This year, for the festival of lights, I made a traditional Halwa. Although it is a dessert, and most desserts are served at the end of a meal, Halwa can be served with the meal. This recipe was given to me by my mom. I had written it down, along with other family recipes, before I moved to California. I must admit, making Halwa takes diligence. The first time I made it (last year), it got burnt. I was so discouraged at that time but I attempted to make it again this year. It tasted great this year but it still didn't taste like my mom's.
Read MoreChocolate Vanilla Cupcakes
This is probably my favorite chocolate cake recipe so far. I love chocolate but I'm not a fan of chocolate cake, it is never chocolaty enough or moist enough. If the chocolate cake has an out-of-the-world icing, then I would not complain about the cake.
Read MoreChocolate-Hazelnut Mousse Tart
I made this Chocolate-Hazelnut mousse a while back and I was eager to make it again. It was a perfect opportunity to transform the simple mousse into a fancy mousse tart for our friend Laura's b'day brunch and I made some extra for my co-workers.
Read MoreStrawberries & Cheese Bites
Hubby is working on his next film with two awesome girls from his class, Jade & Chelsey. Both the girls are fun to hang out with. We invited them over for dinner and a movie. I made chaat (Indian street food). I felt that I wasn't really putting in any effort because chaat is basically putting a few different things together and everything was store-bought. I was itching to "create" something. I had puff pastry sheets in the freezer, fresh strawberries from the farmer's market and goat cheese so I decided to put them together. I have a new found love for goat cheese. I tried it at a farmer's market several weeks ago and my knees almost buckled. The gentleman selling the cheese was also the maker of the succulent cheese. He told us about his farm and how his family is involved in the business. I love hearing about their stories. His story reminded me of the days when my dad used to make cheese in India.
Read MoreGoat Cheese & Fig Pizza
Creativity was at its peak and I came up with this combination. I thought the pizza turned out to be a bit dry so I'd add caramelized onions next time. Just melt 1 tbsp unsalted butter in a non-stick pan and cook 1/4 cup sliced yellow onion until they turn light brown.
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