Signature Concoctions

brew-skeh-tehs!

Vasanti — Tue, 14 May 2013 04:11:11 +0000

Girl talks, giggles and good food with a splash of alcohol - now thats a perfect recipe for a great girls’ nite! No matter how busy we get, my girl friends and I make it a point to meet up regularly. It is our much needed time, away from all those day-to-day things, just getting together and having a ball of a time.

Sometimes it does become a little difficult to get out and meet up – like this last time a couple of weeks ago. That didn’t stop us! We just got together at my place for a girls’ night in! The guys were out somewhere, the kids got to have a playdate while we hung out out in the family room, sipping our favorite wines by candle light, chatting, laughing and relishing a savory array of homemade “brew-skeh-tehs”!

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oat idlis for lil’ ones – by Gauri

Vasanti — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 05:48:22 +0000

Gauri and I go back many many years, all the way to kindergarten! Over the years we drifted apart, but thanks to “the social network” we have managed to stay in touch over the years. Recently I saw the picture she posted of steamed rice and oat cakes she made for her kids. When I asked her to pass the recipe along for the blog, she happily shared it with me. Hope this quick and healthy twist on a classic recipe, that originally comes from her mom, inspires you to create delicious and nutritious food for your lil’ ones!

My mom is the best cook! She always manages to cook the tastiest dishes while also making them healthy. She recently sent me a recipe for oat idlis especially since my daughter, Rushika, loves idlis. I instantly decided to try it. The idlis turned out awesome and my 5 year old enjoyed them. Even my 18 month old tried some! Best of all, they were so easy to make and there was not much preparation time needed. Make these in an instant and enjoy!

-Gauri

Ingredients:
Oats 1 cup
Rava/Sooji/Cream of Wheat 1/2 cup
Plain yogurt 1/2 cup
Soda 1/2 teaspoon
Oil 1 teaspoon
Salt

Method:
Grind oats into a powder using mixer/grinder. Add the rava, yogurt, soda, oil and salt to taste. Add a little water if needed to adjust consistency. Keep the mixture for 10 minutes. Steam idlies for 6-10 minutes. Enjoy with sambar and your favorite chutney!

a big production

Vasanti — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 06:07:11 +0000

Every year, as the holiday season starts winding down, I gear up for a big production – my little princess’ “royal birthday”! The cupcake birthday was probably the last one I planned for her without her involvement. From then on, she plans her own birthday parties. Growing up, I don’t remember caring for my birthday, but my little “big girl” has it all laid out for every birthday coming up in the next few years!

This year she wished for a Princess Tea Party with her favorite Disney princess – Ariel, the little mermaid. And here’s how mommy and daddy made it happen…

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keeping a promise

Vasanti — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 06:03:12 +0000

And again, it’s been months since a published my last post! I don’t have any excuses other than simply being busy with life. Work definitely takes up most of my time and the rest goes juggling in between a kindergartner and all other things that come in between me and my blog. Weekends start off with lazying around and then before I know I’m back to the grind.

Nonetheless I have been cooking and clicking quite a few of my signature concoctions…

When I download the photos from my camera every now and then, I realize how much I love doing this. Yes, I’ve really missed blogging all these months. Now, I am going to make every effort to keeping a promise I have made to myself and that is to write at least 1 post every month.

That said, here’s the first concoction of 2013 – homemade juice!

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pack a punch!

Vasanti — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 06:29:51 +0000

I sure love to taste a little bit of San Francisco every day but once in a while I do like to pack something homemade my lunch box.

Homemade lunches work great, especially on crazy busy days or those rainy days when I can stay in and continue ploughing through my work.I find it quite boring to bring in previous night’s leftovers for lunch next day. Instead, I indulge in some cooking therapy after dinner, whipping up a signature concoctions like quick lemony tuna salad sandwich, a light mung bean salad with tangy Chaat Masala vinaigrette or a hearty Greek-style quinoa bowl in my lunch box. Check out my easy lunch ideas and get packing a punch in your lunch box!

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highlights of my summer

Vasanti — Sat, 22 Sep 2012 07:16:19 +0000

Summer, this year, flew by so quickly! It’s starting to get a little “more” nippy in the evenings now by me in the Bay Area and the days are also slowly becoming shorter. While I just didn’t realize when the season came and went, it did leave me with some lovely memories like my first time strawberry picking…

…the Catalan cooking class I took in Barcelona…

and gorging myself with loads of mom-made food that was waiting for me after I got home from work!

As you can see, I didn’t didn’t spend much time in the kitchen over the summer but over the next few weeks as I slowly get back to blogging a bit more regularly, I will post a few concoctions I whipped over the summer. For now I’m kicking off the first post of my new season with something that’s a little sweet, a little tart and oh so good…my home-made strawberry jam!

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my first student

Vasanti — Fri, 18 May 2012 06:20:26 +0000

A couple of months ago, this girl I know, reached out to see if I was up for teaching a cooking classes! More than teaching the class, I was just excited to get an opportunity to share my passion for cooking. We set up a date and then my days were filled prepping for my first ever cooking class! I decided to keep it simple, making it a stress-free learning experience, adding fun twists to the menu and the recipes. I wanted to show that just by switching a few ingredients here and there or using a different culinary techniques, we can put a wonderful spin on everyday cooking, taking it to the next level and relishing the flavors ourselves or impressing our guests.

And there she was, my first student, standing at the door holding bags filled with ingredients and smile on her face, ready to take on the kitchen stadium! It was certainly not the first time Nupur had stepped into a kitchen. She had tried her hand at cooking several times but needed a crash course on fine cooking. She was aware of the mistakes she made and simply wanted to know how to fix them. She shared some of her cooking disasters and I remembered mine! We talked about all kinds of things and then started cooking together, having fun in the kitchen as we chopped, sautéed and plated simple, yummy dishes.

Together, we reinvented Indian vegetarian classics by using different techniques and incorporating non-Indian ingredients. In about 5 hours, we made about 8-9 different dishes including Baingan Bharta with Roasted Red Peppers & Goat Cheese on Bruschetta, Sev Potato Dahi Puri Chaat on Puff Pastry tarts, Gobi-Fennel Raita Slaw, Roasted Aloo Methi, Light Paneer Makhani, Jeera Rice Pilaf with Fresh Herbs, Moong Dal Stew with wilted Spinach, Lentils Soup with Green Masala…just to name a few.

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my lil’ Top Chef!

Vasanti — Sat, 12 May 2012 08:17:23 +0000

I’m not surprised that my 5 year old is quite a foodie, worships Giada and dreams of being the next Top Chef!

Long before she was born, I have been into anything and everything related to cooking …from gawking at mouthwatering pictures on food blogs, experimenting in the kitchen every chance I got and watching television shows on the Food Network or Cooking Channel. As a baby, my daughter would be sleeping on my while I watched cooking shows on TV, crawling around the kitchen while I cooked and even playing with the pots and pans, cooking up all kinds of toys in them. I guess it’s but natural that cooking is one thing that bonds us together very strongly.

When we are not catching up on “Giada at Home”, Nia and I love spending time baking together on the weekends and holidays. During the week, when we get back home in the evening, she joins me in the kitchen for a little cooking therapy. We spend a couple of hours cooking together, talking about her day at school as we prepare and finally feast on our “concoction of the day”.

When she was younger, I would just pop her on the counter and have her wash off fruits or vegetables, press the button on the food processor or stick M&Ms on to cookies and watch her giggle and laugh. It was precious!

As she grew up, I started giving her tasks like measuring ingredients, whisking eggs, mixing the pancake batter or stirring up her favorite chocolate sauce for dipping strawberries and she would get immense pleasure out of helping me. It was also a great sense of achievement for her to be a part of the process that was going on the kitchen and then getting to taste the fruits of her hard work.

Now, at 5, she is able to cut veggies on her own! This is a huge accomplishment for her and I am so proud of her!

So for Mother’s day this year, I thought of sharing concoctions that I whip up together with my lil Top Chef!

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a weekender at the Austin Food & Wine Festival

Vasanti — Mon, 07 May 2012 05:53:27 +0000

Last weekend, I traveled all the way to Austin for it’s first ever FOOD & WINE festival. With a weekender badge hanging around the neck, my friend and I got a weekend of indulgence, culinary education and celeb chef citing.

Thousands of gourmands and food fanatics lined up for the festival at the Austin’s Auditorium Shores for celebrity chef cooking demonstrations, seminars and grand tastings.

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will travel for FOOD&WINE!

Vasanti — Tue, 01 May 2012 07:40:29 +0000

Thanks to my friend, Fats, I just got back from a delicious and exciting weekend at the Austin’s Food & Wine Festival!

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