust the surface with more flour and roll out the dough to get about two or three more crackers.

Mark a vertical line down the middle of each cracker, being careful not to cut through the dough. Using a toothpick or skewer, prick the dough to form two dotted rows about 1/2 inch for each side of the dividing line.

Bake for 11-12 minutes, until browned and slightly firm to the tough, rotating the sheets halfway through to ensure even baking. Cool on rack for a few minutes.


Please visit the Daring Kitchen to see what other fabulous bakers have created this month!

Ratatouille Mille Feuille

One of my all time favorite movies, I must say, is Ratatouille. Well, the fact that the plot is built around food and the theme of "Anybody can Cook!" is in itself appealing to the foodie me. But above and beyond that, it even managed to portray furry Emile and his kind as lovable fur balls and something to be coddled rather than the scary creatures that they really are! :)

In fact, I had not heard of the French country classic until this movie and as soon I saw it (with much laughter and warm fuzzy feeling), we went hunting for French bistros that served the dish. Well, in NYC, you are apt to bump into every style of French cuisine; from rustic to haute couture!

So, we ended up in this little cafe that we now simply, simply love - Cafe Henry in the Village. They serve the rustic version (like the one Ego had in this childhood) wrapped in crepes with or without meat. It's delicious and satisfying! However, I am yet to find a place that serves the fancy version that Emile executed.



So, I decided to make it myself and in the process, debut my new Le Creuset baking pan. I have the one in red one; love it! It's just fab! I just made a simple version, based on what I saw in the movie. But, try as I might, I could not plate it as beautifully as he did.. LOL.. But hey, it looked gorgeous in the pan! :))


Ratatouille Mille Feuille
(serves 3 for appetizer-ish portions)

1 zucchini
1 Italian eggplant (the long, thinner variety)
1 tomato
1 medium sized russet potato
1 cup home made tomato/marinara sauce (you can use the recipe here skipping the bacon)
2 T olive oil
2 tsp Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

Evenly spread the tomato sauce as a base at the bottom of a 8 inch oval baking pan. Using a mandolin (careful!) thinly slice all the vegetables. In my experience, it is easier to cut the soft fleshed veggies, like egg plant and tomato, with a knife rather than a mandolin.

Arrange the veggies, in an overlapping fashion, alternating all the vegetables, around the circumference of the pan. Fill the entire dish with the overlapped pieces.

Brush the top with the olive oil. Season with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Cover the pan with foil. Bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes, until the zucchini is translucent. Let rest for five minutes, unwrap and serve with sauce.

Cranberry Squares - Rich and Comforting

Seeing how popular this recipe has been, I have sent it to Foodista for the cookbook contest. Please help me get published by voting for the recipe. Please click the image below to vote.



Ah! This is really my comeback post. I am back people!! For good and more fun....:)

You know that lethargy that overcomes you when you come back from a vacation. I had been pampered much too much in December; no cleaning, washing ... no chores.. not even cooking or baking. I snapped my fingers and food appeared, whatever my heart desired, lovingly prepared by mum or mum-in-law. All I needed to do was clean my plate and ask for more and I did very regally, I must say ;-))! (I also gained some regal girth :O)

Well, anyway, I just got over that hump. That is not to say, I haven't been doing anything; just been doing the basic everyday necessities. Finally, I decided I needed to kick myself back into regular mode (which, includes getting myself into shape!).



My opportunity came when I invited a friend to tea. I love tea btw. I used to a be big coffee drinker, to the point of it being an obsession. Ask Mr. FSK, he has many stories about that addiction. Well, no more. I love tea, black or milk chai. And, I love meeting up for that evening cup of relaxing time, much chatting and sharing. :)

And I thought of Jennifer's Sugar High Friday. So in keeping with the theme of the month, Sweet Comforts (SHF #61), hosted by Kate of A Merrier World, I chose Cranberry Squares to accompany tea.



I used cranberries that I had frozen from Thanksgiving when I had bought too big a bag of them. Thawed, they were perfect. Somehow, they got riper and sweeter in the freezer. They were as tart as they usually tend to be. Anyway, they were perfect for these bars. The bars themselves are rich in a buttery kind of way and biting into one just makes you forget all your worries, close your eyes and let yourself be washed away in a sea of yummmm.... :)

It's the kind of thing that you give to someone just to make them smile or bring some sun shine in their lives. I shared some with my neighbour here; she is old and lives alone and she always gives us something or the other when we see her. I just thought of her and so took some over and had a little chat. Felt good :)




Cranberry Squares (Fruit Squares)
(adapted from CD Kitchen)

** Note: I used a 8 inch square pan, so my squares turned out a bit thick. You could easily spread this on a 9x13 inch pan **

1 1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 tsp almond extract
2 cup fresh cranberries or blueberries or other berries
1/2 cup chopped, toasted cashew nuts (optional)


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter the pan you are using.

In a large bowl, beat the sugar and eggsuntil creamy and smooth. Whisk in the melted butter and almond extract. Add flour and fold until incorporated. Fold in cranberries and nuts (if using) carefully so as not to break the fruit and color the whole batter red.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for about 40-50 minutes or until tester inserted into center comes out clean. Transfer to a rack to cool completely (takes about an hour really!). Cut squares and serve.

One Cold Week In Benelux!

Windmills in a sea of white... Have you seen that before? If you have lived in Europe for many years, then perhaps it rejigs old memories. We have been told that we captured a rare sight on our recent visit to Belgium and Netherlands.

Yes, you may ask "Europe in Winter? Really? What were you thinking?". But, in truth, our experiences of Europe have only been in winter and the last we visited, it was Paris in February. It was lovely ... not warm definitely but pleasant enough to stroll and sit in the Tuileries Gardens, which, was my favorite place in all of the city, and watch the kids plays with the wooden boats in the ponds there. So we figured, the Benelux countries shouldn't be too bad!

Day 1: We landed in Brussels, the day after Christmas. We spent a whole day in the city, exploring the beautiful and welcomingly warm cathedral with it's gorgeous organ and simply stunning stained glass windows. Since, Christmas had just passed, we even got a tour of the nativity-scene exhibition that had been set up at the church.



Moving on, we visited by the Place Royal, King's Palace and the Justice building. Interestingly (and not unusually as found over the course of the trip), most of the places were closed to the public, save a few days a year. So, we looked from the outside and continued on to Rue de Bouchers, which is the Restaurant Row of Brussels. They had really good lunch deals (recommend La Marmiton) and I had my fill of Moules and hub of Frites! We also tried the Flemish specialties of Beef cooked in dark beer (really good) and rabbit in plum sauce (decent).

Then we went in search of the Mannequin de Pis. Passing by the Hotel de Ville, the landmark tower in the square, we passed into a few by roads and suddenly came upon the infamous statue. I say sudden, because honestly, it was surprisingly small and tucked in a corner and would have been missed if not for the larger chocolate replica of it in a store opposite it! Ah well!



Day 2: We headed off to Bruges (Brugge). Bruges, we were told, is a quaint old town with many picturesque canals cutting through the city and many more fabulous chocolates stores! We had planned to stay there for two days, which was fortunate as the first day was literally a wash-out. We barely managed to see the Main Markt before rain and the cold drove us back to our hotel, Hotel Fevery.



Bruges had a beautiful Markt area in the center of which, they had set up a skating rink and many food stalls around it. We got a big bag of Dutch Olliebolens generously dusted with powdered sugar. It was fresh, hot and simply fantastic on a rainy day! :) We also spent a few hours simply riding the local buses to various parts of the town, staying dry and warm and catching Bruges as it was!

The next day was lovely and we walked all over the little town, by the canals. They have four lovely, restored windmills in walking distance. As it happened, this turned out to be our best tryst with the mills as Holland was too cold and snowed in for us to spend much time at the mills. We also visited the old nunnery, Begijnenhuise, known for its white washed houses and puzzlingly slanted trees!


Ofcourse, we did not forget the chocolates. The manager at our little B&B had suggested a couple of chocolatiers and gave us a few useful tips.

• You should not pay more than Euro 28/kg for great quality chocolates (Neuhaus, Cafe Tasse and other big brands charge Euro 50/kg). Any cheaper and the filling is nothing to write home about.
• Freshness of the chocolate (except truffles) is estimated by the shine on it. Don't buy chocolates that are not shiny and appealing.

He recommended Steven Dumon's store and it was a real find. The flavors of the fillings are unique, contemporary and very good! One chocolate that the area is known for are those filled with Gruut (they used that to make beer before hops and such), which come in shapes of little swans. They are yummy!


Day 4: We set off to see the wonders of Holland. I was looking forward to tasting cheese and capturing some countryside sights of the windmills. Our hotel, Hotel Pulitzer, was a stone's throw away from Wester Markt. It is a gorgeous hotel by the canal and walking distance from the Central station and from Spui, the bistro area of the city.



After a lovely lunch of bouillabaisse and ox sausage sandwich (highly recommended) at Cafe Luxembourg, we set off on an hour long canal cruise, which gave us a quick history of the city and a nice twilight tour of the major sights. The tour begins and ends near the central station from where the notorious Red light district is only a short walk away. Even though it was only early evening, it was completely dark and we thought we would do a walk by. I must say, it was not as bad as people warned us. Surely better than Roppongi!! Or perhaps we were too early! :)

Day 5: We had booked a bus tour to visit the Dutch countryside. The promise was of visiting the windmills, a fishing village, a cheese farm, a clog factory and I thought also Edam. This as it turned out was a bit of a let down. The tour was supposed to be for 4.5 hours. To start with, it had snowed over night and the country side had a feet high blanket of snow and limb numbing cold accompanied by howling winds!

We started off by visiting an artificial village (Let down #1 :OOO) about 15 minutes from the city where there was a cheesy cheese shop (very touristy but we did get to try some flavored cheeses) which sold Gouda in different varieties. Next to the "farm" were the windmills. All we managed to do, given the cold, was run out to grab a couple of snaps before heading to the bus! Let down #2...



Off we went to Markel where we saw how clogs are made using a machine. Our hostess was bubbly and she made the presentation quite a bit of fun!:) Yes, I did buy clogs here; bright red ones! They are proudly hanging on the wall of our living room.

We were then dropped off at Volendam, a harbor town (known for the fact that every house door is unique, to enable drunk fishermen to identify their home and wife after their much celebrated return!). Unfortunately, it was bitterly cold and we were left here to fend for ourselves for two hours (Let down #3). We spent the time warm inside a bakery, where we also picked up a yummy Stol for snacking in US. :)

We then headed back to Brussels to pack and get some rest before our morning flight back to NY!

All in all, it was an interesting trip. It would have been even more lovely in warmer weather with more leisurely walks along the canals of Bruges and Amsterdam. Perhaps, we will visit again!! :))

Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Mini Cakes

YAY!! These cakes were voted on to FoodBuzz Top 9 on 13 Jan 2009!!!! :))))

Good Morning everyone! Ok, I know it's afternoon even in this part of the world but hey, it's still morning on the West Coast! So, I am covered. Anyway, I consider morning as the few hours that follow my waking up, irrespective of when that falls in the traditional day cycle. hehe..

Ah well, I blame the cold for this out-of-the-box thinking ;-). NYC is at its coldest, of the last five years I have been here, and it really makes it more appealing to stay tucked in warm and cozy. Then, once up, it's time to browse my favorite food blogs and drool over the photos, learn of a new recipe that needs to be tried out very soonly and then perhaps actually getting around making it. Besides, I have had a lot of catching up to do on blog reading since my vacation days.

So, when I came across Meeta's call to make something of Winter Vegetables and Fruit for her Monthly Mingle, I was super thrilled. You see, I had made mini cakes with squash and apples sometime back and had not found the opportunity to post about them. And here was the perfect time to talk about them. This month's mingle is being hosted by Sudeshna of Cook Like A Bong.



And what a close call?! Just a day before the doors closed! I can just hear them slowly closing and me just about wiggling through like in the movies. ok, yes yes, hyper active imagination and all, I know .. :)

Ok, so without further ado, let me introduce my Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Mini Cakes. Why mini-cakes? Well, I went to the baking supply store and saw these cute 3 inch shallow paper molds and just had to use them! :) And, the squash because I like the sweetness that roasting brings out of it and thought it would add great flavor and moisture to the cake itself.





Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Mini Cakes
(makes about five 3-inch cakes)

1 small butter nut squash, peeled and diced, about 1-1/2 cups
1 golden delicious apple, peeled and diced + a few thinly sliced to arrange on top
1 cup all purpose flour
6 T melted butter
2 eggs
1 T cocoa powder
1/2 cup brown sugar + 2 T for roasting the squash
4 T milk
1 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Toss the diced squash in 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and roast for 20-30 minutes until caramelised. Remove the squash and keep the oven on.

Sift the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, baking soda) together. Add the butter, milk, sugar and eggs and whip to a smooth batter. Fold in the roasted squash and apples into the batter.

Pour into buttered molds and bake for 30 minutes. Let cool to room temperature, dust with powdered sugar and enjoy!

Announcing a Bi-Monthly Food Event at FSK Café - Same Notes, Many Highs ..

Hello everyone! I have been musing about hosting a food event on my blog for quite sometime. I wanted to pick a theme that was different while being inspiring enough to challenge. And then, one day while was day dreaming in the warmth of the Indian winter, it came to me....

First of all, let me welcome you to FSK Café. Cafes and bistros are my favorite places. Their casual feel is inviting and the leisurely atmosphere enables such wonderful times and free flowing conversations. And ofcourse, they have simple yet fabuous food. So, that's the idea for my Cafe; a place to meet, eat, drink, laugh, share and enjoy.

Now, at the Cafe, as part of the meet, greet and share, I am hosting a bi-monthly food event - Same Notes, Many Highs. The idea is to use the same ingredient(s) to create atleast two dishes which present them in completely different lights. Ofcourse, the ingredient(s) must be the star(s) of the dishes. Simple eh?! :)

The theme for the inauguratory January event is - Mozzarella, Tomato and Basil.

The two dishes I created with these ingredients are - Homemade Margarita Pizza and Caprese Canapés.



They are both simple and in each's own way, very appealing. As comforting, satisfying and irresistable as the pizza is, the caprese canape is a delicate, sofisticated and smooth bite. The caprese sings the melody of freshness with each ingredient highlighted bare turale! And the margarita pizza is one of magical creations which bring together a beautiful harmony of cheese, tomato and herb, blending all the flavors togethers to create a fantastic bite.

It is interesting isn't it, that the same three ingredients can take you to either end of the flavor rainbow and deliver a pot of gold at both ends?!

I am so excited about the cafe and the event! So, I invite you to come to my cafe and join me in celebrating the versatility of these three simple ingredients this month. Here is what you have to do -

1. Create two dishes that showcase the ingredients of the month in two distinct flavor profiles (you can definitely make more than two!)
2. Write a post about the two dishes you created (in one post) anytime before the deadline (typically will be 15th of the month)
3. Link back to the announcement post and my blog in your write up. You can use the event announcement image as well.
4. Let me know about your dishes using the entry submit form (link on right) or by mailing me at blogger.food@gmail.com
5. I will do a round up post on your submissions, within a week or so of the deadline.

So, I look forward to hearing about all the fun you have experimenting with ingredients. I hope you will join my party and make it more fun!! The Cafe is now OPEN!!! :))

Happy New Year !!!!

And wish you all a fabulously fantastic and wickedly fun-filled dream-come-true year ahead!!!! :)))

Ah! I am back in the land of my creations! Ok, more like the square feet area where I bake, cook and photograph :) But, well, it's mine, even if leased :D. So, yes, I am back from a glorious month of relaxation, pampering, awesome food and much family time.

Also, thrown in were a few days of winter acclimatization in Europe, as the continent received the hub and me with one of the frostiest hugs in recent years! haha.. yes, yes.. it had to be! We missed the pre-Christmas snow dump in NYC, only to be welcomed by the ethereal beauty (but numbingly cold) White Holland! But hey, what's fun without some surprise?! More on the Europe trip later.

I just wanted to take a moment to ease back into blogging and send all you lovely readers some heartfelt wishes for the year ahead. Blogging has become such an integral part of my life this year; the first site I log on to every morning and the last site I stop by before heading to bed.

I have met so many wonderful people through this medium and been so much more inspired to create new dishes, sweet and savory, and all in all have had a ball of a time! I want to thank each one of you for your patronage, comments, feedback and suggestion and please do continue to shower that love on me and my blog in the forthcoming year!! :)

Here is to another great year of inspirations, executions and more fun! ;-)) CHEERS!