For the love of food and travel

I love quick and easy meals—they make life so much simpler. This pasta dish takes just 30–40 minutes to prepare, yet it tastes absolutely delicious and looks so impressive that everyone assumes you’ve spent hours in the kitchen. I made it with a white sauce, slightly different from the classic béchamel because I enjoy adding my own twist. It’s a wonderful alternative to the usual tomato-based sauces.  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 it into.  Béchamel sauce, also known as white sauce, is made from a white roux (butter and flour) and milk. It has been considered, since the 17th century, one of the mother sauces of French cuisine. It is use...

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.  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, tradition calls for brushing it with a clove of garlic and drizzling a bit of...

Who could have imagined that spices would shape the course of history? Certainly not me! Spices were once treasures of the world—valued not only for their ability to transform food but also for their medicinal properties. Driven by this allure, the Spanish and Portuguese were among the first to embark on daring voyages to the Indies in search of spices at their source. After Columbus returned from the Americas claiming he had reached the Indies, it was Vasco da Gama’s turn to try his luck. On May 20, 1498, he arrived in Calicut via the Cape of Good Hope. At the time, Calicut was the beating heart of the global spice trade, with black pepper—the “king of spices”—as its prized cargo. This discovery ignited a new era in world history, opening a direct sea route between Europe and India. The journey was perilous: blood was shed, ships sank, and countless sailors succumbed to scurvy. Yet none of this deterred the Europeans from pressing forward in their quest for spices. Years later, Portu...

Hosting a party calls for careful planning, and at the heart of it all is the food. Within that, the dessert holds a special place—it’s the sweet finale that completes the celebration. Not long ago, I prepared this dessert for a party, and it was an instant success—thanks largely to its striking presentation. Colorful, abstract, and artistic, it captured attention before the very first bite.  It may appear as though hours of effort went into creating this, yet in reality, it’s a wonderfully simple recipe.  If you enjoy jelly, this is certainly one to try. Jelly mixes are widely available in an array of flavors, made with powdered gelatin and sweeteners. Interestingly, gelatin itself has a long history—it rose to popularity during the Victorian era, when it was sold in sheets and required careful purification, a process that was both time-consuming and laborious. For that reason, gelatin desserts were once considered a luxury, reserved for royalty and the well-to-do....

Vagator Beach College days are among the most colorful chapters of our lives, filled with laughter, friendships, and unforgettable adventures. Class trips and outings, in particular, leave behind memories that stay etched in our hearts forever. In my final year of college, we set out on a trip to Goa—right around the time when the Hindi blockbuster Dil Chahta Hai was ruling the theatres. That film was my first glimpse of Goa’s charm, but experiencing it in person was something else entirely. I can still recall the joy of those days: the golden beaches, the lively parties, the endless shopping, and the mouthwatering food shared with friends. When the trip ended and we returned home, I was left with a lingering desire—a constant urge to go back to Goa again. That’s the magic of Goa. It isn’t a place you visit once and cross off your list. The first trip sparks a longing to return, and by the second, it begins to feel like a tradition waiting to be continued. Goa is renowned f...

♪ It's the most wonderful time of the year ♪  When December arrives, that’s the melody that plays in my head. Christmas is perhaps the most widely celebrated holiday across the world, shaped by centuries of both religious devotion and secular customs. At its heart, Christmas commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, observed on December 25th in most nations. Yet the festivities begin weeks earlier, filling homes and streets with vibrant lights, stars, and beautifully decorated Christmas trees. Many families also create a small manger scene to honor the nativity. The season is alive with carols sung in joy, kitchens bustling with homemade treats, and hearts open to generosity. Known as the “season of giving,” Christmas inspires people to exchange gifts with loved ones and extend kindness to those in need. On Christmas Day itself, traditions often include wearing new clothes, attending church services, lighting fireworks, and gathering for a grand feast with family. It is a tim...

   I’m certain most of us have enjoyed pizza at least once in our lives. For me, it’s been a favorite since childhood—I’ve loved it ever since I was a little girl. While the deep-pan Chicago style, with its soft, buttery crust, is undeniably rich and satisfying, my personal preference leans toward the classic Italian thin-crust pizza. Light, crisp, and full of flavor, it’s the style that truly wins my heart. Pizza is typically yeasted flatbread. The modern pizza was invented in Naples, Italy, and the dish and its variants have since become popular and common in many areas of the world. Foods similar to pizza have been made since the neolithic age. Records of people adding other ingredients to bread to make it more flavorful can be found throughout ancient history. The ancient Greeks covered their bread with oils, herbs and cheese. A popular contemporary legend holds that the classic pizza, pizza Margherita, was invented in 1889, when the Royal Palace of Capodimonte comm...

Biscuits and cookies are among the most beloved snacks for children, and it’s no surprise to see them happily munching away whenever those little hunger pangs strike. As a mom who isn’t entirely comfortable with store-bought varieties and is committed to offering healthier options, I prefer baking cookies at home. I believe many parents—moms and dads alike—share this mindset and have taken up baking biscuits and cookies themselves, driven by the same desire to provide wholesome treats for their kids. Butter cookies (or butter biscuits), known as Brysslkex, Sablés, and Danish biscuits, are unleavened cookies consisting of butter, flour, and sugar. They are often categorized as a "crisp cookie" due to their texture, caused in part because of the quantity of butter and sugar. It is generally necessary to chill the dough to enable proper manipulation and handling. Butter cookies at their most basic have no flavoring, but they are often flavored with vanilla, chocolate, and coc...