Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen

Valentine's day tea table

2012-02-08T16:50:00.000-08:00

The seductive aroma from the pink jasmine adds a romantic touch to the table.

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.
I am joining Tablescape Thursday, The charm of home, Show and Tell, French Country Cottage, Pink Saturday and Seasonal Sundays.

Centerpiece from the orchard

2012-01-30T18:17:00.000-08:00

These adorable kumquats make a beautiful centerpiece during the winter months. I am liking this centerpiece even more right next to my favorite maiden fern. Don't you love the contrasting between the bright green and orange?
For those of you who have never eaten a kumquat, it is a tiny citrus fruit. The entire fruit is edible and the best part of the fruit is the rind. During the season, I keep popping them in the mouth all day.

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

I am joining A stroll thru life, Savvy Southern Style, Patty's Weekly Story, Tablescape Thursday, The style sisters, Common Ground, The charm of home and Show and Tell.

Spice up your meals

2012-01-26T17:14:00.000-08:00

This morning while I was eating my chili toast for breakfast, I was thinking about an article I read on MSNBC last week. You can read about the article here: Spice up your meals.

This article says that new research indicates that spicing up your meals can help reduce your weight and increase your metabolism. For me, spicing up my meals begins with breakfast. Yes, you heard me right, with breakfast. I grew up in India. Spices are in my blood.

Now you too can enjoy chili toast for breakfast or as a snack anytime. Here is the recipe. Enjoy!

Chili Toast
Yield : 2 pieces

2 Slices of bread ( I prefer Trader Joe's cracked wheat or multigrain sourdough bread)
1 small tomato, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons chopped red onion
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh green chili such as serrano
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup of grated cheddar cheese
Generous pinch of ground cumin
Pinch of cayenne or to your taste

Preheat oven to 375 F.
Mix all the ingredients together except for the bread. Place bread on the baking sheet. Pile the cheese mixture on the bread, evenly dividing it on two slices. Bake the toast in the oven for 5 -7 minutes.

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

I am joining Foodie Friday, Common Ground, French Country Cottage, Show and Tell and How Sweet the Sound.

Mom's love

2012-01-19T18:00:00.000-08:00

This is my favorite piece of accessory in my house at the moment. Don't you love the expression on her face, not to mention the elegant curves of her body?

Miniature arrangement

2012-01-13T14:34:00.000-08:00

When flowers are not in abundance in the garden, I try to stretch my blooms by making miniature flower arrangements. Even a single bloom can brighten any corner of the house, don't you think?

Breakfast table

2012-01-11T17:52:00.000-08:00

My breakfast table showcases whatever is growing in my garden. Needless to say, tangerines are in season. These tangerines are so sweet, I eat them with the peel on. Weird, huh?

Flowers for the table

2012-01-05T17:14:00.000-08:00

In loving memory of Maria

2012-01-04T17:58:00.000-08:00

The reason I have been absent from blogging for a while is because on New Year's Eve, I lost one of my best friends, Maria, after her two-year battle against pancreatic cancer. Before she got sick, I used to talk about turmeric and other spices and their antioxidant properties. She used to laugh about my home remedies. When she come to know about the disease, I went to visit her. It was an emotional visit as expected, but in the middle of all those emotions, I couldn't help laughing after seeing turmeric tablets in her medicine arsenals. If this many pundits are raving about turmeric and spices why not include them in your daily intake?

During her two years of battle with cancer, I used to visit her regularly. Each time before I visit, I would call her and ask what I could bring. The answer was always the same, lemon rice. From time to time, I would joke saying that I published a cookbook with more than 260 recipes and lemon rice is not the only thing I can make. But her request would be the same each time- lemon rice. After going through all that radiation and chemotherapy, she would lose all of her appetite, but when she saw the lemon rice she always had a little appetite for lemon rice. It might be because of the sharp taste of lime flavor was stimulating her taste buds, or the anti nausea effect of ginger, and other spices used in this recipe. Whatever reason might have been, lemon rice always brought back her appetite and a smile on her face.

Towards the end of her life, I used to cut down on chilies to make this recipe.
You can read about turmeric and get the recipe for lemon rice here.

I don't know what causes cancer exactly, we can blame it on pollution, over processed food or lack of fiber in our diet and so on.

For now, how about eating a low fat, high fiber diet and exercising regularly for better health?

Needless to say I will miss making lemon rice for my sweet friend, Maria.

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

I am joining Tablescape Thursday and Foodie Friday.

Pink Christmas Table

2011-12-21T17:32:00.000-08:00

Instead of using traditional Christmas colors, I decided to go with pink for my table this year.

Centerpiece is made of a pewter bowl filled with California pepper berry foliage and Christmas ornaments

A Christmas ornament at each place setting serves as a party favor.

Candlelight adds a warm glow to the table

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

I am joining Tablescape Thursday, French Country Cottage,
Show and Tell, The Charm of Home, Common Ground and Pink Saturday.

Put a personal stamp on your decorating

2011-12-20T17:23:00.000-08:00

I like when people put their personal stamp on decorating their Christmas trees. My friend Barbara did exactly that when she decorated her tabletop Christmas tree. She loves to sew and make lace. Her tabletop Christmas tree reflects her love for sewing. I fell in love with this little tree. I thought I would share it with you all.

Holiday Flowers

2011-12-18T17:53:00.000-08:00

This morning while I was walking, I collected some pine cones and branches and incorporated them into my flower arrangements to bring holiday cheer into the house.

I am joining Seasonal Sunday, Metamorphosis Monday, Pattys weekly story and A Stroll Through Life.

Getting ready for Christmas

2011-12-14T17:28:00.000-08:00

For me, getting ready for Christmas begins with getting ready to make homemade gift baskets. My homemade gift baskets are never without my signature pomegranate jelly. My daughter will be coming home soon from college for winter break. We both will be baking all the goodies that go into the baskets. Can't wait!

I like to decorate the house for Christmas with natural elements from the garden whenever possible.

Pomegranates and berries from the garden make a stunning centerpiece.

Pomegranate jellies are all labelled and ready. I like to have homemade jellies and jams on hand for last minute gifts and for hostess gifts.

If you don't know what to buy for the people on your Christmas list, think of my book as a gift that will make a lasting impression.

You can get an autographed copy of my book here.

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

I am joining Tablescape Thursday, French Country Cottage, Common Ground, The Charm Of Home, Show and Tell, Foodie Friday, How Sweet the Sound and Ivy and Elephants.

Celebrate Christmas with global flavors

2011-12-08T18:55:00.000-08:00

How about celebrating this Christmas with global flavors? Raan, the Indian spiced leg of lamb is a perfect dish to serve at your Christmas dinner. Raan is a leg of lamb marinated in tandoori spices and then completely encased with a spicy almond crust and roasted in the oven. While it is roasting, your house will be filled with an exotic spicy aroma. When you serve this dish to the table, be ready for all the ooooohs and ahhhs from your guests!

This dish is part of my Christmas dinner menu from my book. The image has been adopted from my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen. You can get autographed copy of my book, here.

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

I am joining Show and Tell, Foodie Friday and French Country Cottage.

Flower Arranging

2011-11-30T18:02:00.000-08:00

Now that the Thanksgiving chaos is over, the house has gotten very quiet. Before the holiday madness begins, I am relaxing with my favorite hobby, cutting flowers from the garden and arranging them for the house. My pink proteas are still blooming profusely.

If you don't know what to buy for the people on your Christmas list, think of my book as a gift that will make a lasting impression.

You can get an autographed copy of my book, here.

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

I am joining Tablescape Thursday, No minimalist here, Common ground, French country cottage, Show and Tell, Rose Vignettes, Pink Saturday and Tootsie time.

Weekend recap

2011-11-27T17:42:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving. I had wonderful Thanksgiving because I have lot to thankful for, my family. My children visited from the east coast for Thanksgiving. We celebrated our Thanksgiving with forty of my family members and friends.

Thanksgiving dessert table: Along with my persimmon date coconut pudding (featured in my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen), pecan pie, and pumpkin halwa, I made two of Martha Stewart's recipes, pumpkin mousse cheese cake and pumpkin pecan tart.

After all the fuss of Thanksgiving baking, chopping, cooking, cleaning and decorating, I got to lounge around the house with my kids and husband, eating leftovers for the next couple of days.

The day after Thanksgiving, my leftover roasted root vegetables turned into a delectable soup.

Leftover mashed potatoes transformed into potato tikkis

Thanksgiving is officially over. Now it is time to organize for Christmas.

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.
I am joining Menu Monday, Seasonal Sunday, Metamorphosis Monday, Pattys weekly story, Table Time Tuesday , Savvy Southern Style and Foodie Friday.

Thanksgiving Inspiration

2011-11-20T17:51:00.000-08:00

Celebrating Thanksgiving with a touch of my cultural heritage.

Image adopted from my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen. You can get autographed copy of my book, here.

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

I am joining Menu Monday, Seasonal Sunday, Metamorphosis Monday, Patty's Weekly Story, Tabletop Tuesday, Savvy southern Style and Tablescape Thursday.

Pomegranates

2011-11-18T13:43:00.000-08:00

To my liking, nowadays, you can't walk into the fruit section of a supermarkets without coming across my favorite pomegranates. How about celebrating this Thanksgiving with the antioxidant rich super fruit, pomegranates?

You can find the recipe for pomegranate glazed turkey in my book Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen.

Autumn Harvest

2011-11-14T15:12:00.000-08:00

Autumn has arrived at the Nunna farm with the seasonal bounty of fruits. For me, autumn brings an endless supply of fruit from my orchard. Both my husband and I love to harvest bounty from our garden. Today, we harvested persimmons and pomegranates. We both were like two kids in a candy store, trying to pick as much fruit as possible. It was a fun and fruitful day.

Autumn colors at the farm

This week's flower arrangements featuring persimmons

Persimmons and nandina berries make a statement in the arrangement

At my Thanksgiving table, seasonal fruit takes center stage

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

I am joining Patty's Weekly Story, Table top Tuesday, Show off your Cottage, Savvy Southern Style , A Beach Cottage, Tablescape Thursday, French Country Cottage, The Charm of Home and Common Ground.

Cilantro Chutney

2011-11-13T17:46:00.000-08:00

This is my most favorite chutney from Northern India. The fragrant cilantro is blended into a smooth chutney along with spices such as chilies, garlic, and lime juice. It is an ultimate dip/sauce for most of the finger foods in India. Don't limit this chutney for Indian food alone. This is a very versatile chutney in my kitchen I use it with sandwiches, paninis, pastas and soups. Once you get used to this chutney, it can become very addictive.

This is the basic recipe. Many variations for this recipe can be found all over India.

The Recipe:
Yield about 1 cup
• 2 cups cilantro leaves
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into small pieces
• 1 - 3 fresh green chilies such as serrano. cut into pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons lime juice, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
Place all the ingredients into blender. Grind every thing into smooth paste, while stopping and pushing with the wooden spoon when necessary.

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.
I am joining Menu Monday, Seasonal Sunday and Metamorphosis Monday.

Flower Arranging

2011-11-07T17:09:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite chores of the weekend is arranging flowers for the house. Right now, pink proteas are in full bloom in my garden. This arrangement for the side table has pink proteas with end of the season hydrangeas.

My all-time favorite votive candle holder

On the next day, the morning sun lit the flowers

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.
I am joining Patty's Weekly Story, Table Top Tuesday, Saavy Southern Style, Tablescape Thursday, French Country Cottage, The Charm of Home, Show and Tell and How Sweet the Sound.

My weekend table

2011-10-31T12:53:00.000-07:00

The table was set with Martha Stewart's Wedgwood china.

Lace edge table cloth

Garden zinnias arranged in Victorian bird gracie china teapot

My favorite salt cellar

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

I am joining Patty's Weekly Story, Savvy Southern Style, Tablescape Thursday, Show and Tell, The Charm of Home, Freanch country cottage, How Sweet the Sound and Rose Vignettes.

Deepawali Rangoli

2011-10-26T18:13:00.000-07:00

Today is Indian Deepawali (festival of lights). You can read about Deepawali and my Deepawali Table here. During this festival, traditional designs called rangolis are drawn in the house with different colored powders to welcome guests. These rangolis bring warmth and comfort of traditions during this festive season.

Happy Deepawali to all of you!

Image is adopted from my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen.

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

I am joining Tablescape Thursday and Show and Tell, French Country Cottage, The Charm of Home and Pink Saturday

Happy Deepawali

2011-10-25T17:57:00.000-07:00

Wish you all a very happy Deepawali!

You can read about Deepawali and my Deepawali Table here.

I am joining Savvy Southern Style and Out door Wednesday.

Indian Wedding - The ceremony 2

2011-10-17T18:45:00.000-07:00

This post is a continuation of my previous post (Indian wedding - The ceremony 1).

The ceremony was conducted in Sanskrit, an ancient language from the Indo-Aryan language group and the language from which most of the Indian languages were derived.

Megan reentering the mandap after a change of attire while everyone is admiring her poise. She carries a coconut to signify fertility.

Sree, looking at his blushing bride

Mangalya Sutram(necklace ritual):
Just as women in the Western world wear wedding rings, married women in India wear a wedding necklace(Mangala Sutra). The necklace represents the couple's togetherness, love and their sacred union.
In the view of the sacred fire, Sree ties the sacred necklace around Megan's neck. This signifies their unbreakable union of life.

Sree first blesses Megan by putting vermillion powder on her forehead...

...and with turmeric tinted rice on her head

Ritual prayer

Exchanging rings...

...and garlands

Homam(Holy fire):

The priest sets up a small fire in a sacred bowl and invokes the presence of God, who is manifested in the divine fire.The sacred fire represents a divine witness that sanctifies the ceremony.

Sree and Megan pray for their future prosperity by offering ghee to the sacred fire.

Saptapadi(seven steps ritual):

Sree and Megan take seven steps together around the holy fire toward a long and happy union with each other representing a different blessing of marriage

The first step: for togetherness, respect and honor
The second step: to develop physical and emotional health
The third step: to increase spiritual health
The fourth step: to acquire knowledge, happiness and harmony
The fifth step: to be blessed with happy family
The sixth step: to be rewarded with a healthy family
The seventh step: for mutual love, friendship, and companionship

As they are taking their seven steps, they take the following vows:

By walking these seven steps together, we have become friends forever and I am blessed with your friendship. We shall always be together. We shall love and live together.

Thalambralu:
This is an another very traditional Andhra Pradesh wedding ritual. The bride and groom shower flowers and turmeric tinted rice on each other's heads.This is meant to be a fun ritual, a cause for great merriment and laughter. With rice being staple food, it is poured in abundance over each other's heads by the couple in a joyful manner, conveying health and abundance in their years together.

The guests watching

The couple are blessed with Aarti (traditional blessing with lamp) by family members.

The couple seeks blessings from the family and friends. Flower petals and rice are then given to family and friends to shower upon them. With the blessings, the wedding ceremony has now concluded.

The couple left the mandap as Mr. & Mrs. Chaguturu. Congratulations to the bride and groom!

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.
I am joining Patty's Weekly Story, Table Top Tuesday, Savvy Southern Style, French Country Cottage, Show and Tell and How Sweet the Sound.

Indian Wedding - The ceremony 1

2011-10-13T18:12:00.000-07:00

As the continuation of the Baraat and the mandap at my nephew's wedding, this post is all about the actual Hindu wedding ceremony.

Here comes the bride! Megan, beautifully dressed in her bridal attire is led to the Mandap by none other than her proud father.

The Jillakara Bellam ceremony is a traditional Andhra Pradesh (Andhra Pradesh being a state in India) wedding ritual. The actual marriage is considered to have commenced at this auspicious moment. Jillakara(cumin seeds) and Bellam (brown sugar) are mixed together to form a paste. The idea of the whole ceremony is that when these two ingredients are mixed together, they forge an amazingly strong bond. Once mixed, it is impossible to separate the two ingredients, signifying that the Sree and Megan will have strength in their marriage. This paste is then put on each other's heads at the same moment while taking an oath that they will be together not matter what circumstance they encounter.

So in love!

Here the bride and groom are presented with new white clothes for the continuation of the ceremony. They will be changing into the new attire for the rest of the ceremony

Ceremony continues...

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

I am joining Show and Tell, French Country Cottage, TheCharm of Home, At the Picket Fence and Common Ground.

Indian Wedding - The Mandap

2011-10-12T17:42:00.000-07:00

This post is the continuation of my previous post, the Baraat at my nephew's wedding.

Mandap:

The majority of a Hindu wedding ceremony takes place in a Mandap which is the four-pole canopy on an elevated platform (at center stage), decorated with flower garlands.The ceremony itself is a collection of rituals performed by the bride, bridegroom and their respective parents.

The following are rituals in Hindu wedding ceremonies:

1. Fresh flowers - to signify beauty and innocence
2. Rice, brown sugar and other grains - to signify the food necessary for sustenance of human life
3. Ghee (purified butter) - to feed the sacred fire
4. Kumkum (vermilion) - red powder used for marking the forehead to signify good luck and to show you that your soul (husband) is with you everywhere you go.

Mandap: Hanging torans of mango leaves and garlands of marigold flowers around the mandap is unique to Andhra weddings

Beautiful flowers everywhere. The bride chose the traditional Indian colors (gold, red and orange) for the wedding.

The stage is set for the groom to enter along with his parents

Notice the garlands of flowers draping the backdrop, typical of any Indian wedding

The groom takes the stage along with his parents and takes part in the ritual prayer.

Attending guests, eagerly waiting for the bride's procession

Tomorrow's post is about the actual wedding ceremony.

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

I am joining Tablescape Thursday.

Indian Wedding

2011-10-11T17:01:00.000-07:00

It isn’t very often that I get to feature an entire traditional Hindu wedding on this blog. Hindu weddings are made up of vibrant colors and beautiful traditions.

On September 24th, my nephew, Sree, got married in Boston to the most beautiful girl, Megan. Even though the bride is an Irish American, they both opted for a Hindu marriage ceremony. Although Hindu wedding itself is held on one day, there are a number of ceremonies that take place before and after the actual wedding ceremony. These ceremonies can take 3- 5 days depending on the opulence of the wedding party.

Morning of the wedding:

The bride gets ready for the most important day in her life. She is wearing a traditional south Indian silk sari and is adorned with fine jewels.

Going over the details of the ceremony with her mother and future father-in-law.

All the bridesmaids are ready in their saris

All prayers in Hindu ceremonies start with invoking the blessings of Lord Ganesha, who, unlike any other Hindu deity, has an elephant head.

Meanwhile, the groom, Sree, is getting ready for the Baraat, away from the wedding hall. At this point, the bride and groom haven't see each other yet. Sree is dressed in a shewani (long jacket) and chudidar (pants). On his head he wears a safa (turban). He wears traditional Indian shoes for the ceremony.

My daughter, Silpa, with her cousin, Sree.

Baraat (The Wedding Procession):
Baraat is a colorful and vibrant ceremony where the elegantly adorned groom arrives to the marriage hall riding on a bejeweled, decorated horse.

Bridesmaids joining the crowd to welcome the groom

Groomsmen

Glowing groom

Two cousins at the wedding

Friends and family enjoying the Baraat.

Here comes the groom, along with his family and friends, arriving at the wedding site with fanfare.

The groom gets down from the horse and joins the party and dancing

Groom's parents dancing away with their son

The bride's parents and groom's parents enjoying a moment together.

The company rejoice by dancing along the way

Megan's mother then welcomes Sree with Aarti (traditional Indian welcome ritual with a lamp) and feeds him a sweet, inviting her future son-in-law to the wedding Mandap.

Stay tune for more ohhss and ahhhhs in future posts about the actual ceremony. Yep, It was that beautiful!

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

I am joining Saavy Southern Style and Outdoor Wednesday.

Autumn harvest arrangement

2011-10-09T19:49:00.000-07:00

I am always looking for a natural and creative way to dress up my table. Figs, pears and pomegranates from my orchard make a beautiful display on the table. I used faux grapes in the arrangement for added interest.

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.
I am joining Susan's Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday, Patty's Weekly Story, Seasonal Sundays, and Table Top Tuesday.

Event Planning

2011-10-03T20:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the yoga center in my town celebrated its 10th anniversary. Proceeds from the event benefited the RAIN community, a local transitional living center for homeless families. Entertainment was provided by the very special guest, singer/songwriter Donna DeLory (www.donnadelory.com), who sang kirtans all evening.

I was honored to be chosen as the event coordinator, responsible for a 200 people dessert buffet.

Platters were assembled on the kitchen counter at the event site

Mango mousse with pomegranate-berry sauce was a great hit at the party

Savory spanakopitas were added to the menu to offset all the sweet dishes

The stage was set for the buffet and was made ready to assemble the food. Ornate risers were used to display the desserts.

Since it was a yoga celebration, I wanted to bring serenity to the table with garden flowers and Eastern figurine candle holders.

Arranging platters on the table

The recipe for fruit tarts and mango mousse can be found in my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen. Sorry for the blurry pictures. It was hard to photograph, while the crowd was impatiently waiting to dig into these pastries.

I was grateful to be part of a meaningful celebration.

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

I am joining Patty's Weekly Story, Table top Tuesday, Saavy Southern Style, Tablescape Thursday, Show and Tell, Foodie Friday, and Pink Saturday.

Weekend Harvest

2011-09-25T18:27:00.000-07:00

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

I am joining Susan's Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday, Patty's Weekly Story, Seasonal Sundays, Table Top Tuesday, Savvy Southern Style, Tablescape Thursday, Foodie Friday, The Charm of Home, Show and Tell, French Country Cottage and How Sweet the Sound.

Dessert is served

2011-09-22T19:02:00.000-07:00

Dessert is served, come and help yourselves. Here are some of the images from last weekend's entertaining.

Fruit tarts

Pineapple - mango upside down cakelets

Cashew baklava rolls are another crowd pleaser

Almost all these recipes can be found in my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen.

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

I am joining Foodie Friday, Show and Tell, French Country Cottage, Common Ground, Savvy Southern Style and Tablescape Thursday.

Party tablescape and more

2011-09-21T18:01:00.000-07:00

If you missed my post about getting ready for the party, click here. Pears and zinnias are in season in my garden. My tablescapes reflect what is growing in my garden. Here are more images from the party.

Getting ready for the party

2011-09-19T04:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I hosted a party for 35 of my neighbors and friends. I wanted to host a candle light dinner before the summer ends. The theme of the party was candle light dinner at the Nunna farm. The day of the party began with harvesting flowers from my garden to make arrangements for the party. Since it is a candle light dinner, I pulled out the candles that I wanted to use.

The flowers were arranged and the candles were gathered in the morning for the party.

Recycled bottles were used to serve beverages. I dressed up these bottles with raffia and a leaf cutout (I used a Martha Stewart leaf punch). I am a sucker for any leaf motif. Even my company logo was designed with a leaf motif.

Guests enjoying meyer lemon lemonade

I have a lot more to share about the party in future posts.

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

I am joining Susan's Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday, Patty's Weekly Story, Seasonal Sundays, Table top Tuesday and Savvy Southern Style.

Flowers for the table

2011-09-14T18:04:00.000-07:00

Zinnias in the garden

2011-09-13T17:58:00.000-07:00

This is part of my summer cutting garden.

Dessert from the Orchard

2011-09-11T18:18:00.000-07:00

My favorite dessert changes with the season. At the moment, my favorite dessert is tree ripened figs. I think they are nature's perfect candy. I roast them and serve it with cheese and make fig-ginger jam to go with morning toast. Most of all, I prefer to eat warm figs right out of the tree.

I use a ceramic egg cartoon to serve figs.

Figs on the tree

Friends visit

2011-09-07T15:36:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, my friends Shobha and Surinder were visiting from Boston. She is the friend with whom I share similar interests and hobbies. We both love flower arranging, cooking, baking and have a special love for china. This is the time of the year that my garden is overflowing with fresh vegetables (especially the tomatoes), fruit and herbs. For every lunch and dinner, the menu was planned around garden bounty. We cooked, arranged flowers and shopped. What a fun and exciting weekend it was!

Arranged flowers

Set the table

Made assorted salads for one of the lunches using garden vegetables

Roasted butternut squash and pear salad. Abundance of butternut squash and pears in the garden inspired us to prepare this salad.

Mango, black bean and pepper salad

Tomato and mozzarella salad

How cool it would be if we can spend time with all our friends like that every weekend!

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

I am joining Tablescape Thursday, Foodie Friday, Show and Tell, French Country Cottage, Common Ground and Pattys Weekly Story.

Arrangement from the orchard

2011-09-01T19:04:00.000-07:00

Gifts from the garden

2011-08-28T18:19:00.000-07:00

When I go out to dinner parties, I like to give the hostess gifts from my house or from my garden. Last weekend, I made a gift basket for a friend from my garden.

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

I am joining Susan's Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday, Patty's Weekly Story, Seasonal Sundays and a A Stroll Thru Life.

From the Garden

2011-08-26T15:28:00.000-07:00

Martha Washington geranium from my garden.

Favorite Summer Lunch

2011-08-25T14:33:00.000-07:00

As you can tell, I am totally obsessed with garden tomatoes. My favorite lunch at the moment is assorted garden tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, chiffonode of sweet basil with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Having Tea with Friends

2011-08-22T13:51:00.000-07:00

I love it when my friends drop by and have a cup of tea informally. This morning I had tea with a couple of my girlfriends after yoga. When I bake, I freeze some tea cakes for guests who drop in. When friends drop by, I usually pull out a tea cake from the freezer and quickly thaw it in the microwave oven and serve it with tea. Since it is tomato season I had to serve some sun gold tomatoes with tea, whether they go well with the tea or not. This is my favorite way to spend time with my friends, talking and laughing while sipping tea.

The following images are from last Friday evening tea with friends.

Golden Harvest

2011-08-21T17:54:00.000-07:00

Even though I grow a lot of varieties of tomatoes, my favorite cherry tomato is called Sun gold. Every summer, I look forward to harvesting these golden gems. I think these are the sweetest and tastiest tomatoes on earth. When I harvest them, I think I pop more into my mouth than into my basket. At each harvest, I promise myself not to fill up my stomach so much, but once I taste one, I can't resist. I don't know which is better, the taste or the look of the tomatoes. If you have never grown them, give it a try next year. Even if you don't have a garden, try to grow them in a pot. You will be glad you did it. Once you taste them, you will be addicted to these gems like I am.

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

I am joining Susan's Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday, Patty's Weekly Story, Seasonal Sundays and Savvy Southern Style.

Orchard in mid August

2011-08-16T19:02:00.000-07:00

Apples are getting ready to harvest

Jujubi

Jujubi closeup

Asian pears

Figs look beautiful on the tree

Persimmons are getting ready for fall

Pomegranates

Pomelo

Pears

Thanks for joining me for a walk in my orchard.

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.
I am joining Outdoor Wednesday, Savvy Southern Style, Foodie Friday and Show and Tell.

Floating Centerpiece

2011-08-14T12:59:00.000-07:00

I always set the table for my cooking classes. I want my students to learn not only how to cook Indian food, but also how to create an atmosphere to sit and dine with people. For yesterday's class, I didn't have time to make an arrangement for the table. I quickly went to my dahlia garden, plucked some blooms and floated them in a crystal bowl along with geranium leaves. Voila! My floating centerpiece was ready.

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

I am joining Susan's Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday, Patty's Weekly Story, Seasonal Sundays, Table top Tuesday and Tablescape Thursday.

Matar Paneer

2011-08-11T19:25:00.000-07:00

Matar Paneer is a hearty vegetarian dish from North India. Paneer(Indian cheese) is available at Indian super markets. If you cannot find paneer, you can use queso fresco(Mexican cheese) as a substitution. To make this recipe vegan, use tofu in place of paneer and replace the cream with almond milk. Any way you make it, matar paneer will be utterly delicious. It is sure to become one of your most favorite recipes of your repertoire.

Recipe:
Serves 4 - 6
• 12 ounces fried paneer pieces

Gravy
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup finely chopped onions
• 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
• 1 tablespoon coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• ½ cup tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
• 1 ½ cups hot water
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 teaspoon garam masala powder
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro/coriander

Have paneer ready and set aside.

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onions. Sauté until onions are translucent and the edges begin to brown. Add ginger garlic paste and stir fry for 1 minute. Stir in coriander powder, cumin powder, cayenne and turmeric and fry for about 2 minutes until all the spices are fried with the onion mixture. Add tomato sauce and salt. Cook for another 2 - 3 minutes while stirring occasionally. Add hot water and peas. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook for about 10 minutes until peas are tender. Stir in garam masala and cream and cook for 2–3 minutes. Stir the paneer into the gravy and heat through. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

This recipe is adapted from my cookbook, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen.

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including gluten free recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

I am joining Cindy for Show and Tell, Foodie Friday, The Charm of Home and French Country Cottage.

Teapots and a Rooster

2011-08-09T18:31:00.000-07:00

This is one corner of my kitchen accessorized with all white daily use teapots and a rooster creamer filled with flowers.

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

I am joining Note Songs Roosters and Chickens party, Tablescape Thursday and Show and Tell-friday.

Hibiscus

2011-08-05T16:16:00.000-07:00

Traditionally, you don't think of bringing hibiscus flowers indoors and arranging them in a vase. Even though they don't last more than two days in a vase, I cannot help but bring these salmon colored hibiscus flowers indoors and arrange them in a small pitcher and enjoy them for as long as they last.

Getting ready for company

2011-08-01T17:32:00.000-07:00

As I was getting ready for company..

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

I am joining Patty's Weekend Wrap-Up, A Stroll thru Life, Savvy Southern Style, Tablescape Thursday and No Minimalist Here.

Coleus

2011-07-27T17:58:00.000-07:00

Every spring, I religiously plant my favorite coleus in my backyard patio. If you plant flowering vines, they don't bloom all the time whereas coleus are bright and colorful all summer long. Coleus are the best way to bring color to your patio. For today's post, I want to share a corner of my patio right next to my kitchen. Shall I call this my patioscape?

These orange flowers are called crossandra (Sundance), a childhood favorite of mine while growing up in India. Pink flowers are Martha Washington geraniums.

Another corner of the patio

Kitchen Garden Update

2011-07-24T10:47:00.000-07:00

Lately, I have not been blogging about my kitchen garden due to a small setback. Unfortunately, one gopher got into my kitchen garden and caused a havoc, ruining all of my eggplant and okra. It took a while to catch the wild gopher and get back to my gardening routine. Meanwhile, I lost more than a month of the growing season for okra and eggplant. Oh well, that is the price you pay for opting to live in the country.

Indian ridgegourd vine is growing and flowering nicely

Butternut squash is yielding

Opo squash is flowering

Cayenne, serrano and bell pepper plants are in full bloom

I am letting some of these chilies ripen to make Indian pickle and hot pepper jam

Zucchinis are still yielding abundantly

Green beans are done and ready to be pulled out

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

I am joining Susan's Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday, Patty's Weekend wrap-up, Centsational Girl's Garden Party, Savvy Southern Style and Outdoor-Wednesday.

Cooking Class Table

2011-07-20T13:33:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, I had a cooking class for a bunch of enthusiastic and adventurous people. The menu's theme was entertaining from pantry staples. As I was getting ready for the class, my daughter set the table for the students.

Often, Indian people eat food with the right hand and the left hand is reserved for drinking water and passing the food around. Hence, the water glass was set to the left.

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

I am joining Tablescape Thursday, No Minimalist Here, Show and tell, French Country Cottage and Pink Saturday .

Limelight Hydrangeas

2011-07-19T11:43:00.000-07:00

Limelight hydrangeas are back in my garden. They are my most favorite hydrangeas of all times. I like the unique conical shape filled with hundreds of dainty greenish-yellow color flowers, not to mention that it is a very hardy plant and easy to grow. These hydrangeas bloom from mid-July to fall. As the season progresses, these blooms get a pink hue which I love. Every summer, I look forward to these beautiful blooms to arrange in my flower arrangements. Since these flowers have a neutral color, they can be mixed with an array of different colored flowers. My favorite way to enjoy them is in a big jar filled with nothing but limelight hydrangeas.

My Daughter's party

2011-07-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

This fall, my daughter will be attending college in New England for her graduate studies. Even though fall is still far away, my summer calender looks too busy so last Saturday, we entertained a group of 30 of my daughter's friends for lunch.

Tables were set on the patio

One of the appetizers, roasted vegetable mini quiches, were a great hit at the party. I didn't get a chance to take photographs of my appetizer and drink buffet. It is hard to be a host and a photographer at the same time, don't you think?

All of the dishes for main course that was served for lunch come from my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen.

The cutlery was arranged at the end of buffet table in a trio of ice cream cone shaped pots. I was serving lunch for young adults. I didn't want my table to look sophisticated; rather, I wanted to bring some fun to the table.

Homemade popsicles (mango and berry-lemonade) were served right after the lunch. It was a perfect palate cleanser as well as a cooling agent on a hot, sunny summer day. I used to make lots of popsicles during the summer when my children were toddlers. I used the same molds to bring back childhood memories. It's hard to imagine that they are all grown up.

Dessert is served. At last, I was able to get around to take some pictures.

Individual chocolate trifle served in jam jars

Red velvet cupcakes

I made chocolate chip cookies while the guests were eating lunch so that cookies would be warm and gooey. Only less than half made it to the dessert table. The rest of them were devoured right out of the oven.

Of course we can't eat cookies without cold milk. The guest of honor's favorite snack was milk and cookies while growing up. There is something comforting about milk and cookies. All the grown children were reaching out to have a glass of milk and cookies.

It was great to see all my daughters friends in one place and having fun.

Most of these recipes can be found in my cookbook, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen.

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

I am joining Patty's Weekend Wrap-Up, Wow-us-WednesdaysTablescape Thursday, Cindy for Show and Tell, Foodie Friday and How Sweet the Sound.

Accessorizing

2011-07-06T20:06:00.000-07:00

We celebrated July 4th at our friend's house in Newport Beach. While touring the house, this particular accessory caught my eye immediately. By now, you know about my love for peacocks. When you want to accessorize a side table or a corner, instead of using many things, a single item such as this can make a statement. What do you think?

A Cornucopia of Zucchini

2011-07-05T23:06:00.000-07:00

While I was away last weekend, a cornucopia of zucchini greeted me in my kitchen garden. It seems that they grew overnight. I am sure my fellow gardeners have experienced a similar occurrence in their kitchen garden. By the end of the season, you get sick of zucchinis. I guess I have to keep on inventing new recipes using zucchini.

Dish Garden

2011-06-28T20:09:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I attended my nephew's wedding engagement in New Jersey. During that visit, we stayed at the Double Tree hotel. As some of you may know, when you check-in, the Double Tree staff welcomes you with their famous warm gooey chocolate chip cookies. As I was indulging in the most delicious chocolate chip cookie, I became enamored with the dish garden in the lobby. You can create something similar to this arrangement with a supermarket's flowering plants, orchid plants and driftwood.

I didn't recognize this unusual fruit at the bottom used as an accent.

Father's Day Table and Barbeque

2011-06-20T17:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the table was set in honor of dad. To bring the masculinity to the table, rock planters were used, filled with succulents as the centerpiece.

Grass placemats, bamboo cutlery and checkered napkins bring a casual outdoor feel to the table.

Father's Day wouldn't be complete without dad's favorite barbeque. Tandoori chicken on the grill

Baby elephant was eagerly waiting for the chicken to be ready

Succulent tandoori chicken

Paneer-vegetable kabobs are just off the grill and ready to be devoured. For the recipe and step-by-step pictures of these kabobs, check out my daughter's blog post.

My favorite grilled vegetables are ready for the sprinkling of chaat masala powder

The finale to the barbeque, falooda popsicles

All these recipes can be found in my cookbook, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen.

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

I am joining Patty's Weekend Wrap-Up and A Stroll thru Life , Tablescape Thursday, Foodie Friday, Show and Tell and The Charm of Home.

Saffron: The Spice of Gold

2011-06-16T18:00:00.000-07:00

Saffron is the most expensive spice by weight and it is made up of dried stamens of a crocus plant. The reason why this spice is very expensive is because it is very labor-intensive to harvest. This exotic spice is cultivated in many countries such as Spain, Turkey, Italy, Iran, Greece and the Jammu and Kashmir regions in India.

In India, this spice is used in both savory and sweet dishes. A pinch of saffron can enhance the flavor of a rice dish or a sweet dish. It is an indispensable spice in Spain's national dish paella and in Indian cuisine when making biryanis, pulaos and desserts. It gives a golden-yellow hue to any dish. Even though this is a very expensive spice, a little goes a long way. I usually fry it in a small skillet very quickly over a low flame while shaking the skillet constantly to bring out the maximum flavor. Before using it, saffron is usually soaked in either warm water or milk to extract the maximum flavor.

Saffron is not only indispensable as a spice for its alluring flavor and aroma but also for its medicinal properties.

This golden spice has a lot of disease-preventive health benefits. The active compound in saffron, a-crocin, helps people with memory, depression, whooping cough, and menstrual discomfort. There is some research evidence that saffron is an anti-cancer agent and that it helps lower blood cholesterol. It is also believed to prevent skin tumors, and improve arthritis and eye vision. It has many vital vitamins for better health such as vitamin A, folic acid, riboflavin, niacin, and vitamin C.

When you look at saffron, don't just think about paella and biryani but look at how it can help you for better health.

Store saffron in a cool dark place. If it is exposed to light, it can oxidize the flavor and color.

The next time you are drinking tea, don't forget to add a couple of stamens of saffron to your tea.

Flowers Around the House

2011-06-13T16:36:00.000-07:00

My morning walks through my garden inspire me to make flower arrangements with new designs. Today I picked some pink gladiolus, pink dahlias, and lily of the Nile(agapanthus) for contrast. Right next to my flowers, I spotted a sago palm tree. Since I want to use a tall gladiolus, I thought the sago palm leaf might bring some height and drama to the arrangement. Voila! With the palm leaf as the last touch, my arrangement was born. What do you think?

The following arrangement is from the opposite side of the room. I like to keep similar color themed arrangements in the room.

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

I am joining Patty's Weekend Wrap-Up, A Stroll thru Life, Savvy Southern Style, It's a very cherry world, Tablescape Thursday, No Minimalist Here, The Charm of Home , French Country Cottage
and How Sweet the Sound.

Flower Arranging

2011-06-05T18:08:00.000-07:00

Today, I participated in the Casa Pacifica Wine and Food Festival. Before going to the festival, I strolled through my garden to get the inspiration for my flower arrangement. Yesterday, while cleaning up the palm trees, my husband trimmed the inflorescence from the trees. That was the inspiration for my flower arrangement today. A lot of people came by my booth and inquired about the unusual foliage in my arrangement.

Palm tree inflorescence on the floor waiting to be discarded.

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

I am joining Susan's Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday, Patty's Weekend wrap-up, A Stroll thru Life, Savvy Southern Style, Between Naps on the Porch, Romantic Home and How Sweet the Sound.

Mango Lassi

2011-06-02T17:57:00.000-07:00

Temperatures are souring in certain parts of the country. Here is a perfect drink to word off that summer heat. Mango Lassi can be a finale to any Indian meal in place of dessert. This is similar to the western fruit smoothie and is a popular drink all over India during summer months.

Serves 4
• 2 cups canned sweetened *mango pulp or well ripened sweet mango pieces
• 2 cups plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1cup crushed ice

Place all the ingredients in the blender and process until frothy.

Here I garnished the drink with red currents.

*Canned mango pulp is available at Indian, Asian and Mexican super markets.
This recipe has been adopted from my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen.

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

I am joining Cindy for Show and Tell, Foodie Friday, Savvy Southern Style and Frugal Food Thursday.

Buddha's Mantel

2011-06-01T17:37:00.000-07:00

I love the peacefulness, serenity and tranquility of Buddha. Today I want to share my family room mantel, accessorized with Buddha's plaque and figurine.
One of Buddha's quotes that I love is: Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including gluten free recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

I am joining Susan's Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday, Colours Dekor's Buddha-Scapes , The Charm of Home, French Country Cottage and No Minimalist here.

Sunday flowers and a few snapshots from the garden

2011-05-29T17:39:00.000-07:00

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

I am joining The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays, Susan's Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday, Patty's Weekend wrap-up, Smiling Sally, House in Roses, A Stroll Thru Life, Savvy Southern Style and How Sweet the Sound.

Miniature flower arrangements

2011-05-25T18:16:00.000-07:00

When you want to perk up a corner of your house or coffee table, miniature flower arrangements are the way to go.

At the moment, geraniums are my favorite flowers to arrange.


My favorite vase to display a single bloom.

Miniature garden flowers arranged in a small bowl for the coffee table

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

I am joining Susan's Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday Cindy for Show, Tell, French Country Cottage, The Charm of Home, No Minimalist Here and How Sweet the Sound.

Weekend Flowers

2011-05-22T17:43:00.000-07:00

Do you remember last week's post about my Spring Garden Flowers and an abundance of astromerias? Some of those astromerias got metamorphosized into flower arrangements for the house. These bright blooms bring life to any room without a doubt.

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

I am joining The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays, Susan's Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday, Patty's Weekend wrap-up, A Stroll Thrul Life and Savvy Southern Style.

My Spring Garden

2011-05-18T18:41:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed that there have not been that many posts about food on my blog lately. It is because during this time of the year, my garden is in full bloom. I would rather spend my time in the garden and arranging flowers than in front of the stove. Also, I am too busy planting my kitchen garden. I will do another post about my kitchen garden soon. In the meantime, please enjoy my colorful garden.

Exuberant bougainvillaeas

Abundance of astromariam

Exotic bird of paradise

Snowball bush

Leptospermum (New Zealand Tea Tree)

Roses

Australian wax flower

Pincushion protea

White Hydrangea

Martha Washington Geranium

I am joining No Minimalist Here, The Charm Of Home and French Country Cottage, Cindy for Show and tell, How Sweet the Sound, Fish Tail Cottage, A Rosy Note, and Simply Sweet Home.

Pink Proteas from the Garden

2011-05-16T16:26:00.000-07:00

Do you remember my last week's post about the snowball bush? This week, I replaced the snowball flowers with pink proteas from my garden on the same side table, with a peacock wooden carving as an accent.

I like the hand-carved peacock accent against the similar textured backdrop.

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including gluten free recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.
I am joining A Stroll Tru Life, Savvy Southern Style , The Little Round Table, Patty's Weekend-Wrap-Up and Susan's Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday

Snowball Bush

2011-05-10T18:49:00.000-07:00

My favorite snowball bush blooms every spring without fail. I love how pure white blooms hang like giant snowballs from the tree. Like lilacs, their blooming period is short. When they are in bloom, I love to bring them into the house and arrange them to enjoy indoors.

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T10:46:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there!

Yesterday, I was invited to a party. Whenever I go to a party, my favorite gift to give is fresh flowers from my garden. I plucked pinkish white astromerias, white hydrangeas, wax flowers and ming fern and arranged them to take to the hostess.

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

I am joining The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays, Susan's Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday, Patty's Weekend wrap-up .

Dosa Party

2011-05-05T17:47:00.000-07:00

If you are as big a Martha fan as I am, I am sure you read about Saravanaa Bhavan in New York City, on her blog a couple of weeks ago. Saravanna Bhavan is a very popular traditional vegetarian restaurant in India. This restaurant originated in Chennai (formerly known as Madras), India known for its traditional dishes such dosas, idlis (steam cooked rice-lentil cakes) and thali. A dosa is a crepe made with rice and lentil batter, often served with sambar (lentil-vegetable stew), potato curry and coconut chutney. Many times, my weekend lunch entertaining revolves around dosas. I always have the batter ready in the fridge. If I am having non-vegeterian guests, I serve dosa with chicken korma. With vegetarian guests, I serve it with sambar, potato curry and coconut chutney.

My book, Entertaining from an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, has one whole chapter about a Dosa Party, where it gives guidelines and recipes about how to entertain with dosas.

These images have been adopted from my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen.

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

Happy Mother's Day!

I am joining French Country Cottage, Cindy for Show, Tell, Foodie Friday and How Sweet the Sound.

A Fan's Feedback and Flower Arrangement

2011-05-03T11:28:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, I was at the LA Times Festival of Books, signing my books. At a place like that, it is not only exciting to meet fellow authors and new people but also to learn how the trend in people's eating habits are changing. I was delighted to see that many people are turning into vegetarians and to see how much people are paying attention to the food they are eating. Well it is LA, what do you expect? LA being the trendsetter for the rest of the world, anything new and trendy starts right here. I guess healthy Indian vegetarian food is on its way to mainstream America. If you want to eat healthy vegetarian food, Indian food is the way to go.

A few familiar faces dropped by at my booth to say hello and to tell me how much they are enjoying the book. In particular, one fan dropped by to say that he cooked almost all the dishes from the book. Ever since he got the book last year, he discarded all the other Indian cookbooks and kept only mine. I felt that was the best reward for all my efforts. It was a feather in my hat!

Yesterday he sent me the following statement to share with you all.

“This is simply a great cookbook, one of the best I have ever used for any cuisine. Time after time when using it, I have been struck with the realization that this is what the dish I have had at Indian restaurants is supposed to taste like. A number of recipes have become favorites of family and friends, even for those who are not familiar with Indian cooking. The book is highly educational about Indian cuisine, and is the most beautiful cookbook I own.

Gerry Ledford

Redondo Beach, CA”

Thank you, Gerry you made my day!

Here I was at the festival, signing my book

I never go to book signings without taking fresh flower arrangements for my table.

Here is an another arrangement I made with the same theme for my house

Have you noticed a trend in my flower arranging? More and more succulents are finding their way into my flowers

My hydrangeas and astromarias are beginning to bloom in my garden. This is what white hydrangeas look like before they are fully mature. When you cut one before it is fully open, it has a green hue that I am very fond of.

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

I am joining Patty's Weekend-wrap-up, A Stroll Tru Life, Coastal Charm, Savvy Southern Style, Susan's Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday Cindy for Show, Tell, French Country Cottage , Fresh-Cut-Friday and How Sweet the Sound.

Looking for the Best Mother's Day gift?

2011-04-27T17:56:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for the perfect mother's day gift, why not give a gift that will help the body as well as the soul? My book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, will satisfy the bodywith the healthy, nutritional antioxidant power of spices. It will satisfy the soul with beautiful, elegant tablescapes. It's a visual treat that is sure to fire up your tastebuds and an experience that will encourage you to free your mind and watch it flower.

Divine recipes

Gorgeous tablescapes

This weekend, April 30th and May1st I will be signing my books at LA Festival of Books( booth # 725). This year festival is at USC campus. If you are going to be at the festival, please come and say hello.

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including gluten free recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

I am joining Susan's Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday, The Charm of Home, Common Ground, French Country Cottage, Cindy for Show, Tell, Foodie Friday and How Sweet the Sound.

Flowers for IFA

2011-04-24T17:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was our annual IFA fundraiser. This fundraiser is dedicated to raising funds for grassroots development in India. This entire organization is run by volunteers. I was assigned to make bouquets for the performers and flowers for the entrance hall. I photographed this arrangement before I transported it to the event site.

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including gluten free recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

I am joining The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays, Susan's Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday, Patty's Weekend wrap-up , A Stroll Tru Life, Coastal Charm and Savvy Southern Style.

Tea at the Rose Garden

2011-04-20T18:07:00.000-07:00

Today, it was one of those rare days for Southern California, gloomy and cloudy, which is an ideal day for gardening. After planting all my hanging baskets for my patio, I decided to have tea at the rose garden. Then, all of a sudden, the sun decided to join me for a cup of tea.

Rose garden in full bloom

Garden flowers for the table

Mango cheesecake with pomegranate and blueberry sauce seemed to be a good accompaniment for a cup of tea.

My favorite water lily tea set

The sugar scuttle is a perfect accessory

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including gluten free recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

I am joining Susan's Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday, The Charm of Home, Common Ground, French Country Cottage, Cindy for Show, Tell and Foodie Friday and How Sweet the Sound.

Spring Garden

2011-04-15T13:45:00.000-07:00

Spring has woken up and is dancing with a rainbow of colors in all of Southern California. This past week, while I was visiting my friends, I took some pictures of their garden to share with you all.

Ranunculus

Wisteria

Bougainvillea

Fuschia

Begonias

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including gluten free recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

I am joining French Country Cottage, The Charm of Home , Common Ground, How Sweet the Sound and The Key Bunch