Author: Gopi Krishna

For a recent holiday shoot (which was shot in early October) I struggled to find anything “Christmassy”, but found plenty that felt “closer to the holidays” (ie, festive, pops of red, or even a little more elevated than my usual denim/denim/scarf vibe). If you’re starting to think about what to wear for Thanksgiving or the holiday season, here are some beautiful holiday outfits. I dress up less these days, preferring to wear holiday sweaters instead of cocktail dresses, but some of these seem more transitional and easy to wear. Dress , Shoes this dress Viral for a reason – it…

Maida Meethi Seedai are small crispy sweet balls which taste soft from inside and crispy from outside. I make them using flour, sugar and a little ghee and when fried they turn golden and puff up a bit. Its taste is mildly sweet which melts slowly as soon as it is kept in the mouth and is very comfortable to eat. You can make it during festivals or sometimes when you feel like having a quick sweet snack with tea. It is very easy to make, it does not take much effort, just a few ingredients which are already present…

Black Pepper Thattai is a crisp, spicy snack made during festivals or for evening tea. These are thin discs of rice flour that are fried until golden and crisp with the flavor of black pepper. These are also called Milagu Thattai and are simple to make but very satisfying. The black pepper adds some heat and the butter adds flavour, it melts in the mouth. These thattai are crispy from outside and slightly nutty from inside. While frying, the aroma of black pepper, asafoetida and curry leaves gives a very nice aroma to the kitchen. These can be eaten immediately…

I’ve been making these caramel crunch chocolate bars for about 8 years now, ever since Max’s preschool teacher mentioned her grandmother’s “secret candy recipe” at a holiday party. After begging for the recipe and testing it 40+ times in my kitchen, I finally nailed the perfect ratio of buttery caramel crunch chocolate bars to chocolate crunch. The trick? It’s all about temperature control and not rushing the caramel layer something I learned the hard way after my first three batches turned into sticky disasters that cemented themselves to the pan. I’ve been making these caramel crunch chocolate bars for 8…

Tom showed up to our Super Bowl party with a pan of Buffalo chicken lasagna that stopped every conversation in the kitchen. I’d been making regular lasagna for years, but this looked completely different – layers of orange-tinted sauce, melted cheese bubbling at the edges, and this smell that made everyone drop what they were holding and crowd around. “Wait until you taste it,” Tom said, cutting into it. That first bite hit every spot – spicy buffalo chicken, cool ranch flavor, creamy ricotta, all held together with pasta. Lina stood next to me with his plate, eyeing it suspiciously…

Makhana Paratha is a soft and tender paratha that I make by adding roasted and ground makhana to regular wheat flour dough. It has the nice light crispiness of the makhana and gives it a different texture than the normal plain parathas. This paratha is easy to make and tastes both healthy and delicious at the same time. Makhana Paratha can be eaten for breakfast, dinner and as a snack and is a great idea for a lunch box. The flavor is hot and mild with a little spice. I like to have it with chutney, pickle or a cup…

Lisa showed up to our neighborhood potluck with a bowl of asparagus salad that looked nothing like the mushy, gray-green asparagus I’d been serving my family for years. Those spears were bright green – like actually bright – and when I bit into one, it had a snap to it. “How is yours still crunchy?” I asked, going back for seconds. She laughed and said, “Hannah, you’re boiling them to death. Two minutes, ice bath, done.” Lina was standing next to me with his plate, eyeing the green spears suspiciously, but then he saw me eating them and decided to…

Last April, my friend Linda invited me over for afternoon tea in her backyard, and the moment I bit into one of her lemon meltaway cookies, I stopped mid-conversation. These weren’t like any lemon cookie I’d ever tasted – they literally melted on my tongue, leaving behind this burst of bright lemon flavor mixed with buttery sweetness. “What did you just give me?” I asked, reaching for a second one before I’d even finished the first.Linda laughed and said she’d been making them since 1982, back when her grandmother taught her the recipe during a summer visit. Why You’ll Love…

The other week, just for fun, Marley put up an Instastory asking followers what they needed advice about in their homes. It was meant to be just an Instagram thing, but then we decided it would be silly not to share our tips on the blog too! So that’s what we’re doing today. There are 3 rooms, 3 different design problems, and 3 (or more) possible solutions. Let’s jump right in! Accent wall… First of all, it’s definitely not terrible, but we have some tips to give her the look we think she’ll want. Also, as a general design “rule”,…

Mixture is a crunchy and flavorful snack that I always love making at home. It has that perfect mix of kara boondi, omapodi, peanuts, poha and few nuts all tossed together in a spice mix. Each bite gives that mix of spice, crunch and flavor which makes it really hard to stop eating. Mixture also known as Madras Mixture is the most commonly relished snack for tea time and made at home for Diwali and special occasions. This is such a simple snack that can be made easily when you have few fried items ready in hand. You can make…