Panfusine

It never ceases to surprise me how the simplest of recipes I try on a whim get the maximum attention from my Instagram account   Panfusine Facebook page. I don't think I've ever seriously given a thought to blogging about Idlies, but  I did share the interesting trials when I  played around with using silicone Ice cube molds for steaming them . The response was fabulous, and I had 'desi' mothers from all around the world writing to tell me how their kids suddenly thought the previously 'boring & staid' idlies were 'cool' again.  My 6 year old is in that phase when the silliest of things sets her off into peals of laughter. what started out as a discussion about carrots and the various colors they come in, she suddenly switched over to her favorite breakfast idlies and started giggling about how funny  idlies would be if I made them in the colors of the rainbow, starting with red. Her boy scout of an elder brother started  a lecture on ho...

From Soup to soap, spuds to suds .. Just a few catch lines posted as a response to a photograph of home made soap I posted on my Instagram account.. Found it so appealing that I seriously started contemplating blogging about it. The decision was made when I got some fabulous feedback about the soap. The idea of making soap crossed my mind during the time I dabbled in making Lip balm. A fellow Blogger friend, Nandita Iyer ( Saffron Trail )had posted some ravishingly beautiful photographs of home made soap and it was sounded so fascinating that I immediately wanted to rush out and buy the ingredients right then and there.. Umm, not so fast - Inevitably the part about Caustic Lye and its corrosive properties followed and kind of slowed me down (actually stopped me). As a compromise I shopped for those bulk soap blocks from Michaels and tried to concoct my own 'flavors' and it was such a disappointing waste of time, money and effort. For one, those blocks have this long l...

You know that a collective project is a success when you lose track of the number of bakes you've done, and yet when the name pops up, you seem to know exactly what went into that particular confection and (as is usually the case with me) what quirky tweak I incorporated. This month,  +Aparna Balasubramanian  's choice was a traditional Roman bun known as Maritozzi, based on a suggestion I gave her. I spotted this recipe on  +Food52  last month as part of a series on regional Italian food . I've been a fan of Emiko Davies' recipes on Food52 ever since I signed up to test  her recipe for grape jam dumplings  - Celli Ripieni - for a community pick. Her articles are a fabulous introduction to the simple home fare from various regions of Italy. When you see the recipe on Food52, the first thing you realize from Emiko's head notes is the number of tweaks and variations that this recipe can weather and still remain a robust and delicious. Well, Emi...

As far as I can remember, I've never picked strawberries in June. The berry picking usually starts and finishes well within the month of May. In fact, I remember picking Asparagus and Strawberries in the  same session last year, and those berries were the stragglers towards the last of the season, tiny, & tart. I'm chalking it to global climate change!

Kumquats and Kale - an interesting combination which really do not have much in common except for the common first letter in their names. But when I opened up the box sent to me from Melissa's produce , the visual beauty of the colors just struck a chord, the bright golden kumquats and the regally purple Kale sprouts.

Kumquats definitely lucked out in the aesthetic beauty department when it comes to citrus fruits (although, Mayer lemons come in a close second). Tiny, golden,  olive sized, and a spectacular shade of vibrant orange that almost seems to radiate a glow from within.

I can't seem to ever be sure why baking always seems to involve a certain level of complexity. Maybe its my inherent South Indian background where baking is almost unheard of, -- for starters, the first time I ever set eyes on an 'oven' was when I was 7 years old, and even then, it was one of those gadgets whose main purpose was to store pots and pans. Daily cooking was always on the stove top and the level of heat applied was always measure in terms of high, medium or 'simmer'. Three settings and the particular burner (the 'Big' or 'small' ) used was all that determined the technique for countless delicious meal sessions that Amma dished out day in & day out. Temperature control was unheard of!