THE KITCHEN AFFAIRE

Finally my one week long celebration is coming to a close :-) And the lucky winner of my giveaway is....  Sangee Vijay of Typical Indian Cooking   Congrats Sangee :-)  And thank you so much to rest of my dear friends for all your heart-felt wishes and comments. You guys made my celebration a huge success.  Thank you so much once again all of you :-)

The afternoon breeze and the sound of rustling leaves is so soothing. So here I sit, enjoying this change of weather, to pen memories of last year. Gosh!! I cant believe that - The Kitchen Affaire; is turning "One". :) Time does fly. Last year has been very eventful. An year that changed my title from: a carefree mommy's gal to an "adorable" ("A" would not agree with this!! hi hi) wife; an IT engineer to a house-wife;  and a huge move from my home in Kerala (India) to a new home in Houston (U.S.A). It feels like all of this happened in a blink of an eye. All this change wouldn't have sunk in so easily if not for my hubby dear. :)   Starting this blog was not impromptu. I used to blog during my college days. But this time I wanted a blog meant only for my cooking experiments or challenges. After settling down in our lovely apartment, I slowly started my cooking experiments. Initially I would jot all of it in a notebook. Then I decided not to a...

oIt was our first visit to "Phoenicia" yesterday. Phoenicia? Yes. It is a modern mediterranean deli. They serve a lot of specialities, the top among them being Shawarma Sandwiches and Baklava!! As we roamed around the place, our eyes caught sight of different varieties of Baklava kept on the counter. And could not resist tasting at least of them! Awww.. I have to tell you guys, it was the best Baklava I ever had. They also had all kinds of dry fruits and nuts on sale. We also saw a lot of pickled vegetables, wine, chocolates, pastries and a lot more. I felt I had to write about this trip! Must be the charisma of the place or the cozy atmosphere, made us feel great. Guys, if there is one near you, do visit. I am sure, you will find something to your liking.

I preferred making homemade Pav Bhaji Masala rather than using the store bought powder. And I can gurantee, this PBM powder is just awesome :) Seriously!! Try it out naah. :) Ingredients 1T or 2 T of all these: Cumin seeds Methi seeds Fennel seeds Coriander seeds Pepper Ajwain Chilli flakes Cloves - 4 Amchur powder Dry garlic Cinnamon - 1" pc Cardamon - 2 Method Roast the above spices in a pan for 10 mins. You will know when they are ready as a mouthwatering aroma spreads around the kitchen. :) Simply grind this in a mixer/blender. And there you go!! Fresh homemade PBM powder. Oyee!!! Chakh de phatte!!!! ;)