After all the sweets that I made for Deepavali, I am back with yet another sweet recipe for Karthigai Deepam. Kadalai Urundai, also called as Kadalai Mittai is a healthy but very simple sweet made around this time of the year. Not just for the Karthigai festival, this can be made anytime and makes for a very healthy snack. Just in time, I had some roasted peanuts and some really good jaggery (left-over from the Deepavali preparations) that I put to use by making this special Verkadalai Urundai....

By now I think you all know how I feel about salad. I despise a boring salad (i.e lettuce and very little else). But I LOVE a GOOD salad (i.e one with greens…carbs and cheese). And if it’s a salad with warm roasted vegetables…well, that scores major bonus points with me. Enter this kale Caesar salad, it’s everything you could ever want a winter salad to be. It has texture, color, a mix of warm roasted vegetables, fresh greens, cheese, and the best creamiest dressing....

After posting a couple of sweet recipes, I am sharing a quick and easy side dish that goes really well with Idli, Dosa, Chapati or even Poori. Kumbakonam Kadappa is a popular recipe coming from South Tamilnadu region Kumbakonam and hence the name. Honestly speaking, I have never heard or tasted this recipe growing up in Chennai, although I call myself a proud Tamil. Thanks to Instagram and the many wonderful friends I have made there, I get exposed to a different cuisines, recipes lost in time, recipes that have been guarded secrets of families and lot more....

Before I even made them, I was so excited about them. But after I made them, the excitement grew times a million. Now that I finally get to tell you all about them I am just ecstatic. I do realize that I sound a little crazy right now. I know these are only burgers, BUT they are really not just any burger. I am deeming these the official burger of summer because they offer some of summer’s greatest treasures....

For one, I’m sharing this amazing roasted chicken, and when I say amazing, I do mean AMAZING. Two, not only do I have this chicken to share, but I have a fun new cookbook to tell you about as well! You guys! If you have not yet ordered your copy of The Dude Diet By Serena Wolf I highly, highly recommend you do so now. Words cannot describe just how practical this cookbook is....

While the beautiful sweet mangoes last, I decided to make one more dessert based on mangoes. Making a mango flavored rabdi and rasmalai was on my mind since last summer but I never got around trying it. This summer though I was determined to make it and last week, I made Mango Angoori Rasmalai. Angoori Rasmalai is like the regular rasmalai, but made quite small. Instead of discs of malai, small balls of malai are cooked in ras....

It feels like the mango season is coming to an end too soon to my liking. Talking of time, where did half of the year go?! Time sure seems to be flying. Well, before it is too late I want to post the other mango based recipes I tried out this year. If you love mangoes, do check out these Mango recipes - Mango Mastani, Mango Salsa and Mango Iced Tea recipes from my blog!...

So today I bring to you one of the signature dishes from my mother-in-law’s kitchen. I just love how simple and yet delicious her food is! It is hearty and satisfying and comforting and delicious all at once. One of the first dishes I tried of her kitchen was this very Indianized, rather South-Indianized version of Macaroni that she simply called Masala Macaroni. And it was love at first bite for me....

I mean I did tell you it was going to be all Mexican for at least the next few days. Mexican foods will never get old. Especially churros spiked with beer. Seeing as the idea for these was a New Years dessert, I just figured the beer was necessary. BUT the beer is not just here for fun. Nope, it is actually the secret that makes these churros better than any others you will ever have....

Remember how last week I was raving about that chopped greek salad I made? This Mexican Caesar salad is just as amazing (if not better!). Clearly it’s not a Caesar salad in the traditional sense, but a lot of the same elements are there – romaine lettuce, creamy dressing, shaved cheese and here we’ve got tortilla strips in lieu of croutons. I also added some extra toppings because in my opinion that’s the best part of any salad!...

You can never go wrong with fresh fruit, whether it’s fruit kabobs, fruit sushi, fruit pizza, a tropical fruit salad or in fruit cup form. These Mexican fruit cups are sure to be a hit at any gathering! I have a confession to make. I’ve been holding out on you guys. These Mexican fruit cups have been my summer obsession for about a month now, and it’s taken me way too long to share them with you!...

BEETS!! Yes, beets. I feel like there are so many people who fear beets, me being one of them, that is of course until I made this pasta! Now I still can’t say how I feel about raw beets, or even steamed beats, but roasted beets? YES. Roasted beets are amazing, they’re everything to me right now. Pumpkin and I are still totally having a thing, BUT beets… well they are slowly catching up....

There’s nothing better than a good cookie, and these loaded monster cookies definitely fit the bill. They’re packed with tons of chocolate, oatmeal and peanut butter and are adored by both kids and adults alike. Serve them alongside other great dessert recipes like black forest cupcakes, S’mores cookies, funfetti cookies or brownie cookies for a party. I happen to love monster cookies, they’re all of my favorite cookie flavors rolled up into one hand held treat!...

Coming from South India, Khichadi always meant Upma cooked with vegetables. I have already posted a recipe of Bansi Rava Khichadi which is a staple at our home. Today’s recipe is Khichdi, which is quite different from Khichadi. Khichdi, popular in North India is made with rice and lentils cooked until mushy. Add in a few vegetables, it not only is an easy option but a wholesome meal too!...

I am kind of wishing that today was a holiday like it was last Monday. Having that extra day of the weekend is the nicest thing ever and then what is even better, when Tuesday rolls around it feels like Monday, and then the whole week just seem to fly by. I mean, you all understand what I am talking about right? At least now the weather is finally getting nice and school is out for my siblings....

Drumstick Rasam Mulakkada Charu is a comforting rasam made with drumsticks, typically a traditional Andhra household recipe. Drumstick Rasam, also known as Murungakai Rasam or Mulakkada Rasam is very similar to tamarind-based rasam made without any tomatoes. Having grown up eating traditional and authentic Andhra food, this charu was a regular fixture at our home for both lunch & dinner during peak drumstick season. The main flavor of the rasam comes from cooked drumsticks (moringa pods) apart from the special Andhra style rasam powder used in the preparation....

And that one person is four years old. Of course right now would be the time she would jump in and say “Yeah Tiegy, but I’ll be five on August 30th”. You guys, five years old. Seriously, how in the heck did that happen. It seems like just yesterday I was fifteen and thinking about things like getting my learners permit and summer vacation ending. Okay fine, some of you may say it was just yesterday, but really time flies and my gosh I feel like a totally different person than my unconfident fifteen year old self....

My first coq au vin recipe was back in November 2014. I was still living at home with my family in Colorado. Being one of 8 kids (well actually there were just seven of us back then), some of my siblings and cousins were already arriving for Thanksgiving. Most of them coming in a little early to enjoy the early snowfall we had that season. It was a special year, a very cozy holiday season with a lot of snowfall....

With one freaking pot guys! Is there anything better?? Well, I actually, like dinners that require some hands on work, BUT I genuinely enjoy working in the kitchen. Err, well most of the time I do. Sometimes when there is pressure to make the food look pretty, it can be a little hard. Especially if said food is just ugly, but most of the time I like it. Of course there are times when I get extremely tired cooking, just like any of the rest of you....

Gumbo is a New Orleans classic and this simple version is loaded with meat and veggies with minimal dishes to clean at the end of the night. Yes, you read that right. This chicken and shrimp gumbo is actually a 30 minute meal that only uses one pot. AND it’s healthy! It doesn’t get much better than that, does it? How do you make chicken and shrimp gumbo? Ok, so this may not be 100% authentic, traditional gumbo but it’s still delicious and all of the key flavors are there....