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My Favorite Books for Two/Three Year Olds
Last year around this time I posted "My Favorite Baby/Toddler Books" post summarizing those books both me and my toddler loved to read everyday and hoping it helps other new moms in their quest of good books to start their little ones with. And here is a sequel to that a year later! My daughter is now three years old and she still loves to read many books from  "My Favorite Baby/Toddler Books" post  however her focus has now changed from me reading to her to she "reading" to me or she reading to her various toys at their respective bedtimes :) Now a days she loves three types of books: 1) baby/toddler books which she can "read" by herself (knows the story by heart or can follow from pictures) 2) interactive books, exercise books or craft books 3) books I read to her at night-time with a more advanced plot, preferably animal family based plots. So here are our latest Two/Three year old favorite books: Blue Hat…

Happy Pumpkin Cookies
We made these happy pumpkin cookies for a Halloween party we hosted for our daughter and her friends and the kids and adults alike loved it!  You need a cookie cutter shaped like pumpkin which are readily available in supermarkets or craft stores during Halloween time or you can always order online . Just be sure to buy a large size cutter so it's easier to decorate pumpkin face and eyes, particularly for cookie novices like me :) I started off with making a simple sugar cookie dough using this Allrecipes recipe. Then roll the cookie dough to 1/4inch thick and cut pumpkin shaped cookies. Bake them as per the directions and when ready take out of oven. You need to decorate the cookies while they are still warm. So while the cookies are baking, you can arrange your decorating supplies. I used: Orange decorating icing from a tube (was red actually which is what I had on hand from previous baking but orange would be ideal) Green sparkle gel in a…

Gingerbread Cookies without Molasses
What is a Christmas without house smelling like cinnamon, sugar and spices! Every year on Christmas day morning my daughter and I bake cookies at home. Nothing extravagant, just simple cookies. I make the dough and roll it and my daughter cuts various shapes using cookie cutters and then we together bake them and feast! Last year we made sugar cookies and decorated with lots of icing and colored sugar sprinkles . But I was always so guilty letting my daughter eat those cookies because they were so sugar laden! So this year I decided to keep it simple and as much healthy as possible, so skipped the icing and decoration and settled on a basic gingerbread cookies recipe. But then came the next hurdle; every gingerbread cookies recipe I came across called for Molasses. We did not have any on hand and of-course stores are all closed on Christmas day. I have made the gingerbread cookies many years ago and I remembered from then that they were quite versatile. So…

Healthy Veggie Pizza (?!)
Generally speaking pizza and healthy are not the two words found complementing each other often. Pizza is decidedly an indulge for many of us - something to cave in on a Friday night along-with a movie and a coke/beer. But it really does not need to be so - you can make your pizza every week and eat it too (yes even weekday nights) without the guilt! The trick is to make it at home so you can control the ingredients without compromising the flavors. Using whole wheat pizza dough, moderate amount of skimmed milk cheese and loading it with lots and lots of veggies will all help with the brownie points.. I have been making this veggie pizza for quite a long time now. What I like most about this recipe is that it is filled with short cuts, all will save time here and there without compromising the taste. Also it's very versatile, the choices of toppings are endless so don't let what's not in your pantry deter you from putting together what would b…

Grab Them Before They go - Green Garlic
(In this series we feature a seasonal produce or fruit our family is enjoying thoroughly these days. Infact it's so good that we think it deserves you opening another tab of your browser right now and finding out your nearest farmer's market to visit!  We at G&G believe in simple & quick recipes with local and seasonal produce and fruits; not only you will be enjoying fresh bounties of the nature without the preservatives and 100s of food miles, you will also be helping the local farmer's ecosystem and sustainable growing) Have you ever cooked with green garlic before? It looks just like a slightly bigger scallion or green onion. Sniff at it and you will identify the distinct young garlic smell. It looks so much like a spring onion that unless youare looking for it, you may have seen it in your local farmer's market but walked right past it thinking it's a green onion (I know I have early on)! I have rarely seen green ga…

Grab Them Before They Go - Fresh Snow Peas
("Grab them before they go" - In this series we feature a seasonal produce or fruit our family is enjoying thoroughly these days. Infact it's so good that we think it deserves you opening another tab of your browser right now and finding out your nearest farmer's market to visit!  We at G&G believe in simple & quick recipes with local and seasonal produce and fruits; not only you will be enjoying fresh bounties of the nature without the preservatives and 100s of food miles, you will also be helping the local farmer's ecosystem and sustainable growing) Spring is in the air. And that means waking up to the hummingbirds dancing endlessly over early pomegranate bloom and the sweet smell of the backyard Jasmine flowers wafting through open windows and of-course new spring produce in the markets to devour! Are you thinking of strawberries? Quite likely - as the Californian spring means a delight of rows and rows of large fat swee…

Daal Methi (Lentil Stew with Fenugreek Leaves)
This year we have been blessed with week after weeks of fresh methi showing up local farmer's markets. One of the advantages of living in highly Asian populated south bay neighborhoods of California is you find these Asian stalls at farmer's markets tailoring to the unique south asian produce like methi! We are buying and enjoying fresh methi every weekend for the last two months. I have three favorite methi recipes - methi thepla (so good with yogurt or pickles!), aalo methi sabzi and this daal methi. There are many daal methi recipes out there; what makes this version unique is that I am not at-all squeamish about how much methi I put in there. Methi and daal is almost 1:1, just how I like it - a bursting flavor of methi in each and every spoonful :)

Goan Fish Curry
Does it seem like I am posting too many fish curry recipes recently? Well, it's true. We have been eating a different type of fish curry pretty much every Sunday for past few months. So it was only natural that the fish curry fever would seep into my blog too :) Today's recipe is a traditional Goan fish curry recipe.  Goa is the smallest state in India situated very close to Maharashtra (my home state). It's an ocean-facing state so the local food is ocean sourced - seafood and coconut are very commonly found in many of the regional recipes. But what I find most unique about Goan food is it's Portugese influence coupled with Indian heritage.  Goa was ruled by Portugese for 400 some years starting late 1500s and like everywhere else in the world, a ruling of that length leaves significant traces behind in local people, food and culture. For example, use of vinegar in curry is something you will find very unique to Goa - a state where th…

Kande Pohe (Savory Rice Flakes Snack from Maharashtra)
Kande pohe is a quintessential Maharashtrian tea-time snack in the arsenal of any Marathi home cook. So why did it take me to the fifth year of this blog to post a version of this - well, it's only recently that I got it really right. The perfect pohe need to be flaky, moist & light but without becoming slightest mushy or lumpy. I am usually not that particular about the texture of a dish, but pohe is one where I think texture matters a lot due to the simple minimalist preparation and lack of spices texture carries a lot of weight.  Perfect pohe with a cup of Chai can delight a morning or an afternoon and can make an ordinary gathering between friends or a visit from family that much more extra-ordinary! A fun anecdote: From where I come from in India, a kid is taught to call every married woman approximately mother's age "aunty" and every man approximately father's age "uncle". So there are many uncles and auntys every…

Photo Journey of California's Scenic Highway 1
My idea of a relaxing vacation is not a long vacation you wait a whole year to take; but instead a bunch of small weekends scattered here and there, spent on a scenic location away from the hustle bustle of the daily chores and enjoyed with lots of fun and happiness with people you love. Add some tasty food, cheese and a glass of wine to pair a breathtaking sunset over the ocean and it's as good a vacation as any. These small sprinkles of get-away can be so relaxing! We recently took one such 3 day weekend away renting a small cabin overlooking pacific ocean on California's scenic highway 1, central valley coast. It was a beautiful rustic place at the heart of a charming little seaside town. As anyone who drove on Highway 1 through central valley will tell, the journey in itself is as good as the vacation stay!  Most of the journey consists of a small road winding through breathtaking views of pacific ocean on one side and shear large cliffs o…

Thai Yellow Curry
We love Thai food! Our favorite Thai meal starts with a hot bubbling tom yum soup coupled with fresh vegetarian rice-paper rolls and progresses on to some green or yellow curry fish with coconut rice. Oh, and I forget the best part - coconut ice-cream afterwards to satisfy the sweet tooth :) This Thai yellow curry is so tasty and quick to make - 30mins start to finish! And no, it is not made from store bought yellow curry paste. Infact, I am hoping this recipe will help make the point that you don't need to settle down for a canned taste to enjoy a good Thai curry at home without slogging for hours. The recipe has 3 steps: coarsely chop, blend and simmer, that's it! The trick is a good stocked pantry or a well purposed trip to grocery store. Many of the ingredients it calls for are not likely to be pantry staples (atleast aren't at our home) This recipe is my put-together version and not what you would call authentic by any means; but it t…

Sesame Tikki/Sesame Candy
If you want a tasty treaty to fulfill your sugar cravings without piling up on butter, look no further - these candys or tikkis are waiting to be your best friends!  These tikkis are no health food and definitely recommended in moderation due to the high sugar content, but hey, everyone craves a good candy at times, right? We think it's always better to make it at home rather than visit the candy store - not sure about you, but it will be difficult for some to resist the temptation to buy the store outright :) Candy making is generally looked upon with fright. And for good reason. The temperature has to be just right and melting has to be done perfectly for it to be not too hard or too soft. In candy making difference between getting it right and ruining it is just a little. These are all valid concerns. However the recipe below is a good starter recipe in getting your handy into candy making - it's simple with minimal ingredients and does not req…

Baked Samosa Puffs
Everyone has a guilty pleasure when it comes to food. And samosa is mine. The crispy fried dough filled with very tasty potato & peas filling to dip into a tangy tamarind or fresh coriander chutney - add a cup of coffee along-with it and it's a perfect cure for a rain or snow-washed mind and soul. This version is a baked version which I like even better than the deep-dried version taste-wise. Yup, you heard that right. The trick is to using a puff pastry dough instead of a regular all purpose flour dough. Best part is from the time you crave samosa to the time a plate is in front of you is less than an hour! I used puff pasty wrapper with traditional samosa filling. I love puff pastry and may be that's why I like this version better than the deep-fried one or even a restaurant version for the matter - yes, it's that good! I wouldn't call it necessarily a healthy version because puff pastry is not a health-food by any means. However…