For the love of food and travel

I love quick and easy meals.....they make my life so much easier. This pasta dish takes about 30-40 minutes to prepare and yet it tastes amazingly yumm and looks very impressive.....that makes everyone think that you've been in the kitchen for a long time making it. I used the white sauce in this....it's a little different from the classic recipe coz I like to twist the recipe a bit. This one is a good alternative to the tomato based sauces. In my house, Miss J loves the tomato based ones especially if there are sausages added in it. But after she tried this one.....I think she has a new favourite now.  Originally of Italian origin, the béchamel sauce is the standard white sauce. Immigrating from Tuscany, Italy to the royalty of France, the béchamel, previously named Balsamella, was easily adapted into the rich French cuisine. They renamed it after the chief steward to King Louis XIV, the marquis de Bechamel, and quickly found a number of delicious recipes to adapt

Birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, achievements, promotions.....all and more call for moments of celebrations. Sometimes, in our home.....we celebrate by inviting our near & dear ones to a party....sometimes it's just us four.   Oprah Winfrey quotes that " The more you celebrate your life, the more there is to celebrate in life".  Well whatever  be the scenario....there's always cake.  For me celebrations and sprinkles go together. That's when I turned a simple butter cake into a celebration cake a couple of months ago for our little man's birthday. It's a very simple cake and looks great in any occasion.  Here's the recipe: Ingredients: For cake: 1 and 2/3 cup flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar 1 large egg 1/4 cup curd 3/4 cup milk 1 Tbsp vanilla extract 2/3 cup sprinkles  For vanilla b

I love Italian food. And why is that???? well...it is the fact that simple ingredients are used to create beautiful and colourful dishes that are super delicious. And one such dish is the Bruschetta! Now firstly.....how do you pronounce this, by the way?  Broo-shett-ah?  Broo-skeett-ah?  Broos-chetta? Well it's actually Broo-skett-ah.  You could google it and listen to the pronunciation....that'll be more clearer.  Bruschetta is an antipasto (starter dish) from Italy consisting of grilled bread rubbed with garlic and topped with olive oil and salt. Variations may include toppings of tomato, vegetables, beans, cured meat, or cheese. It is usually served as a snack or appetiser.  The history of the bruschetta dates back to the Etruscan age: while occupying the land between Rome and Tuscany, they began dressing the local, salt-less bread (best when it’s a day old and a little bit stale) and baking slices in ovens.  Before placing it in the oven, tra

Who would have thought that spices could change the whole world? Personally, I didn't!!  Spices were very precious and not only used in cooking, but also as medicines. The Spanish and the Portuguese were the first to set out on voyages to the Indies to find spices at their source. After Columbus came back from America claiming to have found the Indies....... it was Vasco Da Gama’s turn to take a shot..... and reached Calicut on 20th May 1498 via the Cape of Good Hope. Calicut back then was the main port for the global spice trade.....although the main cargo was black pepper, the so-called “king of spices”. The discovery of India acted as a catalyst for a whole new era of world history. It opened up a route to reach India from Europe. Blood was shed, ships were drowned, seamen died from scurvy but that didn’t stop the Europeans from coming to India. After many years, Portugal attacked Goa and took hold of the whole island. Goa remained a Portuguese colony for 500 years...

When you're having a party at your place there are alot of things that need to be planned.....the core part being the food....and a vital part in that being the dessert. This particular dessert I made a couple of months ago for a party was an instant hit....mainly because of the way it looked. It was colourful....abstract......and artistic.  It would seem like you spent hours on preparing this....but actually....it's a very very very simple recipe. I came across this idea from Intimate Weddings .  If you like jelly....then you definitely have to try it. Jelly powder mixes are easily available in the market with many flavours. It contains powdered gelatin and flavourings, including sugar or artificial sweeteners. But did you know that gelatin was popularized in the Victorian era. It was sold in sheets and had to be purified, which was time-consuming. Hence, gelatin desserts were the province of royalty and the relatively well-to-do.  Gelatin is made from an

Vagator Beach College days are the colourful days of our lives. And class trips and outings leave a memory in our hearts for a lifetime. In my senior year of college, we had been on a trip to Goa. This was around the time when a super hit Hindi movie - Dil Chahta Hai had released and was running successfully in the theatres for a long time. This movie was when I actually saw the beauty of Goa. I remember having a lot of fun with my friends on that trip....the beaches, the parties, the shopping, the food..... And when our trip was over, and when we got back home....I always had the urge to go back to Goa again. That's the kind of feeling that Goa leaves you with.  Goa is not the place that you visit once and cross off from your list. After the first visit it becomes an urge to go again and after the second, it might turn out to be a tradition! Famous for full moon beach rave parties, a hippie-run night market and the kind of laid-back tropical vibe that you can really