Halloween @ Salem, Massachusetts

Halloween is observed on October 31, activities include attending costume parties, carving lanterns, lighting bonfires, apple bobbing, visiting haunted attractions, playing pranks, telling scary stories, and watching horror films. The costume dressing is most common, where in people dress as anything other than one self. We had planned to visit Halloween  parade on Saturday but it  all went down the drain  due to excessive rains...

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Pumpkin Dessert ( Kasifal Halwa)

Lovely Yellow Orange pumpkin is the fruit of the season and since today its Halloween, everywhere it is pumpkin-pumpkin all the way. I made This Halwa for Diwali, although a bit late posting it.This recipe is my Mom's version of making Pumpkin halwa, I added Little Saffron strands to it.Ingredients :- 1 small butternut squash/pumpkin (4 cups of grated Pumpkin) 4 tbsp ghee 1/2 cup sugar 2 tablespoons raisins 4 cardamom pods, lightly crushed 1...

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Green Moong Dal Dosa

I've so many posts sitting in my drafts section about all the cooking I've been doing and the sweets I made during Diwali will try and post it all soon :) Well this post is on Green Moong dal dosa which I made few days back.Dosas  are thin pancakes made from various batters.Moong dal dosa is a substitute for the dosas which we usually get in various Indian restaurants.I've added more dal and less of rice in this just to make it more healthy,...

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Sambar

Sambar is one of my favorites,its very popular amongst South Indian recipes it's usually served with various south Indian dishes like idli, dosas, upma rice etc. Being brought up in multi cultural city like Mumbai, I have been lucky to have eaten food from various parts of India and moreover my mom used to make it for us at home. Following is the samabr  recipe given to me by my mom.You can add various veggies as per...

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Moong Dal with Onion and Tomato

Moong Dal with Tomato and onions is very tasty and healthy recipe.This Dal is quite famous in north India. Ingredients :- 1 cup Moong dal 1 Onion finely chopped 1 tomato finely chopped 2 green chili finely chopped 5-6 curry leaves salt to taste 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped 1 tbsp of ginger 1 tsp turmeric powder 3 cups of water. 1 tbsp oil Method :- Wash the dal. In a pressure cooker add dal, water, salt and turmeric mix it...

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Methi Pratha (Fenugreek flat bread)

I like Methi/ Fenugreek leaves for their little bitter taste which they add to any dish.It's easily available at any Indian grocery store.I usually make methi sabzi but this time I wanted to try something different. I was thinking hard as what I should make out of it and decided on methi paratha which my mom generally makes during weekends. The following recipe is given to me by my mom.Hope you give it a try and let me know how it came.. Ingredients...

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Carrot Peas and French beans Pulao | Gajar Matar french beans Pulao

Carrot and peas pulao is very simple and it hardly takes any time to cook it.here is the recipe for it. Ingredients:- 1 cup Rice 1 cup Peas 2 carrot diced into cubes 1 tbsp cumin seeds 1/2 cup french beans 2-3 bay leaf 1 tbsp oil 3 cloves 4-5 whole black pepper Salt as per taste Method:- Wash the rice and keep it aside. Now in pressure cooker add oil, once heated add bay leaf, cloves and pepper to it and let...

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Health tips

When you go out in sun, remember that your lips can get sunburned too.So use lipbalms or lipstics thta contain sunscreen. When you lift heavy objects, bend your knees don't bend your waist. Do not take Vitamins just before sleeping at night.Your body will not digest it easily. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day so don't skip it. Don't dwell on problems that out of your control.Stress is one the worst enemies - so avoid it! When you're outdoors, wear sunglasses that protect your eyes from ultraviolet rays. If you find you're having trouble with your memory, try writing things...

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Karwa Chauth

Karwa Chauth Moon Karwa Chauth is an ancient Indian tradition celebrated by married Indian women who fast from sunrise to moonrise for the longevity and health of their husbands. When I was single, I often asked my mother why she would do such a thing when men don’t fast for their wives.My feminist side couldn't understand it. But now I married I kept this fast for Shivam.I feel Shivam doesn't have to fast for...

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Half Fried Egg

Half Fried Egg I'm so fond of Eggs, especially half fried eggs .I usually have it in breakfast nearly 2 to 3 times every week, its simple to make and needless to say its nutritious.I know its a simple recipe but i still wanted to blog it as I make it so frequently and may be it would be useful to someone who is a newbie to cooking. Ingredients :- 1 Egg 1/2 tsp of oil  Salt - as per taste 1/2 tsp Freshly ground pepper powder  Method...

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Dill with Potatoes (Soya\Sephu with Potato)

I had never seen Dill ( Soya,Shephu) in Boston markets, other day my husband went to Stop and Shop and got a bundle of Dill, I was left with questions as what I'm going to make out of it,for one day it was lying in my refrigerator.So I thought I better cook it before it gets spoiled.I googled it and came across various Dill recipes including Dill with Potato,I made few changes to it and gave it a try, result was good ,here...

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Rawa/Sooji Upma ( Semolina Upma)

Rawa Upma is a very popular Indian breakfast dish. It is a healthy breakfast snack. Many a times I make it as an evening snack too. Many vegetables added to it as per your choice like Onions, beans, carrots, peas, potatoes, tomatoes, capsicum etc. and its quick and easy to make. Ingredients:- 1 cup rava / semolina 2 cups water 1 onion, finely chopped 2 green chili finle chopped A few curry leaves 1/2 tsp urad dal 1/4 tsp mustard...

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Chowmahalla Palace , Hyderabad India.

I was in Hyderabad for few months after my marriage and happened to see many places in Hyderabad including the beautiful Chowmahalla palace.I visited this place twice, once with my husband and one more time with my Mother. It is just next to the Charminar. The entrance to the palace is quite boring but inside it's a beautiful place. Lovely gardens, beautiful buildings and well done up interiors. The palace belongs to the Nizam's of Hyderabad and...

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Health tips

  When you go out in sun, remember that your lips can get sunburned too.So use lipbalms or lipstics thta contain sunscreen. When you lift heavy objects, bend your knees don't bend your waist. Do not take Vitamins just before sleeping at night.Your body will not digest it easily. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day so don't skip it. Don't dwell on problems that out of your control.Stress is one the worst enemies - so avoid it! When you're outdoors, wear sunglasses that protect your eyes from ultraviolet rays. If you find you're having trouble with your memory, try writing things...

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Avocado Chutney

I bought one ripe Avocado from an Indian grocery store yesterday.Other day when I had visited a Mexican restaurant they served this Dip called as guacamole which was very tasty, so I thought of making something similar,while  on my lookout for a Avocado Dip recipe on the internet I came across an Indian version of it and tried it.The result was good the Avocado Chutney came out to be real tasty and it is with...

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Our Visit To Taj Mahal, India

It was in my wish list to visit Taj Mahal which got fulfilled in May 2011, It was spectacular sight.The day we visited Taj Mahal it was windy and rainy which was quite opposite to the weather conditions which prevail in summer heat of North India , but it was a welcome relief for sure.We reached Taj around 12 pm  and it was so damn crowded. The Taj Mahal is located in the state of Uttar Pradesh, in the city of Agra. Like most of India...

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Delicious Sabudana Khichdi (Sago flavoured with chilli-peanut powder)

The first time ever that I made Sabudana Khichdi, Today was 8th day of Navratri so me and my husband have both kept fast,I did get sabudana on Sunday but had never made it so was undecided whether I should try it or not , today morning when I was on call with mom she gave me sabudana recipe which I found very simple to make and luckily I had all ingredients to make it.I remember as a child I  never used to like it but today when I made...

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Beetroot Raita (Beetroot Yogurt Mix )

I made this lovely Beetroot Raita yesterday ,Beetroot, which is also simply called as a beet comes in many variety, generally used in salads.It has numerous health benefits, like it purifies the blood,It contains silica, vital for skin, nails and bones. and many more. Ingredients :- Beetroots 2 medium Yogurt 2 cups 1 tsp roasted cumin powder 1 tsp chili powder Salt to taste Coriander leaves for garnish Method :- Peel the beetroot...

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