Thandai – The nutty, sweetly spiced aromatic drink made during the Festival of Holi. ‘Thandai’ is a take on the word ‘thand’ which means cold, and taking that meaning Thandai means something that is cooling. Traditionally, Thandai is served during the festival of Holi with milk and cream as its base. But this Thandai recipe is dairy free and processed sugar free and it’s certainly as good as the traditional one if not better! As with all things related to traditional Indian cuisine, the health benefits of Thandai are numerous. This Ayurvedic formula of almonds (badam), magaz seeds, (melon …
Cape Codder Cocktail
Vodka cocktails are my absolute favorite kind of cocktails. And vodka cranberry cocktail tops the charts anytime, for me. I am sure it is because when I started out to try alcoholic beverages, Vodka was the most popular spirit. As vodka is a neutral spirit, without any distinct taste or color ( unless we are talking about the black vodka that I used in my Black Magic Martini and many other infused vodkas), it is easy to build cocktails based on the flavor profile you like. The Cape Codder Cocktail, also known as cape cod cocktail if you don’t …
Tamarind Margarita
A quick hello from India with this Tamarind Margarita. I have been mostly offline because I am visiting family. I don’t get to see and meet my family all that often. So this was a time to bond with my sweet nieces and nephews and meet my grandmom. To make a dish with the progressive eats for Cinco de mayo Fiesta sounds fitting from here. I am surrounded by everyone I love. Cinco de Mayo has evolved into a commemoration of Mexican culture and heritage in the US and the thing I love most about Mexican culture is that it …
Black Magic Martini
They say that change is the only constant in life. Sometimes you see it happen, other times you look back and wonder, “when did THAT happen”! Over the years, our fall and Halloween traditions have changed. I still remember my first Halloween in America, some 10 years ago. Um.. Let’s just say I had to google it after the class teacher sent a list of what Halloween stuff was allowed in school for my then 8 year old. Not only did we learn about customs and traditions and Trick Or Treat, we also learned about decorating the home for Halloween …
Red White Blue Pina Colada
“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.” –Albert Camus America! Some people love us; some people loathe us; some people hate our guts but mostly everyone is in awe of us. It’s the very essence of our nation to be free, to value individualism, to respect others point of view especially when we may not agree with them, to defend those who cannot stand up for themselves and to fight for freedom constantly. I started being an American when I started being …
Matcha Pisco – Green Tea Cocktail
It is Progressive Eats time and Heather, our host for the month had “tea” as the theme. I simply love matcha tea and hence keep needing reasons to use it every day other than just as tea. I was having a hard time to choose just one recipe to share today. So you know what that means, more matcha tea recipes coming your way. So, what is matcha exactly? Matcha is a finely ground green tea. But it is not just any green tea. The noble varietals of the matcha tea are samidori, okumidori, and yabukita . And the very best matcha, is …