Think Asian flavors like coconut milk and Siracha combined with North Indian flavors such as bay leaves and cardamom pods, combined with South Indian flavors such as mustard seeds and cumin seeds – this is a dish that combines all these flavors into one delectable lentil stew. Ladled over steaming white rice with a squeeze of limejuice, this rather eclectic lentil daal is delicious and filling. Continue reading Bay Leaf Cardamom Vegetable Daal & A Visit From My Sister
Category Archives: Just Pictures
February in the Garden, 2019
February has had crazy wild weather here in the Bay Area. Cold, rain, and even snow blanketed our hills and mountains this February. We haven’t had snow in our lower elevations in over 9 years! We went from cold temperatures in the 30s to warmer temperatures in the 60s all in just a few weeks. Despite the ups and down in temperature the garden did really well. Lots and lots of rainy and stormy days in February made for our gardens not complaining one bit. Here is a look at how the garden faired in February. Continue reading February in the Garden, 2019
Sierra Azul Hiking Trail. Mount Umunhum Area. Santa Cruz Mountains, California
Happy Friday everyone! I hope you are ready for a great weekend! After days and days of stormy, rainy, cold weather here in the Bay Area the skies cleared out the last couple of days and we had glorious sunshine 🌞. Sunny skies were beckoning me to get outside and do something nature oriented – that’s why when my friend Padmini asked if I wanted to join her on a hike on the Sierra Azul trail off Hicks Road in the Santa Cruz Mountains I didn’t think twice – I just said YES! Continue reading Sierra Azul Hiking Trail. Mount Umunhum Area. Santa Cruz Mountains, California
Asian Inspired Valentine’s Vegetarian Menu. 2019
Happy Friday everyone! Hope you had a wonderful Valentine’s Day yesterday 💕❤️! Ours was spent at home with the twins. My eldest was at her company’s sales conference in Half Moon Bay so it was just the four of us. It was a rainy, stormy V Day here in the Bay Area. I was so happy to be at home and not going out for dinner. Usually I have my act together for Valentine’s Day with a menu all prepared so that when the kids and Hitesh come home they have a special menu waiting and ready. But this time I was in a culinary slump 😞. My mind was blank and I just couldn’t come up with a cool menu for this special day. Thankfully my twins came to the rescue!! Since they were home this week for Ski week holiday break, they stepped up to make our family’s Valentine’s Day dinner. What better Valentine’s present can a Mom ask for? A home cooked meal made with love by her kids 🤗😍. Continue reading Asian Inspired Valentine’s Vegetarian Menu. 2019
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
“Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.”
– Maya Angelou
Happy Valentine’s Day!
May your day be filled with lots of love 🤗❤️💙💞💕!
Oven Baked Tomato Bisque
Tangy and delicious, thick and creamy, quick and easy, this tomato soup takes just minutes to cook. I made this tomato bisque for a lunch with two of my dear friends last week and since we were getting together for a little Valentine’s Day celebration I wanted to make a soup that was red in color and tomato soup is what we all think of for a red soup. But I was in a time crunch that morning and it’s winter and fresh tomatoes are just not that flavorful in the winter, so I took a chance and made tomato soup with two jars of oven baked tomatoes. Folks, this had to be the quickest tomato soup I have ever made! It was ready in just 15 minutes! Because it is thicker than the usual tomato soup I’m calling it tomato bisque. Continue reading Oven Baked Tomato Bisque
January in the Garden. 2019
January has been wet, wet, wet for us here in the Bay Area. Rain and more rain and chilly temperatures made for a tumultuous time in the garden. One of the storms we had was so fierce that one of our eucalyptus trees got ripped off its trunk. The latter part of January however we have had spring-like temperatures in the 60s! The birds were chirping away thinking spring has arrived early. It has definitely been a roller coaster ride weatherwise. Continue reading January in the Garden. 2019
Moroccan Orange Coffee Cake with Cinnamon Crumble Topping.
I see orange trees all around town dripping with oranges, its so obvious orange season is here in the Bay Area. I absolutely love the fragrance and flavor of oranges in anything and everything. I especially love them in desserts as oranges add such a lovely fresh citrus sweet aroma.
Orange flavor in cakes are my all-time favorite, which brings me to this delecious eggless orange cake. When I stopped by my friend Radhika’s place for New Year’s tea a couple of weeks ago, Radhika’s Mom had made this Moroccan orange coffee cake that looked amazing and tasted amazing too. Not only was the cake amazing, the entire evening spent with my friend and her Mom was like a dreamy Christmas wonderland. Continue reading Moroccan Orange Coffee Cake with Cinnamon Crumble Topping.
Puff Pastry Bell Pepper Quiche for a New Year”s Eve Dinner
Quiche is synonymous for many with a good crust and a great egg filling. For me however quiche will always be about the veggies that go in it, because without a great tasting veggie mix, that quiche can taste rather boring in my opinion. When I make quiche I make sure my veggie mix is packed with lots of veggies, lots of flavor, and lots of good quality cheese. These are to me what make any quiche taste outstanding. Continue reading Puff Pastry Bell Pepper Quiche for a New Year”s Eve Dinner
December in the Garden
December in the garden has been rather quiet here in the Bay Area, Most of December we had rain and many days of cold and cloudy days, however the last week of December has been spectacular with sunny blue skies and daytime temperatures in the cool 60s.
