Harveen's Baking Affair

Now that we have finally entered the blessed month and the  Christamas tree has been decorated (or soon will be ), the only other thing that requires our immediate attention is holiday baking , For it is a season of fruit cakes, wreath cookies and Christmas puddings . What fun is to bake something at home and distribute it to family and friends? In my view, that fun is doubled when you involve the kids in the baking process too. Let their skills not be limited to just adding sprinkles to the finished goods . Some bakes may require more adult attention but this particular bake is the opposite. In fact , it is so ridiculously easy that it might give your kids "accomplished baker" complex !  I would still implore you guys to be present during the bakingprocess..especially while handling the blender as well as the oven but even with your presence, the kids will get an independent bake feel . This in turn might be crucial in developing their interest in baking and culinary

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and if you are still vacillating about your dinner menu for that day , let me take take the sweat out of the side options atleast with this blog post. Don't these baked hassleback sweet potatoes seal teh deal for you appetizer wise? They are healthy , take minimum fuss to prepare and have Thanksgiving written all over them. Need more pitching ? How about the extremely healthy dip/sauce that goes with it ?Give it a try and you are bound to get compliments galore !! Please feel free to leave a thank you note later :-) Ingredients - 3 medium sweet potatoes 1 tbsp unsalted butter 1 tsp olive oil 1 tbsp Italian seasoning 1 finely grated garlic 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp black pepper For the sauce - 1/3 cup non fat yogurt 1 scallion finely chopped Method - Pre heat the oven to 425 degrees F and line a baking tray with aluminum foil. Wash the sweet potatoes and now make 1/8 th inch cuts 2/3 rd of the way through. Take

For us desi folks, festive season  means mithai and loads of it . We like it in such copious amounts and varying flavors and we are not ashamed to admit it . Not only do we like sampling it ourselves but also exchanging it with friends and relatives making the festive season even more sweeter. Our charitable side urges us to share the  mithai  with those unfortunate than us in keeping with the true meaning of the festive season . In short , it is the mithai which is the focal point of any south Asian festivity and especially so for Diwali . For it is then that it's sales go sky rocketing with the halwai wallas blocking the streets with their display of colorful mithai to which we humble folks unable to resist are simply drawn like bees are to the nectar of the flowers. A las, here in the US we do not have so many halwai walla's in our vicinity and as such  copious and multitude are not the words which we use to describe our festive mithai situation. But since our mi

One productive thing that was accomplished this year was the beginning of our local book club. Glad to report that we are already looking forward to our second monthly meeting  , no small feat considering that the formation itself took quite some time . But now that we have met , the "ice has been broken" and the next month meeting all planned with attendance confirmed , the future of the book club looks secure. talking of book club meetings , how can you leave cake behind ? A sinfully rich cake is an absolute requirement even more than managing to finish the book before the meeting . Truthfully !  The cake has to be accompanied by loads of chai , which is generously taken care by a fellow book club member . We can count on the others to bring more delectable treats and so you gentle reader get an idea that food is quite an important part of our book club.    For the first book club meeting  at my place, I made the  eggless dates cake  . Not to toot my own horn , bu

The much awaited and anticipated part of the year is here . The festive season ..Not only is it a time for religious observances and fasting for some  but also of  social mingling .donning our best desi attire and indulging in scrumptious Indian mithai . I will admit that no baking can even come close to a well prepared desi mithai . If the above statement reeks of bias , so be it . Coming back to "it's a season theme " how can I not mention that it is the season for Durga Puja festivities too ? My first time being part of the same was after my marriage ( perks of being married to a Bengali ) and since then I have been fortunate to experience it both in India and various parts of US . While the location and few others things may vary , great Bengali cuisine served at Pujo has always been a constant. Here in the Carolinas, we had our Pujo celebrations a tad  bit early but that didn't dampen our spirit a wee bit. It was a fun weekend where we sought Durga Thaku

I am not going to let go of pumpkin bakes so easily !! How can I when pumpkin chocolate muffins are yet to make their way on my blog? I know they should  have  found their  way sooner considering that I prefer healthy muffins as a good after  school snack and we are  so near to finishing our first quarter there  but  somehow  I  have been interested in other bakes more . Let me get all philosophical and say that better late than never.So,here they are , occupying  their  rightful  place on my blog and deservedly so , considering that they taste divine..no  easy  feat for whole wheat healthy muffins to claim . Plus, we know when muffins taste good , kids don't mind the  vegetables  that go into their making which in this case is the not so humble pumpkin. Muffins anyways are a godsend if you or anyone in your family follows insane breakfast timing. My son has to leave for school at the crack of dawn and as such having a tray of healthy muffins nearby is really and tr