tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62423203465005726012024-03-21T00:17:09.534-07:00Cooking from A to ZAn ode to food. And to the friends who make cooking such a pleasure!KayKathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14888078673230631762noreply@blogger.comBlogger130125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242320346500572601.post-54851264488765478402008-09-17T15:19:00.000-07:002008-09-17T15:34:32.049-07:00Beans'n'shoots make for a great soup!Finally, it feels like summer out here! The weather over the last couple of weeks has been sheer bliss - warm and sunny, clear skies ... can't help but walk around with a smile :) So, what else is awesome right now? The bounty that is coming from my veggie patch! Everyday yields a handful of tomatoes, a slew of greens, some squashes, maybe some chard, a motley assortment of herbs, all goodness! KayKathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14888078673230631762noreply@blogger.com41tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242320346500572601.post-38061732887083960022008-09-12T01:47:00.000-07:002008-09-12T03:52:25.910-07:00Magical 'shroom soupWell, hello! Magical 'shroom catch your eye? :)As tantalizing as that sounds, we're really talking about the soup here. Fabulous tasty mushrooms that made for a magical soup!So, the mushroom love is stronger than ever around here - even Vodka is on mushrooms now! His holistic vet suggested, no, insisted that he start consuming a medicinal mushroom mix - beefs up the immune system, restores body KayKathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14888078673230631762noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242320346500572601.post-84372109511902563922008-08-29T08:28:00.000-07:002008-08-29T08:42:48.342-07:00Borek-ing again!A few months ago, I waxed on and on about Boreks - those awesome Anatolian stuffed breads that I could potentially live on forever (along with a plethora of fruits and wine and cheese and nuts and ...) :) I have no idea why it took a few month to try make these boreks again - maybe because we indulge in other bread variants so often? These are pretty damn close to the more traditional indian KayKathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14888078673230631762noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242320346500572601.post-62129177984853895742008-08-26T09:19:00.000-07:002008-08-26T10:07:15.253-07:00That long overdue bread pudding!This is turning out to be a relatively quiet morning ... well, except for the fact that Vodka has played nonstop for an hour and is now demanding food - whining, grovelling, even rubbing his nose against his food bin! But this is the time to be that unyielding dog-momma. He has an appointment in a few hours with the oncologist - and yes, it means he needs to show up on an empty stomach. And yes, KayKathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14888078673230631762noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242320346500572601.post-11999348414404693062008-08-18T22:22:00.000-07:002008-08-19T01:28:35.837-07:00Holding a good thought for Vodka ... plus some Cherry CompoteIt truly feels like life has come to a standstill. So much so that I don't expect even blogging to give me any respite. Vodka was diagnosed with mast cell tumors (yes, again!) early last week. He was diagnosed with one of these last year, but it was successfully removed. And it seemed like that was the end of story. A happy ending. But the tumors are back. And there are several small lumps. As KayKathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14888078673230631762noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242320346500572601.post-57541169572689758882008-08-13T00:14:00.001-07:002008-08-13T01:14:43.336-07:00Mouthful o' muffin!Raspberries.They stain my fingers red. And my teeth. And often, my face is covered in streaks of red as I desperately stuff my face.And yes, they make me happy. Very happy. They make Vodka super happy too - he can lick all the raspberry juice off my face. *so* much of fun, eh? :)Today was definitely a raspberry day. I probably ate a couple of those baskets from the farmers' market. The berry KayKathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14888078673230631762noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242320346500572601.post-61015165992508078792008-08-05T23:29:00.000-07:002008-08-06T00:15:09.637-07:00OrecchietteOrechetty.Orechiet.Oreychett.Oreccchhhiiiieettiieee."Little ears":)I'm definitely going to nail that before we go to Italy :) Until then, guess I'll just go with 'Li'l Ears'!So, this is another recipe from the backlog - I made this several weeks ago as a quick fix for dinner. I'd only cooked li'l ears a couple of times before and was pleasantly surprised by how easily the pasta picked up flavoursKayKathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14888078673230631762noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242320346500572601.post-22522040368156445522008-07-22T23:39:00.001-07:002008-07-23T00:38:40.737-07:00Drinking to that long-awaited summer!Summer.After weeks and weeks of dreary grey skies, chilly mornings, afternoons and evenings, bizarrely cold nights and snowed-out hiking trails, we were pretty much ready to give up on warm weather. Global warming is happening for sure, but it seemed to be ignoring the Pacific Northwest, atleast when it comes to warming my nose and toes!And just when we pretty much gave up on feeling the sunshineKayKathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14888078673230631762noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242320346500572601.post-9839266575929252332008-07-18T10:45:00.001-07:002008-07-19T23:51:03.632-07:00Eating local and all that good stuff ...Local ... sustainable ... organic ... earth-friendly ... call-it-what-you-want ... All the buzzwords making the rounds in the food world recently.A handful of years ago, the air started teeming with the concept of organic foods. Horrendously expensive, but Oh! so right and healthier and tastier ... I can honestly say that with some fruits and vegetables, we could taste the difference - like KayKathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14888078673230631762noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242320346500572601.post-29701041119494564622008-07-15T19:05:00.000-07:002008-07-21T13:40:16.962-07:00Mango-ing away!Still hot outside, I was still craving a giant creamy milkshake, but I'm really really trying to stick to my regular workout and eating habits ... which pretty much ruled out that GIANT milkshake looming in the back of my mind ... *sigh*.But the plan was to come up with a suitable alternative ... something that would squash all memories of that GIANT milkshake! It took some poking around my KayKathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14888078673230631762noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242320346500572601.post-19442075246144011852008-07-13T01:36:00.000-07:002008-07-16T10:29:45.908-07:00Nutty Pear Kumquat ChutneyToday was blisteringly hot here ... so much so that one of my first thoughts of the day was of a thick, creamy, icy milkshake! And yet, I spent large parts of the day cooking - which actually ended being a fabulously cathartic experience - making up for all those insane work days that kept me away from cooking and blogging :)A long, long time ago I promised to make a surprise chutney for our KayKathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14888078673230631762noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242320346500572601.post-48860583035831133182008-07-10T16:24:00.000-07:002008-07-16T10:30:31.313-07:00Enchilada heaven ...... is such a happy place to be in. Warm, crispy-edged tortillas filled with all sorts of goodies, drizzled with pungent sauces, topped with cheese ... I could just pack up my bags and move there!Atleast that's how I felt after experimenting with a couple of enchilada recipes from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. This book truly seems to have something for everyone - fresh, KayKathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14888078673230631762noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242320346500572601.post-62587635088924633562008-07-02T21:51:00.000-07:002008-07-07T08:03:27.024-07:00Squash parathas to celebrate ...a return to blogging?a manic work life finally easing up?a fabulous weekend?summer finally coming to life?life, in general?All of the above, I guess! And here's hoping to get through the mountains of recipes waiting to make it out here!Tonight warranted simple comfort food - something healthy, quick to throw together? Something with desi flavours ... After poking around a bit, I settled on makingKayKathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14888078673230631762noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242320346500572601.post-30557597650403419832008-06-24T19:54:00.000-07:002008-06-24T22:38:32.922-07:00Hope springs eternal ... in the gardenGardening requires lots of water - most of it in the form of perspiration.~Lou EricksonIt also requires a slew of expletives directed at those slugs and weeds and other obstacles standing in the way of my vegetables' happiness :)In spite of the vagaries of the weather this year, the abysmal lack of spring and warmth, my veggies have managed to survive. Really well, I might add. And yes, it takes KayKathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14888078673230631762noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242320346500572601.post-53924428627664724542008-06-23T23:34:00.000-07:002008-06-24T01:00:59.769-07:00Coming back from the dark side ...Are we blogging again? Huh??Wow! I was almost convinced this blog was a goner!!! Work, work, work. No time to breathe, let alone blog. Pretty tragic, huh? As much as I love my work, I doubt if even I can survive another bout of being slammed like this! Seriously, something is quite wrong when the pictures just keep piling up ... to the point where I randomly stare at them and begin to wonder "KayKathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14888078673230631762noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242320346500572601.post-24078604190215031562008-06-02T23:08:00.000-07:002008-06-03T01:21:41.301-07:00A whole new Click for life!Carolina Jasmine (Gelsemium sempervirens)Anyone who reads this blog probably knows how much I love Click - that crazy photo event started by those crazy Jugalbandits. It makes for entertaining posts, fabulous eye candy, last-minute photos and maybe even some improved photography (on my end!) :)This month, Click comes with a whole new cause.YELLOW for Bri.To put it simply, Bri (Briana Brownlow) KayKathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14888078673230631762noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242320346500572601.post-73868913533651397992008-06-01T23:34:00.001-07:002008-06-02T08:01:12.257-07:00Start Thinking ... now!Remember that insanely irritating Budweiser ad? Well, apparently, I'm bent on bringing that sticky memory back! :)Sunita was crazy enough to let me host Think Spice this month. And I warned her that the theme would probably be non-traditional. And it is ... *drumroll* please ... Wasabi!And yes, it is a spice. Atleast the root is. In terms of the traditional definition of a spice!A spice is a KayKathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14888078673230631762noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242320346500572601.post-46858670276643838082008-05-30T23:11:00.000-07:002008-05-30T23:54:37.905-07:00Happy Click to you too!'k, pretty close to midnight ==> Bee is probably staring at her email wondering why I haven't bothered to send her a predictable last-minute Click shot yet. Obviously, I wouldn't dare to disappoint her! In fact, this has become a game of sorts - I look forward to a living-on-the-edge Click shot :)Like always, I wish I could replicate the image in my head, but this is the best I could do! :)AdzukiKayKathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14888078673230631762noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242320346500572601.post-26784041494963269602008-05-27T23:20:00.000-07:002008-05-28T07:14:00.751-07:00Dishin' about aviyal!Aviyal: [Wikipedia] a dish that has a unique place in typical Kerala cuisine. It is a thick mixture of a lot of vegetables, curd and coconut. It is seasoned with coconut oil and curry leaves. A search for aviyal revealed a zillion similar, yet subtly different recipes. I didn't quite realize the ubiquity of this motley assortment of vegetables! Hell, there is even a aviyal.com site - just a KayKathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14888078673230631762noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242320346500572601.post-22690676363111333102008-05-24T08:31:00.000-07:002008-05-24T23:11:20.913-07:00Orange Cranberry Cake to keep that sweet tooth happyThis has truly been the most frustrating month in terms of work. Especially when this overload starts taking a serious toll on blogging. That's plain wrong. Think we can fix it by getting back to yammering every day or 2? :)Today's story revolves around that damn sweet tooth :) But I'm quite glad I have Erma on my side to justify a potentially burgeoning waistline! Seize the moment. Remember KayKathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14888078673230631762noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242320346500572601.post-41094293643699232932008-05-18T22:26:00.000-07:002008-05-19T15:38:28.916-07:00Can some tofu crisps slow down the pace?The last couple of weeks has seen life go into serious overdrive. A manic worklife coupled with coaching and running made a lot of other passions take a backseat. When the fingers are itching to start writing about food, but need to be dragged away to type a few hundred lines of code instead ... know that feeling? It is a sure sign that life desperately deserves a deep breath!Before I even talk KayKathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14888078673230631762noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242320346500572601.post-21874738222618529732008-05-09T22:52:00.000-07:002008-05-13T00:35:45.574-07:00Cupcakes galore, Running Buddies and more!Several weeks ago, I signed up to be a coach for the spring season with this awesome organization called Girls On The Run. This is a program for preteen girls (aged 8-11) that chooses to combine exciting workouts with games, exercises and discussions. In their own words:"Girls on the Run aims to develop the whole girl— her physical, mental, social, emotional and spiritual self—supporting the KayKathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14888078673230631762noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242320346500572601.post-2762310164147130112008-05-05T23:04:00.000-07:002008-05-06T01:03:01.533-07:00Chaat - Bollywood style!Bollywood ...Crazy hindi movies ... guy and gal running around trees ... melodrama with moms and moms-in-law ... crazy villain dude coming after defenseless heroine ... hero flexing his skimpy muscles as he pounces on the villain and his cronies and beats them to pulp ... guy and gal dancing on a train ... the plots go on and on ... and on! :)The most popular question ever encountered about desi KayKathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14888078673230631762noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242320346500572601.post-260693835391718942008-04-30T23:41:00.000-07:002008-05-01T00:01:53.624-07:00Click a 'shroom or 3?Au Naturel.Endless possibilities ...Which just means I'm stumped.And it gives me infinite reasons to procrastinate :)15 minutes till the deadline. Guess this will have to be it.Details:Pic: Hon-Shimeji mushroomsCamera: Leica Digilux 3Kit LensNo tripod, but lots of gyrating was involved10 minutes ... Damn, Bee is going to kill me! :)KayKathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14888078673230631762noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242320346500572601.post-72091815060858641592008-04-29T22:03:00.000-07:002008-04-30T09:07:23.538-07:00Mushroom Lemongrass Soup (Tom Yum Het Mangsawirat)No, I did not know the full name of that soup. Like most other people, all I call it is Vegetarian Tom Yum. I just looked up the name so I could increase my coolness factor tenfold :)I've often felt like writers' block is nonexistent when it comes to talking about food. Except for today. I read Mele Cotte's post about her Cooking to Combat Cancer event a few days ago and finally figured out a KayKathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14888078673230631762noreply@blogger.com9