OUR CHRISTMAS DINNER

Our Christmas Dinner : Baked Lobster tails in Lemon Butter, Mussels in Yellow curry sauce, Roasted Potatoes, Sauteed Asparagus and cheese platter

Baked Lobster tails in lemon butter : I washed and towel dried the loster tails. Then made a long slit till the end of the tail and loosened the flesh from shell. Poured the Lemon butter and baked in 475F preheated oven for 30 min.

Lemon Butter : Stir together 3 tbsp melted butter , 2 teaspoons and grated lemon rind until blended. Stir in 1tsp parsley.

Roasted Potatoes : Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cut 2 large potatoes in half or quarters and place in a bowl with the 2 tbsp olive oil, 1/2tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and 1tbsp garlic; toss until the potatoes are well coated. Transfer the potatoes to a sheet pan and spread out into 1 layer. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until browned and crisp. Flip twice with a spatula during cooking in order to ensure even browning.Remove the potatoes from the oven, toss with parsley, season to taste, and serve hot.

Sauteed Asparagus :  Cut and discard 2 inch bias from bottom of the Asparagus. Heat 1tbsp olive oil in a large skillet and add 1chopped garlic followed by 12 asparagus. Stir fry for 3-4 min or until done. Sprinkle salt and pepper.

HOLIDAY BAKED GOODIE GIFT BASKET IDEAS

A gift basket can be a great idea for any occasion. A little bit of creativity and baking skills will help you to put together a fabulous holiday gift basket for the season. I made this gift basket for my daughters kindergarten teacher.

 

Holiday food gift basket for teacher

What you need :

• A basket (I got mine from Ross for $5)
• 2 jars (same place -  Ross, $4 and $3)
• Ceramic mini loaf pan (i got this cute one from Micheal's for $1)
• Ribbons and tags (I got it from Target Dollar counter, $1 each)
• Large  Basket Bag to cover the whole gift basket (I got it from Dollar store, two for $1)

Holiday food gift basket for teacher

How to assemble a gift basket?

• Nan Khatai (cardamom cookies) - It is a perfect holiday gift and is a fail proof recipe. Bake, cool and transfer the cookies to the glass jar.
• Peanut butter cranberry tea bread - I baked the tea bread in 4 parchment lined ceramic mini pans for 30 min. After cooling, I shrink wrapped the loaf and put it back in the mini pan. (This is not a sweet bread, it is a breakfast loaf to have with jam / butter)
• Dry fruit and seeds Granola:  I used 2 cups of oats and 1/2 cup of nuts and 2 tbsp of seeds to make the granola. 
• Transfer the goodies to a gift basket, label them and cover with gift basket bag.  A festive ribbon on top completes your gift basket. 
• Viola!! we are done. 

A MEATLESS MENU THAT EVERYONE WILL LOVE!!

Planning for a vegetarian Indian Lunch /dinner party ?? 

I always enjoyed planning a party menu and in years i had helped many of my friends and readers in fixing their Party menu. If you decided the menu, you can do your dessert / Appetizer on previous day. I have uploaded a tab in my blog earlier-  'Party Menu and Ideas ' which gives you more detailed information about planning a party menu.

Malai mushroom kebab, naan and paneer butter masala

You can choose south Indian Lunch / Dinner Party or North Indian Lunch / Dinner party menu. I like to Include more colors and different flavors to my cooking. If you are hosting a party include these,

• Appetizers / Starters
• side dish dry / gravy / both
• Rice
• Roti / Naan / Paratha
• Dessert

This is a regular north Indian Dinner Party which i made for my family. Dishes were

• Dhoodi or malai Mushroom Kebab (Best Veg appetizer recipe in my blog. Believe Me !!)
• Tawa Naan
• Paneer Butter Masala
• Beetroot Ladoo

I hope you will wow your friends and family with these recipes. 

Enjoy!!

Lena

BEST MANGO SALSA EVER!!!

This simple and colorful mango salsa is super easy to make! It's sweet, mild spicy and absolutely delicious. Serve this fresh mango salsa with chips, on tacos or salads, or as a salad.  

Mango salsa for Tacos / Tortilla chips / baked chicken / grilled fish

FRESH MANGO SALSA RECIPE :

Cuisine: Mexican
Prep time: 15 mins
Serves: 2 cups

INGREDIENTS :

Ripe mangoes : 2, diced (see photos)
Red bell pepper : 1 small or 3/4 of a medium bell pepper, chopped
Purple onion : 1/2 Cup, finely chopped

Jalapeno : 1, seeded and finely chopped

fresh cilantro / Coriander leaves : 4 tbsp ++, finely chopped

lime juice from 1 large lime
Salt  to taste

Mango salsa for Tacos / Tortilla chips / baked chicken / grilled fish

INSTRUCTIONS :

In a serving bowl, combine the prepared mango, bell pepper, onion, cilantro and jalapeno. Drizzle with the juice of one lime and mix well. Season to taste with salt. For best flavor, let the salsa rest in refrigerator covered for 10 minutes or longer.

VARIATIONS :

1. You can add 1/4 cup fresh diced cucumber to make another delicious Mango cucumber salsa.
2. You can make avocado mango salsa by using cubed avocado pieces instead of bell peppers.
3. Use finely chopped fresh pineapple pieces instead of bell peppers to make Mango-Pineapple salsa.

Mango salsa for Tacos / Tortilla chips / baked chicken / grilled fish