I can never resist homemade chicken nuggets, and they’re even better done up buffalo style with a spicy sauce and side of ranch dip. I often serve these nuggets for dinner with a side of baked potato wedges and roasted broccoli. I’m a sucker for anything that involves buffalo sauce. So, when it came to making these buffalo chicken nuggets, I was pretty excited to share them with the family....

Ingredients Honey Chai tea Vanilla extract Vanilla sugar Vodka Kahlua Espresso Canned coconut milk Nutmeg Star anise The Saturday before Thanksgiving week…the festive season is finally here! I know, I’m the cheesiest, but as I say every single year, the holidays bring out my cheesy side. And I love every minute of the next few weeks. For once, I didn’t need to spend a lot of time going back and forth on the perfect drink to share today....

I love the flavor of chai or chai masala in desserts. Few of my past creations include masala chai tres leches cake, masala chai ice cream, masala chai tirmaisu and chai spiced shortbread cookies. The main ingredients of chai peda include milk powder, dulche de leche, milk, chai masala and ghee. I incorporated dulce de leche to mimic the rich brown hue associated with chai. Also, dulce de leche imparts a heavenly flavor to these pedas....

Channa Kurma is a South Indian restaurant style gravy made with boiled chickpeas. It is different from the North Indian Chole or Chana Masala made with onions, tomatoes and spice powders. This is distinctly Tamil style, with freshly prepared coconut based spice paste. It is rich, creamy and really delicious but does not take much time to prepare at all. Channa Kurma Ingredients Kondakadai Kurma is made with two different types of masala pastes and although ingredient list is long, it is a simple recipe that comes together quickly....

Did anyone else’s moms bake bread when they were growing up? As I’ve mentioned…over and over, my mom is not much of a cook, but she has always loved to bake. Most of the time her baking was limited to chocolate chip cookies and pecan pies, but during the fall and winter months my mom would bake up a fresh loaf of bread for Sunday night dinner. The woman loves bread like no other....

I could not be more excited about this recipe. Pierogies are one of those foods that bring back all the best memories. Tell me you all grew up eating Mrs. T’s cheddar Pierogies too? The frozen bags of Mrs. T’s were always stocked in our freezer. My mom would make them for the two of us on cold winter days. Yes, way back when my family still lived in Cleveland....

Wouldn’t that be amazing?! Well, now they can, because I have pretty good feeling you guys are going to LOVE this recipe. I mean, cheesy Mexican food on a Monday? Yes, please! These quesadillas are such a fun way to start the week. My weekend was pretty non-eventful, but still a great weekend. I spent a little sister time with Asher watching Mary-Kate and Ashley movies (more on these later…I still love them at 23 years old), planning her summer trip to Italy after watching When in Rome (I like the way the girl thinks), and working on a food photography presentation for an upcoming conference I’m speaking at (yeah, nervous times like ten!...

Over the past few years, Biryani has become my absolute favorite and my go-to meal option for a quick Sunday lunch. I cannot imagine a Sunday without my Amma’s classic Vegetable Biriyani growing up and that probably is why I decided to post a series of different Biryani recipes on my blog. Check out some of the interesting Biryani recipes on this blog! Chettinadu Veg Biriyani Following my Thalapakkatti Biryani recipe, I wanted to try a Chettinadu style vegetable biriyani recipe....

I love to recreate some of my family’s favorite Thai dishes at home including Thai chicken curry, cucumber salad, Thai fried rice and this simple, yet totally satisfying chicken Pad Thai. Whenever I go to my local Thai restaurant, I have to order the chicken Pad Thai. I’ve since learned to make this dish at home, and now I can enjoy this meal any time I want with perfect results every time!...

Alright, so here’s the deal, these tacos are different. But I really cannot express enough how yummy these are, and just how easily they come together. Of course, nothing will ever replace our go-to tacos that we wholeheartedly love (and that I make almost weekly). But my whole family is just as excited for these Chili Crisp Chicken Tacos. I love them for spring and even summer. They’re bright and fresh!...

A dang good one too. I mean it involves peanut butter and toasty bread and possibly a peach, if your into that short of thing. And really, let’s be honest, anything that involves any kind of peanut butter and toasty bread is a good meal or maybe even snack. Yeah, this is a good snack too! It’s also quick and easy, which obviously is awesome for everyone. Is anybody else so incredibly ready for Friday?...

When I’m entertaining, I like to serve dishes that are easy, yet unexpected. Seafood is always a great bet, including options such as bacon wrapped scallops, seafood pasta, and this hearty crab mac and cheese. You can never go wrong with homemade mac and cheese, whether you’re feeding the family or offering it up at a special occasion. Take your macaroni to the next level with this delicious and decadent crab mac and cheese, you’ll be glad you did!...

Cranberry sauce is often on holiday dinner menus, but have you ever tried cranberries in relish form? This fresh and chunky sauce pairs perfectly with roasted turkey and glazed ham. I always make a traditional cooked cranberry sauce, but then I stumbled across the idea of uncooked cranberry relish in a magazine and was intrigued. Turns out, this is a delicious, refreshing addition to Thanksgiving and it couldn’t be any easier to make....

I think you all know by now that we love tacos in my family. The long, short story is simply that my brothers and I grew up eating my dad’s crispy tacos at least once and sometimes twice a week. They were easy for him to make, and we loved them. My dad always made his tacos with beef, then he would stuff the meat into hard shells with cheese....

We love taco night in my family. I’m actually making tacos tonight for dinner, they’re a twice-weekly family meal for us and have been since before I can remember. Our go-to is one you’re probably familiar with since I talk about them all the time, my dad’s crispy, cheesy tacos. They’re as simple as a taco can get, but we sure do love them. Of course, by now you all know how much I love creating switch-ups for taco nights....

I do a lot of entertaining during the warmer weather months, and some of the recipes that are always on my menu include grilled corn on the cob, creamy broccoli slaw, and these delicious baked beans. They’re great for feeding a crowd, and the slow cooker does all the work! Baked beans are a classic dish for good reason – that combination of smoky beans, bacon and savory sauce just can’t be beat....

Some of my recipes are just so good and easy that I make them almost every week. Rounding out my top favorites are slow cooker bolognese sauce, slow cooker whole chicken, garlic butter sirloin steak and this ultra flavorful crock pot spaghetti. There’s nothing better than a big plate of spaghetti and meatballs. My favorite way to prepare this dish is with this crock pot spaghetti recipe. The meatballs come out super tender from simmering all day, and the sauce is loaded with flavor....

I mean, as if you couldn’t tell. Feast your eyes on this cheese board. I will not lie, I am excited about it. Heck, even my mom is excited about it. I showed her the photos and I think they may be some of her favorites. But while she loved the photos, I do think that both of us loved the pomegranate baked brie even more…but it’s brie, so that’s kind of a given....

My blog was screaming ‘enough of those sweets and desserts’ and I finally heard it 😀 We Indians celebrate a lot of festivals and the last quarter of the year is the busiest of all. From Dusshera to Diwali to Christmas to New year, it’s a lot and I know I missed out a few smaller festivals in between. One reason or the other, I have been making a lot of sweets and desserts so its time I shift my gears a little....

Today I am sharing yet another simple but a really flavorful recipe – Empty Salna or Plain Salna that goes well as a side dish with Parotta or Biriyani. In most restaurants across Tamilnadu, it is easy to find Vegetable Salna being served. The other Salna variations like Mushroom Salna, Muttai Salna are too specific and are not so easily found. But Empty Salna is quite popular across street vendors and road-kadai – pushcarts selling food during the evenings going into late nights....