Cucumber salad is a mainstay of summer parties. It’s inexpensive, easy to make and so refreshing on a hot day. My version is a mixture of cucumber, tomato, red onion and green bell pepper for an amazing combination of flavors and textures. Cucumber Salad Ingredients The vegetables in this salad include cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, assorted fresh herbs and red onions. A simple vinaigrette dressing is made with olive oil, red wine vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper and dried oregano....

Dal paratha is a popular breakfast in north indian homes often served with lashings of butter & achar (indian pickle). However, its versatility shines when paired with a side of vegetable curry and a bowl of refreshing yogurt, making for an exquisite main course. All varieties of parathas hold a special place in our hearts. In north indian households, we relish plain paratha alongside flavorful curries during lunch or dinner....

Today I am sharing yet another Andhra specialty called Dibba Rotti, also known as Minapa Rotti. It is very commonly made in Telugu households, served as breakfast or dinner or even as snack. It is typically served with Avakaya - Andhra cut mango pickle but can also be served with any chutney like coconut chutney, peanut chutney or chutney powders. It makes for a very filling meal and can be easily made if you have leftover idli batter....

Did you know that mac and cheese is one of the most popular Thanksgiving side dishes aside from all the potatoes, sweet potatoes, and stuffing? Apparently, mac and cheese is right up there in the top 4 with green bean casserole just below or above depending on the state. Who knew? Surely not me. I didn’t grow up with mac and cheese served at Thanksgiving, but geez, my brothers and I were really missing out....

Every year around this time, it’s always the same thing, it snows, and it snows a lot. This week has been grey and snowy. And you know something? I am not about it. But with no travel plans till mid-May, I’m trying so hard to make the best of things. And that means cooking and baking with colors and using lots of edible flowers. I’ve also been surrounding both the studio and my home with bouquets of flowers, and burning multiple candles every night....

I’m not sure there’s much that tops homemade mac and cheese. I mean, it’s just so easy and delicious. It’s definitely a staple dish around here. I’ve been talking for weeks about how inspired I am by vintage recipes. And while this recipe isn’t technically “vintage”. It feels like something my mom or grandma could 100% get behind. The other thing about this mac and cheese? It reminds me of the Stouffer’s mac and cheese I used to eat all the time when I was a kid....

Baking and bread making are the frontrunners all over the world during this lockdown period. I am no exception to that, as I mentioned in one of my posts previously. For someone who has always loved cooking ever since I was a kid, I took to baking almost 12 years ago with our first microwave oven. The naïve me back then hardly knew the difference between microwave, convection and an OTG....

Please do not hate me for talking about summer in mid May (I used to hate those people who did, especially when I live in a climate that still snows in May, but now I am one of those people…oops). I know we still have a good month until summer, but Memorial Day is about ten days away and I am exited. Plus, my grocery store has had things like corn, watermelon, peaches and tomatoes in for a good week now, so umm, I had to buy them!...

If there was ever a sandwich that screams fall, this is it. I mean? Apples and gouda? Caramelized onions and crispy prosciutto? Fresh thyme and sage? It’s all of the best fall ingredients in a cheesy sandwich. I always hesitate to share sandwich recipes, solely because I have a very hard time photographing them. I don’t know what the deal is, but I really struggle to make sandwiches look delicious....

Oh, you guys!! I have such a special recipe today! I’m sharing Granny’s seven-layer dip, my sister-in-law Lyndsie’s all-time favorite appetizer! Lynds asks Granny to make it for every family gathering. It’s a White-Payne family staple! Before Memorial Day weekend, I was talking to Lynds, and she mentioned Granny’s dip. She said, Tiegs you have to make my Granny’s dip, it’s the best! I needed zero convincing. Instantly, I was sold on a yummy seven-layer dip....

Clearly I am very into these summery dinners filled with garden produce and herbs. I just can’t help it. When I have an abundance of fresh produce available to use, I can’t resist using it all…and sometimes all at once. After yesterday’s oven fried mac and cheese bites, I figured something fresh, and oh so healthy, would be a nice switch up for today. Enter this simple summery Greek salmon, loaded with produce and lemon feta....

We eat grilled chicken at least once a week, everything from grilled chicken tenders, to chicken kabobs, to this simple yet versatile grilled chicken breast. Grilled Chicken Breast Ingredients For these grilled chicken breasts you will need chicken breasts, olive oil, brown sugar, soy sauce, lemon zest, parsley, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper. For a fantastic meal try some of my favorite side dishes like black eyed pea salad, tomato salad, cornbread casserole and hasselback potatoes....

When Thanksgiving rolls around each year, I skip the oven roasted bird and instead use other cooking techniques for my Thanksgiving recipes such as Instant Pot ham, crock pot sweet potato casserole, deep fried turkey, Instant Pot turkey breast and this juicy and flavorful grilled turkey breast. Every year when I’m planning my holiday menu I have to choose my recipes carefully to make sure I have enough oven space available to get everything on the table in a timely manner....

Guthi Bendakaya Koora is very similar to Gutti Vankaya Koora, both Andhra special recipes. Although I have had stuffed okra fry many a times, I never thought of giving it a try at home until very recently. It goes best as side dish for both rice and rotis. This version of Gutti Bendakaya Fry is a dry version, with very flavorful stuffing! The key to making best stuffed bhindi fry recipe is to choose good, tender okra/bhindi/ladies’ finger....

I promise that even though these look just like hot dogs (which I actually hated, but they said brats and all the ingredients where cool with me so I went with them), they are actually spicy brats…just oddly small and oddly perfect in shape. I bought em at Whole Foods… and they were good. Real deal hot dogs are just not my thing. I know, you can hate me now, but I just cannot do hot dogs....

Happy, happy Friday!!! You guys, I just have to bring you all the positive vibes today because the world is out of control crazy and my brain simply cannot handle any more negativity…or scary news. Where is all this coming from? Well, we just got yet another, not so awesome, emergency alert sent to our phones (those notification sounds are frightening!). I just can’t stress about it anymore. No thank you....

They have been on my list of things I have always wanted to make for way too many years. I always think this year at Thanksgiving I will make Croissants or this year for Christmas I will make croissants. Never happens. Time pretty much always gets the best of me and Croissants are not something you make if you do not have time. There is no sugar-coating it. Croissants are a labor love....

Here I go with yet another Panera bread story. But what can I say, mom and I ate a lot of Panera during the seriously bitter cold Cleveland fall/winter days of my youth. Their broccoli cheddar was one of my favorites. But I loved the homestyle chicken soup just as much, especially when we’d get it in a bread bowl. What I loved most about their chicken soup was all the thick-cut egg noodles, the herbs, and the fact that they really go heavy on the carrots....

It is not an everyday deal to find fresh vegetables straight out of the farm in the supermarkets. In fact, it is not very easy finding fresh, clean or local produce in the super markets these days. I see Kiwis from New Zealand, Oranges from Egypt, Apples from America and so on. I don’t know whatever is happening to the amazing local produce that we are forced to import stuff from elsewhere....

We all love quick, easy to make dinners or breakfast recipes right? I sure do. Today, I am sharing an instant gluten-free millet adai recipe that has been our savior for a few months now. Remember the Thalipeeth Bhajani recipe that I posted a few weeks back? This instant adai recipe using that Bhajani flour. As it pre-made and stores well for a few months, it is very easy to make this adai for a quick dinner or breakfast....