Continental

Tiramisu
Posted in Continental, Desserts, Entertaining, Italian

Tiramisu

Truly irresistible with Bold burst of Coffee flavor! Tiramisu or tiramesù in Venetian dialect, literally means “pick me up” or idiomatically it means “make me happy”. And it does 🙂 I love coffee and this dessert takes my favorite flavor to a next level. Though it’s a quite recent addition, it’s now ubiquitous across Italy and worldwide. I first had Tiramisu at Royal Orchid Hotel in Mumbai and I fell in love with this masterpiece. As with the most things in Italy there is a great debate about the true origin of tiramisu. Some sources name its origin as Siena in Tuscany however the most…

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Posted in Continental, Desserts, Entertaining, Happy Moments

Coconut Macaroons

It was a cold winter day and we were driving pass Santa Cruz mountains. I was craving for cappuccino while S wanted an oven fresh pizza. Before I could realize he had parked in front of Domino’s. Since pizza doesn’t really fit into my ‘fat-friendly’ list, I started exploring other options. I saw this small bakery shop which looked very inviting. The smell of fresh bread was very tempting. While I was still deciding the owner brought out a tray full of coconut macaroons just out of oven. He dipped one macaroon in chocolate and insisted me to try. That…

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Posted in Breakfast, Continental, Desserts, Snacks

Banana Walnut Bread

Even though I think about calories, fat, saturated fat and of course, the price I end up buying banana walnut bread at Starbucks. The cakey delight is so hard to resist. Today I decided to try it myself at home using whole wheat flour instead of maida (all purpose flour) to make it a little healthier. My husband could not tell the difference 🙂 [purerecipe] Food For Thought Walnuts are often referred to as “brain food”, not only because of brain-like appearance of their lobes but because of their high concentration of Omega-3 fatty acids. They also promote bone health…

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Posted in Continental, Desserts, Entertaining

Chocolate Brownies

Rich, Cakey, Chocolatey Goodness !! I bet you are smiling already. 🙂 This is one thing I have found hard to resist. Even though they are easy to make at home, next time I would rather but them by the piece just to keep my weight loss goal on track. I found couple of recipes with slight variations in amount of chocolate, cocoa powder and eggs used. The one I used came from my colleague’s mom. She has been baking these brownies for last 50 years, how wonderful is that! I think i did a good justice to her recipe and made…

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Posted in Breakfast, Continental, Quick n Healthy, Snacks

Spinach Pancakes

Hearty and Healthy twist to traditional pancakes Imaging a light fluffy pancake topped with butter, maple syrup, whipped cream and fresh berries…. Yum! Pancakes are great for breakfast pleasures but they are not healthy! Today I decided to transform this classic American breakfast into a savory, healthy dish with Indian touch. I used multi-grain flour instead of all purpose flour. I substituted sugar with salt and red chili powder, stirred in lots of  veggies like finely chopped spinach, cilantro, tomatoes and red onions with some coriander-cumin powder together with fennel seeds and ajwain seeds for an extra kick. The result? Outstandingly tasty and…

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Posted in Breakfast, Continental, Snacks

Homemade Granola Bars

I had a bunch of plain oatmeal packets stacked in my pantry and I used to wonder there has to be a better way of having original/old fashioned oatmeal. I saw this recipe by Ina Garten on Food network and I was so happy to discover my new favorite snack – “Granola Bars”, healthy and delicious  Here is a slight modified version of the original recipe –   Ingredients – 5-6 packets of old-fashioned instant oatmeal 1 cup sliced walnuts (or almonds if you like) 1 cup shredded coconut 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 2/3 cup honey 1/4 cup sugar (or brown…

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Posted in Breakfast, Continental, Desserts, Jams & Pickels, Spring - Summer Special, Superfoods

Blueberry Jam / Compote

I look at Jam as a way to preserve summer in a jar 😛 Every summer my mom used to make mango jam at home. She did the same thing with strawberries last summer and now I am following her tradition with yet another awesome superfood of this planet – blueberries. Ingredients: 2 pounds fresh blueberries 1 1/2 cups white sugar 1/8 cup lemon juice That’s it. Wash blueberries and let them dry completely. No need to chop blueberries, they are so tender they break down easily once heated. In a sauce pan, mix blueberries and sugar and mix it…

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Posted in Continental, Desserts, Entertaining

Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake

What could be a better occasion than your hubby’s birthday to bake a chocolate cake? It had been a while since I baked a cake. I am a big fan of Ina Garten and I had watched this show when she made this mouth watering cake. She said she practically begged her friend Michael to give her the recipe, which is originally his grandmother’s. She also tells her secret ingredient which make the cake even more chocolaty. I am glad I chose this recipe. We all enjoyed it. The texture was just perfect and the secret ingredient did its magic. I…

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Posted in Continental, Italian

Tomato Basil Pasta

Take a short trip to Italy in the comfort of your own kitchen! The biggest inspiration for this dish was the delicious pasta made by my friend in almost no time. I have promised him not to mention his name in public. I modified his recipe by adding some vegetables. But otherwise, it’s a very simple recipe and in fact I consider it to be a part of “maggie-league”. It’s that simple and yummy! I used Barilla Mezze Penne pasta but you can use any other penne pasta and boil it as per the instructions given on the box AL…

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Posted in Appetizers, Continental, Entertaining, Winter Special

Deviled Eggs

With Easter just around the corner, this is a great time to try this  deviled egg recipe. These are cute, little, very tempting and especially go well for a potluck party and take no more than 5 minutes when you have boiled eggs ready! The tricky part is getting the perfect hard boiled eggs and lengthy part is to peel the eggs but my ‘Pro Tips’ section has covered both the tricks so stay tuned! This is a slightly modified version of classic recipe with a spring twist that comes from fresh cilantro. You can subbed cilantro by any fresh herb…

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