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Autumn is my favourite time of year for many reasons, not the least of which is the happy knowledge that the holidays, in all their baking-imbued glory, are just around the corner. But another reason that I enjoy this time of year is is that Autumn means cookbook season. While I maintain a steady diet of new cookbooks throughout the year, the Fall is what amounts to the cookbook harvest in the publishing world. It’s a key part of the publishing cycle as cookbooks position themselves to make their way onto Christmas wishlists. Not that I have any claims to sainthood, here. As mentioned previously, I’m building my Christmas cookbook wishlist 365 days a year. Still, though, this time of year always brings with it the anticipation of so many new cookbooks and so many new opportunities to bake…

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re probably well aware of the cookie butter craze. Biscoff first came up with this idea as a way to use the broken cookies from their factory. Trader Joe’s then came along with their own version, and Pinterest has never been the same since. (Last year, I jumped into the fray and made these Espresso Cookies with Biscoff Buttercream.) But where does this cookie butter come from, you ask? Speculoos cookies. Crumbled up. With spices and a bit of oil, molasses and water. But the key is the speculoos cookies. Speculoos cookies not ringing a bell? What about Biscoff cookies? Yup, same thing. Biscoff is just the brand name, and it seems to be more recognizable here in the States than speculoos. Thin, crunchy and spiced with all sorts of holiday seasonin…

This Pizza Packet post (say THAT 10 times fast!) is unique for two reasons. The first is that this recipe was given to me by my friend, Danielle. Danielle has been cleaning my house for years (yes, I know it seems a bit extravagant to have someone come and help clean my house, but it saves my sanity on a continuous basis…I would give up cable TV before I would give that up!). I don’t even know how many years it has been now. She is one of the sweetest and nicest people you would ever want to meet. I trust her completely and I know I can depend on her for anything! She also LOVES our cats, and many times when we go away for more than a couple of days, we ask her to come and check on them. I recently told her that I started this blog, so she has been sending me some of her own recipes. I am…

Yes! It is the time of the year when the king of fruits - Mango is proudly displayed in fruit basket of each and every home in India. It all starts somewhere in March after Holi when market is flooded with Kachhi Kairi (raw mango), aroma of mango pickle fill up the neighborhood air and the terraces are full of sun dried raw mango slices Spotlight. But what we all wait eagerly is the sweet ripened mangoes, in India we are blessed with hundreds of variety of Mango, each state has it's own special Mangoes but all of them are equally tasty. Though India is quite a famous worldwide for it's quality Alphonso Mangoes but sadly most of the batches are either exported and the few left are sold at gold like prices. This year Mango season came so early in my kitchen because I was trying and testing…

This year it seems summer is at it's full bloom in Bangalore, pleasant breeze also is not able to calm down the scorching sun. But among few good things about summer one is Mango, the true summer-delight, I guess for any food lover it is hard to resist the temptation of this tropical fruit Maggie Beauty. I am surprised all these years I was confined only to very limited use of Mango which are - mango pickle, mango shake or aam panna but in the moth of April when for CaLDRON magazine I tried and tested different recipes of mango and I found that mango can be used in so many versatile ways rather than just confining it to desserts Maggie Beauty. The natural sweetness and tanginess of a mango is bliss, no added flavors are required if mango is used in any curry or salad. Mango and Red Pepper…

I’m hoping all of you have had a lovely holiday and begun the New Year on a great note. A lot of new resolutions, a lot excitement, fervour and zest … I’m going to exercise more, I’m going to eat healthier, I’m going to be more productive, spend less on shoes, participate in a marathon, 3 months alcohol free … etc etc … While there some we cannot keep , there are some we can. I’ve at least started eating healthier as I need to set an example for my little man, and also try n shed off those extra pounds I’ve piled on through the holidays. In school they’ve been teaching my son about junk food and healthy food, and so now before he puts anything in his mouth he asks, mommy is this healthy food or junk food ? Now I obviously cant be giving him junk and expect him to eat it, while he’s being…

Many details and trifles（琐事） in life appear to be neglected by us in a bustling urban life. Some people attribute it to the fickle（浮躁的） ambience over the whole city. Some think that our passion has been ironed out by invariably tedious（沉闷的） life, also some people come to the sensation that they have already been numbed by the fast-paced life. Is it simple because of fickle ambience? Is it simply because of no passion? Or is it simple because of numbness? Maybe all these contribute a little to the present situation, or maybe none. Actually, in the modern city, what we lack more and more desperately is a heart of consciousness and gratefulness. There was once a time when I also deemed that we began to lose our direction and become numb without too much affection in this material-flooding wo…

Baked Doughnuts Recipe Mention the concept of a baked doughnut to any self-professed doughnut connoisseur, chances are you'll take some heat. The idea that a baked doughnut can match up to its deep-fried brethren is laughable in some circles. I'll concede they aren't the same, but baked doughnuts can be just as delicious - delicious yet different. They get bonus points for being healthier and for not making the house smell like a greasy fry station. I spent the better part of Sunday trying to get the dough for these yeasted baked doughnuts right. Broadly speaking, if you can make pizza dough, you can make these. The process is very similar. I looked at a broad cross-section of recipes as inspiration and tried to settle on a ratio of sugar to egg to flour to yeast and salt that would yield…