Chicken is a must on Sundays at our home. Alterations have to be there to make it more inviting than every other time. We are used to making chicken with coconut based curry - atleast that was the case in my childhood and even at in-laws house. And when it comes those extra calories thru coconut in the menu I just tend to simply hate them. I dont say I dont make it that way - but i have this new tendency to avoid it and make it more rare for appearance.
This is a super-simple fool proof recipe that has been entertained at our home ever since I have started making it. It serves for lunch and also makes it way to the dinner menu for a hit with rotis. So here is the recipe
I made this for my mom this time on her visit home. She doesnt eat curd... not that she is allergic to it but she simply it even by smell. She is so different that she doesnt even eat stuff that has curd-like texture. When I made this chicken for her she fell in love with it and happily told me that it was too good and also a little different from the usual stuff. Oh.. i felt great and my dad still calls me up and says "that days chicken was super Nimma ... " I havent given my mom the secret yet as she will not try it the next if i say curd. Let her enjoy the taste :)
Dahi vadas are everybodys favorite in my house. I am so hooked up to its taste that I can never ever resist it in any restaurant. If I see it on the menu then I am sure to try it. But the best ones are the ones made at home. I love the juiciness, softness, sourness and little spiciness that it has to offer. You can eat a lot of them at the same time as they are not the heavy-kind food being non-greasy.
Vadas are made at all almost all south-indian festivals and at our home it is a must. I make in big batches so that we sure have left-overs to make this leftover special recipe.
Making this is so simple that you will also want to make more than required vadas the next time you make them.
I have already shared a carrot soup version some time back. This is a very similar one but a few little changes here and there. My family loves this version too. Soups are fun to serve and very healthy to eat. I find this a very good way to serve some nutrition to my kids who are sometimes fussy about healthy eating styles. But when it comes to soup there is no saying NO here :)
This is a very good way to help your kids with the goodness of vegetable that they need without having them fussy about it. Simple and quick and easy to make is the secret to keep you and your family happy. Try this version too and enjoy the goodness
I love making evening snack for my kids. They are just so hungry when they wake up after their nap that they tend to open every cookie jar or snack bags within their reach. Instead of such snacking we love making our own snacks. I lovingly accept every possible little help from my little helpers. They are so very happy to make their stuff but also fight on who wants to do what. But whatever it is snack time and snack-making time is fun-time for us. Thats my secret that I never feel tired being in the kitchen when fixing these tiny meals.
I usually make this for Niks school too as a mid-time snack. I know that this is the best-shared snack among all those that he carries regularly. He always says... 'last time this friend ate 2 and the other one asked for one more so pack 3 extras this time... ' So nowadays I have to pack a few more than usual... and yes I do it with loads of love and happiness.
This recipe can be made using any vegetable of your choice. Pick the best that you think your kid should have. I usually alter this recipe with vegetables that they hate to eat. Say beetroot, squash, sweet potatoes and may be a few more that I cant remember right now. Its a beautiful way to give them those veggies that they refuse to eat. I know this is not a very healthy way but atleast IT IS A Way :)
Spices can be altered as per your taste. I sometimes go for the greener side - coriander, green chillies, curry leaves, onions etc whereas sometimes i go for red chilli, jeera, turmeric etc. They are a little different in taste but have their own uniqueness. Try this and your kids are sure to love it.
Chicken 65 is a perfect addition to every non-veg appetizer menu. Eat it as a snack or as an appetizer it doesnt get away without satisfying your taste buds. My mom had made this for years and now I have made it for so many years too ... but every time I have had it I have always wanted more. It is lip-smacking every time its served.
Try this as an appetizer for parties and they will make way without any hassle... just that there will be more servings than usual. Kids and elders, everybody likes it.
It is super simple recipe that everybody knows but it is here just to remind that it is a recipe that everybody likes.
Cheese fills are mini cheese balls but its just that I flatten them a little so that they look like little discs. A kids plus mommy's favorite snack to keep our mouths busy from the time they are served till the plate turns out to be empty. Hmmmm I love them too. Yes they are so attractive, crispy, crunchy and gooey in the middle with a simple spice combo in every bite that it will keep your kids busy munching them till they are all done. Kids who have tried this at my home have always loved it asking for more.
Ever since I have been making these, we have loved them the same way as we had the first time. I never made these till my elder kid was about 2 yrs old. Then only was the need to make this when I had him growing up into a fussy eater. I had to come up with new and different type of things to keep him happy and also to bribe him too ... "Nikki ...If you eat todays lunch fully with veggies, then in the evening I will make a cheesy surprise for u" and yup the job wud be done in no time. Lunch would be a merry time rather than cribbing time :) Snack time gets merrier than that as I always have my kids help me around in the kitchen when we make their favorites. They love to know what goes in and are always ready to lend their tiny little helping hands. Yes it sure does get messy but in a very lovely way that you cant help hugging your bunnies for their lovely help rather than thinking about the beautiful mess.
This recipe takes little time to put together everything and serve plate-fulls of love to your lovely buggity bugs ;)
My sister-in-law is expecting her second one this April, a very happy and interesting phase of her life. We stopped by her place few days back to be a part of a small get-together with family and relatives. I thought I should make her something special to give her a sweet treat during her sweet motherhood journey. It was too late by the time I decided to make something. Suddenly my mind clicked in the right way to remind me of this simple dessert that needs minimal ingredients but gives best taste and utmost satisfaction.
There is nothing to sweat out here except for stopping by the kitchen a few more times than usual cooking to give some extra stirs. Simple it is ... just boil, cook and garnish and voila it is ready. Try this and you are sure to treat your friends the best way at the dessert table. I have made this for so many of our get-togethers and it has been perfect every time its been served
Cauliflower, a vegetable that is beautiful by its name is also a beauty in its taste and look. Nature is simply great.. the way it makes flowers and vegetables and trees and plants and this and that n everything around. Everything is so unique when it comes to nature. Cauliflower i feel is also a beautiful creation. Ever looked at it closely - tiny pearls cluttered together that give the look of beautiful flowers which are bundled again to look like a dense bouquet. The beautiful creamy color, the soft but grainy texture and the green fresh leaves around them to add to its beauty. Its really a wonder. God and nature might have taken a long time to decide how this vegetable would look :)
I love this vegetable fried or boiled or chopped or grated ... just cooked beautifully to give the magical taste. This recipe is a simple call for those taste buds that need to be satiated pleasingly. Its easy and simple and sure to win hearts.
It serves as a perfect appetizer at parties too. Do a little homework a little ahead of time and surprise your friends with a delicious munch
Rasgullas... mmmm I cant even say it - my mouth is watering for these sponge balls but I dont have to worry for the time being as I have some resting in the fridge right now. Juicy, spongy, sweet, soft and yummy balls floating in simple sugar syrup is as heavenly as its sounding now. Me n my hubby both love them. Oh!!!! we just cant stop eating. Everytime we open the fridge we are sure to pop atleast one into our mouth. Now think how many would I be eating as I am the one in the house who uses the fridge the most he he :) your guess is almost right but I wont let you know the count ;) its a secret. This is also my father-in-laws favorite so I make one big batch when he is home.
Whenever at a sweet shop, we would always have rasgullas or rasmalais and there have also been times when I have stocked Haldirams tins when in the US. I had always thought that it would be the toughest recipe in the dessert section but guess what - you can name this one to be the easiest. Yes it is. No sweating here.. I promise. It is so easy to make that I just dont sit down to make it but instead I do it as and when I pass by my kitchen. Yes I do. Say, it is this easy - I keep the milk for boiling while I go and clean up the living room then when I am back I make the paneer and rest it. Then later when I am done with my work I kick-off the sugar-syrup process while I make the balls and pop them in. Finally the pressure cookers job comes in which doesnt need my lending helping hand :)
Easy to make and heavenly delicious to eat is what I shud say. They are just mmmmmm hmmm yummmmm
Potatoes are yummy and baby potatoes are yummier than them. If you havent tried it ever then I would suggest you definitely try it and am sure you will fall in love with these babies. I remember my childhood days when my mom used to make these for us and how we used to fight for our shares. My mom always used to make it in a big batch and share it out equally for all of us but at the end we would be fighting again asking for moms share. Gone are those beautiful old days.
These potatoes tend to taste a little different from the regular sized ones. I think they have an extra something - some tangy or tingy taste that draws itself closer to our heart. When I made this for my hubby for the first time, I remember I got only 7 potatoes(babies) left for me when I sat down with my dinner plate. He did not even realize how he had gobbled down so many of them in a few mins. After that I have always taken the safer side - slide away a portion of the dish for myself hidden in the kitchen and unveil the secret only when I sit down with my rotis... :) Come on now, dont stare at me like that making me feel I am a thief in my own kitchen. After all its my favorite too.
Now when we are 2 more in our beautiful world of love there is more wants for this dish. My kids are crazy about these. The moment they see these packets at the vegetable store they would make sure they take it themselves to the billing counter.
Whenever I make this, its like the fastest eater is the best at place here ;)
Sweet Potatoes are sweet .. very sweet to eat and relish in a very sweet way. Oh my!!!!! you are very sweeeeeeet my little "Sweet Potato". At mine all of us love sweet potatoes except for my elder kid... hmmm now think what cud be the problem for this silly mamma here. Yes, I did not want my kid to miss out on the taste of this beautiful vegetable and also its nutritional goodness.
Right from when he was an year old I have been trying to give him a taste of this sweetness which he has always rejected. It did not work even after numerous attempts until I came up with this simple twist which is apt for my kids style of eating. Now believe me, this has worked like a charm for the past 3 years or more. He even takes it as a snack to school and I can always know that the box would be empty when he's home - now that is a magic
Kara kuzhambu with no coconut was new to me until I had it at one of our relatives house. She cooks real good food and that too in a jiffy. Last week when we went to their home for a quick visit, it turned out to be a day long visit. As we had been to their afte a very long time, she did not want us to leave home without having lunch. Seeing her love we could not say no and so dropped out others and stayed back for lunch. Oh my god.... she was so fast at work.... something here something there .... and thats it... in no time lunch was ready :)
She made this simple kara kuzhambu for us. When I had it I like a lot but then realised it was completely different from the one I make. She made it without using any coconut which is the usual way of making. Kids loved it too. When we were about to leave she packed some for our dinner too... saying it would taste very good with dosa too. So we had it for dinner too along with dosa. It was too good and as is got the recipe from her and have been making it in my kitchen
Try it out and you might like it too
