The Holiday Season is soon approaching with all it’s Sweet Temptations. Fresh, crispy air, colorful leaves, that slight shiver, and most of all that longing to stay inside the warm covers for a little bit longer when the alarm screams in the dark wee morning hours – are all getting stronger; calling out the soon approaching festivities and the celebration.
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.
It is a hilarious time on the dining table when the little children are eating spaghetti. Funny & messy too, but once in a while I let my kids have that messy time while they eat, for they do enjoy the spaghetti while they are having fun. Those long unmanageable strings hanging down from the fork & then from their mouth and the intentionally “ZOOOOP”, when they all disappear inside at one shot behind that gleeful smile. For some reason when it is spaghetti, they always want to feed themselves. The twinkling mischievious looks, the sauce studded mouth & a full tummy.. well it is worth it.
This Saturday we had some magical weather in the midst of winter. It was gorgeous outside…January it is, but it was unbelievably warm. The sun was shining bright, birds cooing & chirping everywhere, the sky spotless & azure, and the temperature was 72 degrees F! It was almost as if Spring has arrived. I saw some buds on the pear tree outside which just shed its leaves. On these days, we try to soak in as much fun as we can. The kids were let loose to play in the backyard.. we could hear voices from all over the neighborhood. Everyone was trying to absorb as much of the day as they could. Knowing how it is here, it could be 40 degrees tomorrow again.
Be it be spring time weather outside now, it is still officially winter & the grocery stores are full of winter goodies, I found some whole hazelnuts the other day, & bought a bag full, & all of us have been cracking & snacking .. They are just delicious! Look how gorgeous these are!
Life is Beautiful, Satisfying, Fun, sometimes Sad & indeed a Challenge. Sometimes it also reminds you to be thankful for the little things, to be alive, to be able to share, love & laugh with family & friends. I am Thankful to be here to share this post with all of you today. Last tuesday I had an accident while I was getting by daughter back for her preschool. I got hit by a car from my left. Thankfully we are all safe, not a scratch on my little one & nothing on me except few burns from the air bags. Our car is gone & we need to get a new one. But we are here, all unhurt. Now thats something I should appreciate right? esp. when on the other side of the town on the same day one lady got hit by cars twice in a row and passed away. (more…)
Children are a joy & mine are growing very very fast. Birthdays are such a special time, but these days always bring in a down tone for me… the years are just flying by, and soon I will have no tiny, helpless, clinging baby to hold:-( Well, we have to accept life the way it is and above all Enjoy every precious moment.
Its Saturday and we arranged a get together with our family living in the town. It is great to have family near by when we are sooo far away from home. However, even a small get together would need some food right? When it is a preplanned party I always arrange to cook before hand so I get some time with the guests. This time I had absolutley no time ! I mean they were an hour away… I need a quick fix.
Stuffed Pear in Spiced Orange Sauce
The Only Lonely pear stared back at me from the fruit basket. And I did not feel like eating this fruit at all. I knew if I was another day late, it would start having the stale brown spots. Well to save this little soul, I tried out this yummy fruity dessert. Long long time back I had come across a recipe( I do not remember where), which called for baking pears with the dessert wine Asti. I did not have any, so I just cooked up this easy way to boil it in the orange sauce. (I always love anything with orange or orange zest.)
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.
It is Indo Chinese. It is Chinese ingredients given a strange but lip smacking Indian twist. Chinese Bhel is Crispy Noodles with vegetables, tossed with sauce.
College crowd grouped in street corners and Chinese Bhel remind me very much of the street side food stall culture in India and how everything is prepared at lightning speed to cater to so many waiting in the line. And that’s where it tastes the best!! It is also a great quick fix snack for unannounced guests in the evening. So here it is – the crunchy, munchy Chinese Bhel. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
Optional:
Any vegetable of your choice (Shredded carrots, chopped baby corns etc)
For the sauce:
Preparation:
Break the noodles in to pieces (Do not crumble them), so they are separated, and not in clumps. Heat oil and fry the noodles at low heat, frequently tossing it around so all the noodles are cooked. It should look light brown and should be crispy to taste. Set aside.
Whisk all the ingredients for the sauce.
Place the fried noodles in the serving bowl and add all the above ingredients except the sauce. Toss.
Spoon the sauce uniformly over the noodles and toss again.
