Panfusine

 There comes a time in every bloggers blog life when they announce that first giveaway & this is my moment. I'd like to say a big Thank You to OXO tools for sponsoring the gift, a digital kitchen scale that is indispensable for baking  great cakes & cookies. I've been an ardent fan of OXO products ever since my graduate school days. My dad bought me a set of kitchen knives & peeler  from Bloomingdales way back in 1996 when I first moved to New York City. 15 + years later, the peeler works as great as ever. In time I've gone on to collect a vast arsenal of OXO from strawberry hullers to spatulas and have never been disappointed with any of them. Perhaps, one of the reasons I've stayed away from creating recipes that involve weighing out ingredients was because I never bothered to invest in a good scale.Using one simply elevates the culinary experience to a refined high. And keeps you wanting more of the same. I'll definite

Q. How do you know when you've completely morphed into a true full blooded Foodie? A. When you look forward to making something from your native Indian cuisine as a special treat, and when you begin, you can't, just cannot refrain from reaching for those spices that normally have no connection with Indian food. My traditional Friday evenings for the longest time, have involved making dinner from different cuisines and in the process, its been a great way to master some favorite classics from all over the world. Of late, its become pretty ingrained to whip up Thai curry rice or a Mediterranean Pasta with such ease that I've had to pause & think when it comes to traditional Indian  food . So when the other half suggested North Indian, I set out resolutely to make some traditional Rajasthani dishes. Determined to keep it authentic, I decided on making Gatte ke pulao ( using a link from the late Jayashri Satish's blog Kailas Kitchen ) & a 'launji'

(MOGO: Abbr.for 'Make One Get One') I'm not really all that much into making soups, unless its for a relaxed winter afternoon, curled up in front of the idiot box, watching a mindless movie. It just seems too much work for something that gets slurped up with the speed of a cup of coffee. The bonus that many soups offer is that the same set of veggies used can be literally split up into two dishes, and hence zero waste in terms of ingredients & flavors and its quite a bit of fun to play around with seasonings to get two completely unrelated flavor profiles from a single source. I've shied away from carrots as a soup ingredient long enough, and in the process missed out on that earthy incomparable flavor  touched with a dollop of caramelized sweetness, that somehow annoys me unless I completely smother it with spices. The trick is to balance the tastes to get that incomparable sweet & spicy earthiness that  makes this weeks recipe(s) a complete keeper!

Image credit: www.monicabhide.com There are very few moods that match the depth of emptiness that follows a jubilant high.One invariably needs a high to match the previous one & then some more.. (Isn't that what an addiction begins with?). Rather than try & match the highs of the last month, (a Cooking Channel taping session opposite Kelsey Nixon , A walking tour through the hallowed kitchens at Food Network Studios ,  a milestone post..), I'd like to take a moment to pause & ask myself.. What now? Do I do a George Bush & declare 'Success'? Not a Chance!! This seemed to be the perfect opportunity to sit down and read through author Monica Bhide's latest work, an e-book 'In Conversation with exceptional women'. This compilation is an inspirational labor of love, a heart to heart conversation with 57 exceptionally talented women, each of whom have succeeded in their respective fields by their sheer grit, hard work & determination. A