Happy June 2nd! June has finally brought with it warmer temperatures around here. It felt much warmer yesterday only to find out that it was barely 78 degrees! I guess with all the cool weather we have been having even 78 degrees feels warm. That’s why I had a hard time posting a Sunday Soup recipe today, as it’s going to be another warm day. For that matter, I am officially switching over from Sunday Soups to Sunday Salads starting today. Summer has finally arrived and it’s time to take advantage of all the bounty of fresh veggies at this time of year and make a few delicious and colorful salads. Welcome to a summer of Sunday Salads!
I also want to take this opportunity to share with you a story I did a while back on how our Sunday Soup tradition came about and how it has helped our family’s Sunday dinner routine. Hope you enjoy the article. Happy Sunday and have a great week ahead!
It’s June already and it’s getting warm around here in Northern California. Roses are blooming, lilies too, dahlias are sprouting, and pretty much every type of flower you can think of is blooming right now. We are swimming in color at this time of year. Perfect inspiration for making wonderful light and colorful salads.
I am always thrilled to hear that the recipes I post are so well received and most of all that they are being tried in your home kitchen. But truth be told, the most popular recipes are my Sunday Soups. So many of you have told me time and time again that you love my Sunday Soup tradition and are enjoying making the soup recipes I post. To you all, I especially want to apologize, as I will be taking a break from Sunday Soups. The weather is warming up finally making it a great time…
We are having glorious weather this week with warm sunny daytime temperatures in the 70s and morning temperatures in the cool 50s! Just perfect for our gardens to thrive. However it hasn’t been so predictably pleasant around here this spring. Back in April we had a strange heat wave with temperatures in the 90s! The garden didn’t know what was going on especially my roses, which had beautiful buds ready to open slowly and elegantly, but instead they all just burst into bloom almost overnight. Then a week later we had May showers, lots of it. What this meant for the roses is that the blooms got thrashed and soaked. Between the heat and the rain I had a very short spring rose season this year. Though the roses didn’t fair so well, other plants in the garden thrived and put on a spectacular bloom show. Here is a look at how my garden faired in April and May of this year. Continue reading April and May in the Garden→
Looking for a delicious rice dish loaded with good for you super greens such as spinach and Swiss chard? Look no more. Here is a rice pilaf that is positively scrumptious that you’ll be having bowls full. Made with over 10 cups of super greens – that’s 6 cups of spinach and 4 -5 cups of Swiss chard – over 10 cups of super greens in this rice dish! The recipe couldn’t be any easier – toast a few spices with shredded coconut, sauté super greens with onions, and combine them all with fluffy rice. Simple, easy, and delicious. Give it a try! Continue reading Spinach and Swiss Chard Rice→
Potatoes and green bell pepper curry is one of my fond memories of my Mom’s cooking when I was growing up in India. When Mom made this curry she always served it with her homemade chapatis and daal. Wholesome, delicious, and comforting – this is a feel good meal with goodness packed in every bite. Green bell peppers also known as capsicum in India add a wonderfully unique bell pepper flavor and aroma to a potato curry. Though the curry can be made with the any multi-colored bell pepper like the red, yellow or orange peppers, these tend to get sweeter when cooked, on the other hand green bell peppers partake a strong bell pepper taste and aroma that’s totally unique. Capsicum and potato curry tastes great served as a side dish, used as stuffing in a burrito, or serve it with chapati or naan and daal, just the way Mom used to serve us back in India. Continue reading Capsicum and Potato Curry→
Last weekend was one of my twin’s Rani’s cello recital. It was a rainy chilly cloudy day on this May morning when Rani had her recital, but that didn’t take away from the beautiful music played by all the student musicians which was held at a charming intimate church venue in Menlo Park. Continue reading Cauliflower Green Onion Soup→
I am always looking for inspiration when it comes to cooking creatively; I especially love it when friends send me an impromptu text sharing a photo of what they’ve made. That’s how I came across this easy and amazingly delicious Italian hazelnut apricot torte. I had just sent my friend Rose a text with a photo of a Spanish almond cake I had made (from her recipe) when she in return sent me a photo of her freshly baked hazelnut apricot torte. Continue reading Hazelnut Apricot Torte→
Just pile on the vegetables, add the herbs, toss in the rice, splashes of Tabasco and voila! Jambalaya at your table! This classic Louisiana rice dish is one that I’ve wanted to make forever but had a hard time finding a good vegetarian recipe. Finally I decided to mess around with a traditional jamabalaya recipe and make it vegetarian. I used a recipe by local Louisiana chef Amelia Durand which I found on foodnetwork.com. Though Amelia’s recipe is very meat heavy with lots of spicy sausage, ham and shrimp, boy did that jambalaya look delicious. I figured with so many good things in this dish like tomatoes, celery, carrots, peppers, onions, garlic, herbs and Tabasco sauce, it has to taste good even if I made it without the meat. I was right! This is one delicious jambalaya! Continue reading Vegetarian Jambalaya→
Making donuts at home isn’t easy especially as it involves so much frying, that’s why when I came across a no-fry donut recipe it got my attention. Cinnamon baked donuts is a recipe I came across on Ina Garten’s Food Network show Barefoot Contessa. Ina describes her recipe as the easiest no-fry donuts ever. Folks, these are awesome donuts! Even better is how easy, quick and delicious these donuts are to make. Just mix dry ingredients, then mix wet ingredients, combine them together and bake! That’s it. This recipe is so easy it will become your new favorite donut recipe. Warm donuts right out of the oven and then coated with cinnamon sugar, these taste heavenly on a Sunday morning with a good cup of coffee. Give it a try! Continue reading Cinnamon Cardamom Baked Donuts→
A soup so creamy that’s made without cream or potatoes? That’s how deliciously creamy this squash soup turned out. It was an unusually cool May afternoon earlier this week with cloudy skies and cool temperatures when I made this creamy squash soup for a belated Mother’s Day lunch I had with a couple of friends. I was originally planning on making a veggie dish to go with a few dishes my friends were bringing, but changed my mind and decided to make a pot of soup instead. I thought a steaming bowl of soup would be a welcome first course on a chilly May afternoon. Continue reading Six Veggie Creamy Yellow Squash Soup→
Last weekend I worked on a great project, it was a mini garden makeover as a Mother’s Day present for my dear friend Rose. I thought I would share a few pictures from this garden project and give you a peek inside the garden gate of Rose’s kitchen patio makeover. Continue reading A Peek Inside the Garden Gate. A Mother’s Day Patio Mini Makeover→
