Holi the festival of colors

Its going to be Holi very soon and I love Holi my favourite Indian festival by far.
It is very difficult to recreate the MASTI (fun) of Holi here in the USA. Nevertheless we can try to bring back some of the carefree fun at home.
(of course Playing Holi at home will result in ruined carpets walls and other nightmares that will take days to clean sooo no playing holi at home !!! at least
not my home)The playing actual Holi needs to be done at all the public events( no mess no fuss).

A big part of any Indian Festival is the food !! Here are some recipes I found for all my beloved Holi foods

Gujia

an essential part of the Holi experience in North India


Kachoris



Malai Kofta



Veg Cutlets

Diwali Dessert Corner

Happy Diwali everyone. Diwali is the biggest Indian festival and there is so much excitement in our home in preparation for it. Sweet treats are a big part of the festival with people sending boxes of Mithai (sweets to their friends and family.)
Heres a nice way to set up a dessert corner for your guests to enjoy.


Easy home made flower shaped Kalakand

The winter nip is already in the air, piping hot Gajar ka Halwa
(Carrot dessert)warms you up.


Gulab Jamuns is the most popular Indian dessert in the world, so of course it has to be served for any Diwali party. Served on candy sticks to make them less messy to eat.


For the decor I used two Satin curtain panels bought at a discount store the stands
are basically cardboard boxes tucked under the satin panels.Lots of Dia's with the battery candles on them (don't want to start a fire.)

Simple Diwali (festival of lights) craft Idea.

Diwali is just a week away and I am trying to build
anticipation for my girls.Here is a easy craft idea
that can be fun for the kids to do.
A simple rangoli table runner made on brown paper.
I wanted to create,the simple mud hut rustic rangoli feel
for this project specially because of my limited drawing ability.











Diwali is certainly my favorite festival so stay tuned for more.

Indian Desserts for Diwali

Diwali is oct 17 this year & of course its celebration time for Indians all over the world.This Post I have gathered some videos of Diwali Mithai (sweet treats)ideas

Kaju Katli


Diwali Special Gujias



Ras malai

Thai Food

So To reduce our eating out costs I decided to do a Thai food night at home.

To begin the evening Lychee Martinis and Satay chicken



The Lychee Martini recipe is from About.com by Brian Nishii



Picked up packets of Pad Thai paste & Green curry Paste at Ranch 99 market along
with rice noodles,lemon grass stalks, bean sprouts, basil leaves & Canned Lychee
for the Martini.





Next stop the Dollor store, Its summer and they have a lot of Hawaii theme items
available I was able to pick up silk orchid flowers & leaves,stones in various
shapes and colors. By sheer luck those lil lotus shaped plates and on a previous
visit I had bought the big lotus flower with the hopes that I'd use it some day.



The lil Statuette is from a stopover at the Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok.

On the whole this did require a good amount of planning & a lot of time cooking but the food was really good and the girls loved it. Can't wait to invite a few friends over .

Pad thai

Thai food is our family favorite. We love trying out new restaurants.
lately we have been trying to cut down on our restaurant visits. So I am trying to
come up with simple Thai inspired recipes for a Thai food night at home.

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