This year has flown by quickly! I am looking forward to 2009 and will be posting many more video recipes. Your support means a lot to me. This year I would like to receive more feedback and interaction from you, the viewers. I may not be able to address all of your suggestions, but I will do my best!

I talked briefly before about New Year’s resolutions…well this year my resolution is to de-clutter and organize my house. I know that it will feel good both mentally and aesthetically! But maintaining a clutter-free house can be hard. So this year, my husband and I have decided to tackle one room at a time and finish by the end of the January. This is one resolution I think can keep. Stay tuned for my progress!

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December is an important month; the old year is ending and a New Year is about to begin. In December, people think about their lives and make New Year’s resolutions; I don’t know how many of us follow our resolutions but it is still good to make the resolutions and try to live up to them. Coming up with my own resolutions makes me think about the past year and what really happened. It reminds me of things I enjoyed or was excited about and other things that made me feel down. In both cases, thinking about why I felt and acted as I did helps me to see what I should be doing in my life, today and in the future.

Another important thing about December for me is that this is the month of my own and my elder son’s wedding anniversaries.

Two years ago, on December 23rd, my husband put the very first video recipe (Gulab Jamun) on YouTube for me. I get a great deal of satisfaction and happiness from doing these videos. I want to thank my viewers for their support and their interesting and satisfying comments. My husband sometimes has a big smile while reading some of the comments and will tell me they are feeding my ego. Well, speaking as a cook, egos need to be fed, too, don’t they?

We just did the video for Namak Paare. This is a very traditional staple snack. Usually Namak Paare is made with all-purpose flour (plain flour, maida) but I make it using half all-purpose and half whole-wheat so I
can keep my husband and daughter-in-law both happy. My daughter-in-law likes to replace all-purpose flour with whole wheat whenever possible. Namak Paare is an all time favorite with my family to take on trips. They especially enjoy it with mango pickle.

Next I will be doing Potato Paneer Tots. I came up with this recipe while I was making Malai Kofta. I hope you will like it as much my family does.

I always look forward to this time of year. I don’t celebrate Christmas as I am not a Christian, but I do enjoy the Christmas spirit that my community shows. I enjoy seeing the festive spirit in my students and neighbors. This time of year also means that I get to spend more time with grand kids!

I plan on doing craft projects with my grand daughter. We will probably do some bead work and coloring.

I will also be doing what I love most which is cooking! I am planning meals for family dinners. For appetizers, I will be making khasta kachori, papdi chat, and masala peanuts. For desserts, I will make gulab jamun, gajar ka halwa, pineapple and cherry cobbler (my friend made this for me and everyone liked it). For dinner, chola battura is my younger son’s favorite. And one night this season I will prepare an Italian meal. Some of my neighbors have done a great job decorating their homes with Christmas lighting. We like to drive around to see the Christmas decorations.

Thanksgiving Day is a time to offer thanks, for family gatherings and holiday meals. There are lot of things I am thankful for, but I have to say I am most thankful for the unconditional love and support of my family. My two sons and their families will be coming to my house this Thanksgiving holiday weekend. I am planning on making an Italian meal. I am also trying out a new bread dessert recipe. Make sure to check back for the video recipe! Then we will enjoy the rest of the evening by talking and playing games. It will be a great weekend enjoyed by all!

Yesterday, we went out with my younger son and his wife for a movie and dinner. We saw Slumdog Millionaire and we liked it very much. The movie is about social awakening of the poor in India. My younger son always likes to tease me about how much time I like to spend with him and I will say just wait till you are a father in two more months and then we will talk about it.

Today, I made Apple crumb pie for the third time and my husband finally approved.  So we will be taping tonight. Stay tuned…

Besides Indian, Italian food is my next favorite cuisine. Today, I experimented with pasta cooked with butter and balsamic vinegar and it came out really good. My family really enjoyed the pasta and I think this recipe should be shared, though I have not decided on a name yet for this dish. Most likely, I will call it Fettuccini with Balsamic vinegar. I served the pasta with green salad and Bruschetta topped with tomato and basil. The video will be posted soon, but here are some photos of the Fettuccini and Bruschetta.

I am behind schedule in producing video recipes. Today, we finally recorded the video recipe for Moong Dal with Spinach. I am hoping the video will get uploaded to You Tube later tonight. Last week I was really busy entertaining guests that were visiting from out of town. Also we had a wonderful baby shower for my daughter in law. I have two grand kids from my older son and for my younger son this will be his first child.

I am working on a few new recipes including:

1. Paneer Potato tots
2. Namak Para which is a saltine finger snack
3. Apple Oat crumb will be the next dessert, my grand daughter enjoys this dessert a lot and she thinks I should do this next for sure.

Here is an interesting article about herbs and spices in the Washington Post that a friend sent me:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/15/AR2008081504079.html