Speedy Shrimp - Guest Post by Shikha Bajaj

The blog has been silent for a while. No matter what I try, I am finding it hard to document all the cooking that has been happening. A great Mutton dish, the perfect greek salad recipe, a new way to eat healthy vegetable lasagna and many more recipes, are lying all in the various tummies and in my head. Mystically, To break the silence, and get the action rolling on the blog, my wonderful SIL, decided to send me this shrimp recipe with butter and lime, all the way across the seven seas. And what a wonderful way to start the day with this in your inbox :). Ironically, I never liked shrimp, until I had it on my visit to her place last year. I am a convert for sure, and after testing this recipe- I am sure you will be one too.

p.s Thanks for sharing this Didi. and a special thanks to the Sous Chef- I could see the little hands working hard! 

Nobody doesn't like shrimp.

This recipe to cook Shrimp (with butter and lime) is one of the quickest dishes one can make. It quite literally takes 15 minutes from start to finish.

Prepare your serving dish first. I like to use a bed of mixed greens. I happened to have some Radicchio, Frisee, Chard and Arugula (also known as rocket) mix in the fridge, so that is what I used. I am trying to eat better and recently went overboard in the produce section at whole foods.

Although the shrimp is the star of this show, my personal favorite part is at the end when I get to polish off the salad mixed in with the flavoured sauce.

Thanks Tanya for letting me do a guest post. I love your blog.

chocolate cake shots

There are no mistakes. The events we bring upon ourselves, no matter how unpleasant, are necessary in order to learn what we need to learn; whatever steps we take, they're necessary to reach the places we've chosen to go. - Richard Bach

Life has a funny way of making one realize what is important. The old adage of not knowing what one values, unless it’s far away from them is- really- true. The last few months have made me realize the same. Only through my last trip, I have had the opportunity to apprehend what I have, how lucky I am to have it, and that despite failures and troubles- Life is good.

Sometimes one does accomplish a few Good things, even by making mistakes- and this pending recipe is in line with my thoughts, just perfect for this post.

Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations.
Steve Jobs

And that’s exactly what I did. I had tried a new recipe for a chocolate cake- hoping to find that perfect chocolate cake. The cake turned out to be a disappointment- The taste was perfect- but it just crumbled its way through. An imperfect cake recipe, set grounds for innovation. Instead of serving it in the traditional manner, with some ice-cream, I decided to make some cake shots. For handy desserts- this is a great recipe that I will surely repeat- with hopefully a more perfect cake.

Warm Chutneyed Baby Potatoes

My idea of heaven is a great big baked potato and someone to share it with. 

Oprah Winfrey 

I don’t like potatoes.

Don’t get me wrong, I am a complete potato chips/crisps/fries/hash browns/baked potatoes etc. addict, but I don’t like the way potatoes are used in traditional Indian Cooking, just as a side dish. For me, it disrespects the vegetable that the potato is accompanying, and of course, the potato itself. The flavors of both the vegetables end up getting compromised, and it all just doesn’t come together in my head.

It’s almost like the plight of a 25-30 year old ‘single’ girl, who without a man in company, is, kind of considered, incomplete. The thing that is missed however is that, it really is ok to be single.

And yes, that should be the life of Dear potato. We must appreciate it, and love it in its singular form!

Ak loves baby potatoes, and I kind of like them too. I usually like to use them in the form of a salad (one of the recipes can be found here), but on a day when I was making regular Indian food, with dal and rice, I thought of making something, a bit more Indian. Using some remnants of Green chutney in the fridge, I was hoping to add some zing and of course, use up the green chutney. This warm, chutneyed baby potato dish can be tried with regular potatoes too, but I think, the thin potato peel of the baby potatoes, adds a third dimension to the dish. Both my Mom, and mom-in law make something similar, with full potatoes, and this recipe I guess, is adapted from a bit of both, and is an adaptation of the traditional jeera aloo. Can be served as an easy accompaniment to Indian food, both as a main course, or as a snack as well. Enjoy!

The Communicooking Salad- with love to Feta

One year.

I didn’t realize that my blog has turned one.

I missed a True Anniversary. That ought to have been celebrated.

My first post was on August 22 last year, when after a late night baking session, and many conversations about why I should have a blog, Ak decided to not wait for a yes from me, but instead go ahead and just do it. Yes, he thought of the name (of course, we discussed it), setup the blog, and even clicked the photographs, while I was baking. All I had to do was to write, and of course, cook. Those were the good old days! Sigh.

I have come a long way since then. Today, I cook, and then suddenly remember that I want to click as well. I rush to get my camera, and then realize it’s late.  I am a true believer in ‘process’ and then, I realize that I had to shoot before the last mixing step. Or had to capture a shot of the fancy ingredient before I decided to add it to the bowl. Or that I had to capture it without mixing it with another ingredient etc. And then there are times when I realize after the complete documentation of the process, that I have served the dish without documenting the ‘final product’. Yes, it has been a learning all the way, and yes, I am still discovering.

Since the inception of the blog, I have almost always, been sheepish about it. Including the times when someone at work told me of a moment when they discovered me/the blog on Google images- accidently, or each time, when someone much older/experienced appreciates my cooking skills, when I become a part of the Bloggers Table or the fact that I get called to judge a cooking competition at a school. I am still very shy- yes, and each time I wonder, Really? Me? So much so, that I only updated the 'Me' section very recently. 

But with any luck, I will learn.

Parenting, we all know is a tough job, and this blog baby was not planned. Hopefully, I will get better at it, and with all the late nights and the managing with work life balance, I hope to not disappoint you Communicooking in its growing up years. Thank you Ak- for being the Guinea pig to all my experiments, for always encouraging me, for withstanding all my anxiety about this blog and making me take that one extra step- forward. For making me do this.

A celebratory recipe is due.

This recipe was yet another test that Ak was subjected to- with my love for Feta, this is my version of a Twisted Greek Salad, inspired by one of Martha Stewarts' here. I am sure like all mothers, both of ours  would think of him as  a tormented child, being fed something that doesn’t quite suffice as a meal- He as usual was a sport, and his love for salads was hopefully not compromised. I served it with Special Seekh Kebabs and bread. Given the occasion, all that was missing was some wine J

Baked Broccoli and Babycorn

Its unfathomable, how my mind flutters so much. Sometimes I truly believe in my ‘dual zodiac nature’ that describes me as a person getting bored quickly, of anything and everything. I think I have more often posted about how I don’t know where this blog is headed, than posted about real blog stuff. Yes, one can easily predict that the reason I haven’t posted in the last few weeks (despite having a ready documented dish in drafts), is because I have been thinking and re-thinking the blog. Honestly, despite my resolutions to write more, I struggle to stay convinced. Yes, I have been caught up with work, family and so much stuff happening, but I know that’s hardly reason enough to not do this. Today, as I write this, I am almost feeling guilty for not wanting to do this at all. Am not 100% there yet, but I think I am going to try.

This post is about some of the cooking that took place at our abode, in the last month; some of it extremely simple at the end of a hard day, some of it quite “ironchefy” (I quote the 13 year old RB) such as the fancy lemonade (recipe coming soon, courtesy RB), some to remind us of the good things we enjoyed as kids (and don’t indulge in anymore as adults) - such as Jello, which I re-discovered is an art in itself, especially, to remove from the cases, and some to purely enjoy good food. The Baked broccoli and corn dish is one of my all-time favourite- its simplicity is what makes it a pleasure, to cook and eat as well.

Cous Cous Salad with Mixed Peppers

It was only when started working on this post did I realize that I am in love with peppers; yes, the red, green and yellow variety. In the last less than a year of me writing this blog, and me cooking/documenting a lot, I have made a lot of dishes with peppers and repeatedly. I am surprised people around me haven’t killed me yet. But then again, maybe, it is the prettiness and varied nature of the peppers and for some, the healthy aspect that prevents us from getting bored. In fact, I also realized, that there are so many recipes that I haven’t even documented, but I guess they will find their way in soon.

Today’s post is Cous Cous with mixed peppers. I have always loved Cous Cous and now, it is a regular on our dinner menu. Couscous is a North African semolina dish that is traditionally served with a stew or accompanied with vegetables. Extremely simple to make and very, very versatile, Cous Cous is available in dried, instant form, and can be cooked and is ready to eat in under 5 minutes. Even though it resembles pasta, it is much and is among the healthiest grain-based products. It has a superior vitamin profile to pasta, and In terms of protein, couscous has 3.6 g for every 100 calories, equivalent to pasta, and well above the 2.6 g for every 100 calories of white rice. Furthermore, couscous contains a 1% fat-to-calorie ratio, compared to 3% for white rice, 5% for pasta etc. (Source: Wikipedia)

Now that I have justified the wonderful qualities of Cous Cous, how about an actual recipe? This is a great summer salad; can be had warm or cold, and variations can be adopted. I served it as an accompaniment to some bread and pasta with mushrooms in white sauce- however, I am sure its a much healthier meal, just by itself.

Cocktail Sausages

A wise woman puts a grain of sugar into everything she says to a man, and takes a grain of salt with everything he says to her.                                                                                                                                      Helen Rowland

The food world is a funny place to be; a little bit of sugar suddenly makes the world a much nicer place. 

A little maple syrup on waffles, Honey on pancakes, a simple chocolate cake, and even some honey in a cheesy dip, can ironically make the world seem not so bad after all. Comfort food, as I keep rambling about, becomes a lot more comfortable, with a dash of sugar in it. Especially if you are coming from the family where I come from, where every meal must end with something sweet to eat (including breakfast, lunch and dinner- and dinner sometimes followed by 2-3 courses of dessert), and married to a man, whose day is excelled by means of an additional piece of chocolate or a spoonful of ice-cream, for me- not having a sweet tooth IS IMPOSSIBLE. For some reason though, over a period of time, my craving for sugar has reduced, and with me getting only older with time- I assume it’s just good for me.

I come from a family, where sausages are actually considered unhealthy; pork sausages that is. Having pork sausages at home was a luxury. However I developed a taste, or rather a love for sausages during my stint in London, and since then it is a relationship that I am sure will last forever. I use more of the chicken variety now; makes no difference to my life- but I yes, psychologically, I just feel less guilty. The versatility of the sausage is brilliant- for breakfast, lunch or dinner, sausages accompanied with ANYthing including a slice of bread can lead to a satisfying meal.

I do adore food. If I have any vice it's eating. If I was told I could only eat one food for the rest of my life, I could put up with sausage and mash forever.                                                                                                 Colin Baker

The recipe that I am sharing today is one that has been pending forever; not because I didn’t have the time to post it, but simply because I never documented it. It is the perfect blend of two of my favourite ingredients. 

I had stumbled across this recipe on Nigella’s website (Original Recipe can be found here) soon after I got married. Ak calls this our ‘House Specialty’; the Cocktail Sausages and the recipe finds its way into our meals quite often. In fact, I never even though about posting it, since I made it so often. I have tested it out on multiple occasions, with a variety of guests; young and old, meat eaters and the no-red meat eaters, "I like chicken only" people and many others; and each time the recipe was a big success. Most often in fact, there is not even a single piece left. It goes well as an appetizer and I have often made it as an accompaniment to a main course as well.  The best part is that, it can be made well ahead of time; the longer the sausages are marinated for, the better the flavours are- sweet, sticky and savoury.Thank you Nigella for this wonderful, really easy recipe.

p.s Must Try this recipe with Chili Flavored Sausages- the addition of the spice takes the recipe to another world altogether!

Double Chocolate Hot Fudge Sundae Cake

Decadence: A literary movement especially of late 19th-century France and England characterized by refined aestheticism, artifice, and the quest for new sensations.

This post is about true decadence and self-indulgence. A Tough one for me to pander to, especially when it comes to food; my indulgences are more often to do with clothes and shoes or travel J and that usually leaves me feeling content enough and rejuvenated. There are very few food items that make me feel indulgent- Cookies and Cream ice-cream, being one and variety in food, of course. For Ak however, it’s simple- All it takes is a piece of chocolate. Anything brown is sufficient to coddle the taste buds. Come sickness or health, good times or bad- a piece of chocolate caters to all moods.

About a week back, my sis-in-law and the nieces sent me a recipe for a double chocolate fudge cake, as a must-do for Ak. They had tested it out- and of course, had loved it; hence the recommendation. The cake recipe is a mix of coffee and chocolate, and it seemed to me as the perfect end to a weekend. Thus, I began the act of indulgence- post dinner, on a Sunday night. To give me company in the act, Ak tried out the Manhattan Cocktail. To coincide with the really hot summer day, Brown became the colour of the evening.

A couple of really wonderful things about the recipe; it is literally a 1 pan and 1 cup task, it is eggless, the blend of coffee and chocolate is perfect etc. Last but not the least, I think it would be a great dessert serving for a larger gathering, if done in individual portions- I may try that soon. It really is so simple, that at moments like this I realize- simple pleasures in life are not tough to achieve.

Italiano Grilled Peppers

It’s the peak of summers. Hot and Dry. This weather drains me out completely. Work is at an all time peak- and I feel scattered. Almost feeling disorganized- Very unlike the 'ocd'ish me.

This post has been pending for a couple of weeks. In reality, in fact, it may have been due for a few months- the fact being that this recipe has been tried and tested, many a times over. It is one of my essential favorites and we make it quite often.  These are grilled peppers with Italian flavors, but I do make an oriental version as well, which I will post about another time. The recipe is such, that even people, who don’t like peppers, are tempted by its colourful, enticing aesthetic.

Bell Peppers or Sweet Peppers or simply peppers are one of the most versatile vegetables; they can be eaten raw, steamed, grilled, cooked, stuffed and even baked.  I love peppers in all forms, except the Indian style maybe, which is with potatoes- and that’s probably because I am not a big fan of potatoes. Peppers, especially the red ones, have extremely high nutritional value, especially Vitamin C; in fact, one large red bell pepper contains 209 mg of vitamin C, which is three times the 70 mg of an average orange (Source: Wikipedia). The difference between the three is however not much. Red peppers are merely completely ripened green peppers. These are the sweetest of the variety, and the green ones have a slightly bitter taste. Hence, a combination of the three is a good blend of flavours. This post was a part of a recent dinner for my cousins; where the focus was on assorted food, and since I was the only one cooking, I decided to make some simple, handy recipes. The ingredients here can be mixed and kept well ahead of time; it is grilled/sautéed for a couple of minutes just before serving.

A charming technique to dress up the dinner table!

Little Balls of Heaven- Guest Post by Ak

As the saying goes, sometimes the best things come in small sizes. Fortunately for me, being the lesser talented cook in the relationship, they are also easy to make and very useful for scoring the occasional brownie points with family. We have a penchant for entertaining, and take it very seriously - lists & menus are drawn up days in advance, and although my contribution is usually limited, this time I happened to be home during the afternoon when all the chaos action was taking place. The occasion was the anniversary of my in-laws and although there were already 2 desserts planned and in process, I decided that some amount of chocolate & alcohol was also in order.

Rum balls seemed like the perfect thing to do for multiple reasons. We had all the ingredients readily available, the lovely online lady suggested I would be done in a matter of minutes and much of the work could be done outside the kitchen, which looked like a war zone. So, even though this is traditionally a Christmas time treat, & we are approaching peak summer in Delhi, this combined two of the most potent entertaining ingredients in the world, what could go wrong? I got right to it.

I finely blended some whole almonds, toasted them - easy peasy till I realized I should have done it the other way round, but I assume it couldn't have made much difference. Next were the biscuits, also in the blender, till I had them in crumbs. Having access to all of my wife's awesome baking stuff was useful - measuring cups, cocoa, castor sugar - you name it, it was there. Added the honey (substituted for the originally suggested corn syrup) & the Rum (I used gold rum, not white). Gave the whole thing a little mixing and voila, I had the batter ready. These are no-bake, so they are essentially candies and I thought I was essentially done. I popped it into the fridge to let it set and become a little less sticky. I also found some 3/4" cupcake liner baking paper cups(there is probably a better way to describe them) that we had picked up from IKEA that seemed like the perfect receptacles. I had visions of guests squabbling over the last ones and comparing them to Anthon Berg liqueur chocolates..

Spaghetti with Bacon and wine + Italiano Grilled Vegetables

Ak called it “The Quickie Part 2”. I would just say- it was ‘The Use- everything- in- the- Fridge Quickie’.

So, Ak was away yet another time; and that has its advantages and disadvantages. The plus being- I spent the night at parents (Ak+My parents+His Mom: of course- I couldn’t stay alone! Yes people- I have never stayed alone!), and the minus being- the mixed bag of emotions, it brought along. I hate leaving my parents place- yes. I do. each and every time I walk out. Finally when I was back, I was trying to evaluate the pros and cons while feeling horrible - and I did not find a winner.

+@Tk Home: I get to eat stuff that My mom knows I love

-@261: I do consider it home- which means that I miss it.

+@261: I appreciate it much more. That bed is definitely now my bed

-@Tk Home: My room is not my room anymore + Living out of a bag is not fun

+@Tk Home: The unnecessary chit chat till late hours of the night

-@261: All the fresh veggies were not so fresh after my 2 days of being away!

+@261: Well- I get to indulge in more cooking to drown my sorrows for the day J

Simply unacceptable, but Alas, such is life. 

Life in fact, has been so hectic in the last few weeks that my fridge has been stocking up. I have been mostly on a baking spree, and suddenly realized that in the absence of no cooking for 2 days- we had enough things that needed to be cooked on an ASAP basis. So, Brother Ak came over to help me with technology, and got treated to my favorite ham sandwiches, while the other Ak was driving back to Delhi, to be in time for dinner.

I discovered that I had a lot of bacon and peppers (red, green and yellow- Yes, I like to keep my options open) to work with. One of my all-time favorite dishes has been the Penne with Bacon at one of Delhi’s first few Truly Italian restaurants- The Big Chill. Not only does the place hold a lot of special memories for anyone who has been in the age group of 18-26, during that time, but till date, it serves some wonderful food and scrumptious desserts. In due course of time, I have grown over my need to pay a visit there every week, and only occasionally go for dessert, but the food, is surely worth the frequent visit. The Penne with bacon is one of the lighter pasta dishes (most of the others are heavy on cheese and are baked) and has a slightly spicy touch to it. Since Ak is not a Spicy food person, I skipped the dried red chilies and did my own take on it with some left over red wine.  Further, I used spaghetti instead of Penne– simply for its appeal as comfort food. The results were suitably impressive- if I may say so myself, and the accompanying grilled peppers were a brilliant addition to the otherwise unadorned meal. The vegetables are just something that I have cooked up- from my understanding of Italian ingredients. Have been quite the winner, almost everytime I have cooked them. Feel free to improvise!

p.s Sadly, there are no process shots- I wasn’t planning to post this. But the results were so good, Ak convinced me to document it.

Puff Pastry Wraps- Celebrating Milestones

Communicooking has achieved a milestone. I got featured on Foodista.com as their Featured Blog of the Day on 20^th December. To be honest, I was quite elated! The Yaaaaaay was silent in my heart, because I really could not believe it! For many in the blogging world, this may not be such a big deal, but I am sure, a lot of the bloggers would identify with this moment that they too would have experienced at some point of time! Nevertheless, I was extremely excited, inspired and motivated, Thanks to Foodista!

And there was no better way to celebrate, except to do another post. In the current situation, where there are only 2 people eating, I am constantly worried with regards to excess food around the house- especially perishables like vegetables. In my weekend visits to my wonderland as Ak calls it (well, it’s the local grocery store- and I am like a little child, in a toy shop), Ak had suggested we pick Puff Pastry. I assume he was hoping for the Chocolat Twisties, but this week, being super chaotic at work- had not led to much of anything new worth writing about. I walked into my kitchen, and opened the fridge, and I could see so much stuff- and the puff pastry was going to expire soon! Usually, the basic fresh puff pastry pack is used in 2 batches, but since it was almost close to expiry date- I decided to have a puff pastry day!

Hummus and Taboulleh Salad

For vegetarians, Mediterranean food is truly a delight. In my travels across the world, especially around UK and Europe, Good vegetarian food is hard to find, especially if one doesn’t want potatoes. Although I am not a vegetarian, I don’t particularly enjoy seafood and on the contrary, am an extremely happy vegetarian. Very rarely do I complain about being served vegetarian food and quite often, I end up ordering a vegetarian dish for myself. It was during my stay in the UK that I discovered my obsession and love for ‘the mezze food world’ and oh! What a wonderful world it is! A lot of meals outside would end up in Edgware road (the famous place for all mezze food), and even when eating at home, the many varieties of hummus and tahini would always be found in the fridge. Time being a constraint then, cooking from scratch would be difficult. But since the time I have been back, Hummus at home is an easy go. Quite often, if I am eating out, and if there is a mezze platter on the starter menu, I usually cannot resist ordering it.

It had been playing on my mind for a while to try hummus @261, knowing that it would be a wonderful meal or an accompaniment, but since Ak is not a Chickpeas person, I was skeptical. However, since it was the 2 of us for dinner for a couple of months, I decided to go ahead and experiment with Ak’s taste buds. And I was willing to bribe him a bit with a tempting supplement. The menu for the night was Lebanese bread, Hummus, Taboulleh salad and Kebabs as the bribe for Ak. This meant that even if he didn’t like anything, he would at least enjoy the kebabs for the meal. Initially I had planned to make minced meat kebabs at home, but with work at its peak, I decided to go with some readymade shammi-kebabs from the local butcher; they are as fresh as ever and Ak actually loved them, along with the salad.

The Lazy Chicken (Grilled Chicken in garlic and herb sauce)

I have recently discovered how a lot of my posts have this one quote from Ak, which is the motivation behind the post. This is almost always- presumably a good thing, because on numerous occasions, inertia could get the better of me. Today’s was; “Just because it was easy for you, does not make it ‘not worthy’ of a post. I wonder, what is it that makes something worthy of talking about it. This makes me rethink of what this blog is intended to do.

As much as today was a downer day- when a post would have been out of question, with me not feeling well, and not having slept for a few days now, I thought I would do something quick for dinner. Since Workwise, the momentum is at a different pace completely, efficiency has taken a completely new meaning and this, like always, would reflect in my cooking. The dish for today was going to be Grilled Chicken accompanied with some veggies- (grilled, because I wanted a try a new multipurpose grill pan, that I had been recently gifted by a thoughtful aunt, who is aware of my love for new technology in cookware!). The Grilled Chicken Breast has been one of my favourite dishes for over 10 years now. There was a time, when I would blindly order the Grilled Chicken Breast, wherever I went. The recipe below was invented on the go, recreating my memories of a mildly flavoured chicken that is not overdone with spices; the recipe is simple, not too fancy, extremely healthy and a meal by itself, if accompanied with bread and a little salad (optional).  Maple is optional (I love the sweetness it adds), and so is wine. I call it lazy, only because it really takes no effort, and is perfect for a lazy winter night.

p.s. I think it looked appetizing enough for Ak to pour some wine to accompany it J

The Deceptive Tart

I feel like I have been out of action for a while. It hasn’t been long since my last post and it’s not like I haven’t cooked anything in the last few days. But, the rut of daily routine, a lot of work and other mental preoccupations have slowly set in this inertia, which has prevented me from blogging. This was one of those days- crammed with dilemma, which of course reflected in my cooking. But then again, after a day like this, what I really needed is to switch off momentarily and treat myself to a stint in the kitchen. In fact I think the dish is representative of my psychological state of affairs.

Since dinner was prepared already, I decided to strike the sweet tooth. On the day preceding the navratras (life and the kitchen being devoid of any ills- alcohol, eggs and all forms of meat for 7 complete days), clearly, I wasn’t going to bake anything with eggs. Simultaneously, the recurring telecast of Nigella’s grasshopper’s pie was still playing in my mind. My indecisiveness soon disappeared. Ak said, that this was the day of taking a crack at something new, so why not this too! And voila’, did I need any more inspiration? I didn’t think so.

Of cupcakes and muffins

One should never plan. And I cannot resist planning.

My mom always says- don’t plan. Even for the next morning. Because the moment you do, it is surely not bound to happen.

So, when I gleefully planned to bake with my newly found, pretty cupcake cases last Sunday, I should have very well guessed that ‘It was not going to happen.’ Sunday was overtaken by the quickie, Monday just happened to be a typical Monday, and then the no energy Tuesday and Wednesday, and by Thursday evening- I was seeing muffins on my office computer screen and thinking about my cupcake wrappers in the middle of reviews. Was it possible that I did not have a spare 20 minutes to bake a quick round of muffins? Had my life really come to this? By the time I reached home from work- I had declared that this was the day, when my plan to bake just had to work! (with or without the photography)

The Quickie

I don’t know about the rest of the world, but I take life and things around me for granted; my work, people around me, people I really care about, and of course, my cooking. My next planned post after a very efficient Sunday was to be with my pretty pretty, newly found cupcake cases (I had been desperately looking to find nice-looking, good quality and inexpensive cupcake wrappers all over!). However, this was not to be.

George Kneller said, ‘To think creatively, we must be able to look afresh at what we normally take for granted.’

               So, on Ak’s insistence for the quickie ( and I mean the post of course), and because of the beautiful photographs that he took despite my hesitancy to document this, here I am, writing about a very average, very tired and no time, hardly any ingredients available- Sunday dinner.  This was a meal literally, made out of nothing in the fridge. The menu was decided on the basis of 2 key ingredients that were available and then the rest just happened. Each of the recipes, as a matter of fact, has one or two elements missing and hence, has been replaced with something similar and on occasion, even contradictory. Hence, for the convenience of anyone who may want to try any one of the recipes, I have posted the originals.

Disclaimer: If one must try this, it is only at one’s own risk.

Erstwhile Chocolaty Mousse

Now I know that cooking and writing and photographing ain’t that easy and documenting it often enough is even tougher. The K’s and the latest addition to the K family were invited for dinner over the weekend; this was my first hosted meal post-marriage for family and enough food had to be cooked! (A special request was for keema lasagna, which was duly missed for the last year- however, as much as it ‘supposedly’ turned out great, I will save it for another post). The K’s are good eaters; and I mean ‘good Punjabi eaters’J. Food therefore had to be paramount - well technically- my best at least. Therefore, in order to ease my day on Saturday (which already had a million things planned), I decided to organize the dessert on Friday night itself. Through this process, I also figured, that I would only use one of the items on the menu for a post this time.
       

Honey & Almond Cake

A Hard Day’s night; that’s what I am going to call this one.

So, while we watch ‘wake up sid’ for the umpteenth time, here I am, despite being completely exhausted, loving this. Today was a çommuni-cooking day (not in a perfectly cooking manner though). After a bad day with a completely clogged throat, half a day of work and trying to get some god-forsaken ID, I was back home at a ‘so-called’ reasonable time in order to rest. Ak fancied Murgh Malai Tikka for dinner, and so that was tested out; but will be shared another day. The marinade worked but the oven ditched me L, by drying out my richly marinated malai tikkas. I discovered that mom’s tried and tested technique of  making tikkas in the pan on medium heat actually works much better... round 2, therefore, got a better response.  Will crack the oven soon, and re-post this one.

          Feeling extremely disappointed, I wanted more; and therefore, I set out to test my new flowery cake tin. The benefits of marriage are quite brilliant; giving you the permissible luxury to splurge on baking tools :P  (justifying shopping to bring in what’s missing). Its not like I didn’t do it earlier, but, now, I can make it an évent’. After, spending enough time to look for the right recipe with key factor being only ‘2 eggs’ (from what was lying in the fridge), ‘we’ decided to embark on the Honey and Almond Cake- Courtesy Ipad (a baking app!). ilove technology.

Chocolat Twisties

I have taken forever to do this. And I am not sure what is special about today, that I am finally here, writing my first post. I will share a recipe (well- hardly a recipe!), but a moment, which for the first time made me conscious of the joy that I experience each time I bake. Also, reminiscent was the emotion, the whiff in the air that would encapsulate my home, slightly vanilla-ish, slightly flour-ish, and slightly bake-ish…however, I should probably date this to sometime in early 2010.

      I hate to call it ‘The recipe’ and hence, I call it the moment. From the movie ‘It’s complicated’, in that particular scene, where Meryl Streep brings back Steve Martin- her new boyfriend (ironically- an architect) to her bakery. She asks him to pick one thing, which she would bake- especially ‘for him’. He chooses a chocolate croissant- no words can clearly portray the moment that they share and I wouldn’t want to disrespect the authenticity of the scene. What is relevant is that this inspired me to bake my own mini- chocolate croissants or chocolate twisties as I now call them. It was the process that moved me, I and twisted it to make my own-, almost surreally architectural.  I did start out by making the puff pastry as well, but soon figured that it’s as good with the readymade frozen pastry dough available. The movie is a must-watch, but until then, enjoy the act-