“Insalata Caprese (salad in the style of Capri) is a simple salad from the Italian region of Campania, made of sliced fresh mozzarella, plum tomatoes and basil. It is seasoned with salt, black pepper, and olive oil.” (Wiki).
Pepper jack cheese is a derivative of Monterey Jack, that has the intensity of spicy hot peppers for a zesty flavor. Spicy, delicate, soft & with a slightly tart flavor, pepper jack cheese is my very favorite.
My two girls are growing up too fast. One turns 8 next week, the other one is still our 3 year old “baby”. I feel I am still not ready to let go of the world of fairies & princess. It is a kind of cocoon, a shelter to be living in this bliss. All the notes to the tooth fairy have been carefully tucked away ( the “tooth fairy” sometimes forgets to take her tooth, but leaves the gift.. so it is not a fair deal…)..
Au Gratin is a French Style of cooking where casseroles are topped with bread crumbs & butter, & are allowed to brown under a broiler to give a crunch. Sometimes cheese is sprinkled which melts & gets crispy under the broiler, but is not a requirement. “The etymology of gratin is from the French language in which the word “gratter” meaning to “to scrape” as of the “scrapings” of bread or cheese, and gratiné, from the transitive verb form of the word for crust” (WIKI). Au Gratins are baked/broiled in the oven & then served in a (usually Oval) baking dish. I did not use an Au Gratin dish as you can see… my dish is as square as it can be. So I really do not know if it would have tasted any different in an Oval Au Gratin dish.
Sweet Chutney served after a full course meal is an integral part of Bengali cuisine. Every single day while I was growing up, we would end end our meal with some kind of sweet chutney which would be polished of the plate with fingers & later the fingers licked off clean. I guess that served as a kind of dessert… the Bongs as everyone knows are famous for their “sweet teeth”.. not just a “tooth”. The chutney would be made of any seasonal ingredient. In summer it would be raw mangoes or pineapples, in fall & winter – the irrestible red tomatoes.
Chicken Tikka makes regular appearance in all Indian restaurants. The Malai kabab is little different from the usual orange hued chicken tikka that you see in the appetizer section of the restaurant’s menu. These are irresistible tender succulent pieces of chicken that melts in your mouth as they are marinated in thick yogurt, creme (malai), cheese, herbs & spices and grilled to perfection. This makes great appetizers or have it as a main meal with grilled vegetables and your choice of rice, or couscous.
This one is a Treasure in my kitchen. A delicious preparation of Paneer(soft Indian cottage cheese) gently simmered in curried Palak(spinach), this dish is relished with hot naan breads or chapatis. Or serve it as a delicious side accompaniment to any meals. Me & my kids spoon out & eat atleast half a bowl even before we start with the bread:-D. The origination of this dish is from the Northern Parts of India but is enjoyed all over the country & all over the world.
This was a quick fix for “something fancy” craving of my daughter. She is voraciously hungry when she gets back from school, and one of these days she wanted “something yummy like pizza or chips”. It wasn’t dinnertime yet, and I would not give her Doritos. So I made her a “happy bunny” healthy snack. She was very excited with the idea but got really impatient when everything was ready and her tummy was growling and I was taking pictures. Well it had to be done. She knows that by now.
Details 
