Mexican shrimp cocktail is a great way to start off a Mexican themed meal. Try it alongside a Mexican Caesar salad, carne guisada, vegetarian fajitas or carne asada tacos. Don’t forget the pinto beans and rice to round out your dinner! I love a good shrimp cocktail, but they’re always crazy expensive at restaurants – $12 for 6 tiny shrimp with a little sauce?! I started making my own at home and now I never feel the urge to order them when eating out – shrimp cocktail is just so easy to make that I can whip it up any time I want in about 5 minutes....

Mishti doi was one of the best things I was introduced to after marrying into a bengali family. I could not fathom the craziness behind this bengali delicacy until I savored it for the very first taste. The velvety smoothness that coats the palate, coupled with a subtle yet distinct caramelized aftertaste makes mishti doi a true delight for anyone with a sweet tooth. I love yogurt in all shapes and forms and, yogurt desserts are my weakness....

I think so anyway, and this Miso Roasted Acorn Squash + Pomegranate Salad is no exception. At first, I was not sure if miso and cheese would go together, but let me tell you, they do. And so deliciously well. This salad may seem crazy from the title, and look simple from the pictures, but really it’s a mix of both. It’s crazy because those waffled grilled cheeses are the best thing to ever happen to a salad....

After so many of you asked, I am finally sharing my Mother’s Day menus! Honestly, it shocked me a little that so many of you were asking about a Mother’s Day menu. But after countless messages last week via Instagram, I did a quick poll and 98% of you who follow on IG wanted my Mother’s Day menu. Therefore, very sorry to the 2% of you who could care less about this post....

So if you guys haven’t guessed it yet, I am doing a mini breakfast themed series on my blog. Initially it was supposed to be a recipe a day for this entire week with filling, delicious and healthy South Indian breakfasts that are not very usual. But then with my crazy work schedule, I couldn’t post anything yesterday and hence taking my time sharing these recipes – don’t worry, you will see them albeit not every day!...

If I say I love Murungaikai/Drumstick, that’s an understatement. When in season, I buy them in bulk and use them in every way possible. Whenever we are all eating together, everyone in my family would save the drumstick pieces for me and in the process if they happen to have more than one piece, they would pass it on to me, for I love it so much. Amma uses it mostly in Sambar and interesting in Rasam – which I particularly love....

In my house mushrooms are often on the dinner table, whether they’re grilled mushrooms, roasted mushrooms or served up as a delicious steak sauce. I love a good steak, but you know what turns a good steak into a great steak? A generous spoonful of mushroom steak sauce on top! This mushroom sauce is super easy to make, and will make your steaks taste like they came from a restaurant....

As I type this, it’s snowing fluffy white snow outside and it just couldn’t be cozier Christmas vacation weather. This is such a special week. Things have finally slowed. Everyone is relaxing and forced to take somewhat of a holiday break, as most of the world shuts down. It’s always so nice after such a busy season. With family here and the snow falling, I’ve been making a lot of soups, chilis, and slow-cooked, simple dinners that everyone will enjoy....

My family always requests soup for dinner, and I’m happy to oblige by whipping up a pot of cheeseburger soup, taco soup or this rich and creamy traditional clam chowder. Whenever I go to restaurants, if I see clam chowder on the menu I immediately order it. I’ve learned to make restaurant style New England clam chowder at home, and the end result is a perfectly creamy soup loaded with complex flavors....

If there’s one thing I’ve gotten pretty good at, it’s creating appetizer boards/platters. Not only do I find it fun, but giant platters like this are so easy for me to throw together in just minutes…better yet, they look so impressive. The secret to this? Um, the grocery store. I know that I probably shouldn’t be admitting this, but it’s true. Between Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, and now all the farmers’ markets, there are so many incredible dips, spreads, cheeses, fancy crackers, and of course produce, so easily available....

So baking was a no brainer! In fact I am already plotting out my holiday baking! So excited… It seems we always have some brown banana’s on the counter. So when I was trying to think of something to make I decided banana’s must be included! I also figured it would be a nice break from all the pumpkin treats I have baked up lately (don’t despair, recipes to come)!...

Merry Christmas Eve!! I don’t usually share a Christmas Eve post, but with the holiday falling on a Saturday this season, this felt like the right cocktail (or mocktail), to share with you all. A sweet, chocolate martini fitting for capping the long night off. I do think Old Saint Nick and even the Griswolds would fully approve of this nightcap. Details This could not be more straightforward, quick, and simple....

I love a good stir fry for dinner and this orange beef is no exception. Best of all, it’s on the dinner table in no time and it’s kid friendly! Stir fry is pretty much the ultimate quick meal – it cooks up in minutes and is typically fairly healthy too. This orange beef stir fry is no exception – it takes like something you’d get at your favorite chinese restaurant, but you can make it yourself in the time it would take you to load up the family to go out to dinner....

If you’re an Oreo fan, you won’t be able to resist this decadent Oreo cheesecake. Best of all, it’s no bake which means you can make it all summer long without heating up your kitchen. Looking for more Oreo desserts? Don’t miss my Oreo cookies and cream bars and chocolate covered Oreos! Have you ever had that one dessert that you just couldn’t stop thinking about until you got another piece?...

I’m a little late, but very excited to be sharing this year’s Thanksgiving menu with you guys! Between the book release, promo events, keeping up with daily content, and travel…it’s been a bit of a challenge to squeeze in time to photograph our entire Thanksgiving. But here it is, and it turned out great. My goal with this year’s menu? Create an entirely make-ahead/prep-in-advance menu. Certainly everyone’s dream menu, right?...

Sharing a special recipe today straight from Half Baked Harvest Super Simple and in partnership with Williams-Sonoma. This overnight cinnamon roll bread is a go-to holiday breakfast. This is the easiest to bake up and everyone LOVES them! If you’re in need of a delicious breakfast for your family this holiday season, make it this cinnamon roll bread. To make the bread… Make a very basic, everyday bread dough that uses instant yeast to speed up the rising times....

I was almost going to go through all of January without sharing a single salad. This is something crazy unusual for me. Most Januarys I load up on the salad recipes in an effort to share lighter recipes. This year has been a little different. I shared cozier, yet still very wholesome, healthy recipes. Lots of curries, big vegetable-filled bowls, and healthy banana bread too. But today I have a salad – finally!...

Happy Friday, happy August! And for real, thank goodness it’s Friday, what a week! At this current moment in time, I want nothing more than to tell you about this pie and then go chill for the rest of the weekend. Will that actually happen? No probably not. If you couldn’t already tell from my tone, it’s been a bit of a week. Some of it great, some of it, well, a bit frustrating....

Need a quick snack that’s easy to make and kid friendly? These pepperoni pizza cups have just 5 ingredients and are ready in 15 minutes! This of my favorite snacks recipes along with pigs in a blanket, mozzarella sticks and mini quiche! Pizza Muffins Ingredients To make pizza muffins, you’ll need just 5 ingredients – crescent roll dough, pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni and a sprinkling of parsley. Try these along with some of my other favorite pizza flavored recipes like pizza pasta, pizza stuffed shells and pizza dip with pepperoni!...

Last night I realized I have not posted any sweet/dessert recipes for this week. Going by my sweet tooth and how I have been updating my blog, I wanted to post a dessert to welcome the weekend 🙂 As I have said many a times on this blog, I love sweets. That said, I don’t particularly like butter-milk or yogurt. So Amma used to make me a cup of fresh curd every day growing up....