Posts

We don’t have any kids yet, well, unless you count a four-legged fluffy orange cat as one. That doesn’t mean we can’t throw together a kid-friendly snack here and there. We made these cute little pizza pockets for Pillsbury and fell in love with how easy and tasty they were. How to Make Ham and Broccoli Pockets Buy a can of biscuit dough (try not to jump when you open it, Joanne jumps every time), then use the tips of you fingers to press the biscuit into a flat circle....

Welcome to How to Cut a Mango 101! Here on Love & Lemons, we have recipes for mango salsa, mango tacos, mango margaritas, and even mango sushi. Suffice it to say, a simple guide on how to cut a mango is way overdue. Cutting a mango isn’t difficult, but if you’re attempting it for the first time, it can be perplexing. Should you peel it first? What shape should the pieces be?...

Growing up, none of us kids liked Idli much (which is blasphemous since Amma and Aatha, her mom, make the softest idli you would ever taste!) and the only thing that made it bearable for me was this idli podi and sambar. I love the combination of Kerala Sambar and Dosa podi when eating dosa too, nothing beats that! If I have these two for dosa, I don’t even care for chutney much....

This recipe is very similar to the normal jeera rice. I slightly modified it and added sliced onions and chilly powder. Ingredients: Basmati rice – one glass/1.5 cups Thinly sliced onion – 1 small Jeera seeds – 2 tbsp Jeera powder – 1 tsp Bay leaves – 1 Chilly powder – 1 tsp Vegetable oil – 1 tbsp Salt – to taste Instructions: Wash rice and soak in water for 15 mins....

The ingredient list and method may look long but it’s really a very easy recipe to make. For more kathirikai recipes, check out: Bagara Baingan Ennai kathirikai kuzhambu Kathirikai gotsu Szechuan eggplant Baingan ka salan Kathirikkai Kariamudhu | Kathirikai Curry Recipe Adapted from Chandra Padmanabhan’s Simply South Serves 4 as a side Ingredients: 1 small marble-sized ball of tamarind 10-12 baby brinjals, cubed 1/2 tsp turmeric powder 2 tsp grated coconut 1/4 cup curd / yogurt (optional) Salt to taste For Spice Powder: 1....

We marinate wings in what can only be described as one of the best chicken marinades, ever. Then they are grilled over low heat until the fat from the skin has rendered. They’re finished over high heat until the skin browns and chars just slightly. They are seriously good. How to Make Chicken Wings on the Grill Grilling chicken wings at home is easy. In fact, we’re thinking that once you try them, you’ll be hooked (like us) and might just find that this grilled wings recipe will be one of your go-to recipes this summer....

Ingredients: 1 marble-sized ball of tamarind (remember the lemon will make the rasam more sour) Half a lemon 1/2 cup cooked and mashed toor dal / thuvaram paruppu / pigeon peas (optional) 1 small tomato, chopped A 1″ piece of ginger, cut into small pieces 2 green chillies, or to taste 2 tsp rasam powder A pinch of turmeric powder Salt to taste For tempering: 1 tsp ghee or oil Some mustard seeds A pinch of asafoetida / hing / perungaayam Curry leaves Coriander leaves (for garnish) How to Make Lemon Rasam:...

Today we’re giving away a sweet little taste of Texas: Moonshine Sweet Tea. There are so many budding local food companies here in Austin… good people that are making great things with the best of the best ingredients. So when the folks at Moonshine Sweet Tea approached me, I was over the moon (bad pun, sorry), because this is exactly the kind of business I am excited to support… Family owned: check, locally made: check, good typography: check check....

Measuring spoons are definitely among the top 10 things you should buy when you just start baking. Here’s a handy post I did for beginner bakers who are just getting started with baking. I have listed a few items that you should go and get first to get started on baking the most basic cakes and cookies. If you are a beginner baker and have any question on how to get started baking (especially in India), do leave a comment and I will try my best to help....

I love my chutneys be it the chutneys using coconut or the ones without. This Onion Tomato Chutney Recipe is usually my quick-fix chutney that uses no coconut which means it doesn’t require me to defrost the coconut and it goes especially well with idli and dosa. The chutney is mildly sweet because of the roasted onions and you can turn up the heat as much as you want or keep it low and mild, entirely up to you....

I got a twitter notification the other day that said “congratulations, exactly 3 years ago you started with Twitter.” I’m not really one for remembering anniversaries, much less blog-o-versaries, but holy crap, 3 years and around 300 recipes later, here we are. I just have two words at the moment: THANKS & cheers! I’ve been narrowing down some new years eve cocktail ideas – here are a few that caught my eye, check out these and more on my holiday cocktail pinboard....

Every time I make granola I remember why I shouldn’t make granola. We have no self-control when it comes to it. This is my favorite version yet… and I can attest to that because right after I made it, Jack and I stood at the kitchen counter and ate it all. Bit by “just a little bit more,” this (our photography subject) disappeared. The good news: It’s quick and easy, so 15 minutes later, we were ready to roll with a second batch....

“They” say you should eat an apple a day – but according to everyone’s Instagram feeds these days, I think we can all agree that the almighty avocado is the way to go. I don’t care if they’re trendy or not, the good fat that you get from avocados always makes for a delicious, nutrient-dense meal or mid-day snack. In an effort not to show you yet another version of avocado toast – I have the next best thing – the avocado tostada....

My whole family loves these black bean burgers. The burgers taste great and are so easy to make. In fact, they only take 10 minutes to prep, before they are cooking in your skillet! The ingredient list is simple and makes these bean burgers gluten-free and vegan! Key Ingredients Black beans: Unless I have a batch of cooked black beans in the fridge already, I use canned black beans for this recipe....

This Mediterranean quinoa salad recipe is fresh and flavorful. It’s a delicious addition to the menu of any potluck, cookout, or picnic. It can easily pass as a side dish, but it’s so hearty and satisfying that it can be the main event, too. And if you happen to have leftovers, you’re in luck! This quinoa salad keeps well if you make it ahead of time, so it’s a great recipe to meal prep for healthy lunches throughout the week....

Anyway, on to the recipe now. Pin Notes Original recipe inspiration from here Serves 4Ingredients 6 baby brinjal / kathirikai 2 potatoes, cubed (or 8 baby potaoes, halved) For Spice Powder / Marinade: 1/2 cup peanuts 1 tbsp coriander seeds 2 tsp cumin seeds/ jeera / jeerakam 4 dry red chillies 1 pinch turmeric powder 1/2 tsp amchur / dry mango powder (optional but recommended) 1 tsp sugar A big pinch of hing / asafoetida / kaayam 1″ piece grated ginger A bunch of coriander leaves, finely chopped 3 tbsp oil Salt to taste For Tempering: 2 tsp oil 1 pinch hing / asafoetida / kaayam A few cumin / jeera seeds How I Made It:...

A few weeks ago, I made a double batch of these roasted pecans. I felt ridiculous when they all came out of the oven. We had jar after jar of roasted pecans sitting on our counter. I thought we’d be eating them for weeks! But, as it turns out, these roasted pecans are such a tasty snack that as soon as Jack or I polished off one handful, we’d inevitably circle back for more....

I love my classic pizza sauce recipe, but when I’m making a Margherita pizza or another Neapolitan-style pie, this San Marzano pizza sauce is a must. Made with 5 simple ingredients, this sauce is similar to pizza sauces I’ve enjoyed in Italy. It’s slightly thinner than typical American pizza sauce, and it has a sweeter, fresher flavor. Unsurprisingly, I love to make this sauce with San Marzano tomatoes. This variety of plum tomatoes is grown in a specific part of southern Italy near Naples, and it’s known worldwide for its sweetness, intensity, and mild acidity....

Be sure to check out our nifty Google map that shows you everywhere we went so you can visit yourself. It works great on a phone. Click here or the map to check it out! It wasn’t until I was packing that I realized how unique this trip was. On one side of my suitcase there were hiking boots and cliff bars and on the other a pair of black stiletto shoes and makeup....

What you need to make the Seppankizhangu Fry (apart from a mother-in-law who cooks this for you and waits patiently while you click pictures at every step) 500gm cheppankizhangu / arbi/ colocasia / chembu 5 tbsp (more or less) rice flour 1 tbsp besan / kadala maavu / gram flour (optional – you can also use rava / semolina instead) 2 tsp red chilli powder A generous pinch of turmeric powder A generous pinch of asafoetida / perungaayam / hing Salt to taste Oil to deep fry Let’s get started....