Category: Food

Food is love. Plus art. Oh, and it keeps you alive. That, too! You might not find a single recipe here, but you may find the inspiration to go create one. Unless, of course, you’re left speechless because you’re drooling so severely at the sight of these glorious images. Regardless, you are NOT always what you eat.

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Quick & Easy Fancy Shmancy Yellow Bundt Cake

Bundtcake

So, do you wish you could do some fancy baking sometime?  Yeah, so do I.  Well, the fact of the matter is that I don’t have the time for the fancy stuff, but I sure do have ideas to make the ordinary look fancy (and like you slaved over it)!

Case in point:  A plain yellow cake out-of-a-box can be made to look oh-so-special when you bake it in a bundt pan— just like this!

Incidentally, I cannot take an iota of credit for this… this was baked last evening by my firstborn, an amazing creature who knows how to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary.

Fancy Schmany, indeed! 

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Late Night Post-Concert Celebrations At The Neighborhood Grille

Two-and-a-half hours of listening to the most fantastic live music ranging from several marching band tunes to Tchaikowsky’s Symphony No. 4 in F Minor will leave you physically ravenous at the end of the concert.  Trust me.  I would know, given that I was a thrilled spectator in the audience of just such a concert last evening.  And so, one can only imagine how much more ravenous the players in that concert might have been.  Well, I would know that too!  Given that two of those players belong to me as I was one of the proud parents witnessing the incredible performances that they were part of.  A post to aforementioned incredible concert is right here.

Well, so where does one go when its getting late and you want a quick bite?  You go to the local neighborhood grille, of course, aka, Applebees.  Their Appetizer Sampler is perfect for four people because there’s two of everything:  Mozzarella Sticks, Boneless Hot Chicken Fingers, Quesadilla Corners, and lots of Nachos with four kinds of Dips, including a Hot Spinach-Artichoke one.  And as for desserts, well, the Triple-Chocolate Meltdown and the Maple Butter Blondie hit the spot right-on. 

And what did we wash all this down with?  Why, the Classic Mojitos, of course.  Oh, and Diet Sodas for the teetotalers, of course.

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Tandoori Chicken: The Ubiquitous Indian Dish

Tanchick

Well, I’m sure you’ve had your share of Tandoori Chicken at sometime, somewhere.  It is one of the most common Indian dishes found on most menus, especially those that carry North Indian cuisine.  And you most likely have made it at home as well at sometime or another.

I certainly have, and although I don’t have an outdoor tandoor (oven), I use my trusty conventional oven to make mine.  Easy marinade the night before consists of:  yogurt, lemon-juice, ginger, garlic, salt, and one packet each of Chicken Tikka Masala and Chicken Tandoori Masala.  The next day, lay out the marinated pieces in flat drip-pans, cover with foil, and put inside a 410 degree preheated oven for 45 minutes.  Uncover once, turn over and squirt with oil.  Broil on high for the last 7 minutes.

That’s it.  Easy as pie.  Or Tandoori Chicken!

I forgot to take pictures of the trays after they came out of the oven, but fortunately remembered to take one of my plate!  You’ll just have to take my word for what it was truly like:  it was the kind that would make you go, Yeh Hui Na Baat!  Check out the slideshow below for the few simple steps to make it anytime:

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Brussel Sprouts Subzi in Tamarind-Date Chutney

I didn’t grow up eating Brussel Sprouts because we didn’t get them where I lived (in a small town in the northern plains of India).  So, when I first saw them in the States, I was quite fascinated to see these mini-cabbages, which is really what they are.  Well, I soon discovered that you can make these miniature cabbages, aka Brussel Sprouts any which way, and over time, I have continued to experiment with them in any number of ways. 

Today, I decided to toss them with a bunch of other vegetables: a Parisian blend of finely sliced green beans and carrots, and the key seasoning ingredient was a Tamarind-Date Chutney.

Suffice to say the experiment has been a tremendous success!  See for yourself.

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Gobi-Alu with Charoli & Green Chillies

Well, for the uninitiated, that’s Cauliflower and Potatoes.  Stir-fried with a flick of your wrist with a simple three-ingredient tempered seasoning of cumin, green chillies and turmeric.  Toss a handful of charoli nuts, followed by the veggies.  Don’t forget the salt.  Stir-fry for a few minutes, then close lid and simmer for a few more.

Doesn’t get better than that.  Serve with Parathas.  You’ll end up saying Yeh Hui Na Baat!

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Twice Baked Potatoes with Poached Eggs and Other Goodies

I happen to share a roof with three very creative individuals, two of whom are exceptionally bold and creative in the kitchen.  (Hmmm, I wonder where they get that from?!)  So, this is a post that is late by a couple of weeks, but is one that is no less a jewel of a post for two reasons:  first, it happens to be made by two of the most adorable creatures I know (aforementioned super-creative beings), and second, because these two creatures practically created this out of their imagination– inspired by a chance viewing of a somewhat similar dish on a TV-show. 

So, what these are, are Twice Baked Potatoes with Poached Eggs and Other Goodies.  Take a look at the slideshow below for how these were put together:

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A Soup & Croissanwich Working Lunch

So, what can you do when you forget to bring lunch?  Well, you could go out to the Food-Court in the Student Union around the corner, or you could just go down to the first-floor in your own office building, where in the Atrium area, you have the FAB Cart (FAB because that’s short for Faculty/Administration Building) Monday through Thursday where you can get soups and sandwiches and other small snacks and hot and cold beverages.  What a nice convenience!  It’s no cafeteria; it’s only a Cart on wheels, but its packed with fresh foods everyday, and its there until 2:00 pm.  Just be sure you bring cash, because unfortunately Denise won’t take your plastic! 

So, what I got today was a Cream of Broccoli Soup and a Chicken Salad Croissant Sandwich.  For a cold and gray day like today, it hit the spot right away!  Now back to work. 

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Coconut Milk Matar Pulao (Fried Rice): A Recipe, For a Change!

So, I visited with an old friend over the weekend, and brought her some Coconut Milk Matar Pulao (Fried Rice) that I’d made the night before.  Leftovers, really, that I took her, but she’s been raving about it and has asked for a recipe, so I thought I’d put down some approximations that will, I hope, translate to a half-decent recipe. 

3 cups Basmati
1 can of Coconut Milk
1 frozen bag of Peas & Carrots
Cooking Oil – Canola is good

For the tempered seasoning:  Cumin (teaspoonful), Cardomom (4-5 small green ones), Cinnamon Sticks (a couple will do); two Bay Leaves; Salt to taste

Get a nice broad flat-bottomed pot.  Place on stove, get it somewhat hot, then pour about 3 tablespoons of oil.  In moments the oil will be hot enough (but not smoking-hot!).  Add the ingredients in the order listed to create your tempered seasoning.  Everything should be done real fast and the cumin must instantly start to sputter, and the fragrance of the other spices should fill the air around you instantly.  Next, add your three cups of dry rice to this seasoning and stir away; within moments they’ll look toasted.  Next, open your bag of frozen veggies and add it to the rice.  Stir some more; reduce your heat a bit, if necessary, because you do not want to let the rice stick to the bottom.

Now:  put your coconut milk into a measuring cup (I use a large 4-cup measure), and to this add boiling-hot water to make a full-six cups.  Add this coconut-milk liquid to the pot, and it will come to a rolling-boil almost instantly.  Stir for a few minutes until the rice begins to cook and the liquid begins to disappear.  In a few minutes, cover the pot (lid should be secure), reduce heat to a complete simmer, and forget about it for fifteen minutes.  Do not open the lid for any reason whatsover until the fifteen minutes are up! 

When you do open the lid, you ought to be able to see each individual grain of the Basmati rice separate.  Needless to say, it mustn’t be sticky in the least.  You’ve got your Coconut Milk Matar Pulao ready to serve with anything you wish, or just as is!  Yeh Hui Na Baat!

Cocopeaspulao